NEW: Primary Seal Ring DIY Kit

Hi Folks,

As most of you know, I've been installing the Primary Seal Ring in both Ready-Made and Blue-Label lights for the past few months.  Now those of you have have pre-PSR lights can order your own kit if you are feeling crafty. If not, you can return the light for an upgrade. Just to recap, the PSR is a 100% custom made part from Smalley Steel Ring Co., engineered specifically for sealing the Alpha window.

Primary Seal Ring (PSR) and nylon-jaw installation pliers

DIY Upgrade: Pricing is on the sales page of my website :)

I really (really) recommend getting the nylon-jaw pliers if you plan to DIY. See the "note" below. I do not warranty any damage you do to your own light :)

Mail-In Upgrade: The cost to send in a Ready-Made light for upgrade is $20  This covers the ring, the labor to install it, a thorough cleaning of the light, replacement of any o-rings that need it, and return shipping. Blue-Label owners pay only $5 for return shipping. The PSR and installation is provided (free) as part of the Blue-Label "Lifetime Upgrade" program. Membership has it's privileges as they say :)

If you want to send your light, please email me in advance to make arrangements: jason@darksucks.com

PLEASE NOTE: The nylon-jaw pliers are an option when you order a PSR kit. I spent months trying to find the best pliers for the job, in order to make DIY installations easy and reduce the chance you will damage the light during the install.

Doing an install with the bent-nose pliers I use in the video is tricky! The nylon pliers are dead simple.

Each installation deforms the jaws very slightly, because the jaws are nylon and the ring is stainless steel. However, you should get 6+ installations out of a set of jaws...so essentially a lifetime of use. I do sell extra sets of the nylon jaws if you are the kind of person that always likes to have a backup :)

NEW FEATURE: Alpha Primary Seal Ring (PSR)

As you know by now, I can't leave well enough alone. I pressure tested my lights to 300 feet for 5 hours...but that's just not good enough is it? What can make the Alpha even more bullet proof (water bullets)? Enter the Alpha Primary Seal Ring (PSR). It doesn't increase the depth rating, but it should extend the exposure time and improve the sealing performance under extreme physical conditions, like impact, vibration, temperature, altitude, and submersion.

Actually, it would be cool to carry an Alpha up to the snowy summit of a mountain and then down to the ocean and into a 300ft scuba dive. Anyone want to meet me in New Zealand?

The PSR makes the front seal 110% effective (that's a guesstimate)

As far as I know, this is also a completely novel method for sealing a flashlight. Patent worthy even, but now I've done it, since I posted this picture it can't be patented...by anyone...and I think that's fair :) I digress.

This ring is custom made from 302 stainless steel, just for me, by Smalley Steel Ring Co. out of Lake Zurich, Illinois. It is now a standard feature on all Alpha lights. It does make it a little harder to remove the o-ring and get to the lens, but you should really never need to do this unless the glass get broken or severely scratched over time.

Just in case you feel the urge, you'll need four things: o-ring pick, bent nose pliers, a replacement o-ring, and the link to this video. The pick and pliers are included with the Journeyman Package. They can also be purchased separately.

I do want to note, this seal is not absolutely necessary. I tested my light to 300 feet for 5 hours without the PSR in place. Unless your light is routinely in wet environments, I wouldn't worry about it. However, I want to send out a light that is as close to 100% reliable as possible, and this checks off one of the boxes that has been bothering me.

The PSR will be available as an optional upgrade for all existing Alphas, but not until the new year when things quiet down a bit. Please don't email me until then or I will just forget :) Alpha-Blue label owners, this is a free upgrade!

When in doubt, MacGyver it

So yes, I did look up the spelling of MacGyver and it's corret. Weird right? Anyway, I don't mean to give myself too much credit with that title but I couldn't come up with anything else. Recently I had to install a phillips screw inside the control panel of my CNC machine. The trick was it was between two circuit boards that are mounted on end. Think of sliced bread with a 1/2" gap in between and about 6 inches deep and who knows what kind of sensitive electrical components on each side. Remember that game "Operation?" Zap!

Yeeep, right in between those drive cards.
Oh and don't touch the capacitors. 

What to do? I rolled some painter's tape into a tube so it would be sticky on both sides and jammed it all together. Enough grip to keep the screw on the driver but can be removed easily enough. Pretty good eh? It worked beautifully.

It ain't purdy but it worked