2D Maglite - improvements?

[Mike_B]

Hi - my first post here although I've been lurking for a while - absolutley amazed at the massive variety of things people are doing with lights!

I've read a lot of the threads on converting / improving / mod'ing Mag's, and I'm now baffled - ideas and suggestions would be appreciated - -

I have a 2D cell Mag (D prefix) - it's totally standard other than having a Magnum Star bulb. That was a noticable improvment on the standard one.

What would you recommend as a simple, inexpensive and readily available (I'm in UK) improvement to it to produce a better output, and ideally less of the doughnut ring? Throw is important, but some more flood would be nice.

I'd like to keep using standard Duracells and don't want to go down the line of the wonderful mods I read about here involving machining, electronics, or the like - at this point anyway - I suspect however this is the start of a slippery slope as I like making / improving things!

I guess I need to look at a better reflector? And / or bulb? Any other simple mods?

Thanks, Mike.

 

[bouncer]

Most any other high power mods would require a better power source. You could do a ROP mod fairly inexpensively by replacing your lens, reflector and making a plastic sleeve and using 18650 or 26500 batteries and replacing the bulb.read all of the incandescent threads you can especially threads involving ROP. I purchased a ROP low mag from the marketplace and love it.

 

[kramer5150]

Standard duracell alkalines are going to severely limit your options.:sigh: I can't think of any incan/2D Alkaline mods that are worth your while.

Theres the 2D Xenon PR lamp, but I dont know if this is going to be a significant jump from what you already have.

If you are willing to consider LED, that could open up some more options for you.

 

[Mike_B]

Cheers - so, what would be a good, drop in and cost effective way to achieve what I'm after?

The vast range of options "here" has baffled me totally and while I accept that there's no one "right" answer, some pointers would be a great help.

Underlying all this is just a wish to get a better result from the torch, while keeping the bits and pieces fairly standard, and (ideally) easy to find, maintain, replace etc.

Many thanks - Mike.

 

[RaVeN38571]

Cheapest mod I think would be to try a magnumstar 5-cell, with 6aa nimh batts. That's what I did and it only cost me $8.

 

[Mike_B]

That's interesting - forgive my ignorance, but do you mean 6 AA batteries in place of the 2 D cells? I presume that means some form of adaptor and if so, what am I asking / looking for when I search for that?

Thanks - Mike.

 

[RaVeN38571]

You can get the 3aa-D adapters on kaidomain.com for 2.00 apiece. As for the bulb, shouldn't be more than 4.50. You can't use alkaline because of the higher voltage, they have to be nimh. I use eneloops in mine. Its a little brighter than my Mag Rebel 2D with a little further throw. I use it on a daily basis for taking the dog out etc. You get about 1 half hours on 2000mah batteries. It does run for about 2 hours if you let it dim quite a bit. But I really do like it. Before the mod I had stop using it for a year or so.

 

[PCC]

I *really* like the MagLED 2D drop-in module. If you can find one (they're discontinued) they are brighter than any bulb that MagLite has made for these lights running on 2D cells and they can run down your cells to a lower voltage so you get three times the runtimes from the same cells. Down the road you can even swap the emitter on it to something newer and brighter and get even more light out of it with the same run times. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

I will tell you that my old pre-D Mag2D has had the Krypton and the Xenon bulbs in it and a stock 2-cell MagLED replacement bulb is brighter than either of those bulbs. In fact, my son's Mini-MagLED with the newer Rebel LED is about as bright as my old 2D with the Xenon bulb. If you swap the Luxeon emitter with a SSC P4 it'll be brighter still. The next thing I want to try is to swap a Cree XP-G into one of mine to see how bright that combo is.

 

[bobo383]

Most cost-effective Maglite mod I've done was installing a Terralux TLE-6EXB on several 2D & 3Dmags. It's an LED goes on in place of the stock bulb & collar. Run time is improved, spill is increased, and output is significantly better on partially-used alkaline batteries that make an incan bulb go orange. I'm in the USA but found several UK sites that have these for around £25 (example).

The MagLED bulb replacement is also good but IMO the Terralux beats it for about the same money.

Mag ROP is a decent step up from these, back to incandescent again, but about 3 times the cost, counting metal refector, glass lens, bulbs, rechargeable batts, charger, and 6AA-2D adaptor(s).

Keep us posted on what you wind up doing!

 

[RaVeN38571]

Home Depot has the Mag Led upgrade on sale for $4.61. Here is the link from the Market Place forum.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=207892

 

[Mike_B]

Very interesting - this whole discussion has set me thinking along the LED line, something I'd wondered about but hadn't really considered as a route.

The more I've looked, the more I like the idea of building the sort of fabulous lights I've read about - the special battery carriers on offer "here" are especially interesting and I do very much like the idea of specialist reflctors and high power bulbs. It appeals to my nature to have something which looks "stock", but clearly isn't! But, the cost!! All that said, I do see the attractions of light mod'ing as a hobby in it's own right. Quite amazing.

Current thinking is now swithering between the 3aa-D adapters + magnumstar 5-cell bulb route OR the Terralux TLE-6EXB drop in. Adapters will have to come from the States as it seems there's nothing available on this side of the pond that I can find anyway. No problem there, but are the kaidomain.com offerings of decent quality to give reliability over a long life? Or, are there any other adapters to look at I wonder? My preference is generally to pay a little more to get good quality and reliability if I have to, while balancing the fact that all I want is something better than I have.

I love the idea of the Mag85's and ROPs - but probably don't need one - -

I have seen the wonderful creations from MDOCOD mentioned earlier in this post, but the cost isn't justifiable for me.

The Terralux is readily available in UK - which makes it attractive. And would allow me to just use ordinary D cells which I can get anywhere.

All this info and guidance is much appreciated - Mike.

 

[RaVeN38571]

The kaidomain adapters work fine and are solid quality for what they a designed for, BUT! They will not work with a ROP setup or anything that requires alot of amps. They will simply melt. You only need the custom battery adapters if your going for the ROP setup ect.

 

[Barrie]

Hi Mike :wave:
i have sent you a pm sorry for the slow reply but i have been unable to log-in for weeks and only just registered
cheers Barrie

 

[mvyrmnd]

You want smooth and bright, huh?

Send a PM to Kestrel. He's been experimenting with frosting bulbs so that you can use them in the stock mag reflector, and eliminate the "batwing" effect.

Personally, If you're not going to go for a full ROP, get the AA adapters, and an frosted ROP Low bulb from Kestrel.

It won't melt the relector, it'll be brighter than using any Mag bulb, and smooth as my baby's bottom.

The plus side is you end up with rechargeable batteries, and the long term cost will be much lower than buying primaries all the time.

You could still use regular AA batteries, even with their higher voltage. The 3854-L (ROP Low) is some sort of voodoo bulb and can take some serious voltage before giving up. I've seen one running on 6 fresh D-size duracells with not a hint of trouble.

 

[Kestrel]

You want smooth and bright, huh?

Send a PM to Kestrel. He's been experimenting with frosting bulbs so that you can use them in the stock mag reflector, and eliminate the "batwing" effect.

Personally, If you're not going to go for a full ROP, get the AA adapters, and an frosted ROP Low bulb from Kestrel.

It won't melt the relector, it'll be brighter than using any Mag bulb, and smooth as my baby's bottom.

Hello, what? I make no claims as to anybody's bottom. :tinfoil:

The frosting (chemical etch) will improve things regarding bulb artifacts, but IMO if you're trying to stay with that low of a voltage (two cells) with a relatively low ability to deliver current (alkaline chemistry), I think that an LED configuration is your best bet. A Mag 3D can take 4 'C' alkalines, finally getting to some decent incandescent output for very little money (check the second link in my sig), but a good incandescent build in a 2D host really means going to a 6xAA battery holder (by FiveMega), 6x NiMH AA rechargeables (resulting in ~7.2 volts), and going ROP-low for ~500 bulb lumens (with the stock plastic reflector and lens - no guarantees that the stock reflector won't melt on extended usage tho) or ROP-high for ~1100 bulb lumens (with an upgraded aluminum reflector that won't melt).

Anyway, just my opinion, I'm not really an incan expert like many others here. ;) However, the ROP is arguably the most popular incan build on CPF, for good reason:

• it's easy (these bulbs just drop right in - higher output bulbs require bi-pin-type adaptors)
• it's inexpensive (very few Mag components need to be modified and/or replaced - the only expensive part is the 6xAA battery holder, ~$45US or so)
• it's reliable (the Pelican 3854 bulbs are very durable)
• and it's bright.

BTW here's the link for frosting bulbs - I'm still a noob on this, I have had some modest success with this technique, but I am uncertain about long-term use of this on the high-pressure bulbs we're using here on CPF. I've frosted a few bulbs up to a Pelican 3854-low, but I do not want to try this technique on anything of higher output / wattage.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=99398

Another solution might be to purchase an OP/stippled aluminum reflector for a smoother beam, but that's more money. At that point you'd be part-way to a high-output configuration anyhow...

 

[Kestrel]

BTW, if you wanted to avoid the 6xAA battery holder, you can also use 2x18650 LiIon (or IMR) or 2x26500 IMR (both in spacer tubes to center them in the 2D body) and the Pelican 3853 bulb (-L or -H). This build should have somewhat-comparable output to the 3854 driven by 6xNiMH, but the 3853 does a better job of withstanding the slightly higher voltage from the LiIon or IMR cells. Here's a ROP/LiIon thread from ElectronGuru to get you started:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=236731

(His thread is what got me into the ROP's BTW.)

 

[1pt21]

You want smooth and bright, huh?

Personally, If you're not going to go for a full ROP, get the AA adapters, and an frosted ROP Low bulb from Kestrel.

It won't melt the relector, it'll be brighter than using any Mag bulb, and smooth as my baby's bottom.

No reason to debate, but from my experience this is definitely not the case unless runtimes are kept to a minimum.

This is using both 6xaa and 2x18650. An aluminum reflector can be had for cheap enough if you plan on going this route.

But the ROP-L is a fantastic bulb in so many aspects, I actually use mine more than the -H

My .02

:thumbsup:

 

[jaundice]

I agree with those that suggested a ROP-low. You should be able to get ROP bulbs from a UK dealer of Pelican products. A set of two bulbs (high and low) is $10 in the US, so probably a bit more where you are. Trade the ROP-high bulb to another CPFer, as it will melt your stock reflector. Get 2 3xAA adaptors from kaidomain, and 6 Nimh batteries, and you're in business. The rechargeables will save you money in the long run. If you feel the need while you're on Kaidomain, you can throw in a reflector and glass lens for another $15 or so. The money does add up, but you'll end up with a flashlight that's 20 times better than what you have now. Plus, it's probably mighty dark right now, as far North as you are!

I'm not sure how much 6 Nimh batteries would cost where you are. For that matter, what's your budget for this project?

Heck, if you're really on a budget, just get the 3xAA holders from Kaidomain, and run a magnumstar 5 cell bulb from 6 AA alkalines. The bulb will be slightly overdriven, and you'll get a lot more light than you're currently getting.

-John

 

[Mike_B]

All good suggestions - forgive my ignorance, but as the flashlight modding market here in UK seems far less well developed than over the water, what am I searching for with regard to the ROP bulbs?

As to budget, well, that's another story I suppose. Initially all I wanted to do was improve on what I've got by a bit, but of course now I'm sensing all sorts of other possibilities - - - -

£16 buys me an LED drop in (the Terralux) and that seems like a good way to go right now for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

Maybe I should jsut keep the Mag as is and invest in a proper, modern, LED torch - - - -

(I knew this would happen - I like gadgets and toys and like modifying things to make them better!)

 

[jaundice]

Mike;

I have the Terralux TLE-6EXB, and it's a really decent dropin option. I would go for that as a first foray into LED lights. Plus, why put your Mag 2D on the shelf, when it's a great basis for a light? If you like the size, you'll love the output of the TLE-6EXB and the long runtime of the D cell alkalines. Basically, you'll get a much better LED light putting a TLE-6EXB in your mag for 16 pounds than you would buying a whole LED light for the same amount. Check the marketplace for a Mag dropin. You can either surf for one for sale, or post a Want-To-Buy posting. I'm sure you'll get something for much less than you'd pay retail.

The Pelican Products bulbs you need come in a set of two, one high and one low. The part number is 3854. I did a brief google search, and couldn't find it in the UK. A deeper search would probably come up with something.

-John