Mini Mag LED Conversion *Moved*

[JoeyL]

Wait a minute guys,
The web page for the conversion uses a AA mini-mag, but some of you are talking about an AAA. Which one is it?
Will it work with the AAA? I think the N cells are wider than AAA'a and might not fit.

Thanks,

 

[Luff]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>but some of you are talking about an AAA. Which one is it? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

JoeyL - I suppose your confusion is my fault for not being more clear when I brought up the AAA option in the first place. Sorry.

I think most people put 3 N batteries in the AA MiniMag when doing this mod and then add an electrically conductive spacer or longer spring to hold the batteries in place and maintain a good electrical contact.

I like to use two N cell batteries and one AAA battery in my AA MiniMag mod. No spring or spacer is needed, it costs slightly less and gives me a little more battery capacity than 3 N cells.

Both options kick out 4.5 volts and overdrive a standard Nichia 5mm white LED some (which I like).

Klaus's suggestion to use AA lithiums will give you much more battery capacity and it doesn't overdrive the LED much at all.

N cell batteries do not fit into a AAA MiniMag light.

It's a nice, lower-light-level, easy mod, no matter which power option you choose .

 

[JoeyL]

Thanks for the clarification!
I tried it that way and it works well!
This is a neat trick. And you can put it back the other way without a problem.
My son is going camping and I won't feel too bad if he takes it and trashes it or loses it (compared to losing an eternalight or Arc)
Too bad they don't fit an AAA maglite. That would be even better (it's even smaller.

How long will it run with the 2Ns and AAA?

Thanks

 

[ElektroLumens]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Xenon:
Interesting. Is the light still focusable with the LED in it or shall I remove the reflector?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Only slightly focussable. You cannot remove the reflector, as it is the part that presses down on the bulb holder and gives the on/off effect. Unless you get the after market tail cap with a switch in it.

You have to drill or file out the hole in the reflector to allow the larger diameter LED (5mm) to fit through.

Wayne

 

[ElektroLumens]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Klaus:
Another similar mod is using 2 Lithium AAs.

No resistor for the 3N`s ? Whats the current ?

Klaus<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think the current is about 40mA - 50mA. Obviously overdriven. I think there might be some internal resistance in the batteries to help here.

Now 2 Lithium AA's sounds like a good idea, but would be more costly. The 3 'N' cells were about 2.59 at Radio Shack. I'm sure they can be purchased cheaper. How much can a person buy two Lithium AA's? Would that be 6 volts, (2 X 3v), or 3 volts (2 X 1.5v)? There would definately be the need of resistance at 6 volts.

Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[Mr. Blue]

don't laugh...where do I get a Nichia 5600 led? I think even I can do this mod. Is the 5600 the same as a 5mm, or can I just plug in the 5600? What are the advantages/ disadvantages of the 5mm and where can I get one of those?

 

[Quickbeam]

http://www.whitelightled.com/


5600 is the mcd output. They are 5mm in diameter (standard LED). This is a reputable dealer. He's the one everyone used to go to for small quantities of white LEDs on CPF. He took a hiatus for a while, but is back now.

 

[Luff]

I don't remember ever seeing a run-time test on this mod posted here. It lasts a long, long time. With intermittent use, I'd guess somewhere around a hundred hours.

My son's MiniMag mod lasted just over a year on a set of batteries. He used it each month on Scout campouts and many, many nights at home reading. We just changed the batteries because the light was about half as bright as when new.

Once upon a time I read about a AAA MiniMag mod here ... I think someone used 2 or three of those small 12-volt A23 batteries and a resistor? A search through CPF would probably turn it up.

 

[Mr. Blue]

is any thing other than swapping in the led required for this mod?

 

[Luff]

ElektroLumens AA MiniMag Mod page

 

[Klaus]

For the AAA MiniMag you can use 3 2/3 AAA NiNhs (I´m using one MiniMag with those too) and a resistor or also overdrive a bit ...

For the AAA MiniMag I eagerly wait for those AAA Lithium talked about lately to be available soon hopfully - same mod then.

Runtime-wise I personbally would doubt the 3Ns to last 100 hours as they only have 800ma - but using the Lithiums at more than three times the capacity it could well be.

Klaus

 

[BugLightGeek]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lambda:
If you want to focus the beam spot, file the LED flat and polish clear. About like a Dorcy when at tightest focus.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just read this post and was wondering what I would file the LED flat WITH and what I'd polish it WITH?

I'm thinking about buying my first Nichia LED bulb for my very first mod

 

[Ted T]

I used a two sided sharpening stone. Cut away the dome with the coarse side, then smooth it out with the smooth side. I didn't get a high polish, still worked well. Makes the LED focusable to some extent, worth doing.

 

[WayneM]

Hey man. I think we get the general idea!

 

[InTheDark]

Wait, so is that a 2 sided sharpening stone?

Actually, I think you could probably sand off the top of the dome with some sandpaper, then finish it off with toothpaste. I think someone mentioned this before, or maybe I read it somewhere else. Anyway, use toothPASTE, not gel. And I heard the whitening ones are better for polishing. Haven't tried this on an LED, but used it for other things. You could probably chuck the LED in a drill or something to speed up the process

 

[vcal]

 

[Empath]

Hmmmm... somehow this one didn't get moved to the new forum. It's now moved to the Mod forum. You can read and post in it here.