Been busy this weekend! Below are my FIRST attempts at modifying mags. After about 45 days of reading/acquiring parts, here are the results
From left to right. SST-90 mag, Mag85, 5x R2 Mag
Ok... it was supposed to be four mag builds, I have a beautiful 3D Jade mag that I put a DW 3x neutral xml setup in. The tint... gorgeous... the output... somewhere north of 2200lm... got it all soldered up and gave it to my friend to hold while I went to the restroom... When I got back it didn't turn on :thinking:... turns out he decided to unscrew the head WITH the drop-in in place. Naturally he twisted the wires enough in front of the buck driver that the whole thing shorted. After being royally annoyed for about 15 minutes, we both decided to have a beer and laugh it off. I currently have an email out to DW now. Hopefully I can have him fix the drop in. If not I will just buy another one from him. So right now those parts are going back on the shelf.
One thing I could not figure out was how to remove the small retaining ring that sits on the top of the mag switch. Beacuse of this I ended up having to solder wires to the switch, drop the switch in, then connect/solder those to the dropins etc. I'm sure everyone will laugh at this, as its probably 3x the amount of work I should have been doing. :sick2:
On to the builds!
The 2c mag build:
2c black Mag
DX sku 35242
24mm FM extension (for battery fitment)
UCL
2x 25500 DX sku 26799
This is no where near the claimed 1200lm, but I knew that going into it. I would say its somewhere around 750-800 just by eye.
The only real difficult thing about this build was that I had to machine the existing head to accept the drop in since it was much bigger. Not having a lathe I had to settle for using a rotary tool to do the job. I used a proxxon ib/e tool for the job and 2-3 grinding bits. On a side note, this is the best rotary tool I have ever used. It does not slow down under load like a dremel and it is very quiet and balanced well.
After an hour of grinding this is what I got.
The Mag85 build:
3d purple mag
9 eneloops
9aa -> 3d Fm battery holder
FM 6.35 socket
KD MOP reflector
boro lense
This build was really quite easy even for a noob like me:laughing:. Honestly it took me about 45 minutes total. I really enjoy this mag. Upon initially firing it up I must say I did not know what to expect at all. I had read threads about people insta flashing the WA bulbs and also about the bulbs smoking on initial startup. My batteries were at somewhere around 11.8 volts so I was a bit nervous about being higher than the 10.6 volt target. I took the reflector and lens out when I first turned it on, just in case the bulb went. I also put on my safety glasses on and covered my... uh... important areas.... you know... just in case something went nuclear.
Fired her up and there was smoke right away. After I was sure I wasn't going to blow something up I instantly smiled from ear to ear. I'd felt as if I was working on an old 60s muscle car all day and after some convincing and TLC she turned over and was running on all 8:rock:
Not as bright as modern leds for sure, but this build will always make me smile. Its for that reason that I am naming it "The Grimace"... oh yeah and its bright purple too :naughty:
I may need to try a different reflector as the KD on leaves a large "blank" space between the bulb and socket where I am sure light can escape. Any thoughts? I know FM has a bifocal reflector, but I would prefer something with a MOP so I get a nice smooth beam.
The SST-90 Mag:
3d silver mag
3x 26650 king kongs in pvc tube
tail cap spring mod
dw 9a buck driver/heatsink (w/aa thermal grease)
sst90 wn bin
modified rebel reflector
UCL
bought the heatsink/led setup here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...d-SST-90-and-9A-Maglite-D-SST-90-light-engine
This thing is bright! Although I would suspect no less from a sst90 wn bin driven at 9A. 9A also gets you a lot of heat and fast. Being able to feel the warmth after 30-60 seconds I would assume is a good thing - sounds like the heatsink and thermal grease is doing its job.
The only real pain about this build was modifying & widening the rebel reflector. I do not have a step drill bit so had to use my rotary tool with a plastic grinder. Needless to say, I ruined 1 rebel reflector before getting it right
This is a very powerful setup and I am curious to see how it does with throw once it gets dark.
Beamshots!!
Please forgive the noob photography skills. I have a point and shoot camera and no tripod.
control shot with regular room lighting
2c mag
sst90 mag
mag 85 (looks warmer in real life see group photo below for correct tint, this is the best I could do with my $75 camera)
stock mag 2d incan
12 oclock - sst90, 3 oclock - 2c mag, 6 oclock - mag85, 9 oclock - stock 2d mag, lower right - my dirty laundry
sorry about the thermostat by the sst90, but I live in a small apartment and I uh... ran out of wall lol
Any questions/comments are welcome as well as constructive criticism. Like I said earlier - these are my first real attempts at taking anything apart/soldering etc.
From left to right. SST-90 mag, Mag85, 5x R2 Mag
Ok... it was supposed to be four mag builds, I have a beautiful 3D Jade mag that I put a DW 3x neutral xml setup in. The tint... gorgeous... the output... somewhere north of 2200lm... got it all soldered up and gave it to my friend to hold while I went to the restroom... When I got back it didn't turn on :thinking:... turns out he decided to unscrew the head WITH the drop-in in place. Naturally he twisted the wires enough in front of the buck driver that the whole thing shorted. After being royally annoyed for about 15 minutes, we both decided to have a beer and laugh it off. I currently have an email out to DW now. Hopefully I can have him fix the drop in. If not I will just buy another one from him. So right now those parts are going back on the shelf.
One thing I could not figure out was how to remove the small retaining ring that sits on the top of the mag switch. Beacuse of this I ended up having to solder wires to the switch, drop the switch in, then connect/solder those to the dropins etc. I'm sure everyone will laugh at this, as its probably 3x the amount of work I should have been doing. :sick2:
On to the builds!
The 2c mag build:
2c black Mag
DX sku 35242
24mm FM extension (for battery fitment)
UCL
2x 25500 DX sku 26799
This is no where near the claimed 1200lm, but I knew that going into it. I would say its somewhere around 750-800 just by eye.
The only real difficult thing about this build was that I had to machine the existing head to accept the drop in since it was much bigger. Not having a lathe I had to settle for using a rotary tool to do the job. I used a proxxon ib/e tool for the job and 2-3 grinding bits. On a side note, this is the best rotary tool I have ever used. It does not slow down under load like a dremel and it is very quiet and balanced well.
After an hour of grinding this is what I got.
The Mag85 build:
3d purple mag
9 eneloops
9aa -> 3d Fm battery holder
FM 6.35 socket
KD MOP reflector
boro lense
This build was really quite easy even for a noob like me:laughing:. Honestly it took me about 45 minutes total. I really enjoy this mag. Upon initially firing it up I must say I did not know what to expect at all. I had read threads about people insta flashing the WA bulbs and also about the bulbs smoking on initial startup. My batteries were at somewhere around 11.8 volts so I was a bit nervous about being higher than the 10.6 volt target. I took the reflector and lens out when I first turned it on, just in case the bulb went. I also put on my safety glasses on and covered my... uh... important areas.... you know... just in case something went nuclear.
Fired her up and there was smoke right away. After I was sure I wasn't going to blow something up I instantly smiled from ear to ear. I'd felt as if I was working on an old 60s muscle car all day and after some convincing and TLC she turned over and was running on all 8:rock:
Not as bright as modern leds for sure, but this build will always make me smile. Its for that reason that I am naming it "The Grimace"... oh yeah and its bright purple too :naughty:
I may need to try a different reflector as the KD on leaves a large "blank" space between the bulb and socket where I am sure light can escape. Any thoughts? I know FM has a bifocal reflector, but I would prefer something with a MOP so I get a nice smooth beam.
The SST-90 Mag:
3d silver mag
3x 26650 king kongs in pvc tube
tail cap spring mod
dw 9a buck driver/heatsink (w/aa thermal grease)
sst90 wn bin
modified rebel reflector
UCL
bought the heatsink/led setup here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...d-SST-90-and-9A-Maglite-D-SST-90-light-engine
This thing is bright! Although I would suspect no less from a sst90 wn bin driven at 9A. 9A also gets you a lot of heat and fast. Being able to feel the warmth after 30-60 seconds I would assume is a good thing - sounds like the heatsink and thermal grease is doing its job.
The only real pain about this build was modifying & widening the rebel reflector. I do not have a step drill bit so had to use my rotary tool with a plastic grinder. Needless to say, I ruined 1 rebel reflector before getting it right
This is a very powerful setup and I am curious to see how it does with throw once it gets dark.
Beamshots!!
Please forgive the noob photography skills. I have a point and shoot camera and no tripod.
control shot with regular room lighting
2c mag
sst90 mag
mag 85 (looks warmer in real life see group photo below for correct tint, this is the best I could do with my $75 camera)
stock mag 2d incan
12 oclock - sst90, 3 oclock - 2c mag, 6 oclock - mag85, 9 oclock - stock 2d mag, lower right - my dirty laundry
sorry about the thermostat by the sst90, but I live in a small apartment and I uh... ran out of wall lol
Any questions/comments are welcome as well as constructive criticism. Like I said earlier - these are my first real attempts at taking anything apart/soldering etc.
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