Another DBAAA mod

ToddM

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Mar 11, 2001
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251
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NV
Here's one I just did today and haven't seen before, it was really quite simple and with impressive results.

I did the normal 6v conversion and refitted it with a streamlight scorpion bulb.

Anyway the scorpion bulb is too narrow to fit into the bi pin sockets of the flashlight housing, but if you break the stock bulb, and remove the pins out of the white plastic base you will see that the stock bulb is the same pin size as the scorpion. They just have 4 pin holes in the white plastic base. 2 smaller ones for thier bulb, and 2 wider ones for the pins that go into the flashlight socket.

If you remove those larger pins, you will see they just put the bulb pins throught the bulb side of the white housing, then put thier larger pins on the wider slots on the flashlight side. Then they just use a little solder to connect them. So then you can cut off the narrow pins, put the scorpion bulb through the plastic base using the narrow pin holes, then put the wider pins back in their original holes on the other side and resolder them you end up with a scorpion 6 volt bulb in your DB 4AAA no modification of the lens or reflector has been needed. The bulb when flush in the plastic housning is shorter than the stock bulb, but it still goes from a spot to flood focus.

It's not as bright as a scorpion but it's way way brighter than stock. I'm thinking this might be because I'm using alkaline AAA's might do better with nimh's. However even with alkalines it's bright. Beam has a few rings in it, but not bad. It pales in comparison to my e2e, which is why I think the AAA's just are not putting out enough to really run it because my scorpion is noticeably brighter than my e2e.

For the $8 the light cost and $2 in batteries, and a $4 scorpion bulb I'd pretty impressive for $14 and 15 min of work.

Todd
 

ToddM

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Mar 11, 2001
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NV
Update:

Heh, well live and learn
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Found out 2 things real quickly. First have to modify the reflector hole a little so say 1/4" otherwise it's too close to the bulb and begins melting.

Second, runtime is bad
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it chewed through 4 AAA's in about 10 minutes. Might be something I'd try on a 4AA model if I find one local to play with. Oh well it was really impressive for the first 5 minutes
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Todd
 

lemlux

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Todd M.

According to Brock, the Scorpion bulb pulls 4.8V and 1.1 A off of 123's. You should be able to get almost 4.8V with 4 NiMH's. GP just came out with 750 mAh AAA NiMH's. theoretically, you should get close to 40 minutes run time with this combination. It should also come closer to Scorpion brightness.

As you've discovered, 1.1 A will quickly eat up an alkaline AAA or AA.

If you widen your reflector hole I suspect you'll have no more problem.
 

snake

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Dec 20, 2001
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HONG KONG
Hello Todd M,
lucky You got my teacher here
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!
lemlux, help me out many times and I learn a lot from him already!

beside lemlux, my DB project going slow as I am quite busy.. but about the bulb-socket connection, I just come up a thinking that add 1 more metal ring aside form the insulation ring to serve as heat sink, let see if I can found any at sunday. bye
 

lemlux

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Mar 27, 2002
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Snake:

I've been busy, too. I'm waiting for a couple of W/A bulbs to get in that Klaus traded me.

I'm also trying to think of where I might get some 1/8 " fibreglass sheeting that I could cut out with a 1 3/4" holesaw. I could then drill out a center hole and dremel cut the 5 mounting and positioning screw slots. The diameter would be slightly smaller than the current switch assembly, but it would allow for better air temperature equalization in the light.

If I replaced the switch also, I'd have more room to put a recharging plug on the side opposite the switch. If we use common quick disconnect conncectors for the bipins, a wider choice of bulbs would be available. For example, I found a somewhat wider 6V 20W halogen bulb for $2.79 at Home Depot that I'd like to try to overdrive with 6 A cells in a DB 6AA or 6 4/3 A cells in a DB 8 AA. I will try this bulb out in a Carley Reflector. The distance from the bottom of the glass to the filament is greater than with the W/A DB bulbs, so it may also give some flexibility.

If I do this, the temperature weak link will probably be the lens. If it distorts, I can glue a glass 2" replacement Mag Lens tot the outside of the Bezel just inside the fluting ribs.
 

ToddM

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Joined
Mar 11, 2001
Messages
251
Location
NV
Welp I tried some nimh AAA's and that fixed the runtime and did add to the brightness, though still not anywhere near up to par with a scorpion.

However I think the project will have is going to end up in the too much $ to justify getting it to work. Even with a 3/8" hole drilled in the reflector it still starts to melt it, and also the light base itself shows signs of melting.

It would be okay for intermitent use, but a guy couldn't leave it on for any real period of time say 5-10 minutes.

Todd
 

snake

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Dec 20, 2001
Messages
256
Location
HONG KONG
lemlux!
hot hot hot, it is very hot in Hong Kong now 30 C every day!
the DB 's tube allow wide varity of battery. but the upper part has many plastic that can't stand for the heat....too bad
 
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