Codeman
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2004
- Messages
- 2,690
MillerMod Arc AAA 2-Level Heads (Lux III TXOH and Cree Q4 WH)
NOTE: Due to a mistake I made on my PP order, the photos posted earlier actually depicted the 30mA/1.0W head. Now that I have the 30mA/1.5W head, I've updated this post with new pictures. Thanks for the fix, MillerMod!
Considering the build, size, output, and price, the Arc AAA Premium is a great light. Ever since I got a couple of them last year, it's been one of my favorite lights around the house. But I've got a streak of Tim Allen "More Power" disease, so I couldn't resist the 1.5W with the parabolic, polished reflector. Throw in 2 levels, and the well-spent money left my wallet before I knew what hit me.
Almost from the moment I opened the package, I knew I'd have to do a review of this marvelous mod.
This MillerMod is a 30mA low, 1.5W high TXOH, built on an original Arc head with a polished, parabolic reflector.
These are very rough images that I took in my office under normal lighting. Not exactly ideal conditions, but what the heck. Exposure was locked on the ArcP/MM/High, at the spot, so they are a bit underexposed. Overall, they are much brighter in real life in a dark environment, but the relative brightness between the pictures is reasonably accurate, as is the color.
I've put the Arc Premium's stock head on one of the older Arc black AAA bodies (on right):
The old-style Arc head that MillerMod used as a host is a near perfect color match for the new Arc AAA body. The body is slightly grayer, or less green, but you really have to look closely, in person, to see it. It isn't visible in this photo. This has nothing to do with MillerMod's work, though, so let's move on to the real pictures.
The stock Arc has a brand new Duracell Ultra cell in it, while the MM has a Duracell 1000mAh cell in it.
Arc AAA Premium Stock Head
For a single level task light, I really like the output of the premium stock head.
For a 2-level task light, though, I wanted a bit less output on low.
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on Low
There is a useful corona on the low setting, but it's just barely visible due to the exposure being locked on the high setting photo below. With fully-adapted night vision, the low setting is plenty of light to see things out to a distance of 20-30 feet.
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on High (exposure locked on this shot)
Yeah, baby - Arc AAA on steriods!
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on Low next to Arc AAA Premium Stock Head
Just like I prefer for a 2-level light, the MM on low is a bit dimmer than the stock Arc, but it is pure white light.
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on High next to Arc AAA Premium Stock Head
This photo is a bit deceptive, thanks to my camera's limited dynamic range and the daytime shooting at a short distance. When seen by the human eye in real use, the drastic difference is much more visible.
MillerMod Polished Parabolic Reflector vs Arc Premium Stock Reflector
I included this last image to show just how perfectly centered the LED is in relation to the reflector. MillerMod did a spectacular job of achieving focus! The stock preimium head, even when view directly overhead, doesn't show any yellow in the reflector, though the LED is well-centered. Since the spot relies on the light coming directly out of the LED, I don't think the relationship between the LED and the reflector is as important for the stock head. The parabolic, polished reflector cut into an original Arc head, though, really helps to achive a nice spot from the Lux III.
I'll be adding more beamshots (white wall, real use, comparisons, etc), runtime graphs, lux readings, subjective thoughts, etc. Until I get the rest completed, please keep on thing in mind - the MM is much brighter in real life than these pictures show. The runtime graphs, once completed, should show this more objectively. I'll also be posting comparison shots with some other lights to help everyone get a better feel for the MM 1.5W's output.
For now, I'll just say that out of all of the lights I've bought over the past couple of years, MillerMod's work ranks at the very top in quality. A great light like the Arc AAA Premium can only be improved by equally great work. MillerMod has accomplished that.
Update #1
Last night, I ran the MM on high for a full run. We'll have to wait for the runtime graph for an objective evaluation, but I will say that with the Duracell 1000mAh NiMH AAA, there was a lot of light for 20 minutes, after which I switched to the low setting and it continued to run for quite a while. I was able to hold the body for the full run, but it did reach 120-125°F. The head reached 145°F and the surface of the reflector got all the way up to 190°F. Obviously, MillerMod's heat sinking works well! Over time, a lot of long runs will eventually take a toll on the Luxeon, but that's to be expected of a hotrod AAA. Most of my use will likely be on the low setting, but having the 1.5W setting available with good runtime, makes it a perfect EDC light.
Update #2 - 25/1.25 Cree Q4 WH
Now that I have my new MillerMod, it's time to add a few new shots.
First up is a side by side of the business end of my 2 MM's, a 30/1.5 LuxIII TXOH on the left, and the 25/1.5 Q4 WH on the right. (I used a Sundrop-3S as the sole illumination source for this shot):
I love how the LuxIII's older style Arc head has that huge parabolic surface. But it's really no match when it comes to output.
Here are the 3 lights I'm using - a stock Arc-P (CS UB2), the LuxIII, and the Cree:
Although the photo doesn't show it, the die is perfectly focused in both of the MM's.
In the following shots, no efforts was made to achieve correct white balance, nor was exposure locked across the photos. Exposure was set to illustrate various aspects of the beam.
This next shot shows the beams (low on the MM's) at an exposure level that allows the variations in each beam to be seem. At this close distance, though, I hasten to add that the Cree's beam is not fully formed, so it appears to be slightly larger than the LuxIII. At normal distances, it is slightly smaller and has better definition. I couldn't get the darn camera to focus.
The next shot does a good job of showing the relative brightness of the 3 lights:
This shot does a great job of showing just how well the low level of my MM's replicates the output of the Arc-P, without the angry blue tint.
Finally, here's the Cree, in all it's glory:
Except for the first shot of update #2, all were taken in daylight conditions in my office on a sunny day - probably the worst conditions to take such shots in. I had to stop the camera down 3 or 4 f-stops to tame the Cree's output, which explains why that last shot appears to be taken in darkness.
To really do justice to MillerMod's Cree, some outdoor shots under more controlled conditions need to be made. Suffice it to say that the tint is a very nice, warm white tint, and the light has no problem fully illuminating objects at 40-60 feet.
In the meantime, here are some calc'd lumen values for these lights
Arc-P (CS/UB2) - 5 lumens
Arc/MMLuxIII (TXOH), 30mA low - 6 lumens
Arc/MMLuxIII (TXOH), 1.5W high - 34 lumens
Arc/MMCree (Q4 WH), 25mA low - 7 lumens
Arc/MMCree (Q4 WH), 1.5W high - 84 lumens
For details on how these values where determined, please see
Quickbeam's Lightbox
Lumens from lightbox readings???
Light Meter Benchmark Testing – CPF style
When I need a small light that also can provide a serious blast when needed, the MM Cree is my new go to light. Great job, MillerMod! :twothumbs
Update #3 - Valiant Concepts Arc AA Body
I bought one of these great bodies when JSBurly first had them. They're a great way to add runtime to an Arc AAA light. So, naturally, I wanted to mate it up with my MM's.
After pulling the spring out of the AA Body's endcap, I put a stack of 3mm diameter rare earth magnets totalling a height of 13mm on the negative end of a Duracell 2650 NiMH AA battery. The tailcap sealed just fine, but there was a slight gap with the o-ring peaking through. That works...but...since the foam donut's inner cutout isn't big enough for a AA positive nib to fit inside the center cutout, the head has to be really torqued to get the high level. That has the ugly side effect of over-compressing the inner portion of the foam donut, which then lead to faulty operation. At first, it worked fine. Then, as the compression set it, I lost the high level. When I put it back on the stock body, it would go low/off/high instead of low/high. I can't really explain why this happened. I just know that it's a function of the foam donut being over compressed by the AA's larger diameter positive nib.
I took a dental pick and gently pulled the foam back up. Everything works fine now with the stock tube, so I'm leaving well enough alone. I'd love to use this body with my MM's, but I'm not going to risk damage to MillerMod's work by overcompressing it. I suspect that, if the center cutout could be safely enlarged to accomodate a AA's + nib, using magnets in the tailcap would be a viable solution. I just don't know if enlarging it is safe to do.
NOTE: Due to a mistake I made on my PP order, the photos posted earlier actually depicted the 30mA/1.0W head. Now that I have the 30mA/1.5W head, I've updated this post with new pictures. Thanks for the fix, MillerMod!
Considering the build, size, output, and price, the Arc AAA Premium is a great light. Ever since I got a couple of them last year, it's been one of my favorite lights around the house. But I've got a streak of Tim Allen "More Power" disease, so I couldn't resist the 1.5W with the parabolic, polished reflector. Throw in 2 levels, and the well-spent money left my wallet before I knew what hit me.
Almost from the moment I opened the package, I knew I'd have to do a review of this marvelous mod.
This MillerMod is a 30mA low, 1.5W high TXOH, built on an original Arc head with a polished, parabolic reflector.
These are very rough images that I took in my office under normal lighting. Not exactly ideal conditions, but what the heck. Exposure was locked on the ArcP/MM/High, at the spot, so they are a bit underexposed. Overall, they are much brighter in real life in a dark environment, but the relative brightness between the pictures is reasonably accurate, as is the color.
I've put the Arc Premium's stock head on one of the older Arc black AAA bodies (on right):
The old-style Arc head that MillerMod used as a host is a near perfect color match for the new Arc AAA body. The body is slightly grayer, or less green, but you really have to look closely, in person, to see it. It isn't visible in this photo. This has nothing to do with MillerMod's work, though, so let's move on to the real pictures.
The stock Arc has a brand new Duracell Ultra cell in it, while the MM has a Duracell 1000mAh cell in it.
Arc AAA Premium Stock Head
For a single level task light, I really like the output of the premium stock head.
For a 2-level task light, though, I wanted a bit less output on low.
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on Low
There is a useful corona on the low setting, but it's just barely visible due to the exposure being locked on the high setting photo below. With fully-adapted night vision, the low setting is plenty of light to see things out to a distance of 20-30 feet.
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on High (exposure locked on this shot)
Yeah, baby - Arc AAA on steriods!
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on Low next to Arc AAA Premium Stock Head
Just like I prefer for a 2-level light, the MM on low is a bit dimmer than the stock Arc, but it is pure white light.
Arc AAA MillerMod 30mA/1.5W TXOH on High next to Arc AAA Premium Stock Head
This photo is a bit deceptive, thanks to my camera's limited dynamic range and the daytime shooting at a short distance. When seen by the human eye in real use, the drastic difference is much more visible.
MillerMod Polished Parabolic Reflector vs Arc Premium Stock Reflector
I included this last image to show just how perfectly centered the LED is in relation to the reflector. MillerMod did a spectacular job of achieving focus! The stock preimium head, even when view directly overhead, doesn't show any yellow in the reflector, though the LED is well-centered. Since the spot relies on the light coming directly out of the LED, I don't think the relationship between the LED and the reflector is as important for the stock head. The parabolic, polished reflector cut into an original Arc head, though, really helps to achive a nice spot from the Lux III.
I'll be adding more beamshots (white wall, real use, comparisons, etc), runtime graphs, lux readings, subjective thoughts, etc. Until I get the rest completed, please keep on thing in mind - the MM is much brighter in real life than these pictures show. The runtime graphs, once completed, should show this more objectively. I'll also be posting comparison shots with some other lights to help everyone get a better feel for the MM 1.5W's output.
For now, I'll just say that out of all of the lights I've bought over the past couple of years, MillerMod's work ranks at the very top in quality. A great light like the Arc AAA Premium can only be improved by equally great work. MillerMod has accomplished that.
Update #1
Last night, I ran the MM on high for a full run. We'll have to wait for the runtime graph for an objective evaluation, but I will say that with the Duracell 1000mAh NiMH AAA, there was a lot of light for 20 minutes, after which I switched to the low setting and it continued to run for quite a while. I was able to hold the body for the full run, but it did reach 120-125°F. The head reached 145°F and the surface of the reflector got all the way up to 190°F. Obviously, MillerMod's heat sinking works well! Over time, a lot of long runs will eventually take a toll on the Luxeon, but that's to be expected of a hotrod AAA. Most of my use will likely be on the low setting, but having the 1.5W setting available with good runtime, makes it a perfect EDC light.
Update #2 - 25/1.25 Cree Q4 WH
Now that I have my new MillerMod, it's time to add a few new shots.
First up is a side by side of the business end of my 2 MM's, a 30/1.5 LuxIII TXOH on the left, and the 25/1.5 Q4 WH on the right. (I used a Sundrop-3S as the sole illumination source for this shot):
I love how the LuxIII's older style Arc head has that huge parabolic surface. But it's really no match when it comes to output.
Here are the 3 lights I'm using - a stock Arc-P (CS UB2), the LuxIII, and the Cree:
Although the photo doesn't show it, the die is perfectly focused in both of the MM's.
In the following shots, no efforts was made to achieve correct white balance, nor was exposure locked across the photos. Exposure was set to illustrate various aspects of the beam.
This next shot shows the beams (low on the MM's) at an exposure level that allows the variations in each beam to be seem. At this close distance, though, I hasten to add that the Cree's beam is not fully formed, so it appears to be slightly larger than the LuxIII. At normal distances, it is slightly smaller and has better definition. I couldn't get the darn camera to focus.
The next shot does a good job of showing the relative brightness of the 3 lights:
This shot does a great job of showing just how well the low level of my MM's replicates the output of the Arc-P, without the angry blue tint.
Finally, here's the Cree, in all it's glory:
Except for the first shot of update #2, all were taken in daylight conditions in my office on a sunny day - probably the worst conditions to take such shots in. I had to stop the camera down 3 or 4 f-stops to tame the Cree's output, which explains why that last shot appears to be taken in darkness.
To really do justice to MillerMod's Cree, some outdoor shots under more controlled conditions need to be made. Suffice it to say that the tint is a very nice, warm white tint, and the light has no problem fully illuminating objects at 40-60 feet.
In the meantime, here are some calc'd lumen values for these lights
Arc-P (CS/UB2) - 5 lumens
Arc/MMLuxIII (TXOH), 30mA low - 6 lumens
Arc/MMLuxIII (TXOH), 1.5W high - 34 lumens
Arc/MMCree (Q4 WH), 25mA low - 7 lumens
Arc/MMCree (Q4 WH), 1.5W high - 84 lumens
For details on how these values where determined, please see
Quickbeam's Lightbox
Lumens from lightbox readings???
Light Meter Benchmark Testing – CPF style
When I need a small light that also can provide a serious blast when needed, the MM Cree is my new go to light. Great job, MillerMod! :twothumbs
Update #3 - Valiant Concepts Arc AA Body
I bought one of these great bodies when JSBurly first had them. They're a great way to add runtime to an Arc AAA light. So, naturally, I wanted to mate it up with my MM's.
After pulling the spring out of the AA Body's endcap, I put a stack of 3mm diameter rare earth magnets totalling a height of 13mm on the negative end of a Duracell 2650 NiMH AA battery. The tailcap sealed just fine, but there was a slight gap with the o-ring peaking through. That works...but...since the foam donut's inner cutout isn't big enough for a AA positive nib to fit inside the center cutout, the head has to be really torqued to get the high level. That has the ugly side effect of over-compressing the inner portion of the foam donut, which then lead to faulty operation. At first, it worked fine. Then, as the compression set it, I lost the high level. When I put it back on the stock body, it would go low/off/high instead of low/high. I can't really explain why this happened. I just know that it's a function of the foam donut being over compressed by the AA's larger diameter positive nib.
I took a dental pick and gently pulled the foam back up. Everything works fine now with the stock tube, so I'm leaving well enough alone. I'd love to use this body with my MM's, but I'm not going to risk damage to MillerMod's work by overcompressing it. I suspect that, if the center cutout could be safely enlarged to accomodate a AA's + nib, using magnets in the tailcap would be a viable solution. I just don't know if enlarging it is safe to do.
Last edited:
