# Surefire T1A XP-G TITAN Mod



## DaFABRICATA (Oct 24, 2009)

This was a bit difficult but the results are excellent!

I was FINALLY able to get my T1A apart.

_Partial credit must be given to brighterisbetter for lighting a fire under my *** during a conversation we had earlier this week!...Thanks Bro!:wave:_

It had been used maybe 10 minutes total and put in a drawer where it has sat for a month or longer. I absolutely hated how the emitter was not all the way in the reflector hole making it out of focus and the beam was all flood with no hotspot. Due to the emitter not being up as far as it should, it also seemed very dim.

I finally fixed that tonight!
I was going to swap the stock blueish white tinted seoul for a high CRI seoul, but since I had a few XP-G's laying around, I figured "Why Not":devil:...I can always get another for the high CRI swap.

It certainly wasn't the easiest mod, but I am happy with the results AND it runs much cooler.
I've had it running on my desk in still air for about 10 minutes now and it is just kinda warm to the touch where the stock T1A would be_ Hot_ by now..:naughty::twothumbs
The T1A now has a nice big bright hot spot and nice spill. The beam is WAY more useful now!
It is noticably brighter than my original Titanium Titan and throws much better too.
I really wish I would have taken a before and after shot of the T1A's beam...it's hard to descibe how much of an improvement this is.

I was VERY nervous about modding such and expensive light with VERY complicated electronics. Theres SO much stuff on the 3 driver boards its crazy!:duh2::thinking::green::duck:

A copper shim was made to help raise up the XP-G mounted on the stock 10mm board that is 2mm thick, and bringing it into focus. Two sides of the 10mm board had to be filed flat to bring it down to 8.6mm wide to fit in the cavity where the seoul previously was.

Here is the final result!












*Original Titanium TITAN--------------------------------STOCK T1A:sick2:*





*T1A XP-G------------------------------------Original Ti TITAN*


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## Zeruel (Oct 24, 2009)

Nice work again, DeFab. :thumbsup:

Now.... onto that SPY005 of yours... :laughing:


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## Crenshaw (Oct 24, 2009)

You are a brave man Dafab.....

and it paid off...nice job!

Crenshaw


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## ROK (Oct 24, 2009)

:goodjob:


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## toby_pra (Oct 24, 2009)

WOW DaFab...

It was right to lightning a fire under you ***! 
Awesome, result...! 

BTW, did you still have flashlight, that are noit modded witha XP-G? :tinfoil: :nana:


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## 1wrx7 (Oct 24, 2009)

toby_pra said:


> WOW DaFab...
> 
> It was right to lightning a fire under you ***!
> Awesome, result...!
> ...


 

Just wait until the PR-T head is done:devil:


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## brighterisbetter (Oct 24, 2009)

DaFABRICATA said:


> _Partial credit must be given to brighterisbetter for lighting a fire under my *** during a conversation we had earlier this week!...Thanks Bro!:wave:_


 


DaFABRICATA said:


> ...I can always get another for the high CRI swap.


I'd love to see that too. Even more than that, I'd like one with a K2 TFFC. I'll provide a donor light if you get brave enough to do this again.


DaFABRICATA said:


> It is noticably brighter than my original Titanium Titan and throws much better too.
> 
> *T1A XP-G------------------------------------Original Ti TITAN*


For those who haven't had the opportunity to handle an original Ti Titan, this pic really says something. The original Titan is much more neutral white than the more recent T1A and it's "angry blue", plus the hotspot is more pronounced. This XP-G swap by DaFAB is incredibly more "white" than even the original Titan it would seem. Nice job!


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## Kestrel (Oct 24, 2009)

That, sir, is very nice. :twothumbs


toby_pra said:


> BTW, did you still have flashlight, that are not modded with a XP-G? :tinfoil: :nana:


LOL, +1

Also, very good point by BIB regarding the beam comparison in the above post.


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## Viper715 (Oct 24, 2009)

Wow just wow. I never got brave enough to get some one to work on my and I sold it. I may have to buy one again and a K2 TFFC and see what happens. Dfab let me know if your up to it and maybe you could do one for me and Bruce now that your getting it down pat. Haha.

Nice work really!


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## DaFABRICATA (Oct 24, 2009)

Thanks for all the kind words guys!:thumbsup:






Zeruel said:


> Nice work again, DeFab. :thumbsup:
> 
> Now.... onto that SPY005 of yours... :laughing:


 

Ha! I actually like the two 005's the way they are now...





toby_pra said:


> WOW DaFab...
> 
> It was right to lightning a fire under you ***!
> Awesome, result...!
> ...


 

I have been modding a lot of lights with these XP-G's lately.
Its suprising how many I still have set aside for "something else"..





1wrx7 said:


> Just wait until the PR-T head is done:devil:


 
:tsk::whoopin:
I'll start a thread on that one early next week...




brighterisbetter and Viper715, If you end up getting another T1A, send me a PM and we might be able to work something out. 
Taking the T1A apart is very nerve-racking, but the results are worth it IMO.:naughty:




.


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## MWClint (Oct 24, 2009)

Awesome work!

Did you figure out a decent method of getting the boards out with those pins?
looks like i'm going to have to buy a T1A now.


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## Nitroz (Oct 24, 2009)

Nice work! Man, you're going crazy with XP-G mods.

I take it those LEDs are nailbender's. Those board that he mounts them on are the best layout.

I am about to put together my Longbow with PR head, can't wait!


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## foxtrot824 (Oct 24, 2009)

Fantastic work! This is the kind of mod that makes me want my T1A again . Thanks for sharing.


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## darkzero (Oct 25, 2009)

toby_pra said:


> BTW, did you still have flashlight, that are noit modded witha XP-G? :tinfoil: :nana:


 
That & I also think Tim has a KL4 mod for every single LED that's out there! He must have a whole case full of KL4s. :nana:


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## DimeRazorback (Oct 25, 2009)

Woo!

You did it!!

:twothumbs


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## toby_pra (Oct 25, 2009)

darkzero said:


> That & I also think Tim has a KL4 mod for every single LED that's out there! He must have a whole case full of KL4s. :nana:



I would be licky if i had so many lights, and more left over for modding...


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## tygger (Oct 25, 2009)

Wow, excellent work. The results are very impressive. Any possibility you'd be willing to do some surgery on an angry blue T1A?


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## jhanko (Oct 26, 2009)

Is the lens/reflector bezel threaded or pressed on?


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## DaFABRICATA (Oct 26, 2009)

I found the picture I took of the Stock T1A before the mod and added it to the 1st post
You can see the nasty blue all floody dim beam:shakehead compared to the nice white beam of the original Ti TITAN..:thumbsup:
In the picture below that is the T1A with XP-G compared to the original Ti TITAN.









MWClint said:


> Awesome work!
> 
> Did you figure out a decent method of getting the boards out with those pins?
> looks like i'm going to have to buy a T1A now.


 

I did, It's not easy but I am confident I have the technique down.:thumbsup:





tygger said:


> Wow, excellent work. The results are very impressive. Any possibility you'd be willing to do some surgery on an angry blue T1A?


 

PM sent to you.:wave:
If anyone wants their T1A emitter swapped and focused correctly, feel free to send me a PM. It's not an easy mod to do, but the results make this light a _whole lot better!_




JHanko said:


> Is the lens/reflector bezel threaded or pressed on?


 


I have tried a few times to take the bezel apart, but decided to just leave it alone as there really is no reason to take it apart.
I'm pretty sure the bezel is screwed on (with loc-tite) and only holds the window/o-ring in place.
The reflector is part of the lower bezel assambly and is not removable. It is part of the head, just like the KL4.

Were you thinking of possibly making a titanium body?:bow::bow:
If so, send me a PM and maybe there is a way using an McR reflector and a window from flashlightlense.com or somewhere else.
THAT would be cool!:thumbsup:


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## jhanko (Oct 26, 2009)

DaFABRICATA said:


> I have tried a few times to take the bezel apart, but decided to just leave it alone as there really is no reason to take it apart.
> I'm pretty sure the bezel is screwed on (with loc-tite) and only holds the window/o-ring in place.
> The reflector is part of the lower bezel assambly and is not removable. It is part of the head, just like the KL4.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I found that out. I tore apart one of my titanium Titans today and put in a high CRI seoul LED. I have a couple of XPG's, but I decided to go warm. I was able to remove the bezel with quite a bit of heat. All that gives you access to is the lens and o-rings. At least I can say I did it. I also found where the gritty feel on the Ti Titan comes from. The little tab that hits the rotation stops rubs against the heatsink the entire rotation. I filed off just enough of the tab to stop the rubbing. Smooth and quiet as can be now. I may make another body for one of them, but an appropriate reflector will be the challenge...


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## brighterisbetter (Oct 26, 2009)

That grittiness fix sounds like a neato idea. I'm so excited to see one with a K2 TFFC I can hardly stand it


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## kz1000s1 (Oct 26, 2009)

Nice job! Do you have a photo of the filed board and of how it looks sitting in the cavity before you reassembled?
I have a few XPG's coming soon and one is going to have the same thing done to replace a P4.


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## DaFABRICATA (Oct 27, 2009)

JHanko said:


> Yeah, I found that out. I tore apart one of my titanium Titans today and put in a high CRI seoul LED. I have a couple of XPG's, but I decided to go warm. I was able to remove the bezel with quite a bit of heat. All that gives you access to is the lens and o-rings. At least I can say I did it. I also found where the gritty feel on the Ti Titan comes from. The little tab that hits the rotation stops rubs against the heatsink the entire rotation. I filed off just enough of the tab to stop the rubbing. Smooth and quiet as can be now. I may make another body for one of them, but an appropriate reflector will be the challenge...


 


Wha...Wha...WHAT!! 
You disassembled your Ti Titan??oo::huh::naughty:
I added a small dab of lube to the tiny holes on the head and mine is silky smooth now...(Thanks Bruce!:thumbsup
I may have to contact you after I save up more money to see if you are interested in making a custom Ti body for a T1A. Maybe one with a larger head to house an McR20S and some tritium slots on the body!oo:...
Glad to hear your Titan is smooth now!..very cool!






brighterisbetter said:


> That grittiness fix sounds like a neato idea. I'm so excited to see one with a K2 TFFC I can hardly stand it


 

Buy the host and emitter and send it my way....
I'd like to see that too!
The only time I was able to see a K2 TFFC in action was at the Michigan Get-Together when blindasabat brought his DD L1 head out!
I was blown away by that thing!
I still can't believe I haven't bought any to mess around with..:duh2:




kz1000s1 said:


> Nice job! Do you have a photo of the filed board and of how it looks sitting in the cavity before you reassembled?
> I have a few XPG's coming soon and one is going to have the same thing done to replace a P4.


 


I don't. The 10mm board just needs to be filed flat on 2 opposing sides to fit up in there. Keep us posted on how things go.
I'm so happy with mine and have gone through like 3 batteries since the mod, I use it so much!!
I'm buying another T1A that I'm going to mod with a high CRI Seoul to give to my Grandfather for his birthday. He was really digging the Ti Titan last time we were together, so I figure this will be perfect for him. He also liked my SPY's but I can't bring myself to give one of them up.


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## kz1000s1 (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks!

Mine is going in an HDS EDC, not a Titan but I'll have to trim the board also.


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## Blindasabat (Oct 29, 2009)

I saw this light in person and it totally rocks! I could not stop playing with it. Great UI and excellent output.

It has a nicely balanced EDC beam with a big smooth spot and plenty of spill. SF did a nice job on this light (besides the beam and tint I hear) but Tim made it way better.


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## DimmerD (Oct 29, 2009)

Man thats sweet! Can I PM mine to you or maybe fax it to you for modding?:naughty:


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## Blindasabat (Oct 29, 2009)

DimmerD said:


> Man thats sweet! Can I PM mine to you or maybe fax it to you for modding?:naughty:


 maybe some day. 

I think you need to FTP it using a dial-up modem.
Beam it like on Star Trek?
...or beam-ride it on the beam of your best throwing flashlight...
Put it in one of those inter-office tubes like at the bank drive-up window.
Use teleportation - it works, I've seen videos on line that show you how! :tinfoil:

Oh hell, just face in his general direction and throw REAL hard. But make sure he knows it's coming!


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## DaFABRICATA (Oct 29, 2009)

Blindasabat said:


> I saw this light in person and it totally rocks! I could not stop playing with it. Great UI and excellent output.
> 
> It has a nicely balanced EDC beam with a big smooth spot and plenty of spill. SF did a nice job on this light (besides the beam and tint I hear) but Tim made it way better.


 

Mark, I though you'd like it! Thanks fot the props! Maybe when I get one of the high CRI ones done you can swing by and check that out!...probably this weekend I'll have at least one done....if they make it here by then. After seeing a few of your K2's, I too want to do one in a T1A....anybody want one done?:laughing:






DimmerD said:


> Man thats sweet! Can I PM mine to you or maybe fax it to you for modding?:naughty:


 


No, I don't think it will fit through the slot in the PM mailbox.
However, you can send me a PM to discuss sending it my way for an upgrade..:wave:


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## DaFABRICATA (Oct 30, 2009)

Heres a T1A that I just finished for another member with a high CRI Seoul.
I will get beamshots up tonight to show the differences. Once again, the beam is much better than stock with a nice hot-spot and excellent spill and renders colors VERY nicely! The Nasty blueish tint and all flood, low output beam is bye-bye now!:thumbsup:


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## DimmerD (Oct 30, 2009)

SUHWEET!
I pm'ed it to you and I think it got stuck in CPF, anybody see it?
I am just too scared to mod it, my wife would kill me a second time. She killed me once already when she found out how much it was!


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## Kiessling (Oct 31, 2009)

PM sent  :wave:


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## DaFABRICATA (Nov 1, 2009)

Kiessling said:


> PM sent  :wave:


 


Gotcha!.....:devil:

The High CRI T1A mod can be seen in this thead for more details and beamshots.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/247160




.


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## jonesy (Nov 1, 2009)

Those are beautiful, well done! Ever think about sending some photos to Surefire with a smarmy note about how it's a shame they don't sell it that way in the first place?


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## PoliceScannerMan (Jun 11, 2010)

I just got my T1A back from Tim getting a Neutral R4 XPG transplant. My stock T1A was sick with a unfocused blue Seoul emitter. 

I sent it off to Tim (DaFABRICATA), and got her back today. The results are amazing!!! 

Not only is the beam ten times better, the tint is perfect, and the action of the twisting is butter smooth. And the detent off and on is also more tactile. :rock:

I was worried that the low would be too bright after putting the uber-efficient XPG in it. I was wrong, the low is still a low low. 

Love it, great job Tim!!!


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## DaFABRICATA (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the kind words PSM!
I'm really glad that you like it so much!:thumbsup:
It's feedback like that, that makes me want to do these so much.:thumbsup:

The T1A has a lot of potential to be a great light....unfortunately Surefire decided to put these shitty blue seouls in there with a heatsink that does not focus the emitter correctly.:sigh::scowl:

Over the last week, I've done 3 of these and the XPG is awesome in the T1A!

Just finished one up about 30mins ago and it came out nicely with a very nice white tint and completely improved beam pattern!
Best of all....no more nasty blue crappy beam!oo:

Personally, I'd NEVER own a stock T1A, as I have seen what a difference shimming the seoul will do, or installing an XPG will do to improve the beam 1000%


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## KDOG3 (Jul 4, 2010)

Good gravy! If I could afford a TITAN I would send it to you for an XPG mod. Would you be up for it?


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## Launch Mini (Jul 4, 2010)

Can you please pm me with what you would charge to upgrade my T1A
tx


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## tsl (Jul 17, 2010)

Does anyone know (or can estimate) the lumens output for the XP-G mod and the high CRI mod? Is it much of an increase over stock or is most of the difference in the beam texture?


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## coltraneman (Jul 19, 2010)

tsl said:


> Does anyone know (or can estimate) the lumens output for the XP-G mod and the high CRI mod? Is it much of an increase over stock or is most of the difference in the beam texture?



I'm interested in this info as well.
Also, OP seems to have two upgrades for the T1A. Can anyone enlighten me one which is the preferred mod?
Thanks!


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## tsl (Aug 20, 2010)

brighterisbetter said:


> ... I'm so excited to see one with a K2 TFFC I can hardly stand it


 
What is it about the K2 TFFC that would make it so desirable in this light?



DaFABRICATA said:


> Over the last week, I've done 3 of these and the XPG is awesome in the T1A!


 
Does anyone know how an XP-E would work with the same reflector and what the beam would look like?


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## kaichu dento (Aug 20, 2010)

tsl said:


> What is it about the K2 TFFC that would make it so desirable in this light?


 Huge floody beam pattern with much improved tint and tons more output.


> Does anyone know how an XP-E would work with the same reflector and what the beam would look like?


I don't know how well it would work but I doubt it would be good. With the P4 being a fairly large light emitting surface you'd be better off replacing it with another large emitting surface.


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