TrueBlue
Flashlight Enthusiast
If any of you know about the Bowling Pin lights I have sold here at CPF then you know that I’ve modded a couple of them. The first was called Penguin and used the stock electronics with an Inretech Luxeon 1-Watt light. The second mod was to take a Badboy 400mA sandwich with a Lux 3 emitter and enrich the Penguin Juiced with an additional heat sink to reinforce the great heat sinking capability of the stock Bowling Pin. The third incarnation of the Bowling Pin light was the Raging Penguin. It used a Badboy 650-mA sandwich with a Lux 3 emitter and additional heat sinking to allow the Badboy sandwich to run continuously.
Raging Penguin doesn't exist anymore. I modded it. It is now Raging Penguin 3AAA. I like the Bowling Pin light but I'm not happy using harder to get and not environmentally friendly 3-Volt CR123A batteries. I like the Bowling Pin because of the massive heat sink capabilities of the body and its ability to run the Badboy sandwiches reliably. So I merged RP with a 9LED Chinese light. Huh? Yup, meet Raging Penguin 3AAA...
You can see from the pictures above how serious a light the Raging Penguin is.
The RP/Badboy combo is now running three rechargeable AAA batteries. It is a great combination since the 3 x AAA cells are running 3.6 volts and 700mA capacity. The Badboy current is 650mA and just below the rechargeable battery capacity. White LED lights like 3.6 volts so the sandwich should just be puttering along. Nothing is stressed and everything is running right at redline so everything should work efficiently. A PERFECT MATCH! RP 3AAA should run alkaline batteries efficiently too. I can run the rechargeable batteries to the bottom knowing the Badboy will not reverse the cell polarity. The light fits in the hand very well. Finally the RP 3AAA has a clickly switch on the tail compliments of the 9LED Chinese light.
I’ve calculated a runtime is 45 minutes. It doesn’t sound like much but remember that Badboy 650 is not suppose to be run nonstop because it overheats. Raging Penguin 3AAA can do it because of the massive heat sinking of the head of the light. I believe the runtime using a 3AAA or CR123A battery would be close to each other.
Should I get the inclination I can take off this modular adapter and easily screw on the original case that holds the CR123A battery in about 30 seconds. To modify the 9LED light was simple. I used a Dremel rotary tool and with a grinding bit I sawed the threads on the battery-housing flat. I made three lateral cuts in the shaved area so the battery casing will slide in the Penguin head. I left both springs in the head and the battery casing then put a small bolt, with a slight depression, in the battery casing spring to mate with the head spring. I get a great contact between the springs.
Only the head is left from the original Bowling Pin light. Now there is the Badboy 650 sandwich, optics and a new casing for AAA batteries. There is not much left of the original Bowling Pin light. Is this EVILution or DEVILution?
RIP Raging Penguin and it has been reborn as Raging Penguin 3AAA.
I'm going to have a fun time tonight with the environmentally friendly rechargeable battery Raging Penguin 3AAA.
Can you tell the Bowling Pin light is my choice for modding?
Raging Penguin doesn't exist anymore. I modded it. It is now Raging Penguin 3AAA. I like the Bowling Pin light but I'm not happy using harder to get and not environmentally friendly 3-Volt CR123A batteries. I like the Bowling Pin because of the massive heat sink capabilities of the body and its ability to run the Badboy sandwiches reliably. So I merged RP with a 9LED Chinese light. Huh? Yup, meet Raging Penguin 3AAA...
You can see from the pictures above how serious a light the Raging Penguin is.
The RP/Badboy combo is now running three rechargeable AAA batteries. It is a great combination since the 3 x AAA cells are running 3.6 volts and 700mA capacity. The Badboy current is 650mA and just below the rechargeable battery capacity. White LED lights like 3.6 volts so the sandwich should just be puttering along. Nothing is stressed and everything is running right at redline so everything should work efficiently. A PERFECT MATCH! RP 3AAA should run alkaline batteries efficiently too. I can run the rechargeable batteries to the bottom knowing the Badboy will not reverse the cell polarity. The light fits in the hand very well. Finally the RP 3AAA has a clickly switch on the tail compliments of the 9LED Chinese light.
I’ve calculated a runtime is 45 minutes. It doesn’t sound like much but remember that Badboy 650 is not suppose to be run nonstop because it overheats. Raging Penguin 3AAA can do it because of the massive heat sinking of the head of the light. I believe the runtime using a 3AAA or CR123A battery would be close to each other.
Should I get the inclination I can take off this modular adapter and easily screw on the original case that holds the CR123A battery in about 30 seconds. To modify the 9LED light was simple. I used a Dremel rotary tool and with a grinding bit I sawed the threads on the battery-housing flat. I made three lateral cuts in the shaved area so the battery casing will slide in the Penguin head. I left both springs in the head and the battery casing then put a small bolt, with a slight depression, in the battery casing spring to mate with the head spring. I get a great contact between the springs.
Only the head is left from the original Bowling Pin light. Now there is the Badboy 650 sandwich, optics and a new casing for AAA batteries. There is not much left of the original Bowling Pin light. Is this EVILution or DEVILution?
RIP Raging Penguin and it has been reborn as Raging Penguin 3AAA.
I'm going to have a fun time tonight with the environmentally friendly rechargeable battery Raging Penguin 3AAA.
Can you tell the Bowling Pin light is my choice for modding?
