# super simple luxeon headlamp/li-on combo (afordable)



## cy (Sep 26, 2006)

*super simple luxeon headlamp/li-on combo (afordable) Streamlight Argo HP*

super simple luxeon headlamp/li-on combo (afordable)

take a Streamlight Argo HP, 2x CR123 headlamp (aprox. $25) then add one 17670 or 168s li-ion cell. that's it...

guilt free lumens and eliminate reverse charge danger by going to a single li-ion cell. 

this has got to be the smallest headlamp with this much mah capacity. Argo HP is not as durable as Stenlight, but stands on it's own merits with li-ion cell. 

note: to avoid overtighen cap problem with Argo HP. remember to unscrew 1/16 turn after seating cap. since both batt caps look indentical, to avoid killing you hands trying to remove wrong end. mark the cap that actually comes off.


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## jtice (Sep 26, 2006)

heh, nice find there CY,

Is the output any less?

I have the 3xAAA version though 
Love how small it is, but its just about useless due to the SHORT runtime.

~John


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## jtice (Sep 27, 2006)

oops,,, Double Post


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## Pumaman (Sep 27, 2006)

Actually ordered one earlier tonight(amazon $33 no tax free ship), figured since I would have 17670s around for another upcoming bright light  

Seems to be the only li-ion rechargeable headlamp around for the price.

btw how much is the output reduced from 2x123?


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## cy (Sep 27, 2006)

output is almost the same w/17670. with 2x fresh surefire cells. it's barely brighter. 

runtime should improve too, but I'm not a runtime guy. not enough patience :green:

this setup makes an impressive backup light to stenlight. or primary for times you don't need a full blown setup like stenlight. 

I've been using Argo HP/17670 along with ti PD for wrenching/worklight duties.



jtice said:


> heh, nice find there CY,
> 
> Is the output any less?
> 
> ...


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## jar3ds (Sep 27, 2006)

can anyone confirm that you can change the side emitting emitter to a normal luxeon? I've heard it makes a beam without the artifacts...


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## cy (Sep 27, 2006)

was just eyeballing Argo HP for an upgrade to SXOH star....


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## jar3ds (Sep 27, 2006)

cy said:


> was just eyeballing Argo HP for an upgrade to SXOH star....


 cy,

let us know if its possible to gain access to the LED... i heard it can be done but never got any pics or anything confirming it...

A 17670 SXOH headlamp is quite the package


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## cy (Sep 27, 2006)

have not swapped luxeon yet, but it looks super simple. mine has a one watt side emitter luxeon star.

there's two small phillips screws holding down a plastic cover. unsolder two wires and that's it...


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## cy (Sep 27, 2006)

ok.. just finish Sbin star swap.

need to retract my statement about this being easy. the soldering is easy, but when you take Argo HP apart. there is quite the mod potential inside. IC is not marked and I have not measured current yet to determind what type board we have. 

after swap, output almost doubled. it came with a PWOJ. I switched to a SX1J to maintain same vf. 

Argo HP is difinately a well put together unit. star sits on an aluminum heatsink that has some type of heat compound. seems both low and high beam is regulated. 

beam generated quite the donut hole. tightened bezel and improved somewhat, but cannot get rid of donut. reflector could be sanded down to focus beam. 

edit: sanded down reflector support to allow reflector to sit deeper. beam improved. need to sand down more... donut is almost gone.

throw hugely improves along with output.


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## jar3ds (Sep 28, 2006)

thanks CY!... its on an aluminum sink huh? Thats cool... If i remember both settings are regulated... however... the sample I messed with had the low setting too bright (like all headlamps)... 

why did you use the same vf? 

thanks for the update!


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## cy (Sep 28, 2006)

aluminum heatsink is thin at best, but beats no heatsink at all. 

since IC is not marked and I have not taken time to properly take current/voltage readings under load. used same vf star to insure star is being driven at same levels. 

Argo HP is totally plastic light with a tiny heatsink and I would like to keep this light reliable. 

board inside looks to be robustly made and looks to have loads of mod potential. 



jar3ds said:


> thanks CY!... its on an aluminum sink huh? Thats cool... If i remember both settings are regulated... however... the sample I messed with had the low setting too bright (like all headlamps)...
> 
> why did you use the same vf?
> 
> thanks for the update!


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## glockboy (Sep 29, 2006)

cy said:


> I switched to a SX1J to maintain same vf.


Cy
Is the SX1J Lux I or Lux III?


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## Pumaman (Sep 29, 2006)

Just got mine yesterday and am impressed! artifacts aren't as bad as anticipated and tint is great. If the more experienced than me figure out what is the best star to put in is, I might try it. How would a U**J luxIII react?? Great headlamp, only issue is see is it's slightly front-heavy, but just wearing it a little higher on the head helps. Surprised it's not more popular.


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## cy (Sep 29, 2006)

SX1J is a one watt star. have no clue how UWOJ would do. but results should be simular. 

have not measured actual current to luxeon, but it's pretty low. contained in a plastic housing with little heatsinking. would not want to drive much harder. 

this mod has gone further than planned already



glockboy said:


> Cy
> Is the SX1J Lux I or Lux III?


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## jar3ds (Sep 29, 2006)

keep us posted on any new developments w/ your mod cy


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## cy (Sep 29, 2006)

took it back apart and dinked with the reflector focus. emitter needs to come forward aprox. .090in. ended up with a nice spot pattern. donut hole disapears after 30in. this headlamp really throws! spill is reduced, so if you like spill. you may not want to change out side-emitter. 

this started out a low $$ mod, but Sbin nearly doubled budget :green:
there's is absolutely nothing wrong with original side-emitter. 

$25 Argo HP
$8 17670
$20 Sbin star

here's a beamshot. note how tight spot is


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## jar3ds (Sep 29, 2006)

dangg............... that looks nice.... very impressed! Now you have a two stage, regulated, li-ion, S-bin headlamp!

you've put me to shame! where did you get a $25 Argo HP? Thanks!

EDIT: I'd be very interested in a runtime graph if you have the resources/time to do one.. thanks!


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## cy (Sep 29, 2006)

actually Argo HP was sent to me for free from Streamlight at Shotshow. 

thought I saw a price online for $25, but could be wrong.
not a runtime guy, so if you want a runtime. got to do this mod your self.


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## jar3ds (Sep 29, 2006)

a free argo HP? :candle:


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## chesterqw (Sep 29, 2006)

i think, if we are gonna use a 18650, lets find out if the driver can support luxeon I with lower Vf?

then we will have more fun


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## glockboy (Sep 30, 2006)

Cy
Can it run Lux III TWOJ?


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## cy (Sep 30, 2006)

have not tried it but see no reason why it would not work. but note Jvf in 3watt will be equal to Kvf in one watt. 

difference from one watt to 3watt is how they are rated. 700 vs 350 milliamps. it's hard to tell difference looking at emitter.

from don's informal runs in his integrated sphere, three watt Ubin is slightly more efficient vs Sbin one watt. but that's based upon a small sample and final result will be determind by luxeon lottery. 

I'd try a Sbin Hvf, but really don't want to take back apart. it's a real pita tuning the reflector. 

headlamp is working really nice and puts out a fairly bright beam for the low current that Argo HP is drawing. 

be careful not to loose the tiny screws and take careful note how wires are routed if you decide to swap emitter. 

Please post back in this thread with photo's after you do this mod...



glockboy said:


> Cy
> Can it run Lux III TWOJ?


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## Lurveleven (Sep 30, 2006)

cy said:


> since IC is not marked and I have not taken time to properly take current/voltage readings under load. used same vf star to insure star is being driven at same levels.


 
I opened mine and found out that it using a microcontroller from Sino Wealth, SH69P46M.
I also noticed that the switch PCB was marked HLX-1512L-1, so it most likely comes from the same factory as the Favourlight and Nuwai.

Time to order some stars for modification...
Thanks for the inspiration CY!

Sigbjoern


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## cy (Sep 30, 2006)

thanks for the sharpe eyes... this chip has support for LVR, but don't know if it's enabled. Low voltage reset could mean Argo HP supports li-ion.


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## Lurveleven (Sep 30, 2006)

cy said:


> after swap, output almost doubled. it came with a PWOJ. I switched to a SX1J to maintain same vf.


 
Was the star glued to the sink or did it just contain termal grease? Mine was glued on, so the print on the backside of the star was in the glue, and therefore very smudged, when I separated the lux from the heat sink (the glue remained on the heatsink only), so I was not able to see what bin it was.

Sigbjoern


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## cy (Sep 30, 2006)

mine was glued, but came right apart. could read the bin code, only backwards. print had transfered to glue. 

be nice if heatsink was a little thicker... but hey beats no heatsink at all.

you can easily measure vf, then eyeball to get close to bin. mine was PWOJ, tint was nice and white.


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## Gene (Oct 1, 2006)

Cy,
Nice mod and pictures. I've been eyeballing these ever since you pointed them out awhile back and they look great. I see where you say the stock side emitter doesn't have all that bad of a beam. I'm not into throw that much with a headlamp and prefer a nice spill beam. Is the stock SE good enough for dark area chores and walking?

If the stock beam has artifacts, maybe a layer of the diffused WriteRight over the lens would clean it up. I put WriteRight over the lens on my RR headlamp and it improved the beam considerably.


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## Pumaman (Oct 1, 2006)

just sputtered the reflector on mine and it turned out fine. may have reduced throw a little, but worth it. writeright would be more floody, but reversible


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## Lurveleven (Oct 1, 2006)

The stock light is not perfectly focused either, when I removed the bezel and was moving the reflector I was able to achieve a thighter focus. However, the beam was nicest when it was a little bit defocused. I like a wide beam on headlamps so I may try to use a McR18 or McR16 instead of the stock reflector.
Btw, is is possible to sand a Lux as you can do with 5mm LEDs.

Sigbjoern


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## cy (Oct 1, 2006)

I'd leave emitter dome alone. they are somewhat fragile. 

my Argo HP in stock form is plenty bright enough for most duties. 
emitter swap is totally not necessary. but that being said Sbin high dome aprox. doubles output at same current draw and greatly improves throw.


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## cy (Oct 2, 2006)

did a transmission job on my Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel tonight. 

needed both hands free, so headlamp under truck all the way. ran for at least 4+ hours on high. performed like a champ. barely got warm. 17670 still measured 3.76V afterwards. 

this little mod has turned out real useful....


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## jar3ds (Oct 2, 2006)

arrr arr arrf.. (Tim Allen Home Improvement noise)...

Dodge Turbo Diesel 

on a more serious note ... indeed... headlamps are not far off from the word 'useful'...

out of all the lights i use... I use my headlamps the most... They are simply amazing devices... I can't wait for more models to come out 

I'm busy right now on a McR-18 in a PT EOS w/ 1x10440 li-ion... works really well... so far thats the best setup I've found in an all around headlamp (integrated)...

Just wish there was a *slick* option for red light like the Petzl Tikka XP has...


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## Lurveleven (Oct 8, 2006)

I have now swapped out the LED with a SV1H Lux I, the LED that came with the light was purple tinted so this was a great improvement. Btw, V1 is my favourite tint for outdoor use.
This was my first LED swap ever and I must say I didn't expect it to be this easy.
The beam appears to be well focused at some distance, but up to 1 meter it has a donut. I haven't tried the light outside yet, but the beam appears to be a little bit too thight for my taste, I really liked the wide beam of the unmodded Argo HP. I think I will order a McR18 reflector (I couldn't find McR16) and try that instead.

My photonic memory I quite bad so I cannot say how much the output improved. I guess I will have to get another one so I can compare.

Sigbjoern


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## cy (Oct 8, 2006)

to eliminate donut after changing to high dome. you need to bring star forward max possible. 

carefully slice off top (only) of insulation on wires to star. this allows star to come forward aprox. .050in. 

then take a sharp knife and scrap a few thousands off ID of plastic ring that supports reflector base. 

this brings luxeon's focus forward just barely enough to get rid of donut. tightness of beam will not go way until you change out refectors or go back to low dome star. 

this would be a good candidate for a five watt luxeon, if board will support.


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## jar3ds (Oct 8, 2006)

hum... do they make S-bin side emitters?


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## cy (Oct 27, 2006)

this mod would be an excellent candidate for new cree high output star. hmmmm..... 90 lumens @ 350 milliamps

current reflector works better with an LED with wide disbursal like side emitters and possibly cree.


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## Pumaman (Oct 27, 2006)

cy said:


> this mod would be an excellent candidate for new cree high output star. hmmmm..... 90 lumens @ 350 milliamps
> 
> current reflector works better with an LED with wide disbursal like side emitters and possibly cree.


 
:rock:


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## Gnufsh (Jan 16, 2007)

cy said:


> this mod would be an excellent candidate for new cree high output star. hmmmm..... 90 lumens @ 350 milliamps
> 
> current reflector works better with an LED with wide disbursal like side emitters and possibly cree.


The cree has a narrower emission patterion than a high-dome luxeon, so if it works better with wider patterns, the cree might not be the way to go.


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## cy (Jan 16, 2007)

one way to find out is to stick one in... been a little slow in scoring a few cree stars. 

so someone that's already got a cree star. let us know how it works!


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## Pumaman (Jan 16, 2007)

dupe


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## Pumaman (Jan 16, 2007)

i put the stock reflector on a cree, didn't remove any material from it. doesnt look like its deep enough for the cree. I have since sold the headlamp. btw, its the same reflector in the 1 watt nuwai/favourlight 2x123 headlamp. i just ordered a mcr17xr to put in my pt eos cree mod. i will post when i get it, but im sure it will work great.


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## jar3ds (Jan 17, 2007)

puma... the mcR17xr is as long as the McR-20.... how do you plan on modding it to fit into the EOS?


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## Raptor# (Jan 17, 2007)

Hrrrrm... dont do the Seoul Cree-based leds have more of a side-emitting beam pattern than the Cree leds? So maybe one of the Seoul Leds would work better in the Argo HP?

That would be quite the kick-*** headlamp.. 2 fully regulated levels, Li-Ion, Cree-based Led


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## Pumaman (Jan 17, 2007)

jar3ds said:


> puma... the mcR17xr is as long as the McR-20.... how do you plan on modding it to fit into the EOS?


im praying it will squeeze in, but it's a definite concern. 
thats why i only ordered one, as there are other lights it may work in if the eos is a no-go. i wish the shoppe would get it shipped.


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## mdocod (Feb 2, 2007)

this thread was all the convincing I needed to buy this headlamp... I can't afford the really fancy $100+ stuff, so the $~30 pricetag of a fully regulated 2 level light with a wide beam and 17670 support was basically everything I could ask for (more than I could ask at this price, so !!!  ) I needed something to take on a caving trip at the end of the month, and this is definitely going to be a winner. I'll probably bring a backup headlamp in case I bust this against a rock, but I'm excited about this light!!! Already have plenty of 17670s here... 

Can anyone say for sure if this light uses voltage or current regulation? Only reason I ask is.. I am thinking if I loose the lux-lottery I might swap to a different star, just need to know if the Vf must match the original for this to work. also interested in future experimentation with a cree/seoul swap.

thank you all for this awsome thread...


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## cy (Feb 22, 2007)

*Re: super simple luxeon headlamp/li-on combo (afordable) Argo HP*

has anyone done a cree or seoul P4 star drop-in mod yet?


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## mdocod (Feb 22, 2007)

CY clicky the LINK
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/151400


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## Gimpy00Wang (Apr 5, 2007)

:shrug: Hrm...sorry if this is a really dumb question, but how did y'all remove the bezel? I tried to simply unscrew mine, but no go and I'm afraid to twist too hard and break it. From cy's pics, it looks like it should just unscrew. :thinking:

- Chris


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## cy (Apr 5, 2007)

bezel unscrews... yours may be on kinda tight


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## Gimpy00Wang (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks cy. The bezel was really on there tight!  I almost had to bust out the strap wrench. So much for soft fleshy hands...

- Chris


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## Gimpy00Wang (Apr 6, 2007)

Mmm...my Argo is awesome with its new Seoul! The hardest part was getting the bezel off. 

- Chris


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## jar3ds (Apr 6, 2007)

dang... all you guys are getting me motivated to do this mod...

How much does the Argo HP weigh with a 17670? Can anyone pop it on a scale for me? Thanks....


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## cy (Apr 6, 2007)

4.2 oz with 17670 cell 

this head lamp mod has turned into one of the most useful lights ever. 
for caving I'll use stenlight of course, but for general purpose duties. this is the headlamp that gets dug out.

runtime is super long... not a runtime person, but I've had it on continuous working under a car doing a transmission job for 6 hours.


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## jar3ds (Apr 6, 2007)

cy.... stop making this mod sound so irresistible! ... it does sound like a VERY nice headlamp.... its a little heavier than what i'm used to... i'm using the EOS w/ 1x10440 and that works out to be 76.5g... compared with 120g of the Argo HP Mod... 

however, obviously its a different beast as far as output and runtime.... *Anyone know how much the LED is driven at, ( high and low? )* so I can estimate brightness of the SSC....

Its a decent Apex Pro alternative... even though its integrated... but integrated headlamps are what i prefer anyways...


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## cy (Apr 6, 2007)

no clue what current is... but it's low due to tiny heatsink used. perfect for mizer applications. 

IMHO there's only so much light you can use closeup. much better to get long runtime vs more light. 

Note drawback to ArgoHP is battery cap will size up if you tighten too much. both caps look identical. one side is epoxied, so trying to un-tighten wrong side can be fun. anyway... ID cap that come off by making a mark with a knife or file.


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## boef800 (Apr 6, 2007)

jar3ds said:


> cy.... stop making this mod sound so irresistible! ... it does sound like a VERY nice headlamp.... its a little heavier than what i'm used to... i'm using the EOS w/ 1x10440 and that works out to be 76.5g... compared with 120g of the Argo HP Mod...
> 
> however, obviously its a different beast as far as output and runtime.... *Anyone know how much the LED is driven at, ( high and low? )* so I can estimate brightness of the SSC....
> 
> Its a decent Apex Pro alternative... even though its integrated... but integrated headlamps are what i prefer anyways...



User tigerhawkt3 states on his review site 0.08A/0.28A.And here on cpf I think I've read from another user a bit over 0.30A,0.32A or so on high if I remember correctly.
I couldn't stand it and bought and modded one with seoul star and McR38J.Just finished yesterday,the fitting of the reflector took me two evenings on a diamond hone,but well....
It looks now like stock,just a bit better...McR orangepeel goodness,know what I mean?:naughty:
The stock reflector isn't very nice and you cannot get it focused with the seoul.
Overall output on low compares to my UXOJ modded MyoXP on medium or high,and high's like the boost on the MyoXP.But throw is much better at the same time.I would say throw on high is almost like a stock 4AA ProPoly Lux.Compared to my seouled HDS U60 it's almost there with it on level 1 in the throw department.I guess setting my HDS on level 2 would match it.
The size of the spillbeam I guess is 1,5 times bigger then the HDS' one,and the hotspot has the size of the HDS hotspot+corona I think,really nice beampattern for a headlight. 
Only downside I see so far is the humming sound the light makes.Wearing it on the head you might not hear it,but I haven't used it yet in the night in a quite wood,I'll see.

Greetz,Alex


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## cy (Apr 6, 2007)

oh.. almost forgot. a good thing to do is partially unscrew cap for lockout. otherwise it's easy to drain cell during transport, when clicky is accidentally pressed. 

pokerstud has got an ArgoHP for $24 on b/s/t


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## cy (Jul 29, 2007)

how's the beam pattern with seoul and stock reflector?



Gimpy00Wang; said:


> Mmm...my Argo is awesome with its new Seoul! The hardest part was getting the bezel off.
> 
> - Chris


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## eebowler (Jul 29, 2007)

LOL cy. I can't believe in only Sept 2006 you'd have to pay $20 for a S bin Lux 1 star! I believe now that it would be MUCH easier to replace the reflector completely than to mod the stock reflector as you and many of us have discovered, SE reflectors don't work good with high dome LEDs.

Thanks for initiating the mod. It's a good idea.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 30, 2007)

Whoa! I can't believe that this is the first time I read through this thread. 

$20 for a LuxI... and DX now has Seouls for $7... heh heh heh.

You can see me doing this mod here.

Those current draw readings mentioned earlier (I had no idea I was mentioned here until a few minutes ago! :laughing: ) were at the switch. That's why I always say "power consumption" in my reviews. I'll desolder a leg tomorrow and see what the actual current draw is on an AW 17670.

All I did was swap the bare emitter, not the Star. Rip it off with pliers, AA, shim, AA, Seoul, solder, center with reflector, wait, solder, shave and notch reflector, and BOOM, you're done. I used the stock reflector, and it works great.

Happy modding.


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## Gnufsh (Jul 30, 2007)

Mine with a modded stock reflector is excellent with a good spot and nice spill, but I made the emitter sit up a bit higher too. This headlamp with a SSC P4 and 17670 is great! It's been with me on a couple fires this season, and it's much better than any other headlamp I've seen anyone else using on a fire. The only problem is that it can't take AAs, so if I'm away from my charger at a fire for a couple weeks, I can't get fresh batteries easily (not to mention that my work supplies AAs).


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