# Best PT EOS Mod?



## TSD (Feb 6, 2007)

I am about to purchase a PT EOS. I have read through many of the threads regarding possible mods for it, and am not quite sure what route to take. I do not intend on performing a battery mod, but do intend on upgrading the reflector and star. So my question is, what is the best combo and why? Currently, I am thinking about the SXOH star with Mcr-18 reflector. Suggestions please. 

Also, I know where to purchase the reflectors, where would I obtain the star? 

Thanks


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## Mundele (Feb 6, 2007)

I replaced the luxeon star in mine. Real easy. The new one might be a bit brighter but it is certainly whiter.

The other thing I did was to put scotch tape on the optic. I found that the kind of tape I used spread the light out in one direction (if I put it on vertically, it spread the light horizontally). Not sure if that really makes sense. Anyway, it "softens" the light a bit and makes it nice to read by. Reduces throw a bit, but not too much. I'd try the tape trick before spending money on a new reflector. (this was the "frosted" looking tape, not the real clear kind)

This is a GREAT headlamp. I really love mine. my favorite light.

--Matt


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## aileron (Feb 7, 2007)

I replaced the Lux star with a SSC P4 emitter and the optic with an IMS 17mm reflector. Noticeably brighter, and a much more useful beam shape IMHO.
I epoxied a few coins together to make a heatsink, and shaved a hair off the wide end of the IMS17.


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## gunga (Feb 8, 2007)

I have an IMS17 in mone as well. Great drop in mod, makes for much more spill. I'm just waiting for a cree star to arrive for the next mod. Should make for much brighter and is an easy swap (once you get the lux star off the diode in the back).

There are better reflectors, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend $16 for an aluminum reflector...


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## ktronik (Feb 8, 2007)

aileron said:


> I replaced the Lux star with a SSC P4 emitter and the optic with an IMS 17mm reflector. Noticeably brighter, and a much more useful beam shape IMHO.
> I epoxied a few coins together to make a heatsink, and shaved a hair off the wide end of the IMS17.




+1... I have done every mod you can do to the EOS...my fav is the above mod...

for ref: Cree EOS & Seoul EOS 

The Seoul has a real 'gummy', soft type of light, which works well for close up stuff...I stippled my IMS17... so its even more soft... now I only use LOW mode, as it is a _heap_ brighter... I also added a 'heatsink' to the eos... a good mod, for the life & brightness of the LED...

Ktronik


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## TSD (Feb 8, 2007)

What kind of runtimes do you get with the SSC P4 emitter? What pros and cons does it have compared to the SXOH? Why did you select the IMS17 over the McR-18? And lastly, WHERE would I obtain a SSC P4 emitter? Haha, lots of questions, but I am a newbie, and want to make sure I do it right from the start. Thanks


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## ktronik (Feb 9, 2007)

TSD said:


> What kind of runtimes do you get with the SSC P4 emitter? What pros and cons does it have compared to the SXOH? Why did you select the IMS17 over the McR-18? And lastly, WHERE would I obtain a SSC P4 emitter? Haha, lots of questions, but I am a newbie, and want to make sure I do it right from the start. Thanks




Runtimes will be the same but the light will be twice as bright... so you use it on low... then it lasts longer, so twice the runtime...or twice the brightness...

SX0H is about half as bright for the same power...

I have both IMS17 (stippled) & McR-18, both modded for SSC P4...they were so close, that I went for the cheaper option.. (IMS17)

AW / photofantic are selling them at the moment...

Regards

Ktronik


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## gunga (Feb 9, 2007)

I have one...

How did you stipple your IMS17?


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## TSD (Feb 9, 2007)

Do I need to make a heatsink if I use the SSC P4? If so, what is the best way to go about doing this. Thanks


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## ktronik (Feb 9, 2007)

TSD said:


> Do I need to make a heatsink if I use the SSC P4? If so, what is the best way to go about doing this. Thanks




Its called the search button...  search my posts, you will find all the info you are looking for...

Ktronik


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## AndyTiedye (Feb 9, 2007)

I this is the post he is talking about:

EOS+XR-E+IMS=2*Kick ***]EOS+XR-E+IMS20 & Seoul+IMS17= 2*Kick ***

Here are some more:

PT Eos Headlamp + ims17 reflector + cree x-re//update-mcr17xr reflector
Modding an EOS with a CREE XR-E
How to Open a PT EOS
EOS Modded With an XRE
McR-18 and the PT EOS
Princeton Tec EOS LED Swap
PT EOS modded
PT EOS Heatsink Mod
PT EOS Modding????
Princeton Tec EOS optic vs IMS reflector *beamshots*
Tec EOS widebeam!

Those are all the EOS mods the "Search" function came up with.


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## TSD (Feb 10, 2007)

Thanks, I already purchased my IMS 17, and the SCC P4 is my next order. Can't wait to see the difference!


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## ROVER (Feb 10, 2007)

gunga said:


> I have one...
> 
> How did you stipple your IMS17?



Try a search for "sputtering". Basically, you get a can of krylon clear spraypaint, and barely press the buttom so if finely but unevenly throws a tiny bit of clear paint of the otherwise smooth reflector. This is something you should practice on something besides a reflector because it may take several attempts to get it right. Don't do too much. I've ruined more than I've helped using this method, but other more skilled people here have really improved their beam patterns.


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## TSD (Feb 12, 2007)

Thanks for all the help/suggestions everyone.

Okay, so I searched the forums, and was unable to find whether or not installing a heatsink conclusively improves the runtimes or increases brightness by extending the amount of time before the heat regulation diode kicks in and reduces the current. Does anyone have an update on this?


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## ktronik (Feb 13, 2007)

TSD said:


> Thanks for all the help/suggestions everyone.
> 
> Okay, so I searched the forums, and was unable to find whether or not installing a heatsink conclusively improves the runtimes or increases brightness by extending the amount of time before the heat regulation diode kicks in and reduces the current. Does anyone have an update on this?




Hey Buddy,

I have not done the tests yet to prove that it will last longer before the heat circuit kicks in...in fact it may not... the point is, you run a LED long enough on high, with NO heatsink the LED will be be damaged...& this will reduce the overall brightness of the LED in all modes...

A quick search found this from, Erasmus, he has nearly 1000 posts on CPF... _I would not advise to run them higher than 100 mA without heatsinking. Otherwise they will die fast._

The high mode runs @ around 300ma...

I feel that running any LED with out a heatsink above 100ma is asking for a reduced LED life span...the more you cook it, the dimmer it will get...how long it will take to cook, I don't know...I guess if you change you LED every year, I may not matter...

best wishes

Ktronik


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## jar3ds (Feb 13, 2007)

ktronik said:


> ...I would not advise to run them higher than 100 mA without heatsinking. *Otherwise they will die fast..*



what, like maybe 5000 hour life span instead of 100,000 hours? Honestly... Its not going to matter... unless you use your headlamp every day on high for hours and hours for years... If you use it like most will... I doubt anyone needs to be concerned about diminished LED output due to heat issues....

If you switch a next gen. LED... Seoul / Cree or even an S-bin... you can run the LED on medium rather than high most of the time to keep heat at a minimum...


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## ktronik (Feb 13, 2007)

jar3ds said:


> what, like maybe 5000 hour life span instead of 100,000 hours? Honestly... Its not going to matter... unless you use your headlamp every day on high for hours and hours for years... If you use it like most will... I doubt anyone needs to be concerned about diminished LED output due to heat issues....
> 
> If you switch a next gen. LED... Seoul / Cree or even an S-bin... you can run the LED on medium rather than high most of the time to keep heat at a minimum...




Nice one, thanks for the words of wisdom!! So heatsink not needed...unless you are anal like me...  

best

Ktronik


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## cave dave (Feb 13, 2007)

The IMS reflector leaves a bit of room left over around the edges. I filed a bit off the reflector flange and put a Tritium vial in there. Now I can find it in the dark.






:candle:


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## jar3ds (Feb 14, 2007)

cave dave said:


> The IMS reflector leaves a bit of room left over around the edges. I filed a bit off the reflector flange and put a Tritium vial in there. Now I can find it in the dark.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 that is awesome!


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## ktronik (Feb 14, 2007)

Nice touch...  another great mod for the eos... where will it end...

Best

Ktronik


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## jar3ds (Feb 14, 2007)

ktronik said:


> Nice touch...  another great mod for the eos... where will it end...
> 
> Best
> 
> Ktronik


 lol... i know... Princeton Tec has got to be looking at these threads and learning a thing or two


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## cave dave (Feb 16, 2007)

The Trit is way better than the annoying blinking light on the PT Apex. Which only blinks for 24 hrs after last shutoff, and only if there are batteries inside.


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## TSD (Feb 25, 2007)

Alright, my IMS 17 mod is in, and my SCC P4 emitter just arrived. I am about to swap it with the current emitter, but want to make sure i understand what i need to do. 

First, i need to take a razor blade and detach the heat kickback from the star. 

Then, i need to unsolder the current emitter from the star, then i twist it off with pliers. Is this bc it is attached with thermal epoxy to the current star? 

Okay, then i need to clean the star where it was attached to the emitter, and then i attach my SCC P4 emmiter to the star with thermal epoxy (do i really need to reattach it with thermal epoxy?) and resolder the leads.

Last i re-glue the heat kickback to the star

So, that should do it right? I'm guessing i should completely detach the star from the circuit board during this mod ( i.e. unsolder the + - leads)?

Please don't let me screw this up! Thanks


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## ktronik (Feb 25, 2007)

TSD said:


> Alright, my IMS 17 mod is in, and my SCC P4 emitter just arrived. I am about to swap it with the current emitter, but want to make sure i understand what i need to do.
> 
> First, i need to take a razor blade and detach the heat kickback from the star.
> 
> ...




Take the star off first & desolder... yes... 
twisting alone will only remove the dome...

put the star in the vise & tap the bit left with a flatblade screwdriver & hammer to remove...yep clean up the star a little

don't really need to expoy emitter, just make sure it touches, paste will be OK, expoy better...

don't really need to re-glue the star to the heat resistor, just make sure it touches...again, paste will be OK, expoy better...

take 0.03" off the bottom of the IMS17 to focus the LED...

good luck

Ktronik


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## TSD (Feb 28, 2007)

Alright, so yesterday i performed the SCC P4 mod and...it didn't work. What should I troubleshoot? The soldering went well, and I tested to see if current was being supplied to the emitter leads, and it was. I used a small amount of super glue to attach the emitter to the star before soldering it. Is that an issue? Does the metal backing of the emitter need to be in contact with the copper colored plate of the star? This seems unlikely to me since the previous emitter was also adhered. The SCC P4 appears to be quite snug, other than the small amount of glue in between the emitter and star. As someone who is fairly new to flashlights, I don't fully understand the function of the star. I am hoping that my problem is one of improper contact, but I'm also wondering if I purchased a defective emitter. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks


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## dom (Feb 28, 2007)

I'm going to do this mod as well.
May be a stupid question -but you have the +/- right way on the emitter? Minus has the nick.
You have to have the slug of emitter isolated from the star as well.
The star acts as a heatsink as the slug of emitter get very hot.

You could test to see if the emitter is still working by using 3aaa's and wire straight to the emitter feet. 

Cheers


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## TSD (Feb 28, 2007)

"You have to have the slug of the emitter isolated from the star as well"

Could you elaborate on this, I'm not sure what you mean. Thanks


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## ROVER (Feb 28, 2007)

That means this LED, unlike the Luxeon it replaces, does not have an electrically insulated thermal path. Look at the LED. You already know about the two tabs on the side--one anode and one cathode. Also, the metal round part on the back is where heat is transferred out of the LED. On some LEDs, it doesn't matter if what it touches is electrically positive or negative, because the thermal path is electrically insulated. That isn't the case with the one you have. You can find a lot of information about this in the LED section. Most of our lights use a negative ground due to the tailcap and body design. The base of the Seoul must be thermally connected to the star, but electrically insulated---usually with a layer of electrically insulative-thermally conductive epoxy like Arctic Alumina or Arctic Silver. I've even seen someone make sure the driver's wires go straight to the LED leads instead of to the star's electrical connection where the two leads were bent away from the star. Just remember to get the heat off the back of that LED without letting electricity touch the back and you're good.


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## TSD (Mar 2, 2007)

Mod complete! Everything is up and running. I am rather impressed with this mod, and highly recommend the IMS 17 and SCC P4 combo. My hotspot is not as focused as I expected though, and I'm wondering if I need to do anything to the base of the reflector in addition to shortening the legs. Nice tritium mod cave dave, where did you get a tritium vile? Also, I was curious: If one has an SCC P4 emitter in the EOS, and removes the reflector, does the light dispersal resemble/out perform that of the Quad. Just curious bc I tried it without a reflector and it made a rather nice flood pattern, perfect for reading at the lower levels, and pretty functional overall (though i prefer some sort of hot spot for most uses). Anyway, thanks everyone for the suggestions, and keep them coming!


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## jar3ds (Mar 2, 2007)

TSD said:


> Mod complete! Everything is up and running. I am rather impressed with this mod, and highly recommend the IMS 17 and SCC P4 combo. My hotspot is not as focused as I expected though, and I'm wondering if I need to do anything to the base of the reflector in addition to shortening the legs. Nice tritium mod cave dave, where did you get a tritium vile? Also, I was curious: If one has an SCC P4 emitter in the EOS, and removes the reflector, does the light dispersal resemble/out perform that of the Quad. Just curious bc I tried it without a reflector and it made a rather nice flood pattern, perfect for reading at the lower levels, and pretty functional overall (though i prefer some sort of hot spot for most uses). Anyway, thanks everyone for the suggestions, and keep them coming!


 yes you need to remove those legs on the IMS 17.... Really push down the reflector and get it down onto the dome... a lot of people have mistakenly disliked the IMS 17mm because they aren't getting the reflector in proper focus...

so how did you go about getting the SCC p4 into the EOS? Did you rip off the LED on a luxeon and use its star? Or did you go about it some other way? Thanks!


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## TSD (Mar 2, 2007)

First I unsoldered the Luxeon emitter from the star. Then I removed it from the star using a needlenose pliers. So yes, I kept the star from the original luxeon, and attached the SSC P4 to it. I did it this way bc at the time I purchased the SSC P4, I could only find the emitter, minus the star. 

On a side note, I really like the versatility that this light gives me now. If I put in the stock reflector, I get excellent throw. If I use no reflector at all, I get a nice flood. If i put in the IMS 17, I get a pretty good compromise between the two. I'm now quite glad I chose this headlamp over the Tikka XP (though it is a nice light as well).


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## ktronik (Mar 2, 2007)

TSD said:


> My hotspot is not as focused as I expected though,




did you take 0.03" off the legs or the bottom of the reflector?... mine is focused great...


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## DaveNagy (Mar 2, 2007)

Clarification needed! 

I'm about to do this mod, with the SSC P4 "star" that PhotonFanatic just started selling. I'm a bit confused by all this talk about the legs on the IMS reflector.

I know that you are supposed to remove 0.03 inches of material off the "back" of the reflector. This is because the SSC die sits 0.03 inches lower than the Luxeon for which this reflector was designed. What I'm confused about is exactly where the material should be removed from.

From the legs? (Meaning the legs are what determine how "low" the reflector sits around the die.)
From the back end of the reflector itself? Meaning that the "throat" of the reflector is in direct contact with the emitter and/or the star, and the legs don't even come into the equation. And if that's the case, should the legs be removed entirely? Does it matter?)
Both?


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## cave dave (Mar 2, 2007)

DaveNagy said:


> Clarification needed!
> 
> I'm about to do this mod, with the SSC P4 "star" that PhotonFanatic just started selling. I'm a bit confused by all this talk about the legs on the IMS reflector.


Photon Fantastic also sells reflectors designed for the SSC P4. Maybe you should go that route. They have no legs.


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## dom (Mar 2, 2007)

The 0.03" comes off the back of the reflector and you may need to take some of the legs if they don't allow the reflector hole to sit flush on the plastic bit of the emitter.

There was problems earlier with having too much pressure on the emitter -it would knock the lense off as you would be pressing directly onto the slug -which sits lower then the plastic surrounding it.

Cheers


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## DaveNagy (Mar 3, 2007)

Okay, I just finished the mod. The results were awesome, except for the fact that the EOS is almost unusable now. Here's how it went:

I was able to open up the headlamp no problem. I just pried from the sides. The optic came right out, and the diffuser I bought fit perfectly behind the window. I was a little surprised to see that black plastic cylinder thingie that holds the star to the circuitboard. I hadn't read anything about that, and was unsure about whether I should put it back in after swapping in the new star. I ended up re-using it since it did such a good job of holding the star level.

I cut the legs off the new reflector, and sanded 0.03 inches off the back. I saw a pretty solid reflection of yellow when I dropped the reflector on to the star, so I figured that worked well.

The thermistor popped right off the back of the Lux star. I unsoldered the two power leads, and resoldered them to the SSC star. I stuck the batteries back in to see if things were working. AHHH, MY EYES! Yes, the new LED seemed to work very well indeed.  So much whiter. So much brighter.

I then reattached the black plastic cylinder thingie so the new star was held to the circuitboard. (Notice that I didn't epoxy the thermistor onto the back of the new star. I forgot. Fatal error?) The modded reflector dropped down into the cylinder and seemed to set nicely down around the emitter. It was just flopping around and getting uncentered, so I used a toothpick to put a bit of glue around the emitter, where the reflector touches. After getting the reflector centered and the beam looking all pretty, I let the guts of the headlamp illuminate the ceiling for an hour to help the glue dry.

I then reassembled the headlamp. Nothing to report there. I commenced my white wall hunting. High looked glorious. Medium still looked way brighter than my Streamlight Enduro on high. Low.... did not work at all. I'd get High, Medium, <nothing>, Flashing, as I cycled through the settings. 

So, I took it all apart again. Wiggled the wires. Stared at it thoughtfully.:thinking: After cycling the switch a bunch more times, low suddenly started working again. Sort of. It flickers. A lot. Like a guttering candle. Medium flickers somewhat less. High flickers slightly. The beam, when on, still looks glorious. 

So, does anybody know what might be wrong? Bad solder joint? Something to do with the thermistor? Hmm, I wonder if it could be something dumb like bad batteries? It seemed to be working fine while the glue was drying.

Very odd. Anyone got any ideas?

EDIT: I went back in and re-did the two solder points, although they looked okay. I put a voltmeter on the connections and the voltage is indeed swinging around erratically. Low setting is the most erratic, the high setting is the least erratic. Sometimes the flicker will all but disappear, but when I cycle it off and on, the flicker comes back with a vengence and sometimes I lose low entirely. It seems fairly busted. Crap, crappity crap.


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## TSD (Mar 6, 2007)

So I was about to file the .03 off the bottom, and I wondered...do I really want to do this? Currently the hotspot is not super focused, and it disperses rather nicely into the flood of the beamthat this option provides, I am a bit frustrated with the lack of throw. I am now wondering if the change is worth it. What can I expect? Will it basically have the same flood characteristics with a tighter, more defined hot spot if I do the mod to the reflector? I will probably do the mod today if persuaded. Thanks


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## wasBlinded (Mar 6, 2007)

My Eos has an IMS 17. With no change to the reflector, a switch from a UWAJ Luxeon to a USWOH SSC P4 Star gave me an increase in Lux from 170 to 330. Because of the thinner Star of the P4, the reflector is a little bit loose and I would occasionally see a donut hole as the headlight was knocked around. Putting a piece of foam over the batteries to keep the innards tight against the external housing cured that problem.

Be sure the reflector legs sit in the holes of the star/star holder. If they don't line up, the reflector will sit too high.


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## DaveNagy (Mar 6, 2007)

So, no advice about my now-useless headlamp? Just throw it away and buy a new one? I can't say that the prospect is very attractive. Ah well, I guess modding is not for me.

(I am damn impressed by the SSC emitter, however. Whole 'nother class, compared to the Lux.)


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## ktronik (Mar 7, 2007)

DaveNagy said:


> Okay, I just finished the mod. The results were awesome, except for the fact that the EOS is almost unusable now. Here's how it went:
> 
> I was able to open up the headlamp no problem. I just pried from the sides. The optic came right out, and the diffuser I bought fit perfectly behind the window. I was a little surprised to see that black plastic cylinder thingie that holds the star to the circuitboard. I hadn't read anything about that, and was unsure about whether I should put it back in after swapping in the new star. I ended up re-using it since it did such a good job of holding the star level.
> 
> ...




please do this test & get back to me...

take the guts out of the 'clam shell'... lift up the star so it is not touching anything...not even the diode...

you are shorting it somewhere... the SSC P4 has a live slug, tied to the positive rather than neg or neutral...

so, isolate the back of the star & re-test...


Ktronik

err I dont us the black thing...


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## DaveNagy (Mar 8, 2007)

Thanks for the reply! 

Oh, yeah. I've tried all the obvious stuff like that. The amount of flicker seems unrelated to how the star is physically connected to the board. I unsoldered the wires from the SSC star, set the star on a piece of rubber, and then manually touched the two wires to both sets of contacts on the surface of the star, as well as directly to the contacts on the emitter itself. In all cases the flicker was the "same". Likewise, it seems to make no difference whether the star is held against the board, or is just "floating" out on the end of the wires. 

(I believe the back of the new SSC stars *are* electrically insulated. It's the bare SSC emitters that you have to make sure don't short to the heatsink/star. Isn't that the case? Maybe I'm wrong. But in any event, my flicker happens even when the star is nowhere near the board.)

What I _haven't_ tried:

Swapping back in the original Lux star
Swapping in the other SSC star I bought
So... I should do that. The only things _*I*_ can think of which would explain what I'm seeing are:
Some sort of partial, intermittent short within the SSC star itself. Maybe I got the star too hot when I soldered the wires to it? Maybe it was defective from the get-go?
The regulation circuitry on the EOS board has failed for some reason. Maybe I fried it with static, maybe I cracked something when removing it from the case, maybe I dripped an invisibly small blob of solder onto it somewhere.
I will try try swapping in a different star. That should determine whether or not the problem is number 1. I will also see if I have a magnifying glass, and will examine the circuit board for any obvious faults. It's unlikely I will be able to spot anything, but what the heck...


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