# How to open the head of Fenix L1P?



## .308 (Sep 9, 2005)

Can anyone tell me how to opne the head on a Fenix L1P? I am considering trying to put a Minipro driver w/ Lux III in it.
Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## LITEmania (Sep 9, 2005)

boil it like Q-III


----------



## MorpheusT1 (Sep 9, 2005)

Ofcource 

Have you considered selling he Fenix with optional leds LiTemania?

It would rock if you did,
Im thinking Cree UV 
Or R/O Lux III
Cyan etc etc...
IF you did i would like one in each flavor Please.
PP sent :naughty:

Benny


----------



## LITEmania (Sep 9, 2005)

FENIX reflector + CREE UVV : donut hole...

FENIX L1 + TW0H will be goooood...

warren,


----------



## Haesslich (Sep 10, 2005)

LITEmania said:


> FENIX L1 + TW0H will be goooood...
> 
> warren,



Good thing I'm getting a TW0H put into my L1P 2.5 then. 

I jumped on cy's sale of those, thankfully JUST in time. I can't wait to see the results, even if it'll be underdriven at 350mAh.


----------



## LITEmania (Sep 10, 2005)

see 
FENIX MOD.SALE


----------



## chevrofreak (Sep 12, 2005)

Putting a T**H led in it will NOT significantly increase the output, R**H LED's are more efficient at the levels this light is driving the LED at.

Also, removing the head kills your warranty.


----------



## Haesslich (Sep 12, 2005)

chevrofreak said:


> Putting a T**H led in it will NOT significantly increase the output, R**H LED's are more efficient at the levels this light is driving the LED at.
> 
> Also, removing the head kills your warranty.



Do most of us here look like the type to care about the warranty on a Fenix?  Given that the 2.5 is driven at 350 mAh, I'm wondering if there will be any minor improvements in efficiency for the 2.5 using a TW0H versus the 2.0.


----------



## .308 (Sep 12, 2005)

Thanks for the boil tip LITEmania. I boiled it for about 4 minutes and here is what the light looks like disassembled. The reflector is on the left, the light engine is on the right. The light engine is using an emitter instead of a star. Both of these screw into the head. The lens drops out once these are removed. I think I'm going to try a Lambda minipro driver. It will run off of 1AA or 1 li-ion and it should really make a Lux III scream in this thing.
























Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## IsaacHayes (Sep 12, 2005)

Haesslich: the L1P v2.5 starts out at 350ma, and goes down from there. Meaning it's not constant current, but voltage boost. That means that going with a H vf LuxIII (same as G vf LuxI) will pull more current. So if you have a TW0H, then expect greater than 350ma starting out current, which means more bright! (Tbin luxIII about equal to RluxI @ low currents, but since you have more current, = more light).

.308: Is the light engine made of copper? That's great if it is!! We know the LED will be plenty cool and make as much lumens as possible! These lights will have some heft to them. (metal reflector & copper LE).


----------



## vacuum3d (Sep 12, 2005)

LITEmania said:


> FENIX reflector + CREE UVV : donut hole...
> 
> FENIX L1 + TW0H will be goooood...
> 
> warren,



Hi Warren,
I'm a bit confused. In one of your other posts you said 
"Yes. it's cree uvv.
Beamshot is similiar to IMS20XA without donut hole because the stock reflector of Fenix has a tiny multiple peripheral scratch line inside.
IMO, This gives a orange peel effect in beam."

I ordered a v2.5 L1P in the GB because I thought the reflector in the v2.5 works well with the Cree.



thx,
ernest


----------



## Krit (Sep 13, 2005)

I still waiting to get V2.5 from Warren too. 
In my openion, driver suit for 1 AA battery mostly volt regulated which cann't make current constant from only 1.5 volt. We can use it as back up flashlight or EDC use.

Hi Warren, Can it use with 3.7 V li ion battery.?


----------



## LITEmania (Sep 13, 2005)

cacuum3d : yes, Fenix stock reflector works fine with Cree.

krit : No, do not beyond 1.9V like jtice tested.


----------



## jashhash (Sep 13, 2005)

I would also like confirmation that heat sink is indeed made of copper.


----------



## goldserve (Sep 13, 2005)

Is there a easy way to remove the converter PCB to put in your own? Thanks.


----------



## Hikaru (Sep 13, 2005)

.308,

I posted in the "Fenix Impressions" thread, but I was wondering if we could convince you to post some pictures of the Fenix switch. Does it look like it could be modded for dual level? What are the approx dimensions (so we could find a replacement)?

Thanks


----------



## .308 (Sep 14, 2005)

IsaacHayes & jashhash the heatsink does indeed seem to be made out of copper.

goldserve yes you can remove the PCB but I wouldn't say easily. I am not the reverse engineering genius that some of our fellow CPF'ers are. It appears to be epoxied inside the heatsink. 

Hikaru I'll try to post some pictures of the switch today. 

I also posted a group buy feeler for these heatsinks.

Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## .308 (Sep 14, 2005)

Here is the switch

Total switch length = .72" or 19mm














Length of push button button to PCB (w/o spring) = .38" or 10mm





Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## Hikaru (Sep 14, 2005)

Thanks Chris!


----------



## goldserve (Sep 14, 2005)

Very nice pics! So when are those copper heatsinks coming along? I can't wait to get my hands on two of them at least!


----------



## jashhash (Sep 14, 2005)

Im a bit confused... Doesnt the stock L1P already come with a copper heat sink so why would I need to replace it... with... another... copper heat sink. BTW thanks for bein a good sport and taking apart the light.


----------



## Billson (Sep 15, 2005)

Some of the buyers want to mod their light to use with li-ion's so replacing the entire module is lot easier than having to remove the electronics and led from the original heatsink.


----------



## LITEmania (Sep 15, 2005)

What Jashhash said....:thinking:


----------



## .308 (Sep 15, 2005)

jashhash said:
"Im a bit confused... Doesnt the stock L1P already come with a copper heat sink so why would I need to replace it... with... another... copper heat sink. BTW thanks for bein a good sport and taking apart the light."

I guess you don't need to replace it. The only reason to need another heatsink is to create another light engine. If I want to make this light perform to a new level, I can't use the stock electronic circuit that is in the current light engine. I would like to install a Lux III emitter and drive it at 750mA-1000mA. To do this would require possibly ruining the existing light engine to simply have a heatsink to start over with. I personally don't want to destroy this working light engine to mod it. IMHO it would be much simpler to install a sammie and my own Lux III emitter on a raw heatsink than try to gut this light engine. 

Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## LITEmania (Sep 15, 2005)

Great !


----------



## koala (Sep 15, 2005)

gold plated springs? how nice.. for low resistance connection.


----------



## jashhash (Sep 16, 2005)

if your planning on selling a pill module for this light Might I suggest that you sell it with the heat sink, emitter, and circuit booster all in one package. 

With all the quality inner workings of this light its a wonder why they dont sell thier product in the $60 range which would still significantly undercut thier competetors prices.


----------



## Billson (Sep 16, 2005)

Unfortunately, all 3 components you mention are supplied by different people so it is more cost efficient for some to just acquire them separately and build it themselves.


----------



## Archangel (Sep 23, 2005)

Chris (or anyone who opened it),

Could you measure the lens dimensions? I'm wondering if flashlightlens has one that fits. Or at least can be made to fit with an o-ring.


----------



## greenLED (Sep 23, 2005)

LITEmania said:


> boil it like Q-III


 That's interesting. There's this other thread (that I can't find right now ullhair where they advise against boiling the head because the reflector is damaged by the heat. :thinking:

Never mind my comment. It was the the RiverRock 2AA where the reflector melted upon boiling.


----------



## .308 (Sep 23, 2005)

> Chris (or anyone who opened it),Could you measure the lens dimensions? I'm wondering if flashlightlens has one that fits. Or at least can be made to fit with an o-ring.



Hi Archangel,
the lens appears to be 18mm dia and ~ 1.52mm thick

Thanks,
Chris


----------



## koala (Oct 4, 2005)

I open up my 1 day old :naughty: Fenix L1P 2.0 today. I don't think my heatsink is copper, it looks more like brass.

Fenix module on PCB copper


----------



## Christoph (Oct 4, 2005)

Mine is brass also I am making a tool to assist removal of the le.


----------



## this_is_nascar (Oct 4, 2005)

koala said:


> I open up my 1 day old :naughty: Fenix L1P 2.0 today. I don't my heatsink is copper, it looks more like brass.
> 
> Fenix module on PCB copper



Did you have to heat it up to remove it? I took my worse performing L1P to be used as my guniea pig. I could only turn the light engine 1/8th of a turn before it bogged down. I didn't want to risk continuing to try and un-thread it.


----------



## .308 (Oct 4, 2005)

The light engine on the 2.5 seems to have loctite on it. It doesn't come out easily. I think it is the blue loctite because baking for 10 minutes nor boiling for 10 minutes loosened the threads at all. It does however ruin the finish of the reflector. I have removed (2) from 2.5's and it is not fun. A tool like Christoph mentioned would be the trick. If you try to use pliers or something else you will be required to use so much pressure and force that one slip could mean a bent head assembly. I wonder how I know that? :shrug: 

I did install a TW0H Lux III on (1) v.2.0 and (1) v.2.5 and think they rock. ~600 mA using a 14500. 


Chris
.308


----------



## this_is_nascar (Oct 4, 2005)

Thanks. I take it that a 14500 is OK to use on the Fenix? I really haven't thought to try it, but..................................


----------



## goldserve (Oct 4, 2005)

I'm trying to see if someone can make a heatsink module. Might be around $10 because of the lack of interest but i know a few modders around here would like one! =P


----------



## .308 (Oct 4, 2005)

TIN - I don't think you can use the 14500 with the stock 1w led. 

Goldserve - go for it. If possible have a hole drilled in the heatsink for a grounding screw and include the screw.

Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## goldserve (Oct 4, 2005)

I'm quite understanding the use of a hole and a screw for grounding? Thanks!


----------



## .308 (Oct 4, 2005)

Some boards like those from georges80 and Lambda's minipro do not have a "ground ring". The only way for the board to complete the batteries path is too have a connection to the flashlight body. If the board can be screwed into the heatsink or if a wire from the board is soldered onto the screw, the grounding issue is solved. The stock light engine had a ground ring and is soldered to the heatsink. Maybe that is why it is brass. Almost impossible to solder to aluminum. 

:huh2: I'm not qualified for this discussion, so someone that is please jump in and bail me out :help: .

Thanks,
Chris
.308


----------



## goldserve (Oct 4, 2005)

Okay, I see what you are talking about. So we all agree a heatsink that will accept a sandwhich board (not a complete pill) is a good thing for the fenix? That way, we can swap the engine without ruining the old one.


----------



## koala (Oct 4, 2005)

this_is_nascar said:


> Did you have to heat it up to remove it? I took my worse performing L1P to be used as my guniea pig. I could only turn the light engine 1/8th of a turn before it bogged down. I didn't want to risk continuing to try and un-thread it.



I swear this thing is as hard to open as an ARC-LS First Run. In fact, I used so much strength that the thing kept slipping in my hands and ripped my skin, now I have a bleeding hole in my palm, no joke. That's how idiot I am when laziness bite.

Then I finally gave up and bring out the woodclamps. The good thing is that the body is hex which asisted in grip. For the head, don't clamp too hard as it will dent the head and make it harder to unscrew. Just give it the right amount of clamp to avoid slipping. If your jig is slipping too much, beware that the slipping will sand off the Fenix engraving on the head.

I heat it up a nicely with my mini blowtorch, just right to the point where holding in my palms is quite painful/hot. I wonder if that helps because the adhersive does not break free immediatelly. This adhersive from China is really good and tough.



this_is_nascar said:


> Thanks. I take it that a 14500 is OK to use on the Fenix? I really haven't thought to try it, but..................................



No don't try it, it will probably blow up. The wise manufacturer has sanded the surface of the boost chip and the IC didn't look like anything common. So I can't say if it is safe for 3.6V application. I did try direct driving the R bin Luxeon got 900ma+.

vince.


----------



## .308 (Oct 7, 2005)

Please read my latest post in this thread I don't think it is safe to use a 14500 li-ion. Sorry for any mis-information.

Chris
.308


----------



## nekomane (Nov 13, 2005)

I had a bad day ending with some blisters and a destroyed Fenix :sigh: ...


----------



## red_robby (Nov 13, 2005)

wow man, that does look like a bad day...though it looks like the fenix had a worse day


----------



## cy (Nov 13, 2005)

nekomane said:


> I had a bad day ending with some blisters and a destroyed Fenix :sigh: ...


WOW... that's some tuff glue!!!!


----------



## Christoph (Nov 13, 2005)

:wow: :huh2: I guess you really wanted to get into it :devil:


----------



## nekomane (Nov 13, 2005)

Christoph said:


> :wow: :huh2: I guess you really wanted to get into it :devil:


Yeah I did. I had this beautiful little mod enabling the Fenix to run on a CR2.



Since I had no idea what you could do with 3V, I started by taking it apart.
Now I'll never know until I get my next one :mecry:


----------



## Robocop (Nov 15, 2005)

I have opened 2 of the Fenix LIPs with no damage and it was much easier the second time. It may be my imagination however I do not feel that heat has any effect at all on the loc-tite holding these threads. It is an incredible ordeal to simply brute force these circuits as my first time resulted in many blisters.
Mine was the same with both lights as the sink would turn a very small amount then seemed to simply get stuck. I quickly learned that each time it would stick I wrapped a towel around the head and gently squeezed all the way around the diameter of the head with a pair of vice grips.
I used enough a good amount of pressure however not enough to warp the head. Keep the jaws of the grips the same level as the bottom of the heatsink so it is harder to warp the head as you are actually squeezing the sink from outside the head. You would actually have to squeeze through the solid heatsink to mess the head up however I still used moderate pressure.
Go in a circle pattern all the way around the head of the light as if you are trying to "form" the outside of the light to the shape of the heatsink. The sink on these lights is pretty tall so if you look down into the bezel when squeezing keep the jaws just under the bottom of the sink and it is almost impossible to warp the head as you are squeezing the threaded area of the sink inside the bezel. I could actually see the walls of the bezel moving ever so little against the threaded sink as I moved around the head.
Ok after each squeeze try to turn the sink again....it usually turns almost a full turn then sticks again. Repeat the squeezing after it sticks and go slow. It will eventually clear all the locked threads and once removed it can be taken out and installed at will.
I am not sure how this works but it did for both of mine. Maybe the squeezing breaks up the thread glue or whatever this stuff is.
After the sinks were out I cleaned the inside threads with some WD-40 and a little bit of steel wool to help remove any burs or debris. The sink now screws in and out very smoothly and I am waiting for someone to offer aftermarket parts so I can take advantage of this great light as a host for other mods.


----------



## Christoph (Nov 15, 2005)

I just got a new one from 4 sevens and there was hardley any locktite on it.It almost walked out from the first twist. I also found a plastic reflector in it.


----------



## Robocop (Nov 15, 2005)

You did get lucky then Christoph as all of mine were pretty well sealed. I am not sure about the reflector as the threads seemed to be plastic surrounding the reflector as if it were a 2 part design or some form of a "sleeve" type set up. I believe the specs stated this was a metal reflector however that is from memory as I recall.
Try the reflector with a few other luxeons and see what you think. I used it on a few 3 watters and it is very good as far as reflectors go. I am still hoping to find a way to use another light engine in this light in order to use a 3 watt with power from maybe a seperated 3 volt lithium battery pack or rechargeable 3.7 volt cell.


----------



## 4sevens (Nov 15, 2005)

Christoph said:


> I just got a new one from 4 sevens and there was hardley any locktite on it.It almost walked out from the first twist. I also found a plastic reflector in it.



Hmm... I really doubt they are plastic 
The coating is so shiney and clear you might have thought it's plastic.
It's machined aluminum.


----------



## nekomane (Nov 15, 2005)

Robocop said:


> I am waiting for someone to offer aftermarket parts so I can take advantage of this great light as a host for other mods.


Robocop, thank you for your detailed explanation :thumbsup: I'll try it as soon as I get a new L1P.

These are nice little lights and your thread about the 3W Fenix interested me greatly.
Would you want to try the CR2 body? Let me know, I will send it to you free if you do as  when it comes to circuits and stuff :shrug: Just PM me where to.


----------



## cy (Nov 15, 2005)

must have gotten one like Nekomane :green:

clamped it in a collet, tried brute force. 
didn't even come close to budging...


----------



## Christoph (Nov 15, 2005)

I will post a picture this evening. the back side of the reflector was greenish(peasoup) plastic that had been machined(turned).


----------



## goldserve (Nov 17, 2005)

After two weeks of on/off determination of getting the heatsink out, I've finally done it! I initiall BOUGHT and BROKEN head so I can take things apart but I was devistated to find out it had the loctite as well (was supposed to be V2.0 so no glue...)

Anyways, using the method decribed above, I can testify that vice grips clamping the head works...but slowly. At one point in time, I was only able to turn 1/50th of a full turn so you can see how determined I was.

In the end, I have my second FluPIC modified Fenix and I think I'll leave it at that. 2 modified fenix and 1 stock.

Cheers for the method above!


----------



## wmpwi (Nov 17, 2005)

Yesterday got 3 new Fenix lights from LITEmania. I checked on removing the LE and was somewhat surprised to find that I could rotate the module about 1/4 of an inch with very little effort. I didn't have an appropriate tool to attempt a complete removal, but given the ease in which it moved so far, there's obviously no glue in or loctite in these.


----------



## Robocop (Nov 18, 2005)

Goldserve I am happy to see it worked for you as well as it did for me. I was able to turn the sink about a half of a turn after each squeeze and it took about 15 minutes to get it done.
Wmpwi that was exactly how my Fenix was at first. I was able to turn one of them very easy for the first full rotation however it quickly froze up the further out it came. Do not be dissapointed if yours suddenly "sticks" and feels impossible to remove. It seems that the glue is on the upper threads on some of these.
I bought a cheap (2.99) pair of the slimmer needle nose pliars and filed the very tip so it was a little thicker on the ends. With a little work you can fit the ends to the exact size of the tabs cut out in the bottom of the heat sinks and this will minimize slipping when twisting. The slimmer pliars also seem to do better than ordinary needle nose pliars as they do not contact the threads when placed down into the bezel.
The first pair I used were the ones I used on my ARCs and when placed inside and opened a little to grab the cut outs of the sink they would scrape the sides of the threads. I found a smaller pair at WalMart that worked just fine for the smaller diameter of the Fenix head.
Once apart these lights are actually pretty well set up for mods and appear to be an excellent host as the reflector does very well with several other luxeons I tried it with.
Good luck....


----------



## Christoph (Nov 19, 2005)




----------



## 4sevens (Nov 19, 2005)

WOW! That is amazing! It IS plastic! I wonder how many of those are
there! I wonder what advantage is there with plastic?


----------



## Robocop (Nov 20, 2005)

All of my Fenix reflectors have this plastic bottom however it appears that this is simply a "sleeve" that surrounds the actual reflector. There is a definate line that appears to seperate the 2 parts however this may simply be the way it looks. I have tapped on the edge of the silver reflector with a knife blade and it does have the "feel" of metal.
Check yours closely and see if it is indeed a plastic reflector.


----------



## xochi (Nov 20, 2005)

I just wanted to let you all know that if you are sick of destroying fenix heads, try "Klean Strip" brand "Premium Stripper" with methylene chloride. I used this last night to get the light engine out of a l1p version 2.5 from 4Sevens (no plastic reflector BTW). After waiting about 5 minutes and then working the heatsink back and forth a little , the LE/heatsink came out easily . The chemical did strip the reflector of the reflective coating (I was putting in a McR-18 anyhow) but nothing else was damaged. I rinsed and boiled the light engine to insure that all remaining stripper was gone. The light engine is working happily in a ano stripped body and I now have a logoless HA3 body running a picmicro pwm type board and a lux 3 with a MCR-18.


----------



## goldserve (Nov 20, 2005)

I'm glad to hear that. I wonder if a high concentration of acetone will work on dissolving the glue only and and not anything else.


----------



## xochi (Nov 20, 2005)

I tried nail polish remover (lotsa acetone) with no effect. Based on this , I skipped MEK and based on the fact that a product called "Goof Off" wouldn't dissolve epoxy, I did not try Xylene.


----------



## goldserve (Nov 20, 2005)

Doh....i was going to try "Goof Off" but you say it doesn't dissolve epoxy? Hrm...okay..i'll have a look at the can!

Anyways, i'm a proud owner of two FLuPIC Fenix lights! :naughty:


----------



## CroMAGnet (Dec 2, 2005)

xochi said:


> I just wanted to let you all know that if you are sick of destroying fenix heads, try "Klean Strip" brand "Premium Stripper" with methylene chloride. I used this last night to get the light engine out of a l1p version 2.5 from 4Sevens (no plastic reflector BTW). After waiting about 5 minutes and then working the heatsink back and forth a little , the LE/heatsink came out easily . The chemical did strip the reflector of the reflective coating (I was putting in a McR-18 anyhow) but nothing else was damaged. I rinsed and boiled the light engine to insure that all remaining stripper was gone. The light engine is working happily in a ano stripped body and I now have a logoless HA3 body running a picmicro pwm type board and a lux 3 with a MCR-18.



Holy Moly! Post some pics... beamshot too.


----------



## cy (Dec 3, 2005)

xochi said:


> I just wanted to let you all know that if you are sick of destroying fenix heads, try "Klean Strip" brand "Premium Stripper" with methylene chloride.


good job!

finally someone discovers way to defeat new glues


----------



## paulr (Dec 13, 2005)

I don't have mine open right now but the bezel ID reads 16.99mm (Centech digital caliper) just PAST the lip that holds the lens in. The lens diameter should be very close to that. ID at the lip reads 16.80mm.


----------



## MillerMods (Dec 16, 2005)

I can open the Fenix without any loss or damage to the anodized coating. Once I do that I drop in a 1.7 watt single NIMH cell driver. Yep, 1.7+ watts to the Lux from one common AA. It runs for a little over an hour, drawing 1.8+ Amps from the cell. 89% effecient! I have a post about it, take a look.


----------

