Mag Lite 2D conversion to x2 18650

[Purrkieset]

Like the title says, I have a Mag Lite 2D and would like to convert it to use x2 18650's instead.

I know Gene used to sell them but I don't see them anymore.

Does anyone else make or have them for sale?

Or if anyone has the proper dimensions of the tubing I need, I could go to Lowes or Home Depot. I'm not that good with modding stuff though.

Do I need a special spring and board too or do I use the default spring that came with the Mag Lite 2D?

With the conversion do the 18650's rattle around?

thanks

 

[WHT_GE8]

I was interested in the same thing and was told to use some pvc pipe which is the easy part. The hard part is having the mod the spring, you have to cut it and bend it and what not. Im going to opt for the easy way out and get a 6AA carrier to fit in the Mag 2D.

 

[Mjolnir]

For the inner tubing, 3/4 inch PVC piping works perfectly with 18650s. However, the outer diameter of the 3/4 inch PVC is somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the maglite, so it will rattle around if you do not have something wider around it.
The best option is to use the PVC coupling that is made for 3/4 inch PVC (couplings are used to connect two PVC pipes together). It is almost the exact diameter to fit inside the body of a D size maglite. If you go to Lowes or home depot, they will probably have lengths of PVC pipe that have couplings built into one of the ends of the pipe (i.e. one end has a wider section that tapers down to the normal pipe width- this section should be a few inches long). What you can do is cut off some pipe from that end, then cut off most of the integrated coupling from that. You can then simply take that piece of coupling and put it around the section of tube that you cut off.
The total length of the tube shouldn't be much more than 120mm in order for it to fit in the maglite tube. In order to prevent it from moving laterally in the tube, you might want to put a little electric tape around the outside of the coupling.
Most separate PVC couplings have a rib in the center, so you will have to cut them in half to use them on the ends of your custom adapter (since the ribs will add too much length). I have found that a lot of couplings also have one end that is wider than the other, and only the thinner half will actually fit in the maglite tube.
Here is what I did for the spring:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=3139793&postcount=5
Which is from this thread, which also has some other options:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=246647

 

[DM51]

I think this thread might benefit from a move to H&M, so I'm moving it now.

 

[kramer5150]

I just finished doing this... 30 minutes ago for an ROP buld. Its just 3/4 PVC and a pair of couplings. The couplings are about a mm wider OD than a duracell D, so they fit snug with no rattle. I rolled up some paper for the ID to prevent the 18650 cells from rattling.

This will carry me over till' my 26700 cells get here. The coupler ID is about 27.5mm, so 2-3 of them epoxied together end to end, with the raised rim inside dremel'd off will fit perfectly around the 2x26700 cells. C cells are 26mm OD, so you can use these couplers to adapt C to D. I got these parts at OSH, the whole thing was less than $2.

You can still stowe your extra ROP lamp in the tailcap.