Make maglite 2D shine like 6D without any upgrades

[bridgman]

I don't think I have ever seen a bulb like that, or at least not when I was paying attention. The wires that hold the filament have quite a distinctive shape and are quite a bit wider than I am used to seeing.

Wondering if the flashlight it came out of might offer any clues ?

BTW my 5-cell MagnumStar II bulbs arrived - tried one in the Mag 2C with 2x AW 18500s charged a couple of days ago then used for maybe 30-45 seconds with a 6 cell bulb.

Unfortunately it lasted less than a second, but it was nice and white while it lasted

 

[knucklegary]

The 5C bulb came installed in Kel-Lite C-PL-3 running 2x 18650 cells.
Here's a better angle shows potting. I like the wire too.. No Chinese markings on base. Nice bulbs whoever made them.

 

[bykfixer]

This 5 cell bulb came in a flashlight, and it appears potted. No other markings besides "5 cell" I'd like to get more, can anyone ID ?
I have a few ML bi-pin with ceramic adapters. They work okay, tho nothing to write home about.View attachment 30347

It's an old Maglite krypton bulb circa 1990's if I'm not mistaken. Good luck finding anymore.
P/N 107-000-194.

 

[ampdude]

I forgot that the early "Magnum-Star" bulbs were kryptons. I only first noticed them in the early 2000's when they became xenons.

 

[turbodog]

...

I was sufficiently happy with the 6-cell-bulb-in-a-2-cell setup that I moved it over to my 2C Maglite, with a couple of 18500 AW Li-ion cells providing the power... so I guess you can conclude I think this is a decent setup. I guess I might have to go looking for 5 cell bulbs after all.

The higher voltage filaments are usually longer, loopy, and lose some focus ability, but make up for it in sheer output.

 

[bykfixer]

I forgot that the early "Magnum-Star" bulbs were kryptons. I only first noticed them in the early 2000's when they became xenons.

Later they were called White-Star krypton. Some of the D cell flashlights were referred to as White-Star because they came with the new and improved White-Star bulb, which were a similar bulb with a different shaped globe.

I use White-Star bulbs in 2 cell lights like Fultons or Bright Star because they put out a much brighter beam than their original argon gas bulbs did.

 

[xxo]

It's an old Maglite krypton bulb circa 1990's if I'm not mistaken. Good luck finding anymore.
P/N 107-000-194.

View attachment 30545View attachment 30544

Notice how they say "kryton bulbs for alkaline batteries"? Must draw too much current for the old carbon-zinc batteries.

 

[bykfixer]

Notice how they say "kryton bulbs for alkaline batteries"? Must draw too much current for the old carbon-zinc batteries.

I had not really thought of that, but I suppose back then carbon zinc were still common enough at stores and costed less than alkalines so many folk may have still been buying carbon zinc batteries.

I wonder if rechargeables were wide spread enough back then that Mag may have meant not to be used with rechargeable batteries.

 

[xxo]

I had not really thought of that, but I suppose back then carbon zinc were still common enough at stores and costed less than alkalines so many folk may have still been buying carbon zinc batteries.

I wonder if rechargeables were wide spread enough back then that Mag may have meant not to be used with rechargeable batteries.

Alkalines were very expensive in the 80's and people were still using mostly carbon zinc batteries, particularly in C and D sizes.

NiCads were around back then (if you could find them) but they were expensive and had very low capacities.

At one time Mag recommended not using rechareables because they tended to shorten bulb life slightly. This was because they could deliver more current through out the run and actually had a higher average Voltage under load. Also using rechareables tended to produce shorter run times.

 

[bridgman]

Notice how they say "kryton bulbs for alkaline batteries"? Must draw too much current for the old carbon-zinc batteries.

It's disturbing to think that alkaline batteries might have been the wonderful new power source of the time.

<- what alkalines do when I put them in a flashlight

 

[idleprocess]

It's disturbing to think that alkaline batteries might have been the wonderful new power source of the time.

<- what alkalines do when I put them in a flashlight

Alkalines leaking at the slightest provocation is much more common now that manufacturers have cut corners costs to such a degree.

 

[knucklegary]

I'm having great success using Rayovac blue silver wrapper cells.. Recommendation, must have made in 🇺🇲

So far so good..
Now that I've said this =

 

[bridgman]

I'm having great success using Rayovac blue silver wrapper cells.. Recommendation, must have made in 🇺🇲

That matches what I have heard recently - around here Duracells are all made in China while Energizer Max are mostly made in USA and Rayovac are all made in USA. That could change tomorrow, of course... but until recently I thought of Duracell as the "made in USA" brand and didn't really look at the packaging.

 

[xxo]

In my experience, duracells made in the last few years are the worst leakers by far. Energizer and Rayovac have merged and seem to be consolidating their manufacturing, so they may be being made in the same factories. But sooner (duracell) or later all alkalines leak.

 

[bridgman]

In my experience, duracells made in the last few years are the worst leakers by far. Energizer and Rayovac have merged and seem to be consolidating their manufacturing, so they may be being made in the same factories.

Yep... of course pretty much every alkaline I have is Duracell right now.

I hadn't realized that Energizer and Rayovac had merged, although it seems vaguely familar. That fits with the anecdotal evidence.

But sooner (duracell) or later all alkalines leak.

I was OK with the "later" part and had a pretty good protocol for checking and removing alkalines from infrequently used flashlights. It's the "sooner" part that has been keeping me up at night... particularly since I am the proud owner of 50-odd recent Duracell alkalines

 

[xxo]

C and D size batteries seem to leak less frequently than AA's and AAA's (the worst), but even if we pretend leaks aren't a problem, why use alkalines?

Performance sucks at anything more than a quarter Amp, they are heavy and they are not rechargeable, which makes them wasteful and expensive in the long run.

Quality NiMH's or Li-Ions are so much better in that the generally never leak, they can handle high current draws plus they are rechargeable. And Li-ions are considerably lighter weight.

 

[bridgman]

C and D size batteries seem to leak less frequently than AA's and AAA's (the worst), but even if we pretend leaks aren't a problem, why use alkalines?

It's a fair question - I have no idea why I have 50-odd alkalines sitting around the house other than not having organized enough to get all the batteries in one place before. I guess I should check the dates on them.

The even bigger part of the mystery is why they are nearly all AA cells. I know I was buying C cells for trail cameras and D cells for reserve flashlights, but the only AAs that I knowingly purchased in quantity in the last decade were Eneloops.

I don't think I own a single piece of equipment that takes more than 3AAs otherwise.

 

[snakebite]

Do not buy those 3.6v li d cells!
Those are low drain backup power for equipment that draws a few ma at most.
Start with 2 26650 and a shortened spring .
Your 6 cell bulb will outperform the 2 by more than 3 times then.
The eneloops and adapters is simple too.
Be advised any combo over around 10w will melt the reflector.
You will need a metal one and other special parts.

 

[bykfixer]

Do not buy those 3.6v li d cells!
Those are low drain backup power for equipment that draws a few ma at most.
Start with 2 26650 and a shortened spring .
Your 6 cell bulb will outperform the 2 by more than 3 times then.
The eneloops and adapters is simple too.
Be advised any combo over around 10w will melt the reflector.
You will need a metal one and other special parts.

That is one nice thing about the bi-pin bilb versus PR base bulb is there are a few millimeters of gap between the bulb and reflactor opening, where the PR base bulb is much closer. Melting will take place slower if at all with the bi-pin. But keep in mind the Maglite reflector was designed to be used with up to 8.4 volts (7 cell) bulbs.

If you go non-Maglite bulb to those ROP's and such, yeah a metal reflector is needed. Glass lens too. I try to build my "7D bright in a small package" lights where a 5 cell bulb is enough and it's a reversible modification in case I decided to go back stock.

 

[knucklegary]

6 cell bulb is significantly brighter then 2 cell, at least the modern bi-pins. I did the same with a 2c & 26500s. So yes, it does work.

While visiting illumn supply, owner showed me a new 26800 cell that looks like a direct fit into D cell tubes. Unfortunately they are not (yet) made with protection circuit to run in series.