# Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4 *This may offend Incandescent A2 enthusiasts*



## greenpea76 (Apr 6, 2008)

*Hi everyone.*
*I was feeling a little ambitious Saturday afternoon and found a brand new SSC emitter and stared at the A2 sitting on my desk. I love my A2's in both red and white leds, but always wondered what it would be like if Surefire had an LED only version of the awesome Aviator. *

*I've read through so many threads for the A2 and see why many people love it including myself, but I had to do something to be accepted as a "flashaholic" by *******izing my beloved A2 aviator. I know there are some die-hard A2 members and I hope I don't offend by showing my LED only Aviator. *

*Well, I've snapped some pics of what I got finished Saturday night. There are some things I still want to tweak and test, but so far everything works ok. The original "high beam" incandecent feature no longer works because I can't use the LVR unit that can switch it on/off properly. I wanted to see if the LVR module would work with the LED driver, but didn't bother because there just isn't enough space. So it just has a low that turns on all the leds limited by the tailcap resistor and a high setting that is much brighter and whiter of course than the orig incandecent. I would like to figure out how to open up the insides of the tailcap for a resistor change resulting in a lower "low". It is now basically a longer 2 cell, brighter, and floodier L1 without the optic.*

*There will be more pics and details soon.....*
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*Boring a little too close to existing Nichia LED holes*
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*SSC P4 :twothumbs*
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*Bored out head for SSC P4 emitter campared to stock head*
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*Original LVR guts of A2 Aviator*
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*Added original (-) spring washer and made a new brass spacer ring for (+) battery end.*
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*New driver module*
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*Lights on low, but still too bright. Does anyone know how to take the innards of the tail cap assembly apart and change the resistor(s)?*
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## LA OZ (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

This is exactly what some of us A2 owner dream to have and you are the only one that is brave enough to create it. Well done.


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## FrogmanM (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

SWEET! call up surefire NOW for employment!

Mayo


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

Blasphemy!


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## Illum (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

@#$%!?

you've just turned the A2 into an ordinary flashlight! how could you?!

care to post the pics of the A2 body gutted?
how exactly did you manage to take the "driver bay" apart?


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## yaesumofo (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

Cool.
How is the beam?
Yaesumofo


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## greenpea76 (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

*Moderators, I'm not sure if this thread shoud now be placed in the Modified lights section as the progression of photos and updates may seem better suited there. My apologies for my brain not functioning at 3 am last night. :sleepy:*

*Thanks guys for the words of encouragement! :twothumbs *

*I have updated some pics with the bulb/ emitter unit. Please excuse the poorly lit and grainy photos. I was up pretty late last night and wanting to get to bed.*

*The emitter was placed on a machined tapered aluminum slug that I found at work. We have lots of these in many sizes available. I think they're used in motorcycles. But I found one that fit the diameter of the SSC base perfectly and used it as a mount and heatsink. There are grooves cut into the sides to accomodate the input leads. They aren't pretty as I am not a machinist and didn't want to invest time and money into such a small protypical part. *

*I then proceeded to dissect the original lamp unit. The bulb was potted so poorly on this one, it gave such a oval beam, it didnt hurt too much to cut it up. I just cut the upper section off and bored out the base to accept the aluminum slug and wired/ soldered up the input leads to their proper locations on the metal ring (+) and the pointed center base (-).*
*There is Kapton tape surrounding the emitter in some of the above reflector pics, hence the yellowness around the emitter. This was done while I was setting the depth for beam pattern and focus. The final one was wrapped with chrome tape to blend in with the reflector. The lower portion of the tapered aluminum slug was left exposed to create the heat conducting path to the head with aid of some thermal compound to touch the head. I may do another one with better tolerances at a later date, but so far its not overheating or showing any tint shift. *
*Yaesumofo, t**he beam is nicer than my E2DL with a KL4 head. The KL4 now looks like it doesn't have a focused hotspot, whereas my SSC'ed Aviator has about the same amount of flood, but with a nicer hotspot. I'll try to get some beamshots and light readings as darkness sets and time permits.*

*The dissection......... Things aren't pretty. You have been warned!*
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*Lead extensions soldered in place for emitter and insulated from aluminum slug with kapton tape (the yellow that is visible down the sides of the alu slug. Could've used teflon wire, but didn't want to deal with the thickness. These leads were cut off from the upgraded Nichia LED's that I installed on the low beam ring. Emitter has thermal compound applied in the center and a mixture of thermal compound and epoxy as the bonding insulating material.*
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*Emitter was placed at about the same height from the base from where the original filament was located and height tuned accordingly.*
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*Fitment is the same as the original, but there is some thermal compound added inside for heat conductivity.*

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*No changes to the inside of the body tube, except some scratches from removing module.*


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## greenpea76 (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*



Outdoors Fanatic said:


> Blasphemy!





Illum_the_nation said:


> @#$%!?
> 
> you've just turned the A2 into an ordinary flashlight! how could you?!


 
Sorry guys, its called boredom. I still have my red A2 Aviator that I won't touch. I still have a few incandecent lights that I will never change. But this white A2 was asking for it. :devil:


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## carrot (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

This mod is useless without beamshots!!!! 

Please show us some comparison pics?


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## TMorita (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*



carrot said:


> This mod is useless without beamshots!!!!
> 
> Please show us some comparison pics?


 
Yah! 

We don't care what the flashlight looks like...you're not looking AT the flashlight when you're using it anyway.   

(just kidding, for the humor impaired...)

Toshi


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## BSBG (Apr 6, 2008)

I find it both blasphemous and intriguing at the same time...

Good job!


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## MarNav1 (Apr 6, 2008)

Nice work!


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## seery (Apr 6, 2008)

Great work!

Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. :twothumbs


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## greenpea76 (Apr 6, 2008)

*Ok, to fulfill some requests. BEAMSHOTS!!!*
*These were taken in the darkest room possible during the daylight hours. Had to borrow some of my wife's boot boxes to sit the lights at the proper height. The walls are a medium gray-blue hue, so I don't know how much it has an affect on the final color representation for the cooler emitter tints. Sorry, I don't have a white wall in the house that isn't coverd. *
*These were all taken exactly 1.5 meters from the wall from the head of each light. Camera settings were at F2.8 setting. I've never done these type of beamshots before so I'm not sure if they were done correctly, but its just to prove that the mod works. I will try to fulfill any other photos if requested when time permits.*

*Some quick info with lightbox readings. *

*Original A2 Aviator*
*900Lux (low) *
*Nichia LED upgrade 1430Lux (low)*
*6300Lux (high incandescent)*

*Modded A2 SSC P4*
*2800Lux (low)* * Updated tailcap 10/11/2009 It now reads 470Lux on low (installed a 62ohm resistor in place of the original 10 ohm)*
*9200Lux (high) *

*Surefire E2DL with KL4 head*
*8100Lux (high only)*

*Here is the first shot with high and low settings. Some strange reason, they don't look much different.*




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## tsask (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*



LA OZ said:


> This is exactly what some of us A2 owner dream to have and you are the only one that is brave one to create it. Well done.


Yes! I've been dreaming of such a light for years!!!


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## KDOG3 (Apr 6, 2008)

*Re: Surefire A2 Aviator meets Seoul SSC P4*

Wow. I'd buy one of those in a heartbeat. What are the runtime/current draw specs on that thing?


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## Crenshaw (Apr 6, 2008)

thats one heck of a high low...maybe you can PM milky for advice, he does the tailcap thing right?

Crenshaw


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## greenpea76 (Apr 6, 2008)

Crenshaw said:


> thats one heck of a high low...maybe you can PM milky for advice, he does the tailcap thing right?
> 
> Crenshaw


That is correct. Maybe if I'm lucky he'll chime in here. If not, I'll have to PM him. I can disassemble the tailcap from the tailcap body on only one of my lights with the L series 2 stage tailcap. 
I'm not sure if the switch buttons are glued on all of them. I have the most trouble popping that off with fear of scratching the HA using a pair of pliers prying up. There must be an easier way.


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## carrot (Apr 6, 2008)

This is blasphemy. But still pretty cool.


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## greenpea76 (Apr 7, 2008)

Final pics of outdoor beamshots


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## depusm12 (Apr 7, 2008)

WOW. Now if only SF would offer this as a stock light.


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## socom1970 (Jun 3, 2008)

I love my A2's and their incan goodness, but I would love to have just one of them with an SSC or other BRIGHT LED's. Excellent job and congrats on going where no one has gone before.


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## greenpea76 (Jun 4, 2008)

Thanks!
I didn't realize some of the links weren't working. All restored.


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## paulr (Jun 4, 2008)

I didn't see this before. Congrats for the daring mod, but you could just buy a Lunasol...


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## SilverFox (Jun 4, 2008)

Hello Greenpea,

I missed this thread earlier and miss your request to move it over to the modified section.

I will take care of that now.

Nice job.

Tom


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## greenpea76 (Jun 5, 2008)

paulr said:


> I didn't see this before. Congrats for the daring mod, but you could just buy a Lunasol...


 
Aren't those one of the really expensive lights? I don't have that kind of money, though they look so nice.

Silverfox, thanks for moving my post!


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## KDOG3 (Jun 5, 2008)

Any updates on this? Its very interesting.


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## Sgt. LED (Jun 9, 2008)

Sweet! 
We need a rebel 100 tower that we can just drop in. I could not bore my A2 head.

I just swapped out driver pills between an early round body and an old 4 flats so my strion kit would work better in the 4 flats. Easier that I thought it was going to be actually. For some reason the round body A2 drove the strion kit to a bright white light but the 4 flats driver made it a bit yellow still. I guess that means the round body driver was upgraded to put out more power? Anyway now on to the next hack mod.


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## frosty (Jun 9, 2008)

Nice job. Very brave of you.


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## LiteFan (Jun 9, 2008)

The A2 is no longer a Led virgin, you should be ashamed of yourself :devil:and congrads on being the first:thumbsup:....very cool.


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## Cheesy (Jun 13, 2008)

greenpea76 said:


> *Camera settings were at F2.8 setting. I've never done these type of beamshots before so I'm not sure if they were done correctly, but its just to prove that the mod works.*


 
If you took them in aperture priority at f2.8 the shutter speed will have changed to expose each shot roughly the same, you need to use full manual to lock the aperture and shutter speed. This may be why the high and low look the same.


Kev.


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## type-x (Nov 3, 2008)

Great stuff there, now if only I have the guts to bore out the a2 head :mecry:


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## vtec (Oct 6, 2009)

How do you do this mod? Is there a step by step with pictures? Where do you get the parts? What tools and materials do you need?


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## Wattnot (Oct 6, 2009)

Wow. You resurrected a nearly year old post. I wonder how this mod compares with the now released, all new, all LED A2L !!


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## [email protected] (Oct 7, 2009)

Wattnot said:


> I wonder how this mod compares with the now released, all new, all LED A2L !!




I wonder about that myself


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## greenpea76 (Oct 7, 2009)

Maybe I can borrow someone's A2L to compare? Or I can send mine out to somebody with reputable reviews for comparison?



vtec said:


> How do you do this mod? Is there a step by step with pictures? Where do you get the parts? What tools and materials do you need?



vtec,

There really wasn't a step to step oh how to do this. I just decided to "hack away" one weekend to see if it could be done. SSC P4's can be purchased from several sources on CPF. The lead extensions are from Nichia 5mm LED's and the aluminum slug is just what I had laying around that I ground down ( before I had a lathe ). The base is an A2 lamp assembly that was cut apart and the LED driver was from a few extras purchased at DX (dealextreme). Now that I can afford it, I would probably buy from the sandwich shoppe or task led. They're much smaller in diameter also. The head was drilled on a drill press! I forgot what size drill bit though. I guess I could rebuild the LED tower to make it "prettier", but why when it works just fine. I still haven't bothered with swapping out the resistors in the tail cap for a lower low.
Originally, I didn't want the L2 nor the L4 since I had 3 A2's already and I just was very curious as to how a modded A2 would perform, but I can say it is much better than my KL4.


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## greenLED (Oct 7, 2009)

greenpea76 said:


> Maybe I can borrow someone's A2L to compare? Or I can send mine out to somebody with reputable reviews for comparison?



It would've been a killer addition to my A2 LED colors thread, but I can't do stuff like that anymore because of my location.


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## greenpea76 (Oct 11, 2009)

Finally updated the tailcap with a 62 ohm resistor since the revival of this thread. Reading 470Lux on low now. Much more usable low setting now vs. the original "medium" and high.


greenLED, are you living in a place where there is daylight 24/7?


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## dmz (Oct 12, 2009)

Can someone post links to the parts that are needed for the led mod?


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## Illum (Oct 13, 2009)

greenpea76 said:


> Finally updated the tailcap with a 62 ohm resistor since the revival of this thread. Reading 470Lux on low now. Much more usable low setting now vs. the original "medium" and high



if I may ask how did you managed to do that?
the A2 tailcap is destroyed once its disassembled:shakehead


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## greenpea76 (Oct 13, 2009)

Illum said:


> if I may ask how did you managed to do that?
> the A2 tailcap is destroyed once its disassembled:shakehead




Illum, 

I will try to post pics soon if this doesn't make sense. 

Since Surefire glues everything now, I tried heating the button on the tail and it broke off ( I'll get into repairing it in a bit). Once the whole assembly slid out, I took a small flat head screwdriver to very carefully pry the PCB off one half of the switch unit. There are three locator pins and I ended breaking one of them. Seems like SF is using cyanoacrylate to hold this stuff together unlike the heads and tailcap ring. No big deal. 
The 10 ohm resistor is exposed from that point and you just make sure to find a replacement resistor that fits into the recess of the other half of the switch assy. I used a 62 ohm 1/2 watt that was sitting around in my spare electronics bin. Then you solder, reassemble, test, and you now have a lower low! 

Now that the button needs to be replaced, I drilled out the button and the switch shaft which it was glued to to accept a 3mm buttonhead screw that I had from my HPI R/C cars. I had to countersink/ recess the hole on the broken button end to prevent the screw head from protruding. That's it! Once the tailcap rubber is back on, you don't feel a difference in height or tension because the button head matches closely to the original domed cap.

Hope this gives you a better idea.


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## greenpea76 (Oct 13, 2009)

PICS....




















The light in the middle is the modded one


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## Illum (Sep 12, 2010)

very impressed 

any updates on usage?


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## greenpea76 (Sep 13, 2010)

Thanks Illum!

I've gone through two sets of batteries with it in marine usage. I use it for a navigation light on early morning fishing trips getting out of the harbors and canals here in So Cal. It's a great flood light with very good medium distance lighting on high. The new low isn't as blinding when trying to tie up and rig up fishing gear. Again, great for on the boat use so far with no corrosion with contact with the saltwater environment. Temps stay at acceptable levels and works great as a hand warmer in the early mornings.

This is my favorite light for most outdoor activities now. I EDC an EX10, but if it weren't for the A2's length, this light would be in my pocket all the time!


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## Machete God (Oct 4, 2010)

Great stuff! Stumbled on this thread while looking for a way to disassemble my Aviator tailcap for cleaning. Looks like there isn't a way without breaking something :mecry:

Anyway, I like how you fixed the broken button end with a button head screw and counter sunk it, the final product looks like it was always meant to be!


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## N2rockets (Aug 8, 2011)

Gotta dig this thread up again!

In your first picture on Page 1, where did you get the Orange o-rings or washers that are embedded in the other L1 bezels you have? I have been wanting to do something similar for a long time but cannot find an acceptable solution! I keep coming across your picture as the example for what I am trying to accomplish!! They are exactly what I need!

Thanks for the help!


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## greenpea76 (Aug 8, 2011)

Those were ordered through deal extreme several years ago. I don't know if they're still available since I haven't ordered from them in such a long time.



N2rockets said:


> Gotta dig this thread up again!
> 
> In your first picture on Page 1, where did you get the Orange o-rings or washers that are embedded in the other L1 bezels you have? I have been wanting to do something similar for a long time but cannot find an acceptable solution! I keep coming across your picture as the example for what I am trying to accomplish!! They are exactly what I need!
> 
> Thanks for the help!


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## N2rockets (Aug 8, 2011)

Are they Orings or Flat Washers? They almost look flat, unlike an Oring, but I cannot really tell!

Thanks for the help!


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## DFiorentino (Aug 8, 2011)

http://s.dealextreme.com/search/orange+o-ring.html?category=917

-DF


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