$18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 ! !

[3rd_shift]

The light came from Walmart today at a hefty 1,899 cents. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
($18.99) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Here is the exploded view of the light.

No thermal paste came with the Luxeon1 star. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
That will be fixed in a jiffy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
Disregard that sorry SX1L as I decided not to use it after all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Let's see here....800mah, or 1800mah? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
Looks like there is room in that light for an 18650 doesn't it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Took a dremel with cutting wheel and cut the resistor board holder in half.
Notice that a small spring has been soldered on the (+) tab
for better battery length flexibility and cushioning.

See below how the resistor got repositioned in the shortened resistor housing?
The excellent stock RYAJ led will be re-used in this case.
A lux3 ***L bin would also work wonders without the need for the resistor at all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Led/resistor assembly reinstalled.
18650 just drops right in like it belonged there the whole time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Litup without the head.
Lit with the head on.
SX1K Q3 on the left at 800ma off the cr123 3 volt battery.
RYAJ on the right at 500 milliamps off of an 1800mah lithium ion 18650. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

 

[Sean]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Very nice!

 

[3rd_shift]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Thanks Sean. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I forgot to mention that resistor is a 1.5 ohm.
I did try a QYOH since posting this and it looked nice at 600ma, but went back to the stock 500ma RYAJ soon after. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
They were both about equally bright as far as I could tell.
I may end up fitting a buck circuit in here to take the place of that cutdown resistor housing.
Lotsa room in that sturdy, inexpensive light for lotsa modding. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

 

[chevrofreak]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Whoa, those guts look exactly the same as the Streamlight 3AA I modded. Well, except that teh switch was on the side, but everything else is exactly the same.

 

[solarwinds]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

That's really cool.

So the idea was to take the Metal Gear, make it brighter, and make it use a more powerful battery while maintaining Metal Gear's excellent aluminum shape and form factor eh?

 

[3rd_shift]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

[ QUOTE ]
solarwinds said:
That's really cool.

So the idea was to take the Metal Gear, make it brighter, and make it use a more powerful battery while maintaining Metal Gear's excellent aluminum shape and form factor eh?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Runtime with the 3 AAA alkalines would be about 2-3 hours at 200-350 milliamps.
Or about 2 hours on good nimh AAA batteries.

With the lithium ion 18650, , it's around 4-5 hours and brighter on top of that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I will be modding the oem AAA carrier with a lengthening spring added so that this light will again be able to use either AAA's or the big, and powerful lithium ion laptop cell.

 

[solarwinds]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Why can't Dorcy hire you and make this a new model or something? I'm serious. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[3rd_shift]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

[ QUOTE ]
solarwinds said:
Why can't Dorcy hire you and make this a new model or something? I'm serious. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not Chinese. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif
The light was made in China for Dorcy by someone.

But, I can see it now......
Dorcy "3rd Shift Gear" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Who knows what will happen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[wquiles]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Well said 3rd shift. Life is always full of surprisses /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Will

 

[sniper]

You just HAD to do that, didn't you? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif A Lux III, huh? Hmmmmm. It doesn't look all that hard. Of course, that's what I said about my 3D Mag mod, too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Former_Mag_User]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Hey, that looks sweet!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

 

[3rd_shift]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

If you go the lux3 route with this one, go ahead and bypass the resistor on the back of that circuit board with a piece of wire and go with a ***L bin direct drive.
The stock resistor appears to be too small to take lux3 power.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mpr.gif

Edit:
I did finally try out that SX1L luxeon3 direct drive.
It held up fine at 800-850 milliamps on the 18650.
But it just wasn't much brighter than the RYAJ 1.2 watt is at 500 milliamps. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
The RYAJ and resistor were put back in as a result. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Justintoxicated]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

So, could this light easily be converted to run on a TWOK and Pila 150A?

Just curios I have some stuff laying around

 

[bwaites]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

JustIntox,

It's easily converted to a TWOH and Pila 150A at least.

It is brighter than the stock RYAJ, and seems to handle the 3 watt fine. I had planned to direct drive a TWOJ, but decided that I'd try the TWOH for fun. From the 150 it is seeing 3.06 volts and running at 350 ma.

Bill

Edited to correct draw.

 

[3rd_shift]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

A pila 150, 17500, 18500 should be able to go right in there.
Only problem I had with those was that the light ia about the size of a 2X cr123 light.
A large section inside was taken up by that darn resistor housing.
That was why I went ahead and cut it down, repositioned the resistor and went with the huge 18650 stuffed in there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
And, there is still room in there for a downboy 400 for use with 1 18650, 2X cr123s or 2X r123's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[bwaites]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

These bodies are tanks!! This might be a perfect glove box light if you want to use Lithium AA's in the holder.

I'd like to swap out the resistor and push about 600ma to the Luxeon, though.

Bill

 

[Codeman]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

[ QUOTE ]
bwaites said:
...
I'd like to swap out the resistor and push about 600ma to the Luxeon, though.

Bill

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder why? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif

 

[Justintoxicated]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

well what if I remove the resistor compleatly for a TWOK?

 

[Justintoxicated]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

Could I use an emitter instead of a star?

 

[bwaites]

Re: $18.99 Dorcy RYAJ Metal Gear modded to 18650 !

The light uses the star as part of the heat sink mass.

I'm considering removing the resistor as well, but think an H probably needs a little protection.

Bill