Long Runtime Incandescents

[RobertMM]

Well, I got my 3C Mag today.
My 5000mAh cells were already charged in anticipation, and I dropped the 6 cell bipin bulb and was surprised to see that the cells, while technically not button top, made sufficient contact and the bulb fired right up.
A bonus is that even if loose, the cells did not rattle as the stiff tailcap spring put enough tension to hold them in place. No need for a DIY spacer, I guess.

Beam was as expected: a lot of artifacts and some fiddling was necessary(bending the bulb ever so slightly this way and that while mounted on the socket) to get the best beam profile.
Silly me forgot to pickup a can of clear acrylic spray to lightly stipple the stock reflector and clean up the beam.

That will come next, as may some resistance mods I learned about in this forum. Overall pleased with this build, if the lamps pull 950mA and with the cells fully charged I guess I can expect at least a couple hours of runtime for this setup. 😁

 

[DayofReckoning]

Well, I got my 3C Mag today.
My 5000mAh cells were already charged in anticipation, and I dropped the 6 cell bipin bulb and was surprised to see that the cells, while technically not button top, made sufficient contact and the bulb fired right up.
A bonus is that even if loose, the cells did not rattle as the stiff tailcap spring put enough tension to hold them in place. No need for a DIY spacer, I guess.

Beam was as expected: a lot of artifacts and some fiddling was necessary(bending the bulb ever so slightly this way and that while mounted on the socket) to get the best beam profile.
Silly me forgot to pickup a can of clear acrylic spray to lightly stipple the stock reflector and clean up the beam.

That will come next, as may some resistance mods I learned about in this forum. Overall pleased with this build, if the lamps pull 950mA and with the cells fully charged I guess I can expect at least a couple hours of runtime for this setup. 

Good to hear everything is up and running . I'm not a white wall hunter and am not bothered by the artifacts myself, but understand how it bothers some.

Kaidomain sells orange peeled reflectors here for a decent price

I think you will be most happy with the switch resistance mod. The difference is quite noticeable. I had zero experience soldering, and was able to pull it off without much trouble. Just something to note

Make sure that the insulated wire you use is thin enough that the spring remains nice and flexible. I made the mistake the first time of using too thick of a wire, and the spring lost it's flexibility and was stiff because the wire was too thick to flex. It didn't seem to work consistent and reliable. IIRC, I ended up using 18 gauge wire, and it worked perfect.

 

[fivemega]

Fivemega saying that the 6 cell Magnumstar bipin draws just 900-950mAh, so it makes sense the TAD which is drawing more will be brighter.

This is maximum limit of Alkaline cells but if you draw more, efficiency will drop so unacceptable. Therefore, the only choice for brighter bulb (higher wattage) is to add more cells such as 4-5 or 6 cells.
Most flashlight makers to go higher wattage and brighter bulb but still in acceptable size, use Lithium primary ($urefire) or rechargeable (M*gCharger).
With new technology higher capacity Lithium rechargeable, most problems solved and can easily upgrade our old flashlights.

Beam was as expected: a lot of artifacts

Your next choice to remove all artifacts and get softer beam shape is Armour etch the bulb. This method may reduce brightness little bit but result is awesome. Worth to try.

 

[RobertMM]

Thank you for your insights and tips DayofReckoning and Fivemega.
Now I can't decide which one to try 😁

I ran my setup for 3 hours total, in 1 hour increments and when I was done the cells read 3.72Volts each, not bad.

A major hiccup us that when I looked at the bulb, the glass envelope had noticeably darkened. Bummer. I thought the gases were supposed to prevent that, or at least keep it from happening so soon into the bulb life(only 3.5 hours on it).

Oh well, glad I bought several bulbs.

 

[Grijon]

I can't say for sure because I've never measured, but I'm thinking less than 10 hours per bulb has been my experience with the stock 6-cell bulbs on 6 NiMH.

The 6-cell bulb is by far the shortest lived in my time with stock xenon Maglite 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-cell bulbs on equal number of NiMH power.

 

[DayofReckoning]

Thank you for your insights and tips DayofReckoning and Fivemega.
Now I can't decide which one to try 

I ran my setup for 3 hours total, in 1 hour increments and when I was done the cells read 3.72Volts each, not bad.

A major hiccup us that when I looked at the bulb, the glass envelope had noticeably darkened. Bummer. I thought the gases were supposed to prevent that, or at least keep it from happening so soon into the bulb life(only 3.5 hours on it).

Oh well, glad I bought several bulbs.

I'm assuming you are running the newer style bi-pin lamps? The 6 cell lamps I have are the older PR based style, I bought a batch around 2006.

I wonder if there is any difference between the two as far as quality and longevity? I would not be surprised to find the older PR style were better.

 

[RobertMM]

I'm assuming you are running the newer style bi-pin lamps? The 6 cell lamps I have are the older PR based style, I bought a batch around 2006. I wonder if there is any difference between the two as far as quality and longevity? I would not be surprised to find the older PR style were better.

Yes Sir I have the (relatively) newest Magnumstar bipin.I think that the small surface area inside the glass envelope compared to the older PR based bulbs is a factor on why it darkened that quickly.
I mean for a given amount of filament particles, they can only adhere to a very small area inside compared to the big old bulbs where the same amount of filament particles will only create a thinner and less noticeable blackening.

Considering I paid 21USD for three of these bipins, I am quite bummed.

I had much better experience with the older Magnumstar PR based bulb which had the big cylindrical glass envelope. I ran a single 4 cell variant in a 4D Mag running NiMH for hours on end and I still have the bulb today, with almost no sign of blackening.

As for my project, I sputtered the reflector with 3 blasts of clear acrylic spray from 15 inches away. Turned out better than I hoped, looking like it came from the factory that way. I will run these bipins till they go out or blacken too much, then I'll hunt for a good PR based alternative.

 

[fivemega]

I will run these bipins till they go out or blacken too much, then I'll hunt for a good PR based alternative.

Like this?
Not a bi-pin but good choice.

 

[RobertMM]

Like this?
Not a bi-pin but good choice.

Love it. Fivemega never fails to impress. 😁

 

[ampdude]

I'm assuming you are running the newer style bi-pin lamps? The 6 cell lamps I have are the older PR based style, I bought a batch around 2006.

I wonder if there is any difference between the two as far as quality and longevity? I would not be surprised to find the older PR style were better.

I have some of both in the 2 cell and 4 cell size. Probably have some 6 cells around as well. From what I remember of the PR based lamps, the output of the Magnumstar I is basically the same as the II, but I have not put them side to side. I don't remember if there is a PR based Magnumstar II. I think there is because I think the II's came out around 2010 IIRC.

 

[RobertMM]

Found some 500mA 7.2V bulbs at evilbay, seller legantec24.

Those should gove awesome runtimes for 2x18650 or 21700 without blackening as much as the small bipin bulbs.

 

[325addict]

I also made such a long running incan light. Take one standard 2D Mag, add two NiMH 8500mAh D-cells and add a 2.7V / 150mA bulb. Now calculate HOW LONG that will run
Not much light, but definitely enough light to prevent you from stumbling over things in your house when it's pitch dark.

 

[325addict]

OK, another one:
- take one Makita BML185 light
- take one fully charged BL1860B battery
- change the bulb for the bulb belonging in a BML184 lamp (18V / 0.2A)

And enjoy 30 hours of nice light!