Incan bulb suggestions for 5D Maglite conversion to 6AA

[ronniepudding]

I've been reading up on the various Maglite mods that folks have documented on CPF, and I'm at once impressed and overwhelmed. My initial goal is very modest -- to replace the heavy D cells with easily-procured, rechargeable AAs. I've settled on a cheap and easy method to put 6AA Eneloops in my 5D Maglite using assorted PVC plumbing bits, -- and I'm under the impression that might provide a very modest gain in output using the stock, old-school PR incandescent bulb (at the expense of battery run time and bulb life, of course).

Now I'd like a brighter bulb that will work well with this configuration. But after reading about all the nifty mods that folks have done, I'm just trying to not get too carried away with this.

I'd like to spend as little as possible on this project. I figure it will cost me ~$5 to make the DIY battery adapter, plus the cost of the Eneloops, -- and I'd like to keep the cost of the bulb at around $5. (Please don't refer me to Malkoff ) A ROP mod might be fun further down the road, but right now it's out of my budget. I'm looking for a squawk rather than a roar.

So, to summarize, I'm looking for a recommendation on an incandescent PR bulb that will fit in my 5D Maglite, -- one that will be brighter than stock without melting the plastic lens and reflector, and ideally run for a decent amount of time on 6 Eneloops.

Any suggestions?

 

[ronniepudding]

In doing some more reading, it seems like a Philips HPX53 bulb might be the right choice for my intended battery setup. However, most of the threads I've seen on this subject are old... perhaps I should post over in the incandescent forum.

 

[Gtamazing]

5d and only 6AA what are you gonna do with all the extra space?

 

[fivemega]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ns-for-5D-Maglite-running-on-6AA-NiMh-Eneloop

 

[ronniepudding]

5d and only 6AA what are you gonna do with all the extra space?

6AA in series and 5D in series are the same length end-to-end, so it's just a matter of putting PVC spacers between the body of the light and the batteries. Lawn sprinker riser pipe (1/2" size I believe) fits an AA battery inside perfectly. I've spent some time in the plumbing isle at my local big box home improvement store looking through the couplers/adapters for schedule 40 PVC, and they will connect directly to the the riser pipe. Everything is either threaded or press fit, so there's no gluing involved -- just a few cuts with a hacksaw so the spacer assembly will be the right length for the batteries. The result is the same inside diameter as an AA cell, and the same outside diameter as a D cell. Add a fender washer to handle contact with the tailcap spring, and I'm done. When I put it together, I'll post some pics.

I figure I can buy a decent light for $30-$40 off the shelf that will blow away this Maglite even if I was to upgrade reflector, lens, batteries, charger, etc., and spend far more than that in the process -- so I'm just trying to keep it super simple and cheap (less than $10 for adapter and bulb upgrade) as a fun project. I did spend some time trying to fit in more AA's and arrange half in parallel to increase run time, but it just got too complicated and expensive.

I know the runtime goes way down due to lack of capacity in the 6AA config, -- but I only use this Mag 5 minutes per week on average, and almost always inside the house. I can throw the Eneloops on the charger once every few months, and since the light is remaining stock, I can swap back in some D cells and the original bulb if I need to use it for an extended time for some reason.

 

[Justin Case]

A 3854 Low bulb could get you in the 500 lumen range. A 3854 High could reach around 1000. A Kaidomain medium orange peel metal reflector will cost about $10. A Borofloat Mag window from flashlightlens.com is about $9 including shipping. Or you can get a plain glass lens from Deal Extreme for about $1 for one or about $2.50 for a pack of 5.