Mag 3D mods

[matt_o]

This has probably been beaten to death, but I a lot of the threads that I found are a couple years old. I'm looking for a good mod for my Mag 3D. I am looking for something really bright that will blow my 200-300 lumen led's out of the water. I was thinking in the 1500-2000 lumen range. I would like it to be incan and am open to suggestions on batteries. I will probably accumulate parts as money permits, so I might not start right away, but am curious what would be the best for my needs (wants). Thanks.

 

[mrartillery]

Mag 85 or Fm1909 will suit your needs perfectly. Both will work well on either 3 x18650's or IMR 26500's. Although be careful of startup with freshly charged IMR's on the 1185 as you can cause a .

 

[Kestrel]

I will probably accumulate parts as money permits, so I might not start right away

So this is an interesting train of thought, it would be fun to 'explore on the way', so to speak - so what upgrades do you get & experiment with now which will also be useful in an end-game 'ultimate build' like the FM1909 for example.

I'm no expert, but trying to think along the lines of the OP's considerations, my guess is as follows:

1. First, before anything else, you need high power. 3x IMR 26500 cells plus a good charger is perhaps the best 'end-game' solution that is also useful starting out.
2. Second, make or get a 'dummy' C cell (for virtually no cost) - this gives you a lot of relatively-low-voltage options until you get around to replacing all the components in your Mag that are vulnerable to heat.
3. Get a Pelican 3853 2-pack. These relatively-inexpensive PR-base bulbs drop straight in, and you can use the -L immediately with 2x IMR's. Now you're cooking. Short bursts with the -H bulb will be educational. Although these bulbs won't be useful in your final build, you will have a lot of fun for minimal investment.
4. Now accumulate the other stuff as needed - aluminum reflector, bi-pin holder, etc - others here know way more than I do about this stuff so...

My two lumens, at least.

 

[Mjolnir]

The 3853H will work with 2 IMR cells in pretty much any application. I have found that the 3854H also works in a 2D maglite with freshly charged IMR 26650s (at least in my maglite). The 3854L bulb can definitely put up with them as well.

For a 3D maglite you will want 26650s, not 26500s. 3 26650s will fit in a 3D maglite with a shortened (i.e. almost flat) spring. 3 26650s and the FM 1909 bulb would be ideal, but they are relatively expensive, and incandescent bulbs tend to break, so they might not be the best for a situation with limited funds.

 

[matt_o]

I like the idea of the Fm1909 and the 26650. I can't seem to find any Fm1909's or bi-pin holders available though. I'm thinking of getting a 2D mag for $15 and building an ROP. I think I need a reflector, bulbs, lens, and batteries. I can always use the parts later in a 3D build. The only reflector I can find though (without ordering it from overseas) is the FM Deep Reflector in gold. I'm not sure how this would look. Any advise?

 

[Kestrel]

Again, the higher power stuff isn't something I know a lot about, but I really do love ROP's - the Mag 2D form factor is the largest that I like to handle. Mjolnir is right on with the 26650's vs. my 26500 suggestion - more runtime. The pelican 3853 pack would work well with 2x IMR26650 IMO. I'd say, pick up the bulb pack, two cells, and a charger and try out the -L bulb with your current host - you're pretty close to melting the stock Mag parts but you'll eventually be replacing those anyway. See if you like the beam quality with the smooth Mag reflector before you make a choice on SMO vs LOP vs MOP with a aluminum reflector. See what works for you with respect to runtime. My two lumens,

BTW the FM1909 is very very difficult to get right now - if you don't want to wait for a while, I'd pursue something else in the interim - the Hikari bulb is somewhat of a substitute but you're going to have to get a good idea of applicable voltages (the Hikari isn't as tough as the FM1909 and is less consistent). Check out Lux's destructive data for the various bulbs, and get a handle on voltage sag from 2x IMR & 3x IMR as well.

 

[Justin Case]

...building an ROP. The only reflector I can find though (without ordering it from overseas) is the FM Deep Reflector in gold. I'm not sure how this would look. Any advise?

If color match is an issue, you can also consider Fivemega's bi-focal reflector.

 

[mrartillery]

+1 on the bi-focal, great reflector with tons of throw and good usable spill.

 

[matt_o]

He's also out of the bi-focal reflector.

 

[Justin Case]

He's also out of the bi-focal reflector.

I think you must be looking at an old sales thread. His current sales thread shows #47 to #88 available.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/277235

 

[SneakyCyber]

I have the bifocal reflector in my MAG85 I love it.

 

[matt_o]

I pulled the trigger on the 2D ROP54 mod with 2 26650's and the FM bi-focal reflector. I apparently have no self restraint.:shakehead Will I blow the 54H with these batteries fresh off the charger?

 

[lctorana]

Will I blow the 54H with these batteries fresh off the charger?

Yes.

 

[Mjolnir]

I pulled the trigger on the 2D ROP54 mod with 2 26650's and the FM bi-focal reflector. I apparently have no self restraint.:shakehead Will I blow the 54H with these batteries fresh off the charger?

Actually, the answer is not necessarily yes. It depends on the resistance of your maglite. I used a new, essentially unmodified maglite in mine (except for a shortened spring), and I can run the 3854H bulb fine with freshly charged IMR 26650s (which I have done dozens of times).

However, you will want to test it yourself for your maglite, so I would suggest starting out with the cells at 3.9V or 4V, and measuring the current at the tail. According to Luxluthor's tests, a current of over 4.8 amps is drawn when the voltage is high enough to blow the bulb. If your current is nowhere near that at 4 volts, then you can try charging them a little more and testing the bulb.

I did it this way, and I found that, with freshly charged cells my bulb only draws around 4.4 amps, which should correspond to about 7 volts, which is nowhere near the 8.6 needed to blow the bulb.

I have tried a couple of 3854H bulbs and they have not blown. If yours doesn't make it because of your host, you could always use the 3853H bulb instead, which will be very bright as well and definitely won't blow (but it will not be quite as bright).

 

[kramer5150]

I have melted the solder on my 3853H PR lamp using the 26650 cells. Bulb temperatures can get high enough to flow the solder at the +B tip and inside the PR housing. I would only recommend the high output bulbs for spot-ON kinds of usage. I had my 3853H lamp ON for ~25 minutes at the time....:candle:

 

[matt_o]

Thanks for the info guys. So the 54L, 53H and 53L bulbs will all be fine with fully charged batteries and I only have to be cautious with the 54H? Also how do you convert tail current to load voltage?

 

[Mjolnir]

I have been using this:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/bulbs/3854-HROP.jpg

 

[FBsLights]

I have been running ROP high bulbs with 6 fully charged high current "D" cells. This should be approaching the voltage that two 26650s would give you. No problems yet!

++ for the FM Bifocal. The only one I like better is the FM Deep reflector. Now I gotta try the Throwmaster!

FB

 

[mrartillery]

I have been running ROP high bulbs with 6 fully charged high current "D" cells. This should be approaching the voltage that two 26650s would give you. No problems yet!

Depends on your batteries capacity as well, generally Nimh voltage will fall off quicker under load than the IMR's.

 

[Justin Case]

If FBs's NiMH D cells are Accupowers, Silverfox's NiMH shootout data suggests that the cells can hold over 1.20V for over 1.5 hours at a 5A draw.

FBs (or anyone else), can you provide some beam shots comparing the bi-focal to the Deep Reflector?

Thanks.