Arc AAA---or not?

LED_ASAP

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ArcAAA_LS3.jpg


People know this light, it's an Arc AAA, the de-facto standard of AAA light in CPF. It is small and bright---nothing new---

or is there?

Somehow the color isn't the familiar Nichia bluish white /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif

And where is the hot sopt?

ArcAAA_LS1.jpg


The answer is here:

ArcAAA_LS4.jpg


Ahh, a HD Luxeon Emitter in an Arc head /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Here is the Arc AAA LS mod compared with an Arc AAA Standard.

ArcAAA_LS2.jpg


Apparently the camera is more sensitive to the bluish tint of the Arc AAA.

The volume in the Arc AAA head is actually much bigger than what is available in a Mag Solitaire plug. But there is no convenient way of heat-sinking, so I didn't drive the LS too hard. The battery draw is 340mA, meaning about 100+ mA to the LS. The brightness is "not as bright as the hot spot of Arc AAA, but brighter over-all", a typical beam from a bare LS emitter. The "reflector" in Arc head is not very efficient in catching the light, but there is a noticeable hotspot in the beam.

I obtained 4 empty Arc AAA's from Peter as a one-time trade (A big THANK YOU to Peter for providing the empty Arc AAA casings that made this mod possible!) and there won't be a constant supply of Arc AAA bodies. The production model of Arc AAA is totally sealed in epoxy and difficult to disassemble, and the crimp rim will likely be too weak to stand open-and-reseal. So I don't plan to offer this modding service.

But if somebody really wants one, there will be three units up for grab (the forth goes back to Peter as part of the trade). I haven't finished them yet, so keep an eye on this thread.

Word of caution:

The heads and bodies Peter sent me seem to be some left-overs from R&D stage (the old black anodized aluminum, not the newer grey type III hard aluminum)and the threads don't match. You will need to use them with the body from a real Arc AAA (The body of a Standard edition Arc AAA I bought early this year worked well). But I am sure those who want to get my mod would have plenty of Arc AAA's around /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

BentHeadTX

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/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
Nice work! Hmmmm, peter is getting one... hmmmmm
 

FalconFX

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Optic? on that guy?

Maybe a teardrop clear epoxy bulge as an optic...

half-cut acrylic ball?

Diamond triangle?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
 

koala

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Smaller is better! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Peter must make more empty shells! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

Vince.
 

BentHeadTX

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Empty shells,
I betcha Peter is going to play with it an ponder...hmmm Arc A3LS for a model number...hmmmmm /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif
 

Roy

Farewell our Curmudgeon Administrator
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Apr 14, 2002
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What is it you need? Bezel? Battery tube? Both?

I have a AAAA tube and a AAA tube. How many seconds do you think a AAAA battery would last? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Want to sell one without a battery tube? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

LED_ASAP

Enlightened
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Dec 13, 2002
Messages
567
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British Columbia, Canada
I will need both the battery tube and the bezel to make a light. If you make me a set of AAAA tube and bezel, I can probably make a LS stylus /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif --- rum time will be in the 0.5-1h range depend on the capacity and battery draw combination.

The three units I potentially have for sale will be basically "head only", because the heads and tubes Peter sent me do not match /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 

LED_ASAP

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I think $60 (the same as my Solitaire mod) is a fair price for this mod. Postage will be extra (about $2 for plain letter mail, or $8.2 for registered mail).
 

DSpeck

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Dec 19, 2001
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LM-ASAP, what is the problem with the Arc-AAA tubes? Are they too small for the head threads, or too large? I can help if they are too small, but I'd have to do a custom tube if the tubes you have are too large. Email me please.
 

LED_ASAP

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Messages
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British Columbia, Canada
I am not sure what happened. Most likely Peter changed the thread pitch at some point. Unfortunatly the head and tube he sent me were from different batches and with different threads. You can screw in about 3-4 turns, then it gets stuck (before the light was even turned on). I think the early models have the same thread as the Mag Solitaire and people have played with "Double head" lights by using Arc AAA head in a Solitaire body. Maybe Peter didn't like that idea and decided to change the thread /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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