# do-it-yourself diffuser for NiteCore D10



## sizzling7s (Jul 3, 2008)

So I decided to make a diffuser for my new D10 and I think it turned out great. All it took was a cap from a 16.9 fl oz Kirkland (Costco) water bottle. The interior of the cap hugs the D10 perfectly. Not too tight, not too loose. You just need to carefully cut it out. Here are some photos from the project. I've followed the CPF threads for years, but I haven't really posted. Hopefully this turns out OK.
-sizzling7s


----------



## Paul6ppca (Jul 3, 2008)

Some matte scotch tape would also do the same diffusion,I use it on my NDI.more permanent,but totally reveresable.I think it lets a bit more light thru.


----------



## WadeF (Jul 3, 2008)

Hooray, I have a whole case of those in the garage. Just got one, the cutting begins..


----------



## LED-holic (Jul 3, 2008)

Sweet!!! Thanks!!!


----------



## merlocka (Jul 3, 2008)

Paul6ppca said:


> Some matte scotch tape would also do the same diffusion,I use it on my NDI.more permanent,but totally reveresable.I think it lets a bit more light thru.



I just tried this for the first time. It's really a brilliant effect. Scotch 3M Magic tape, matte finish, FTW.

It might be nice to disassemble the light so I could cover the whole lense, or maybe I just need to trim it better. 

Alternately, wasn't Flashlightlens.com selling a diffused coated glass lens in various sizes? I bet that would be nice in the D10.


----------



## sizzling7s (Jul 3, 2008)

Wade, I'm pretty sure it was one of your earlier posts that had me digging through my different bottle caps...LOL. I tried the tape route, but I don't like having the adhesive heated and potentially melted on/around the lens. On MAX, the D10 can get hot, and the head doesn't come apart easily to clean. In addition, the cap will take the brunt of the impact should I happen to drop it. I also like that I can take the cap off and on with ease. Because I'm OCD, I took a Dremel with a buffing accessory and polished off the rough edges. If it wasn't for the print in the plastic, you would think the diffuser was made for it. 

I gotta go before my wife finds me in the flashlight forums, it's a sickness she doesn't understand. 

sizzling7s


----------



## WadeF (Jul 3, 2008)

Funny thing I was thinking of taking the Dremel to this cap. I might try and remove the lettering, etc.  I think this will stay on my D10 for now, works good.


----------



## Watchguy (Jul 4, 2008)

Nice tip. Could probably run a red marker over that cap for a red diffuser.:thumbsup:


----------



## Yapo (Jul 4, 2008)

heh...it looks like it was made for it. Any beamshots?


----------



## sizzling7s (Jul 4, 2008)

Max brightness without diffuser - 8ft from wall




Max brightness with diffuser - 8ft from wall


----------



## Aluminous (Jul 4, 2008)

Nicely done, thanks for the idea and posting those great step-by-step photos. :thumbsup:

Other options that might work for people who don't have Kirkland water bottles around: Taking a look in my fridge, it appears that Ozarka and Nestle water bottles have similar caps.


----------



## Mostly (Jul 4, 2008)

Cool! But I don't have a D10... yet. I was just about to get a Proton Pro when the D10 came out... so now I'm not sure which to get



(First!)  

But back to the topic--I found that two different caps from glue sticks will work as diffusers on my 2nd gen Inova X1, which is 18.3mm diameter. I had to wrap a few loops of scotch tape around the flashlight head to get the glue stick caps to fit snugly, though. This makes me think the 19mm D10 might be a good fit without adding tape. 

Maybe someone with a D10 has a glue stick cap to try out? One brand is Avery, and that cap is about two inches long (for a lantern/diffuser), and the other is only about 3/4" long (brand unknown), and will push almost all the way onto the X1.


----------



## cave dave (Jul 4, 2008)

Hey wow I did the same thing on Wed. *Target *brand water bottle also fits.


----------



## Chaz (Jul 4, 2008)

Excellent idea! I took a look at some Poland Spring water bottles and they have the same design lid which fit perfectly. Rather than cutting off all of the outside, removing part of it on each side provides an anti-roll feature as well.


----------



## e2x2e (Jul 4, 2008)

Paul6ppca said:


> Some matte scotch tape would also do the same diffusion,I use it on my NDI.more permanent,but totally reveresable.I think it lets a bit more light thru.



I tried your trick. It works well but it doesn't let enough light through(I guess that is the point though). I tried it to try to get rid of the awful Cree ring.


BTW...you can always remove adhesive with WD-40 or Naphtha based fluid...I use Zippoe fluid it removes adhesive really well. Just be careful you don't :candle::wow: <--If you know what I mean...:thumbsup:


----------



## Marduke (Jul 5, 2008)

While sipping some Kirkland water waiting for fireworks to start tonight, I thought about something. The D10 and NDI use the same reflector, and should be close to the same size. I took the cap off, and sure enough, *it works for the NDI too!!* Fits nicely and comes just down over the 3 prongs. Immediately took out the swiss army knife and trimmed off the sides while my wife sat there pretending not to know me 

I might have a few spare caps laying around for those less fortunate. Send me a PM if you need one in the US.


BTW, the "Satin" Scotch tape (not matte) works best for a diffuser film.


----------



## WadeF (Jul 5, 2008)

I took my Dremel to my cap and was able to remove the lettering and other plastic bumps, etc. I get a little less than 20% loss. My SF F04 seems to create about 10% loss. My goal is to get about 10% loss through one of these caps, but I don't know if that is posisble. 

I'm going to try thinning out the plastic, polishing it up, etc.


----------



## Marduke (Jul 5, 2008)

These caps also work on the Proton Pro


----------



## varuscelli (Jul 6, 2008)

Neat idea. 

I was playing around with something similar for the "tent light" concept, using a translucent 35mm film canister with the D10. Despite it being stood up in the photo, I was thinking of it more for a suspended overhead light (perhaps).


----------



## ruriimasu (Jul 22, 2008)

that is nice varuscelli. i just cant seem to find any translucent containers or caps in my home... argh... im gonna run down to a bigger mart to get a bottled drink with one of these caps


----------



## Jarl (Jul 22, 2008)

What's the thing in the corkscrew of the SAK in the very first photo??


----------



## varuscelli (Jul 22, 2008)

ruriimasu said:


> that is nice varuscelli. i just cant seem to find any translucent containers or caps in my home... argh... im gonna run down to a bigger mart to get a bottled drink with one of these caps


 
If you stop by any place where they do film processing, you could likely have them pull you out a couple from their trash or recycle bins. (And yeah, despite digital photography lots of folks still do drop film off at all the photo/mini-labs in town...).

As a perhaps helpful hint, I believe that most Fuji Film comes in the translucent cannisters (or it used to, in any case).


----------



## Raytech (Jul 22, 2008)

Jarl said:


> What's the thing in the corkscrew of the SAK in the very first photo??


 
I have a SAK, The little grey thing in the cork screw is a miniture screw driver.


----------



## 1dash1 (Jul 24, 2008)

.
.
Below is a slight variation on a theme. It's the original Costco water bottle top idea with a small tab for securing the diffuser via an SS split ring. (Note: The lanyard attached to the D10 is also home-made.)


 
..
..
This is a closeup showing the connection detail.


 
..
..
The finished diffuser works very well. (Note: A black elastic or nylon cord would have looked better.)






..
..
Other diffusers that I've collected. My favorite is the one on the far right, it redirects a tremendous amount of light in 360 degrees. A mini-lantern! (Beam shots below.)



..
..
Beam shots against side wall, all taken @ f=8.0, 1/100 sec., ISO=400, D10 at max output.


 

 

 


(Click thumbnail photo to enlarge.)
..
..


----------



## cernobila (Jul 24, 2008)

This is all very well except that now I am in trouble with my dear wife.....ever since I read this thread I have been bothering all my wife's co-workers in her large office. Things like, "can I have a look at your drink bottle and perhaps have it when you are finished?" I have become a "refuse bin explorer", I got a feeling that there is a collection going on in the office......perhaps its because I don't shave everyday and search the bins that did it!


----------



## varuscelli (Jul 24, 2008)

I ran across some aluminum foil style tape I'd been using in my attic and decided to cut a small square of it to use reflector style on the film canister diffuser I had been toying around with. The film canister thing works pretty well, but it really depends on how you're using it. if you hold it out in front of you, it's like of like holding a bare light bulb out it front of you, in that it lights things up and partially blinds you at the same time. 

I cut a small piece of the foil tape (reflective on both sides, roughly 1x1.5 inches) and stuck it to the film canister (covering about half of the cannister). With that, it throws a pretty nice diffused light away from the reflector but not right back into my eyes. 

Just another variation on things.


----------



## greenlight (Jul 24, 2008)

1dash1 said:


> .
> .
> Other diffusers that I've collected. My favorite is the one on the far right, it redirects a tremendous amount of light in 360 degrees. A mini-lantern! (Beam shots below.)
> 
> ...


This is great. I like to collect little plastic caps like that to use as wands for my flashlights. Lego and other kids toys are a great source for this, plus it's fun to destroy toys just to get a special little plastic piece for your lights.

I had never considered water bottle caps, though.


----------



## LED-holic (Jul 24, 2008)

I finally got around to making mine. I've got dozens of CostCo water bottles so cut mine out in a few minutes.

It does indeed fit perfectly. Best of all I can keep it on to protect the bezel from future dings as well.

Thanks for the great info here. 

UPDATE: After a month of diffuser usage I appreciate this DIY tip more than ever.

Here are some great benefits of this diffuser cap:

1. The diffuser light is REALLY REALLY useful. I use it a lot. It spreads the beam out even further because the light is diffused around the bottle cap edge, at the bezel tips. This spreads out the beam to a very wide area, lighting up the immediate area really well.

2. The diffuser cap protects the lens from scratches when it's in a pocket.

3. The diffuser cap protects the bezel as well should it suffer a fall. The plastic fits right over the thing bezel lip, thus taking the brunt force of any fall.

4. The diffuser cap is really small, adds no significant length to the D10, thus making it no hassle to carry all the time.

This is one of the top reasons the D10 is such a fantastic EDC. Adding to this the ability to get trits and clips, makes it just about the ultimate EDC. :twothumbs


----------



## LED-holic (Jul 30, 2008)

I've started collecting the CostCo water bottle caps for my D10s. After having used them for a week I can definitely say this is an awesome DIY solution. 

I find myself using the diffuser half the time. So useful. 

I was in the car with a buddy of mine, and I nonchalantly used my D10 to light up a magazine in the car. The diffuser was on the D10, and my buddy remarked out of the blue "dang that's a bright light!!" He grabbed his weak Maglite and showed how dim it was compared to my D10. It really impressed him, even with the diffuser on the D10.

*sizzling7s* I owe you a big THANK YOU!!!


----------



## cernobila (Jul 30, 2008)

I ended up buying a six-pack of suitable water bottles to make sure I have my supply.....a word of warning, not all of these caps fit well. There are two types of caps that look identical, one with the numbers in it and one that is clean. The one that is clean and looks like it would make a better choice actually does not stay on my lights.....the one that has the numbers on it is the one that fits well......In my case, in the supermarket on the same shelf and stock, they had a mixture of two different caps on their six-packs of water......so have a good look before you walk out of the store


----------



## danreetz (Jul 30, 2008)

I made one of these diffuser caps from discount bottled water sold at K-Mart. I can confirm that they work well, and that they fit the Fenix L1P/L2P as well as the D10.


----------



## LED-holic (Jul 30, 2008)

cernobila said:


> I ended up buying a six-pack of suitable water bottles to make sure I have my supply.....a word of warning, not all of these caps fit well. There are two types of caps that look identical, one with the numbers in it and one that is clean. The one that is clean and looks like it would make a better choice actually does not stay on my lights.....the one that has the numbers on it is the one that fits well......In my case, in the supermarket on the same shelf and stock, they had a mixture of two different caps on their six-packs of water......so have a good look before you walk out of the store


in my experience all Kirkland water bottle caps fit. The ones I have are "clean" and do not have numbers in it. Just to clarify between CostCo 'Kirkland' brand water caps - which all seem to fit, versus non-CostCo water bottles, which you're describing.


----------



## cernobila (Jul 30, 2008)

LED-holic said:


> in my experience all Kirkland water bottle caps fit. The ones I have are "clean" and do not have numbers in it. Just to clarify between CostCo 'Kirkland' brand water caps - which all seem to fit, versus non-CostCo water bottles, which you're describing.



You are most likely right, mine are "Poland Spring" bottles.....


----------



## LED-holic (Aug 15, 2008)

Update to this thread:

I found out the cap to the ethos water bottles sold at Starbucks fit the D10 very well. The cap is a bit deeper / taller than the kirkland water cap so it may stay on better as well.

I was very pleased to make this find. I love the DIY diffuser and use it a lot now.


----------



## TMedina (Aug 15, 2008)

danreetz said:


> I made one of these diffuser caps from discount bottled water sold at K-Mart. I can confirm that they work well, and that they fit the Fenix L1P/L2P as well as the D10.



Yep - just grabbed a water bottle out of the trash and dropped it on my Fenix and it worked beautifully. Turned the brightness into a soft wash and cut out the glare from the oil and parts I was working on.

Good stuff. Now you've got me wanting to go wandering through Sprawlmart, Macguyvering bits and pieces. :nana:

-Trevor


----------



## raiderkilo (Aug 15, 2008)

Nice this weekend make my own


----------



## primox1 (Aug 15, 2008)

Hi, any have suggestions for a homemade diffuser for the EX10?
Thanks


----------



## yaesumofo (Aug 15, 2008)

Cool stuff.
You can also order a FREE filter sample pack from LEE filters and make all kinds of filters for these and other flashlights.
Do a search for Lee filters and ask for a free sample.
Yaesumofo


----------



## mikel81 (Aug 15, 2008)

Wow, I just so happened to be drinking a water with the same cap when I clicked that link. I guess I will be cutting up the cap when I am done with the water


----------



## jbviau (Aug 20, 2008)

Ok, I've tried the water bottle cap, but how about a longer diffuser that spreads light around better? Have any of you tried the Fenix P2D's diffuser on the D10 or EX10?

https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_38&products_id=339

The bezel diameters seem close enough based on published specs that it might fit (EX10=22 mm; P2D=21.5mm). I don't own a P2D, or I would check myself. Hopefully one of you owns both and can try this.


----------



## Bradlee (Aug 20, 2008)

jbviau said:


> ...Have any of you tried the Fenix P2D's diffuser on the D10 or EX10?
> 
> https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_38&products_id=339
> 
> The bezel diameters seem close enough based on published specs that it might fit (EX10=22 mm; P2D=21.5mm)...


 
I don't own the diffuser, but IIRC the diffuser only fits on the D10 with a layer of electrical tape around the bezel. The EX10 does seem like it would be a better fit based on the specs.


----------



## jbviau (Aug 20, 2008)

Right, I'd forgotten that the D10 has a smaller bezel. It's listed as 19 mm. So we need an EX10 owner who's willing and able to try the Fenix diffuser.

The full line-up: EX10=22 mm, P2D=21.5mm, D10=19 mm. How much difference can .5mm make?


----------



## HKJ (Aug 20, 2008)

jbviau said:


> Right, I'd forgotten that the D10 has a smaller bezel. It's listed as 19 mm. So we need an EX10 owner who's willing and able to try the Fenix diffuser.
> 
> The full line-up: EX10=22 mm, P2D=21.5mm, D10=19 mm. How much difference can .5mm make?



The diffuser is loose on the EX10. It will work as long as the light is standing on a table.

And the correct head diameters are: EX10: 21.4 mm, P3D: 21.5mm, just 0.1 mm.


----------



## EugeneJohn (Aug 20, 2008)

HKJ said:


> The diffuser is loose on the EX10. It will work as long as the light is standing on a table.



Agreed, the fenix diffuser sits loosely and will slide off if tipped below the horizontal. 

I added a single layer of electrical tape around the bezel of the EX10, and the diffuser fit on very snugly. I shook and waved the EX10 w/diffuser as hard as I could and it didn't budge.

Electrical tape is a good, 'on the cheap', fix.


----------



## jbviau (Aug 20, 2008)

Thanks, guys! I love getting answers to questions like these *before* buying. 

It's surprising to me that 0.1 mm makes such a difference. HKJ, did you make those measurements yourself? Anyway, tape is an easy fix, but it would have been that much nicer if you could do without it.


----------



## MWClint (Aug 20, 2008)

jbviau said:


> Anyway, tape is an easy fix, but it would have been that much nicer if you could do without it.



Put the tape on the inside of the diffuser instead of on the flashlight..that way, it's a clean fix.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 20, 2008)

jbviau said:


> Thanks, guys! I love getting answers to questions like these *before* buying.
> 
> It's surprising to me that 0.1 mm makes such a difference. HKJ, did you make those measurements yourself? Anyway, tape is an easy fix, but it would have been that much nicer if you could do without it.



Yes, I have a digital caliper. The actual difference might be 0.15 mm, but the caliper is not stable enough on the second digit after the point.


----------



## gratewhitehuntr (Aug 20, 2008)

was at my buddies house the other day and he asked me about a difuser 
I told him you can make them from almost anything

observe
all pics taken on low except the last
cell camera but it does have white balance

white






red





purple





red on HI





and now


what where they made of???????






.....




...





mmmmm.... diffuser.......


----------



## jbviau (Aug 20, 2008)

Those gumdrops will fall right off once you pick the light up. I think you should secure them with gummy Lifesavers or bubble gum tape.


----------



## gratewhitehuntr (Aug 20, 2008)

jbviau said:


> Those gumdrops will fall right off once you pick the light up. I think you should secure them with gummy Lifesavers or bubble gum tape.



actually they stay on fine if you moosh (sp) them a little


----------



## nathan310 (Aug 21, 2008)

Wow that's awesome!

I'm going to do that when my nitecore get's here.

Do you think that would work with a p1d,p2d or p3d?


----------



## mikel81 (Aug 30, 2008)

Well I came here to post my brilliant idea, but it seems someone already thought of it. So here it is anyway. I cleaned up the edges a bit with some fine grit after taking the photo. For the hole I used a hole punch.
















varuscelli said:


> Neat idea.
> 
> I was playing around with something similar for the "tent light" concept, using a translucent 35mm film canister with the D10. Despite it being stood up in the photo, I was thinking of it more for a suspended overhead light (perhaps).



Film canister looks good, I may need to try that.


----------



## varuscelli (Aug 30, 2008)

gratewhitehuntr said:


>


 
Where in the world did you get dilithium crystals? oo:

And how the heck can you afford to use them as diffusers? :huh:

:nana:


----------



## aml (Aug 31, 2008)

just wanted to say thanks. great find.
mine works perfect.


----------



## climberkid (Aug 31, 2008)

Currently working my cutting skills. found that Zephyrhills natural spring water fits perfectly. will post pics as soon as im finished. :thumbsup:

these are pics right before i cleaned it up. i removed the anti-roll...it looked bad.








Anti- roll!!!




this pic would look better if i could keep my hands from shaking......:thumbsdow


----------



## LED Flashlights. (Sep 2, 2008)

The new Poland Spring Bottles work great on Fenix models shaped like L2S and so on.


----------



## LED Flashlights. (Sep 2, 2008)

varuscelli said:


> Neat idea.
> 
> I was playing around with something similar for the "tent light" concept, using a translucent 35mm film canister with the D10. Despite it being stood up in the photo, I was thinking of it more for a suspended overhead light (perhaps).



I was thinking of a diffuser more like this one.

To bad I didn't save all the old plastic film canisters I picked up at a rumage sale years ago.

I probably had about a hundred that came in a plastic bag.


----------



## varuscelli (Sep 2, 2008)

LED Flashlights. said:


> I was thinking of a diffuser more like this one.
> 
> To bad I didn't save all the old plastic film canisters I picked up at a rumage sale years ago.
> 
> I probably had about a hundred that came in a plastic bag.


 
I've made several versions of those while experimenting to see what I like best. One of my favorites has aluminum foil duct tape placed inside the canister around half the circumference. If using it for walking-around purposes, is doesn't throw a lot of light right back into your eyes. I showed one example earlier in this thread of one of those with aluminum tape on the outside (easier to place) but with the tape on the inside, it's more effective for reflecting more light outward away from the tape -- but it's a bit more tricky to place the tape nicely on the inside of the canister since it's so sticky.

The hole in the canister lid can be cut to fit quite a variety of different diameter flashlights. This is shown with a LiteFlux LF5XT.


----------



## LED Flashlights. (Sep 2, 2008)

Sweet, I actually found a plastic film canister.

I combined the two. I put the cap from the firm canister first on the flashlight then the top of the water bottle over the top of the head of the fashlight so it locks the film canister on to the head of the flashlight so it doesn't come off so easy.



sizzling7s said:


>


----------



## Thujone (Sep 5, 2008)

If your cap is loose fitting just heat up the plastic with a lighter and use a nail or similar to press in the lip in a few points around the cap. If done properly it will not fit perfectly snug


----------



## whitedoom34 (Sep 9, 2008)

I have found that this method works for my d10 and an arrowhead water bottle cap


----------



## mikel81 (Sep 9, 2008)

I have been meaning to get pictures up, but on labor day I was at my mom's house and found that the lid to a bottle of "I can't believe its not butter" spray fits perfectly on my Defender Infinity. It is clear blue and gives a nice beam. After I got home I checked all of our caps in the house. I found a lid to aussie brand hair spray that fits also. The best one I found was a lid for Ralph Lauren perfume, it is thick walled light blue plastic. 
it
Any of these lids fit Nitecore D10/NDI/Gerber Infinity Ultra and probably many others.

I will try to get a picture up soon.

Edited to add pics:


----------



## Coaster (Sep 10, 2008)

I just found a lid that worked this morning, it was already sitting on my desk waiting to be hacked apart. It appears to be exactly the same as the one in the OP, translucent with numbers stamped inside it. :twothumbs


----------



## Illumination (Sep 11, 2008)

e2x2e said:


> I tried your trick. I tried it to try to get rid of the awful Cree ring.



My D10 has an awful ring as well...why couldn't Nightcore use a decent reflector (see LightFlux). The diffuser idea works great; I'm using a Poland Spring cap.

Note I tried the cap from the 16.9oz and 1.5 L bottles. The small bottle fit the D10 perfectly; the 1.5L cap was a tiny bit too large...maybe it fits other lights???


----------



## FsTop (Oct 6, 2008)

Just to make this a little easier for anyone else searching for a diffuser cap, here is a list of the water bottle caps that have been reported to fit the D10:
Kirkland - Costco
Target brand
Poland Spring - some
K-Mart discount bottled water
Ethos - Starbucks
Zephyrhills 
Arrowhead 
Classic Selection Spring Water - 7-11


----------



## Illumination (Oct 6, 2008)

Correction to my previous comment: Only some Poland Spring caps work, but it doesn't depend on the bottle size...it must have to do with different bottle manufacturers or at least molds.

If you want to know before opening the bottle, look at the top of the cap. If there are three ridges on the internal circumference, the cap will not fit. If there are no internal ridges, you're in luck.


----------



## Youfoundnemo (Oct 8, 2008)

Sam's choice purified drinking water fits, its blue so its more of a filter than a diffuser but hey i like it.


----------



## Snarfblat (Oct 14, 2008)

This is a good tip, thanks. I bought a case of "Nestle Pure Life Naturally Fruit Flavoured Water Beverage" 500ml bottles at Costco (Canada), and the caps fit just right.

I found that large toenail-clippers do a good job of cleaning up the edges after cutting out the inner ring.


----------



## ruriimasu (Oct 30, 2008)

where im from, i cant really find any of those translucent water bottle caps.. and my sis wouldnt let me have the caps from her many bottles of cosmetic products.. i was about to use a piece of plastic bag to wrap over the light when i struck on this idea.. and so gave birth to this DIY! 
guess what material it is 










Ta-Da!.............. It's silicon!  i cut it up from a handphone cover, tried various ways to glue it but it just wouldnt glued up.. tried epoxy, even fire (the whole thing just burnt while i was expecting it to melt :shrug, finally super glue. if u guys have any idea what can glue them well, let me know  i find that it is not a hassle to carry it around as it is so soft and i can just flatten it and bring around


----------



## BabyDoc (Oct 30, 2008)

I don't understand your question about what to use to glue silicone together. It sounds and looks like you did glue it together with the super glue.

In any case, I like your idea for a diffuser. It looks like you could tuck it away in your wallet if you don't need it. Where do you get this silicone material?


----------



## ruriimasu (Oct 30, 2008)

BabyDoc said:


> I don't understand your question about what to use to glue silicone together. It sounds and looks like you did glue it together with the super glue.
> 
> In any case, I like your idea for a diffuser. It looks like you could tuck it away in your wallet if you don't need it. Where do you get this silicone material?



i guess the dried superglue will crack open with some force exerted near the glued seams, so i am looking for a better or more permanent solution to glueing it well.

i bought a white silicon mobile phone cover and cut it up for this purpose.


----------



## Coaster (Oct 31, 2008)

You might be ale to join the edges with a fine tipped soldering iron. I'm sure if you want though someone would be willing to mail you a few diffusers that will fit for the cost of postage.


----------



## TECENG (Oct 31, 2008)

Well, I for one would not put that soft, squishy silicone phallic shaped item in my wallet...


----------



## Youfoundnemo (Oct 31, 2008)

ruriimasu what In the world did you do to your D10, twards the tail section right below the knurling.....is that paint or epoxy or what....


----------



## ruriimasu (Nov 1, 2008)

Youfoundnemo said:


> ruriimasu what In the world did you do to your D10, twards the tail section right below the knurling.....is that paint or epoxy or what....



oh.. thats some GITD paint.. yeah.. i know its ugly..  i will remove it one of these days when im not so lazy


----------



## hogger1 (Nov 11, 2008)

I just dipped a bottle cap diffuser into some black Ritz dye. It didn’t make it opaque but it did make it a little less added on looking to the light. I think it looks better. Give it a try easy and cheap.


----------



## flashlife (Nov 18, 2008)

ruriimasu said:


> i guess the dried superglue will crack open with some force exerted near the glued seams, so i am looking for a better or more permanent solution to glueing it well.
> 
> i bought a white silicon mobile phone cover and cut it up for this purpose.



Sorry bub, silicone sticks to nothing but other silicone, and that not very well.
You best-bet glue is silicone caulk...the type which smells like vinegar (acetic acid) while curing.

Once cured, silicone won't melt, just burns, so soldering irons, etc don't work. That's why it was used as the ablative heat shield material by NASA, back in the day. Even then they used a silicone impregneted wire mesh so they could attach it to the spacecraft without adhesives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_reentry

While working as an engineer back in the 70's I _inherited_ a project to find an adhesive that would stick to Dow Corning Sylgard silicone (similar to your diffuser material). The previous eng'r had tried for a year to make anything stick to the silicone. I worked on it, on and off for two years, then handed the project off to a new-guy engineer, who worked for another year on it. We never found a good adhesive for it, and Dow Corning said it was impossible. The acetic-acid/moisture curing silicones (like GE RTV112, and RTV108) worked the best, but not well enough for the industry.

Bummer...:shakehead


----------



## Burgess (Nov 19, 2008)

What an interesting thread here !


Thank you to *everyone* for your info.


:twothumbs
_


----------



## mr.snakeman (Nov 19, 2008)

For those of you living in Sweden try the Ramlösa plastic bottle cap. A little aceton to remove the printing, trim down to the sealing ring and there you go. if the fit is too loose press inwards on the ring for a snugger fit. Works fine on both my D10 and my LF5XT.:twothumbs For other colors, try other brands (Coca Cola for red, etc.) as they are all basically the same size.


----------



## flashlife (Nov 19, 2008)

The trick, especially with low power lights like the E01, is to find a cap that diffuses well but doesn't reduce the output too much. One of the best diffusers for non-exposed surfaces is the thin white plastic grocery bags that _Target_ puts your goods in at the store. 
I cut a sheet of it and lined the inner surface of the globe of a RR LED Lantern to smooth out the rings and measured 96% transmission, and great diffusion.
Of course, that thin plastic bag material isn't sturdy enough to make a diffuser-cap from, but if you find a clear cap that fits your light, line it with white Target bag material...that should work great.

I don't have an "after" pic, but here's the RR lantern before, with rings...
(photo courtesy of ledshoppe.com)


----------



## DHart (Apr 18, 2009)

New D10 R2 owner checking in... great ideas and suggestions... thanks to you all! I'm off to find some bottle caps!


----------



## Abyssos (Apr 19, 2009)

You guys are killing me. I don't have D10 (yet). Now, I am compelled to get one so I can join in on dumper diving for bottle caps.


----------



## NoFair (Apr 19, 2009)

Normal soda bottle caps work for the Nightcore Extreme (several colors available as well). Norwegian 1.5l juice twist caps are even better

Great for reading maps at night when the low of the Nitecores is still a bit bright in the center. There is a bit of output loss, but it is still plenty bright even on low.

Sverre


----------



## piojo (Apr 21, 2009)

*Variation for the Fenix LD10 and Inova X5*

Inspired by this thread, I just made diffusers for my Fenix ld10 and my girlfriend's Inova X5. We used film canisters (which I think are even more translucent than a white grocery bag). We stacked two canisters instead of one to increase the light output around the sides (just taping them together in the middle). On one end, on the inside of the cap, we placed some aluminum foil so that all light would come out the sides, and none out the top, for we are thinking of using our flashlights as lanterns.










I cut a star pattern in the bottom of a canister to shove the flashlight into it.

I also made a "straight" diffuser to throw the light straight forward--this is just a tube made of paper from a paper-towel tube, and a piece of plastic from a film canister. I would welcome suggestions on how to make a more durable tube for this diffuser.


----------



## jslappa (Apr 21, 2009)

*Red Green Blue Yellow Diffuser for under $6*

So I'd first like to give props to the OP for the "water bottle diffuser" idea. I used a .5L Ice Mountain brand water bottle cap for my diffuser. The diffuser mounts very well, as the ends of the diffuser actually curve in to grip the head of the D10 quite snugly. The diffuser is deep enough that a colored lens can be placed in there and still give the D10 a solid fit. 

I realized that I just bought a reall small angle-neck light from a local Army Surplus store. Just like the one I used in the Marines, it has four filters in it. A Red, Green, Blue and Yellow filter. They are a bit too big, but nothing a little dremel work couldn't fix. The light was $5 and the bottle of water was $1. 

Here we go..my cheapest dremel, the D10, reflectors from $5 angle light and the diffuser I just made. Note the pieces of the bottle cap to the right.





The lip of the diffuser is deep enough to house a filter securely.





I wrapped the diffuser in ceran wrap because I used it to trace the right size on the filters. I could have used the head of the D10 too. 





I get the red filter sanded down well enough to fit inside the diffuser, then use that as that same red filter as the template for the other three. I hold the two together in one hand, and dremel around the next filter until they are the same size. Repeat till all filters are shaped. Then I smoothed out the filters so they dropped right into the diffuser. All 4 filters actually fit inside the diffuser for easy storage.





Yellow filter on D10, with the other 3 filters next to it





Then green, red and finally, blue.


----------



## daf3m (Jun 1, 2010)

Even i don't have any Nitecores ,i love your creativity!!!lovecpf


----------



## SiliconCali (Aug 14, 2010)

Agreed, this is a great thread. Thanks for the tips fellas.

A water bottle cap turned my Nitecore Extremes' ugly beam into a sweet white wall of light. Simple fix with an amazing difference.


----------



## LedTed (Sep 25, 2010)

FsTop said:


> Just to make this a little easier for anyone else searching for a diffuser cap, here is a list of the water bottle caps that have been reported to fit the D10:
> Kirkland - Costco
> Target brand
> Poland Spring - some
> ...




Hello all,

Thanks for the list FsTop!

Just a quick update to let you know that what seem to be the new Target brand (AKA: Archer Farms) water bottle caps from the 16.9 Fl Oz packages work quite nicely as a diffuser on a NC D10. The inner ring snaps quite nicely on the LED end.

I also realized that if you had no clip, the cap would work well as a physical lock-out.

Later,


----------



## guiri (Sep 26, 2010)

I just read the thread and I have an idea/question.

If you were to do the water bottle diffuser option and you drilled a hole in the middle of it, would you not get some distance and diffused light at the same time?

Could someone try this and post some pics? I'm curious if it would work and what it would look like.

George


----------



## goldenlight (Jun 8, 2011)

guiri said:


> I just read the thread and I have an idea/question.
> 
> If you were to do the water bottle diffuser option and you drilled a hole in the middle of it, would you not get some distance and diffused light at the same time?
> 
> ...



This question was never answered, and now the D11 (battery sucking [email protected], IMHO) and the D11.2 (claims to have fixed the 'battery sucking' function that NiteCore tried to ignore....) are available, this thread may be of interest to a whole new group of people.


----------

