# Are Longbow lights still made?



## houtex (Jun 27, 2007)

I was working this weekend at a special event and we had to wand people as they entered.One guy had a longbow light.It was kinda beat up.He didn't know anything about it or even where he got it from but said he carried it cause it was small.
I liked the looks of this light.Is it any good?Is it even available?
Please tell me any history of this light.


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## mossyoak (Jun 27, 2007)

bombproof build, but old tech they havent made a new light in quite a while, they were based out of so korea, i think, occasionally youll see one pop up on the BST forum the alst one i saw for sale had been modded with a seoul.


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## houtex (Jun 27, 2007)

I've been searching the net and the more I see them the more i like them.
Old tech huh.One or two sights have them for $60.Right now i carry a L1dce .The longbow probaly doesn't compare does it?


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## mossyoak (Jun 27, 2007)

no its probably putting out 20ish lumens, lux 1 but they are moddable and the light engine if i remember does come out for mods.


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## Owen (Jun 27, 2007)

You can buy a "McCapsule" from the Sandwich Shoppe, and build your own light engine. I built two, and actually went back to the stock capsule in my Micra with a McR18 refelector and UCL being the only mods. In stock form, it's dim and inefficient by today's standard, but it's the best built light I've ever seen. Sometimes regret selling my Mini and PR head, especially since the Seouls came out about the same time.


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## chesterqw (Jun 28, 2007)

long bow are made in korea!??! 

i read before it was singapore!

lousy light for what they cost...

nowadays, a P1d or HDS owns it.

anyway, i don't think they are made anymore...

their website no longer work....


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## falconz (Jun 28, 2007)

Yes, they are based in Singapore. I visited their main office Light10 for a warranty exchange on the light module before.

To each his own, but I do not think "lousy" is a fair term for it since it was made so many years ago where the Lux I was still common. Perhaps "obsolete"?

The light engine maybe outdated but the body machining/design IMO is almost second to none.

A SSC led, McCapsule and a DB1000 brought back life to the Longbow and the grin on my face!


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## Casual Flashlight User (Jun 28, 2007)

Those Longbows looked like they were *very* well made...I believe the guy that demonstrated them at shows used to do the HDS trick of launching them at the wall/floor to prove how tough they were.

I'd love to see the mini, micra and eco updated with SSC's and better regulation...I'd buy the lot (eventually). :tinfoil:


CFU


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## Groundhog66 (Jun 28, 2007)

I just sold my MilkyModded Longbow, it is VERY nice. I have 2 more on the way, plus I just bought the TurboHead from the Shoppe.


Tim


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## Casual Flashlight User (Jun 29, 2007)

Hoggster, where are you getting them from?


CFU


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## matrixshaman (Jun 29, 2007)

Yes they have fabulous quality in the machining and finish. Built rock solid too but just a lousy LED in most. I fixed that when the Cree first came out by modding the existing capsule, adding the cree and one of the fairly rare NX-01 optics. It was incredibly bright, white and no rings. At that point it was the brightest LED light I had. The main Longbow distributor was in Arizona I believe (if not then maybe Texas or New Mexico - somewhere southwestish  ) I did hear they are not being made any more but I believe some dealers still have stock.


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## McGizmo (Jun 29, 2007)

The Longbow goes back to a now inactive CPF member Hotfoot and some of its seeds came from the early McLux TK program and the SkunkLight gang. I believe Hotfoot was on a gag order from Light10. Hotfoot was the man who made the original McLux TK's a reality. I miss the fellow here!! 



> ..lousy light for what they cost.
> nowadays, a P1d or HDS owns it...


 
I censor my response to this _brilliant_ comment before I even type it.


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## mossyoak (Jun 29, 2007)

McGizmo said:


> The Longbow goes back to a now inactive CPF member Hotfoot and some of its seeds came from the early McLux TK program and the SkunkLight gang. I believe Hotfoot was on a gag order from Light10. Hotfoot was the man who made the original McLux TK's a reality. I miss the fellow here!!
> 
> 
> 
> I censor my response to this _brilliant_ comment before I even type it.



that explains why the build quality is so good, some people just dont get what "timeless design" means. longbows will be great as long as people make them great. you just have to update as tech allows.


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## chesterqw (Jun 29, 2007)

when i mean lousy, i MEAN the specs of the LED/light output is lousy compared to WHAT we have NOW. nothing else.


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## Robocop (Jun 29, 2007)

If I remember correct Owen and myself looked over his longbow lights very well when he was modding them.....well the entire light engine was potted all the way up to the base of the emitter covering the leads completely. This was one of the first lights I knew of to use this method and yes it is nearly indestructable.....plus it is just a "good looking" light I believe.

Not very many ways at all for those old LongBow lights to fail and I would like to see the return of the LongBow using modern emitters and circuit designs.


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## mossyoak (Jun 29, 2007)

i would like to buy on as a beater and have a seoul installed. they are great lookin lights.


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## chesterqw (Jun 29, 2007)

guys, please go back on topic and stop polishing apples.


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## Casual Flashlight User (Jun 29, 2007)

Houtex, here's a review of the Longbow Micra from the much missed "flashlightreviews" website...

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/longbow_micra.htm

and another...

http://www.dansdata.com/lbmicra.htm

Enjoy!


CFU


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## mossyoak (Jun 29, 2007)

chesterqw said:


> guys, please go back on topic and stop polishing apples.



what?


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## Casual Flashlight User (Jun 29, 2007)

*ap·ple-pol·ish* (




p






l-p



l






sh) _Informal_ 

_v._ *ap·ple-pol·ished*, *ap·ple-pol·ish·ing*, *ap·ple-pol·ish·es* 

_v.__intr._ 

To seek favor by toadying.

_v.__tr._ 

To seek favor with; flatter. See Synonyms at fawn1.


Hmm, I thought we were just talking about a rock-solid little flashlight...:thinking:


CFU


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## mossyoak (Jun 29, 2007)

Casual Flashlight User said:


> *ap·ple-pol·ish* (
> 
> 
> 
> ...



me to.


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## criollo (Jun 29, 2007)

Here's a place to shop for Longbow flashlights

http://www.tkgear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=71&zenid=bu1c611vtujokf8l37fvdcn800


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## depusm12 (Jun 29, 2007)

I managed to get a hold of a new LongBow Micra w clicky and a PR head from the Sandwich Shoppe. Soon it will make a trip up north to milkyspit for a Seoul P4 modd.


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## lazee (Jun 29, 2007)

chesterqw said:


> guys, please go back on topic and stop polishing apples.




im curious as to where does any 'apple polishing' show in this thread. seems to me that just because you're the only one who has negative comments on longbow you decide to come up with a smart remark. or did i read wrongly, and the topic was actually a trash longbow thread and everyone who had a good comment on longbow was going off topic?


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## TORCH_BOY (Jun 29, 2007)

I carried my Longbow Micra around as my EDC for quite some time,
It's built like a tank, I would love to Cree it up


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## luminata (Jun 29, 2007)

I have a mini with PR head and did two Mcapsules for it one with DB750 and twok the other DB917 and Uwok. I get over 60 TRUE lumens from the U-bin LuxIII. I was actually considering selling the whole kit with the original stock led capsule. One nice thing about the LB is the threaded tripod mount on the tail. I found an inexpensive folding knife at an Army/Navy store that had a single mounting hole on the pocket clip. It works perfectly on the LB with a 1/4-20 screw and allows for bezel down pocket carryof the light. the Nice thing about DB coverters is they take up to 12volts so 2 rechargeables is no problem and very bright. the PR head is a great improvement also.


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## houtex (Jun 29, 2007)

Wel from what I saw it was a handsome looking light.It was a micra twisty.I'm considering tracking one down if I can get a good deal on it.Then I'l just have to find someone to mod it.Thanks everyone.


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## mossyoak (Jun 29, 2007)

milky can mod it for you.


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## matrixshaman (Jun 29, 2007)

If you have a Dremel and are careful it's not a hard Mod. You just take out some of the black stuff until you find the solder points to the LED, remove LED and put yours on top of some AA. The stock optic was not too bad but the NX-01 made it great.


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## matrixshaman (Jun 29, 2007)

Pocketlights.com seems to have a stock of Longbow lights but I will warn I had some bad experiences with them. I would call by phone ahead to verify stock and talk to them about their current shipping schedule.


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## tnuckels (Aug 16, 2007)

I just bought two SSC P4 Star USV0H stars from Fred at PhotonFanatic. One is to upgrade my Petzl Tikka XP, and the other was just to meet the minimum $20 order, plus thinking it would come in handy for some future use.

My first high-powered LED was my old LongBow Micra twisty, and taking it apart this evening I am still tickled at the quality of its construction and the level of detail that went into the product. Far from being “lousy”, this is a platform that could serve for years to come. I added a McR18 reflector, now sans stippling, and an UCL lens some time back.

My question concerns the LongBow’s electronics. Realizing the old circuitry might not be “optimal”, I just want to know if the existing package will run the P4, or do I need to scrap around and try to find one of the old McCapsules, and fill it with new electronics?


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## milkyspit (Aug 16, 2007)

tnuckels said:


> My question concerns the LongBow’s electronics. Realizing the old circuitry might not be “optimal”, I just want to know if the existing package run the P4, or do I need to scrap around and try to find one of the old McModules, and fill it with a new sandwich?



The stock circuitry can do a nice job, though it's a bit of a pain to get the old emitter out of the epoxy potting and locate the connection points for the new emitter while not actually damaging them. The McCapsule approach also works, though it's of course the more expensive of the two.


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## 270winchester (Aug 16, 2007)

the few longbows I have seen were of very good quality and from the runtime plot from QB, it also had very good regulation. its only draw back was that it had only a lux-I, so I guess it's their fault that they didn't have XR-Es or Seouls back in late 2004 and that a P1D would "own" it? 
:thinking:
keep in mind that in the old days, the Lux Is would have 40ish lumens at 350mAh versus 100+ of LEDs today. 

The specs can be entirely respectable with an upgrade of sorts.


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## Echo63 (Aug 17, 2007)

i still have my longbow micra, it lives inside my camera bag
stil works reliably and is fully replaceable, light engine can be replaced, switch can be replaced by just popping it out, lens and optic/reflector can easily be replaced too


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## ICUDoc (Aug 17, 2007)

Beautiful beautiful torch- feels fabbo in the hand and tough as.
Upgrades are simple- if you are happy to spend the money for the canister at the shoppe and add the driver of you choosing. I have also ripped apart the original pill to fit a downboy and Seoul- not really hard at all if you can solder small. Worth it, I think.


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## matthewdanger (Aug 17, 2007)

I had two of them at one point. They were beautifully machined and very modular. They also had nice flat regulation and were built like tanks. They were pretty slick at the time. A good modder could really make them sing again.


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## tnuckels (Aug 17, 2007)

With all this admiration (mostly) circulating here, what happened to LongBow? Last I recall on their website they were working on a Lux5 head or drop in, seemingly skipping over a Lux3 version, and then … nothing. All that time, effort, engineering, etc., just gone up in smoke because they couldn’t puzzle out the next emitter? It just seems “conspiracy theory” weird.

Thanks so much for the info on the stock electronics. I’ve got two very small sized burr heads and some diamond grit needle heads in my tool box. Dremel locked and loaded. Wish me luck. 

If I screw this up I’ll be back, begging instructions for the McCapsule approach. At least I see that they are still available at the Shoppe.


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## milkyspit (Aug 17, 2007)

tnuckels said:


> Wish me luck.




Good luck! :thumbsup:


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## Groundhog66 (Aug 17, 2007)

They make a GREAT modded light.


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## Casual Flashlight User (Aug 17, 2007)

I recently got hold of a "Mini" and an "Eco" fantastic construction, lovely lights! I need a "Micra" now, then I'll consider some mods for them.


CFU


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## tnuckels (Aug 20, 2007)

OK. I got the old LongBow module apart without destroying anything, I hope. Very tedious work this, especially when you are removing black resin goop without knowing the final shape you are trying to achieve. Now that I can see the final form, it looks familiar, as in it’s probably been posted here on CPF before, but I’ll try and post my own picture, as many of the old links seem to be dead ends anymore.

The battery’s anode (+) end contacts a pin on the bottom of the light module, which is connected to a red wire, which disappears into the black goop surrounding the electronics package. The black wire is screwed down to the body of the light module, and I assume makes connection through the threads, via the body of the light, and through the spring in the tailcap to the battery’s cathode (-). Emerging from the black goop are also yellow and white wires, which were soldered directly to the old emitter.

My questions follow:

1.	Which wire is which, + or -? A simple continuity test with my DMM shows a connection between the black & white wires which would seem indicate that black/white is negative, but there is no continuity between the red & yellow. Is it safe to assume that red/yellow is positive?
2.	Should the new emitter be glued (Artic epoxy) to the bare aluminum screw in module, or just set in some Artic paste?
3.	The top of old light module was covered with more black goop. When fully assembled the McR-18 reflector I am using was resting directly on this black goop. From this I assume that the goop was electrically insulating, but perhaps thermally conductive. Should I entomb the new emitter in Artic epoxy, thereby making any future mods just as difficult as this one, or is there some other way of ensuring sufficient heat distribution while protecting the + and – sides of the emitter from being shorted out?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you have to offer.


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## tnuckels (Aug 20, 2007)

*


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## dano (Aug 20, 2007)

I have one, and a kit to make it either an optic or reflector based light.

One of the best mini lights.

Just because it doesn't have the "LED Of The Week" doesn't make it bad. This mentality is getting worse than the "Steel Of The Week" in the pocketknife hobby :thumbsdow

--dan


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## milkyspit (Aug 20, 2007)

WOW. I've never taken one of those capsules down as far as you did! I certainly haven't ever popped the module out like that. Kudos! :bow:

Now, if I were to guess, I'd say the black wire gets grounded to the module via that screw... the white wire goes to emitter negative tab... and the orange wire goes to emitter positive tab. Not sure what to tell you about repotting your new emitter, but I think most of the heat will pass to the flashlight body via the underside of the emitter and through the aluminum capsule itself, so maybe the specific mix of potting compound isn't all that critical.


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## Casual Flashlight User (Aug 20, 2007)

dano said:


> I have one, and a kit to make it either an optic or reflector based light.
> 
> One of the best mini lights.
> 
> ...


 
My limited exposure to knives says you are spot on...I remember when 154cm was the shiz...then other steels came along and all of a sudden 154cm was rubbish.

As for the Longbows, they are like Arc LS lights....one of the best and most solidly built lights you can get...fantastic chasis for modding, or just a damn good light in stock form...I shall buy more Longbows, I like them a lot.


CFU


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## ginaz (Aug 21, 2007)

great, another light to hunt down and mod.... -


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## chesterqw (Aug 21, 2007)

if i remember correctly, white is ground black is negative and orange/yellow is positive.

since you are using a SEOUL, the back of the seoul emitter is positive, so

you must isolate the emitter by using a themal compound which does not

conductive electricity e.g. artic alumina epoxy doesn't conduct electricity.

the white one will be screwed down by the screw and + to +, - to -


edit: i see you killed your luxeon the way i did.
the dome off, the black off. leaving the metal post there


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## tnuckels (Aug 21, 2007)

*DAN:* I don’t think I’ve quite succumb to the enticements of the emitter du jour. If so, the Cree or Rebel might be more chic. I’m just enjoying tinkering around, plus looking for some more output from my existing light. 

*SCOTT:* So, I must assume that you simply dug out the emitter in the middle and replaced it with another? Did you keep the stock optic, or replace it with a reflector? If a reflector, was it plastic or metal? If metal, where does the bottom rim of the reflector rest?

*CFU:* I wish I had more of these to play with. Taken on output alone they seem overpriced nowadays, but if you consider the quality of the construction as a mod platform, then maybe not so bad. At the time I bought mine it seemed like the best bang for the buck.

After some quick measures, it looks like the P4 emitter will fit into the well in the middle of the aluminum screw in module. However, referencing my picture, I’ve got some questions about the P4 itself:

1.	There are two of these copper (?) tabs, one on each side of the emitter, one flush, and the other protruding. Testing for continuity fails to show a connection to any other metal on the emitter, most importantly not to the + or – connections. Ignore them, or did I miss something?

2.	There are two of these tabs as well, each next to the + and – connections. Again, testing for continuity shows no connections. Are they just reference markers for the positive vs. negative connections?

3.	There are 4 of these exposed metal plates surrounding the emitter, apparently below the level of the black plastic surround. No continuity detected. This is where the base of my metal reflector will sit, so I guess I’m safe here?








*CHESTERQW:* Thanks for the confirmation on + & - wires. Also thank you for the heads up on the positive connection on the back of the emitter, SSCs website confirms this. All I currently have is some Arctic Silver 5, so I’ll have to get some of the epoxy, as the Arctic website says the silver shouldn’t be used in such close proximity to two opposing electrical paths. Yes, I’m afraid going back to “stock” is no longer an option at this point, as you correctly identified the old emitter scraps in background of my first picture.

Of to the market to buy some epoxy … BTW, sorry if I’ve hijacked this thread, it was not my intent.

Cheers!


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## milkyspit (Aug 21, 2007)

tnuckels said:


> *SCOTT:* So, I must assume that you simply dug out the emitter in the middle and replaced it with another? Did you keep the stock optic, or replace it with a reflector? If a reflector, was it plastic or metal? If metal, where does the bottom rim of the reflector rest?




Yes, I exposed enough to remove the old emitter, mount a new one and make the necessary connections... operated on the general principle of minimal impact, leaving as much of the stock capsule as it had been.

I typically replace the stock reflector with another, sometimes aluminum, sometimes plastic. The reflector rests on the black plastic around the dome itself, and if the spacing is correct, doesn't seem to cause any problems. Gotta be careful with both sizing and centering though.


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## luminata (Aug 21, 2007)

It would really be easier to get a mclux capsule i think than bore out the stock capsule, that looks extremely tedious and difficult to do . I have two Mcapsules with DB750 and DB917 and U-bin luxIIIs and I also have the stock capsule intact which I will admit is very nicely machined but untouched. I was thinking of changing out both Mclux Capsules to Cree but I used the AA epoxy under both slugs. I wonder how hard it will be to pry them off. 
The only thing is by the time you are done getting everything capsule,board,emitter,epoxy ,teflon wire etc. you are up around $70bucks.
I also have the PR head and I wonder what would work better with it Cree or SSC?
Does anyone know what size reflector fits in the stock head?
hmm maybe I should put it all up in BST , I didnt think people cared for longbows anymore.


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## depusm12 (Aug 21, 2007)

Groundhog66

I have almost the exact same light except mine has the clicky tail cap and it hasn't made the trip up north to milkyspit to be modified.


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## chesterqw (Aug 22, 2007)

hard mods makes you satisfy


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## tnuckels (Aug 22, 2007)

True enough, buying the bits from the Shoppe is probably simpler, but as you say, at $70 per light module, it gets a bit expensive. As it stands, this mod will be a little over $11. My time is, as always, of debatable value.

With the tiny burr head and the Dremel set to a low speed, it really wasn’t so bad. Maybe tedious was the wrong word … more like nerve wracking, but only because initially I didn’t know were everything was and I kept thinking I was going to plow through something vital and ruin my light. Once the basic shape was established I just cut the resin into sections which mostly popped loose with an X-acto knife. With this picture as a guide, assuming you aren’t trying to salvage the old emitter, and knowing that there is nothing important topside of the aluminum can, it should actually be quite simple to do it a second time.

The old LongBow emitter was glued on with some sort of grey/white stuff. It really didn’t take much to break it loose, once it was free of the black resin and had someplace to go. Perhaps yours will do likewise. 

McR-18 was what I replaced the stock optic with in the LongBow Micra’s stock head. There appears to be a SSC specific reflector called the McR-18 Seoul. I recall reading that the standard reflectors had to be shortened by removing some material from the narrow end in order to properly focus them when used with the P4, so I’m guessing this one is sized accordingly.


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## luminata (Aug 22, 2007)

good info! I may try this myself, though things usually tend to go terribly wrong whenever there is a dremel in my hands.

I would really ike to get a micra 1 cell body with a twisty since I have the Mini with clickie now, but even thought they are not made anymore the 1 or 2 dealers that have them still list full price. You would think they would have clearenced saled them by now.


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## tnuckels (Aug 24, 2007)

*Are Longbows still made? Don’t Try This At Home Kids*

While waiting for my Ceramique to arrive I tested the electronics package with the spare P4 star. Negative does follow black in/white out and positive follows red in/yellow out and the star lights up. So far, so good.

Little did I realize how difficult it would be to get the emitter off the star. After de-soldering and prying the + & – tabs loose I found the back of the emitter was glued/epoxied/ceramiqued to the aluminum star body. OK, so I didn’t do my homework about this.:shakehead

After trying to loosen the emitter by prying a bit I thought that if I bend the star, the emitter should pop loose … and it did … and it no longer works. 

To quote Charlie Brown, *RATS!!!*

Well, it’s off to the market to buy some bare emitters.

Live and learn, I hope.


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## luminata (Aug 25, 2007)

aaaagh!! Sorry for your loss. Please when you do get it all together post details of the project and pics ?


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## tnuckels (Sep 15, 2007)

Guess I’ll try and answer my own questions as no one else has stepped up to the plate. While I might gamble a few dollars worth of flashlight parts on the accuracy of this information, I probably wouldn’t venture a whole lot more than that:





*Picture #1*

On the emitter I received and installed, the tabs (1.) on either side of the black body (Picture #1) were flush or slightly recessed, so I ignored them as they did not appear to be connected to anything, and therefore did not pose a threat of shorting out my light.

For possible answers to my original questions 2. & 3. from back in post #48, see Picture #2 below, and please feel free to correct my mistakes:

Let me preface the following descriptions by saying that there is great information and diagrams at the SSC website: http://seoulsemicon.co.kr/_homepage/home_eng/product/product.asp?topCODE=1&midCODE=25, but nothing along the lines of an exploded diagram of the emitter itself, or if this information does exist, I grew weary of searching and gave up looking before I found it.





*Picture #2*

The two things that the lines numbered (1.) point to are actually parts of the same piece of bent metal plate. Likewise for numbers 2-4, each set of lines points to another individual plate. So, there are four separate shaped metal plates. One part of each plate is visible under the blue dots in Picture #2 and inside the black plastic housing, and the other part of the same plate is protruding from the side of the housing. The metal plates appear to be made of copper.

(1.) marks the cathode, but does not appear to be connected to the actual cathode. 

(2.) is the cathode (-) leg of the emitter and it is connected to the fine wires visible through the lens going to the top of the phosphor.

(3.) is the anode (+) leg of the emitter and it is connected to the aluminum slug that can be seen when you turn the emitter over. The slug is also visible in Picture #2 and is the shiny metal plate that the yellow phosphor is sitting on. 

(4.) marks the anode, but does not appear to be connected to the actual anode. 

The portions of the four metal plates under the blue dots that surround the lens covering the emitter are recessed into the black plastic housing. Additionally, the clear “jelly” that fills the plastic lens over the LED’s phosphor also covers the metal plates under the blue dots. Therefore, it appears to be safe to seat a metal reflector on top of the emitter without fear of shorting it out.

The protruding tabs and legs are easy to bend, snip, and shape as needed. However, you must avoid stressing the legs where they enter the black plastic housing to avoid ruining the emitter. In the case of (2.) you risk breaking the connections to the fine wires that lead to the top of the phosphor. In the case of (3.) you risk breaking the connection to the aluminum slug which contacts the bottom of the phosphor. Anode leg (3.) seems particularly sensitive to being stressed.

Applying reverse current to the emitter didn’t seem to harm it, though I wouldn’t do this repeatedly just for the fun of it.

Many innocent SSC P4s gave their lives for this information.





*Picture #3*

I cut two short pieces of #18 wire insulation, then shaped, drilled out, and mounted them in the larger holes on either side of the well in the middle of the screw-in module, red for hot (+) and black for ground (-). For the purposes of my application, installing the emitter into the well in the middle of the LongBow’s screw in light module, I clipped off the cathode and anode marker tabs (1&4 in Picture #2) so that the emitter could be rotated and the cathode and anode legs (2&3 in Picture #2) inserted into the holes in the red and black insulators. 

Note: the emitter in Picture #3 no longer works as I stressed the anode (+) leg on the right too much … bummer!





*Picture #4*

It is best to hold the part of the anode and cathode leg that goes into the emitter housing with one small pair of pliers while you bend and snip the rest of the leg. Picture #4 shows the final working emitter with its lugs and legs snipped, very gently tweaked into place, and the leads from the electronics package soldered into place. 

Note: Unlike what I recall reading about some electronics packages, applying current to the LongBow without an attached load (emitter) didn’t fry it, though again I wouldn’t do it repeatedly on purpose.





*Picture #5*

All packed up and ready to go! On a previous attempt at this mod I had applied a thin coat of the two part Arctic Alumina epoxy to the bottom of the emitter’s slug. This didn’t work so great, and the LED flickered a bit and wouldn’t light to full brightness. On the final go round I applied a generous amount of the epoxy to the emitter’s slug, to the bottom of the housing, and to the surface of the well in the screw-in module where the emitter was going to be mounted. This seemed to do the trick isolating the hot (+) slug bottom from the grounded (-) screw in module.

Note: I did cheat a bit and buy a McR-18 S(eoul) reflector from the Shoppe rather than cut the old McR-18 that I had down to size. My old reflector had gotten dirty some time back and in attempting to clean it (NO TOUCHY) I had ruined the shiny inner surface. I had polished it back to a working sheen, but wanted something better for this mod.





*Picture #6*

The LongBow Micra twisty with an SSC P4 LED installed has now reclaimed its previous spot on my bedside table. Yes, that’s a homemade stainless steel (SS) clip and cut down hex bolt attaching it to the light, as well as a ground down SS nut being used as a sliding keeper on the wrist lanyard.

Making stuff is FUN! Breaking stuff isn’t … so I’ll just pretend you didn’t ask exactly how much I’ve spent on this little project of mine. After all, it’s a hobby damn-it!

I hope this information allows other LongBow owners interested in upgrading their lights to do so more easily, and get them back off the shelf or out of the drawer where they’ve been languishing.

Enjoy!


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## milkyspit (Sep 15, 2007)

Tnuckels, this is great information! Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

I especially can't believe how clean you got the heatsink!


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## Crenshaw (Sep 16, 2007)

I think we need to address the question, 
ARE THEY STILL MANUFACTURED??
everyones going on about how great the build quality is, ive come across two, and yes it is fantastic, now i really want one..

i think i going to go down to light10 and see if they still have them, or can any other singaporean here tell me is they do? many thanks..

Crenshaw


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## mossyoak (Sep 18, 2007)

no, they went out of business.


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## Groundhog66 (Sep 18, 2007)

Still manufactured or not is irrelevant, there are plenty on the secondary market. I seem to find one every time I start a quest, my recent acquisition is a MINT black Micra with clicky.

Tim


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## tnuckels (Sep 18, 2007)

Please forgive me if I have posted to this thread in a direction incongruent with the point of HOUTEX’s initial questions. I guess I got a little carried away, and I’ve half expected it to be shut down, or at least moved, as some of the moderators seem a might testy at times.



Crenshaw said:


> I think we need to address the question, ARE THEY STILL MANUFACTURED??



As had been suggested early in the discussion regarding LongBow’s fate, there’s been nothing new for quite some time and the company is almost certainly out of business now. 

The thread then seemed to move on … toward build quality, upgradeability, and to a lesser extent availability. HOUTEX then seemed interested in purchasing a LongBow, if only he could find someone to upgrade the LED. I was inspired to revisit my old light, what with the talk of McCapsules and LED swaps, and to attempt my first substantial modification. Having successfully managed this upgrade, I thought to demonstrate to HOUTEX that it was quite possible to, as MATTHEWDANGER put it, make this light sing again, especially with someone else beating the path down and providing some answers to likely questions.



luminata said:


> I would really like to get a micra 1 cell body with a twisty since I have the Mini with clickie now, but even thought they are not made anymore the 1 or 2 dealers that have them still list full price. You would think they would have clearance saled them by now.



Old cars and such maintain and even increase in value over time. I think the retailers who still have stock realize quality when they see it, and know better than to give it away, especially when it is no longer being made. I watched ARC lights go through the roof on eBay when Peter’s previous venture folded, but perhaps LongBow’s demise was not so well known (as evidenced by our discussion) and their lights not quite so beloved.

It’s sorta’ cute, sorta’ serious, when I hear words like “classic”, “mint”, “original” and such applied to flashlights a few years old, as though they were heirloom antiques. I recall one listing for older design ARC AAA-P that stated it was still sealed in the original Ziploc bag, like that justified the wicked premium the seller was asking. 

I guess some of us got this bug worse than others …


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## milkyspit (Sep 18, 2007)

I know of at least one dealer that apparently doesn't have the Longbow Micra nor have they for some time, yet still list it on their website. I started my own quest to acquire a Micra several months back with an order placed at Pocketlights.com... the order was taken without so much as a hiccup, then the next day I received an email telling me the Micra was out of stock... the email implied it was PERMANENTLY out of stock. I replied asking (politely) why it was still listed on their site and suggested they might want to remove the listing, which they did not do... nor did I receive any response to my email.

None of the above stopped them from charging my credit card, though! I was unable to contact them via phone or email to reverse the charge, so in the end I filed a complaint with my credit card issuer as that seemed the path of least resistance to get the erroneous charge removed.

Is this a rant? Well... I'd like to think it was an honest mistake, though it did leave a bad aftertaste from the whole experience. Anyway, my point in THIS thread is simply to offer that just because a site lists the Micra, doesn't mean they have it... in fact, at this point I would think they don't. If it were me I would look for one via BST and/or perhaps ebay.


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## greenLED (Sep 18, 2007)

tnuckles - excellent modding!

Longbows are among the lights I wished I had bought back when.


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## HARDMETAL (Sep 21, 2007)

I had visited lb in singapore last year. But they only told me that there had some restruction .....
I still have some micra twist & click .about several tens..
several pcs of eco (aax2) & 2 pcs of 5w (123ax2).


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## luminata (Sep 21, 2007)

I have a mini with lots of custom xtras in Lights BST for very cheap!!


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## karlthev (Sep 21, 2007)

PM to you.


Karl


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## karlthev (Sep 21, 2007)

I'll take it.


Karl


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## tnuckels (Sep 26, 2007)

Thanks GreenLED! Love your avatar … an old comic book fave of mine. 

Here’s a little story you might appreciate. Some time back I bought a Green Lantern logo t-shirt from cartoon network. Wearing the shirt one afternoon while steering my three young sons through the labyrinth at the courthouse/DMV a well dressed lawyer-looking-dude pulled up short on his harried way somewhere, looked at me, looked at the kids, and then he spied the shirt. “Don’t forget to recharge every night”, was all he said, and then he disappeared into the sunset. Took a sec, but I finally realized the absurd humor of my situation, like trying to heard cats or referee over a goat rodeo. 

An afternoon to remember …


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## houtex (Dec 11, 2007)

I think I've found some
http://www.newgraham.com/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=longbow


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## dulridge (Dec 11, 2007)

tnuckels said:


> I recall one listing for older design ARC AAA-P that stated it was still sealed in the original Ziploc bag, like that justified the wicked premium the seller was asking.
> 
> I guess some of us got this bug worse than others …



I've seen way, way worse than that. In the late 70's / early 80's I worked in a camera shop. For Leitz' 75th anniversary (80 or 81 AFAIR) they produced a bunch of gold plated Leicas. We sold more Leicas than anyone else in the UK so got the right to buy several of them at (AFAIR) $3750 a shot (I seem to remember the exchange rate then was about $2.5/£ - the price was £1500 a go). So several were bought and left in the basement utterly untouched.

Along comes a Japanese collector a year or so later to buy an R3 SLR in gold plate. Out comes totally untouched box. Off he heads with one of us to the local infirmary where he pays $300 to have the box X-rayed to make sure there is actually a camera in it. Apparently breaking the seal would remove 50% of the value. What!!!!!!!!!???????

The guy who had paid about $9000 for his first-class air ticket and about $12,000 for the camera had no intention at all of even breaking the seal on the box, let alone opening it!!!!!! 

I may add that the R3's were utter junk. They were bad clones of a Minolta design using Ferranti electronics (thankfully now bankrupt electronics maker) which did not work at all well. Pressing hard on the tripod screw area necessitated a factory repair. The PCB's were a bit crap. But the optics were a bit nice. Pity about the rest.

Wish I knew more such idiots, I have a bridge to sell them, or if not interested in bridges, some bottom land they might well be interested in.


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## ErickThakrar (Dec 18, 2007)

Stripping the original module is surprisingly easy. Put it in the oven at say... 150-200 degrees, wrapped in aluminum foil. Give it 10-15 minutes. The epoxy will be soft and peels easily off. Thought I had mine somewhere, but I think I sold it... Dammit...


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## milkyspit (Dec 19, 2007)

ErickThakrar said:


> Stripping the original module is surprisingly easy. Put it in the oven at say... 150-200 degrees, wrapped in aluminum foil. Give it 10-15 minutes. The epoxy will be soft and peels easily off. Thought I had mine somewhere, but I think I sold it... Dammit...




Sounds a little like cooking a baked potato! oo:


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## Crenshaw (Dec 19, 2007)

I would keep that module stock, and get a heatsink/pill that fits with a new connection board and LED.

The longbow original module is waterproof, and i would keep it that way....

Crenshaw


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## garence (Dec 19, 2007)

I really wish they were still being made, so that upgrades were being provided. Investing in possibly double the cost of a NOS Longbow for achieving an LED upgrade seems ridiculous, considering that there are many other well made lights to be had for less. It's a different story if you already own the light and have used it through the Luxeon-I LED period. Still... for the cost of upgrading, you could buy an Olight T-20 P, a Dereelight CL1H V3, Regalight WT1, etc...

Existing stock is still priced quite high... I'd expect it to drop at least $20 lower than the going rate ($75-$100), given the 20 lumens output of the stock LED. Pitifully weak compared to Cree Q5.

With the LED flashlight marketplace so saturated with competition, I think it's safe to say that LongBow will always be a name of the past. Sad. From what I've seen, I think they really did make the most solid, rugged, and sleek looking non-tactical LED light for under $100.


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## Crenshaw (Dec 20, 2007)

actually, with a LED upgrade, and if you change the clicky boot so it sticks out, youve got a fair, mostly functionably "tactical" light as per latest "standards" set by CPF threads....(its already a forward)

Crenshaw


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