Intova 3W LED Dive Light?

[HenrikBP]

OK, good news and bad news ...:

Good news: it turns out that a 3/4 spade drill bit is an almost perfect fit in the slots in the light body. It allowed me to use a 1/4 socket on a ratchet wrench and really put some torque on the body. To the point where the light head was slipping both in the vise and in a large strap wrench. Which in turn made me write Intova and ask what's going on ...

and here comes the bad news:

Quote - me:
"This may be an odd question, but I'm hoping you can help me out;
<snip>
I know from other light tinkerers that the light head unscrews from the body just in front of the switch. However, I can't for the life of me get the light head unscrewed. So my question is; have you started using thread locking compound or similar on those threads rather than the 2 o-rings and rubber gasket of earlier versions of this light?"

Quote - Joe Ganahl from Intova was very kind to reply:
"Correct, it is glued.

We are also introducing a new 6 watt 130 lumen CREE LED wide angle
version for just a few dollars more.

Regards,

Joe Ganahl

Intova/Snap Sights
www.intova.net"

So I'm afraid that those of us who happened to buy the newer version is out of luck with regard to modding this light. Of course it's a very nice light in it's own right ... but I really wanted to tweak it

Of course, if I feel brave enough I may either try heating the light more than I have before and see if I can break the glue, or even machine flats on the head so I can get a better grip. Won't happen right now though.

Henrik

 

[D_B]

Bummer

I think the way to tell the difference would be the small "keyring" used to attach the lanyard on the older model

Too bad, I would be lots more interested in the 6 Watt one if it wasn't wide angle

 

[HenrikBP]

Bummer

I think the way to tell the difference would be the small "keyring" used to attach the lanyard on the older model

I think you're right.

Too bad, I would be lots more interested in the 6 Watt one if it wasn't wide angle

I agree.

Henrik

 

[D_B]

Just picked up another one from the LDS, just in case and because they seem to have changed the design to prevent "tinkering" It's the old style with keyring style lanyard mount, head does remove on this one.
I noticed that the head only has one O ring unlike my other with two O rings and the heads of the two phillips screws holding in the LED star are stripped out on this one

 

[HenrikBP]

Dang D_B; good thing you have the opportunity to buy direct. Too bad you got an "in-between" model. You certainly got the best version the first time around.

Really too bad about the glue - this really would be an ideal light for modding.

Henrik

 

[D_B]

This one has a decidedly more bluish cast and a little less tightly focused and is less bright overall (you can turn the head to change focus slightly, and this one is not as tight as the other one, but it also looks dimmer irrespectively) .. gonna use this one to mod, and save the other, better one as stock

 

[D_B]

Updated pics ..
The heatsink is threaded into the body and uses an O ring seal or spacer at top ...
Circuit board is under heatsink and slides out after removeing LED Star from heatsink and unscrewing sink from body, holding wires/star from turning .. be carful of green ground strap wire on edge of board, heatsink butts up against it and mine came loose turning heatsink and will require me to re-solder it to board

White paste on back of LED Star is computer CPU thermal paste I applied to help conduct heat from LED to heatsink, I also will apply some to the threads of heatsink to better conduct heat from sink to body of light

I measured the LED driver board module and it's just under 20mm in each direction, say 19.5mm X 19.5mm ..... bottom has bent tab battery contact that you can't see in the pic

 

[HenrikBP]

Keep the pictures coming D_B. Even if I can't get to it myself, I'd like to see what you come up with for modding the light.

Any chance you can take before/after beam shots? Works best with a camera with manual settings.

Henrik

 

[TheRedDread]

I had no luck of unscrewing the head, I'm beginning to think that I got the newer version and the head is glued (any way to still unscrew this?).

Also which why should I turn?

Thanks.

 

[HenrikBP]

Having struggled with it myself, if your light is glued, I think you're likely to damage/ruin the light before you get it unscrewed. Sorry.

If you look down the length of the light from say the head end, then you would need to twist the head counter-clockwise.

Henrik