Mag mod? need very long runtime not blinding light

[nighttrails]

My needs are different than the usual desire of a super bright light that I read in most posts, so I'm seeking recommendations.

I have and use several stock mag chargers with the beam focused tight. If possible, I'd like in a mod:
1) a run time of 3-4 hours
2) an incandescent bulb so color rendition is very good – reds and browns must be bright
3) a cleaner beam than stock mag charger
4) light and throw as good or a bit better than stock
5) nothing terribly complex for my first mod

Would the high capacity D size 12000 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries like those available at Battery Junction be good in a mod? I'm thinking about using however many cells needed in a maglite D body or in a mag charger with a tube extension if needed. For a bulb, something not highly overdriven and suitable for a reliable working light - maybe even the stock mag charger bulb with a light etching if I can't come up with better.

Or, is there something else I should be looking at for a flashlight to fit my needs?

I'm not a flashlight expert like many here on the forum, so I really appreciate the help!

 

[fivemega]

1) a run time of 3-4 hours
2) an incandescent bulb so color rendition is very good – reds and browns must be bright
3) a cleaner beam than stock mag charger
4) light and throw as good or a bit better than stock
5) nothing terribly complex for my first mod

1) Use proper size extension tubes to use 5 full size NiMH "D" cells.

2) Use CL1057 for slighty brighter or WA1160 for double/tripple the brightness.

3) Use orange peel reflector for cleaner/nicer beam shape.

4) For better throw, you need M*gCharger 2.5" Throw Master.

5) There are many other options if one or some factors removed or changed.

 

[325addict]

I don't know what size (read: number of D-cells) Mags you have, apart from the MagCharger, but with those 12Ah D-cells you can easily reach more than 10 hours runtime....

I know Osram and some other manufacturers make those small real Halogen-lamps, you can just exchange them for the original P13,5s lamps.

For a 3D cell Mag, you can use the 4V / 0.85A version, which is not even overdriven with fully charged batteries.

Don't expect a huge range or a wall of light like a Wolf-Eyes M90 Rattlesnake or a MagCharger, but the light is of the right color and very usable when it doesn't have to be very bright and/or far-reaching.

With those 12Ah batteries in it, it should run more than 12 hours!


Timmo.

 

[Gunner12]

There are warm and neutral white LEDs. Malkoff has done some one off drop-ins so you might be able to get him to make a Warm or neutral white LED drop-in that could work for what you want.

 

[nighttrails]

325addict - "you can use the 4V / 0.85A version"

I may try for fun, but for my use,I need the same throw and light, or better, of stock mag charger.

Gunner12 - "There are warm and neutral white LEDs. Malkoff has done some one off drop-ins so you might be able to get him to make a Warm or neutral white LED drop-in that could work for what you want."

I bought a Dereelight DBS V2 5A Q3 warm LED, an though it is a great light, it just doesn't compare to making the colors pop like my stock mag charger. I don't think any LED will compare. I'd love to be shown otherwise, though, since they are so much better with run time and size.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[lctorana]

Anyone:
Q1) What are the exact voltage/current/ ratings for the stock MagCharger bulb?

Q2) What is the Ah rating of the stock Magcharger battery?

To the OP:
Q3) (already asked by 325addict) How big is the Maglite you wish to turn into a Magcharger-beater?

Armed with those answers, I am sure I can come up with an answer.

 

[fivemega]

2) an incandescent bulb so color rendition is very good – reds and browns must be bright

There are warm and neutral white LEDs. Malkoff has done some one off drop-ins so you might be able to get him to make a Warm or neutral white LED drop-in that could work for what you want.

================

4) light and throw as good or a bit better than stock

For a 3D cell Mag, you can use the 4V / 0.85A version, which is not even overdriven with fully charged batteries.

Is this brighter than M*gCharger???
================

Anyone:
Q1) What are the exact voltage/current/ ratings for the stock MagCharger bulb?

Q2) What is the Ah rating of the stock Magcharger battery?

To the OP:
Q3) (already asked by 325addict) How big is the Maglite you wish to turn into a Magcharger-beater?

Armed with those answers, I am sure I can come up with an answer.

A1)

Older model was 8W

A2)

Older model was 2200mAh

 

[^^Nova^^]

So the magcharger is only 6v 11w, this would mean that a ROP low would be brighter and runtime would be similar depending upon battery choice.

The ROP low is also 6v 11w, but it is overdriven to 7.2v and produces more than double the standard light output. With 6xAA batteries runtimes would range from just under an hour with Eneloops to about 75 minutes with some 2700mah Sanyo's.

Cheers,
Nova

 

[ANDREAS FERRARI]

4) light and throw as good or a bit better than stock

Maybe FiveMega can build you an incan that can" throw as good or a bit better than stock" but if there is any stock incan that can throw in the same league as a MC I would like to see it!!! You can increase the throw and spill by adding a Phillips 5761 bulb but you lose runtime.Trying to get 3-4 of runtime maybe unrealistic.I have seen some incans on E-Bay that claim 1200lms.but I wouldn't bet the farm they could outthrow a Magcharger61!!!!!!

 

[fivemega]

So the magcharger is only 6v 11w

And 50 hours life.

The ROP low is also 6v 11w

And 140 hours life.
This makes ROP low more robust when overdriven to 7.2 volt.

ROP LO With 6xAA batteries runtimes would range from just under an hour with Eneloops to about 75 minutes with some 2700mah Sanyo's.

And two hours with this, this or this.

 

[^^Nova^^]

A quad bored 3D, now you are talking. Are the 12aa>3D parallel adapters available still?

Also a 4D with a 6 cell sub-c battery pack is a good option (depending upon size), there are some 4500mah and 5000mah sub-c's around.

Cheers,
Nova

 

[KiwiMark]

Would the high capacity D size 12000 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries like those available at Battery Junction be good in a mod? I'm thinking about using however many cells needed in a maglite D body or in a mag charger with a tube extension if needed.

If you didn't mind the size of a 6D then you could go with a ROP low and 6 x 12,000 mAh D cells. This would give 4 - 5 hours of run time with plenty of bright light.

 

[Benson]

In a 4D, there's the option of 4 Li-ion D cells running a 12V 10W bulb (maybe this one would handle it?) for about 4 hours, but I'm not sure how output would compare.

In a 6D, maybe an 18V PR-base flashlight bulb, for 5-6 hours.

The low capacity of readily available Li-ion D cells (i.e., the ones from KD) is annoying.

 

[DM51]

Whenever I see someone specifying very long run-time, I have to wonder whether it is really the case that they will have to be away from their house, or their car, or even their back-pack, for that long to make changing batteries impractical or impossible. Certainly there are such cases, but I nevertheless wonder whether it is always so.

In this case, 4 hours seems a fairly reasonable run-time to specify, but if it is to be a bright incan light, the battery pack required to ensure such a long run-time is going to make it very big and heavy. I certainly wouldn't want to walk around for 4 hours carrying a 6D Mag.

Would it not be possible to settle for a shorter run-time and carry a spare set of batteries?

 

[mdocod]

How about a carley 609 in a 4D mag with 4x 10AH LSD cells from accupower.

Runtime would be ~5+ hours, output should be in the ballpark of ~100 torch lumens on average through the run. Install a lightly textured reflector to smoothen up the beam a bit.

 

[nighttrails]

Whenever I see someone specifying very long run-time, I have to wonder whether it is really the case that they will have to be away from their house, or their car, or even their back-pack, for that long to make changing batteries impractical or impossible. Certainly there are such cases, but I nevertheless wonder whether it is always so.

In this case, 4 hours seems a fairly reasonable run-time to specify, but if it is to be a bright incan light, the battery pack required to ensure such a long run-time is going to make it very big and heavy. I certainly wouldn't want to walk around for 4 hours carrying a 6D Mag.

Would it not be possible to settle for a shorter run-time and carry a spare set of batteries?

Yes, it would be possible, and that is what I have been doing. Carrying in a backpack, an extra mag charger and spare battery to swap out as needed. It's just not always convenient for my working situation to stop and do so. If my list of needs as detailed in my original posting is obtainable, or even beatable with the right bulb and components, it seems worth doing. Fivemega's response confirms approx. what I have been cosidering.

1) Use proper size extension tubes to use 5 full size NiMH "D" cells.

2) Use CL1057 for slighty brighter or WA1160 for double/tripple the brightness.

3) Use orange peel reflector for cleaner/nicer beam shape.

4) For better throw, you need M*gCharger 2.5" Throw Master.

5) There are many other options if one or some factors removed or changed.

5 D cells to obtain what I'm after is okay size wise, but is where I draw the line. 6 D cells is too long. Besides which bulbs to try, what I'm debating is whether to modify my magcharger with extension tubes or whether to get a 5D maglite to mod. Would the mag charger be okay charging the 12000 mAh NiMH's? I do have 3 magchargers.

For Fivemega: it looks like you sell most of what I need. Unfortunately, as a new CPF member I don't have P.M. privileges. When I wish to order everything how do I do so in one place (post) and have one package shipped, or do I have to order each item seperately through all the different posts listing the items?

 

[325addict]

I measured exact specs of the MagCharger parts:

1. Lamp is exactly 10 Watts. 6V and 1.66A (new model lamp, old was 8.4W)
2. batteries marked with 2500mAh are more. Some 2800mAh comes out.

Need more runtime? Throw in a 4Ah (or some sellers even claim to have a 5Ah on sale) battery.

I have some 4Ah batteries, I managed to squeeze 4089mAh out of them.

Runtime would be 4.089 / 1.66 = nearly 2h30 minutes.

So throw in another one in your backpack and your 5 hours is a reality. And yes, you have to take the inconvenience for stopping a few minutes... but you'll have the pleasure of having a less heavy light for hours...

Indeed, the MagCharger is hard to beat in color rendition. It's very pleasant light that comes out. However, a Wolf Eyes M90 Rattlesnake also performs very well, is less of a thrower, but with the right batteries also has a runtime of at least 1h45m. On 2X 18650s. Much lighter! Throw in 4 of them extra, and you comfortably have your 5 hours runtime....


Timmo.

 

[nighttrails]

I measured exact specs of the MagCharger parts:

1. Lamp is exactly 10 Watts. 6V and 1.66A (new model lamp, old was 8.4W)
2. batteries marked with 2500mAh are more. Some 2800mAh comes out.

Need more runtime? Throw in a 4Ah (or some sellers even claim to have a 5Ah on sale) battery.

I have some 4Ah batteries, I managed to squeeze 4089mAh out of them.

Runtime would be 4.089 / 1.66 = nearly 2h30 minutes.

So throw in another one in your backpack and your 5 hours is a reality. And yes, you have to take the inconvenience for stopping a few minutes... but you'll have the pleasure of having a less heavy light for hours...

Timmo.

Thanks 325addict, I've considered that. I haven't found any 5Ah battery packs, where did you see them?

And there is still the issue of my desire to smooth out the beam without stepping down from the amount of light and throw of stock bulb.

 

[325addict]

I found them om eBay.de
A seller called "selected-lights" sold them.

Yes, and after some searching I found it:

http://cgi.ebay.de/Akku-passend-fue...40793QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262



Timmo.

 

[nighttrails]

Has anyone on the forum actually used any 5000mah 6v sticks - and found them to be as claimed?