Anyone ever modified a streamlight keymate?

[eyeeatingfish]

I have an old one lying around and im wondering if anyone has ever modified it, either a better battery or better led... or both.
Anyone know if the cr2 will fit?

http://streamlight.com:80/product/product.aspx?pid=60

 

[maxilux]

Why do you want to mod this light, it is great for this size and price and runtime, when you want to have more, better buy an other light.

 

[cslinger]

I don't think you could make it fit a AAA in width much less a CR2.

It is actually pretty bright stock. The button cells do kind of suck but the thing is just about microscopic.

Chris

 

[eyeeatingfish]

Yeah the button cells do suck. the brightness is all right but since i last changed the batteries it hasnt seen a whole lot of use and its dead now.


I think it would fit an AAA.

 

[maxilux]

I had never problems with these batteries, buy 4 of a good brand and there are no problems.

 

[kramer5150]

Yeah the button cells do suck. the brightness is all right but since i last changed the batteries it hasnt seen a whole lot of use and its dead now.


I think it would fit an AAA.

My thoughts...

Take 4 of the button cells, stack them up and compare the size to a AAA. That should tell you right there if its a physical match

AAA cells are 10440 (10mm dia x 44mm length).

They are direct driving the emitter off those 4 alkaline cells, the internal resistance of the cell chemistry prevents the LED from nuking itself. So a nimh AAA (1.2V) may not have enough voltage to get any serviceable light out of it. You could try a 10440 Lithium-ion, but direct driving off that would be risky....

 

[cslinger]

Just tried a AAA with the Nano (not to power it just for fit) and it is too wide by a small bit. the Nano is really tiny.

Chris

 

[deranged_coder]

I think it would fit an AAA.

I think an AAA cell is a bit too long to fit inside the KeyMate (I do not have my KeyMate with me at the moment so I cannot yet verify it). Also, the KeyMate normally runs on 4xLR44 (a.k.a. AG13) coin cell batteries which run at 1.5V each in series (total 6V) so if you wanted to run a AAA in there aside from needing a longer body you would have to change the electronics so it could run from 1.5V.

IMHO the cost of modding a KeyMate vs. simply buying a 1xAAA powered light is not worth the effort. Just buy a good 1xAAA powered light such as a Fenix E01 and be done with it. :shrug:

 

[eyeeatingfish]

I know a AAA is too long but width wise it looks like it would fit. I havent found an AAA battery around the house to test it yet....
Oh, found one. The AAA is at least 10mm too long, but the tube is much wider than the AAA. The tube appears to be just a hair under 12mm. Also the LED is being direct driven, no circuitry present. A rebel or a cree should be able to run off of 3.7 direct ok right?

What is the size of the CR2 battery? 15mm diameter? I wonder if they make anything thats about 11mmx 30mm or so?

And yeah i could just buy a fenix AAA light but then this light would be sitting around. I dont like it if lights are just sitting around doing nothing.

 

[deranged_coder]

What is the size of the CR2 battery? 15mm diameter? I wonder if they make anything thats about 11mmx 30mm or so?

I think a N battery is around that size. A Li-Ion 10280 cell would also probably fit in there just fine. :shrug:

And yeah i could just buy a fenix AAA light but then this light would be sitting around. I dont like it if lights are just sitting around doing nothing.

Sell it on B/S/T or give it to a friend / family member who could use a good light.

 

[cslinger]

The AAA is at least 10mm too long, but the tube is much wider than the AAA.

We talking Keymate or Nano?

My Nano tube is too thin for a AAA.

Chris

 

[deranged_coder]

We talking Keymate or Nano?

The thread title says "streamlight keymate" so it is probably safe to say that we are talking about the KeyMate, not the Nano.

 

[cslinger]

Somehow I just read that. My bad.

 

[Justin Case]

I have one and the tail end randomly popped off and the light has never been right since. The tail just doesn't want to re-insert and stay put. I'd love to modify it so that the tail stays in.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

I had the same thing happen to me with the tail cap on one i gave to a friend.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

Who sells n batteries or 10280 cells?

 

[Fallingwater]

A rebel or a cree should be able to run off of 3.7 direct ok right?

No. A LiIon cell has a voltage of 4.2 fully charged, and will overdrive a Cree or Rebel quite drastically. Also, you'd have no way to properly heatsink them.

What is the size of the CR2 battery? 15mm diameter? I wonder if they make anything thats about 11mmx 30mm or so?

Rechargeable CR2s are called 14250, but my measurements indicate they are in fact 15250 (15mm wide, 25mm long).

And yeah i could just buy a fenix AAA light but then this light would be sitting around. I dont like it if lights are just sitting around doing nothing.

Give it away or sell it.

Who sells n batteries or 10280 cells?

AW sells 10280s if I remember correctly. If you plan on using one in your light make a spacer with two metal terminals and the appropriate resistor inbetween, or the LED will smoke itself in no time.
There will be no protection whatsoever, so you run the risk of overdischarging the cell if you use it often but forget to charge it.

Note that the AW 10280, the charger and the spacer are likely to bring the expense to about the price of a Fenix E01... and you'd still end up with a far less practical light.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

It would be nice to have something that small though with a high power LED. Smaller than a a fenix AAA light

 

[deranged_coder]

It would be nice to have something that small though with a high power LED. Smaller than a a fenix AAA light

There are a lot out there already. For example, check this thread:

"Nice" lights smaller than Fenix E01?

 

[flashfan]

When the Keymates first came out, CPF member lambda modified the light to a higher output LED utilitizing the N cell...however that was a number of years ago. (IIRC, lambda was one of the earliest, most prolific and talented flashlight modders on CPF...in my opinion.)

I just checked, and lambda hasn't logged onto CPF since January 2007. If you pull up his name in the Members List, there is a link to his website. I don't know if the website is active.

What I found interesting about his website, is a link to another discussion board, Custom Light Factory. Perhaps that board has some information regarding modifying the Keymate.

I also just searched CPF for "modified keymate," and there were a number of different threads that seem to address upgrades to the light. Looks like some good info out there, and a good place to start.