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

The_Police

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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.
20120801105740.jpg


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. ;)



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Here is my modified T8 screwdriver.

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I did the same to a red 2D Mag also.
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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!
 
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jmpaul320

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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 :rock:
 

CMAG

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

The_Police

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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 :rock:

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

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

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. :laughing:
 

fastgun

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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

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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. :laughing: 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...drop-in-led-module-52-7mm-42mm-8-4v-max-35241

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

fastgun

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

moderator007

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

The_Police

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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.

controlx.jpg





The 2D Mag (.5 Mile shot)
img8167nu.jpg



4D Mag (.5 Mile shot)
img8166yu.jpg





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.

img8169b.jpg




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

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

Control
control2h.jpg



Distance Shot#2 (~755 Yards)
img8185t.jpg




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



Thanks for looking! As always, let me know what you think!
:thumbsup:
 
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Chicken Drumstick

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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.
 
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