# Powerlight HX-G011 1W 1xAA LED Flashlight Black



## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

hey guys.. anyone here have one of these??? and can comment on how good these are???

i put in an order for one... and now am thinking that it might be just a waste of money....

can anyone post a few pics of a beam comparison between this and say something like a Fenix L0P-SE?

thx...

KraZy


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## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

ops... i guess a link would be nice....

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2070

KraZy


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## Al (Mar 16, 2007)

Whaddaweegotheer, a Fenix L1P fer less than 5 bucks?


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## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

lol... that's what i first thought when i saw this on dealextreme...


i'm just wondering how good this light is tho....

krazy


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## Ble (Mar 16, 2007)

I've ordered one of this (grey version)
Powerlight HX-G011 1W 1xAA LED Flashlight Grey
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2089

and a
SSC P4 (U-bin) SW0 Bare Emitter
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2026

I'm going to do my first mod, any advice? :candle:


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## kanarie (Mar 16, 2007)

> I've ordered one of this (grey version)
> Powerlight HX-G011 1W 1xAA LED Flashlight Grey
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2089
> 
> ...




I have bought the same and will try to putt a Cree in it


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 16, 2007)

It clearly doesn't have a Luxeon in it, but for under $5 what do people expect? And at that price, does anyone have a right to complain?

Judging by the picture, it doesn't have the smoothest beam... but then again, it's only $5.

edit: On second look, the beam is fine. I think I was viewing the image in 8-bit color, hence the rings and banding. Maybe I need to go order me a couple of these. They'd make fine give-aways...


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## Russell52 (Mar 16, 2007)

That body style has popped up all over the internet lately,I have one,and have ordered another,and mine has a glass lens,solid aluminum reflector,and a lux in them,although I am fixing to drop crees in them as soon as the new light /crees from DEX to arrive,I got mine from http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=162

The quality I think is much better than the one DEX's is..It looks like Dex's has a plastic lens/reflector and a unknown led... I've ordered several things from this led wholesalers,and he has always done me right,Good quick shipping,and such.. He also sells stuff on Ebay,which is where I learned of his store..


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## Vikas Sontakke (Mar 16, 2007)

What's the shipping from ledwholesale? If it is by UPs, you are then comparing a $5 light to $18 light. Yes, cheaper than Fenix.

- Vikas


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## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

hey russell...


damn... i wish u gave me that link earlier... but then again... that one is twice the price of the one from DX...

I'm hoping to put in a cree too... just don't know which one will fit in there...

guys that are doing the cree mods.. let me know what you guys did.. and where to get the parts for it... 

THanks,

KraZy


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## Russell52 (Mar 16, 2007)

Shipping is ups, Shipping is not the issue here.. The lens and reflector are,the lens is glass,and its as thick as a nickel,The reflector is a solid aluminum chunk,that could be polished to a brilliant shine,and it has a actual lux in it ATM,I ordered crees for mine from dealextreme though..


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## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

hey russell....

yeah.. the only reason i got the one that i got from DX is because of the price... $5 including shipping... 

i definitely want to upgrade to a cree on it... just haven't got any clue which emitter will work... hopefully someone else out there has done it already so i can reap the benefits of the info... 

but definitely... for and extra $5USD... i woulda paid that for glass and metal reflector....

too bad for me ... i guess...

KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Mar 16, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey russell....
> 
> yeah.. the only reason i got the one that i got from DX is because of the price... $5 including shipping...
> 
> ...



I ordered one when they first listed it on their website and it just shipped out yesterday. So I probably wont get it till like 10 days later but i think the mini star crees from kaidomain would fit in there but I wont know until I get it and measure the opening to see if it'll fit.


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## ace0001a (Mar 16, 2007)

I have the one from LED Wholesalers. It's decent quality. The only thing I don't like about it is that the Aluminum reflector isn't super polished. It seems less glossy than others. But maybe that's a good thing if you plan on swapping the Lux1 out with a Cree...


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## Russell52 (Mar 16, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey russell....
> 
> yeah.. the only reason i got the one that i got from DX is because of the price... $5 including shipping...
> 
> ...




Well I ordered a new light and 2 cree stars from DX,about a week ago,so they should be in soon,and I will know then if and how the cree will go in there.. I will also let you know..

On another note,Harbor freight has this same light,or one like mine,and they branded it as a gordon,but they want 20$$ for it,lol,I might order one just to see which version it is...

Russ


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 16, 2007)

Dumb question... but how is it different from this one?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2096


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## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

you know what... i don't really know???

quality of the aluminum?? the brand of the LED?

i personally like the look of the HX-G011 better than that one.... but... i'm planning on swapping out the LED... so hopefully the aluminum isn't too flimsy.

KraZy


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 16, 2007)

...and this one appears to have a Nichia Jupiter, but it costs a couple bucks more:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2084

I seem to recall the Jupiters are known for being a touch on the blue side.


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## krazy89 (Mar 16, 2007)

yeah... i saw that one too... only wanted to spend like 5 bucks.. so i got the other one... with the suspect LED.

KraZy


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## krazy89 (Mar 17, 2007)

hey guys...

did u guys get the cree emitters yet??? let me know how the fit is... even PM if u can...

THanks,

KraZy


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## linerlock (Mar 18, 2007)

Ty_Bower said:


> Dumb question... but how is it different from this one?
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2096



There's no description to back this up, but based on the photos and specs, I suspect this version is a very similar light except that it SEEMS to be a rear twisty switch instead of a clickie. The advantage of this configuration might be slightly overall length (3.19" vs 3.54"). Come to think of it, the market seems to be flooded with lots of low-dollar 1AA Lux/Lux-clone lights with rear clickie switches. 1AA twisties are no where near as well represented in the really low end of the market so this little light might be a real boone for twisie fans who want a reasonably bright beater light without breaking the bank.


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 18, 2007)

linerlock said:


> ...it SEEMS to be a rear twisty switch instead of a clickie.


Are you sure on that? Save the pic of the tail end of the light, and turn up the gamma in your photo editor. There is a clearly a button in the tail.


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## linerlock (Mar 18, 2007)

Ty_Bower said:


> Are you sure on that? Save the pic of the tail end of the light, and turn up the gamma in your photo editor. There is a clearly a button in the tail.



No Ty, I'm not sure. That's why I was careful to qualify my statement with "SEEMS to be". Actually now that I've taken another look at the photos, I'm more inclined to believe that it's a front twisty not a rear twisty as I had originally speculated. This photo: http://www.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_2096_5.jpg shows the light open from the front with the head inverted and the rear of the PCB board plainly visible. I would infer from this photo that this is how you are supposed to open the light to load the cell. This is consistent with a front twisty light. Also, this photo: http://www.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_2096_7.jpg shows the light alongside a AA battery for scale. The length of the AA cell isn't much shorter than the overall length of light that can be seen behind the lamp module. I simply don't see how there could be room to include a functional clicky switch and and up with a battery tube / tail switch assembly that is only slightly longer than the AA cell that it contains.

I do see what you mean about the button-like projection that is visible on the rear of the light. However, based on the other evidence, I think that is just a ringed indentation machined into the solid rear of the light to enable the use of a split ring and/or lanyard while still allowing the light to tail stand in "candle mode".


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## krazy89 (Mar 18, 2007)

hey guys... i'm sure that a AA battery light must be twisty if it's 3.19"....

the one that is 3.5" will likely have a clickie...

i'm just disappointed that there aren't any AAA small lights with a clickie... i don't really like twisties as much as clickies....

if anyone knows of such a light.. plz let me know... (also, if the price is under $20)... 

KraZy


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## krazy89 (Mar 19, 2007)

Bump...


anyone with info on this is great!

KraZy


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## TORCH_BOY (Mar 20, 2007)

There definately worth the Bucks


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 20, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> i'm just disappointed that there aren't any AAA small lights with a clickie...


Heck, I'd be happy if they sold something like the HX-G011 but with a AAA battery, even if it was a twisty. I'd love to have a $5 AAA "1 watt" light to give away as gifts. I might even keep one on the extra set of keys for myself.

The closest, least expensive 1xAAA, "1 watt" light I can find is the Ultrafire 602C. But, it's about three times as much as I want to pay.


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## krazy89 (Mar 20, 2007)

i so wanted to buy the 602.... but i held off....


i think this one will be decent... and .. if it can.. i would drop a cree mini in there... just don't know if it's a straight drop in or not...

hope someone out there has done it with this model..... step-by-step anyone??!??!?!


KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Mar 20, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> i so wanted to buy the 602.... but i held off....
> 
> 
> i think this one will be decent... and .. if it can.. i would drop a cree mini in there... just don't know if it's a straight drop in or not...
> ...



I dont think anyone has tried yet but they will because this light just came out and no one has received it yet. I think the MX power flashlight have the same body and everything but just a different LED ... so you can try and ask if anyone has put the cree mini into the mx power flashlight. I dont think the cree mini has been around for long either so you probably have to wait a while for an answer. I too am thinking about putting a cree mini in there but a SSC mini would be even better if they ever make one.


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## itch808 (Mar 20, 2007)

I love my 602C, it may cost a bit more than the OP's suggested light but even stock without modification it more than bright enough for what it is on lithiums. Not to mention it's a lot cheaper than a light such as a LOD-CE.


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## krazy89 (Mar 20, 2007)

hey guys...

well... one of my main criteria was that the flashlight has to use ordinary batteries... i know Lion batteries are better for brightness... but it's really of no use when i'm out and about.. and can recharge them...

AA's are easy to find.. and really offer the best tradeoff for size/runtime.... AAA's just dont have that great of runtimes....

I was under the impression that the cree's are better than the seouls?!?!? is that wrong???

KraZy


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## infection0 (Mar 21, 2007)

To people who have this light or similar lights: does it use a star board? If so, I have two boards that are itching to be used...


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## krazy89 (Mar 21, 2007)

hey infection... i've been trying to find people that have this light to give me some info on it... but doesn't seem like there's anyone with it!?!?!?

i want to know if i can put the mini cree in it!?!?!?

KraZy


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## infection0 (Mar 22, 2007)

Hello,

Thank you for contacting DealExtreme.com Customer Support.

This emitter is not based on a star board. It's actually a small rounded board.


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## roverjohn (Mar 22, 2007)

I'm a total noob but am I wrong in thinking the focusing would be easier if you install a Seoul instead of a Cree? I've been wanting to buy something from DX now that I can actually get it to come up. $11 or so wouldn't kill me.
THX

I just found this one so I'm wondering why I would risk doing the mod.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1995





/edited because the market moves faster than I can type


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## krazy89 (Mar 22, 2007)

haha.. .yeah... about 3 days after i ordered the G011.... that one came out...

i was a little bit cheesed... but what can u do???

small rounded board eh? can anyone say filing???

KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Mar 22, 2007)

I bet it does fit the mini crees at kaidomain because the ones at kaidomain seem to be replacing the mini rounded led boards.


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## krazy89 (Mar 22, 2007)

i think i remember the one that you're talking about... it does look like it's made to fit a single AA body. Too bad i don't have the actual light yet... so i can order the one from kaidomain to try it out... 

i wonder if there's a booster in the G011?? then i can straight swap just the emitter.... i would hate to try to add in a booster in there....

KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Mar 22, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> i think i remember the one that you're talking about... it does look like it's made to fit a single AA body. Too bad i don't have the actual light yet... so i can order the one from kaidomain to try it out...
> 
> i wonder if there's a booster in the G011?? then i can straight swap just the emitter.... i would hate to try to add in a booster in there....
> 
> KraZy



I'm pretty sure there is a booster in there otherwise I don't think the LED would light. I think the internals would probably be similar to the Elly's internals as I think it uses the exact same LED as the Elly and it is a 1AA just like the Elly.


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## krazy89 (Mar 22, 2007)

yeah... i would expect there to be.. since emitters usually light between 3.0-3.7v...

i just wish DX would hurry up and ship mine.. so i can actually take it apart....

anyone here know any good resources for a booster and/or regulator circuit design that can be used for lights?

THanks,

KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Mar 22, 2007)

I should receive mine soon in a few days. It was shipped out on the 15th and I don't have much tools where I am right now but I will try my best to see what's inside when it comes.


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## krazy89 (Mar 22, 2007)

sounds good....

i think mine should be on the way too.... melissa said that she will expediate my shipment.... god knows that means tho>???

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Mar 26, 2007)

mine was shipped on 3/14/2007. as soon as it comes, I will take it apart and take some picttures with microlenses and post it here.

I haven't done any mods with lights in my life, so i will wait for some helpful advices here before doing anything.


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## krazy89 (Mar 26, 2007)

spider...

if you can take those photos.. that would be great... i haven't received mine yet... but so wanna know what's inside..

thx,

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Mar 30, 2007)

will do. once I recieve it.


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 31, 2007)

I got mine today. It's worth the five bucks I spent on it. It comes in a plain piece of bubble wrap. There are no accessories, no lanyard, not even a battery in it. Tail stand is a little wobbly, as the switch boot sticks out a bit too far. The machining is of mediocre quality. The two holes drilled in the end for a lanyard don't quite line up with each other. The threads are loose and sloppy. On mine, the tailcap goes on nice and straight, but the head is slightly crooked after you tighten it down. The threads and orings are dry - no lube.

Ok, enough of the bad news. The tail switch, while it is a reverse clicky, has a nice positive snap to it. The beam is about as bright as expected, and relatively smooth. The color is a touch blue, but not as blue as my RY0J Luxeon. It fired up just fine on a Walgreens branded AA cell. There is nary a flicker, and I didn't have to fiddle with any of the contact surfaces. The reflector is smooth and clean. So is the lens, although it is assuredly plastic.

These will make fine giveaways for someone. For under $5, I like it.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Mar 31, 2007)

I guess mine will come Monday then! Yuppie!
Ty - are you goint to mod it or not worth the effort ?


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## Ty_Bower (Mar 31, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater said:


> are you goint to mod it or not worth the effort ?


I think this is one of those silk purse / sows ear sort of thing. Why put a $7 emitter in a $5 light? It doesn't make sense, at least not to me. I'll take this light for what it is - an unbelievably cheap little AA pocket light, that happens to be reasonably bright too.

Besides, I'm not quite sure how to get it apart. You can see the back side of the driver board when you unscrew the head. There seems like it might be press fit into a metal ring, presumably threaded. If there were some notches in the metal ring, I might try applying some force to screw it out. Unfortunately, there are none. The only place you have to grab hold is a couple of holes in the circuit board itself. I tried to turn it with needle nose pliers, but it didn't budge. I'm afraid if I apply more force, it'll just wreck the board.

I figured out why the head on mine sat crooked when tightened down. It seems the press fit driver board wasn't fully pressed into the metal ring. I took a 1/2" socket and used it as a drift to press the circuit board further into its seat. Use a small wood block to prevent scratches to the head, and clamp the head along with the socket in a vise. It still isn't perfect, but it's much better. Maybe there is a shaving of aluminum or circuit board or something trapped under the edge that is preventing it from seating all the way.

The walls of this light are very thin, but that makes it very lightweight in the pocket. The beam has a nice smooth transition from spot to spill. The rubber boot is made of that weird cheap rubber that has that funny smell. I hope the smell goes away soon.


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## alphazeta (Mar 31, 2007)

Hmm,
Thanks for the update Ty. Guess I'll know what to expect when mine finally comes in next week. Your "preview" will help if I also get a light that screws down crookedly  

Let's just hope those jetbeams we all ordered from dx don't still have the bad threads that haunted the earlier ones. That would really drive me over the edge...


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## Dobbler (Mar 31, 2007)

How does it compare brightness-wise to say an L0D-CE or L1D-CE on low/medium?

Any comparison beamshots? Anyone try any runtime measurements?


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## krazy89 (Apr 1, 2007)

hey ty...

thanks for the preview... man.. i was hoping that i would get mine on thurs or fri.... but alas... i didn't... i hope i'll get mine monday... cuz it's been a very, VERY long time since i've ordered....

i'm hoping that you can take the board and emitter out.... cuz, if the body is devent enuff... it is worth it to put a cree... or maybe a ssc in there....

more on this after i get mine.... damnit!

KraZy


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## Russell52 (Apr 1, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey infection... i've been trying to find people that have this light to give me some info on it... but doesn't seem like there's anyone with it!?!?!?
> 
> i want to know if i can put the mini cree in it!?!?!?
> 
> KraZy


 PLease explain mini Cree ?? I put a cree in mine,although I belive mine to be differnt than the ones that yall are all talking about here,but similar,And the hot spot wasnt worth the effort of installing the cree in the light.. I want to slam a luxeon rebel in there,But I guess they arent for sell to the public yet 

Russ


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## johnny13oi (Apr 1, 2007)

The mini Cree is the Cree on a mini star or circular board. The cree emitter itself is not smaller.


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## Russell52 (Apr 1, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> The mini Cree is the Cree on a mini star or circular board. The cree emitter itself is not smaller.


 Ahh thanks for the clarification,Where does one purchase one of these said mini crees?


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## davenlei (Apr 1, 2007)

I received mine today as well. Ty_Bower's initial impressions mirror mine. The head becomes very slightly crooked when screwed all the way down and the body is very thin. Mine actually had a small dent in it from shipping. No lanyard either even though the DX picture shows one attached. It is very small and very light compared to the Elly.

The emitter is perfectly centered in mine and I was surprised how bright the output was. It was very white as well which was a shock.

One thing, The writing on my unit says it is a 3W light but the DX site says 1W on the flashlight picture if you look at it closely. Ty_Bower, what does yours say?
If I leave my light on for more than a minute, it does get warm.

My impresssion is that this is a good glovebox light or good cheap EDC if you are not rough on it because it will dent easily (thin body) when compared to the bulletproof thick Elly body.
Personally, I like the look of this light much better than the Elly. The brightness and color of the light is better than the Elly when comparing stock to stock.
I also tried to get the pill out of the head and was unsuccessful on my initial try. I will give it another go tomorrow and let you know how hard it was if I am successful.


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## johnny13oi (Apr 1, 2007)

Russell52 said:


> Ahh thanks for the clarification,Where does one purchase one of these said mini crees?



Oh I forgot to mention it .. sorry about that .. its available at www.kaidomain.com let me find the link. 
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340
There you go. The shipping might take about 2 weeks since its from China but a reliable source. Those mini boards are made for the smaller miniature flashlights.


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 1, 2007)

DX also has very similar lights with a Cree or SSC in them, if you like this design with the better LED. I also have one of these on order, it appears to be a nice light for the price.


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## Ty_Bower (Apr 1, 2007)

davenlei said:


> One thing, The writing on my unit says it is a 3W light but the DX site says 1W on the flashlight picture if you look at it closely.


Mine says "3W LED" on the side. Not that it matters much what it says. You can't get three watts out of a single AA alkaline cell.


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## Russell52 (Apr 1, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> Oh I forgot to mention it .. sorry about that .. its available at www.kaidomain.com let me find the link.
> http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340
> There you go. The shipping might take about 2 weeks since its from China but a reliable source. Those mini boards are made for the smaller miniature flashlights.


 Thanks Johnny


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 1, 2007)

this is a silly question, but has been bogging me since I was looking at this post ( I am brand new to the whole cree, luxeon ssc deal. ) - what is Elly ? Is this a particular light, bulb or manufacturer ?


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## alphazeta (Apr 1, 2007)

Spider,
it's a mxdl bodied light that a lot of guys use as a host for mods.


Here's the light
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1120


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 1, 2007)

thanks! fiannly I can sleep!!!


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## davenlei (Apr 1, 2007)

Well, I failed at round two to get the pill out of the head of this light. I tried to twist it pretty hard but it did not budge. Anyone else have any luck?


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

hey everyone,

I'm kinda happy this thread is kinda alive again...

well.. it's 9:52am... monday morning... and still no package yet.... man.... damn u guys that got yours already...

I'm really hoping the head and parts can be taken apart.... would be such a shame if it can't....

any of you guys that have the G011 already also have a L1P-CE to compare the output? or maybe even better a lightmeter???

that info would be awesome...

KraZy


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## davenlei (Apr 2, 2007)

Ok, I received my second one today. Only took a week and a half to get to me from time I ordered.


This unit does not have the crooked barrel and it did come with a lanyard. Only thing is the emitter is off center.

I need to get the pill out!!!! Someone please be successful in removing the pill and tell us all how you did it!

BTW, the stock emitter is not half bad. White light and the light is more throw than flood when compared to the stock Elly.


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

man... with all u guys getting your second light before me.... just gets me going!!!

god i want mine now!!!

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

hey if someone needs detailed pictures of this light. please let me know. I got mine today too.. ( sorry Krazy! )

ps. I am happy with this light. Ppl say that the body is thin, maybe.. but it looks solid and feels solid for me. The body had no dents and it wasn't mishaped even fully screwed. The led in the middle is off center by a 1mm, maybe less, yeah,,, more like .5 mm. but it doeesn';t really matter.

since it has step-up circuit, what would happened if we plug that 3.6 v. battery in it ? I assume it would burn , huh ?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

second though on the circuit board - it seems to be glued. I can see a little bit of the spill on the edge ( between the wall of the light and the board ). If they put glue in it, I don't see how this could be unglued without damaging the board.


the the picture of the circuit board: here


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

hey spider...

can u post up some shots of it... specifically the head and the components in it.... have u been able to take out the emitter and circuitry??? or have u tried?

KraZy


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## alphazeta (Apr 2, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater said:


> second though on the circuit board - it seems to be glued. I can see a little bit of the spill on the edge ( between the wall of the light and the board ). If they put glue in it, I don't see how this could be unglued without damaging the board.
> 
> 
> the the picture of the circuit board: here


 Eww, perhaps they thermo-epoxied it to the head for a better negative contact? I was hoping that that it was just threaded into the head (or at worst pushed in.)
Somehow, it feels like they don't want us to mod this light. (supposedly to make us but the cree & seoul verisons of this light from them?) When mine comes in, I'll see if it's the same.


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

man.. that is not good news....

i guess at the very least... i get a decent light at rock bottom price....

just wanted to slap a cree in there tho....  
KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

just posted 3 more pictures. check the link above


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

is there a solution to unglue the epoxy? I know that epoxy is the strongest of them all, but I am sure there is SOMETHING ? ( besides a small hammer action )


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## alphazeta (Apr 2, 2007)

For projects in some of my other hobbies, I have used epoxy. On metal surfaces bonded with epoxy, I had been able to freeze & then heat the pieces to break the bond.
However, in this situation, I don't believe the components would survive the abuse. I just don't have enough experience with epoxy in this type of application. Perhaps a resident CPF modder would have the answer?


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## alphazeta (Apr 2, 2007)

Thanks for the additional pics spider... :goodjob: It helps to see them here at work... It looks a decent fenix copy. For $5, it doesn't look like a bad buy at all.


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## cage (Apr 2, 2007)

Does this flashlight have smelly rubber switch cover like the Elly has?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

yup. smells like someone put that rubber over smoke. but you have to put it to your nose to smell it.


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## cage (Apr 2, 2007)

Ah ok. Thanks for the quick reply.


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

hmm... i guess nothing a lil bit of liquid nitrogen.. and a blow torch won't fix... 

KraZy


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## Spin (Apr 2, 2007)

At one time i removed an epoxied threaded head from a desktop ham radio microphone. I used a hair dryer & kept moving it around the head till the epoxy got soft & i unscrewed the head. An alternative would be to partially dip the flashlight in a cup of very hot water to break the epoxy seal.


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

hmm.... i'm starting to think that i should ordered like 10 of them... cuz i know i'm gonna bust like 9 of them to get the emitter out.... 


KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

it depends what epoxy you are using. I don't think dipping in hot water would make a difference - unless it is a low quality epoxy. The epoxy I am using is on my soda can stove, is witholding alcohol vapor flames for 30 mins each time. .. so... hmm..  I gues we will let Krazy go with his nitrogen/blowtorch approach and let us know the resoults.  

I mean - it is not hard to get the emitter out.. not in one piece of course


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

haha.. the liquid nitrogen and blow torch could very well be the last thing i do! hahah....

if the head is epoxy'd on... i don't think there's gonna be to much that we can do to take it apart.... short of destroying it....

has anyone tried attacking it from the front? ie... trying to take the plastic lens off? and maybe seeing if u can take the module out from the front? 

Can someone let us know if that is possible?

Thanks,

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 2, 2007)

Received my light today. Overall I'm very pleased. Mine did include the lanyard. Near perfect machining. Very minor blemishes (nothing a flashlight wouldn't have after it's first day of use out of the box anyways). Lens and reflector are perfect, nice feel on the clicky switch, threads go deep. The LED is slightly off center, however my beam doesn't show it, unless I spin the light while it's on then I can very faintly detect that the beam isn't 100% symmetrical, but this doesn't matter, as I didn't buy this flashlight to spin around. Lanyards a bit difficult to put on, probably need a needle or something to shove it through the holes. This light is so small, I don't think I'd really need a lanyard.

As far as people complaining about the thin metal on this light. It's only thin on areas that get overlapped by a much thicker piece of metal. The thin areas could be cut off completely and this light would still function. I think any concerns about these areas are unwarranted.


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## sparkysko (Apr 2, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> has anyone tried attacking it from the front? ie... trying to take the plastic lens off? and maybe seeing if u can take the module out from the front?
> KraZy



It looks like the lens is press fit in with everything else. It looks like you could try to push the the lens to push the reflector/driver board out, or you could pull on the board instead. Good luck


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

well.... everyone... looks like we here have a $5 light... as is... not the modder's dream i was hoping it would be....

Then again... for $5... i guess i shouldn't be complaining... tho ... i will complain that i haven't got mine.... 

If anyone manages to get the head out... please post some pics up... and tell us how u did it.... unless... u took a sledge hammer to it.... 

KraZy


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## davenlei (Apr 2, 2007)

Actually it would be interesting to see a pic of it if someone opened it up with a sledge hammer as well.

:laughing:


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## krazy89 (Apr 2, 2007)

agreed. :laughing: 

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 2, 2007)

can someone point me to a board that would fit this baby ? Someone here said that it is smaller than the usual. Since I have never done it - I am not sure what is the small size what not. Could someone post a link to DX with a light that may work with this one ? thanks


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 2, 2007)

Shouldn't we figure out how to get it out first? This looks like a better candidate for modding in a similar light - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/159875


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## alphazeta (Apr 2, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater said:


> can someone point me to a board that would fit this baby ? Someone here said that it is smaller than the usual. Since I have never done it - I am not sure what is the small size what not. Could someone post a link to DX with a light that may work with this one ? thanks


 Hey Spider, 
Do you mean an emitter in a form factor like this? http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340

BTW - Amongst other items, this light was waiting for me at home. Of course, the one I received *had* to be a crooked one & without a lanyard. (Also, despite the size of the light I personal believe lanyards *are* important b/c they allow you to temporarily hang the light in a quick fix.)
But, the light I received also wouldn't turn on??? So I had to clean all the connections with alcohol & that seemed to do the trick.
Outside of all these strikes against it, I believe it's a relatively good value at ~$5. The beamshot is actually quite clean.


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## infection0 (Apr 2, 2007)

Excellent value light for $5. Cut corners such as cheap anodize, surface blemishes, off-center LED, cheap LED, thin metal, and slightly ripped tailcap. Not to mention no dual-mode (but that's only important for higher output lights)

But those are just little things. Sure it's not as pretty as the real thing, but hell, for $5, I'd take it over the overpriced, price-fixed, bad QC Jetbeams lately. Really, a MKII-X is 13 times more expensive than this light... If this light or similar light can be upgraded to Cree, then WOW. This light is cheap, small, and bright enough. It tailstands!

Bonus! Turn it into a twisty by unscrewing the tailcap a bit while it is still on.
Bonus! You can use AAA batteries in this light with NO problem whatsoever!


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## davenlei (Apr 3, 2007)

Now if we can get that damn head apart!

I took a close look at mine and can see no epoxy or glue holding it in. I wonder if it is just really tightly press fit in?


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## Russell52 (Apr 3, 2007)

When I get home from work tonight guys,I will take mine apart,and post pictures,as mine comes right apart,np....

Russ


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## davenlei (Apr 3, 2007)

Step by step please. How much pressure to apply. Twisting or prying force, etc.


Thanks!


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## taKuto (Apr 3, 2007)

i received something completely different, is it because the black and gray versions differ ? I got the black one from DX, it wasn't in the best condition out of the box, the whole body is cylindrical, so theres no flat parts on the body, and also there is no click button on the bottom, so I have to twist the top to turn it on/off. Am I the only one who got this?


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## Ty_Bower (Apr 3, 2007)

It sounds like you received this one:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2096

It has round sides instead of flats, and it looks like a twisty instead of a clicky.


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## krazy89 (Apr 3, 2007)

hey guys...

yeah.. i don't think u ordered the same one as us.... the one in the topic is the $4.79 one... 

man.... looking at the beam shots.... this light isn't very bright?!?!

any luck on getting the head apart guys?

KraZy


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## loving light (Apr 3, 2007)

I just recieved mine today it is marked POWERLIGHT HX-g011,but it is a twisty(the $5.17 one)I am happy with it but it is definatly not the powerlight that has the flat sides.It lookes to be a good pocket light for only $4.79 shipped!


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## selfbuilt (Apr 3, 2007)

Just received my gray version of the Powerlight HX-GO11 (clickie version as advertised). Looks exactly as described on DX, except no lanyard.

My head is also clearly potted with some sort of glue/epoxy. I can see a few drops of white residue on the base of the threads. Tried brute force method with snap-ring pliers, this thing just won't move. 

Still, output it pretty decent and white for this sort of lux clone (a lot of them are often angry blue). Good deal for the price for a give-away light. But the threads needed a cleaning badly - lots of loose debris on them, risked seizing up without some cleaning and some lube (arrived bone dry).


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## krazy89 (Apr 3, 2007)

oh god... i want the one pictured on the site... not the all round barrel one.... but.. mine still has't arrived yet.... man, i don't think i'm gonna order from DX anymore..... my order was on mar 16th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


KraZy


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 3, 2007)

Ordering direct from China is not for the impatient.  I ordered one around the 20th and I'm waiting on mine, hope I get the grey version I ordered since I also placed a different order for the other version.


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## alphazeta (Apr 3, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> oh god... i want the one pictured on the site... not the all round barrel one.... but.. mine still has't arrived yet.... man, i don't think i'm gonna order from DX anymore..... my order was on mar 16th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> KraZy


 My order was on the 15th & I had just rec'vd it yesterday. Hang in there. 

On a side note, I've been ordering a bunch from HK lately (dx, ebay, etc) & have been pleasantly surprised -> a lot of time the stuff has been arriving to nyc within 5 business days (DX included, well sometimes) It feels like takes longer for me to receive stuff from the west coast...


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## krazy89 (Apr 3, 2007)

man... melissa said that she would expediate my order for shipping.. and that was on mar 26.... she said 4-7 days....

maybe i'm just unpatient...

KraZy


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## krazy89 (Apr 3, 2007)

seriously tho...

ordered it on mar 14.... packed on mar 21... shipped on mar 23....

i'm sure it doesn't take 7 days to pack a small flashlight.... 2 days just to ship it???

and as of apr 2... still hasn't arrived....

then again... readin the forums at CPF.. seems like they are way undermanned for all the CPF orders!!!!

KraZy


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## taKuto (Apr 3, 2007)

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7915/dsc00136xt6.jpg
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/9606/dsc00138pl9.jpg

here are pictures of the flashlight i received. I should've ordered gray


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## sparkysko (Apr 3, 2007)

taKuto said:


> http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7915/dsc00136xt6.jpg
> http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/9606/dsc00138pl9.jpg
> 
> here are pictures of the flashlight i received. I should've ordered gray



Well at least the sides are thicker, in case you wanted to use it as a hammer.


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## krazy89 (Apr 3, 2007)

omg... that's not the same as the photos on the site...

i better not get that one... or i'd be super pissed.... the pictures of yours seem like there's no tailcap clickie?!?!??!?!?!?!

that's the MAIN thing that i wanted.....

KraZy


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## taKuto (Apr 3, 2007)

same here... I would've been alright with the flashlight if only they gave me the button. Screwing the top to turn it on/off is so annoying 

I tried taking off the LED board, but looks like it's been glued on, I feel I can get it off with a heat gun but I'm not too concerned about it since it works decently as it is.


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## sparkysko (Apr 3, 2007)

I sorta have some experience with heating this thing up. I was cleaning the contacts, and a bunch of alcohol dribbled into the lens/reflector (Don't do this! When it evaporated, it left residue over the lens/reflector that I can't clean off now). I took a hairdryer and some pliers (with some cardboard over it to not scratch my flashlight). I'd alternate between blasting the contacts and blasting the lens and side (don't want to melt the lens!). I got it pretty darn hot, it was too hot to comfortably hold. Then I tried poking at the board, it didn't budge. By the way, using a hairdryer to dry out alcohol/water from inside the flashlight doesn't work too well. I had better success with a can of compressed air, shooting it into one of the holes in the board. I did short bursts for a few minutes and everything dried out. 

Might want to try shoving it into a toaster oven at 200F? Not sure what temp the LED's hate.


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## sparkysko (Apr 3, 2007)

Also, I wouldn't shove anything into the center holes, I'd try the outer holes. You can see the inductor through the center holes and you might smack or squish it. If I can get this thing apart, I'd love to blob some silicone or something onto that inductor. You can hear it boing like a spring if you shake your flashlight. Luckily it doesn't have a ferrite core, so it's not heavy, but it'd be nice to have nothing move if an impact were to occur. I'm not too sure what the dielectric constant would do to it. Silicone has a constant of 3-9.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 3, 2007)

anyone any luck with it yet ?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 3, 2007)

ok I am trying differen approach.
Since I am almost sure it is some kind of epoxy - I am using Epoxy to get this bugger off. A few seconds ago I glued a metal part to the edges of the board with epoxy that stands 3000 pounds per square inch.. so either I can wiggle this thing out ( I am thinking to heat up the sides with the minature blowtorch from DX ), or the board will .. uhm.. die in pieces. 

Either way I should have it out by tomorrow. ( the glue needs to sit overnight )
will post pictures, step by step

*NEW PICTURES OF MY EPOXYvsEPOXY* adventure here


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 3, 2007)

alphazeta said:


> Hey Spider,
> Do you mean an emitter in a form factor like this? http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340




hey alphazeta,
Is that going to fit that light ? The board seems smaller than the original one ? What would be the best material put there to recompensate the difference in sizes of the board ? Epoxy, silicon, silverartcic ?

Also, how much lumens will it output with the regulated 3.6 batteries ? Will I have to change the reflectors as well ?


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## alphazeta (Apr 3, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater said:


> hey alphazeta,
> Is that going to fit that light ? The board seems smaller than the original one ? What would be the best material put there to recompensate the difference in sizes of the board ? Epoxy, silicon, silverartcic ?
> 
> Also, how much lumens will it output with the regulated 3.6 batteries ? Will I have to change the reflectors as well ?


 Actually that was the board I was going to order for this light *b/c* it was smaller. A regular cree star would work but, we would then need to file away the sides to make it fit. 
Remember, we still need to keep the step up circuitry if we intend to to still use a 1AA in it, so we are keeping the "pill" that is just below the current led. 
My original goal on this light was to just make a cheap compact 1aa cree to sport or give away. I intended to keep the stock reflector & would have ground away the bottom of the reflector to make it fit if necessary... However, given that I received one of the crooked lights:thumbsdow, I'm not sure I'm willing to invest any time into it. 

Of course, your persistance in this mod has kept my interest in this thread.  So reading your comment on the 3.6v regulated batteries, are you planning on direct driving this thing? If that your intent, maybe you needn't worry so much about damaging the pill during extraction. There wouldn't be that much there that you would need intact.


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## selfbuilt (Apr 3, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> seriously tho...
> ordered it on mar 14.... packed on mar 21... shipped on mar 23....
> i'm sure it doesn't take 7 days to pack a small flashlight.... 2 days just to ship it???


Actually, that's not unusual. DX doesn't carry inventory, so they need to collect from their suppliers (hence the first week delay). Takes them a day or two to send out orders once received, and typically about 2 weeks to reach North America. You are actually well on track for typical times. It can often be longer, if they have some problem collecting from suppliers. I don't remember when I ordered mine, but I believe it was the same day it first came out. 

Has anyone who received the round black version complained to DX? They are usually very good about making it right for people.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 3, 2007)

hey alphazeta, or anyone else: this is my first mod and I have never done anything with leds. I build computers on the side, so I have lots of equippment, and hopefully some skill (?)  . I didn't really know that I had to keep the circuit board in order to use the suggested mini-board led light you posted above. But then - yes, I do want to put the 3.6 baterry in it. Maybe lets define what I want from this project and you guys tell me if this is the best I can do or not:

1) put the strongest bulb in this light possible = have the brightest thing in my hand. ( I know this sounds like a noob-maniac thing, but oh well . So.. do i have to worry about this circuit board, or should I just order some cree p9999 and stick those DX regulated 3.6 ? What do you think guys would be the BEST bad a. bulb to put in it and on what batteries. ( oh yeah, I don't want to drop on it more than 30 $ )


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## sparkysko (Apr 3, 2007)

well the board just boosts the power. I guess if you're using 3.6 volts you don't need to boost the voltage any higher. The only other concern would be if you needed a resistor to drop the current or not.


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## kanarie (Apr 4, 2007)

I orded the grey one 
very pleased with it only a b#%# to mod; heat conducting glue is used on the threads
I replaced the standard led with an Edison KLC8 (about 60% light of a modded ELLy)


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## davenlei (Apr 4, 2007)

Kanarie,


You were able to open it up? 
So, details... Twist out, pry out? How much pressure? Heat, etc. etc..?


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 4, 2007)

Since half this thread relates to getting the damn LED out, I'm sure everyone would love to hear how you went about it Kanarie.


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## krazy89 (Apr 4, 2007)

hey Selfbuilt...

really??? they don't carry stock?? what a bad way of doing business.... i guess everyone that has ordered from DX is used to it... as this is my first purchase from them.. and to me seems to be way outta line as all my previous orders from online companies... ie. ledshoppe... tend to get here in about 2 weeks... from the sounds of this.. it will take like a month before i see mine....

also.. it looks like they are shipping the black version in the round only... no more of the ones that look like the L1P... and NO CLICKIE... which is the reason i ordered this in the first place..... is there anyone that got there light.. and wanted the clickie??? can you guys find out if DX will be correcting this??? since i have a L0P-SE already.... i don't need another twistie... 

i forgot who.. but the one that modded this light already.. please post some images.. and instructions to get the board and emitter out... i want to drop a cree (or SSC, which is better?) in there... and use normal AA batteries....

thanks everyone...

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 4, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> really??? they don't carry stock?? what a bad way of doing business.... i guess everyone that has ordered from DX is used to it... as this is my first purchase from them.. and to me seems to be way outta line as all my previous orders from online companies... ie. ledshoppe... tend to get here in about 2 weeks... from the sounds of this.. it will take like a month before i see mine....



Settle down beavis  . I wouldn't say they don't carry stock. I ordered and mine was shipped the next day. Took a total of 7 business days for me to receive my item.


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## krazy89 (Apr 4, 2007)

lol..beavis...

dude... it's been since mar 16th.... 

KraZy


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## Russell52 (Apr 4, 2007)

Dunno why it takes China so damn long to ship across the ocean,Hell everything we buy comes from there,I am surprised theres not a conveyor belt from here to there:/


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## cage (Apr 4, 2007)

Russell52 said:


> When I get home from work tonight guys,I will take mine apart,and post pictures,as mine comes right apart,np....
> 
> Russ


Did you take the pictures yet?


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## selfbuilt (Apr 4, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> really??? they don't carry stock?? what a bad way of doing business.... i guess everyone that has ordered from DX is used to it



They don't carry stock. Sometimes, when they first list a light, they may have a enough samples on hand to ship out some immediately - but that's the exception, not the rule.

I know it seems odd compared to north american retailers, but their JIT (just-in-time) system is what allows them to keep their prices so low - no inventory overhead, no being stuck with items they can't move, etc. It also means that the quality of lights can vary from batch to batch order, so later purchasers may not be getting the same thing as early adopters. The VIPPA was a good example of this - first batch had 1.2V starting limit, second batch didn't have the limit, and third batch was a different light with inferior build quality (longer, thinner aluminium, cheaper anodizing, etc).

BTW. here's their official estimate on shipping, from their FAQ:
Step 1 (1-3 days): Products are collected from our suppliers.
Step 2 (<1 day): Order waits to get packaged.
Step 3 (1 day): Order is packaged.
Step 4 (10-13 days): Order is enroute via Hong Kong Post. 

In my experience, the first step is often longer. As for this particular light, I checked and I too orderd on March 16, arrived yesterday.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 4, 2007)

my epoxy vs epoxy approched worked out!. I was able to remove the circuit board in one piece, and then I heated up the metal stick with the torch and unglued the board from the wrench with a knife. 

But since it is my first mod, I wasn't expecting this what I have found. I think there is much more work to do if you want to mod it, than just removing the board.

see for yourself


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## alphazeta (Apr 4, 2007)

SpiderCricketHater, that board you removed is the step up convertor. The remaining piece in there is the actual LED + heatsink. From your pictures, it looks like it is also epoxied  That's looks like it's gonna be a b*tch b/c a good portion of it is threaded in. 

The step up circuit & led/heatsink probably originally looked something like the pill shown in this thread. 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/158461
It looks like the Step up board has been skewed off.

Yikes, yeah... looks like a lot more work...


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## alphazeta (Apr 4, 2007)

Russell52 said:


> Dunno why it takes China so damn long to ship across the ocean,Hell everything we buy comes from there,I am surprised theres not a conveyor belt from here to there:/


 :lolsign:, that's pretty funny...


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## selfbuilt (Apr 4, 2007)

Yeah, that was what I was afraid might happen with too much force - only the step-up board came off, shearing the lead wires and leaving the entire heatsink in place (judging from SpiderCricketHater's photos).

You could potentially get it out now by doing the same trick again on the heatsink, but it all depends how much epoxy is on the threads (doesn't seem to have budged at all so far). 

Looks like the bulk of the brute force work remains to be done, I'm sorry to say.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 4, 2007)

nah it is all good - the more I mess with it, the more I learn. The light was cheap, so no problem to order another 2 or 3 if necessary.

yeah selfbuild, I already put the epoxy into work. It was not hard to remove the board as there was almost no glue on it. But this one.. hmm.. it may take a bit more epoxy than I used before.


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## davenlei (Apr 4, 2007)

Ugh. What a pain. Well, let us know how step 2 works out. If the pill does come out, maybe I will try it out also.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 4, 2007)

actually, not too much pain  I kinda like playing with it. People send a robot to the Mars and remote control it. I think we can remove the pill out of it  ?


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## krazy89 (Apr 4, 2007)

hey spider.. good job on getting part of the pill out...

keep us informed about the rest of it... and as soon as i get mine... maybe i can start tinkering with it too.... 

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 4, 2007)

woudl it be possible to put the Luxeon Rebel in it ?


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## krazy89 (Apr 4, 2007)

is the rebel even out for sale yet?

All the articles on it are just press releases... anyone know if there's a retailer that sells it?

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 4, 2007)

The boost circuit looks identical to the joule thief. 1 "transformer", 1 resistor and 1 transistor.

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/bigclive/joule6.jpg


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## Russell52 (Apr 4, 2007)

cage said:


> Did you take the pictures yet?







Keep in mind,Mine is not the same as the ones you all have ordered ,But basically its a fl1p clone,or looks the same,I believe the body on mine is alot thicker,has a glass lens,and a aluminum reflector


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 4, 2007)

I'm a little confused. So did you order the black HX-G011, did you order this - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2096 , or? Seems like there are a lot of variations on these cheap AA '1 Watt' lights.


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## Russell52 (Apr 4, 2007)

I bought this one as I posted on the first page I think,trying to get people to get the version I have,as I believe it to be a better quality.. But I ordered one from him,and it had a lux in it,the second one I ordered had a china led in it,which I threw in the trash and replaced with a lux,The cree wasn't focused enough for me to justify leaving it in there,but the circuit did drive it well..

Russ


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## Russell52 (Apr 4, 2007)

On another note,I destroyed the circuit and lens in my first light like this,And I think there is enough material on the body to bore out so that 2 123a's would fit in there... Mmmmm


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 4, 2007)

Appears to be this light, without the Cree - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1370


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## sparkysko (Apr 4, 2007)

mmmflashlights said:


> Appears to be this light, without the Cree - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1370



The dealextreme one uses a plastic reflector. Russels has an aluminum reflector.


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## Russell52 (Apr 4, 2007)

sparkysko said:


> The dealextreme one uses a plastic reflector. Russels has an aluminum reflector.


 n/m


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## selfbuilt (Apr 4, 2007)

To clarify, this is the light Russell52 says he has:
http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=162 

It is not from DX, but rather from ledwholesalers.com. It costs $10, has HA-III and an aluminum reflector.

It simply surperficially resembles the Powerlight in this thread that the rest of us have. Which is not surprising, since they are both a knock-off of the Fenix L1P look. But they are clearly apples to oranges in build.

EDIT: just checked, and shipping to Canada is $11 on that light - LOL! Guess I'm sticking with DX ...


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## sparkysko (Apr 4, 2007)

selfbuilt said:


> EDIT: just checked, and shipping to Canada is $11 on that light - LOL! Guess I'm sticking with DX ...



Yeah, looks nice, but for the shipped price, might as well buy something really good.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 5, 2007)

still no-go fellas. I forgot to use alcohol on the surfaces and the epoxy didn't stick well.  I tried to remove it this morning, but didn't work. pooh. 

I am going to clean it, put epoxy again and leave it until I come from Savannah. ( Sunday night.) maybe then ?


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## krazy89 (Apr 5, 2007)

lol spider....

man.. this is turning out to be quite a chore... might not be worth modding for me... since i'm a clutz... and will probably break something...

tho... for $5... still not a bad light... now if stupid Canada Post will just get that light to me... i'll be in good shape....

KraZy


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## roverjohn (Apr 5, 2007)

I'm waiting on two of the grey ones I ordered on the 24th of March. Has anyone tried them on E2's? Even it this light is not easily moddable for $4.79 it's hard to go wrong for a cheap stashable light.


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## selfbuilt (Apr 5, 2007)

roverjohn said:


> Has anyone tried them on E2's? Even it this light is not easily moddable for $4.79 it's hard to go wrong for a cheap stashable light.



According to my home-made light meter, the Powerlight is ~20% brighter on E2 than alkaline or NiMH. 

Note that the stock Elly on alkaline is typically about ~20-30% brighter than this Powerlight on alkaline. The Elly throws further as well. But the Powerlight has a decent run-time of ~2.5hrs on NiMH.


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## Der Wichtel (Apr 6, 2007)

@spider-cricket-hater: Pease can you make a better picture of the step-up board?

btw: what are "E2"?


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## roverjohn (Apr 6, 2007)

Der Wichtel said:


> @spider-cricket-hater: Pease can you make a better picture of the step-up board?
> 
> btw: what are "E2"?



Energizer E2 litheums(sic?)


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## Russell52 (Apr 6, 2007)

Just looked at spiders board,it is totally differnt than mine..


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## krazy89 (Apr 7, 2007)

hmm.... this is so wierd... is there different versions of the same light?? is everyone here talking about the same light???

this is the one that the original post is about:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2070

believe it or not... i STILL haven't got mine.... big surprise....

KraZy


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 7, 2007)

krazy89, I ordered the grey version, maybe the grey version will be as advertised as we've already seen at least one person get a different looking light in the black version. I still haven't gotten mine either even though today I received parts of the same order and also another order placed 3 days later. So apparently they're delayed. If we get what is shown in the photos, clearly they're not good candidates for modding anyway considering all of the effort involved, though they look good for a $5 light.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 7, 2007)

will post post better pics of circuit when i get home sunday night


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## krazy89 (Apr 8, 2007)

well... one of the main things i liked was the fact that this model was a clone of the Fenix... and the 1xAA is perfect.... clickie... 

if a $5 light can't be modded (or at least too much effort..) i don't think i'm gonna lose too much sleep over it... i mean it is $5 after all!

then again... it's not like i really need another EDC... so i might just wanna rip it apart and see what can be done with this body....

I am really hoping that i will get my light early next week... cuz it's been a long time since i ordered it... kinda pissed about it actually....

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 8, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> I am really hoping that i will get my light early next week... cuz it's been a long time since i ordered it... kinda pissed about it actually....
> KraZy




I've got a game. Everytime Krazy89 mentions his order, take a drink.


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## davenlei (Apr 8, 2007)

getting drunk already... burp...


Sorry Krazy...:naughty:


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## krazy89 (Apr 9, 2007)

hahah... i'd be drunk too...

i guess i can start a new project while i'm waiting...

i got a Noma 1watt 3xAAA light that i can mod with a star board.... i wonder if cree's or ssc's are better?

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

*Houston: We Have Lift Off!*

The light has been sucesfully dissembled. The actual heatsink and the star wasn't hard pressed inside the alum. tube.* It was SCREWED IN.
*
So once you remove your step-up circuit board, you can UNSCREW the heatsink. ( there is a little gunk ( either weak glue or cheap thermal comp ) on the threads ) I did it with glueing the metal wrech with epoxy and then twisting it. After unscrewing the wrench was heated up slowly with the butan torch and simply popped out.

well.. more pictures with terrific macro lenses by Canon A620 here  ( some pictures are a little of focuse, but I was in rush to post it here )

Enjoy, and suggest what should be my next step ?
EDIT: The lense and reflector and plastic.


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## Der Wichtel (Apr 9, 2007)

Wow congratulations :goodjob:

Hmm I think I buy the MTE SSC P4 light instead of this one because the step up circuit is not very good or maybe I buy both because this light is not too expensive


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## krazy89 (Apr 9, 2007)

hmm... next step would be to get your hands on either a Cree or SSC emitter... (the best one is probably the mini star board from kaidomain)

solder her in... screw it back up... and there should be a huge difference... considering the original led in there is probably a 1watt no namer...

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

do I totally bypass the step-up circuit board if I want to drop those 3.7 watters in it or should I use some commercial regulators that are out there ?


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## krazy89 (Apr 9, 2007)

ops... links...

here's the link for the ministar emitter that will most likely fit in there.. without any filing... ALTHOUGH... it's a Cree...

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340

KraZy


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## krazy89 (Apr 9, 2007)

hey spider...

if u can fit one of the 3.7v li-ons in there.. then you shouldn't need any booster... but.. that would make it a direct drive.. and the light output will slowly dim...

it would be great if u can find a regulator circuit that you can put in there to regulate the voltage and keep the light output almost constant until it runs outta juice...

i'm really rusty with my electronics.. but i would assume that a capacitor and a resistor is all you need to regulate it???!?!??! anyone with some real circuit knowledge can correct me... or suggest a circuit diagram for a regulator that will fit in this light..

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

yeah.. thats what I want to do, but if I drop the circuit board then the board will suck lower voltage to keep the brightness at this same level for longer right ? 

How those JetBeam MK.II X Cree output 150 lumens and still last for a while ? Where can I get these LEDS to put out 150 luments ? ( krazy the one above is able to drive max 80 lumens right ? )


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## krazy89 (Apr 9, 2007)

hey spider.

the lumens that are printed are only if u drive it at the recommended voltage... if you overdrive the led.. u can get more lumens outta it.... but ... shorten the lifespan of the led...

too bad that i don't know much about regulator and boost circuits.... i only have blotchy memories of grade 12 electronics.... but that was a long... LONG time ago...

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

gottcha. Lets wait for someone here who knows how to get this light best set-up possible ( bulb, circuit - if needed, and the reflector )  

ps. if no one reponse, I may go for the mini star you mention above


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## Der Wichtel (Apr 9, 2007)

I think there is enough space for a ltc3490 boost regulator.


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 9, 2007)

What's the diameter of that star and heatsink? Thanks


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## krazy89 (Apr 9, 2007)

well.. based on the info on the DX site... 0.79" so that's 2cm... the walls i would say are 1mm to 1.5mm thick.. so that should make the board about 16mm...

KraZy


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

I lost my ruler somewhere, but with a basic one it looks like the star is 12mm in diameter and the heatsink about 15mm. Once I get hold of my ruler I will post the exact dimensions ( here I can be around +/-.5mm off )


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

I just ordered that mini cree ( CREE XR-E P4 ) - it is the same bulb as in the JetBeam MK.II... does anyone know what circuit the JetBeam MKII uses ? I would love to shave it into this gray light. AND how to get that 150 Lumens ?????? The p4 are rated to only output max of 80-90 ?


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## Gunner12 (Apr 9, 2007)

I don't know what guts the Jetbeam MkIIX(That's the one with a Cree, The MkII has a Luxeon LED) but why would you want to put it in a lower quality body, and you usually have to buy the pill installed in the flashlight, and the pill is a pain to get out (according to the people who have modded a Jetbeam), and it might not fit since the manufactures probabily use different treads. Seoul P4s and Cree P4s are rated between 80-90 lumen(110 for Seoul) at 350 milliamps at about 3.4volts(?). you can get over 200 lumen by driving them at 1000 milliamp(1amp) at about 3.7 volts(?). The 150 lumen rating for the Jetbeam is acheved by using 14500 3.7volt lithum rechargebles.



spider-cricket-hater said:


> I just ordered that mini cree ( CREE XR-E P4 ) - it is the same bulb as in the JetBeam MK.II... does anyone know what circuit the JetBeam MKII uses ? I would love to shave it into this gray light. AND how to get that 150 Lumens ?????? The p4 are rated to only output max of 80-90 ?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 9, 2007)

hey Gunner12. First of all - the quality isn't bad. If you never had this light in your hand, you won't believe - but the quality is pretty good. I like the shape of this light, and for the pure sake of modding I want to see if this is doable. I will not remove the pill from JetBeam. I just purchased the bulb from here: http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340 > I will just replace the bulbs and think if I want some kind of step-up circuit. ( if you know of any, that would drive this LED to 150 lumens, I would appriciate it ). The dimeter of the board cannot be bigger than 12 mm.


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## sparkysko (Apr 10, 2007)

150 lumens from a AA would be pretty hard. What would be worth a shot is to take a lower ohm rated resistor, and put it in parallel with the existing resistor on this one. Don't have to solder it in, just touch it to the two points, and see if you can get it any brighter. Alternatively, it might be possible to beef the 'transformer' up by adding more windings. The wikipedia article for boost circuit is pretty intense if you want to read it. If you looked at the power output on an oscilliscope, I'd imagine that the battery is actually being pulled for twice as many amps as what you're seeing at the light, it's just pulsed, so the RMS amperage is going to be lower by like half. Not sure how many amps you can pull out of a AA. Here's the WP article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boost_converter

Kinda funny that these things use an oscillator circuit. My shortwave radio picks up the harmonics of the buzz. Kinda neat. It slowly declines in frequency, if you turn the flashlight off, and then back on, it'll start off at a higher frequency again.


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## sparkysko (Apr 10, 2007)

Actually you can also hear the harmonics on AM frequencies. Prolly can only notice it if you're using a portable radio and put the flashlight next to the radio where the ferrite rod is inside the radio. Try tuning to different unused frequencies and turn your light on/off until you can find it.


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## krazy89 (Apr 10, 2007)

hey guys... u want to see something funny....

make sure everything is in the light... ie. the battery... works best with a light with a push button switch... make sure it's off... then if u have a gsm mobile phone... put the phone right beside the head of the light and call the mobile phone... the star should flash on when the call comes thru... kinda koo....

just my 2 cents... might be confusing....

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 10, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey guys... u want to see something funny....
> 
> make sure everything is in the light... ie. the battery... works best with a light with a push button switch... make sure it's off... then if u have a gsm mobile phone... put the phone right beside the head of the light and call the mobile phone... the star should flash on when the call comes thru... kinda koo....
> 
> ...




Doesn't do it on mine, but the inductor is probably picking up the watt or so the antenna is putting out. Tesla used to do this with lightbulbs.


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## krazy89 (Apr 10, 2007)

well... to be honest.. it's not doing it on the light that's in the topic.... since i still haven't got mine (*drink*)... but the trick does work on a Noma 1 watt 3xAAA that i have.... it's mildly kool... at best...

KraZy


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## roverjohn (Apr 10, 2007)

I just got an email from DX saying my order for two of these in grey have just shipped. Ordered on 3-24, shipped on 4-10.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 10, 2007)

sparkysko said:


> 150 lumens from a AA would be pretty hard. What would be worth a shot is to take a lower ohm rated resistor, and put it in parallel with the existing resistor on this one. Don't have to solder it in, just touch it to the two points, and see if you can get it any brighter. Alternatively, it might be possible to beef the 'transformer' up by adding more windings. The wikipedia article for boost circuit is pretty intense if you want to read it. If you looked at the power output on an oscilliscope, I'd imagine that the battery is actually being pulled for twice as many amps as what you're seeing at the light, it's just pulsed, so the RMS amperage is going to be lower by like half. Not sure how many amps you can pull out of a AA. Here's the WP article:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boost_converter
> 
> Kinda funny that these things use an oscillator circuit. My shortwave radio picks up the harmonics of the buzz. Kinda neat. It slowly declines in frequency, if you turn the flashlight off, and then back on, it'll start off at a higher frequency again.



hey, I want to put the 3.7 AA in it. Not just regular AA. With the 3.7 batteries - would it still be hard to get 150 lum out of it ?


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## krazy89 (Apr 10, 2007)

Hey spider... i think even with 3.7v lion battery... i still don't think it's gonna hit 150 lumens.... i would say around 90 lumens... like other similar lights...

if anyone out there knows that's the relation between wattage and lumens.. please let me know... is there any calculation that can be done to calculate wattage to lumens????

KraZy


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## taKuto (Apr 10, 2007)

the simplest method of regulation is by using a zener diode and a resistor, but you're restricted in choices of zener diodes, since there isnt a diode value for all voltages. Last I remember I've seen 3.3,3.6, and 3.9 volts within that range at 1 watt tolerance for powering single LED's.

No calculations exist as a specific conversion for watts to lumens, this is different for every LED, which is why you'd need to look at a spec sheet for the specific LED to get that kind of information


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## emitter (Apr 10, 2007)

roverjohn said:


> I just got an email from DX saying my order for two of these in grey have just shipped. Ordered on 3-24, shipped on 4-10.



same here, shipped on the 10th. They must have just gotten in a bunch. seems they're getting better at estimating demand, or else I got lucky because I ordered on Apr 4. 

Interesting that the elly and other lights had the ZY-01 which I assume was ZhaoYang while this light has an identical led marked ZS16R(?) from ZhongSheng. A clone of a clone? 

beamshots compared to elly original?


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## Gunner12 (Apr 10, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater, 
The Cree would not provide the same beam as the original Jetbeam, more of the light will go into the spill and less throw, the Seoul LED is more similar to the Luxeon's emitting angle but usually requires a .03 inch metal disc of correct height. The Seoul could be had for a relatively cheap price here, but I've heard that they have shipped Cree emitters by mistake, It should be cleared up by now. And the Emitter has a gummy dome that you need to be careful about.

The 150 Lumen rating is probabily bulb Lumen. I'd say it is putting out between 100-130 lumen, which is still pretty impressive.

Good luck with your Mod


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## krazy89 (Apr 10, 2007)

hey guys... honestly... for a 1xAA light.... i think 90 lumens is pretty good already....

if it's over 100... that's even better...

hey spider.. did u manage to get the emitter off the board?? i don't remember... if u did.. can u post up a picture of what the emitter and the board(after the emitter is off) looks like... thx..

KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Apr 10, 2007)

emitter said:


> same here, shipped on the 10th. They must have just gotten in a bunch. seems they're getting better at estimating demand, or else I got lucky because I ordered on Apr 4.
> 
> Interesting that the elly and other lights had the ZY-01 which I assume was ZhaoYang while this light has an identical led marked ZS16R(?) from ZhongSheng. A clone of a clone?
> 
> beamshots compared to elly original?



The yellow blob LED things vary a little I have a few and most have distinct 6 leds or whatever dots that light up but on one of them it has 7.


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## davenlei (Apr 10, 2007)

Mutant blob! Like a cat with 7 toes on one paw.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 10, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey guys... honestly... for a 1xAA light.... i think 90 lumens is pretty good already....
> 
> if it's over 100... that's even better...
> 
> ...




krazy. see a few posts up. I opened sucesfully the whole thing and ordered P4 mini board so I can replace it. should be sweet after that. 

linkified


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## johnny13oi (Apr 10, 2007)

Would you happen to know what the current circuit puts out in terms of voltage and current to the LED?


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## krazy89 (Apr 10, 2007)

hey spider...

koo...u've added photos since i last saw...

yeah... looks like the mini star board should fit in there nicely...

can't wait to get mine...

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 10, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> Hey spider... i think even with 3.7v lion battery... i still don't think it's gonna hit 150 lumens.... i would say around 90 lumens... like other similar lights...
> 
> if anyone out there knows that's the relation between wattage and lumens.. please let me know... is there any calculation that can be done to calculate wattage to lumens????
> 
> KraZy




Look at the spec sheet of the LED. It should have the volts/amps at which it gives out x lumens. It varies with all of them.


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## johnny13oi (Apr 10, 2007)

I just received mine today in black and it doesn't seem to tailstand too well. The switch seems to protrude a little to where it'll stand barely but not stably. Is there a known fix for this?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 10, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> Would you happen to know what the current circuit puts out in terms of voltage and current to the LED?



no idea, as my lab is not that sophisticated. sorry man.


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## davenlei (Apr 10, 2007)

Spider Cricket,So does it look like the board has to be pulled off to be able to twist the pill out or can it be twisted out in one shot?
I ried twisting it out pretty hard (one piece) and it would not budge at all.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 11, 2007)

davenlei said:


> Spider Cricket,So does it look like the board has to be pulled off to be able to twist the pill out or can it be twisted out in one shot?
> I ried twisting it out pretty hard (one piece) and it would not budge at all.



davelei - you are right, you have to pull the board off first.. I don't imagine how could you twist it with the board in it. As I mention above the threads have some kind of weak glue on it.. so you have to use a little force to start it.. then.. easy like butter.

good luck!


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## krazy89 (Apr 11, 2007)

WOOOOHOOOOO....

FINALLY GOT MY LIGHT!!!!!!!!! too bad i'm at work... can't do anything with it yet...

KraZy


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## Tjin (Apr 11, 2007)

i have received mine a couple a days ago. They are actually very well build. I just "lost" the two i orderd to 2 off mine co-workers and 4 others want one too.... That's 5 out of 6 people that where sitting at that table.


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## davenlei (Apr 11, 2007)

Does this mean I have to stop drinking now that Krazy has received his light?


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## krazy89 (Apr 11, 2007)

hahah.... since i got my light... i'm gonna be drinking even more.... u guys can stop drinking if u want....

My first impressions on the light is very good... the light is very light without the battery... almost seems like the light is made of plastic.... that said.. the body does feel solid... anything short of dropping it on concrete will dent the body...

on mine.. the push button is about 0.5mm past the end of the light.. so it's able to tailstand pretty damn good.... kinda happy about that... no lanyard.... emitter is pretty much centered... maybe off by a hair (no complaint there)

The beam pattern is pretty good.... center hotspot... with gradual spill... can't notice any dark rings.. (always good)... threading on the 3 sections are good... nothing is crooked as one guy said... everything fits together nicely... 

All in all.... i'm very pleased with this light.... AS IS... i think i will order another 2 of these suckers... just so i can put a Cree and a SSC in each.. and keep one stock... 

I will post impressions of the light after i get home.. can't really do much with it at work...

Cheers...

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 11, 2007)

So.. What the heck is the output on this thing? Can anyone make any comparisons of this light to another light as far as brightness?


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## krazy89 (Apr 11, 2007)

well.... it says 3watt on the thing.... 

i don't have any sort of light meter.... so there's no way i can get you exact numbers.... i do have a L0P-SE at home.... when i get there... i can compare the 2.... not much better i can do than that...

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 11, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> well.... it says 3watt on the thing....
> 
> i don't have any sort of light meter.... so there's no way i can get you exact numbers.... i do have a L0P-SE at home.... when i get there... i can compare the 2.... not much better i can do than that...
> 
> KraZy




Any comparison would be great  . All i know is it's weaker than my 6D maglite, and stronger than my Photon Freedom Max (I'd say twice as bright, as they have identical 'throw'). 

The new ones supposedly say 1 watt instead of 3 watts. Least you can impress your friends with the labeling. 

I've dropped mine on the concrete twice, do'h!. It ends up landing on the ends instead of the sides, and bends up a small burr which i took off with a very light sanding. Not really any dents, and can't really see any battle damage. Although now mine occassionally refuses to turn on until I bang it on something. I think the coil shifted or something. I really want to glue that thing down. That would greatly increase the impact durability of the whole thing. Although it is attached to 4 wires, so I'd think it'd be pretty hard to actually snap a wire, but you never know.


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## sparkysko (Apr 11, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> The yellow blob LED things vary a little I have a few and most have distinct 6 leds or whatever dots that light up but on one of them it has 7.



i used a well drained battery and looked at the LED and can see what you mean. That's awesome. Are most high powered LED's actually multiple LED's in one package?


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## johnny13oi (Apr 12, 2007)

Anyone know how to fix the flashlight not tailstanding correctly? And yeah I have a red, green, and blue filter from another flashlight and just put it on to see the actual multiple LED's.

Actually I fixed it in a way. I unscrewed the tail cap a bit so that the rubber covering for the switch has some room to go inwards into the cap but then that creates gap in between the switch, body, and head.


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## sparkysko (Apr 12, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> Anyone know how to fix the flashlight not tailstanding correctly? And yeah I have a red, green, and blue filter from another flashlight and just put it on to see the actual multiple LED's.
> 
> Actually I fixed it in a way. I unscrewed the tail cap a bit so that the rubber covering for the switch has some room to go inwards into the cap but then that creates gap in between the switch, body, and head.




The tailcap switch is threaded in. CAREFULLY remove the rubber boot (I used a paperclip and punctured a hole in it. I recommend something flat and smooth. maybe the handle of a spoon? (I tried it a second time, and didn't damage the boot with pliars when I grabbed it). Then you can grab the actual switch (plastic) and rotate the assembly with a pair of pliars. This will let the switch sit a bit deeper, careful tho, there's a washer that'll start flopping around if you loosen it too much. It'll probably be jiggly, so i'd recommend finding the depth you like, and then applying something to the threads to keep it there. Although i don't care if mine tailstands, I just did this real quick and the entire assembly is deep enough that it tail stands perfectly now, and it seems to be doing fine without any gunk on the threads to hold it there. With a pair of pliars it'll take you about a minute to do. Use a smooth tool to shove it back in when you're done. I used a qtip with the cotton removed to shove it back in.


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## selfbuilt (Apr 12, 2007)

sparkysko said:


> So.. What the heck is the output on this thing? Can anyone make any comparisons of this light to another light as far as brightness?


My gray HX-GO11 light is at the low end of brightness for the various lux clone lights I've bought from Dx/Kai. According to my home-made lightbox (i.e. milk carton integrating sphere), overall output is roughly similar to the Fenix L0D-CE or Jetbeam C-LE on primary mode. Roughly 20 lumens, according to chevrofreak's testing of the L0DCE.

My two Elly lights were about 20% and 30% brighter, respectively, than this light. I also have one of the round, black, twisty models of this light (the $5.17 one at DX), it is also about 30% brighter.


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## Russell52 (Apr 12, 2007)

Isnt it time to beef this circuit up??? What can we do??,I noticed that someone had mentioned adding more windings to the transformer,well I did this in a ultrafire light of mine,and did not notice any more brightness,But noticed more amp draw,and a LOT of heat,That light get 145f now... 

Something has to be done to get this little light brighter,And it wont accept a 3.6 volt cell...


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## krazy89 (Apr 12, 2007)

hey everyone...

i didn't really get a chance to really test out the light last nite.... was watching the Canucks game till the wee hours.... and when i did manage to stumble home... i did turn on both the L0P-SE and the G011.... the color on both are definitely different... the L0P-SE seemed to be a lot bluer than the G011... but.. it looks like the G011 is brighter by a hair....(but that could also be because of the color)

I'm at work now... hopefully when i get home tonite... i will have more time to play around with it....

Oh and mine tailstands pretty damn good....my rubber cover is only sticking out by the tinniest bit.... and it stands pretty solid.... so no need for me to adjust it.... 

but.. i'm really loving this light.... for $5.... this is probably the best deal on a decent light.... only thing... i need a lanyard for it....

KraZy


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## Russell52 (Apr 12, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey everyone...
> 
> i didn't really get a chance to really test out the light last nite.... was watching the Canucks game till the wee hours.... and when i did manage to stumble home... i did turn on both the L0P-SE and the G011.... the color on both are definitely different... the L0P-SE seemed to be a lot bluer than the G011... but.. it looks like the G011 is brighter by a hair....(but that could also be because of the color)
> 
> ...


 I am glad to hear you got your light  If you need a lanyard,I might have one you could have,every light I get that comes with one,that is the first thing I remove.. So what size are you looking for?? Somthing that would go around your wrist??


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## krazy89 (Apr 12, 2007)

hey Russell.... that would be awesome... yeah... just something short... that can fit on the wrist...

yeah... i was estatic when i got the package at work... 

KraZy


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## Russell52 (Apr 12, 2007)

Would this work?? If so PM me your addy,and I will mail it out tomorrow..


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## krazy89 (Apr 12, 2007)

oh yeah... for those of u that like to know... the rubber tailcap does smell kinda rubbery... and it doesn't have to be 2 inches from your nose to smell it....

clickie is kinda loud too...

1 quick question... how can u tell by looking at the finish to know that it's type II and not type III?

KraZy


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## sparkysko (Apr 12, 2007)

Don't think you can really tell by looking at it what type of finish it is. Although type 3 should be grey/black, as it can't be dyed as easily. I always thought maglites were type 3, but I can't confirm these. 

As far as modding the light, the first thing I'd attack is the resistor in it.


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 12, 2007)

For those complaining about having to wait for their light, I ordered mine on 3-21 and it just shipped today (4-12), so it could have been worse. It will probably be about 10 more days before it arrives, so that'll put my order right at 1 month from the time it was placed...  Same story with my Cree Elly/Elite light, 1 month to receive. About 2 weeks I expect, but once it stretches to 4 weeks+, that's starting to get ridiculous for items that weren't supposed to have any delay.


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## krazy89 (Apr 13, 2007)

hey guys... yeah... the order did take forever.... but well worth the wait... plus i'm kinda impatient....

the size and form factor of this light is pretty awesome... light and small.... it's a little bit too big for EDC... for me anyways... 

i'm gonna get a couple more of these.... for $5... can't be beat....

KraZy


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## krazy89 (Apr 13, 2007)

Hey spider...

when you took out apart the head... you have to rip the star board with the emitter off first? and then unscrew the heatsink?

is the booster circuit part of the star board that the emitter was attached on? I wonder if just getting a SSC emitter and unsoldering the old no name emitter would work??

did you have any luck finding a way to boost the output?

KraZy


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 13, 2007)

KaiDomain has a new Cree mini-board which might be a good match for this light. http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1527


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## krazy89 (Apr 13, 2007)

hey mmm...

originally.. i was looking at this one... 
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340

the one that you linked to is brand spanking new.... so i'm guessing it's better (???)

But both of them are at 3.2v - 3.7v operating voltage.. which means there no boost circuit on there... unless u will be running lions in them....

KraZy


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 13, 2007)

krazy89 said:


> hey mmm...
> 
> originally.. i was looking at this one...
> http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1340
> ...


 
Yeah, they've had that one awhile, I just saw this new one and it might be a better choice, assuming it fits (no dimensions listed yet). None of these boards that Kai and DX sell have any circuitry, they're just the Cree mounted to different aluminum boards. This newer round one may be easier to work with, it's a little larger, has holes for the wires and mounting screws, and the larger surface area may help to cool the Cree slightly better.

P.S. - just looking at the photos for the older board, it appears that this new board is probably the exact swap for what's currently in these lights, so I'm even more convinced that it would be a better match. This new board is probably what's being used in many of the small 1AA Cree lights that are of a similar size to the HX-G011.


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## krazy89 (Apr 13, 2007)

yeah.. judging from the pics.... this one should be the one that most 1xAA and maybe even 1xAAA lights are using...

this one does seem to be better build quality as the older one.... and maybe different bin??? (didn't check)

but... either way u look at it... it will be a great upgrade for the stock emitter...

KraZy


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## johnny13oi (Apr 13, 2007)

Does anyone think that a LUX I would go into this flashlight well or would the internal circuitry fry the LUX I ?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 13, 2007)

krazy,
the layout is like that:

circuit board
|
heatsink
|
star board.

The curcuit b. is not a part of the star. They are only connected with the wires.

I already ordered that flashlight again, ( on the 10th and it was shipped yesterday, so I cannot complain ) - plus I got the Cree for 7 bucks for my other flashlight ( RiverRock 2xAA ).. should be fun month!!


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## krazy89 (Apr 14, 2007)

hey spider... i'm gonna order another 2 of the G011's.... i think they are great lights for around the house....

and i'm looking for a mini SSC u-bin to drop in there... i don't think the cree's are as good as the SSC's... but haven't found one yet.... don't think KD or DX has any... 

KraZy


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## abvidledUK (Apr 14, 2007)

http://translate.google.com/transla...owerlight+HX-G011&num=100&hl=en&safe=off&sa=G

http://translate.google.com/transla...owerlight+HX-G011&num=100&hl=en&safe=off&sa=G

See Home page too..


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## sparkysko (Apr 14, 2007)

abvidledUK said:


> http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/takebeat/diary/200704100000/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DPowerlight%2BHX-G011%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG
> 
> http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/takebeat/diary/200704010001/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=6&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DPowerlight%2BHX-G011%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG
> 
> See Home page too..




The guys right, you'll blow the transistor if you power it with 2 or more batteries  Just blew mine. Now I only get a quick 'flash' of light when I turn it off from the inductor discharging since the transistor switching isn't occuring. w00t!


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## johnny13oi (Apr 14, 2007)

I know it has been talked about many times but has anyone figured out how to increase the current output or voltage to the LED so that a Cree or SSC can be put in there with a great amount of light coming out?


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## sparkysko (Apr 14, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> I know it has been talked about many times but has anyone figured out how to increase the current output or voltage to the LED so that a Cree or SSC can be put in there with a great amount of light coming out?




I don't think anyones tried yet. Except for that foreign language website, only one person here has taken it apart. I'm having a go at removing mine with JB weld, firstly to replace my transistor. DONT TRY TO OVERPOWER YOURS WITH A HIGHER VOLTAGE! Lol. Mine fried VERY QUICK with a NIMH and a weak alkaline, so aroudn 2.4 volts. like, within 2 seconds. I just tapped the wire on it a few times to see if it lit up, and that was enough, each time was only for a fraction of a second. If I can revive mine, i'll try some mods.

EDIT: Ewww, it uses surface mount transistor :| This should be fun.


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## johnny13oi (Apr 14, 2007)

sparkysko said:


> I don't think anyones tried yet. Except for that foreign language website, only one person here has taken it apart. I'm having a go at removing mine with JB weld, firstly to replace my transistor. DONT TRY TO OVERPOWER YOURS WITH A HIGHER VOLTAGE! Lol. Mine fried VERY QUICK with a NIMH and a weak alkaline, so aroudn 2.4 volts. like, within 2 seconds. I just tapped the wire on it a few times to see if it lit up, and that was enough, each time was only for a fraction of a second. If I can revive mine, i'll try some mods.



Thats awesome ... let us know more when you find out any way to mod it for a higher output. I know you can direct drive with li-ions but I dont have any at all on hand but have an a great amount of rechargeable AA's don't really care too much about battery life as long as it's bright. Even if someone were to figure out how to drive the LED at about 3W you would get 50 minutes from a 2100mah battery if the circuit was perfect (obviously cant be done) but given even if the circuitry is not 100% efficient, an 80% efficiency would yield 40 minutes and 60% would yield 30 minutes. I am completely fine with half an hour of extreme brightness from a single AA.


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## abvidledUK (Apr 14, 2007)

GX-0111, anyone tried AA lithium yet (1.7v)


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 14, 2007)

hey sparkysko,

word of advice when using JB weld.. once you take the circuit board out make sure you clean the heatsink with alcohol ( where you will glue your metal part ) and scratch it a little bit with a knife or screwdriver. The glue will hold much better to a rough surface than to a perfectly flat one.

I forgot to do it and the metal stick got unglued really fast.
good luck!


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## sparkysko (Apr 14, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater said:


> hey sparkysko,
> 
> word of advice when using JB weld.. once you take the circuit board out make sure you clean the heatsink with alcohol ( where you will glue your metal part ) and scratch it a little bit with a knife or screwdriver. The glue will hold much better to a rough surface than to a perfectly flat one.
> 
> ...




In hindsight, it's probably not a good idea to use JB weld since it's a higher temp epoxy, and you have to REALLY heat it up to remove it (like 600F or something, then it turns brittle and burns). I only used epoxy to remove my circuit board. For the heatsink, I screwed two screws into the holes, just enough so they'd catch, and then grabbed them both with pliars and twisted. I couldn't unscrew it with just shoving one thing into the hole. The screws worked pretty well (I used 2" long ones). 

Observations: Holy crap that transistor is small. This should be fun. The inductor wires are all twisted together, so i think it'd be a bit harder to knock the inductor off by dropping this thing. I'm confident that it probably won't go anywhere.

The amount of force to pull the circuit board wasn't much at all. you could probably make some small hooks, and shove those into the outer holes, and just pull it out that way. The dollar store does sell epoxy however, so that's worth a shot. I'm not sure if super glue would work. I tried on a blank circuit board and couldn't get pens, etc, to stick to it. if you could find something sufficiently flat, i bet it'd work. Also, because the required pull isn't that hard, you might as well use the 5 minute epoxy if you can find it. Home depot has it.


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 15, 2007)

actaully, I left JB glued to it for over 3 days and then slightly heated it up. Slightly! It came out right out, but I see that the screw approach is much easier.! good job.

are you going to showe 3.6 batteries in it or mod the board ?


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## sparkysko (Apr 15, 2007)

spider-cricket-hater said:


> actaully, I left JB glued to it for over 3 days and then slightly heated it up. Slightly! It came out right out, but I see that the screw approach is much easier.! good job.
> 
> are you going to showe 3.6 batteries in it or mod the board ?




Don't have any 3.6 cells, and can't yet justify the 20$ to get one yet. Not a bad idea once I get a job. Need to ghetto rig a transistor in and then I'll see what I can do.


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## fstuff (Apr 15, 2007)

selfbuilt said:


> My two Elly lights were about 20% and 30% brighter, respectively, than this light. I also have one of the round, black, twisty models of this light (the $5.17 one at DX), it is also about 30% brighter.


 
waoh.. the $5.17 twistie is 30% brighter than the $4.79 clickie?!

how/why? thought it was the same, except one is a twistie, and other a clickie?


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## sparkysko (Apr 16, 2007)

whew, finally replaced my transistor and got the thing working again. had to cutoff 80% of the legs on the transistor just to get it to fit under the heatsink without the solder joints snapping off, and ended up melting a few. I don't recommend blowing your transistor. Varying the resistance does indeed adjust the brightness. Who knows what the LED can take, but if you're feeling daring, I suppose you can just remove the resistor and solder a nice fat blob in its place. I think it read somewhere around 600 ohms on my meter, it says 102 on the resistor itself. I did have the light on at the time however, so >shrugs<. I have no idea how the heck they screwed this whole thing in initially, i think the circuit board was glued onto the heatsink, and then the circuit board was used to screw in the whole thing. I ended up replacing the wires with longer ones, because the original ones inevitably rip off when you remove the thing. Ended up using a paperclip/microscrewdriver shoved into a hole in the heatsink, and then rotated the flashlight body to get the whole thing screwed back in, had the circuit board tilted sideways during the process. I must have used the wrong type of transistor, or fudged something up, because now my light is noticeably brighter.


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## johnny13oi (Apr 16, 2007)

are you able to measure the voltage and current going to the led and the current being drawn from the battery?


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## selfbuilt (Apr 16, 2007)

fstuff said:


> waoh.. the $5.17 twistie is 30% brighter than the $4.79 clickie?! how/why? thought it was the same, except one is a twistie, and other a clickie?


I believe the head is the same (as near as I can tell - can't get either open). But that is just the amount of variability between units. To put it in perspective, one of my DX Elly lights (also a lux clone) is the same brightness as this twisty, the other Elly is roughly halfway in between my twisty and cliky. 

It's not unusual to see 20+% variability on these cheap lights, especially the ones with lux clones. I've seen it before on a few others where I have duplicates.


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## sparkysko (Apr 16, 2007)

johnny13oi said:


> are you able to measure the voltage and current going to the led and the current being drawn from the battery?



No  my multimeter only goes up to 150ma, so it was maxed out when I was measuring anything (Don't buy the analog multimeters at radio shack, they're pretty useless). I have a better one coming in the mail that should arrive soon, once I get it, i'll let you know. The voltage accuracy is also aweful, so I wouldn't be able to get a decent voltage reading either (+ or - 1 or 2 volts, lol)


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## mmmflashlights (Apr 16, 2007)

sparkysko said:


> No  my multimeter only goes up to 150ma, so it was maxed out when I was measuring anything (Don't buy the analog multimeters at radio shack, they're pretty useless). I have a better one coming in the mail that should arrive soon, once I get it, i'll let you know. The voltage accuracy is also aweful, so I wouldn't be able to get a decent voltage reading either (+ or - 1 or 2 volts, lol)


 
If you have a local Harbor Freight where you live, they have a decent digital Multimeter that often goes on sale for the pricey sum of $2.99. Decent is a subjective term but it performs fine for me. The display has backlighting, it measures up to 2 amps, etc. I blew the fuse on mine so some functions don't work at the moment, I seriously think it may cost more for a replacement fuse bought locally than the whole multimeter. My other multimeter I hard-wired it after blowing the fuse, unfortunately I forget that I had done it and now certain functions don't work at all.  But at least it can still measure up to 10 amps.


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## davenlei (Apr 16, 2007)

So, has anyone switched the emitter out with a SSC or Cree yet? If so, how is the brightness?


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## spider-cricket-hater (Apr 17, 2007)

nope. my CREE is on the way. I will put it up soon


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## johnny13oi (Apr 18, 2007)

sparkysko said:


> No  my multimeter only goes up to 150ma, so it was maxed out when I was measuring anything (Don't buy the analog multimeters at radio shack, they're pretty useless). I have a better one coming in the mail that should arrive soon, once I get it, i'll let you know. The voltage accuracy is also aweful, so I wouldn't be able to get a decent voltage reading either (+ or - 1 or 2 volts, lol)



Thats awesome can't wait to know. Does anyone know if a luxeon could go into this flashlight? This is my favorite flashlight but has such a terrible dim output and would like to upgrade it. Putting a cree or seoul in here would seem too much for a $5 flashlight and have been waiting around to find a cheap luxeon just for this flashlight. Anyone have a spare that wouldn't mind letting go =). Never modded a flashlight but I know how to solder just don't want to kill a luxeon for nothing putting it into this flashlight.


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## davenlei (Apr 18, 2007)

Well, I got a little impatient and opened up my light (broke the wires of course), took one of my Seoul 'U' bin stars an ground it down to the size of the existing circular emitter mount, soldered it all back up and powered it on.

And the results were........ not that impressive.

The brightness was approximately 50%-60% brighter than the stock set up which is not that bright in the first place. It is not as bright as an Elly modded with a Cree.

Another bad thing is the extra height of the Seoul assembly takes up more space so the head barely screws onto the body.

The only good thing is that the opening of the reflector is exactly the right size for the Seoul to fit through.

For all the work it took to take the light apart, grind the star down and put it all back together, in my opinion, it is not worth the trouble for the results you get.

Well...on to the next mod for me. Custom 3 'D' mag mod with a DHS heatsink, cut down reflector, Seoul 'U' bin and a Downboy 917 circuit.


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## johnny13oi (Apr 18, 2007)

davenlei said:


> Well, I got a little impatient and opened up my light (broke the wires of course), took one of my Seoul 'U' bin stars an ground it down to the size of the existing circular emitter mount, soldered it all back up and powered it on.
> 
> And the results were........ not that impressive.
> 
> ...



Did you measure the output voltage and current output to the LED? Do you think this would work with a Luxeon I LED?


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## davenlei (Apr 18, 2007)

Not yet, I wanted to catch some TV before bed. I will try to get those readings tomorrow morning. Maybe I will get a chance to show side by side beam shots since I hace one modded and one stock unit. Only if time allows.


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## kanarie (Apr 18, 2007)

> Well, I got a little impatient and opened up my light (broke the wires of course), took one of my Seoul 'U' bin stars an ground it down to the size of the existing circular emitter mount, soldered it all back up and powered it on.
> 
> And the results were........ not that impressive.
> 
> ...


I did the same thing with an Edison instead of a Seoul and this was also a bit disappointing; hard to open and less light than a modded Elly. 
I got very strange ratings measuring the voltage (1,6V on the led ??? it should not work)


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## LEDcandle (Apr 23, 2007)

I didn't check the voltage but I'm getting 100ma to the LED... yes, it does power up a Cree... 

It's true that after all the trouble, you are better buying one of them Cree/SSC AA lights for like $18-20.


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## CandlePowerForumsUser (Apr 23, 2007)

LEDcandle said:


> I didn't check the voltage but I'm getting 100ma to the LED... yes, it does power up a Cree...
> 
> It's true that after all the trouble, you are better buying one of them Cree/SSC AA lights for like $18-20.



+1 - I did this mod as well... run time was 1hr25min till light went out.. useful up to cut off. this was with energizer alk.


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## emitter (Apr 24, 2007)

just got my 2 grays
Tint is just a bit yellow. Reflector is well focused on the led. 
Both came with lanyards attached, with quick release and split ring. 
Nice extra but they also shipped the wrong holster I ordered, maybe they thought I wanted the little one to fit the powerlight. 
I'd agree that total lumens are 20 ish but not more. The threads are anodized so it's possible to partially unscrew the tail w/ switch on, and use for signaling/tactical. 
Not worth modding. If anything I would mod the circuit, not the led.

edit: i confirmed that the zhongsheng ZS16 sapphire clone led uses 7 segments in a 'W' zig zag layout, by projecting thru a magnifier. refer to the review of the advancedmart 1 watt on FR, it uses the 6 segment. This would mean 2-3 lumens per segment, about right if you equate each segment to 1 5mm led. Of course some clustered lights (like the X5) are making more like 4-5 lm per led, but of course that's usually from 4.5-6v and being driven hard, & all flood. So I'm waiting for a 9 segment die from ZS or ZY.


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## roverjohn (Apr 24, 2007)

I just got my two grey ones too. Probably half the output of my GIDT UFs. They are really nice looking and anyone but a flashaholic would probably love getting one as a gift. I'm hoping for good runtimes on NiMH as sometimes I want that way more than brightness, like on my boat.
John


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## roverjohn (Apr 26, 2007)

Now that I've had them for a couple of days they are starting to grow on me. One of mine has an off center led and that light also has a big chunk of lint stuck to the reflector. I'd say thay are about twice as bright as a RR 2xAAA. Mine both have a slightly blueish tine but not nearly as blue as the RR. It looks like my pills are not glued in and if that is the case the whole thing might just unscrew. I definately want to keep one for the boat but I may risk $4.79 to see if I can unscrew the other one.


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## sparkysko (Apr 26, 2007)

roverjohn said:


> Now that I've had them for a couple of days they are starting to grow on me. One of mine has an off center led and that light also has a big chunk of lint stuck to the reflector. I'd say thay are about twice as bright as a RR 2xAAA. Mine both have a slightly blueish tine but not nearly as blue as the RR. It looks like my pills are not glued in and if that is the case the whole thing might just unscrew. I definately want to keep one for the boat but I may risk $4.79 to see if I can unscrew the other one.



Nice. You will need some adhesive. So far we've tried JB weld, although I bet 5 minute epoxy might work. The first circuit board isn't screwed in, it's just glued in. It didn't require much force at all to 'unglue' it. Please note that you will have to figure some way of getting the outer part of the circuit board conducting the tube wall again after you remove it. I hear there is conductive glue for this purpose, and that's what's apparently used already in this. You won't be able to solder this to the side. (Although I soldered a blob and kind of jammed my circuit board into the side to do this). 

After you remove the circuit board, the wires will probably rip off, it's pretty easy to find the soldering points again. I tried removing the LED/heatsink with just a micro screwdriver shoved into the hole to twist it out, and this just bent my screwdriver. Paperclips won't work either. Need something hard. Nails in some pliers might work good, although I jammed some screws in them at an angle instead and then grabbed those with pliers. I'd twist the flashlight head instead of twisting the nails to remove the whole thing.

Might want to make sure you clean the threads out before attempting this step, once you can start turning it, it gets pretty easy.


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## roverjohn (Apr 27, 2007)

I just read through the whole thread again and I'm going to show a little restraint and leave them alone. The nice one will go on my boat where I really don't want much light anyway and the linty one would probably make a pretty nice bike light. The flats would make nice mounting points and a single C or D cell would run through the longest ride. We just need to ask DX to make a brighter version he can sell for $8 or so.


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## sparkysko (Apr 28, 2007)

roverjohn said:


> I just read through the whole thread again and I'm going to show a little restraint and leave them alone.



Not a bad idea. The lints not going to make any difference. I had some in mine, and cleaned everything off with alcohol without touching it, I'd say it was cleaner before I tried 'cleaning' it, even with the lint on it. I fried and replaced my transistor, it was in my junk bin, so I'm not sure what type it is, but my light is dimmer now. Either from overpowering the LED or from the wrong transistor. Only 'improvement' that can really be done on this is lowering the switch if it bugs you.


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## ApacheXMD (May 4, 2007)

On mine, the circuit board and heatsink unscrewed completely in one piece.
I just stuck the tips of a pair of needle nose pliers into the outer holes of the circuit board and twisted. It started coming out without too much effort. I don't think I had much glue on the threads. 

The reason I took mine apart is because I blew something on the booster board while trying to measure current off the battery from the tail end. This is actually my second Powerlight, and neither of them would light up with a multimeter hooked up in series. The light would simply flash on quickly and go out. The current would then shoot up to about 1.5A off the battery. This doesn't seem like normal operating current when the light is on normally. Anyway, as I was trying to get a current reading off the second light, the LED flashed, and never came back on. I put the tailcap back on, and when I hit the clickie, the LED flashes on quickly and goes out. I also notice a burnt electronics smell eminating from the circuit board. 

Sparkysko reported blowing out his board with 2 cells, but I managed to do it with just one and a multimeter. So be careful with the board if you're gonna mess with it.

Now that I got the pill out, I'm probably just gonna turn this into a 3.6v Li-Ion direct drive light with a Cree or SSC.

-patchy


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## LEDcandle (May 4, 2007)

davenlei said:


> So, has anyone switched the emitter out with a SSC or Cree yet? If so, how is the brightness?



I mangled my Jetbeam CL-E so I decided to pinch the Cree star from there and dump it in the powerlight. Heck, I even took the glass lens, front glow o-ring and reflector from the CL-E 

The lens and o-ring fit nicely; reflector screws in well the first 3/4, then kinda jams before reaching all the way in. Anyway, I force screw it and it goes all the way in and presses against the front o-ring and lens slightly. 

The mini-cree star from the CL-E fits nicely in the can; but heatsinking is poor as the star is barely 'connected' to the lip. But I guess at around 100ma, it should be fine. 

The head cannot screw back completely (above the o-ring) and I might fix this by expanding the reflector opening so that the Cree can sit further in (not sure how this affects the focus though. Focus now with the CL-E orange peel reflector is very nice and smooth transitioned with decent throw)

Powers fine with a Duracell Alk AA, lumens est ard 30-40. 
The original LED was putting out around 10-15 only. (all DIY Litebox reading)

Not worth modding as I said, but since I busted my CL-E, I scavenged the parts. Might even try removing the converter from the CL-E and moving it here. Just worried with the kind of heatsinking in this light, it won't be wise to use primary or high mode with the CL-E converter.

It's a pretty decent light after the mods; kinda almost identical to my L1P in terms of light and beam quality. It was after all, meant to replace my L1P (which cost me $70+ in those days due to some shipping/repair issues) which I lost in Phuket  Along with my Surefire lanyard... ). Even the physical shape is almost identical (exact clone). Just that the threads and overall quality feel poor (thin and light) compared to the L1P. 

EDCing it now while waiting for Rexlight and the new CL-E v1.2...


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## heliyardsale (May 4, 2007)

ApacheXMD said:


> On mine, the circuit board and heatsink unscrewed completely in one piece.
> I just stuck the tips of a pair of needle nose pliers into the outer holes of the circuit board and twisted. It started coming out without too much effort. I don't think I had much glue on the threads.
> 
> The reason I took mine apart is because I blew something on the booster board while trying to measure current off the battery from the tail end. This is actually my second Powerlight, and neither of them would light up with a multimeter hooked up in series. The light would simply flash on quickly and go out. The current would then shoot up to about 1.5A off the battery. This doesn't seem like normal operating current when the light is on normally. Anyway, as I was trying to get a current reading off the second light, the LED flashed, and never came back on. I put the tailcap back on, and when I hit the clickie, the LED flashes on quickly and goes out. I also notice a burnt electronics smell eminating from the circuit board.
> ...


 
I smoked on of mine too. It about 2am and I grabbed a light from the dresser, I was still half asleep and when I turned it on I thought the battery was running dead so a grabbed the first cell that felt like an AA, too bad I happened to have a 14500 mixed in the bunch. after switching batteries, I clicked the light on, ping, a quick flash, then the sweet smell of a fried flashlight. My wife woke and said "whats burning?" Oh well, one down and one to go.... I don't think its even worth modding...
Heli


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## johnny13oi (Jul 1, 2007)

Sorry for bringing this thread back but could anyone help me with some advice on how to remove the pill. I pulled the circuit board off and it ripped the wires and when I soldered it back together the thing doesn't work anymore. I have tried freezing the thing and even heating it up with a soldering iron. Any ideas? It's stuck in there really really well and I would like to replace the LED with 7 of my other 5mm LEDs I have laying around with a circuit board from an Elly flashlight.


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## johnny13oi (Jul 2, 2007)

I've actually got it open now and modded it just as I said after many hours of burning myself and extreme frustration I did it. It appears to be atleast 3 times brighter now but I accidentally shorted the switch out and fried it so I just bridged it and now it acts as a twisty using the tail. All in all, I would be pleased if I had not fried the switch. Does anyone know how to fix it? I tried prying it open but didn't succeed at getting that little black switch box open. Anywhere to get the switch or tail cap for cheap?


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## LEDcandle (Jul 2, 2007)

At the price its going for, you probably better off getting an entire new piece 
Or just treat it as a learning experience and use it as it is... for $10, u can get a "Simply Cree" light from DX (or was it Kaidomain) that is just like the powerlight... a no frills light with a Cree.


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## CandlePowerForumsUser (Jul 2, 2007)

I think part of modding is to learn and what better lights to try them on is the cheap ones. I've modded a couple of these with success and actually have been pleased with the outcome. its much brighter, has a nice spill and a tight hotspot for decent throw.

as far as the switch, not sure where you can get those.


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## selfbuilt (Jul 2, 2007)

FYI, since this thread has been ressurected, both my Powerlights have mysteriously died in the last couple of weeks.

My twisty I was never able to get the head open, so it was left stock and only got light usage in my toolbox. The other day I went to use it, and nothing - wouldn't come on with regular batteries.

My clicky I was able to successfully mod with a SSC. Output doubled, and runtime was an excellent 5+ hours to 50% on NiMH. Everything was fine until yesterday, when my daughter dropped it ~3 inches onto my desktop and it stopped working. Won't turn on. :thinking: 

Very odd, since I always do a couple of 3+ feet drops and a few table whacks after modding to make sure everything is stable.

I'll have to take it apart to see if I can find the problem, but I'm pretty sure it's not the emitter.


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## johnny13oi (Jul 2, 2007)

selfbuilt said:


> FYI, since this thread has been ressurected, both my Powerlights have mysteriously died in the last couple of weeks.
> 
> My twisty I was never able to get the head open, so it was left stock and only got light usage in my toolbox. The other day I went to use it, and nothing - wouldn't come on with regular batteries.
> 
> ...



I think its the transistor in the circuit. I have no idea how to check to see if its okay but I checked everything else and everything else seems to check out. I played around with the circuit and it doesn't work anymore thats why I just used the circuit from an Elly.


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## CandlePowerForumsUser (Jul 2, 2007)

I replaced the stock boards with these guys here...

http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4451

I have a Fenix L1P that I put this board and a SSC P4 in. I like it alot. can't tell if its brighter than the stock driver but when I receive my cree's.... i'll put that in the Powerlight and compare.


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## johnny13oi (Jul 2, 2007)

CandlePowerForumsUser said:


> I replaced the stock boards with these guys here...
> 
> http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4451
> 
> I have a Fenix L1P that I put this board and a SSC P4 in. I like it alot. can't tell if its brighter than the stock driver but when I receive my cree's.... i'll put that in the Powerlight and compare.



The comments seem to state that that driver seems to be very inefficient. How is it on your batteries?


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## CandlePowerForumsUser (Jul 2, 2007)

no run time test yet. I have to do it tonight and let you know... I hope its OK since 3 lights have them I guess I'll find out tonight!



johnny13oi said:


> The comments seem to state that that driver seems to be very inefficient. How is it on your batteries?


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## CandlePowerForumsUser (Jul 3, 2007)

OK, I ran a new enegerizer alkaline battery. I compared the output to a P3D-CE on medium which is advertised as 40 lumens (its pretty close to this). 

I have no light meter, just eyeballing skills here. After 1 hour, light was noticeable dimmer but not at halfway point. At 1hr 15mins, light was very dim(well below half output). I cut the test at this point. 

Here is where it gets interesting...

After having the light off for a few mins, I decided to turn it back on. Great, its at max brightness again . It stayed at this output for 20mins... 30mins it was pretty dim again so I just went to sleep with the light on.

I woke up this morning, turned the light off, waited a few mins and turned it back on. Its at max output again . Left it on for just a few mins because I give up. 


So how is the driver on alks? I have no idea. The light did get a little hot so I left it on the window to keep it cool. I checked it very 5mins.

If anyone have any ideas why its behaving this way. I'd sure like to know.


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## krazy89 (Jul 3, 2007)

hey everyone...

wow... i don't believe this thread has grown this big... i haven't checked back for a long time... and BAM.. it's on the top of the page 1... again... love it...

anyways... i've been on a flashlight hiatus... my gray G011 has stayed stock all this time... and i was just about to grab a cree star board when i heard about the rebels... now that the cheapy rebels (40lm @ 350ma) i was thinking about putting that in... then i read that the new q4/q5 cree's are friggin 100lm... i think i will get that... but haven't really seen any selling... (not at a decent price anyways!)...

in the last week.. i've found myself on this forum again... i think i got the fever... again...

KraZy


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## Teh (Jul 17, 2007)

:sigh:I should have read this post completly earlier, fried mine as well....

So for any future readers,
DO NOT RUN MORE THAN 1.5 VOLTS ON THIS LIGHT!


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## mmmflashlights (Jul 17, 2007)

Teh said:


> :sigh:I should have read this post completly earlier, fried mine as well....
> 
> So for any future readers,
> DO NOT RUN MORE THAN 1.5 VOLTS ON THIS LIGHT!


 
You could just bypass the circuit and run the LED in direct drive straight from a 14500, skipping any circuit altogether. Of course that's if only the circuit was fried, and not the LED as well.


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## RV7 (Jul 20, 2007)

Got one, tested it... cheap inside out... a 46% efficiency driver! No capacitor, no diode... must be hard on the LED!


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## Ty_Bower (Aug 6, 2008)

The tailswitch on mine rotted out. Any ideas where to get a replacement (that doesn't cost more than the HX-G011)?


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