2-C MAG MODS (Where Have I Been?)

[Icebreak]

Here is something I think is interesting:

I got off the phone with Carley a couple of hours ago. I was checking prices and testing the waters.

Some of you knew this but I didn't. Carley doesn't condescendingly sell to small buyers. Carley's very own, Patty, (excellent voice and conversational skills) tells me that she knows CPF and likes to check in to see what "those guys" are doing with the Carley bulbs. More specifically she knew some of our member's call signs and mentioned with a delightful tone, Lemlux and Ginseng and the group buys they did.

It's nice to be associated with CPF. I mean it is really nice. I could tell by the way she relaxed up, Patty was genuinely happy to be speaking with a CPFer. So, thanks to the advance teams...LemLux, XCal, Ginseng, PBJS, PaulW, Shifdelizor and others included.

Substance:

Patty confirmed that Carley builds per order and will build 808s and 809s potted with ceramic into the PR adapters in about a week. Cost is $7.89 per potted, PR adapted bulb.

I learned some other interesting things in this brief conversation. One of those things I've always suspected by indications posted by other members. In the world of flashlights...CPF is very much a player.

 

[Ginseng]

Cool!

I guess I didn't totally wear out my welcome with those two group buys. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif She has always done her damndest to service our crazy, demanding needs and she's done it with genuine dedication. IMHO, Carley is just a bit underappreciated for what they are capable of doing and have done.

Carley Cheers Thread

The 808's and 809's will perform well and in the ceramic bases, they're about bulletproof. The 808 on 4X and the 809 on 4.5X are the way to go. However, if you really want to step right up to the big boys, here's a thread about the 350 lumen output WA01318. I haven't yet taken beamshots of the 500 lumen output WA1185...been trying to stay in and avoid the EEE-carrying mosquitos.

KPR112 vs. Welch Allyn 01318

Wilkey

 

[Icebreak]

Yes, and with Otokoyama opening a thread on interest in perfect Mag reflector cammed version this subject seems to be heating up like a hot wire.

If he does a run I'll have to try the WAs and yes I remember I have to buy them and have Carley pot them.

This is cool...or hot, as it where.

 

[kubolaw]

Wilkey, is the WA01185 lamp that much brighter than the Carley 808s and 809s? I've compared the 808 (4x123) and the KPR112 (3x123), and there is a significant difference between those two. I seem to recall the differential to be on the order of the one you depict in your beamshots in the other thread (great shots, by the way). Although, that could be my faulty memory exaggerating what I saw at the time. I've been restraining myself from going with the WA01185 lamp due to its super high current requirements, but if it really does provide an order of magnitude brightness improvement over the Carleys, I may need to give it a try.

John

 

[Ginseng]

John,

The WA01185 on 9 x nimh AA is significantly brighter than the 809 on 4.5 liths even. I recall that when I first got my 809, I plugged it into 4x123 and compared it to my KPR112 against a white wall and outside in my backyard and I was crestfallen. I expected it to blow the KPR away but it did not. While it was brighter, the difference was slight. I remember that PlayboyJoeShmoe had the same reaction. Let me put it another way, I keep a spare 809 in the tailcap of my bigdog Mag as the LOLA. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif There's just nothing to compare to the 1318 and 1185.

While the 1318 puts out only 350 lumens when slightly overdriven and the 1185 puts out 500, they both throw comparable hotspots. Bright at nearly 400' even in a NYC night. The difference is in the total light output. The 1185 makes gobs of photons. So much so that I use an orange peel reflector to smear out the hotspot so it is fat and more useful. Then I use a SF FM24 diffuser when I want a smooth wall of light. With the FM24 in, I can brightly light up the entire front of my 2-story colonial.

While the 1185 current demand is onerous for all but nimh and nicads, Powerex cells seem to feed it nicely. The 1318 runs quite well on SF123s.

Wilkey

 

[this_is_nascar]

That being said, where can one get the 1318 and/or 1185?

 

[Ginseng]

Hey Nas,

I posted how to get this stuff in a posting on page three. I don't know how to link to a single post so you might want to go check it out.

On another note, comparative tests carried out by PaulW in this thread lead me to believe that about 60-65% of the rated lumens are actually finding their way out the front of the light. That is, the 815 bulb-lumen WA01185 makes over 500-torch lumens. It's astonishing that there is an apparent 35% loss, but PaulW's work with several SF's and LA's seem to correlate on output and power.

Wilkey

 

[this_is_nascar]

OK, so far, of the setups I've tested using the stock-reflector, 3x123 configuration in a 2C, I'd rank them this way in order of brightness.

1. TigerLight bulb in a PR base.
2. KPR-112.
3. WhiteStar.

I haven't metered any of these setups or performed any runtime testing, but it appears the TL bulb throws the furthest with the largest hotspot.

 

[PaulW]

Nascar,

Oh yeah. The Tigerlight is much brighter. It consumes more power -- 14.5 watts vs the KPR-112's 6.6 watts. Are you using the bare TL lamp with a Mag reflector? If so, that reflector should start bubbling with about 12 to 15 minutes run time.

For comparison, in a lux measurement (indirect off the wall) of a couple of months ago, I got the following relative overall brightness readings:

TL LA (textured) . . 4.8
SF M3 MN11 . . . . . 8.8 (225 lumens)
SF E2+. . . . . . . . . 3.7 (110 lumens)
SF E2e . . . . . . . . . 1.8 (60 lumens)

Paul

 

[Ginseng]

I'm not too surprised. It's a 7.2V 1.7A bulb IIRC. The others are well under 1A. It's the bulb that's squeezing the most out of 3x123.

BTW, did you drill out the TL bubl from the ceramic in the reflector? Probably didn't have to. With a little filing and pin-bending, the TL LA will fit (although not always perfectly) into a Mag head.

Wilkey

 

[this_is_nascar]

I removed the bulb from the TL reflector and installed into a pr-base, then into the 2C. I didn't like using the TL reflector, since the ability to focus is lost.

 

[larryk]

Of the combinations I've tried, I like the TL lamp the best. Granted you can't focus it down to as tight a beam. but it seems to me the TL lamp gives you the most usable light, and the best beam quality Larry.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Larry, although it may not be as tight, it is brighter and wider. I just recieved my Acrylite lenses. They certainly do a nice job of smoothing out the artifacts. I'm curious to see how/if throw is affected. I still have a few more hours until darkness.

 

[this_is_nascar]

These Acrylite lenses are awesome. I never thought I'd say this, but this 2C-MAG is now casting a beam that rivals (and exceeds) some SureFire lamps. I do have a question about this lens. I'm assuming the textured side of the lens goes out, meaning you can touch that side when mounted. Is this accurate?

 

[Minjin]

I just wanted to post and say that I finally tried the KPR112 w/3 123As and it is awesome!! The beam focuses down to an incredibly small, very bright hotspot. I must have got a good reflector because the beam is very good with no real artifacts. I really like the form factor of the 2c and the lithium batteries make it so light. This is definitely a "must do" for the budget flashaholic.

Thanks for the info.

Mark

 

[tylerdurden]

Well I did it. I ordered a Otokyama orange peel reflector, a UCL from flashlightlens.com, and I even splurged and got an electrolumens 123-to-C adapter. All the parts came in over the weekend while I was out of town, so today I went by HD and got a 2C mag and then stopped in radio shack and bought all the KPR112's they had (a whopping three of them). YO! This thing is insane! It throws for*ever*. As far as bang-for-the-buck, I don't see how you can beat it. I'd love to see some long-distance beamshots against a P90/P91.

 

[Ginseng]

The P90/P91 don't compare to the KPR in a Mag reflector. While the P's (especially the P91) make a nice fat hotspot, they don't throw. After about 30-40', they become a soft flood almost. The P91 makes a helluva lot more light though, 200 lumens to the KPR112's 100 or so.

Wilkey

 

[Afterimage]

I'm a believer now too. Such a simple mod: 3X123 and a KPR112. I cleaned out my local Radio Shack of their 3 bulbs too. It is stupidly bright and puts my scorpion to shame.

With a white Everled in the head, a teal Everled in the tailcap, and a small pouch containing the 3X123 battery pack with a couple of KPR112s; my Mag 2C does it all.

 

[kinzli]

Folks, I have a 6d maglight, if I put a KPR112 bulb in it, would it be roughly equivelant to the 2C/3x123 mods that are happening here, or are the 3x123's delivering more current than 6D cells can?

 

[PaulW]

Kinzli,

My rough calculation indicates that there would be more voltage applied to the KPR-112 with 6Ds. With the current at 0.75 to 0.80 amps, I estimate the voltage to be 9.3 on 6 fresh Ds, whereas it's 8.3 on 3 fresh 123s.

The probability is high that it would flash out on you. But, hey, trying out risky configurations is part of the territory. If you do try it, let us know what happens. If you have some used D cells around, you could start with them. Or, you could try 5 Ds plus a dummy cell. Good luck.

Paul