M*g1185/1166 for first Incan.

[My3kidsfather]

Charged the new 26650's to about 4.15v. to possibly avoid flashing the bulbs, and headed outside for a peek at my first incan. Tried the WA1166 first- nice. Next popped the WA1185 in the new 4C M*g and looked around a bit. We have a park on our back fence and the light reached across the baseball/football field lighting up houses and car tailights way down the street. then I realized the light was lighting up all the front living rooms across the field. lol..

Without Fivemega's G4 bi-pin adaptor this would not be happening. Thanks for breaking all this ground in incans and sharing your solutions guys. This is gonna be great at work. Will see about runtime, possible heat problems. It's gonna be interesting.

 

[Patriot]

Oh neat! Hey, I wanted to asked about the 26650's in the 4C mag. Is it a mod-less fit or so you have to stretch the spring for 3 cells?

 

[My3kidsfather]

Oh neat! Hey, I wanted to asked about the 26650's in the 4C mag. Is it a mod-less fit or so you have to stretch the spring for 3 cells?

Patriot- Greyshark, ("Screaming White Incan Goodness"), put me onto these Golden Dragon 26650's (formally known as 26700's) C cells from Voltmanbatteries. At first they did not fit in the tube of my C-M*gs but were wrapped in a heavy paper wrapper. So I took off the wrapper and found a steel case with the positive post insulated by a plastic ring. These 3000mah C-cells slipped right in with precision. No mods required to tailcap spring.

As it was suggested to me, you may want to get a new reflector, new borofloat lens, Fivemega's bi-pin adaptors and suggest either an WA1185 (making your M*g a Mag85) Also it was suggested to me a WA1166 bulb also will handle today's (AW's) 3xIMR battery's slightly higher working voltage as it has a higher ceiling for voltage as well as works fine with your regular 3xLi-ions.

If allowed to, here is two links I know of to two C-cell sellers:

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5161

http://www.voltmanbatteries.com/servlet/the-3365/26650-BATTERY-REPLACES-A123/Detail

As I understand it, both businesses have good reps. I used Voltman this time.

Late last night both bulbs were tested with the batteries lightly charged. Today they were fully charged with the UltraFire 139 slightly overcooking them to 4.22v-4.23v. Gotta watch that for sure. You can't believe the first time you lite her up.. will look for a better place to point it without annoying neighbours.

 

[My3kidsfather]

Can you tell your bulbs apart? I happened to be holding both the 1166 and the 1185 in either hand and suddenly realized I did not know which was which. I did not want to put the 1185 in with 3xLi-ion's slightly overcharged so began a search for pics of either or both the bulbs. Could not find either in a post where the bulbs were featured in a close up pic... then searched the Welch Allyn web site for info/pics. Could not find pics but got a link to info regarding the size of the elements and discovered the 1166, which handles higher voltage, is actually smaller and shorter inside the glass:

01166-U 1.97 3,450 56.00 Hemispherical 7.11 20 Halogen-Krypton S – (Length)2.5400 (Width)0.8128

01185-U 3.15 3,370 65.00 Hemispherical 7.11 50 Halogen-Krypton S – 2.9210 0.8630

Go figure. I had the bigger stronger looking element pegged as being the 1166..

 

[gswitter]

At first they did not fit in the tube of my C-M*gs but were wrapped in a heavy paper wrapper. So I took off the wrapper and found a steel case with the positive post insulated by a plastic ring. These 3000mah C-cells slipped right in with precision.

So the only thing isolating the cells from ground is the Mag's anodizing?

It doesn't take much to scrape through it.

 

[My3kidsfather]

So the only thing isolating the cells from ground is the Mag's anodizing?

It doesn't take much to scrape through it.

As the body of the battery is the negative pole should it matter? As long as the positive is not grounding it should be ok?

 

[bxstylez]

Can you tell your bulbs apart? I happened to be holding both the 1166 and the 1185 in either hand and suddenly realized I did not know which was which. I did not want to put the 1185 in with 3xLi-ion's slightly overcharged so began a search for pics of either or both the bulbs. Could not find either in a post where the bulbs were featured in a close up pic... then searched the Welch Allyn web site for info/pics. Could not find pics but got a link to info regarding the size of the elements and discovered the 1166, which handles higher voltage, is actually smaller and shorter inside the glass:

01166-U 1.97 3,450 56.00 Hemispherical 7.11 20 Halogen-Krypton S – (Length)2.5400 (Width)0.8128

01185-U 3.15 3,370 65.00 Hemispherical 7.11 50 Halogen-Krypton S – 2.9210 0.8630

Go figure. I had the bigger stronger looking element pegged as being the 1166..

taken from this thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2675096


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2674068&postcount=4

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2674354&postcount=5

.

 

[Patriot]

Thanks My3Kids! I appreciate the info. These look like very interesting cells. I take it that the 26650's would require a spring be used since they're shorter? Or are they all officially 26650's.....meaning 65mm and not 70mm?

 

[lctorana]

As the body of the battery is the negative pole should it matter? As long as the positive is not grounding it should be ok?

OK - now think about the second cell. And the third...

 

[gswitter]

As the body of the battery is the negative pole should it matter? As long as the positive is not grounding it should be ok?

Right. And there's no problem with the cell closest to the tailcap. But if the case of either of the two forward cells isn't isolated from the body of the light, it will short the cell(s) behind it (and turn the body of the light into a nice heating element).

 

[GreyShark]

It's not exactly like paper and shrink wrap are adamantium either but there's a number of people running around with batteries in raw aluminum bored Mags and SF's. Then there's others who run unprotected cells. Even primaries have been known to blow up on occasion. It would be wise to check the battery tube for wear before dropping your cells back in after a charge.

While I have successfully run the 26650 in a 4C Mag for while the death of the 1166 will cause me to put the 26650's on the beck shelf for the time being since they'll flash an 1185 and that's what I'm going back to. Protected 18650's will replace the 26650's length for length if you can come up with a spacer for the diameter and they won't flash the 1185 even fresh off the charger thanks to the built in resistance. Since AW recently released the 2600mah 18650's you're only giving up 400mah of capacity anyway. I don't know how much capacity you'd lose by not bringing the 26650's up to full voltage but my guess is it comes out to be very little difference between that the new 18650's.

Still, I prefer a safe chemistry cell to a circuit protected cell. When my lathe arrives one of my first projects will be making a host built from the ground up for 26650's.

 

[Mjolnir]

So are these the same as "IMR" cells? Any idea how these will work with the pelican 3854 H bulb? If I used these, I would need to use the 3853 H bulb to prevent the bulb from getting destroyed, right?

 

[My3kidsfather]

So are these the same as "IMR" cells? Any idea how these will work with the pelican 3854 H bulb? If I used these, I would need to use the 3853 H bulb to prevent the bulb from getting destroyed, right?

Mjolnir- Hi. As I have read in other posts the 3854H should not flash while driven by 3x normal Li-ion C cells. The bulb will flash if exposed to 3x AW's IMR26500's. Hence the higher voltage Pelican 3853H is suggested which should brighten up your life without being damaged by the slightly higher working voltage of IMR's. I am trying to find a local outlet to buy these bulbs here in Edmonton, Alberta as we have Pelican's North American Distribution Center Warehouse right here.

 

[My3kidsfather]

Just wanted to say the Mag1166 worked out well at work this last trip. sufficient light for 100 yards or a little further and runtime was sufficient to last both directions on an average trip. Looking forward to more light, better reflector choices. Do we have a thread on Mag reflectors bulb choice for throw/spill uses? What is your fav reflector with a WA 1166?

 

[KiwiMark]

Mjolnir- Hi. As I have read in other posts the 3854H should not flash while driven by 3x normal Li-ion C cells. The bulb will flash if exposed to 3x AW's IMR26500's. Hence the higher voltage Pelican 3853H is suggested which should brighten up your life without being damaged by the slightly higher working voltage of IMR's. I am trying to find a local outlet to buy these bulbs here in Edmonton, Alberta as we have Pelican's North American Distribution Center Warehouse right here.

I think that you will find it is 2 x Li-ion cells. 3 x Li-ion cells will instaflash the 3853 or 3854 and both H or L bulbs.

The 3853H should be OK with AW's IMR 26500 x 2 and be nice & bright. This would be an easy mod for a Mag 2C - everything will fit right in.

 

[My3kidsfather]

I think that you will find it is 2 x Li-ion cells. 3 x Li-ion cells will instaflash the 3853 or 3854 and both H or L bulbs.

The 3853H should be OK with AW's IMR 26500 x 2 and be nice & bright. This would be an easy mod for a Mag 2C - everything will fit right in.

KiwiMark- You are correct 3x will fry 3854/4's butts. Thankyou for the update and I will be trying out this combo soon. Do you use them (ROP) and what for?

 

[KiwiMark]

KiwiMark- You are correct 3x will fry 3854/4's butts. Thankyou for the update and I will be trying out this combo soon. Do you use them (ROP) and what for?

I have 3 of the Mag 2D torches and currently have all of them using ROP bulbs. The 3854L is probably the best for general use - I get 2 hours run time from 2 x D cell Li-ion (www.kaidomain.com). This is a great torch to grab (I have one in easy grabbing range right now) for any thing you need around the home. I also take it with me when going camping. It has good brightness and colour as well as good run time - great for general use. The 3854L works fine from the Kaidomain protected D cells (the protection circuit limits the maximum amps to about 3.5A or so).

I have one of my 2D Mags running 2 x unprotected D cells and the 3853H - this one is brighter. But with unprotected cells (IMR cells or unprotected Li-ion) then you have to be careful to not run them flat, I end up using 1/2 to 2/3 of their charge then swapping batteries and recharging the partly flat ones. However the -H bulbs ARE noticeably brighter.

Overall I really like the -L bulbs for general use and the -H for 'wow!' factor. The -L bulbs are bright enough for 95%+ of what you need a torch for. I have Maglites 2D, 3D, 4D & 6D and I can tell you that for their size and weight they are all pathetic when standard - my 1 x AA sized LED torch is brighter than the 6D! My 6D now has an output in keeping with the size of the thing thanks to a 3854-H bulb (running 6 x 4000mAh NiCd cells). None of my Maglites are using standard bulbs!

ROP builds are easy and the 3854-L & 3853-H are great for running from 2 x Li-ion fresh off the charger with no .
All you need to do is:
Swap batteries to Li-ion (just 2 cells for these bulbs)
Swap bulb
-now working!
swap reflector & lens (very easy and not very expensive)
Done!

The only things I don't use these for are:
- EDC - too big to fit into my jeans pocket.
- Low level output - I use multimode LED lights for a low level light, the ROP builds are for when you want plenty of light.

 

[My3kidsfather]

I have 3 of the Mag 2D torches and currently have all of them using ROP bulbs. The 3854L is probably the best for general use - I get 2 hours run time from 2 x D cell Li-ion (www.kaidomain.com). This is a great torch to grab (I have one in easy grabbing range right now) for any thing you need around the home. I also take it with me when going camping. It has good brightness and colour as well as good run time - great for general use. The 3854L works fine from the Kaidomain protected D cells (the protection circuit limits the maximum amps to about 3.5A or so).

I have one of my 2D Mags running 2 x unprotected D cells and the 3853H - this one is brighter. But with unprotected cells (IMR cells or unprotected Li-ion) then you have to be careful to not run them flat, I end up using 1/2 to 2/3 of their charge then swapping batteries and recharging the partly flat ones. However the -H bulbs ARE noticeably brighter.

Overall I really like the -L bulbs for general use and the -H for 'wow!' factor. The -L bulbs are bright enough for 95%+ of what you need a torch for. I have Maglites 2D, 3D, 4D & 6D and I can tell you that for their size and weight they are all pathetic when standard - my 1 x AA sized LED torch is brighter than the 6D! My 6D now has an output in keeping with the size of the thing thanks to a 3854-H bulb (running 6 x 4000mAh NiCd cells). None of my Maglites are using standard bulbs!

ROP builds are easy and the 3854-L & 3853-H are great for running from 2 x Li-ion fresh off the charger with no .
All you need to do is:
Swap batteries to Li-ion (just 2 cells for these bulbs)
Swap bulb
-now working!
swap reflector & lens (very easy and not very expensive)
Done!

The only things I don't use these for are:
- EDC - too big to fit into my jeans pocket.
- Low level output - I use multimode LED lights for a low level light, the ROP builds are for when you want plenty of light.

KiwiMark-

That is one of the best descriptions of ROP use I have ever seen. While you are using D-cell mags I will be using our C-mags to duplicate your ROP's in C-cell mags. I have just three, a 2xC, 3xC, 4xC all with borofloats, KD's reflectors, and two of them with FM's adaptors. Still trying to buy the bulbs from a local supplier of ROP bulbs here in Pelican Town.

Primarily interested in the 3853H as it will tolerate the new AW 26500's on the way here. Might work out to be a good work light, the ROP.

 

[KiwiMark]

Primarily interested in the 3853H as it will tolerate the new AW 26500's on the way here. Might work out to be a good work light, the ROP.

That's a good bulb - plenty bright and during Lux Luthors testing it didn't flash until 9.9V so the bulb should last quite well running from 2 x IMR 26500 cells. The 3854H would be even brighter, but it flashes at 8.6V and 2 fresh Li-ion cells are 8.4V, it would work OK from 2 x IMR 26500 cells - but for how long before .

If no one locally stocks the bulbs then just do what I did and buy them from here:
http://www.batterystation.com/flashlight_lamps.htm

 

[My3kidsfather]

That's a good bulb - plenty bright and during Lux Luthors testing it didn't flash until 9.9V so the bulb should last quite well running from 2 x IMR 26500 cells. The 3854H would be even brighter, but it flashes at 8.6V and 2 fresh Li-ion cells are 8.4V, it would work OK from 2 x IMR 26500 cells - but for how long before .

If no one locally stocks the bulbs then just do what I did and buy them from here:
http://www.batterystation.com/flashlight_lamps.htm

Have you had experience with IMR26500's and the 3854H? Did you pop a few before going to the 3853H? The thing I have found is that even after running a 1166 for a few minutes to take the batteries down from their peak v. plain li-ions poofed my only 1185 after switching out the 1166. Very bright for a moment or two..