Roy
Farewell our Curmudgeon Administrator
Search for the mod where you sleve the battery tube of a D cell flashlight and substitute C cells and then change the bulb. A 2xD Maglite will hold 3 C cells!
My son needs an upgrade
- Thread starter Roy
- Start date
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For a really simple mod for the 2D, put in a 6AA battery holder and a 5D/5C bulb inside. That ought to be plenty bright. If otherwise, put in a 6AA battery holder and Lambda's Cyclops 5 watt LS mod. That ought to have the WOW factor with focus at wide to spot beam. Make it double WOW.
Roy
Farewell our Curmudgeon Administrator
Or get him a Surge...8xAA, small, and VERY bright!
txwest
Flashlight Enthusiast
Surge. TX
The oldest of my three sons works as a counselor at a camp called The Wilds (www.wilds.org - 1100 campers / week) during the summer. Last year, before I discovered CandlePowerForums, he used a 2D M#g for his flashlight needs - graduation gift from an aunt – his name engraved in the tail cap. Now that I am more "enlightened" I would like to provide him with a better light for the summer. He likes the light he has (it's big enough to discourage someone from "borrowing" it), so I think I would like to modify it or a 3 D-cell light I have. He uses the flashlight for walking his campers back to cabins after evening meetings, nighttime cabin emergencies (I'll not go there), and during an after-dark camp game 1x/wk. (He would also like to be competitive in any spontaneous "Who has the brightest flashlight?" competitions.) I have searched this forum for mod suggestions and am getting a little confused by all the possibilities mentioned in all the threads.
I would like to keep the project to around $30. I've read about everything from upgrading the bulb and using 3 C-cells to "banks" of rechargeable cells, voltage regulators, and MR16 LAs, to Luxeon mods. (I am pretty handy and would feel comfortable doing a mod - I've never built a circuit board before, but doing so might be a good project / learning experience for my sons and me - I used to teach Science and now home-school my other two boys.)
Any suggestions / favorable personal experiences you would be willing to take the time to share would be appreciated.
I would like to keep the project to around $30. I've read about everything from upgrading the bulb and using 3 C-cells to "banks" of rechargeable cells, voltage regulators, and MR16 LAs, to Luxeon mods. (I am pretty handy and would feel comfortable doing a mod - I've never built a circuit board before, but doing so might be a good project / learning experience for my sons and me - I used to teach Science and now home-school my other two boys.)
Any suggestions / favorable personal experiences you would be willing to take the time to share would be appreciated.
sunspot
Flashlight Enthusiast
Under $30 mod. Use a 3D Mag and install two LS's. I won't detail at this time on how to do this. Let more suggestions come in. The LS's cost about $14 each.
MagLED II
Newly Enlightened
here is a simple one. a pro series 3 in your 3d maglite from http://www.ledcorp.com/. see the review at: http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm
this may be a option for you. the Blaster found here: http://www.elektrolumens.com/4_SALE/For_Sale.html
this may be a option for you. the Blaster found here: http://www.elektrolumens.com/4_SALE/For_Sale.html
pedalinbob
Flashlight Enthusiast
i agree with some of the other posters.
if you wanted a stock light, a surge would be fantastic. i find my tec-40 to be a bright as my mag 3d.
here is another idea: i have a mag 3d which i placed 2 luxeon star/o into. these things are crazy bright. they seem to work well out to about 100 feet. not a lot of throw, but...
but what is really fantastic is the quality of beam. very white, with just a hint of green at the preiphery. the ls/o optics are pretty smooth. i would say it looks like a narrow flood...or a wide spot.
and it is so bright that you can point it at the ceiling and read with it!
runtime is fantastic. i ran it for 2 hours with no degradation in brightness. i run it direct drive, so after 2 hours, the head was pretty warm.
if your son likes his current mag, you can get some 1" pcv pipe and use it as a sleeve for 3 c cells. you can buy 2 ls/o, fashion a nice heatsink, and have a light together for around $30. this mod does require some grinding of the base of the luxeon to get them to fit.
the beauty of this mod is that it preserves his mag, creates a fantastic light, long runtimes, and allows him to convert it back to normal if he doesnt like it. my mod does not damage the light in any way.
again, if you want even more simple, or if you really want something with throw, you could go with a tec 40 or surge.
good luck, and have fun,
Bob
if you wanted a stock light, a surge would be fantastic. i find my tec-40 to be a bright as my mag 3d.
here is another idea: i have a mag 3d which i placed 2 luxeon star/o into. these things are crazy bright. they seem to work well out to about 100 feet. not a lot of throw, but...
but what is really fantastic is the quality of beam. very white, with just a hint of green at the preiphery. the ls/o optics are pretty smooth. i would say it looks like a narrow flood...or a wide spot.
and it is so bright that you can point it at the ceiling and read with it!
runtime is fantastic. i ran it for 2 hours with no degradation in brightness. i run it direct drive, so after 2 hours, the head was pretty warm.
if your son likes his current mag, you can get some 1" pcv pipe and use it as a sleeve for 3 c cells. you can buy 2 ls/o, fashion a nice heatsink, and have a light together for around $30. this mod does require some grinding of the base of the luxeon to get them to fit.
the beauty of this mod is that it preserves his mag, creates a fantastic light, long runtimes, and allows him to convert it back to normal if he doesnt like it. my mod does not damage the light in any way.
again, if you want even more simple, or if you really want something with throw, you could go with a tec 40 or surge.
good luck, and have fun,
Bob
woodbender
Newly Enlightened
You might consider the following mod.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000800;p=1
You could see about maybe getting a kit or at least the heat sink from lambda. It is easy to make a 2d mag to take 3c cells. That's what I did with my mag. The benefit of doing a mod with a reflector is that you will have an adjustable beam. I like the mod I did using a collimator, but the drawback is that I can't get a tighter beam. I have ordered an Elekro Lumens Blaster II and can't wait for it to arrive. The hot spot is much better in it than the standard optics. The one thing that amazes me with the leds is the runtime. I take my flashlight into my boys room at bedtime every night. I have had the same batteries in it for months. While they aren't full brightness anymore, they are still going strong. Whatever you end up with, your son with probably give the other campers "flashlight envy"
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000800;p=1
You could see about maybe getting a kit or at least the heat sink from lambda. It is easy to make a 2d mag to take 3c cells. That's what I did with my mag. The benefit of doing a mod with a reflector is that you will have an adjustable beam. I like the mod I did using a collimator, but the drawback is that I can't get a tighter beam. I have ordered an Elekro Lumens Blaster II and can't wait for it to arrive. The hot spot is much better in it than the standard optics. The one thing that amazes me with the leds is the runtime. I take my flashlight into my boys room at bedtime every night. I have had the same batteries in it for months. While they aren't full brightness anymore, they are still going strong. Whatever you end up with, your son with probably give the other campers "flashlight envy"
