how much am i getting from my WA01274?

[270winchester]

Howdy fellas:
i have in my hand a mag 2-c with 01274, courtesy of a fellow CPfer.

The rating of the bulb is 7.2 bulb, ~500 lumens,

but when i turn it on with 3X123's, even though it is most definitely bright, it's no where near that output.

so not counting the ineffiency from the sputtered reflector, i am certain that the current draw is no where near the need for the bulb, since the bulb calls for 2.77 amps.

am i looking at NimH batteries for this bulb to work the best? the 123's obviously are not measuring up/

Any thoughts out there?

Nick

 

[bwaites]

You need either dual stacks of 123's or NiMH's to get the most from the 1274, but its still pretty bright the way you are running it!

Bill

 

[fivemega]

If 3x123 batteries are fresh, 1274 will pull about 2.7 Amps.
Also sputtered reflector will reduce amount of output to soften beam. You can install 7 AAA NiMH inside 2C to operate that bulb but run time will be very short and too much stress for little AAAs.
Other choice is using 2 Pilas.
And final choice is bigger flashlight to use AAs, or....

 

[270winchester]

fivemega:
thanks for the pointer, i just replaced the sputtered reflector with a smooth one that mags come stock with. now before you say i'm gonna have a melted reflector on my hand, you are right, but i'm running this light in short bursts, so the reflector will survive. and the result is amazing, now it's truly a spotlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

nick

 

[soloco]

I think the best is to go with 2 parallel rows of 123s. I use that, and it's consistenly pretty bright.

 

[litho123]

I run the 1274 in a 2D light.

Ditto soloco's comments.
PLUS you more than double the runtime when you double stack batteries.
PLUS your bulb is brighter when run on twin stacks than a single stack.

Hmmmm... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif ...now if I could just cram in three stacks of 3.....

 

[fivemega]

Like this?

 

[Icebreak]

270winchester -

Sounds like you have this puppy tuned up just right. When your Carleys show up it will be just right.

Sounds like you'll end up with at least two or three HotWires for different purposes. I like the 2C config you have.

I'm thinking about a 3C85 for the truck/parking lot.

I did the soloco trick of using three original 3toDs in a 3D Mag. Remove the negative end from the first cannister, remove the positive end from the third cannister. Cut down the second (middle) cannister to get correct spring movement with all three connected. (tape or glue). Still enough resistance to run a 1318 without flash.

I'm still using the good ol' 5x123 M85 for a few minutes every night. It is the Emeril Lagasse of all my flashlights.

Your threads are fun to read.

litho123 -

"...now if I could just cram in three stacks of 3....."

Mmm Hmm. I hear ya, brother.

 

[Icebreak]

Yeah! Like that fivemega!

 

[270winchester]

fivemega:

I have that light, courtesy of ....you /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
but since i have the version with three columns of two rows of 123's, the performance could be better. only if i can bore the inside of the 2-D.....

here is an update:

so i got the idea from litho123, bwaites and soloco, lined the two columns up, popped in new energizer E2 batteries, and wola, a light canon.

it;s officially done, my 1274 is finally getting the current it deserves.......


thanks a lot guys.

as far as the brightness go, i have a costco million-candlelight spotlight, and my light clearly blows it out of the water with its tigher beam and whiter color.......sweet....now just need some more 1274's to play around with.


have a good friday folks.....

Nick

 

[270winchester]

Hi icebreak:

Thanks for the complements.

At this point most of my mods are crude, improvised items that nevertheless still work, but ain't too pretty to look at. gotta go work in that machine chop down the street and get the basics right.

Right now i have 5 large mags:

a 6-D with a GH24 lamp for long running power peaking at `200 lumens coming out of the lens.

a fivemega made 1.5 D with a Gh24 Bulb overdriven to make around 250ish guestimated, with home-made pvc spacers with 3x123running abt about 200ish lumens net out put.

a 2-C with a carley 940(i think) and 3x123, super bright and making a very tight spot in the process.....can you say, long range thrower? its throw is definitely on par with some of the heavy weights costing hundreds more.

a mag 2-D that i described here, making, i'm guessing, with reference to the formulas, between 450-500 lumens coming out of the light, I think my dad would contemplate stealing it for its sheer power. the beam is suprisingly well to with stock reflector and ucl lens.

finally, it's the 3-d that I'm running a 2-D bulb with, awaiting the EL D holders and the bulbs, which of course, is destined to be a Mag85. but now with the tiny beam of the 2-D Krypton bulb, the throw is spetacular, and i call it the Needle.


Yeah, i think i got enough on my hands. but i cannot wait for the mag85, since all three 123 powered lights eat up batteries faster than me in a steakhouse. the rechagibility would definitely win me over to use it as the backpack EDC light.

life is definitely good......

nick

 

[Icebreak]

Suhweet! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif

 

[270winchester]

New update:
So i received the EL 3-AA to D holders, and since I'm waiting for the fine folks aat Carley to ship out the long-awaited JUne group buy shipment, in the mean time, I put 6 Supreme Power 2100 mah NIMH AA's in two holder and put it in my 2-D. Hehe, hello guilt-free lumens.

The other nice thing to do is use the same set up with a GH24 bulb. I the white light is simply spatacular. With a sputtered reflector it makes an awsome tactical light with extra-ordinarily smooth beam and decent throw.

I love this country. Only in America.

Nick

 

[Ginseng]

It's refreshing to see so much hot wire activity going on. Every time a new group discovers the fun of playing with big bulbs, the hot wire fever re-ignites.

BTW, just a few comments:
Win270, even though the WA01274 is spec rated at 500+ lumens, it is losing somewhere between 35-40% in efficiency losses. Meaning your real output is closer to 330 lumens. While the SF123 will supply 2.77A, the voltage will drop pretty quickly at that draw, making it dimmer than its potential. The WA01274 has a 50% percent chance of surviving 4x213. In this configuration, I have found it to be damned bright and white. This is the ultimate 3C setup for long term storage and readiness. SF213's are fun to play with, but ultimately will bite you in the pocketbook. Of course your sensitivity depends on your finances. As you have found, high quality nimh are great cheap fun. You can expect the reflector to take more abuse than the stock plastic lens. If you replace that, you can run for between 2-4 minutes without damaging the reflector.

Keep it hot and keep it bright!

Wilkey

 

[270winchester]

Hey wilkey:
That explains a lot. i know a 500+lumen beam when i see one, and this sure ain't it. can you give us a pointer as to where I may be losing those 35-40 percent?

BTW, I already have a borofloat lens on the 2-D. flashlightlens ordered it pretty quickly after they heard the complaint here.

NOw the only thing left is for the 85's to get here. and then the blinding starts....

Nick

 

[Ginseng]

Nick,
Those losses are based on correlational work by PaulW in comparison of WA and CA bulbs in Mag heads versus SF incans.

There has been lots of discussion and debate on this topic and the concensus seems to be that the loss comes from the reflector, the hole in the reflector, the lens and any part of the front faceplate that is in the beam path. Roughly in that order. So, I guess if one were to really tweek for maximum output, I'd bore the Carley RF1940 only behind the bulb entry to preserve as much of the reflector surface as possible, buy a FLL UCL (and keep if meticulously clean) and buy a Mag in silver (as opposed to the more common black or darker colors. But then we're talking about very small contributions to the overall output.

Wilkey