# Princeton Tec EOS LED Swap



## :)> (Feb 15, 2006)

Is it possible to use a 3 watt LED in the EOS? If anyone has performed this mod, please let me know the results. How is the runtime? What was the change in performance? 

I have removed the optic from my EOS and I am now using a modified Mini Mag reflector... will a 3 watt LED still work in this configuration and provide ring and dark spot free lighting? The stock LED has a great looking beam and I would not want to sacrifice it for a little more output.

Thank you!

-Goatee


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## vtunderground (Feb 15, 2006)

The results depends on what bin LED is in the headlamp now, and what you replace it with. I mean, if you already have a RW0H-binned star, there's no point in replacing it. But, for example, my EOS has a PX1H star. It's bluish, and not too bright. By swapping in a TW0H Lux-III star, my EOS would be brighter and whiter. Of course the Lux-III would still be driven at 1 watt.

Personally, I wouldn't swap in a new LED unless I was unhappy with the tint of the stock LED.


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## jar3ds (Feb 16, 2006)

so would a lux III driven @ 1 watt be more efficient? hence, give us more runtime?


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## offroadcmpr (Feb 16, 2006)

Since the EOS is a regulated light, it is sending the same amout of current to the LED. So a more efficient emitter would make it brighter, and it would have the same runtime, since the driver doesn't know the difference between the two.


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## :)> (Feb 16, 2006)

I am pretty sure the the EOS has a 1 watt LED. Are the Lux III LED's more efficient (do they put out more than light?) than a Lux I when driven at the same voltage?

If so, is the light emmitted at a lower temperature? 

Also, the IMS17 reflector; will it throw noticeably further than the modified Mini Mag reflector?

-Goatee


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## ktronik (Feb 16, 2006)

:)> said:


> I am pretty sure the the EOS has a 1 watt LED. Are the Lux III LED's more efficient (do they put out more than light?) than a Lux I when driven at the same voltage?
> 
> If so, is the light emmitted at a lower temperature?
> 
> ...




only u-bin 3w & S-bin 1w leds are more efficient than a R-bin 1w...


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## vtunderground (Feb 16, 2006)

:)> said:


> Also, the IMS17 reflector; will it throw noticeably further than the modified Mini Mag reflector?



Nope, the beams are pretty much identical.


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## ktronik (Feb 17, 2006)

Some quick mod ideas...my units turn up soon...

Looks like there is no circuit under & around the gold section, so you could remove the temp sensor, cut out that square section of PCB, to add a thin copper heatsink...if we could fit a lower stack height of the optic/lens & use emmiter only, you could incress the thickness of the copper heatsink...(then remount the temp sensor to the copper heatsink)

there maybe even componant changes to mod the circuit to different light levels... but I will need to have a closer look @ the type of circuit used...

food for thought...


we almost need a thread just for EOS modding...

Ktronik


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## Mundele (Feb 26, 2006)

I'm interested in swapping the luxeon in my eos. It's bluish. I of course want a brighter-whiter light (I know nothing of bin codes. I like the color of my Fenix L1P if they use a specific bin all the time. One like it would rock). 

I've gotten the guts out but can't seem to flip up the luxeon itself. Is it fastened or glued? I'm afraid I'll break it.

Trying to read codes from the edge I can only read about 3-4 characters I see:

PYAH
2304
LUX

are any of these bin codes? What Do I need to look for in Luxeon star's and bin codes?

--Matt


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## thezman (Feb 26, 2006)

PYAH is the bin code of your LED

P is the flux or lumens rating. 23.5 - 30.5
YA is the color tint. Look at the first colored chart on the link I provided.
H is the forward voltage. 3.03V - 3.27V

BIN CODES EXPLAINED

If you look at the pic posted above, you can see the blob of black tar adhesive that is holding down the star. It's the flattened blob with wires sticking out of both sides of it. It's near the lower left corner of the big gold area. You have to be careful prying it up, or you may break the heat sensor that's below the flattened blob.

Sorry to say, but you didn't do so well in the Luxeon lottery. 
Good luck with your mod.


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## jar3ds (Feb 27, 2006)

i think you may want to switch that to a RXOH


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## jar3ds (Feb 27, 2006)

your led may stick a little because the heat sensor has that plastic dab on it... and mine usually will melt to the back of the LED... making it a little tacky... however checking the runtime charts on my EOS show that its still dropping the regulation due to heat... thats at least what we thought its doing at the begining of the output


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## Mundele (Feb 27, 2006)

Thanks for all of the posts!! Very helpful



jar3ds said:


> i think you may want to switch that to a RXOH



Where can one obtain an RXOH luxeon star?

When I swap the LED, do I need to reattach that heat sensor?


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## twentysixtwo (Feb 27, 2006)

Ktronic - was that star the stock star in your EOS? If so, I want to shop where you do!



I put a TWOJ in my EOS last night, current jumped from 230 mah to 320 mah. Got a lot brighter too. Problem is, the optic doesn't sit the same and now there's a lumpy beam. The emitter sits at a different height, plus the heat sink is a different thickness between the Lux I and Lux III.

Was thinking of getting a TWOH but now I'm wondering about getting a RWOH or simply buying a new EOS and keeping my fingers crossed. My EOS was old and had a bin of PX0K so *ANY* star will be better.....


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## vtunderground (Feb 27, 2006)

twentysixtwo said:


> I put a TWOJ in my EOS last night, current jumped from 230 mah to 320 mah. Got a lot brighter too. Problem is, the optic doesn't sit the same and now there's a lumpy beam. The emitter sits at a different height, plus the heat sink is a different thickness between the Lux I and Lux III.




Here's how to fix that:

1) Remove the Lux-III emitter from it's star. This can be acomplished by unsoldering the leads, then carefully bending the star back with pliers. The emitter should just pop off. This will destroy the star, but the emitter will be ok.

2) Remove the 1-watt emitter from it's star. This will destroy the emitter, but the star will be ok. First you'll unsolder the leads, then twist the emitter with your pliers. First the plastic part of the emitter will come off, then you can just snap the slug off of the star.

3) Clean the star, where the emitter attaches. Dab some thermal epoxy on the back of the Lux-III emitter, and stick it where the 1-watt emitter had been attached. Re-solder the leads.


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## twentysixtwo (Feb 28, 2006)

Well, came up with a different solution.....a 17mm Reflector!!!! Works like a charm, I only had to sand down the "legs" a little bit. Focuses very nice with great sidespill, and a tighter hotspot than the original optic. The TWOJ gets fairly warm, wondering how much warmer a TWOH would get. Tons brighter. Runtime will surely be less, but now I can go to level 2 brightness for longer runtime which will still be brighter than the old Lux 1.

I may be buying another EOS to play with. Hopefully I'll hit the lottery on this one. Actually, I'd rather hit that lottery tonight here in Michigan....


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## jar3ds (Feb 28, 2006)

yeah the 17mm reflector rocks in the eos.. been using it for months now and can't go back to factory optic... i use the bare emitter once and a while for reading in bed and such


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## ktronik (Feb 28, 2006)

vtunderground said:


> Here's how to fix that:
> 
> 1) Remove the Lux-III emitter from it's star. This can be acomplished by unsoldering the leads, then carefully bending the star back with pliers. The emitter should just pop off. This will destroy the star, but the emitter will be ok.
> 
> ...




Why waste an emmitter??

lop the post down & it will all fit....

or better for fit the emmitter to a bigger heatsink...(with the post removed)

You are seeing the difference between the two Vf's...a RX0H is brighter that a TW0J @ the 320ma drive current...


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## widget (Mar 18, 2006)

Where can I get a good 17mm reflector for the eos? Please post url.


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## jar3ds (Mar 19, 2006)

17mm Reflectors:

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.c...d=429&osCsid=d9eb770af891bd4bd05b0440d593463e

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=85330

don't say I never did anything for ya


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## Stanley (Mar 19, 2006)

Silly as it may sound, but I still have to ask anyway... been boggling my mind for the last few days... :blush:

How do you take the EOS apart?? I'm trying to swap out the reflectors to see how it performs... There are no screws at all, and i been trying my best to pry it apart without scratching anything, to no success... :sigh: Tell me i missed something somewhere... PLEASE!!

TIA...


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## Mundele (Mar 19, 2006)

Super easy. Open the back like you're gonna change batteries. Grip the sides of the battery assembly. Slide straight out. The LED, optic, board, etc is all in one piece. 

--Matt


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## Stanley (Mar 19, 2006)

Mundele,

Thx for the reply, u mean the sides as in the parts that looks like heat sink fins?

Tried pulling/sliding it out on sides, am unsuccessful... Seems very tight, might hv to try pliers with some cloth wrapped around it or something.


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## Mundele (Mar 19, 2006)

On both sides of the battery compartment there are plastic... uh ... ribs? fins. Yeah. anyway, pull straight out on that (away from the lens). Mine came out really easy. There were a couple of plastic pins/guides that kept it snugged up in the right place if I remember right. You might wiggle it a tad as you pull. Shouldn't take much force.


--Matt


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## Stanley (Mar 20, 2006)

Thanks again Matt... I finally got it out!! Didn't come out easy though, had to finally pry it out from one side to the other, and in the end the EOS gave in to my Leatherman... ;P 

Cheers man!!


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## Phaserburn (Mar 30, 2006)

Replaced the P bin led with an RXOH and optic with a 17mm reflector last night.

What an amazing difference! I fell in love with the EOS again. Loaded with Eneloop nimhs, it's rechargeable without having to worry about self discharge when I need it.


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## jar3ds (Mar 30, 2006)

awesome phaser! 

You probably know more about eneloops than me... but they still do have some discharge correct? I've seen some graphs and it seems that they're not too good @ holding off the discharge...

let me know... where did you get your RXOH? thanks!


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## Phaserburn (Mar 31, 2006)

Got my RXOH from another CPFer who had an extra. But there's a thread about general availability from Photonfanatic.

So far, the Eneloops have done well by me. They do have self discharge, just far less than regular nimh. Silverfox did a one month test and saw around half the self discharge in the first month, but hypothesized that they would level out and retain their charge far longer. With AAA nimh having such small capacity to begin with, this seemed a good match to me.


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## jar3ds (Apr 3, 2006)

so how does the eneloops compare to li-ions in terms of self discharge?


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## SilverFox (Apr 3, 2006)

Hello Jar3ds,

The Eneloops are advertised to have 85% capacity remaining after a year of room temperature storage. Unfortunately, they have not been out long enough to determine if they live up to those claims.

Tom


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## Krit (Apr 3, 2006)

I used to swap the stock Luxeon to RX0H. The current to luxeon is the same as stock feel and I think that it should make a longer runtime.

McR18 mm is might rather fit to EOS if we would like to swap stock lens to reflector. I have ever change old SF Kl1 NX05 to McR18 mm with minimun change boby dimension.


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## ktronik (Apr 4, 2006)

I tried the Mc18 (from my RAW) in the Eos... did not fit...

Put in a IMS 17mm... sweet...


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## nirad (Apr 6, 2006)

Mundele said:


> Thanks for all of the posts!! Very helpful
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

What do you all use to re-attach the heat sensor to the back of the star???


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## ktronik (Apr 6, 2006)

nirad said:


> What do you all use to re-attach the heat sensor to the back of the star???




Thermal glue...AA or AS would be fine...


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## jar3ds (Apr 6, 2006)

ktronik said:


> I tried the Mc18 (from my RAW) in the Eos... did not fit...
> 
> Put in a IMS 17mm... sweet...


 thanks for this info... i've been waiting to know if that reflector worked...


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## ktronik (Apr 7, 2006)

jar3ds said:


> thanks for this info... i've been waiting to know if that reflector worked...




It was very close...maybe 3mm to long... did not want to cut it...

A IMS 20mm would also for if the front was cut down... so it would be as high as a 17mm (same eff) but wider (more punch)... have not tried it yet...

enjoy

Ktronik


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## jar3ds (Apr 7, 2006)

yeah I saw that the mc18 was REALLY close... my 17mm rattles a big but 3mm is too much

i have nothing to turn down metal either... the 17 is working pretty good though


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## JackJ (Apr 7, 2006)

jar3ds said:


> my 17mm rattles


 
I put I very small bit of masking tape on each of the three prongs on the backside of this reflector, and it was just right for eliminating the rattle. Still can't tell if I like the stock optic better, though. Much better sidespill with the reflector, but the hotspot is too tight for me.


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## jar3ds (Apr 7, 2006)

thanks for the tip jack... i might just have to try that... 

i can't believe some people still like the stock optic... who wants almost 80% of the light straight in front of you for a headlamp?! 

but everyone has their own needs...


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## pae77 (Apr 7, 2006)

JackJ said:


> I put I very small bit of masking tape on each of the three prongs on the backside of this reflector, and it was just right for eliminating the rattle. Still can't tell if I like the stock optic better, though. Much better sidespill with the reflector, but the hotspot is too tight for me.



I tend to agree with you about the reflector. If the stock optic had just a little bit more sidespill it would be nice, but for me the reflector has a bit too much sidespill which takes too much away from the hotspot and throw is much less with the reflector. Something in between the stock optic and the reflector would be perfect. Still can't decide which I like better but I'm leaning towards going back to the stock optic.


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## nirad (Apr 7, 2006)

I just picked up my first headlamp from Gander Mountain. After reading this thread and some reviews, I chose the PT EOS. It is a nice little headlamp. After opening it up to check the star, I am pleased to find a RYOH  . I prefer the slightly cooler tints, so I think it's a keeper. I spent 20 minutes or so "testing" various units in the store. There were a wide array of tints, from purple to cat urine green, but finally found my keeper.

I will have to wait until nightfall to do some outdoor evaluations to determine if a 17mm reflector is in line.

Thanks to you folks, my flashaholic fetish has found new avenues.


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## jar3ds (Apr 7, 2006)

congrats on your EOS... its an awesome headlamp! Great LED.... I just ordered a RXOH star


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## Gaffle (Apr 11, 2006)

Where do you purchase these parts for modding lights? Where the the LEDs come from? Do a lot of people mod cheapo lights, or must you start out with a decent product to begin with?


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## nirad (Apr 12, 2006)

I think Photonfanatic has both the RXOH stars and 17 IMS reflectors here on BST . Most people are well enough to leave a 40 dollar headlamp alone. Some folks are in to the mod scene which is fine too.


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## Edwood (Oct 24, 2006)

Just got an EOS. How do you open pull the PCB out? Do I just pry the gray battery holder part out? 

-Ed


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## jar3ds (Oct 24, 2006)

yep... take a butter knife... wedge it in at the bottom... then gently pull/twist... it'll snap both of those pins and then your good to go


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## Edwood (Oct 24, 2006)

Checked the bottom of the Star. 

I got *RW0H*W 0806LXHLMW 1D. 

Woohoo! Jackpot!

Tint is slightly more yellow than my HDS U60 XRGT, but you have to have them side by side to tell. It is a far better tint than the greenish tint of my Fenix L1T.

Going to definitely replace the optics with a reflector. 

-Ed


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