Newbie annoys forum with standard question

[Garnett]

Can anyone tell me the best combo of batteries and bulb for a really bright 5 D Cell Maglite modification?

Right, first off apologies at the start for asking such a beginner's question.

I've got a 5 D Cell Maglite which serves bedside "what was that noise downstairs" duties. When I saw the drop-in LED replacements for Mags I thought that might a decent way to bring my old flashlight back up to date. Then I found a reference to a "Mag85" I delved a little deeper, and now I've got myself into a world of hurt.

Mag85s. Mag951s. Did I see Mag71s mentioned? ROP. Pelicans can't roar can they?

I've done some reading but it's hard to find out whether all the mods I'm reading about are suitable for a 5 d cell, and whether I need dummy cells and such. Ideally I'd want to get the most out of the 5 cells as possible.

Also I'm struggling to piece everything together from the 20 or so threads I've found that are close to what I'm asking but not quite. I'm not very techically minded, so it's hard for me to work all this stuff out. Does this mean I should jus steer clear?

From what I've read basically I can either go for an LED which will increase runtime by a lot and brightness by a bit, or I can go for some sort of "overclocking" with an incandescent bulb for some impressive lumens but with a 20 min or so runtime.

Gimme the lumens!

So it looks like there's a common denominator - replace the lens, the reflector and the switch else they'll melt.

Then I need some combination of battery format and brand and bulb. This is where I'm a bit lost. Can anyone tell me the best combo for a 5 D Cell? I live in London, England, so I'm not sure where to source these things, but it looks like most stuff should be ordered from the USA...

Thanks for any help, and sory again to bother you all with a question like this.

 

[tebore]

Mag's LED drop-in will be the easiest to do and will require 0 modding of the light.

ROP is the easiest to do in the realm of "Hotwires" all you do is get the Pelican bulb (number slips my mind right now), replace the reflector and lens. Get 6C NiMH cells put them in a PVC sleeve fix the tail spring and have fun.

The Mag85 is the beginning of the more advanced mods. It's I don't think it's not well suited for the 5D body but I can be wrong. You need to find a way to fit 9 cells.

 

[jimjones3630]

Hi,

It's like information overload when I first started. Did a 5cROP HO mod and this thread helped.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=120462


ROP's are really easy, and putting 3 cr123 cells in a m@g2c with mag 6 cell xenon is notiable improvement.

 

[Icebreak]

I would go with the 6 C cell in a Mag 5D ROP tebore described for ease of build and runtime.

A 5C ROP like jimjones 3630 describes is a real performer and much smaller than a 5D. With an extension on the tailcap spring the same battery combo could be used in a 5D.

9 4/5 sub C cells should fit perfectly as far as length goes in a Mag 5D for a Mag85 5D. That combo is described in Mag85 6C is very strong.

 

[AndyTiedye]

Mag's LED drop-in will be the easiest to do and will require 0 modding of the light.

Where do you get a 5D MagLed drop-in?
I'm using a 4D in there, but I'm told this may go

 

[Newuser01]

new TerraLUX MiniStar 5 / TLE-6E utilizes a SSC P4 U-bin LED and will work in any 3-6 C or D cell Maglite!

Here.

This seems to be the brightest drop for now.

Regards.

 

[FirstDsent]

Excellent title! Welcome. Keep the humor and humility coming!

Bernie

 

[Garnett]

Thanks for all your replies - Thought people might be fed up of answering questions like this!

Sorry too for the delay in coming back - my home PC has problems posting here - veeeeeeeery sloooooooooooow typing for some reason.

A ROP seems to be my best option in terms of cost and ease-of-mod. Pretty unanimous recommendation to go for a 6 C NiMH cell ROP. I see 6 C Cells will be 300mm where 5 D Cells total 307.5 mm so I guess this is why I need to stretch the tail spring - thanks Tebore and Icebreak.

I take it 6 C cells is better than 5 D cells because of the higher voltage, right?

Tebore - you mention a PVC sleeve - This is presumably to stop the batteries rattling around - would I be better off using 3 or four wooden rods held by rubber bands? This could be fashioned to provide a better and snugger fit than the PVC sleeve, no?

Thanks for the link Jimjones - that's a useful resource.

I'm going to look for a one-stop-shop for lens, reflector, and bulb...

Anyone know what sort of output I can expect "at the bulb" and "out the front"?

 

[carbine15]

With the low bulb it'll look real bright and start to melt all the plastic parts; on high it'll look a little bit like your reflector is melting. That's normal cause your reflector IS MELTING. and so is your lens and bulb holder. Have fun.

 

[Trashman]

Great title. It made me laugh!