so you actually want to see several hours of PCB design. Thermal management and logistics all in a 7min video? wayy too high expectations. Not to mention you sure can build your own from scratch. Only issue is the companies already did that better for most part and for cheaper. Obviously there's other driver and PCB designs but not very easy. Also good luck with CNCing a aluminium shell for less than a few hundred bucks
I just found and sub'd to your site and I, too, would LOVE to see a build video on the DIY version because I own (FAR) too many SureFire lights with their original bulbs, and although they are bright as is, ANYTHING I can do to increase their Lumen output would be of benefit. And, in some instances (like on my weapons lights) I'd prefer to have a reasonable (?) battery lifespan, but given their purpose and anticipated ON duration when used in their, um, "intended" purpose, the trade-off would be a consideration. Wouldn't do to need the light for 60 minutes and get 30 plus a nuke-hot light casing, etc. Anyway, looking forward to seeing a build on this.
Nice, I would really love to watch the build! I have a BUNCH of old flashlights from the 70's/80's that use c and d batteries and really want to switch them over to led!
It's not worth the trouble. They won't be able to handle the heat the newer, brighter leds are putting out and the newer rechargable lithium ion batteries are far superior as well. It's much cheaper to buy new lights. There are lots of good lights for $15-$25 plus about $10 for a good protected battery. You'll be well ahead compared to trying to convert old flashlights. Convoy and Eagle Eye are some of the best brands right now.
What JasonWW2000 said. Unless you plan on modding them for fun and nostalgia, in which case go right ahead! Get a lower-power LED, a driver with not too many regulators, a few spacers and you're set to revive your Daylos of olden days.
JasonWW2000 $10 for a 18650 >3000 mAh Sieko protected Japanese? Did you throw the bill on the counter and run out the door? Orbtronics direct are $15 + s+h
cStu444 cStu444 Take a look at MTN Electronics, they carry the Evva protected versions and Illumn carry Keeppower protected versions. IMR Batteries in Houston are also a good source.
Hello, very informative, thanks. I have an Imalent DT35 with 4 cree xhp 35 leds (2017) and 2 of them are flikering, blinking... I recently bought it used, but it had very little use, so it is like new.... sometimes a 3rd led will start ok at 80lm setting, but then will turn off at 1000lm or 5000lm settings. The 4th one will never turn on. Do you think is there some solution for it? (by the way, with just 2 leds working the amount of light is impressive!)
so what was the max lumens from a single cree that you used? For 50$ i can get this 15xCree flashlight that uses 4 18620 3.7v lithium ion Batterries ( i think that is the number ). it also allows me to charge the flashlight and to see how much charge it has. I'd like to be able to make it zoomable though... im not too sure what the quality of the 15xcree is .. i think it was t6
Alls where did you buy your peb with xml2 led ion as I need a replacement for one of my torches but only found a bulk seller so far and $8 is a very fair price do you happen to know the diameter of the PCb each sh I need a different size thanks for your help
@kimo365 , recently a friend of mine gave me an ' atn javelin 169w flashlight . i dont even know if it works yet , assuming it doesn't , iyho would it be worth rebuilding .The end cap has a pressure switch on it and the wire is a little frayed . The body seems to be rugged , i just dont want to invest any money if the base line structure is lacking . Thanks , any info will be greatly appreciated .
Great Video I'm new to this, but have an old school 6 D cell Maglight. what kind of power do you think that could get using that as my donor. Any ideas and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Bruddah!
upgrade your maglite.. buy led upgrade for maglite from adventure sport flashlight on ebay... he has 5000lumens and 2500lumens upgrade led for maglite... i have use it and it really amazing... running on 2 26550 rechargeable battery...
Any chance you have, or would be willing to do, an updated version of this vid? Something like some hacks to DIY a light comparable to Cloud, Mod, Arista, etc?
Nice video, right to the point and didn't rant on stuff. I like your style of videos in general. Are you using any of these for weapons lights? Also, have you ever timed the run time, Just curious.
I have several Pentagon X3 flashlights that are built like a tank and I would like to upgrade it to the high output LED bulbs assy. However, Pentagon has gone out of business. Any idea what bulb and from where I could find the upgrade? Thank for your help.
I don’t mind paying the money for quality gear. Especially if it has a warranty. Never had a surefire light, or headlamp fail on me. More than I can say for any other illumination tools I have. I lost a P3x fury in the Canadian wilderness. It was outside smashed into the wet ground until winter came, and sat frozen in the ground until I found it over a year later. Guess what? It worked without a hiccup. That happened to me 4 years ago, and I use that very same light almost exclusively at work everyday.
Can you tell me exactly what driver and LED you used (part number etc.) so I can build the same light please. I noticed many options and I'm confused on what setup to get. I have never built a flashlight and this is a great alternative to expensive ones. Thanks, John.
If you could get me that information, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to build a duty light for me and a my partner. I'm tired of spending way too much money on this stuff. Especially if I loose one chasing someone. That definitely sucks. Any help is truly appreciated.
Can I do this on a inforce pistol light? Maybe I can bring it up to 1000-1500 lumens? I really like how it fits the Glock, olight makes a 1500 lumen but I don’t like a light sticking out. Great job on your videos sir!
Hey, nice video! Not sure if you know this, I went to the mtn electronics link. Practically everything on almost the entire sight is out of stock. Do you know these guys? Are they shutting down or something? Thanks!
No way, what parts are you referring to? Most of their inventory comes from overseas, so if it's a popular item they might run out and have to wait while they get more. Edit: I took a look and I see that they are out of the C8's. Maybe this video inspired several folks to go and buy them up? lol. I'm sure they will be back in stock soon. It's a fairly small company and the owner Richard is a real nice guy. He does a lot of custom builds himself and is very knowledgeable. You can also buy Convoy lights from Convoy's official store on Aliexpress - Shenzhen Convoy Electronics Co., Ltd. Convoy's owner, Simon, is not a custom builder due to time restraints, but on his smaller lights he can flash the drivers with his new firmware for $1 extra to give you lots of different modes to play with. I highly recommend that as the stock firmware is very basic and mildly annoying in my opinion. Other sites sell Convoy as well, but they will be stock lights.
sir hello .i have a question. i use to have a mares eos 3 pro .diving torch .i lost it .and im tryin to find just the led bulb it had .can you pls.show me where and what type of led it takes pls?
Hello i got Convoy S21A from a friend and it has these annoying modes that change every half-click, can they be removed somehow i opened the flashlight but dont know what im looking at
I would like to see the build, and I didn't find the links for items you mentioned in the video. You stated in the video that links are in the description, but I don't see them.
Being one who never met a flashlight he didn't like, let me reccommend one i bought at Wal-Mart. It's a pen size flashlight with a clip for your shirt pocket. Comes with batteries LED very brite, and the best part is they're $1.44 each. It's an unbelievable bargain. I have like 10 all around the house cars motorcycles. Check them out , you'll be impressed.
The stock Convoy C8 draws 2.8 amps (with 8 of the 7135 chips) and with a xml2 emitter that's about 950-1000 lumen. The driver he uses in the video looks to have 16 chips for a potential 5.6 amp draw, but I'm guessing it's going to be less than that due to the stock springs and maybe the battery depending on what kind he's using. If he's getting 4.5 to 5 amps then I would estimate it's putting out 1200-1400 lumen, maybe more. He didn't mention it, but the best part of these custom drivers is you can get them programmed with fancy firmware that have multiple different modes that you can choose.
Good video. It's good to know that there are alternatives to paying a high price for a flashlight. The high end flashlights have some shock and or water resistance. How does your light handle shock and water?
Generally speaking they are the same. Convoy and Eagle Eye are both very durable and the water resistance varies from model to model like any other brand. The C8 he has in the video is submersible. What's nice is if a part should ever break you can buy new parts cheaply. A new stock driver is like $3. A new tail switch is like $1. All very affordable.
If you think it is same quality, why Gov not purchase flash light from other cheaper brand? Why always buy them from SF? I saw SF flashlight can still work after IED. My Fenix broken after one drop from about 1.7m. This is the same quality you were talking about
You got a new subscriber. I like your approach on simplicity and would love to see a build. I'm thinking of doing my own. Maybe use a rechargeable battery with mini usb. Just my thoughts thanks for what your doing.
I'd recommend looking at the rechargable lights from Eagle Eye, the ones whose models end in R (for rechargable). Convoy doesn't have many models with built in USB recharging, but they do have more custom options.
I noticed your comment about Fenix customer service being better. That has not been my experience. It took me 18 days just to get a response to a warranty service request. At 18 days I received a video on how to clean the light. It now works but 18 days for a response? Not what I had hoped for from Fenix.
If you ever have problems with a SureFire call their service dept and you will be talking to a American human within 2mins. And that's a BIG IF. Heard Streamlights CS is not bad either though.
If size is not a primary concern, there are "lantern/boat/camping" style flashlights that often have giant reflectors and very solid waterproofing. $5 for the Rayovac one at the moment. That still needs the LED, brain-transplant, and decent batteries.
Buying a Surefire is like paying someone building the custom light for you (time is money), plus the light is basically mass produced custom light so there is minimal differentiation in build quality. A thing about LED heat management is it must be solidly mounted to the aluminum for maximum heat transfer so you still get 70% efficiency at 50,000 hours, otherwise the LED will burn out prematurely. Surefire uses thermal epoxy to mount their LED to the body so it can withstand rifle recoil, so it's almost fail proof. Also, under a rare event the light malfunctions you can send it back and they'll send you another (I don't think your custom light comes with a warranty).
Corrections: 1. There are a total of 16x 7135 chips, not just 8. You gotta check both sides of the driver; 2. The emitter is an XM-L2, not XHP-50 as some others have pointed out.
Excellent Video ! I would love to see how you put it together, step by step. I am a Flashlight Nut.... I keep them Every Where. My EDC is a "Luma Force" 250 lumens it's about 3 inches long holds one 1 2 3 battery
jcnme2020 ooo We're not quite on the tech level to make that viable. The differences in voltage among AAA, CR123 and rechargeable li-ion make putting together a universal driver system a complete nightmare. There are a few rechargeable Convoy models, but I don't know which. Your best bet would be to contact Simon (the owner) in Convoy's Aliexpress store after the 16th, when it re-opens.
Getting the basic flashlight for $40 might seem like it's a lot cheaper than buying it in a shop, but then you'll have to take into account not only the materials used in for example that Fenix where you have internal charging, a more complex body that had to be made for it, buttons and other such parts, the pocket clip, the actual charging cable, the included battery etc. and those things alone pretty much adds up to the $80 that the Fenix costs and that's not including actual work and if there ever needs to be any warranty work covered by them which means if you were to do the light yourself and count how much time it's taken you you'd end up at about $120 with all the parts if you want to do it all yourself. My point is, you don't just pay for a piece of turned aluminium and some minor parts, you pay for all of it and in a light such as Zebralight or Olight it's pretty much a bargain that they're that cheap with the quality and time put into it that you get, and should those randomly stop working you send it in and you get it fixed or replaced while doing it yourself once again costs you money to replace the parts and time to actually carry it out.
LRAJ88 Replacement parts for these lights are actually way cheaper than you think. A driver goes by 3 dollars, a switch by 1, and an XM-L2 LED star assembly goes for less than 10 if you know where to look for it. And thats not even taking into accound that the parts would cost you the shipping for a brand light already, and you being the one who made it yourself you'll know for sure you got it fixed instead of potentially getting a bum fix once it's sent back. Olight is decent but unreliable from my experience (I've had an S10R that failed completely 4 days after arrival, an S30 that doesn't go above medium mode without flickering like a faulty CFL, and an S1 with atrocious parasitic drain), and contacting their customer service is a nightmare to say the least. Fenix is just straight up overpriced and obsolete, a brand way past its prime.
If you get the cheapest stuff it'll always be cheaper, but cheaper doesn't always mean better either. If you want a good, reliable switch you may want something that's not sent in bulk where you have to go through 5 to find one that works the way it's intended, something that's already the case with a lot of the cheapest stuff you can get. The same goes for the LED unless you buy them checked so the tint isn't off or there are any other defects, this is even without mentioning the body of the light and replacement parts for that. If you have your own shop set up, you have experience with it and buy parts in bulk, sure it can cost you less overall than buying a brand flashlight since you can cut down on the work time then and save the money that way but otherwise it'll take a while to put together and for someone that doesn't do it all too often spending 20 minutes troubleshooting and an hour fixing it isn't ideal. As for the customer service from Olight I've never had any issues with them, they've replied back the next work day and helped me. Fenix was an example and albeit pricey and top of the line anymore their flashlights still work and their customer service does as well.
Actually most of the quality issues you mentioned are covered if you frequent a forum, where you can easily find groupbuys and other indications as well as detailed guides on flashlight building, from firmware to solder. Guess you're lucky then. Tho to be fair, once I contacted the BLF rep, Olight was very fast in setting up a conversation and I got both a replacement S1 as well as an S2 to compensate for the faulty S30.
thanks for teaching.....I had no idea it was that simplex to put A Flashlight together....I own a 2014 FENIX PD35 960 lumens... Of Unreal performance the 18650 battery's had to be Replaced after just a year but the FENIX Makes it worth shitty Battery's Once in a while....lol....Thanx again ....
well I just bought my Fenix UC30 2017 at City Mill for $41.68 it even came with a battery, holster, and the batter can charge with-in the flashlight!!!! It should be all sold out by friday island wide.
For budget seekers I would recommend Nitenumen NE01 as per Welljuggleknives. You can get them on Gear Best for $20 and they have a real 1000 LM with USB charge. I bought 2 and Welljuggleknives was right they are great for the price the only thing is no power level memory.
Probably the best budget lights that have built in USB chargers are the Eagle Eye brand. I've got 3 of the X2R (550 lumen, $15) and 1 of the X5R (1000 lumen, $25). These lights have off time memory, which is the best, and simple modes. x2r is low, med, high. x5r is low, med, high, turbo, plus a hidden strobe. I hear the X6R ($23) is a good light as well, but I don't have that one.
great job I've tried telling people the samething,you have the Nanjing board amped up to what about 4.12 amps?and iam mor trying to be sarcastic or negative at all but your emitter has to be an xm2 because that circuit board is only a 3 volt not a 6 volt needed for a xhp50 or xhp 70 .But you did a superb job on education acting people
I love to get beaten up ORIGINAL shurefire flashlights, dirt cheap, from local flea market etc., with blown incan bulbs etc, and mod the bulb assembly with whatever led solution i got handy... As i'm not going for high lumens, but as high reliability as possible, heat is not much of an issue...
lol when you build a flashlight…you are the customers service. I jut Lear how to do it thanks to you…… I have a convoy c8+ …. I want a Mateminco fw3 with all the bells Dual emitter… wide throw and LEP long spot simultaneously or individually… dual switch water resistant impact resistant. Mateminco $120 any other $200 + LEP I’m building my own.
I would love to watch the build, thanks
When I saw"Build Your Own" I was expending to see you actually build the flashlight.
Right, waste of time.
I didn't know you could get your own parts and assemble it yourself. That is worth the video all by itself.
so you actually want to see several hours of PCB design. Thermal management and logistics all in a 7min video? wayy too high expectations.
Not to mention you sure can build your own from scratch. Only issue is the companies already did that better for most part and for cheaper. Obviously there's other driver and PCB designs but not very easy. Also good luck with CNCing a aluminium shell for less than a few hundred bucks
@@MaxC_1 No need for all of that, but it would have been nice to see a step by step on how to assemble the parts that he bought.
How hard can that be?
What was the point of even making this video then?
Thanks for another great video! Thinking of attempting one of these builds but new to this.. Would be interested in your build process! Thanks
Show the build
9
For real
Great video! I made 2 flaslights, one that can light at +2000m and one with 100w led that can light a 10 storey apartment building from 600m :)
I just found and sub'd to your site and I, too, would LOVE to see a build video on the DIY version because I own (FAR) too many SureFire lights with their original bulbs, and although they are bright as is, ANYTHING I can do to increase their Lumen output would be of benefit. And, in some instances (like on my weapons lights) I'd prefer to have a reasonable (?) battery lifespan, but given their purpose and anticipated ON duration when used in their, um, "intended" purpose, the trade-off would be a consideration. Wouldn't do to need the light for 60 minutes and get 30 plus a nuke-hot light casing, etc.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing a build on this.
Great vid! I love my Streamlights and SureFires but I think it would be cool to build my own also just for a fun project.
Dude, I've been wondering if this was possible for so long! Thanks for the vid and please follow up with the full build!
NoTimeForThatNow thanks for watching! I'll have a build video coming after I get done with my ar15 review of Harden Arms
Love to see a video putting the light together great video also you forgot the link
Nice video. Thanks for doing the research and for sharing.
Do a whole episode in pigeon haha 😎
Nice, I would really love to watch the build! I have a BUNCH of old flashlights from the 70's/80's that use c and d batteries and really want to switch them over to led!
It's not worth the trouble. They won't be able to handle the heat the newer, brighter leds are putting out and the newer rechargable lithium ion batteries are far superior as well. It's much cheaper to buy new lights.
There are lots of good lights for $15-$25 plus about $10 for a good protected battery. You'll be well ahead compared to trying to convert old flashlights.
Convoy and Eagle Eye are some of the best brands right now.
What JasonWW2000 said. Unless you plan on modding them for fun and nostalgia, in which case go right ahead! Get a lower-power LED, a driver with not too many regulators, a few spacers and you're set to revive your Daylos of olden days.
JasonWW2000 $10 for a 18650 >3000 mAh Sieko protected Japanese? Did you throw the bill on the counter and run out the door? Orbtronics direct are $15 + s+h
cStu444 cStu444 Take a look at MTN Electronics, they carry the Evva protected versions and Illumn carry Keeppower protected versions. IMR Batteries in Houston are also a good source.
Hello, very informative, thanks. I have an Imalent DT35 with 4 cree xhp 35 leds (2017) and 2 of them are flikering, blinking... I recently bought it used, but it had very little use, so it is like new.... sometimes a 3rd led will start ok at 80lm setting, but then will turn off at 1000lm or 5000lm settings. The 4th one will never turn on. Do you think is there some solution for it? (by the way, with just 2 leds working the amount of light is impressive!)
Show the build, great job!!
THANKS, was hoping someone was thinking , "why don't I build my own?"
so what was the max lumens from a single cree that you used? For 50$ i can get this 15xCree flashlight that uses 4 18620 3.7v lithium ion Batterries ( i think that is the number ). it also allows me to charge the flashlight and to see how much charge it has. I'd like to be able to make it zoomable though... im not too sure what the quality of the 15xcree is .. i think it was t6
Alls where did you buy your peb with xml2 led ion as I need a replacement for one of my torches but only found a bulk seller so far and $8 is a very fair price do you happen to know the diameter of the PCb each sh I need a different size thanks for your help
My Fenix TK-12 is stil working after 8years. I never leave with out it when working the night or evening shift.
I've built ar15's from the ground up and even started a Glock build with an 80% frame, but I never thought of building a flash light. Mind blown.
I'm looking to do a build like this. I have many led flashlights. I've always wanted to upgrade them. Think I'm gonna try building one...
I got one of those for like 3$ it really is impressive how bright it is with 3 AAA batteries
How hard is to replace one of these led boards in a floodlight/flashlight? I have a pic of it. Seems to be glued onto a metal housing.
I would love to learn how you put this together!
Would be possible to replace orange peel reflector on Thrunite tc20 for smooth reflector?
yes do a build that would be awesome :)
I would love to see a build sometime.
Maybe some links to where to find components as well.
@kimo365 , recently a friend of mine gave me an ' atn javelin 169w flashlight . i dont even know if it works yet , assuming it doesn't , iyho would it be worth rebuilding .The end cap has a pressure switch on it and the wire is a little frayed . The body seems to be rugged , i just dont want to invest any money if the base line structure is lacking . Thanks , any info will be greatly appreciated .
Great Video
I'm new to this, but have an old school 6 D cell Maglight. what kind of power do you think that could get using that as my donor. Any ideas and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Bruddah!
upgrade your maglite.. buy led upgrade for maglite from adventure sport flashlight on ebay... he has 5000lumens and 2500lumens upgrade led for maglite... i have use it and it really amazing... running on 2 26550 rechargeable battery...
Or you could use the body of the maglite and do a form 1 and get some cups and an end cap,... Bam! Suppressorville!
Great video. i love that youre fighting for 2nd admendment rights in hawaii. My grandparents live on the kauai. Got alot of family out there.
thanks for watching! what side of Kauai?
Kawaihau
Wow, that is something I would have never considered. Thanks for showing us the possibilities. Your content is superb.
Any chance you have, or would be willing to do, an updated version of this vid? Something like some hacks to DIY a light comparable to Cloud, Mod, Arista, etc?
Nice video, right to the point and didn't rant on stuff. I like your style of videos in general.
Are you using any of these for weapons lights?
Also, have you ever timed the run time, Just curious.
GunsWithGage Mahalo for watching! I haven't timed the battey life but I know after a few minutes you could cook an egg on it. haaaaaaawt
You have no idea how much searching I've been doing for a vid like this lol
I have several Pentagon X3 flashlights that are built like a tank and I would like to upgrade it to the high output LED bulbs assy. However, Pentagon has gone out of business. Any idea what bulb and from where I could find the upgrade? Thank for your help.
do you have a tutorial and requirement needed to build a flashlight?
I want a high surefire clone can you tell me exactly what to order.
I don’t mind paying the money for quality gear. Especially if it has a warranty. Never had a surefire light, or headlamp fail on me. More than I can say for any other illumination tools I have. I lost a P3x fury in the Canadian wilderness. It was outside smashed into the wet ground until winter came, and sat frozen in the ground until I found it over a year later. Guess what? It worked without a hiccup. That happened to me 4 years ago, and I use that very same light almost exclusively at work everyday.
Excellent video. Thank you.
Did you make a video on how you put the light together??
What do u think of the pelican 7000 I just got one for 24.99 any info
Very cool thanks! I think it's crazy how much some people are willing to pay for a flashlight!
+Blakehx crazzzy
what driver board did you use?
Sir what do you recomend upgrade for convoy s15? Ihave SFT 40 smooth reflector
Good info and nice DIY build ;)
Exactly what I needed! I had to subscribe! My OCD is kicking in. Cheers from Australia 🙂👍👍👍
Your our welcome!
What size driver fits inside the Convoy C8?
Can you tell me exactly what driver and LED you used (part number etc.) so I can build the same light please. I noticed many options and I'm confused on what setup to get. I have never built a flashlight and this is a great alternative to expensive ones. Thanks, John.
+John Nelson omg I'll have to look it up it. The insides were sold as a lot with the host.
If you could get me that information, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to build a duty light for me and a my partner. I'm tired of spending way too much money on this stuff. Especially if I loose one chasing someone. That definitely sucks. Any help is truly appreciated.
Cool video, I would like to see the build.
I would love to watch the build video, thanks you in advance.
Awesome video!!! I was having this same discussion at my local gun shop! Please show the build, I"m curious to see how you did it. Much Mahalos!
@Kimo365 can you post a build list and instructional video?
Thanks for this video.
🤙🏽 I love Armytek lights
Can I do this on a inforce pistol light? Maybe I can bring it up to 1000-1500 lumens? I really like how it fits the Glock, olight makes a 1500 lumen but I don’t like a light sticking out. Great job on your videos sir!
Hey, nice video!
Not sure if you know this,
I went to the mtn electronics link. Practically everything on almost the entire sight is out of stock.
Do you know these guys? Are they shutting down or something?
Thanks!
mylestube5 they sell out of stuff quick they have an outstanding rep on the forums thanks forums
No way, what parts are you referring to?
Most of their inventory comes from overseas, so if it's a popular item they might run out and have to wait while they get more.
Edit: I took a look and I see that they are out of the C8's. Maybe this video inspired several folks to go and buy them up? lol. I'm sure they will be back in stock soon. It's a fairly small company and the owner Richard is a real nice guy. He does a lot of custom builds himself and is very knowledgeable.
You can also buy Convoy lights from Convoy's official store on Aliexpress - Shenzhen Convoy Electronics Co., Ltd.
Convoy's owner, Simon, is not a custom builder due to time restraints, but on his smaller lights he can flash the drivers with his new firmware for $1 extra to give you lots of different modes to play with. I highly recommend that as the stock firmware is very basic and mildly annoying in my opinion.
Other sites sell Convoy as well, but they will be stock lights.
I listened to IZ for years. nice vid.
sir hello .i have a question. i use to have a mares eos 3 pro .diving torch .i lost it .and im tryin to find just the led bulb it had .can you pls.show me where and what type of led it takes pls?
Hello i got Convoy S21A from a friend and it has these annoying modes that change every half-click, can they be removed somehow i opened the flashlight but dont know what im looking at
I would like to see the build, and I didn't find the links for items you mentioned in the video. You stated in the video that links are in the description, but I don't see them.
oppps ill list them now
Great video!
Mahalo Hans
Being one who never met a flashlight he didn't like, let me reccommend one i bought at Wal-Mart. It's a pen size flashlight with a clip for your shirt pocket. Comes with batteries LED very brite, and the best part is they're $1.44 each. It's an unbelievable bargain. I have like 10 all around the house cars motorcycles. Check them out , you'll be impressed.
You're freaking smart absolutely great thank you for sharing this we can all do it now
Great video whats the link, also are there any waterproof housing available? also approximately how many lumens would you say the convoy is?
The stock Convoy C8 draws 2.8 amps (with 8 of the 7135 chips) and with a xml2 emitter that's about 950-1000 lumen.
The driver he uses in the video looks to have 16 chips for a potential 5.6 amp draw, but I'm guessing it's going to be less than that due to the stock springs and maybe the battery depending on what kind he's using. If he's getting 4.5 to 5 amps then I would estimate it's putting out 1200-1400 lumen, maybe more.
He didn't mention it, but the best part of these custom drivers is you can get them programmed with fancy firmware that have multiple different modes that you can choose.
Yes,please lets see the build
Good video. It's good to know that there are alternatives to paying a high price for a flashlight. The high end flashlights have some shock and or water resistance. How does your light handle shock and water?
Generally speaking they are the same. Convoy and Eagle Eye are both very durable and the water resistance varies from model to model like any other brand. The C8 he has in the video is submersible.
What's nice is if a part should ever break you can buy new parts cheaply. A new stock driver is like $3. A new tail switch is like $1. All very affordable.
If you think it is same quality, why Gov not purchase flash light from other cheaper brand? Why always buy them from SF? I saw SF flashlight can still work after IED. My Fenix broken after one drop from about 1.7m. This is the same quality you were talking about
You got a new subscriber. I like your approach on simplicity and would love to see a build. I'm thinking of doing my own. Maybe use a rechargeable battery with mini usb. Just my thoughts thanks for what your doing.
I'd recommend looking at the rechargable lights from Eagle Eye, the ones whose models end in R (for rechargable).
Convoy doesn't have many models with built in USB recharging, but they do have more custom options.
I noticed your comment about Fenix customer service being better. That has not been my experience. It took me 18 days just to get a response to a warranty service request. At 18 days I received a video on how to clean the light. It now works but 18 days for a response? Not what I had hoped for from Fenix.
If you ever have problems with a SureFire call their service dept and you will be talking to a American human within 2mins. And that's a BIG IF. Heard Streamlights CS is not bad either though.
Is there a link for this?
You got me subscribed with the: eye of Mordor haha.
Thank you!
How do you know what batteries work with each host? I'm pretty ignorant in this field.
Garrett Walford
Battery tube diameter and length.
What’s the battery life like?
Why do that when I can buy one just like that the same price or less and get a warranty?
MTN has a great selection of parts.
Great video! Thank you! Subscribed!
Ok, So some guys say that LED was of lesser quality but it still shined brighter. Very cool, love to get ripped off like that. Show the build.
That LED emitter appears to be just an XM-L2 LED, probably U2 or U3 binning 😂😂
I'm afraid if you paid for an XHP50, you got ripped off.
Power Max yeah it's an xml2, he's reading off the mcpcb because they (can) use the same footprint
Appears... Wipe that smirk off!
Bro what is the lube on led bulb mine is broken like mirror
would love a build video as well
If size is not a primary concern, there are "lantern/boat/camping" style flashlights that often have giant reflectors and very solid waterproofing. $5 for the Rayovac one at the moment. That still needs the LED, brain-transplant, and decent batteries.
Buying a Surefire is like paying someone building the custom light for you (time is money), plus the light is basically mass produced custom light so there is minimal differentiation in build quality. A thing about LED heat management is it must be solidly mounted to the aluminum for maximum heat transfer so you still get 70% efficiency at 50,000 hours, otherwise the LED will burn out prematurely. Surefire uses thermal epoxy to mount their LED to the body so it can withstand rifle recoil, so it's almost fail proof. Also, under a rare event the light malfunctions you can send it back and they'll send you another (I don't think your custom light comes with a warranty).
I would love to see the build please. Maholo
Corrections:
1. There are a total of 16x 7135 chips, not just 8. You gotta check both sides of the driver;
2. The emitter is an XM-L2, not XHP-50 as some others have pointed out.
It says xhp50 on the chip
good job.
Excellent Video !
I would love to see how you put it together, step by step.
I am a Flashlight Nut....
I keep them Every Where.
My EDC is a "Luma Force"
250 lumens it's about 3 inches long holds one 1 2 3 battery
jcnme2020 ooo
Take a gander around Convoy lights sometime, then. You might like them.
Thank You Sir ! I will definitely check them out.
jcnme2020 ooo
What did you think of Convoy? ;-)
I liked it. I'd like a light I could recharge or use 123 batteries or AAA as well, all in one light.
What do you think?
jcnme2020 ooo We're not quite on the tech level to make that viable. The differences in voltage among AAA, CR123 and rechargeable li-ion make putting together a universal driver system a complete nightmare.
There are a few rechargeable Convoy models, but I don't know which. Your best bet would be to contact Simon (the owner) in Convoy's Aliexpress store after the 16th, when it re-opens.
Getting the basic flashlight for $40 might seem like it's a lot cheaper than buying it in a shop, but then you'll have to take into account not only the materials used in for example that Fenix where you have internal charging, a more complex body that had to be made for it, buttons and other such parts, the pocket clip, the actual charging cable, the included battery etc. and those things alone pretty much adds up to the $80 that the Fenix costs and that's not including actual work and if there ever needs to be any warranty work covered by them which means if you were to do the light yourself and count how much time it's taken you you'd end up at about $120 with all the parts if you want to do it all yourself.
My point is, you don't just pay for a piece of turned aluminium and some minor parts, you pay for all of it and in a light such as Zebralight or Olight it's pretty much a bargain that they're that cheap with the quality and time put into it that you get, and should those randomly stop working you send it in and you get it fixed or replaced while doing it yourself once again costs you money to replace the parts and time to actually carry it out.
LRAJ88
Replacement parts for these lights are actually way cheaper than you think. A driver goes by 3 dollars, a switch by 1, and an XM-L2 LED star assembly goes for less than 10 if you know where to look for it. And thats not even taking into accound that the parts would cost you the shipping for a brand light already, and you being the one who made it yourself you'll know for sure you got it fixed instead of potentially getting a bum fix once it's sent back.
Olight is decent but unreliable from my experience (I've had an S10R that failed completely 4 days after arrival, an S30 that doesn't go above medium mode without flickering like a faulty CFL, and an S1 with atrocious parasitic drain), and contacting their customer service is a nightmare to say the least. Fenix is just straight up overpriced and obsolete, a brand way past its prime.
If you get the cheapest stuff it'll always be cheaper, but cheaper doesn't always mean better either. If you want a good, reliable switch you may want something that's not sent in bulk where you have to go through 5 to find one that works the way it's intended, something that's already the case with a lot of the cheapest stuff you can get. The same goes for the LED unless you buy them checked so the tint isn't off or there are any other defects, this is even without mentioning the body of the light and replacement parts for that.
If you have your own shop set up, you have experience with it and buy parts in bulk, sure it can cost you less overall than buying a brand flashlight since you can cut down on the work time then and save the money that way but otherwise it'll take a while to put together and for someone that doesn't do it all too often spending 20 minutes troubleshooting and an hour fixing it isn't ideal.
As for the customer service from Olight I've never had any issues with them, they've replied back the next work day and helped me. Fenix was an example and albeit pricey and top of the line anymore their flashlights still work and their customer service does as well.
Actually most of the quality issues you mentioned are covered if you frequent a forum, where you can easily find groupbuys and other indications as well as detailed guides on flashlight building, from firmware to solder.
Guess you're lucky then. Tho to be fair, once I contacted the BLF rep, Olight was very fast in setting up a conversation and I got both a replacement S1 as well as an S2 to compensate for the faulty S30.
LRJ88 My cheap $8 flashlight has lasted 5 years no need warranty I could buy many more for the price of a shitfire!
Dinner-fork tongue ya he works for the competition. He is trying to persuade you to just buy his flashlight for a hundred dollars
very very cool.... good job.......
thanks for watching!
thanks for teaching.....I had no idea it was that simplex to put A Flashlight together....I own a 2014 FENIX PD35 960 lumens... Of Unreal performance the 18650 battery's had to be Replaced after just a year but the FENIX Makes it worth shitty Battery's Once in a while....lol....Thanx again ....
How about making a powerfull scuba light?
parts list?
well I just bought my Fenix UC30 2017 at City Mill for $41.68 it even came with a battery, holster, and the batter can charge with-in the flashlight!!!! It should be all sold out by friday island wide.
Your using a 6v led with a NANJG 105C?
That's an XM-L2 (3V), the board supports 6V LED becuase XHP50 (6V) has the same footprint.
For budget seekers I would recommend Nitenumen NE01 as per Welljuggleknives. You can get them on Gear Best for $20 and they have a real 1000 LM with USB charge. I bought 2 and Welljuggleknives was right they are great for the price the only thing is no power level memory.
Probably the best budget lights that have built in USB chargers are the Eagle Eye brand. I've got 3 of the X2R (550 lumen, $15) and 1 of the X5R (1000 lumen, $25). These lights have off time memory, which is the best, and simple modes.
x2r is low, med, high.
x5r is low, med, high, turbo, plus a hidden strobe.
I hear the X6R ($23) is a good light as well, but I don't have that one.
ap0lmc Why do they use usb all usb leads I ever had broke in a couple of years!
How can i buy this led i want one
Can you make another flashlight please with a modern 5K lumen led
How is the water/impact resistance?
Jory Ferrell I got a video planned for that but it won't be till I move to vegas stay tuned thanks for watching
No prob...and thanks for showing us how to make a budget light-saber... :P
Thanks I subscribed
To date is there anything to built better !?
great job I've tried telling people the samething,you have the Nanjing board amped up to what about 4.12 amps?and iam mor trying to be sarcastic or negative at all but your emitter has to be an xm2 because that circuit board is only a 3 volt not a 6 volt needed for a xhp50 or xhp 70 .But you did a superb job on education acting people
Yes do the build..
I love to get beaten up ORIGINAL shurefire flashlights, dirt cheap, from local flea market etc., with blown incan bulbs etc, and mod the bulb assembly with whatever led solution i got handy...
As i'm not going for high lumens, but as high reliability as possible, heat is not much of an issue...
lol when you build a flashlight…you are the customers service.
I jut Lear how to do it thanks to you…… I have a convoy c8+ …. I want a Mateminco fw3 with all the bells
Dual emitter… wide throw and LEP long spot simultaneously or individually… dual switch water resistant impact resistant.
Mateminco $120 any other $200 + LEP
I’m building my own.