Neat ROP Lo-Lo I whipped up.. Thoughts?

[1pt21]

My local Radio Shack had Mag 3d's on sale for $10, soo naturally I had to pick up one (actually all 3 :whistle:). While brainstorming on how I was gonna mod them I decided to just throw one together with parts I had laying around and came up with a combo that I have not seen mentioned here before. Thought I would share as I'm actually very pleased with the results:

After opening one up and placing it next to my computer monitor (to brainstorm ideas) I noticed that the 3d form factor is actually very close in length to the mag-chargers we rock at work. Hmm I have an extra battery pack that was replaced because they thought it was dead, it wasn't. So I pop it in a sure enough it fits perfectly, it is actually a little short but this just makes the spring tension much more manageable imho. Having NO need for another gd pr bulb sitting in the junk drawer I clicked it on just to see if it would light, it did; for one sec.

Into the mag parts box I go and dig out a MOP metal, cammed reflector and 5 cell (xenon i believe) bulb from the bag full of them I have for no reason. Throw it all together and sure enough end up with a very satisfying incan rechargeable setup. Ran it so far for about 20mins on the charge that was sitting on the batt and it still lights great!

The 3d form factor has actually grown on me and feels real nice in the hand. I have a couple 2d ROP setups (6xaa eneloop), but always wanted some longer runtime. Hopefully this will be my answer, although I will say noticably dimmer/yellower than my ROP setups STILL totally usable and nice light.

So how bout it, thoughts/ suggestions??

I still have the plastic lens in there and will toss a glass one in there when I dig it out, but after ~10min bursts no melting yet (i doubt it runs hot enough, really probably not even overdriving the 5cell bulb).

I'm also thinking of picking up a bi-pin adapter and running the mag-charger bulb in there, making it essentially a mag-charger with out of body charging :laughing:. Maybe try a 4 cell bulb in there, or would the battery pack flash it??

Thanks all!!!

 

[gswitter]

Try a 5761 in a bi-pin adapter with the MC pack.

 

[ElectronGuru]

I will say noticably dimmer/yellower than my ROP setups STILL totally usable and nice light.

So how bout it, thoughts/ suggestions?

Looks like a fun simple mod, good job.

MC cell packs (new) are rated at 6.0 volts. Since it managed to blow the 4.5 volt bulb the 3D came with, it may be in good shape. But the 7.5 volt bulb you've got in there now is rather under driven, creating the yellow color. Perhaps a 4 cell (6 volt) bulb will be just right. Make it a Xenon if you have a choice.

 

[mudman cj]

I agree with ElectronGuru that a 4 cell bulb would be an improvement and also with the choice of a xenon bulb. And with the bulb dissipating <10W you can use the stock reflector for additional throw as long as you don't mind the artifacts. :green:

 

[mdhammack]

I made a baby magcharger the other day with a 2d ROP. Nice and white with that overdrive. Put in the FM bipin socket and stock MC bulb, not bad, but the 5761 was nice in that package, just doesn't last too long on the aa's.
I am putting together a 3d ROP for my dad for Christmas...I will get the light bored out and stuff 12AA's in it in a 7.2v pack for some extended runtime. BTW, on eneloops, I should get approx 4 hrs per charge right? Only reason I am doing it this way is my dad is really into camo stuff and I found a camo 3d. I know he wouldn't be happpy with mag85 runtime, and he really likes my 4d ROP for use around "the ranch" lol.

 

[1pt21]

Looks like a fun simple mod, good job.

MC cell packs (new) are rated at 6.0 volts. Since it managed to blow the 4.5 volt bulb the 3D came with, it may be in good shape. But the 7.5 volt bulb you've got in there now is rather under driven, creating the yellow color. Perhaps a 4 cell (6 volt) bulb will be just right. Make it a Xenon if you have a choice.

Thanks a lot. Hmm this is just what I was thinking, I'll pick up a pack of 4cell bulbs and report back the results for sure. I figured it was underdriven, but man I'm a sucker for a long running incan :wave:

I agree with ElectronGuru that a 4 cell bulb would be an improvement and also with the choice of a xenon bulb. And with the bulb dissipating <10W you can use the stock reflector for additional throw as long as you don't mind the artifacts. :green:

Yup, the artifacts are the very reason I went and grabbed the MOP reflector, YUCK. I guess I left that part out lol. I thought the metal reflector would actually push more of the heat forward, but like I said at these levels it seems negligible.

Thanks all for the suggestions so far! I'm def going to setup one of the other ones with a bi-pin and mag-charger bulb (possibly 5761). Can't believe I actually found a use for this battery pack, I just knew it wasn't destined for recycling just yet!

Keep em coming :candle:

 

[fivemega]

12 Eneloops (6S/2P) in quad bored 3D and ROP bulb.

Very bright, low self discharge and reasonable run time. Choose HO for more brightness or LO for even longer run time.

 

[1pt21]

12 Eneloops (6S/2P) in quad bored 3D and ROP bulb.

Very bright, low self discharge and reasonable run time. Choose HO for more brightness or LO for even longer run time.

Ahhh!!! Freakin peer pressure :nana:

Soo many options, hmmmmmm...

$10 Mag got expensive real quick lol... I love it :whistle:

I'll keep everyone updated on my decision if you're interested.

 

[1pt21]

OK, here's a quick update..

Picked up the FM bi-pin adapter and along with an 1161 and a 5761. I guess the 5761's are out of stock at the moment, but the 1161 arrived with it. Popped it and was was initially wowed with the output, but that quickly changed... I noticed the colors getting weird and thought that was odd for an incan lol. Turned it off and looked into the head to see it filled with smoke :eek:

Pulled off the head to let it air out and the bulb was black. Sucks, but I'm beat on that. Maybe I'll have better luck with the 5761. I ordered up a MagCharger bulb to put in the adapter for now and will report back on how that works out, but if I had to guess it'll ummm be equivalent to a stock MagCharger lol (yet I do find them pretty bright).

I also had ordered a 4-cell Mag-Num Star Xenon bulb that showed up today. I put that in and am PLEASANTLY surprised with the result, much whiter than the 5-cell (so that went into the tailcap as a spare). The op reflector makes the beam pleasant as well :)

Thanks for all the great advice, this puppy is coming along nicely!

:candle:

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

The stock Mag 6-cell Xenon Star bulb is cheapest and most practical lamp for a Low-low ROP.

 

[1pt21]

The stock Mag 6-cell Xenon Star bulb is cheapest and most practical lamp for a Low-low ROP.

Yeah, come to think of it I guess titling the thread as "ROP" lo-lo doesn't make the most sense as none of the light actually consists of any ROP parts lol. But I do have Xenon Star 6-cell bulbs in the tailcaps of both my ROP mags as spares or if want a lower output and slightly better runtime for any reason. The wifeys mag is also setup with 6 eneloops and a 5-cell Xenon Star bulb, still on the stock reflector and plastic lens, she uses it all the time and loves it (no problems yet).

On the same note, does anyone think an ROP low bulb would run ok with this setup (magcharger battery stick)??

Thanks everyone! :candle:

 

[mudman cj]

Since you are using the Magcharger battery stick with 5 NiCd cells, the Mag 6 cell or ROP bulbs will be much more yellow than the 4 cell bulb you like. They will run OK in the sense that there will be no damage to the bulb or battery pack, and in fact the life of the bulbs will be dramatically increased because they will not be overdriven. But what's the fun in that? :devil:

 

[1pt21]

Got the MagCharger bulb in today, surprisingly not much brighter than the (overdriven) 4-cell xenon bulb. Though I'll leave it in there for now, it's still a nice setup. I also put in a glass lens for piece of mind.

Solid rechargeable incan setup.. Runtime seems decent so far, better than my ROP without much sacrifice in output.