Mag85 Suggestions

[cooter10]

New guy here. Looking to get some opinions on a mag85 build from you flashaholics.

If you were to build one today, (which most are over the mag85 thing...I know) knowing what you know after building a few quality lights, how would you set yours up? (parts etc.) Reason being is that I see many people building different versions of this and I want to attempt this armed with opinions from seasoned guys to aviod some newb pitfalls, and do it with (maybe) some latest greatest parts that weren't available in some of the older build how-to's I've seen.

Thanks,

C

 

[Mettee]

Tri- bored Mag of your color choice
FM 3x17650 holder
AW softstart
Good metal reflector of your texture choice
and a boro or ucl lens

Small, tons of light output, light weight, easy to charge, durable, multi brightness levels, and good runtimes between 30 and 45 minutes depending on output level.

 

[cooter10]

Fair enough.

1) So you like a soft start? Is that the same as having two or three power modes? I guess the soft sart prevents instaflash too? (please bear with, I have only been reading here for a week)

2) Should focasable beam be a concern? (I would like it for spill and hot spot.....I think?????)

3) How easy is it to get ahold of a tri bore?

4) Mop is what I'm leaning towards on reflector but I can't remember why?

5) Is it possible to have a charge port installed and a way to plug in the light without battery removal with the pack you mentioned?

6) Sorry! I know......stupid newb I am. Quick learner though!

C

 

[mrartillery]

There are literally tons of choices when it comes to setting up a host with a 1185! I'm assuming you're wanting to put it into a Mag, being that you can also get them in a Surefire 9p or equivalent this.

I have my 1185 setup in a 3 D with 9 Eneloops, my first hotwire! Its a good setup, but the same results can also be had with several different combinations of Li-On's. Most common, are 3 IMR 26500's or 3 of AW's protected 18650's. The 26500's however in most cases will need a soft start. My recommendation for you if you're new to hot wiring is go with the 9 aa setup, this is the easiest way IMO.

 

[Mettee]

curious what your runtime is on 9 eneloops, I have never gone that route but I have done the others you mentioned.

drew

 

[alpg88]

my mag 85 is 4c mag, FM ss socket, FM deep ver2 reflector, borofloat glass, 3x18650. great light, i like it a lot.

 

[mrartillery]

curious what your runtime is on 9 eneloops, I have never gone that route but I have done the others you mentioned.

drew

Never did a full on run test of it, mostly used in bursts, but the formula calculates it out to around 30 min though.

 

[Mettee]

Good to know, thanks for posting that up

 

[cooter10]

There are literally tons of choices when it comes to setting up a host with a 1185! I'm assuming you're wanting to put it into a Mag, being that you can also get them in a Surefire 9p or equivalent this.

I have my 1185 setup in a 3 D with 9 Eneloops, my first hotwire! Its a good setup, but the same results can also be had with several different combinations of Li-On's. Most common, are 3 IMR 26500's or 3 of AW's protected 18650's. The 26500's however in most cases will need a soft start. My recommendation for you if you're new to hot wiring is go with the 9 aa setup, this is the easiest way IMO.

Suggestion taken. I will use an old mag 3d I have.

Here is what I will be getting so far:

9AA holder from fm (will run eneloops)
UCL window
AW softstart
bi pin 1185
MOP cammed reflector (I guess)
smart charger

Questions:

Do I need potted bi pin or no?
Who has cammed mop?
Is the soft start necessary with my set up?
Is there anything I'm missing here?

Thanks in advance!

C

 

[Mettee]

You will need a "camless" reflector and a regular WA 1185 bulb. No cam is need since you have the soft start. And yes I would add the soft start. It is a great added feature.

Litho has the bulbs but you have to get the reflector some place else if you want MOP since he is out. You can get a SMO he has that stocked last time I looked.

Looks to be a great build. If run times are not that great you can easily upgrade to 3 larger Lion cells. Since you will have the soft start that will be easy. My only change would actually be the batteries, I obviously fear run times shorter than you may want. If you are keeping the 3D size you would benefit from having 3 26650's in there instead of eneloops. And the lions are going to be cheaper since there is no battery carrier needed.

 

[RyanA]

A magcharger makes for a nice setup.

 

[cooter10]

You will need a "camless" reflector and a regular WA 1185 bulb. No cam is need since you have the soft start. And yes I would add the soft start. It is a great added feature.

Litho has the bulbs but you have to get the reflector some place else if you want MOP since he is out. You can get a SMO he has that stocked last time I looked.

Looks to be a great build. If run times are not that great you can easily upgrade to 3 larger Lion cells. Since you will have the soft start that will be easy. My only change would actually be the batteries, I obviously fear run times shorter than you may want. If you are keeping the 3D size you would benefit from having 3 26650's in there instead of eneloops. And the lions are going to be cheaper since there is no battery carrier needed.

26650's are a direct drop in? That would be nice, But I hear that it's possible to use the 9aa's with no soft start. Is that true? I would love to have instant full power with no instaflash and do it without sacrificing lumens otf......Probably looking for a unicorn here huh?

Camless it is!

 

[Billy Ram]

My favorite batterys for the m*g85 are 9ea AAs. They can be charged in the holder in 2hrs. eneloops are best if the flashlight isn't used every day and will give you 30-35 mins run time. If the light gets used several times a week 2700mah batterys are a better choise and will give you 45+ mins run time. My m*g85s see quite a bit of use and don't use soft start switches. Just let your batterys rest over night after charging before lighting up the bulb. If you decide to go with a SMO reflector stick with fivemegas deep or modamags if artifacts bother you.
Billy

 

[mrartillery]

Questions:

Do I need potted bi pin or no?
Who has cammed mop?
Is the soft start necessary with my set up?
Is there anything I'm missing here?

Thanks in advance!

C

Get yourself a KIU kit to mod your stock switch with, these are the best solution, you however can use one of FM's bi-pin adapters if you want to use a cammed reflector but I prefer the KIU myself.

FM has some cammed MOP reflectors, I think they're all the deep reflectors at the time though, best on the market though. I myself prefer the fixed beam, a nice VLOP or MOP will have both a good mixture of flood and throw out to a couple hundred yards in some cases with a nice smooth wall of flood and no bat wings.

With 9 eneloops, NO the soft start is not necessary, with other Li-On setups yes it would require soft start, for example the 26650. Since you are just starting out i would go with something simple like 9 eneloops.

Also, don't let the KIU intimidate you, they are fairly simple to install as long as you have a novice soldering skills and a little bit of free time. If you needed help with it I'm sure one of us could guide you along.

 

[Mettee]

26650's fit a 3D mag with a $1 piece of PVC from your local hardware store.

They will offer a lot of advantages over a pack or holder with AA's of any type or capacity. And they will recharge faster. And for the money you save on the holder you can buy another set of batteries. 9 AA's could still flash the bulb unless you rest them off the charger but I could be wrong. Guess it depend on the bulb.

I agree on the KIU switch it is a great upgrade but I feel once you do that you will wish for the soft start. I only push you in that direction from my own learning experience. If you can afford the soft start and want it right the first time go that direction. It really simplifies the build and makes it an enjoyably usable package.

 

[Billy Ram]

26650s are fine for the 1185 with a regulated driver but I don't see much point trying to run the 1185 on these batterys when we have the FM1909. It takes my 26650s longer than 2 hrs to charge if completely drained @ 2a. I don't like to charge much over 1/2c. Another thing cooter10 being new may not have or want to invest in a expensive charger to charge IMRs with. The AA nimh batterys are more forgiving for someone just starting out.
Billy

 

[mrartillery]

9 AA's could still flash the bulb unless you rest them off the charger but I could be wrong. Guess it depend on the bulb.

A point I forgot to address, this is why you will need a bleeding lamp. Eneloops hold their voltage very well and you will need to bleed off the excess to keep the bulb from going I made a bleeding lamp for myself for around $5 with a MR16 I picked up from a local walmart, make sure to use the 12v 50w version.

The AA nimh batterys are more forgiving for someone just starting out.
Billy

Agreed, this is why i suggested it.

 

[cooter10]

It looks like the KIU takes 3-4 weeks to arrive and I'm wanting to build it pretty soon.

Then again, it looks like AW soft starts are out of stock. I need to PM to verify.

If I go with an AW soft start I don't need the FM adapter correct?

I may building a couple so as to try a few of you guys great suggestions.

Thanks.

C

 

[mrartillery]

It looks like the KIU takes 3-4 weeks to arrive and I'm wanting to build it pretty soon.

Then again, it looks like AW soft starts are out of stock. I need to PM to verify.

If I go with an AW soft start I don't need the FM adapter correct?

I may building a couple so as to try a few of you guys great suggestions.

Thanks.

C

Most of the time the KIU will take 2-3 weeks generally. And yes, if you go with the soft start no FM socket is needed, the soft start switch replaces the stock mag switch.

 

[cooter10]

A point I forgot to address, this is why you will need a bleeding lamp. Eneloops hold their voltage very well and you will need to bleed off the excess to keep the bulb from going I made a bleeding lamp for myself for around $5 with a MR16 I picked up from a local walmart, make sure to use the 12v 50w version.




Agreed, this is why i suggested it.

That's a good option especially if I can't get the soft start. I will make one!