Two more 1200 Lumen Mag mods. (Plenty of pics)

[The_Police]

Finally today I got on some of my projects. I put two 6x Cree Q5 units from DX in two Mags.
First, I put a DX drop-in in my 4D Mag.
I had to modify them a little.

I had to take off a little aluminum on the middle heatsink fin so it would sit down in the head lower.
[IMG]

It fits very snug into the throat of the battery tube. This also helps dissipate heat from the drop-in. After some use, the Mag head becomes slightly warmer, so I know it's working.


[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]
[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]
[IMG] By ThePolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]
[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]
[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]
[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]



Here is my modified T8 screwdriver.

[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]


I did the same to a red 2D Mag also.
[IMG] By thepolice93 at 2012-08-01[/IMG]

I'll have to get beamshots later with the 4D, It seems like it's brighter then my black 2D Mag.



All went well with these mods.
My next project will be getting my aspheric Mag led upgraded to the cree led, but I have to wait for my heatsink to get here.

I'd like to hear what you think of these!

[jmpaul320]

excellent! is this the same drop in i put in my 2c mag?

if so i am liking it very much... cant go wrong for $20... output is probably realistically around 800lm which is plenty bright for me... could do without the disco modes but thats not that big of a deal

good form

[CMAG]

Thats one big chuck look like a good 3 inch thru the spindle (sorry off topic )
Nice torches

[The_Police]

excellent! is this the same drop in i put in my 2c mag?

if so i am liking it very much... cant go wrong for $20... output is probably realistically around 800lm which is plenty bright for me... could do without the disco modes but thats not that big of a deal

good form

I don't think so, Your's is the 5 R2 LED drop-in, Mine has six Q5 leds in it. They do have the same lumen rating though. BTW, I agree 100% with you about the price of these. They are quite a bang for $20.

[The_Police]

Thats one big chuck look like a good 3 inch thru the spindle (sorry off topic )
Nice torches

Thanks! That lathe I'm using in these pics is just a little guy, the chuck on our big one is 1 1/2Ft in diameter.

[fastgun]

The website shows pics that appear to be a true drop in, your pics show wiring from the switch. Can this light be dropped in and not wired?
Also, if one uses the standard switch. is there only 1 mode off/on?

[The_Police]

The website shows pics that appear to be a true drop in, your pics show wiring from the switch. Can this light be dropped in and not wired?
Also, if one uses the standard switch. is there only 1 mode off/on?

The drop-in is not specifically intended to be used in a Mag-lite, so you can not just unscrew the bezel "drop" it in and tada. Although you can make it work half-as#ed by soldering something (without melting your driver board) like a screw or other long conductive (insulated around the outside so you don't short out your light) thing in the center of the drop in that will poke down in where the stock incan light bulb goes, and then bend the outer spring inwards so it touches the threads where the little collar holds the stock bulb in place.

So: Can this light be dropped in and not wired? I would say no.

I tried this, but it really does not work well at all. The Mag head has to be turned just right for everything to work, and then if anything gets turned or bumped your light goes dark. Honestly I wouldn't even try making it work this way.

I'd recommend just going the extra mile by wiring it in, that way you have a good solid connection that will never come loose, and you have a reliable light that you can drop-kick off a bridge into a lake and it will still work flawlessly.

Also, if one uses the standard switch. is there only 1 mode off/on? No, the drop-in changes modes when the circuit is opened, then closed within two seconds (so any switch will work). So all you do to change modes on the light is simply push the button on the light down until the light turns on, then release it and push down again (before two seconds passes) and it will cycle through the modes.

DX also offers a single mode 1200 Lumen drop in that only has 5 leds, if you'd want to bypass all the modes, but it is more expensive. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/5-cree-...8-4v-max-35241

I can make a video of how to cycle through the modes too if you'd like.

[fastgun]

Hey thanks for the further information.
Please do make a movie and post it.
Thank you

[The_Police]

Hey thanks for the further information.
Please do make a movie and post it.
Thank you

No Problem, I should have a short video made and uploaded by tomorrow. We have crappy internet upload speeds here...

[moderator007]

Glad to see your still at it, The Police. Nice job on the mags.
Can't wait to see some comparative beamshots.

[The_Police]

Glad to see your still at it, The Police. Nice job on the mags.
Can't wait to see some comparative beamshots.

Thanks! I think I may be hooked on modding for life.. I'll get them beamshots next time I get the chance.

[The_Police]

Hey thanks for the further information.
Please do make a movie and post it.
Thank you

Here is my video. Feel free to ask any other questions if needed.

[jmpaul320]

cool video - lol it sounds like theres a lot of bugs in the background

[Magic socks]

smart video too

[The_Police]

Yeah, were a lot of insects singing last night. lol

[The_Police]

Last night I got some comparative beamshots, I found that the 4D Mag is actually brighter than the 2D mag running off 6AAs. Take a look at these beamshots.

These pictures were taken at 5 second exposure time at 1600 ISO

The Control shot.






The 2D Mag (.5 Mile shot)



4D Mag (.5 Mile shot)





Both lights are shining in this one. (Black 2D-Left & 4D-Right) It is very clear that the 4D's beam is much more intense, and it's spot on the trees is brighter.




Both lights' beams going to space. The 4D's beam also appears brighter. (Notice the difference in the focus between the two)






Same setup, only I moved farther away to get a better view. The 4D (right beam) still appears brighter




Another distance shot

Control



Distance Shot#2 (~755 Yards)




I also made a re-enactment image with Google Earth to help proove the distance.



Thanks for looking! As always, let me know what you think!

[moderator007]

Impressive upgrade. Great job as always The Police.

[The_Police]

Impressive upgrade. Great job as always The Police.

Thanks! The support I get here makes it all worth it in the end.

[kamikazinyc]

hey mr law man, if i was to put this in my car headlights would you pull me over?

[Chicken Drumstick]

Wow nice looking upgrades.

Do you mind if I ask a couple of Q's?


1. The mode switching, does it switch modes every time you turn it on, or does it reset after a while? e.g. if you leave it in low and go back 30 mins later, what mode would it turn on in?

2. I'm fairly new to this modding lark, if I wanted to do something like this what would I need? I'm guessing the drop in, something to cut the drop in down to fit and then simply solder on the wires from the switch, or do I need some sort of control/driver board too? I suppose related to this, is the drop in being direct driven or regulated.

3. Are you still running regular alkaline D cells or something else?


Thanks ever so.

[The_Police]

Wow nice looking upgrades.

Do you mind if I ask a couple of Q's?


1. The mode switching, does it switch modes every time you turn it on, or does it reset after a while? e.g. if you leave it in low and go back 30 mins later, what mode would it turn on in?

2. I'm fairly new to this modding lark, if I wanted to do something like this what would I need? I'm guessing the drop in, something to cut the drop in down to fit and then simply solder on the wires from the switch, or do I need some sort of control/driver board too? I suppose related to this, is the drop in being direct driven or regulated.

3. Are you still running regular alkaline D cells or something else?


Thanks ever so.

Thanks, and I'd be glad to answer your questions!

1. The modes always stay the same after it is turned off. So if I have it on the brightest mode, turn it off. Then come back to it whenever and turn it on, it will still be on the brightest mode. I also posted a video up a ways in this same thread that went over the mode switching. Not sure if you watched it yet, but if you haven't, it may answer these questions as well.

2. First off, yes you need this (or similar model) drop-in from DX, and it comes with the 5-mode driver installed. As far as fitting the drop-in in the head, It will fit in the head as is, but the bezel of the mag does not thread on all the way (that looks bad to me) and the head also will not screw down all the way because the drop-in will hit on the battery tube of the light. (that's why I machined mine to fit inside the battery tube) You can use a grind wheel for these tasks, but I recommend using a turning lathe if you have access to one.
-Then you can use a hacksaw, dremel with cutting wheel, or a turning lathe to remove the lamp post from the switch assembly.
-Two wires (about 5 inches long is more than enough)
-Soldering iron and solder (be careful about how long you hold the soldering iron on the driver to remove the contact springs! I already burned one up on accident)

3. Yes, I am using four Duracell "D" batteries in the 4D, and six Energizer "AA"s in the red 2D (I prefer Duracells, but I only had energizers at the time I needed batteries)

I hope that answers all of your questions, and as always, feel free to ask any others you may have.

[The_Police]

hey mr law man, if i was to put this in my car headlights would you pull me over?

Yeah I'd pull you over, not to ticket you, but to find out what the hell you did to your headlights.

[Chicken Drumstick]

Thanks. Yeah I did watch the vid too, very helpful

One last thing, in the 2D with the AA's, are they parallel or serial? Is 3v enough to power this drop in?

Ta.

[The_Police]

Thanks. Yeah I did watch the vid too, very helpful

One last thing, in the 2D with the AA's, are they parallel or serial? Is 3v enough to power this drop in?

Ta.

The 2D light has two 3AA to D converters from kaidomain.com, and they are wired in series.

No, 3V is not enough, the drop-in has low-voltage protection, meaning it won't turn on until it gets about 4.5V, and the max voltage is 8.4V.

*Important*
If you use regular alkaline batteries, you'll need to solder a wire in place of a battery (a piece of wire from positive to negative) on the adapter so it only runs off 5AAs. This is because alkaline battery voltages are generally slightly over their rated 1.5V, and when you get six of them in series like that they put out over 9V.

Otherwise, if you use rechargeable batteries you can just run six AAs without a problem because they generally put out around 1.2V a piece.

If you're not sure on the voltage, you can always use a multimeter (some call it a voltmeter) and check the voltage of the batteries to see their output.

[Gtamazing]

I really like the mod. So much so that I've ordered the parts to make it myself.

[The_Police]

That's great! Glad to see I have inspired someone to join the modding world. BTW

[Chicken Drumstick]

Not just one person The Police. I bought a 2D Mag this week with the purpose of doing this too. Mag arrived yesterday, just need to order the drop in now.

[The_Police]

Not just one person The Police. I bought a 2D Mag this week with the purpose of doing this too. Mag arrived yesterday, just need to order the drop in now.

Happy modding!

I'm anxious to see threads on these builds! I enjoy seeing how others make this work as well.

[Gtamazing]

That's great! Glad to see I have inspired someone to join the modding world. BTW

You had enough pictures for me too follow and the info was clear. Having not built a light for 7 years, the technology has changed alot and I was getting lost with the abbreviations and acronyms.

[pyro1son]

Having real problems finding this drop in could you post a link so i could order one to mod my 4d mag?
Thanks

EDIT: Found it!