Newbie help- anyone??

[charliek]

Here are a *bunch* of questions-

OK guys- I've heard so much about these Maxmax and badboy modules- I'm interested in tackling a mod. I have a fairly new silver/grey mag that's *begging* me to hotrod it. Now, I read the "everything you want to know" area and got more confused....
Do O rings come with the kits? If not, which ones do I need to buy? What else do I need to order to make the mod complete?

What about heat? How does the module heatsink to the Mag body?

Should I order a lens too?

How does the beam compare to a light I'd recognize? I've seen comparison photos between Badboys and Madmaxes, and a few others I've never heard of. How does the output compare to ... say a Arc-LSH-P or a streamlight TL luxeon?

 

[dat2zip]

The Luxeon LD and NX05 beam is going to be pretty much the same in all flashlights plus or minus a few small variations.

Same would be true for other Luxeon combos like the HD and NX05 and HD with Fraen.

The plastic lens is pretty much junk. Upgrading to mineral glass is highly recommended and cheap addition.

Heat. It's a problem after 5-10 minutes of continuous operation and for short intermittent usage there isn't too much of a problem.

The higher the drive, the more the heat is an issue. Also, the higher the drive, the less overall gain you get. Increasing the drive current by 50% might yield at best might yield 20% more light.

The drop in modules come as a kit. It comes with the o-ring, optics and module of choice. You don't need anything else. The mineral glass, kroll switch are optional and you need to pick those up separately.

 

[charliek]

OK- so I'll get just about what the Arc puts out- that's good- looks like it's an easy job- After 10 minutes does it go Phooey- or is it too hot to hold? Does it shut down?

Thanks for the reply. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Halibut]

Charlie,

My my drop-in modules (MadMax+ WO, MadMax WO, BadBoy 400) do get warm after 5-10 minutes of use, but not so warm as to worry me. I use my MaxMax+ as a candle, and leave it on all night long with no problems. The ambient temperature in my house hovers around the mid 60s, so I'm sure that helps. My MMs use 2200mAh NiMH AAs.

Daniel

 

[StoneDog]

Actually, the closest you'll get to Arc output is the BadBoy 400 and even then the output should be a little higher as the ARC LS usually drives their LEDs at around 333ma(?). The BB500 will be noticeably brighter as will the MadMax and MadMax+ (in that order).

In my experince they don't get too hot to hold. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Jon

 

[snakehunter]

If you really worry about heat: Dark colors improve the radiation of heat. A black Mag will stay (a bit) cooler than a silver one.

 

[charliek]

[ QUOTE ]
StoneDog said:
Actually, the closest you'll get to Arc output is the BadBoy 400 and even then the output should be a little higher as the ARC LS usually drives their LEDs at around 333ma(?). The BB500 will be noticeably brighter as will the MadMax and MadMax+ (in that order).
Jon

[/ QUOTE ]

So preference here is just a matter of how much I want to spend?

 

[Zeppert]

Yes charliek,...

Wayne sells high-powered, bright sandwiches that should come with warning labels because they're so bright! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif But he chooses not to and every time I get a new type of module I have to point it at my eyes to check the intensity /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif. It never ceases to amaze me how much light comes from a small package like that. My MM+ is about double the light of my LSH-P. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[charliek]

MM+ is the "Madmax Plus Sandwich Module kit Q2" ?

 

[AilSnail]

ah.. the Q2 refers to the binning of the led itself. Q2 is a decent bin.

First letter is the brightness at 350mA. the higher in the alphabet the better.
The number is supposed to be the color tint, but that is the old colour binning system, which is totally inconsistent to my eyes. 3 is supposed to be the whitest colour, with 4 being bluish and 2 greenish.
After that comes actually a second letter, as in for instance "Q2J". The last letter stands for voltage required to push 350mA through the led. The higher letter, the higher voltage.

Since you have seen an Arc LSH-P, that is a High Dome (lambertian) 1watt led with a NX05 optic, driven at what 333 mA? Most seem to prefer the high dome these days I think.

The brightest sammich currently available seems to be the MM+ WO lux3-S. That one comes with a fraen optic which is more concentrated with less sidespill than the NX05.

If you want more runtime I suggest a madmax+ adjustable (as opposed to Wide Open) or a regular madmax.

 

[charliek]

This is my idea of a "tricked out" Minimag:

Silver minimag (the only one I own)
Kroll tailswitch
MM+ or MM+wo
Mineral glass lens

Anything else that you'd do?

 

[Zeppert]

Walmart has minimags on sale now (for the Holiday season) for only $7.78 so pick up some more in different colors and give each one a new sandwich. I did, I went up to Walmart yesterday and bought 8 new minimags,.. oh boy am I gonna have some fun now! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

 

[charliek]

That's where I got the silver one!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I didn't get eight though.... you have me beat there!
Giving them as Christmas presents?

 

[Vikas Sontakke]

Is there a problem running MM WideOpen (the classic version) on Lithium (2x AA)? I don't want to burn neither the electronics nor the LED.

I had been using NiMh and I have had no problems but for the winter season, I would like switch to Lithiums. This is my EDC in the jacket light.

Thanks,
- Vikas

 

[vcal]

[ QUOTE ]
Vikas Sontakke said:
Is there a problem running MM WideOpen (the classic version) on Lithium (2x AA)? I don't want to burn neither the electronics nor the LED.

I had been using NiMh and I have had no problems but for the winter season, I would like switch to Lithiums. This is my EDC in the jacket light.

Thanks,
- Vikas

[/ QUOTE ]
No problem at all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif