# SEOULmated Longbow



## milkyspit (Mar 1, 2007)

I've wanted a Longbow Micra flashlight for years. The build quality and attention to detail on these is superb! Even the light engine is stylish, and nicely potted. Unfortunately these lights have been out of production for at least a year and the actual light generated isn't all that bright by today's standards. 

I finally was able to scare up a used Longbow Micra and the wheels started turning...
:thumbsup:

First, I ordered one of the Longbow McCapsule kits still available at the Sandwich Shoppe. This is the equivalent of an e-can sized and threaded to replace the Longbow light engine. I also grabbed a MadMax+ boost converter, which has long been one of my favorite boards... according to Wayne's specifications the board is in the neighborhood of 88% efficient when running on a 3V cell (1x123 primary) and outputs somewhere in the neighborhood of 800mA to the emitter. We'll get back to that later. :naughty:

Some other interesting things about the MM+ circuit... for one, it limits input current to 1A, thereby pretty much guaranteeing you won't slam your cell... and it allows brightness to fade ever so gradually toward the end of runtime, with an unusually long tail (a.k.a. emergency light, afterglow, moon mode), giving plenty of opportunity either to locate another light, or get home. No sudden darkness! IMHO this board doesn't get enough respect.

Once the goodies arrived, I shortened a McR18 reflector for optimal focus with a Seoul Semiconductor P4 USVOI emitter hand selected for quality of tint and an unusually low Vf... the former for improved color rendition, the latter for some extra runtime. And so the build began...







Tossed in a glow ring around the reflector, which I find myself doing more and more these days. In addition to the obvious eye candy, the glow ring serves a more important purpose, namely weatherproofing the bezel... and since they're more pliable than standard o-rings they seem to do an exceptional job of squeezing into all the nooks and crannies for a good positive seal. 

On a more minor note, while the light was in pieces I took the opportunity to clean it thoroughly and even restored the white lettering along the side, which had faded a bit. Also added a homemade rubber grip ring toward the tail end (a clicky tail) and an appropriately-sized rubber o-ring at the head end of the body for grip in general.






The tiny lanyard is the handiwork of our own Moeman, one of his signature spiral patterns. Absolutely gorgeous, and just the right size for a tiny light like this. Thanks Moeman!

:bow:






I haven't done any careful runtime analyses yet, but all indications are that I'll have bright output for about 90 minutes, followed by gradual dimming over maybe a 30 minute duration, and finally, at least a few hours of lower-level illumination. Initial brightness (remember that 800mA output current?) ought to be somewhere around 160 lumens, and stay within about 20% of that figure for the first 90 minutes.

Oh, and the circuit does seem to have some degree of overdrive capability by which I could run an RCR123 Li-ion rechargeable for a little extra output boost without fearing immediate release of the magic smoke. 

*[size=+1]Update... More Photos, More Info![/size]* 

Okay, hot off the presses, some more photos! 

The beam is a nice combination of throw and sidespill... it's not exactly a super long throwing light, but given its size not all that bad!






Here's a photo collage comparing the beams at roughly 20 feet distance of a few lights... note that the SEOULmated Longbow Micra is easily the smallest light of the bunch...






As far as length, this version of the Longbow Micra (the clicky tail version) measures about 3 5/8 inches long... the same light with twisty tail measures 3 1/4 inches long. To be honest, I'd have rather gotten my hands on a twisty version of this light, in hard anozed black finish... but beggars can't be choosers! I'm just happy to have gotten one of these beautiful little lights.


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## karlthev (Mar 1, 2007)

Nice job Scott! Still lookin' for my second Longbow...  


Karl


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## skalomax (Mar 1, 2007)

Great little light.


So, Is this badboy for sale?


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## Sub_Umbra (Mar 1, 2007)

Sweet!


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## milkyspit (Mar 1, 2007)

skalomax said:


> Great little light.
> 
> 
> So, Is this badboy for sale?




Uh... maybe, but let me enjoy it for a little while first! :laughing:

If I can get another Longbow Micra then I'd be happy to build ya one right away.


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## skalomax (Mar 1, 2007)

Ok...  

So Tell us, How is the beam pattern?
Does it throw any good?
Or Is it a pocket Flooder?

Thanks


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## r3d33m3r (Mar 1, 2007)

That is one nice litle torch/light, and i am glad you finaly got your hands on that Longbow since you like it that much. 

Regards.

P.S.
O.K. people i have a problem and it goes something like this: i have a lot of laptop batteries ( 8 18650 cells each i think ) oh and a lot of laptops BTW, but on the emiter department i have only two Luxeon 1W found by accident yada yada yada...... Sooooo anyone willing to trade ( will give a battery for at least 2 Seoul or CREE plus pay my side of the shiping costs 25 EURO per battery ).


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## jsr (Mar 1, 2007)

Sweet. I've always liked the Longbow Micra also. I forgot, what is the length of the clicky and twisty versions? And what is the stock current to the LED with the stock driver?


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## Dan C (Mar 1, 2007)

Nice. I like Longbow's too. I carry one at work with the 2xAA body. It has a custom made insert that replaces the LE and holds a standard sandwich. I'm running a Cree/Madmax+ sammie through a McR19 reflector. They are a good tough light, good for a rough work environment. I've never seen a clickie tailcap, how do they feel?

Watch for a PM on an idea you may be able to help me with......

Dan C


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## milkyspit (Mar 1, 2007)

Okay, hot off the presses, some more photos! 

The beam is a nice combination of throw and sidespill... it's not exactly a super long throwing light, but given its size not all that bad!






Here's a photo collage comparing the beams at roughly 20 feet distance of a few lights... note that the SEOULmated Longbow Micra is easily the smallest light of the bunch...






As far as length, this version of the Longbow Micra (the clicky tail version) measures about 3 5/8 inches long... the same light with twisty tail measures 3 1/4 inches long. To be honest, I'd have rather gotten my hands on a twisty version of this light, in hard anozed black finish... but beggars can't be choosers! I'm just happy to have gotten one of these beautiful little lights.


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## skalomax (Mar 1, 2007)

Nice...

Brighter, smaller, and cheaper to operate than a L5.

How does it compare to the ML1 seoul?

Thanks for the beamshots!


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## milkyspit (Mar 1, 2007)

skalomax said:


> Nice...
> 
> Brighter, smaller, and cheaper to operate than a L5.
> 
> ...


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## skalomax (Mar 1, 2007)

Wow, Impressive.

Are you going to start making MMS (milky Micra Soul)?  
Only if there were more of these badboys.

All I can say Is that you did a hell of a job!


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## Strauss (Mar 1, 2007)

Wow, very impressive work as always Scott :goodjob:


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## NoFair (Mar 2, 2007)

Very nice Milky.

If anybody is interested Moteng.com still lists the Longbow Eco (2AA) light in HA nat as in stock. 
EDIT: 
It seems pocketlights.com has the full line.

Beatiful light, but I prefer my HDS

PS! Thanks for the tips on first run HDS modding Milky


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## milkyspit (Mar 2, 2007)

NoFair said:


> Very nice Milky.
> 
> If anybody is interested Moteng.com still lists the Longbow Eco (2AA) light in HA nat as in stock.
> EDIT:
> ...




Thanks NF, appreciate it! 

One note: I tried to order a Longbow Micra from Pocketlights.com a couple weeks ago and although the order went through, afterward I received an email telling me the Longbow was discontinued. Not sure why they still have it on their website, but they seem to be out of stock on them.


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## milkyspit (Mar 2, 2007)

Dan C said:


> Nice. I like Longbow's too. I carry one at work with the 2xAA body. It has a custom made insert...



Dan, from you I would expect nothing less! 



Dan C said:


> I've never seen a clickie tailcap, how do they feel?



The clicky tailcap feels okay... the rubber used on the boot is a little thicker than most so it takes more of a press to click the light on and off... but I don't find it offensive in any way.

The internal construction is a little unusual... the clicky tail is actually hollow, and the boot slides all the way down for a friction fit to achieve weatherproofing... then there's a Kroll clicky with no boot, fitted into an aluminum sleeve that slides into the tailcap. Curiously, there's no retaining ring of any sort, meaning one can slide the whole switch insert inward if the tailcap is loosened, so there's no real lockout to the switch... and the fact that the guts slide freely makes me wonder just how waterproof the assembly really is. I might install a threaded ring to hold the goods in place at some point down the road.


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## moeman (Mar 2, 2007)

thats a nice build Scott.
makes me want one of those, too.
thanks for the props, too!
chris


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## depusm12 (Mar 16, 2007)

I got a Longbow Micra brand new from our very own Lightedge. Mine is just like Scott's HA III with the clicky tailcap.


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## milkyspit (Mar 16, 2007)

depusm12 said:


> I got a Longbow Micra brand new from our very own Lightedge. Mine is just like Scott's HA III with the clicky tailcap.




Congrats Depusm!  Let me know if you need to juice it up a little. :naughty:


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## depusm12 (Mar 17, 2007)

Scott 

Sent you a PM about that very subject. PS anybody know what the difference is with a PR head on the Longbow Micra? 

:touche:


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## dimebag (Mar 17, 2007)

Wow, this is very cool! You seem to have breathed new life into the Longbow, Milky. I have a twisty version that I bought about 3 years ago and kind of regretted it, tried to sell it with no success, and then just threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. I certainly like the size of the Longbow and it seems to be a well constructed light, but the optics suck and the light output just doesn't match up well to any of my Aleph 1's. I'd be very interested in an upgrade so I could start using it again. Sending you a PM now Milky!


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## Ra (Mar 17, 2007)

Nice job !!! Milky.. 

Nice livingroom too...  Looks very much like my livingroom !!


Keep up the good work..


Regards,

Ra.


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## milkyspit (Mar 17, 2007)

Wow!! Looks like I'm not the only closet Longbow Micra admirer out there! 

Thanks for the PMs, guys. I'll reply just as soon as I shovel the snow off our sidewalks and driveway... it snowed all day yesterday, then the road dept. plowed a nice, big mound along the front of the driveway so we won't be getting out until spring thaw, or until a fair bit of hand shoveling takes place... whichever comes first! 

Then there's the rat poison to put in the basement so my wife doesn't run to the second floor of the house screaming her head off about how the dead mouse is gonna get her... despite the fact that as my 7 year old says, "Mommy, it can't hurt you. It's dead." :ironic:


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## waynejitsu (Mar 18, 2007)

Nice work

Anyone looking for a Longbow Eco, 8210 model, give me a PM.
It is new with a scratch the first time it was opened.
I put it back in the safe, didn't want to do that again as it is a beautifull light.

Milky, I will try to contact you today. Hoping to get the lights "soon".


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## milkyspit (Apr 21, 2007)

Bump for a friend.


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## skalomax (Apr 22, 2007)

milkyspit said:


> Bump for a friend.


 
Do you still have It?

For sale?


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## Groundhog66 (Apr 22, 2007)




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## Archie Cruz (Dec 29, 2008)

Longbow Micra Seoulmation

Hi Scott
I have Longbow micra that I wonder if you can either guide me towards a canister upgrade or price an upgrade for me. It has the original 1WLuxeon pill in there plus what looks to be a reflectored booster head from the Sandwich Shoppe. I like this head and want to keep using it, but obviously, with a brighter emitter in there. Also, do you know if the MadMax+ boost converter + P4 can manage V from an R-cr123 or must it be powered by a prime 3V CR123?
Thanks and I think your work is great!
Archie


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## Archie Cruz (Jan 22, 2009)

OK. Just about to give up trying to find someone to upgrade my Longbow Micra. How do I sell it then?


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## ICUDoc (Jan 22, 2009)

Archie if you want me to make a drop-in for you send me a PM. Or you can send me the light but postage to Australia is 12 bucks or so. I have some Cree R2s here and some U2SWOH Seouls so let me know what you want.


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## milkyspit (Jan 24, 2009)

Archie Cruz said:


> Longbow Micra Seoulmation
> 
> Hi Scott
> I have Longbow micra that I wonder if you can either guide me towards a canister upgrade or price an upgrade for me. It has the original 1WLuxeon pill in there plus what looks to be a reflectored booster head from the Sandwich Shoppe. I like this head and want to keep using it, but obviously, with a brighter emitter in there. Also, do you know if the MadMax+ boost converter + P4 can manage V from an R-cr123 or must it be powered by a prime 3V CR123?
> ...




Archie, didn't notice your post until recently. PM sent. Also, many thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it.


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## toby_pra (Jan 24, 2009)

Hi Milky!

Did you still have a LB Mini in your stock???

Perhaps you could shot me a PM...


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## milkyspit (Jan 25, 2009)

toby_pra said:


> Hi Milky!
> 
> Did you still have a LB Mini in your stock???
> 
> Perhaps you could shot me a PM...




Toby, I do have one, I think... have a handful of Longbow hosts on hand for builds. What might you want?

If my PM is full, you can contact me by email...


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## toby_pra (Jan 26, 2009)

just send an E-Mail Milky...


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## Imworking (Feb 11, 2009)

Archie,

I just did this last night. By a Coleman Max 2AA CREE light. Separate the head and pop the electronics out from the bottom. Extend the positive battery contact on the module by bending the tab back or adding a solder blob to it. When the longbow light engine is removed, the coleman module fits right in the spot. The reflector is the tricky part. You need the right sized o-ring to make sure the head fits properly and leaves the OEM seam of the longbow. I used a 7/8 GITD oring from Lighthound. The assembly goes as follows, Coleman 2AA reflector, oring and then the mineral glass mini mag lens. If the reflector is centered correctly, it lines up just right when the head is screwed back on.

In preliminary tests last night using a used CR123 primary, I got 2 hours over 75-80 lumens before concluding my test. The light is still bright today and I speculate I still have an hour plus of good light left and then a long tail of dim light to find another battery. The Coleman circuit works great. It fired up with batteries that would not even work in my Novatacs.

Its an easy mod and will only cost about 30 bucks to update a classic light.

Milky,

do you have any spare LongBow twisty caps?


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## milkyspit (Feb 11, 2009)

Imworking said:


> Archie,
> 
> I just did this last night. By a Coleman Max 2AA CREE light. Separate the head and pop the electronics out from the bottom. Extend the positive battery contact on the module by bending the tab back or adding a solder blob to it. When the longbow light engine is removed, the coleman module fits right in the spot. The reflector is the tricky part. You need the right sized o-ring to make sure the head fits properly and leaves the OEM seam of the longbow. I used a 7/8 GITD oring from Lighthound. The assembly goes as follows, Coleman 2AA reflector, oring and then the mineral glass mini mag lens. If the reflector is centered correctly, it lines up just right when the head is screwed back on.
> 
> ...




I don't have any individual twisty caps, all mine are already on hosts.


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## Imworking (Feb 11, 2009)

Do you have any black hosts you want to sell?


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## milkyspit (Feb 12, 2009)

Imworking said:


> Do you have any black hosts you want to sell?




To be honest, the only hosts I've got are on hand for builds... I like to have a few as a convenience for customers. If I do come across one, though, will give you a holler! Sorry I'm not able to help in this particular case.


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## richpalm (Oct 7, 2010)

Hi Scott! :wave:

I'm gonna resurrect this thread... actually found it after I did the mods. 

I have two Longbows with the clickies that were just sitting around, too dim for over-50 vision. I did the same mod to both of them. That McR18 reflector is a work of art! I used a Madmax+ and a U-bin P4 from the Sandwich Shoppe.

I used the original capsule and gouged out the old guts-too dim anyway and I didn't wanna spend the money-and the MM fits with room to spare. I don't have the facilities to cut reflectors without ruining everything so I left well alone. Had enough O-rings sitting around that I was able to get everything sealed with no rattle.

Now I have two complementary Micras (one black, the other green) that are useful again with absolutely beautiful beams... not too distracting hotspot and wonderful flood.

I put an RCR123 in one light and while quite a bit brighter, gets warm fast. Anyone know if I can run the RCR123 with no problems or should I stick with a primary cell?

Highly recommended mod if you have Longbows sitting around!

Rich


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## milkyspit (Oct 8, 2010)

Rich, you can use RCR123 with that setup though it puts everything under additional stress. I'd pot the driver if you haven't already, and make sure everything is well heatsinked.


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## richpalm (Oct 8, 2010)

Thanks! The emitter is in with AA-what compound would you suggest to pot with? Is there a thermally conductive potting mix? Right now the driver rests on an O-ring I shoved into the pill and used a couple of dabs of hot glue to hold it in place. Sounds half-assed but it worked out fine... I try to avoid potting as it's a PIA to chop out if something has to be fixed.

I might stick to the RCR123 for a "burst" mode, as it were.

Rich


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## milkyspit (Oct 8, 2010)

richpalm said:


> Thanks! The emitter is in with AA-what compound would you suggest to pot with? Is there a thermally conductive potting mix? Right now the driver rests on an O-ring I shoved into the pill and used a couple of dabs of hot glue to hold it in place. Sounds half-assed but it worked out fine... I try to avoid potting as it's a PIA to chop out if something has to be fixed.
> 
> I might stick to the RCR123 for a "burst" mode, as it were.
> 
> Rich




When I find potting necessary, I just use AA... it's not the cheapest solution but does work nicely, and I don't have to pot all that many things so economically it doesn't hurt all that much in the big picture.

Digikey sells some fancy potting epoxy, complete with reusable applicator gun (think high priced caulk gun)... by all accounts it works great! But you're looking roughly $50 to get the whole setup you'll need, with additional epoxy costing maybe $7 per refill.


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## richpalm (Mar 11, 2011)

I'll resurrect this once again, now that I'm in the groove and learning for these past months. 

Just gutted the Longbow of the Seoul and the MM. I'm on a triple craze. Just shoehorned in an XPG triple and a Shiningbeam driver 2.8A. Looks nice, works great! Using IMR 16340. Now I can _see_ in the back yard!

That Kroll loads it down though... anyone know if there's a screw in replacement that doesn't have resistance from hell?

Rich


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