Drop-in replacements suck

[Fallingwater]

I have a rechargeable flashlight my father bought a while ago.
It stays plugged in the mains outlet and keeps its two NiCD cells charged, and whenever there is a need for light you grab it and turn it on. It's quite handy to have at least one flashlight which you absolutely positively know is ready to give light at any time.
The problem is it uses the nastiest, dimmest incandescent flange-fitting bulb I've ever seen.
Now, I could just replace the bulb with a better-quality one, but I've yet to see a cheap incandescent bulb whose output looks good.

I really want to convert this thing to LED, but all the drop-in replacements I can find are expensive and dim.

This, for example, and this, look good on paper. Open light, toss incandescent bulb, drop replacement in, close light, done. Woohoo!
That is, until you realize they are making you pay $20 upwards (plus shipping) for an obsolete Luxeon-based bulb.
And there's no way to mod them to a Cree or Seoul either, because it's all packed together and solidly welded in place.

So I thought "screw 'em, I'm gonna mod the light the old-fashioned way".

Off to DealExtreme I went, and found this nice emitter that will be easy to fit on the reflector of the flashlight.
The problem is, I don't know what to use to drive it.

There's this, but its efficiency is ridiculous (at 2.4 volts delivering 500ma to the emitter, it wants a whopping 3.7 amps from the batteries!!).
There's also this and its higher-power 700ma version, but the minimum input is 3 volts.

I looked on KaiDomain too, but the boards are the same.

How would a 700ma 3-volt.minimum board behave if I fed it 2.4? Would efficiency drop a lot? Would it not even fire?

Any ideas?

 

[Gunner12]

Have you looked here(minimum voltage is 1.6V)? More expensive but they were the boards used in the first Minimag Luxeon drop-ins. Or the Micropuck?

A 2.4V into a 3V board might work if it was a boost circuit but it will be inefficient.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

You could try an SMJLED ($8+shipping), the Craftsman module (the drop-ins are sold separately for $15), or the Nite-Ize module (about $8).

 

[kitelights]

Why do you think that a Luxeon based bulb is obsolete? Most of my lights are Luxeon based and just because they don't have the latest and greatest LED doesn't make them obsolete.

It sounds like the light that you want to retro is obsolete. How old is it? "A while ago" doesn't tell us much. Nicads do crap out, the older they are the more likely and continual charging adds to the likely hood. It's not a light that I would "positively" rely on. My mother had one and I still don't know how many years it was plugged in and didn't work before we discovered that it didn't work.

I'm guessing that it's quite old b/c most the newer ones that I've seen will light automatically if there's a power outage and some even have a night light built in.

I wouldn't spend the $8 mentioned above on a SMJLED for that light and I love the SMJLEDs as a great long running improvement for cheap incans.

I'd much rather rely on a light with primaries or low self discharge rechargeables that I replace or recharge once or twice a year.

 

[Fallingwater]

Have you looked here(minimum voltage is 1.6V)? More expensive

Interesting. this would be exactly what I need, but it's quite expensive. I could really go with something cheaper.

Or the Micropuck?

From the website:
MicroPucks have been designed to provide maximum illumination to the LED while still mimicking the light dropoff of an incandescent bulb, which dims as the batteries are used up
...which is exactly what I don't want. Running from 2.4 volts instead of 3 I'd always get a dimmer light.

A 2.4V into a 3V board might work if it was a boost circuit but it will be inefficient.

It should be a buck/boost, since it has a range of 3-9 volts. I don't think any white LED would be happy from a 3v input, so it's got to step it up.
Now if I could only get one instead of 20 I might try it...

You could try an SMJLED ($8+shipping)

Interesting. There's no technical data on the site, though. How would it compare to a boosted Seoul in brightness?

Why do you think that a Luxeon based bulb is obsolete? Most of my lights are Luxeon based and just because they don't have the latest and greatest LED doesn't make them obsolete.

They are to me.
I mean no offense (I have a Luxeon-based Fenix L1S myself), but when the newer LEDs produce much more light for the same energy, it makes the Luxeons obsolete.
A Luxeon light is certainly a hell of a lot better than nothing, mind you, but I can see no reason to get Luxeons as replacements for incandescent bulbs when one can use Cree/Seoul emitters.

It sounds like the light that you want to retro is obsolete. How old is it? "A while ago" doesn't tell us much

I guess three years?

Nicads do crap out, the older they are the more likely and continual charging adds to the likely hood

I know, but the cells are replaceable and I have a bunch of almost-fresh NiCD AAs kicking around. I never use them for anything, so they might as well replace the old ones in the flashlight.

I'd much rather rely on a light with primaries or low self discharge rechargeables that I replace or recharge once or twice a year.

I'd agree, except that I'm very messy and absent-minded.
With normal lights I never know where they are, I can't remember which cells are inside and I can't remember their charge status. Yes, I'm that bad.
With this one I just keep it in an AC outlet in my living room and I know it works when I need it to. And if I have to replace cells every now and then... eh. NiCads are practically free anyway.

 

[ace0001a]

I'd say it really depends on how much work you want to put in to it. The problem you're going to run in to if you're trying to push 700mA+ into the emitter will be heat. Now although the SSCP4 emitter does run less hot than a Luxeon, it still runs hot. Since I would assume that the light you're talking about is made of plastic, it's heatsinking capabilities are probably very limited even if you found some metal to put into in an attempt to increase the thermal capacitance. Assuming it can accept a drop in as you initially were talking about, you can save yourself a lot of headache by using one of the lesser expensive luxeon drop ins. One that comes to mind is the $15 you can find at Sears, the Sears Craftsman PR dropin. Second is the Terralux Ministar1 that's about the same price.

Battery Junction sells it for $14 (after 5% CPF discount)
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-1f.html

If you insist on doing your own mod, here's some info that might help:
http://lambda10.tripod.com/maglux2.htm

With that, I suggest using a Luxdrive Micropuck. LED Supply sells the 500mA SHO version for $10. Half an amp to an SSCP4 is plenty bright and the Micropuck is well known for long runtime. Sure it provides a declining power curve, but that's why it runs so long. I have done several flashlights with a Micropuck and it works great on 2.4V--the curve so gradual, it looks fairly constant over the battery life anyway in my opinion.

http://www.ledsupply.com/micropuck.php

Still if it's just for a family member's clunker flashlight, I'd dump in the Sears Craftsman or Terralux Ministar1 and call it a day...

Flashlight On! :rock:

 

[skyline_man]

Once simple piece of advice - don't bother!!
Really, i just can't see the logic in wasting hours of your time, and spending 30, 40 or 50 so dollars trying to mod a light that is ancient. I mean, what's the point?
ur better off just buying a new light that runs on a cree LED and uses rechargeable lithiums!
This is similar to idiots who spend thousands and thousands on their 1969 whatever whatever car, so that it'll be as fast as the current hight performance cars - and when they've finally finished with their project, they realised -'oh, i could've just bought a new fast car with the amount i wasted!'

 

[Bunk3r]

i agree with modding stuff, but you want a reliable light with a nice emmiter for when the power goes out. lithium primaries have a 10 year shelf life -leave on in the light and one next to it and job done!
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2821 -3W Cree P4 CR123A Flashlight $14.75 inc shipping.

i would find another project to do the modifying on.

 

[Fallingwater]

The problem you're going to run in to if you're trying to push 700mA+ into the emitter will be heat

I was thinking more along the lines of 500mah. It should give enough light without overtaxing the cells or overheating the whole thing.

Sure it provides a declining power curve, but that's why it runs so long

Which would be great if I was running on alkalines... but when the light is going to be recharged anyway I might just as well get the most out of the cells for the time I need it.

Thanks for the advice.

Once simple piece of advice - don't bother!!
Really, i just can't see the logic in wasting hours of your time, and spending 30, 40 or 50 so dollars trying to mod a light that is ancient. I mean, what's the point?

I don't intend to spend hours of my time and much money.
I guess the work needed to fit the emitter and converter will take, oh, half an hour. Maybe one. And personally, I consider an hour modding this light better spent than an hour watching television.
And as for price... why do you think I'm looking for cheap converter boards?

 

[orbital]

Once simple piece of advice - don't bother!!
Really, i just can't see the logic in wasting hours of your time, and spending 30, 40 or 50 so dollars trying to mod a light that is ancient. I mean, what's the point?
ur better off just buying a new light that runs on a cree LED and uses rechargeable lithiums!
This is similar to idiots who spend thousands and thousands on their 1969 whatever whatever car, so that it'll be as fast as the current hight performance cars - and when they've finally finished with their project, they realised -'oh, i could've just bought a new fast car with the amount i wasted!'

I have a '93 Grand Cherokee and I love it, yep gettin' serviced next week .
There is some nostalgia keeping an older items running at tip/top level, sure, I have a bunch of new lights with one one the way....
But I gotta say I dig my Midnight Blue 2C Mag w/ a TLE-6EXB drop-in.

I see a waste of money on tuner cars, some guy ends up spending $35K on some little pocket rocket when he could have bought a Vette.

By the way, what year is your Skyline?

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[skyline_man]

I see a waste of money on tuner cars, some guy ends up spending $35K on some little pocket rocket when he could bought a Vette.

Exactly my point! And it applies to flashlights as well. The only time ul mod a light is if you can make it as bright or even brighter than the top dollar lights for a fraction of the price. Once, the price of the mod starts to become close to the top dollar flashlights - there's no point.

my skyline is an R33 model.

 

[orbital]

skyline_man,
I don't think we are agreeing on the same thing;
nevertheless, for many people in CPF, modding lights is one of their hobbies....new, old, custom, ect....
I don't do full-on modding, but I do respect it.

Example: Gene Malkoff

+

 

[Cydonia]

I would make a 2 cell MagLED fit "somehow". A modded MagLED upgraded to SSC P4 that is, like I did here. The MagLED circuitry, despite the inefficiencies, drops power to the LED as temperature rises. That is the MagLED's strong point and allows it to survive.
Problem is, for the price of a MagLED in Europe, plus the upgrade trouble, you could buy a few whole new lights So it doesn't make much sense unless you're bored and don't mind throwing $$$ at the problem.

 

[GreySave]

As with all things, everything is dependent upon the user and his needs. I use the EverLEDs in my maglites. One is used with a traffic wand for traffic control, the other is my last ditch backup in my CERT kit. The third is the ONE flashlight my wife WILL use. She'll pass on the Cree Huntlight and go for the Maglite. Go figure.

The EverLEDs are perfect for my use because they provide compatible or better output and more importantly LONG runtime which is what I need for both traffic control duty and a final backup light.

I recognize that the drop ins you cited were not what you desired, but they still have their uses and may work very well for others besides myself.

 

[GarageBoy]

This is similar to idiots who spend thousands and thousands on their 1969 whatever whatever car, so that it'll be as fast as the current hight performance cars - and when they've finally finished with their project, they realised -'oh, i could've just bought a new fast car with the amount i wasted!'

Don;t forget cars from 69 aren't hindered by emissions....
::licks lips at the thought of a 560HP ZL1 Corvette

 

[TigerhawkT3]

That SMJLED drop-in is quite good, with really white tint (as opposed to the blue-green tinge of the Nite-Ize) and more than enough output for emergency indoor navigation.

According to FR, it produces about the same throw and overall output as a SF E1e. According to me, it pulls about 150mA from the battery, which translates into (very) roughly 100mA to the emitter. It's quite decent.

The Craftsman model I mentioned will provide greater throw and output, along with shorter runtime.