shuffles

Howdy all,

I want to make my 5-mode MTE (DX 12060) a 2 mode by removing the driver and adding resistors to the tail switch. I'd like to be able to run at full power and at 75%. Currently, the medium mode is reported to be about 30%.

There's been some discussion in the past about what resistor values to use, and I'm currently thinking I would need about a 1 Ohm resistor to bring it to 75%.

It's also been suggested to use a 2 watt resistor for this application. A 2 watt resistor is huge, and I cannot believe that it would actually fit in the tail cap of this flashlight.

What value and capacity resistors are included in the 2-mode lights from MTE, Aurora, Trustfire, etc?

Let's discuss.

Thanks!

Unknown Cyclist

I have the 2 x 18650 Aurora P7 (and very good it is too).

Here's some of the measurements I've taken:

On high:
Runtime = 2 hrs 16 mins (continuous)
Current draw from battery = 1.16A (measured) Voltage unmeasured
Voltage at P7 = 3.34V (measured)
Current at P7 = 1.42A (calculated)
Estimated Watts @ LED 4.7W
Lumens = 400 ?

On low:
Runtime = 5 hrs 43 mins (continuous)
Current draw from battery = 0.6A (measured) Voltage unmeasured
Voltage at P7 = 2.99V (measured)
Current at P7 = 480mA (calculated)
Estimated Watts @ LED 1.4W
Lumens = 140 (estimated)

Resistor in tailcap = 7.5 ohms (measured)

Battery recharge time 7 hrs 50 mins

Weight inc. batteries 374 g (13.2 oz)

Hope this is of some help to you, see my signature for the review thread or ask if there's anything else I can let you know.

shuffles

Thanks UC. 7.5 or 8 Ohms is about what I figured for these stock lights. What current value is it? Is it a standard wire wound resistor?

Unknown Cyclist

I'm not an expert, however, it looks the same as some metal film and carbon resistors I have.



When you say standard wire wound, do you mean the white ceramic block type ?

What are you hoping to achieve ?

shuffles

No, I mean just like you pictured here, whatever that kind is. From my googling, it looks like the body of a 2 watt resistor would be about 15mm long (length of 0.688 inch and diameter of 0.318 inch), and a 1 watt would be about 11mm long. Which one does yours look like?

So, how big is your resistor?

Oh, and I'm hoping to achieve the same functionality that you have in your 2-mode flashlight. The 5-modes don't have any resistors, they just have the driver which I intend to remove. So, they resistor would be connected to the clicky and would be used to dim the circuit.

Unknown Cyclist

I'll check and get back to you.

Is your torch 1 x 18650 or 2 x 18650 ?

Are you going to direct drive the LED ?

There's little reason to consider that a similar size resistor will get the same results, as my 2 x 18650 torch is regulated, so unless you have the save regulator and same voltage in, you won't get the same results.

shuffles

I have a 1x18650.

Unknown Cyclist

Are you going to use a regulator ?

shuffles

Not planning to.

Unknown Cyclist

The resistor in my torch is doing a subtly different job then.

You currently have a 5 mode driver which is operated by a momentary switch.

As well as removing the driver you'll need a different switch.

Calculating the correct value for the resistor would be easy if the LED had a linear response, which it doesn't, trial and error might be the easiest solution.

Rather than destroying the torch you have just buy a torch body kit from DX for $11.50 and play with that.

Torch Body Kit

EDIT: Scratch that...it's not P7......

Or just buy a torch that suits you.