I’m a pretty big fan of DIY and flashlights, so my decision to combine the best of two worlds was the next logical step to take. Here’s everything that I used:
Bought everything from FastTech:
Decided to go with a very warm (2800-3000K) Cree XM-L2 T4-7C LED. Ever since I started to use f.lux everything that’s above 5000K starts go give me a headache 😅
The driver is a AMC7135 based one and uses 5 of them, which results in 1750 mA of max current. I’ve soldered the third star, which corresponds to the following brightness levels: 5% > 30% > 100%.
The insulation gaskets fits perfectly (with a satisfying click) and makes sure the reflector is positioned correctly in front of the LED. I thought that five AMCs was enough, since 8 of them will make the flashlight too hot too fast; turns out even 5 is quite a lot for a tube-style host, while running at 100%.
UltraFire is considered to be not-too-good in the flashlight community, but this host is actually well-build and almost as good as the ones produced by Convoy. Pill is made out of brass, which (with little surprise to anyone) is pretty hard to solder.
The button cover actually glows in the dark, but not too bright and not for too long, which I would classify as “meh”. The finish is pleasant to the touch and does a well-enough job of heat dissipation.
I prefer OP reflectors (as opposed to smooth ones) since the hot-spot isn’t as different as other parts of the beam. Planning on swapping it for a TIR lens in the future.
Obligatory beam-shot from the side. It took me about 2 hours of soldering to get this thing working.
Overall this project cost me $12.36, not including shipping. Gotta be honest, it was a ton of fun.