I've been in the hotwire game a long time.
For at least a solid 20 years I've been trying to figure out way to pack more punch into my favorite lights.
Naturally, when I joined CPF, the access to custom aftermarket parts greatly enhanced my capabilities.
However, no matter what I build, how bright it was, or how well it ran, whenever I needed a light for serious use, I'd always grab my trusty Fulton.
The Military Anglehead. A classic, we all know it, you probably own one, I've owned several over the years.
Made of high temp PVC it comes stock with a metal reflector. Just add a glass lens and it can handle a fair amount of wattage.
It's proven itself safe and reliable pushing around 12watts for hours on end.
Add to that, it's free standing usability, belt clip, and onboard filter kit, it's just . . . useful.
Roughly matching M*gCharger output, just perhaps with a lesser beam, I've run it in various configurations.
Pre CPF it got an HPR51 over a pair of 18650 Li-ion cells.
Post CPF saw an upgrade to 26650 Lifepo4 cells with various bulbs, more notably the HPR71 or Reflectalite 6v10w.
It's weakness is in the switch. It can't pass very much current and has proven insufficient for use of ROP-Hi or Equivalent bulbs.
It's served me well but has always been missing something.
You see, since joining CPF, I have developed a bit of an addiction to AW Incan Drivers.
I always wondered how I could add that functionality to my favorite Fulton.
Not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I knew about these but just never put the two together in my mind until now.
The JM-PhD-D1 Regulator or as I call it, The JimmyFet.
I'm not going to explain what this is or what it does, you know already, if not, check the link.
Seen here ready to install, I figured out the best way to lay things out and and got the wiring soldered up.
The Jimmy Fet fits perfect into the back of the Fulton with plenty of room.
It doesn't even need to be mounted. It's suspended at multiple points with all the solid copper wire I used.
I was able to orient it in such a way that I could still access the adjustment pots and the programming header.
Naturally I had to cut off the stock switch/reflector contact. The switch now connects to the control input on the JimmyFet.
The new reflector contact is made by fitting a metal ring.
It's actually the negative ring from the bottom of the battery tube out of another fulton that has been scrapped for parts.
Turned out it perfectly fit in backwards. It's flange presses nicely into a taper inside.
I had to file some notches at the bottom of it to fit into the bumps around the opening where the positive terminal comes in.
It was a touch too deep for the reflector head to screw all the way on. I filed around the front of the until the head mated properly. I also filed a bit of a taper on the inside of the ring.
I did this fitting before I soldered it up.
Not my best work, but it was a hard solder joint to make without the risk of melting the plastic.
I'm very experienced with soldering and was able to pull it off.
Redundant dual 18g solid copper wire was used. One things for sure, there will be no current bottles necks here.
Trusty 26650 Lifepo4's continue to power this for now. Now that I have regulation, I plan to pick up a set of 26650 IMRs.
26650's fit perfect. No tailcap mods are needed. You still have stow space for a spare bulb. I've rigged up a spacer tube using paper towel tube and electrical tape. It's ugly, but you don't see it, and it works well.
No hotwire is complete without a considerable bulb upgrade.
Seen here, an 1160 is fitting using an FM G4 adapter. With the addition of the JimmyFet, this unit can finally pass enough current to drive this caliber of bulb. Time will tell if it can take the heat. Luckily the JimmyFet features a high temp shutdown, and I plan to use this unit in medium mode most of the time anyway. If not, it's not a big loss to me as I am happy with lower wattage bulbs like the M*gcharger.
You may notice how high the bulb sits in the reflector. Indeed, it does not focus well, but actually, it focuses perfect for what I wanted out of it. Featured is a flood reflector with a matte finish. Added to the high set bulb, I get a near perfect even and artifact free flood out of this light. It couldn't of worked out any better.
The FMG4 works well in the Fulton, provided you can secure it.
I found a wide thin lockwasher in my parts bin that worked perfect. It came off a chassis mount pushbutton switch.
You can't really see it, but I was able to thread it in, then jam it into place. The FMg4 is well secure and actually hard to take back out.
Even tho' the center post is offset, the head screws on and off without trouble.
Naturally, I can still use a PR bulb with this setup. I have a second SMO beam reflector for this light.
The switching lends well to the JimmyFet.
If you recall the Fulton has a dual mode switch.
Down is off, Center enables the pushbutton for momentary, Up is On.
For the JimmyFet, Down is lock and center enables to momentary to control the Fet.
Up serves little use, but it is handy for off. I switch it up to hold for off, then slide down to lock.
There you have it. I dare call this my flagship as it is a perfection of my favorite light.
For at least a solid 20 years I've been trying to figure out way to pack more punch into my favorite lights.
Naturally, when I joined CPF, the access to custom aftermarket parts greatly enhanced my capabilities.
However, no matter what I build, how bright it was, or how well it ran, whenever I needed a light for serious use, I'd always grab my trusty Fulton.
The Military Anglehead. A classic, we all know it, you probably own one, I've owned several over the years.
Made of high temp PVC it comes stock with a metal reflector. Just add a glass lens and it can handle a fair amount of wattage.
It's proven itself safe and reliable pushing around 12watts for hours on end.
Add to that, it's free standing usability, belt clip, and onboard filter kit, it's just . . . useful.
Roughly matching M*gCharger output, just perhaps with a lesser beam, I've run it in various configurations.
Pre CPF it got an HPR51 over a pair of 18650 Li-ion cells.
Post CPF saw an upgrade to 26650 Lifepo4 cells with various bulbs, more notably the HPR71 or Reflectalite 6v10w.
It's weakness is in the switch. It can't pass very much current and has proven insufficient for use of ROP-Hi or Equivalent bulbs.
It's served me well but has always been missing something.
You see, since joining CPF, I have developed a bit of an addiction to AW Incan Drivers.
I always wondered how I could add that functionality to my favorite Fulton.
Not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I knew about these but just never put the two together in my mind until now.
The JM-PhD-D1 Regulator or as I call it, The JimmyFet.
I'm not going to explain what this is or what it does, you know already, if not, check the link.
Seen here ready to install, I figured out the best way to lay things out and and got the wiring soldered up.
The Jimmy Fet fits perfect into the back of the Fulton with plenty of room.
It doesn't even need to be mounted. It's suspended at multiple points with all the solid copper wire I used.
I was able to orient it in such a way that I could still access the adjustment pots and the programming header.
Naturally I had to cut off the stock switch/reflector contact. The switch now connects to the control input on the JimmyFet.
The new reflector contact is made by fitting a metal ring.
It's actually the negative ring from the bottom of the battery tube out of another fulton that has been scrapped for parts.
Turned out it perfectly fit in backwards. It's flange presses nicely into a taper inside.
I had to file some notches at the bottom of it to fit into the bumps around the opening where the positive terminal comes in.
It was a touch too deep for the reflector head to screw all the way on. I filed around the front of the until the head mated properly. I also filed a bit of a taper on the inside of the ring.
I did this fitting before I soldered it up.
Not my best work, but it was a hard solder joint to make without the risk of melting the plastic.
I'm very experienced with soldering and was able to pull it off.
Redundant dual 18g solid copper wire was used. One things for sure, there will be no current bottles necks here.
Trusty 26650 Lifepo4's continue to power this for now. Now that I have regulation, I plan to pick up a set of 26650 IMRs.
26650's fit perfect. No tailcap mods are needed. You still have stow space for a spare bulb. I've rigged up a spacer tube using paper towel tube and electrical tape. It's ugly, but you don't see it, and it works well.
No hotwire is complete without a considerable bulb upgrade.
Seen here, an 1160 is fitting using an FM G4 adapter. With the addition of the JimmyFet, this unit can finally pass enough current to drive this caliber of bulb. Time will tell if it can take the heat. Luckily the JimmyFet features a high temp shutdown, and I plan to use this unit in medium mode most of the time anyway. If not, it's not a big loss to me as I am happy with lower wattage bulbs like the M*gcharger.
You may notice how high the bulb sits in the reflector. Indeed, it does not focus well, but actually, it focuses perfect for what I wanted out of it. Featured is a flood reflector with a matte finish. Added to the high set bulb, I get a near perfect even and artifact free flood out of this light. It couldn't of worked out any better.
The FMG4 works well in the Fulton, provided you can secure it.
I found a wide thin lockwasher in my parts bin that worked perfect. It came off a chassis mount pushbutton switch.
You can't really see it, but I was able to thread it in, then jam it into place. The FMg4 is well secure and actually hard to take back out.
Even tho' the center post is offset, the head screws on and off without trouble.
Naturally, I can still use a PR bulb with this setup. I have a second SMO beam reflector for this light.
The switching lends well to the JimmyFet.
If you recall the Fulton has a dual mode switch.
Down is off, Center enables the pushbutton for momentary, Up is On.
For the JimmyFet, Down is lock and center enables to momentary to control the Fet.
Up serves little use, but it is handy for off. I switch it up to hold for off, then slide down to lock.
There you have it. I dare call this my flagship as it is a perfection of my favorite light.
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