What is the best way to power a Mag 85?

Looking for the best way to power my 3D Mag 85's, 9AA battery pack, battery holder, 18650's, etc.? Looking for a reasonable priced power source for my Mag 85's. I am looking for 4 at this time.

I used eneloops when I used to have mine, but I think 2700 Sanyos (if they can handle the amp draw; I assume they can) would probably be a better choice.

The Mag 85 was so powerful, that I never kept the 9AA FiveMega type battery holder loaded, ie I never kept my Mag 85 ready to go, so LSD cells weren't quite as useful to me.

My favorite way is with A123 (LiFePO4) cells. I have 85s running on both 18650 and 26650 A123s. The charge time is shorter than the runtime, and that's important for me.

Mdocod 9AA to 3D holders
Eneloops

~3 amp draw from a ~2000mah, 10.8V battery pack, so forget long runtimes 30 minutes at most for me...which is not too bad when you have spare battery "sticks" handy or if your chargers nearby. Smart chargers charge at 900mah, 2hour 20 minute charging time for 30 minutes of light isn't too bad for me, but it may not seal the deal for you
Cost:

• Mdocod 9AA holder, $22 [+]
• Eneloops: 4/$9.95 [+]
• Universal Smart Charger: $25 [+]

Advantage:

• Drop in and removal, allows easy charging of cells
• Eneloops are cheap, uber LSD, and very tolerant of other NiMH chargers

Disadvantage:

• Cells need to be balanced every once awhile, meaning you would take the holder apart and charge the individual cells. I found this helps with the runtimes every once awhile.

18650s sounded like a good idea, but I dunno if an prebuilt holder exists for inserting them in a mag. Now if you managed to create your own holder, thats definitely a cheap way out, [lighthound sells AW18650s for $13 each] and a charger of your own choice plus an additional 200mah more of usable capacity than eneloops [not that it really matters since you don't want to deep cycle them too much anyway:nana:]

I am glad to hear that someone is having good luck with the battery adapters. I have had about 6 of them in the past 3 years and they have preformed quite poorly. I have used at least 5-6 different AA cells in them and have been less than pleased. I will order one of the new and improved 9AA-3D holders and give it a try on your recommendation. Thanks for the info.

I'm completely sold on 3 C cells these days. I like the simplicity of only three cells, the runtime is excellent. On the down side, the resistance is pretty low so you have to watch the max voltage.

I'm also running a M6 on 3 x 17650 which seems to work well too.

Patriot36 said:

I'm completely sold on 3 C cells these days. I like the simplicity of only three cells, the runtime is excellent. On the down side, the resistance is pretty low so you have to watch the max voltage.

I'm also running a M6 on 3 x 17650 which seems to work well too.

Click to expand...

Agree,.......anything from protected 3x 18650 to 3x D Li-Ion's is good. The AW C's are no longer available but the three cell fivemega and Leef bodies together with G4 FMD26 reflector is a good option.......or simply go with a Mag D with 3x Kai D cells and a soft start three level switch from AW, this combo would have very good run time but slightly on the big side.

Three li-ion D-cells would be ideal, to make the best use of space within your Mag3D.

Protected li-ion D-cells aren't available yet. However, unprotected D-cells are available at Kaidomain, if you aren't too nervous about using them. I've been using two of them for about eight months now.

Three AW protected C-cells is a great option, if you can find any. My favorite form factor for an 1185 is a Mag3C.

Good call on the D cells Gunnerboy. I wouldn't hesitate with using the unprotected cells in this application either. It's simple to monitor the run-time with relation to voltage and determine a max run-time.

My favorite Mag85 formula is also the 3C.

Gunnerboy said:

Three li-ion D-cells would be ideal, to make the best use of space within your Mag3D.

Protected li-ion D-cells aren't available yet. However, unprotected D-cells are available at Kaidomain, if you aren't too nervous about using them. I've been using two of them for about eight months now.

Three AW protected C-cells is a great option, if you can find any. My favorite form factor for an 1185 is a Mag3C.

Click to expand...

I have these in my 2xD Mag, they run my P5761 bulb. I believe they are protected....

http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=2751

cernobila said:

I have these in my 2xD Mag, they run my P5761 bulb. I believe they are protected....

http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=2751

Click to expand...

I have these unprotected D-cells from KD. These suckers hold their voltages and will blow a 5761, if you don't use a soft-start.

Gunnerboy said:

I have these unprotected D-cells from KD. These suckers hold their voltages and will blow a 5761, if you don't use a soft-start.

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Yes, I do use a soft start the AW three level one. This is the only Li-Ion set-up that I have that needs a soft start, all other combinations (18650 and C) are ok without one.

Gunnerboy said:

Protected li-ion D-cells aren't available yet. However, unprotected D-cells are available at Kaidomain, if you aren't too nervous about using them. I've been using two of them for about eight months now

Click to expand...

I wonder...would it werk if say you ripped a protector chip from an 18650 and integrated that onto the D cells?

I can't thank you enough for your input. I have ordered 4 of the D cells. If 3 of them don't run the Mag85 I will use them in a couple of my 2D mods. I will let you know when they arrive and how they work out.

They have arrived and we are not off to a good start. First they will not make contact without a magnet on the + side. Second they are too long to fit the Mag without further mod, which I was hoping to avoid. Third 1 of the batts, will not work at all. If this is what is currently comming out of Kaidomain I would recommend not trying these. I have sent them a e-mail about the problem. I will keep you posted as to their response. has anyone had customre service issues with them before? Good or bad?

KEW said:

They have arrived and we are not off to a good start. First they will not make contact without a magnet on the + side. Second they are too long to fit the Mag without further mod, which I was hoping to avoid.

Click to expand...

Usually the magnet is needed if the stack is too short but you're saying that the stack is too long. I guess I don't understand. Sorry to hear that one of the cells is now good. Hopefully they'll sent another promptly.

This is my last post in my beamshot thread......

"Finally put together a Mag 3xD with Kai protected D Li-Ion cells with WA1185 bulb. Actually it is a 2xD body with Fivemega's 65mm extender with regular tailcap, cut down spring and AW soft start/three level switch. This combination gives the shortest possible length using the regular tailcap and 3xD protected Li-Ion cells.......It is now the brightest light that I have. It is brighter overall and about the same in throw as my 2xD P5761 light but with significantly longer run time."

The "+" ends are quite flat and I was not quite sure if they would work without any magnets but they work just fine. If you would need a magnet, I am sure the thinnest one would be sufficient......and yes, with the Kai protected D Li-Ion cells you need a soft start for anything stronger than the ROP Low or WA1111.

....here are some quick photos to explain.....


Mag 2xD with fivemega 65mm extension tube


Just enough space inside for the tailcap to screw in


Cut down spring, down to about three or four coils


New cell on the left, old cell on the right

Looking at the cells, I would imagine that if you would have all of them new than you may indeed need two thin magnets to make this work, the cell that touches the switch should not need the magnet. In my case I use the new cell against the switch followed by the two older cells.