Mag 2D with Carley #1057 - Possible?

[Illuminated]

Lemlux,

Reading these threads here-

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000749

and here-

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000608

about using the Carley #808 in the Maglite got me thinking about how I could resurrect my 2D for something actually useful.

Took a look at the #1057 - 6V/2A/12W/19CP has a 200 hour lamp life. Pushing it to about 6.6V should yield 2.1A/13.86W/26.6CP (334 lumens!)and still get about 60 hours lamp life.

I'm wondering if 2 x 4AA NiMH with 2 dummies would produce about 6.6-6.8 volts under load and run for just under an hour maybe...what do you think?

BTW, that's good info regarding lensed vs non-lensed lamps - haven't liked them in the Mag so far for the same reasons.

John

 

[lemlux]

Illuminated:

The 200 hour life on the #1057 is very impressive by Carley standards. At design voltage it is 95% as bright as the 20 hour 1.7 A Halogen #851.

In a 2 * 6 cell NiMH cell setup I would think that you would get the 6.6 V to 6.8 V you forecast ( 2 * 4AA NiMH cells don't deliver enough voltage) for only a couple of minutes until the surface charge burns off. NiMHs typically run at 1.1 V at 0.5C. 1000mA per 1800 mA cell (2000 mA / 2 cells in parallel as you describe) is 0.56 C. Thus I guess you'd run most of the time at around 6.4 V to 6.5 V which should work nicely on that bulb. This battery configuration should run for > 1.5 hours with 2 * 6 1800 mAh NiMH AA's.

How do you propose to run 2 * 4AA with 2 dummies in a Mag 2D? That's 4 more cells + dummies than the 6 AA cells I can get into my Mag 2D.

If I had the #1057 bulb (or the W/A 01113 6.0 V 1.95 A 50 hour 258 Lumen closest equivalent)I'd be more inclined to drive it with 6 AA NiMH cells plus 1 D NiMH cell in a Mag 3D. 7 AA cells would deliver about 7.0 V to begin and taper thereafter. In fact, I currently have a 6.27 V 1.42 A 125 hour W/A 01315 bulb in a Carley 912 PR adapter in one of my Mag 3D's with 6 AA NiMH cells plus a D NiMH cell and really like the result. The 1057 should run for around 45 minutes or so while the 01315 runs for around 70 minutes.

In my Mag 2D I run a potted Carley 851 I mentioned on top with 6AA NiMHs at about 6.3 V to 6.4 V. I think this works well. I had been afraid of blowing the bulb, but it has held up through several charge cycles so far.

 

[Illuminated]

Lemlux,

If I am not mistaken, 4AA's will fit into the diameter of a D-cell Mag, so 2 stacks of 4 in series with 1 or 2 dummies should fit - I'll have to go back and check this again. Of course, they would likely need to be the solder-tab type to wire-up in a series configuration.

I was making some rough assumptions based on your previous comment in the other thread about AA NiMH's dropping down to around .95 to 1 volt at 2.3 amps. Maybe a suitable number of AA 1.2Ah Nicads might work better under load-I haven't done any experiments yet.

The #1057 could be pushed even further at say 7.2 volts for some HUGE output while still retaining 20 hours of lamp life or so, but I doubt the Mag could handle this, and I don't know how I'd power it.

For My 2D though, I'd settle for maybe 40 minutes of run time on rechargeables, as I have other more practical lights for shorter range use.

Thanks - John

 

[Illuminated]

Lemlux,

Yep! 4AA's side-by-side will fit into the D-Mag nicely...thats also why I previously expressed an interest in an efficient step-down constant-power converter for possibly driving Luxeons in one of these. Ahh - many good possibilities on the horizon.

Seriously, I'd like to find the best incan combination of light output vs runtime (1 hour give or take...) for use with any NiCad or NiMH configuration that will fit into the 2D Mag.

I also have an old 4D Mag collecting dust. Maybe 5 x C's with the right lamp? If it's going to have to be a large flashlight, it might as well have HUGE light output for shorter runtime, as I would only use it intermittently and try to keep the batteries topped-off.

John

 

[lemlux]

Illuminated:

If you can get 7 AA NiMH cells to work in serial in a Mag 2D, I'd try the #1057. The most wattage I've put in a Mag polycarbonate reflector thus far is 11 Watts. The 13 to 14 watts this would generate may or may not damage the reflector. The lens would melt before the reflector according to Mag's VP of Sales (at lease in wide flood mode).

Bright guy sells tempered glass mag charger lenses for $2.95 @ and reflectors for $2.50. Cheap enough replacement parts if 15 minutes of run time melts something.

 

[Illuminated]

Lemlux,

Thanks...I really do want to try the 7 NiMH in a Mag 2D. Is that the "soda glass" lens I've read some mention of?

My next step is to buy lamps from Carley, and some solder-tab AA's.

BTW, do you know off-hand how many cells there are in a Magcharger 1/2D stick?

John

 

[lemlux]

Illuminated:

Yes, the Soda Glass lens is tempered and rated to withstand 600 degrees F. Kenshiro has tutored me that Soda Glass is the lowest grade of optical glass, but that it's transmissivity is not meaniningfully lower than uncoated Pyrex.

The Mag Charger 1/2 D stick has 5 cells. 1/@ D cells are nominally 37 mm long. D cells are nominally 61 mm long. 5 * 37 = 185 mm. 3 * 61 = 183 ".

If you are able to build a dimensionally stable 4AA pack that will fit in a Mag I'd love to see pictures. Most people who've managed to get 4 in don't sound as though their approaches have long run reliability.

 

[Illuminated]

Lemlux,

Thanks...I plan to use solder-tab AA's to make the pack. It'll require some careful soldering, some insulators, and maybe the button tops/bottoms from an old D-cell. If I can't slide it in with a heat shrink sleeve applied, then I'll probably have to glue the cells together to keep everything stable.

I'm beginning to think that the Carley #808 might be the best lamp choice after all, as it can be used with the #912 PR socket, and should provide better run time.

Been reading about those 1/2D 80A's and their excellent low voltage drop. Willie Hunt tells me that for AA NiMH's, the 1800mAH don't do so well for greater than 1W per cell applications, and that I might do better with 1600's, or even 1200mAH NiCads. Does anyone make "high current" (low voltage drop) AA NiCads that you know of?

John

 

[Illuminated]

Lemlux,

Reading yet another older thread, did you ever try driving the WA #01111 with 5 x 1/2D 80A's? Any comments?

John

 

[lemlux]

Illuminated:

I currently have the W/A 01111 in my Mag Charger with 5 of the 80 Amp rated 1/2 D's. It is much brighter and whiter than my SL-20X with the same batteries and a SL-35X 20 Watt LA.

When I overdrive the SL-35X with 6 cells it approaches, but doesn't quite match, the 01111.