Making my First Custom Maglite

[hk dave]

Hey guys!!! Been reading a lot about making custom lights. I think the time has finally arrived where I want to begin customizing my own lights...

I think my first project will be based on the sticky about a p7 in a 3D Maglite... i think i'd like to make 3 or 4 of them to give to family and friends.

Was hoping for some pointers.

I'll get getting...

-3D Maglite (will be running NIHM D cells)
-This SSC P7 (Not sure if it's the right one, can someone point me to the right one if i'm looking at the wrong one?)
-P7 SSC HAIII Heatsink
-Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
-Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
-22 gauge teflon wire
-UCL Lens - 52.1mm x 1.90mm
-A 30W Soldering Iron from Dealextreme
-0.6mm Solder Wire with 2% Flux from Deal Extreme

Does this sound like a complete list of what I'll need aside from actual basic tools such as allen wrenches and a dremel?

I'm really excited to try this!!!

I believe this creates a "Direct Drive" flashlight that will dim as the battery energy gets expended?

Should i be doing this first and then once I get the hang of it, get a "circuit board" or whatever the gizmo is that helps the light maintain a certain output continuously?

EXCITING!

Thanks for any responses!

 

[ti-force]

-This SSC P7 (Not sure if it's the right one, can someone point me to the right one if i'm looking at the wrong one?)
-P7 SSC HAIII Heatsink
-Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
-Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
-22 gauge teflon wire
-UCL Lens - 52.1mm x 1.90mm
-A 30W Soldering Iron from Dealextreme
-0.6mm Solder Wire with 2% Flux from Deal Extreme

Does this sound like a complete list of what I'll need aside from actual basic tools such as allen wrenches and a dremel?

I'm really excited to try this!!!

I believe this creates a "Direct Drive" flashlight that will dim as the battery energy gets expended?

Should i be doing this first and then once I get the hang of it, get a "circuit board" or whatever the gizmo is that helps the light maintain a certain output continuously?

EXCITING!

Thanks for any responses!

The SSC P7 you linked to is a BSYPI. The "B" is the bin code which represents luminous flux or emitter rated lumens. A "B" bin emitter is rated from 570-700 emitter lumens. The bins go up to an E bin which is rated from 900-1100 lumens.

The next three letters are the color bins. SYP is 9000K in color, so it would probably be very blue if not purple in color. Personally, I wouldn't go any higher than SXP color bin, which is 6700K and it's white with a little bit of a blue tint, but that's really just personal preference.

The last letter represents the voltage forward bin. You don't want to go any higher than an "I" bin for your setup, which is 3.25-3.50vf.

You're good on your emitter choice, but there may be better choices out there. Also, I'm not sure about the quality of those emitters from DX, but I'll have to let someone else comment on that.

The heatsinks you linked to are very good quality. I purchased four from Setapong. I would recommend that you get the HA111 coating, but you don't have to. It's just piece of mind that you won't short anything out.

The Arctic Alumina Adhesive comes in a part A and part B kit. 2.5 grams of each part is what a quick search turned up. I also have some of that and that's enough adhesive to do quite a few Mag builds. I wouldn't be scared to say it's enough to do 20 Mag mods.

I'd buy at least two of the Arctic Silver Compound 3.5 gram tubes because you will use a lot more of this for a Mag build than you will the adhesive, and if you're planning to do a few of these mods, you will need at least two of those tubes I think, but I may be wrong.

22ga teflon wire is an excellent choice; it will help reduce resistance in the light.

The UCL glass is a great addition, but I have seen the Borafloat glass recommended for durability reasons. I.E. the borafloat doesn't scratch as easily as the UCL. I personally haven't had any problems with my UCL glass, but I take good care of my lights so.... You could also look at the Acrylic lens. Personally I haven't tried these, but they claim scratch resistance so they probably are.

I use a 15watt soldering iron, but I'll let someone else comment on that.

Not sure about the solder either; I normally purchase mine locally at Radio Shack.

Maybe this info will help you get started, and if you have questions during your build, there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here who can help you.


Casey

 

[ti-force]

Here's some more info to help you while trying to choose which SSC P7 emitter to purchase:




Like I said in my previous post, the first letter represents what luminous flux bin the emitter is. Here's the corresponding chart:

Here's the corresponding chart for the next three letters, which represent the color bin of the emitter:

And the corresponding chart for the last letter which represents what voltage forward (vf) the emitter is:

 

[420light]

+1 one the things Ti-Force said. Also, if I was you I would save those graphs, I just did.

I too would recommend:

* a different P7 bin and color.
* a coated Heatsink

Newegg.com is the place where I get my Artic Alumnia stuff.

I am one of the persons that is using the Borafloat Lens. I had asked Casey about his UCL setup because it looks really good, but the Borafloat being a tad thicker sold it for me. I got it from the same place he got his (flashlightlens.com). I take good care of my Mags, but they do ride with me in my trucks everyday so.......

Are you in the US? If so, I would not get stuff like the solder and the soldering iron from DX or KD. I would be hitting the Radio Shack too. It is a good idea to support you local community stores, especially if the prices are not all that different (yes I know it is a national chain, but local people work there). I also think the quality would be better from RadioShack. That is just the way I feel about it though.

Hope this helps some, okay So go Mod something.:nana:

 

[hk dave]

Thank Ti-force, those charts are GREAT!!!

So I'm thinking I need an

-A through C emitter for lumens
-SUN through SWN for color
-J for voltage since they'll be running off 3 NIHM batteries. (Will 3 alkalines fry the emitter? being that they run at 4.5v vs the NIHM at 3.6)?

 

[hk dave]

+1 one the things Ti-Force said. Also, if I was you I would save those graphs, I just did.

I too would recommend:

* a different P7 bin and color.
* a coated Heatsink

Newegg.com is the place where I get my Artic Alumnia stuff.

I am one of the persons that is using the Borafloat Lens. I had asked Casey about his UCL setup because it looks really good, but the Borafloat being a tad thicker sold it for me. I got it from the same place he got his (flashlightlens.com). I take good care of my Mags, but they do ride with me in my trucks everyday so.......

Are you in the US? If so, I would not get stuff like the solder and the soldering iron from DX or KD. I would be hitting the Radio Shack too. It is a good idea to support you local community stores, especially if the prices are not all that different (yes I know it is a national chain, but local people work there). I also think the quality would be better from RadioShack. That is just the way I feel about it though.

Hope this helps some, okay So go Mod something.:nana:

Thanks for your reply!

Pardon my ignorant questions but...

You mentioned a coated heatsink? Coated how? As im anodized? Is the bare aluminum a bad thing?

I will look into the borafloat lenses... tougher is better for me.

I am in the US. Orange County CA. Radio shack huh? Ok i'll go get the soldering iron and solder from there. I'm guessing solder with a bit of flux in it will make it sticky enough to stick? Don't need separate flux i hope.

 

[ti-force]

Not trying to be sarcastic, but this came from post #2:

The heatsinks you linked to are very good quality. I purchased four from Setapong. I would recommend that you get the HA111 coating, but you don't have to. It's just piece of mind that you won't short anything out.

It's type 111 anodizing.

Casey

 

[ti-force]

Some more reading on anodizing if you're interested:

Clicky

 

[hk dave]

Not trying to be sarcastic, but this came from post #2:





It's type 111 anodizing.

Casey

Sorry bout that, just re read your post and noticed the type III anodizing Thanks!

I never knew aluminum was very conductive... from what I've been reading, I gather that the anodizing makes it non conductive and would make it more reliable? I see lot of reason to get an anodized heatsink if the aluminum can short the light!

 

[ti-force]

Sorry bout that, just re read your post and noticed the type III anodizing Thanks!

I never knew aluminum was very conductive... from what I've been reading, I gather that the anodizing makes it non conductive and would make it more reliable? I see lot of reason to get an anodized heatsink if the aluminum can short the light!

Yeah, it's a VERY good idea, especially when you're mounting a P7; the bottom of the P7 emitter (the slug) is also a positive terminal, so if you had a bare heatsink, and the slug of the P7 came in contact with the heatsink, and by chance the heatsink came into contact with a negative source. Not good.

Type 111 (HA111) anodizing is the best anodizing available I believe. It's thicker, and therefore tougher.

 

[hk dave]

Yeah, it's a VERY good idea, especially when you're mounting a P7; the bottom of the P7 emitter (the slug) is also a positive terminal, so if you had a bare heatsink, and the slug of the P7 came in contact with the heatsink, and by chance the heatsink came into contact with a negative source. Not good.

Type 111 (HA111) anodizing is the best anodizing available I believe. It's thicker, and therefore tougher.

Got it thanks! I will be ordering Type III anodized heatsinks for sure. Now to decide what emitters I want and where to find them. hehe

 

[hk dave]

Thank Ti-force, those charts are GREAT!!!

So I'm thinking I need an

-A through C emitter for lumens
-SUN through SWN for color
-J for voltage since they'll be running off 3 NIHM batteries. (Will 3 alkalines fry the emitter? being that they run at 4.5v vs the NIHM at 3.6)?

Anyone know the answer to the last part of this?

For a 3D NIHM cell host, I need a J emitter? Will running alkalines fry it?

 

[420light]

Not trying to be sarcastic, but this came from post #2:It's type 111 anodizing.Casey

It sure did. Casey said it first. I had just said I agreed with him, and that he made very good points in the first post.

Anyone know the answer to the last part of this?

For a 3D NIHM cell host, I need a J emitter? Will running alkalines fry it?

I really would say that you should use a driver. I would. It gives you the benefit of a better drain from the batteries, and 4.5 volts from the ALKS is no longer a problem.

Good places to get the P7 Tek-tite.com and amilite.co.kr.

 

[ti-force]

Anyone know the answer to the last part of this?

For a 3D NIHM cell host, I need a J emitter? Will running alkalines fry it?

I know you would be fine with a J bin emitter as long as your planning to direct drive it. I think you would be fine with 3 D NiMH cells, direct driving an I bin emitter too, but maybe someone with more DD with NiMH experience than myself will comment on that. I agree with 420, a driver would be a better solution, so if you decide to go with, say a 7135 based driver setup in the future, a J bin emitter would be a very bad choice and you would need an I bin emitter.

Alkalines and high power just don't go together IMO. Alkalines suffer terribly from voltage sag, so they're just not a good choice for a light like this.

So I'm thinking I need an

-A through C emitter for lumens
-SUN through SWN for color

According to the chart, an "A" bin will give you anywhere from 440 to 570 emitter lumens. A "C" bin will give you anywhere from 700 to 800 emitter lumens. A "D" bin may the highest available bin, but I'm not certain; they may have released the "E" bin emitters. A "D" bin will give you anywhere from 800 to 900 emitter lumens, so I guess it's up to you how bright you want the light to be. Personally, I want the highest luminous flux bin I can find.

As far as tint goes, I have a CSXPI emitter and I like the tint; it's not too blue for my likes, but I do prefer the whitest light I can get and if I'm not mistaken, 5700K is about as close to white as you can get. The lower the number, the more yellow the tint is. The higher up you go, the tint shifts from white to blue, from blue to purple and from purple to pink.

 

[hk dave]

You guys rock! Thanks for taking time to teach a new guy like me.

If you guys think it's a good idea to use a driver (i'm guessing the circuit board that regulates output?) then this new guy will most certainly be interested in learning about them and using them.

Do you know any links to some good reads on drivers?

 

[ti-force]

Good places to get the P7 Tek-tite.com and amilite.co.kr.

Good find on those emitters. I wasn't really sure who sold them anymore. This is the one I would get if it were me, provided you like the tint:

Clicky

 

[ti-force]

You guys rock! Thanks for taking time to teach a new guy like me.

If you guys think it's a good idea to use a driver (i'm guessing the circuit board that regulates output?) then this new guy will most certainly be interested in learning about them and using them.

Do you know any links to some good reads on drivers?

Some good reading on 7135 based drivers here.

 

[ti-force]

The Shiningbeam 2.5A, 3-mode driver (www.shiningbeam.com) is probably the best and easiest driver solution for you. Unfortunately, they're out of stock right now, but Bryan at Shiningbeam said he will have some more in by the end of the month.

 

[420light]

Good find on those emitters. I wasn't really sure who sold them anymore.

Thanks.:naughty:

 

[chew socks]

I just wanted to add in a piece of advice of my own. Make sure that you press the emitter down well until the epoxy sets (preferably press on the black parts around the dome). When i first made mine, the emitter broke loose slightly after a few days and this caused it to heat up to "angry blue" very fast during use.

Good luck and have fun!

Kirk