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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/6/2007
Posts: 268
Location: Underwater
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I just finished an UltraFire 200M modification.
This modification takes the UltraFire 200m from around 176 lumens to around 900 lumens (176 lumen and 900 lumen figures are from the specs of the LED bulbs, driven under similar conditions). For a quick comparison, the $1100+ Dive Rite Canister HID light is listed as 1000 Lumens (though I suspect it is probably much brigher than the final result of this modification, I haven't compared the 2 lights yet).
The final flashlight size seems slightly longer and narrower than a Mag light 3-C Cell flashlight. I also beefed up the front O-Rings (UltraFire 200M has a bit of a shakey reputation, dealing with front O-Ring seal failures). The expected battery life is about 2 hours, but I haven't checked that yet either...
This modification uses mostly commercially available parts. No custom circuit boards or PIC Chip code. There is a small custom made aluminum heat sink. And a little bit of work with some very thin Stainless Steel. But overall this is a very simple modification.
The entire process can be done in a few hours.
The tools used are a Dremel, a small Band Saw (though the Dremel can be used in place of the Band Saw), a bench grinder (with a wire wheel, again maybe the Dremel could be used?), a drill (the Dremel again - possibly?), a Soldering Iron (with a small tip), a small pair of Needle Nose Pliers. And a bench mounted Circular Sander (to shape the aluminum heat sink, again could possibly be done with the Dremel - but it would probably be a lot more work).
I believe the total cost of the modification, including the UltraFire 200M, was just under $100. Which isn't bad considering the end result is a very bright, small, dive light with 100% user replacable (affordable) parts.
There are lots of other web posts that describe how to modify the UltraFire 200M to use the SSC P7 LED. I borrowed heavily from those posts. The major changes I made to the design are dealing with getting the power from the bottom of the batteries to the driver board (I wanted to use parts that are very easy to get, no tricky to find springs or tubes). And with attempting to make sure the spring on the bottom of batteries, wasn't exerting pressure on the front lens (which could lead to front O-Ring seal failure).
In day or so, I will be making one for Matt. I will create the step by step documentation and post it here, as I make that one.
!SELCANRAB YM EPARCS ,siht daer nac uoy fI !taob s'esoJ ekil I
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/6/2007
Posts: 268
Location: Underwater
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All the pieces for Matt's flashlight are finished, and all the construction pictures have been taken.
I need to pick up some hardening heat sink compound, assemble the flashlight, and post the instructions and pictures.
!SELCANRAB YM EPARCS ,siht daer nac uoy fI !taob s'esoJ ekil I
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Rank: Administration
Joined: 3/17/2007
Posts: 333
Location: On a boat!
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Action shots required!
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/6/2007
Posts: 268
Location: Underwater
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Matt wrote:Action shots required! I will definitely be including some shots of the final flashlight in action, compared to some other flashlights... I took the new light into PW this afternoon and compared the light output to the DK AquaSun. The illumination area appeared to be about the same size, but the AquaSun seemed dimmer. The clerk was holding the AquaSun so it is possible it wasn't on full brightness. But according to the AquaSun specs, and the specs on the circuit driving the LED in this little light, we should be slightly brighter (825 Lumens for the Aquasun, and 900+ Lumens for the new light). But I wouldn't expect a difference of around 75 lumens (in the 800+ Lumen range) to be visible. And I don't expect the circuit we purchased to actually be driving the LED to the full 900+ lumens. I went to Frys today, and they no longer carry Thremal Adhesives, just Thermal Grease. I will have to pick some up on the way home from work tomorrow... I am also planning on adding one additional step to the mounting of the aluminum heat sink. To insure the thermal adhesive gets a better grip to the edges of the flashlight tube. Using the Dremel Cutting Blade, I am planning on removing the anodization on the inside of the flashlight tube, and roughing up the surface, where the heat sink slug rests. This should allow the adhesive to do a better job bonding the heat sink slug to the flashlight tube. After seeing how bright this little flashlight is. I am getting anxious to get back to work on Version 2 of our full size canister dive light. It will be using 3 of these LEDs, driven by our own PIC Chip code, to insure the full 900+ Lumens per LED.
!SELCANRAB YM EPARCS ,siht daer nac uoy fI !taob s'esoJ ekil I
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/31/2007
Posts: 58
Location: Underwater in Garden Grove
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Hi Steve, When you get ready to put the kit together, put me on the short list to buy one. Also interested in being one of your rep's for the new Yaeger dive light. Everybody is going to want one. I can see it now. It's going to be on late night scuba TV. "But wait there's more" for just shipping handling you can ...
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Rank: Administration
Joined: 3/17/2007
Posts: 333
Location: On a boat!
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I saw this light in action above the water last night.. and it is bright!
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/6/2007
Posts: 268
Location: Underwater
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2 dives with the UltraFire 200m, and 2 Floods.
First flood came through the front lens. Beefed up the O-Rings to an even larger size... Flooded again. Not sure where the second flood came from. From the location of the corrosion, it looks like it may have originated in the body.
Conclusion: Even with all the O-Rings beefed up, the UltraFire 200m didn't serve as a good base my SSC P7 dive light mod.
Cost was just under $100. But all was not lost. The batteries and SSC P7 LEDs survived. And the UltraFire 200ms will continue to work above the water fine. The SSC P7s will still work in the canister light we are building. The canister dive lights willl use 3 or 4 of the SSC P7s (assuming we don't switch over to the SST-50s...).
SSC P7 is 700 to 1000 Lumens. I found a dive light from a manufacturer in china called the MJ-850. It is based on the SST-50 and is 700 to 1300 Lumens (up to 30% brighter than the SSC P7). The MJ-850 doesn't require moding, is about the same cost as the modded UltraFire 200m. It has a much more elegant control system (similar to the control system we built for our canister lights). The MJ-850 is only rated too 100 meters, but according to PADI, I am only rated to 40 meters. So it shouldn't be a problem.
I am putting together a purchase for a couple of the MJ-850s. Hopefully my experiences with the MJ-850s will be better than they were with the UltraFire 200m... I guess the UltraFire 200m just become my new bike light...
!SELCANRAB YM EPARCS ,siht daer nac uoy fI !taob s'esoJ ekil I
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 4/6/2007
Posts: 268
Location: Underwater
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The China Dive Light purchase has become a purchase for 2 MJ-850s (one for me, and one for Matt). And a MJ-810 for Jose. The MJ-810 is 700 to 900 lumens and uses a SSC P7 LED (the LED I was using to mod the Ultrafire 200ms). Like the MJ-850, it is also rated to 100 meters and has the same elegant control system that the MJ-850s have.
We are purchasing the lights directly from the manufacturer. Unlike the Ultrafire 200m (which was made from plastic and aluminum) these lights are made entirely of 6061-T6 aluminum. They are packaged in a "gift box", with the rechargable Li-Ion batteries and the charger.
Since the price includes the batteries and the charger, the cost of these lights is considerably less than the cost of modding the Ultrafire 200m. However, since we are only buying 3 lights, the cost of shipping in comparison to the cost of the lights, is fairly high (the shipping price is actually higher than the price of the MJ-810 package). If we were buying more lights, the shipping for each additional llight would just be $4. So if these work and we decide to do a group purchase, buying in volume will be the key to getting the best price.
Hopefully, we the Guinea Pigs, will have better luck with these, than we had with the Ultrafire 200ms.
!SELCANRAB YM EPARCS ,siht daer nac uoy fI !taob s'esoJ ekil I
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