Northern Lights
Flashlight Enthusiast
Something a little fishy in the method I used to get you attention. A good title gets your attention.
I wanted a light that put out a lot of lumens in a small package, something more than the 2c-cell ROP LE.. The rage was once the M85 or Mag85 the Welch Allyn 1185 bulb over driven then some curious CPF'ers figured out the 5761 is slightly brighter, more lumens, and uses less voltage. Not as efficient as it runs at 5.5 amps! That was the problem in getting this into a 2c-cell light and getting some light out of it.
The Phillips 5761 puts out about 1336 lumens and that figures to just under 900 torch-lumens when you figure in optic losses. You must be sure to rework the switches and tail cap springs to reduce electrical resistance and further losses. The ROP is in the 500-600, the WA 1185 high 700-low 800 out put in torch lumens. .
Then came AW with a new C size lithium, 3.6 volt 3000 mAh battery! But still a little problem getting the protected cells to fire up all the time on the 5761 so AW did it again with a multi-level soft start switch, (not really a driver).
AW single handedly change the latest fads around here. I was calling my light the 2CM61 LE before the AW inventions. Now I call it the Rechargeable AW 2C-cell 900, my way to say thanks.
If you charge Lithium cells in series with a smart charger you should keep an eye out for capacity imbalances between cells and often run the cells through a single cell charger to maintain their compatibility. Otherwise you can use the RC type chargers that have taps to balance the cells.
My 2C-cell has a charging port now and can charge the AW cells in the light. This model is straight series charging but I have a plan in the works that would install a jack that can take a RC charger with a tap.
The new switch from AW allows the slightly longer cells to use the standard tail cap with a modification of the spring. The 10mm spacer allows room for a charging Jack. I also have a fuse in the circuit in the tail cap. You can see that in the picture too. Here is a reference to fuses
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=151747
For the modder in you I found I could build a harness that would run along the batteries in the tube. The problem always was the tight fit. I scavenged the flexible connector tape from several defunct pieces of computer hardware. The strips solder well, are tough and fit in the tube with the batteries. This is useful in running the tap harness or building a protected pack with a PCB as the strip can be put under the shrink-wrap too.
I am right handed so I wanted the jack on the left side, 1/6 the way down. Using a paper template over the tube you are able to get a good measurement on the diameter and position the jack. Using a drill press and soldering iron should be the only tools you need. I goofed though because I shake like the tail of a rattlesnake and I drilled the hole 0.5mm too close to the switch so I had a little grinding to do on the jack. The off set for the jack space is PVC and the plate is cut from 1/8 inch poly carb plexiglass.
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