tibim
Newly Enlightened
The MagLED dropin for C or D cell Maglites is a step in the right direction. I say this because it's the next evolution in flashlight technology(LED) finally produced for the masses. It is a bright, reliable, and efficient light or upgrade option for the average flashlight user.
It does however have some flaws that could use some improvement. One of the things I could personally not get over is the beam pattern. As a user of high end flashlights it did not take long before the stock "ringy" beam began to bother me. The light would simply be much more useful for most tasks with a more evenly distributed light pattern.
As we are going to be tackling improving the beam, we may as well replace the stock lens. The factory lens is made of plastic which offers reduced light transmittance and is prone to scratching. Time to replace it with something better.
The fix:
What you need, where to get it, and cost:
-Maglite C or D
-MagLED Dropin(available seperately or in a package with the Maglite)
These first two items are easily available locally. Try Walmart or Sears. Cost for both of these items should be around $40-50
-Medium stipple reflector(camless) (Light Edge http://www.light-edge.com) $20
-UCL(Ultra Clear Lens) 52.1mm x 1.95mm (http://www.flashlightlens.com) $6
Total cost of light: ~$70
Tools:
-Sanding drum attachment for Dremel
-Contact adhesive. (I used "Welder" from Walmart. Any "Goop" type product can be substituted.)
Procedure:
Background.
The Maglite brand of flashlights are famous for their ability to refocus the beam from "spot" to "flood" by turning the bezel. This is accomplished by an addition to the bottom side of the reflector called a "cam". As you turn the bezel, the cam changes the position of the bulb(or LED). This up and down movement of the light source changes its alignment relating to the reflector, effectively modifying the beam.
If you purchase the reflector I specified from Light Edge the bottom will be flat(camless). It is important to note that cammed reflectors are available, however they generally are more expensive (I've seen them in the $30 range) and I was able to reproduce this for free.
This is where you get to pick from two options:
A) Retain stock focusability of the Maglite. Have the option to go from "spot" to flood" by turning the bezel.
B) Do not include the cam and have only one setting. Many lights have no beam adjustment and this is perfectly fine as long as the beam is even and balanced.
I chose option A. However option B is fine and would allow you to skip the step of adding a cam to your reflector.
Now that you know what you want let's get to it...
Step 1)
The diameter of the hole in the reflector is not sufficient for a MagLED. These reflectors were not designed for a MagLED module and the hole will have to be enlarged. I took a (rough) measure of the diameter of the MagLED. You now need to mark the reflector so you know how much to cut away.
Using a ruler and your measurement of the MagLED, take half the diameter and line this mark up with the middle of the existing hole in the reflector. Now make a mark(using a sharpie) at each end of the diameter measurement on the reflector. I did this about every 60 degrees until I ended up with a nice outline of a circle.
Once you have this you can, using your Dremel, remove the excess material. There may be a bit of trial and error here since the measurements are not 100% accurate. Go slow. Make the hole just big enough so the reflector can fully seat against the bezel.
If you're going camless make sure you only cut enough to clear the MagLED and not enough for entire "lamp holder assembly" to pop up. Since your beam is fixed you will need to experiment with this(turn on the maglite periodically and check your beam) and not go too far or the LED will not be focused as you want it(and there will be no going back).
If you are going with the cammed option make sure the hole is large enough to ensure smooth movement of the reflector around the "lamp holder assembly".
To clean off the metal shavings I ran the reflector under water from a faucet. Be very careful when drying the reflector because even a lint-free cloth will scratch the reflector(Ask me how I know...). I would recommend you try to shake off as much water as you can and then allow it to air dry. Although I did use a hair dryer to speed things up at one point. 🙂
Sorry about the lack of pictures of this procedure. The instructions make it out to be more complicated than it really is.
Picture of the enlarged reflector:
Step 2)
Skip this step if you are making a camless model.
Using a Dremel with a cutting wheel I cut around the base of my stock Maglite reflector, removing the cam. This will be a little sloppy so after cutting you can use a file to ensure the bottom of your cam is flat. It will have to mate to the reflector.
After everything is cleaned up it's time to make it all one peice. Using contact adhesive(or any other glue you think is up to the task) connect the cam to the reflector:
Allow to dry until the contact adhesive does not feel "gummy" anymore. Mine took about 48 hours.
Step 3)
Assembly
Self explanatory. Make sure you don't forget your fancy new lens. 😀
Your new (or improved) light is now complete!
Beamshots:
Spot:
Flood(the difference is more apparent in real life)
Overall the beam is dramatically improved. If you are doing the camless method expect a perfect beam with a nice hotspot and decent spill(If you set it up for a spot beam). The ring in the beamshots is very slightly noticable in real life, but you have to look for it.
For those that went with the cammed version you have the option of the spot or a nice flood. If you go too far into flood, there are points where the focus of the LED will create a hole in the middle of the beam, but it's still 1000x improved over the stock Maglite and vastly improves the range of usable light you have.
And for a final comparison... This is the modified MagLED (right) and a McLux III PD-S Mizer(left).
As you can see the beam of the MagLED fairs pretty well against the perfect beam of the PD-S(mizer). The lights were both placed at the same distance. The spill on the PD-S is brighter, however the MagLED has a much larger spill area(even on tight focus) no doubt due to the larger bezel size.
Overall I think it's not too bad. Definitely worth the $26 dollars and 30 minutes of work to "upgrade". The Maglite has always been a very tough and well built light, and for me this brings it up to closer to par with its high-end competition in the area where it was lacking the most.
While not the brightest of my lights I think a light like this definitely has its uses . Decent output, long runtime, useful beam, tough as nails. I will be keeping this particular light in my vehicle and is pretty much my ideal light for this role.
-tibim
It does however have some flaws that could use some improvement. One of the things I could personally not get over is the beam pattern. As a user of high end flashlights it did not take long before the stock "ringy" beam began to bother me. The light would simply be much more useful for most tasks with a more evenly distributed light pattern.
As we are going to be tackling improving the beam, we may as well replace the stock lens. The factory lens is made of plastic which offers reduced light transmittance and is prone to scratching. Time to replace it with something better.
The fix:
What you need, where to get it, and cost:
-Maglite C or D
-MagLED Dropin(available seperately or in a package with the Maglite)
These first two items are easily available locally. Try Walmart or Sears. Cost for both of these items should be around $40-50
-Medium stipple reflector(camless) (Light Edge http://www.light-edge.com) $20
-UCL(Ultra Clear Lens) 52.1mm x 1.95mm (http://www.flashlightlens.com) $6
Total cost of light: ~$70
Tools:
-Sanding drum attachment for Dremel
-Contact adhesive. (I used "Welder" from Walmart. Any "Goop" type product can be substituted.)
Procedure:
Background.
The Maglite brand of flashlights are famous for their ability to refocus the beam from "spot" to "flood" by turning the bezel. This is accomplished by an addition to the bottom side of the reflector called a "cam". As you turn the bezel, the cam changes the position of the bulb(or LED). This up and down movement of the light source changes its alignment relating to the reflector, effectively modifying the beam.
If you purchase the reflector I specified from Light Edge the bottom will be flat(camless). It is important to note that cammed reflectors are available, however they generally are more expensive (I've seen them in the $30 range) and I was able to reproduce this for free.
This is where you get to pick from two options:
A) Retain stock focusability of the Maglite. Have the option to go from "spot" to flood" by turning the bezel.
B) Do not include the cam and have only one setting. Many lights have no beam adjustment and this is perfectly fine as long as the beam is even and balanced.
I chose option A. However option B is fine and would allow you to skip the step of adding a cam to your reflector.
Now that you know what you want let's get to it...
Step 1)
The diameter of the hole in the reflector is not sufficient for a MagLED. These reflectors were not designed for a MagLED module and the hole will have to be enlarged. I took a (rough) measure of the diameter of the MagLED. You now need to mark the reflector so you know how much to cut away.
Using a ruler and your measurement of the MagLED, take half the diameter and line this mark up with the middle of the existing hole in the reflector. Now make a mark(using a sharpie) at each end of the diameter measurement on the reflector. I did this about every 60 degrees until I ended up with a nice outline of a circle.
Once you have this you can, using your Dremel, remove the excess material. There may be a bit of trial and error here since the measurements are not 100% accurate. Go slow. Make the hole just big enough so the reflector can fully seat against the bezel.
If you're going camless make sure you only cut enough to clear the MagLED and not enough for entire "lamp holder assembly" to pop up. Since your beam is fixed you will need to experiment with this(turn on the maglite periodically and check your beam) and not go too far or the LED will not be focused as you want it(and there will be no going back).
If you are going with the cammed option make sure the hole is large enough to ensure smooth movement of the reflector around the "lamp holder assembly".
To clean off the metal shavings I ran the reflector under water from a faucet. Be very careful when drying the reflector because even a lint-free cloth will scratch the reflector(Ask me how I know...). I would recommend you try to shake off as much water as you can and then allow it to air dry. Although I did use a hair dryer to speed things up at one point. 🙂
Sorry about the lack of pictures of this procedure. The instructions make it out to be more complicated than it really is.
Picture of the enlarged reflector:
Step 2)
Skip this step if you are making a camless model.
Using a Dremel with a cutting wheel I cut around the base of my stock Maglite reflector, removing the cam. This will be a little sloppy so after cutting you can use a file to ensure the bottom of your cam is flat. It will have to mate to the reflector.
After everything is cleaned up it's time to make it all one peice. Using contact adhesive(or any other glue you think is up to the task) connect the cam to the reflector:
Allow to dry until the contact adhesive does not feel "gummy" anymore. Mine took about 48 hours.
Step 3)
Assembly
Self explanatory. Make sure you don't forget your fancy new lens. 😀
Your new (or improved) light is now complete!
Beamshots:
Spot:
Flood(the difference is more apparent in real life)
Overall the beam is dramatically improved. If you are doing the camless method expect a perfect beam with a nice hotspot and decent spill(If you set it up for a spot beam). The ring in the beamshots is very slightly noticable in real life, but you have to look for it.
For those that went with the cammed version you have the option of the spot or a nice flood. If you go too far into flood, there are points where the focus of the LED will create a hole in the middle of the beam, but it's still 1000x improved over the stock Maglite and vastly improves the range of usable light you have.
And for a final comparison... This is the modified MagLED (right) and a McLux III PD-S Mizer(left).
As you can see the beam of the MagLED fairs pretty well against the perfect beam of the PD-S(mizer). The lights were both placed at the same distance. The spill on the PD-S is brighter, however the MagLED has a much larger spill area(even on tight focus) no doubt due to the larger bezel size.
Overall I think it's not too bad. Definitely worth the $26 dollars and 30 minutes of work to "upgrade". The Maglite has always been a very tough and well built light, and for me this brings it up to closer to par with its high-end competition in the area where it was lacking the most.
While not the brightest of my lights I think a light like this definitely has its uses . Decent output, long runtime, useful beam, tough as nails. I will be keeping this particular light in my vehicle and is pretty much my ideal light for this role.
-tibim
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