Gerber Carnivore

[gelhard]

First off I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place so if I'm not tell me were to move it and how to move it and I will.
Second has anyone had any experience with this light?

I've had it for 3 years and I really like the Blood tracking light it really helps tracking at night. What I don't like is the main light because it really isn't much of a light. (Here is a pick of the bulb, housing and reflector)

What I would like to do is mod the main light but have no Idea were to start.
First what I would like is a LED maybe something in the line of a Cree Q5 or if possible even a P7 or what ever you guys might think would be best.
This is a pick of the battery supply.

The bulb housing measures inside at 1.59" and the depth of the housing is .539" The reflector measures 1.249"
I would appreciate any help you guys could give me in what you would recommend to get a decent throw but still have a fair amount of side spill when walking in the trees and high weeds at night.
shuter told me that if it could be done you guys would be the ones that could light my way :lolsign:
Thanks the help
George

 

[kyhunter1]

You are limited on options for higher output because of heat issues with the plastic body. You could probably get one of the modders around here to put a led in there, but it want be much brighter than what you already have. The excess heat buildup in the plastic body will cook the emmiter and circuitry from any of the higher output led's ie; Cree Q5, R2. A SSC P4 might work to give around 60-80 lumens. Then again, with the cost you would pay to mod this light, you could easily buy a much better flashlight. For around forty dollars, you could get a Eagletac P100C2 and have 220 lumens with a nice beam. Then you could keep the carnivore on hand for any unlucky deer!

 

[defloyd77]

I believe there is now a Cree Gerber Carnivore.

 

[half-watt]

just "Google" the following:


Gerber Carnivore XP


uses a 3W Cree (~145% brighter than your Xenon version).

can be found far less than the suggested retail value. you should be able to find it for $60-$65 in a "Real-Tree" camo pattern version.

Rocky National has it on sale now (in stock and same day shipping) for just $40. jump on it!

 

[Crenshaw]

well one very quick dirty mod you could do, is cut off the top part of the bulb, leaving the leads there. Solder some wires onto those leads, and then solder them (bearing in mind polarity) to a cree which you can get, from maybe www.dealextreme.com or on the custom BST here. Then you could maybe drill out the reflector so its big enough for the cree? or even file it, but you would get a very unsightly beam, and possible even blow the LED because its 6 volts, where the normal foward voltage of white leds are 3. Maybe you can add a resistor? but thats beyond me.

or you can find a circuit from deal extreme as well, and solder it all together. You can also use hot glue to keep it all together first, just to make sure you like it. Or if you are confident, epoxy the whole thing so it will stay (hot glue WILL melt from the heat build up....i know this from experience... )

Crenshaw

 

[gelhard]

Thank you all for your input so far and Crenshaw that is the kind of thing I have in mind if it is possible. This is something I'd like to do myself I have a lot of lights that are much better than this one I could use in conjunction with the built in tracking feature of the Gerber. I'm just getting into doing a few mods on Maglights and If I could do something to make this one a better light myself it would kind of be the next step into my modding career :lolsign:
Dose anyone have any ideas on how I could possibly do a heat sink in this light and if so would it be enough to stop the plastic from melting say if I did try a P4 ? The space from the back of the reflector to the lens is .602" so some room for a bigger LED but not a hole lot. This may be a fool hardy mission I'm on but I figure that if I don't try it I will never know. I have most of the tools that I would need to try and make a heat sink (pore mans milling machine LOL + drill press) and a complete set of hole saws that I've used before to make round blanks that I then mount in the drill press and use file and sand paper to bring down to size and so some milling operations. Not perfect but they have worked before. My main concern is what LED could I use with the 6 volt battery system that is in the light. Or what type of resistor could I use to cut the voltage down. I know I'm adding more hard questions to this possibly than it's worth but I'm still interested in any ideas you all might have pro or con.
Thanks George

 

[Mockingbird]

If you decide to go the resistor route (you definitely need something to cut down 6 volts), you can play with this resistance calculator. It should give you an idea of what resistor to use. Type in say 6 volts, 3.6 volts (I'm just guessing here), and 250 ma and it gives you 10 ohms.

http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz

 

[gelhard]

Thanks Mockingbird for the link to the resistance calculator that gives me something to go on for the resister. Now if I could just find a program to steer me in to the right LED to use and how to mount if. The more answerers I get it seems to just bring on more questions
LOL!