Does anyone know or has anyone tried the Niteize IQ tailcap mod for their AA Minimag? My question is this: will the IQ tailcap work with ANY other LED drop in, and still change the power to 50 percent, strobe etc....? Or will it only work with the niteize LED module. I already have a Terra lux drop in mod and would like to use the IQ tail cap that you can buy separately.
Niteize Mod
- Thread starter Desertrat
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sed6
Enlightened
It should work with any led, not just Niteize. Gotta say, the IQ switch is a big zero in my book. It robs TONS of power from your led. At full power it maybe puts out about 1/2 the light as the led without the IQ switch. You'll find many others here with a similiar opinion.
Save your money, send me your addy and you can have my IQ switch.
Save your money, send me your addy and you can have my IQ switch.
SilentK
Enlightened
it is a pretty good waste. it is good if you want to be eaten alive by endless features that dont work like they should. if you are like that then go for it. if not then i think there are some out there that are very basic and just activate the light to 100% bightness when pressed. then 0% when realeased. 100. 0. 100. 0.
GPB
Enlightened
I am a big fan of the IQ switch. Mine came with the Nite Ize LED and its not a retina searing torch by any means, but I use it like you do, for getting around inside when all the lights are off. It's not a real battery hog and I like being able to leave the mag focused and not have to adjust it each time. Another bonus is that I can give it to my kids and the auto shut-off after 15 minutes saves the batteries. I know a lot of people don't like the IQ switch because it eats up your lumens, but if I am looking for real brightness, I wouldn't reach for a mini-mag in the first place. Terralux has a clickie switch for the mini-mag as well for $3.75
TerraLUX TCS-1 Tailcap Switch for the AA Mini Mag
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tcs-1.html
TerraLUX TCS-1 Tailcap Switch for the AA Mini Mag
http://www.batteryjunction.com/tcs-1.html
Flying Turtle
Flashaholic
I like the IQ switch on my MiniMag, too, for all the reasons GPB mentioned. It's given new life to that old light. Typically I'll only use it on low anyway, and the 15 minute timer lets me turn it on when I hit the sack and not have to worry about running down the batteries when I fall asleep. The little blinky red LED under the switch cover is kind of cool, too.
I can verify it did work with my Arc LSL, at greatly diminished output.
Geoff
I can verify it did work with my Arc LSL, at greatly diminished output.
Geoff
I'd have to add my vote with the folks above that are NOT too impressed with the IQ........in my case anyway....the additional settings aren't a big benefit...and the IQ seems to not work correctly 100% of the time either.
I've got the IQ in a 35 mm film can in my gear box though just incase I ever want to use it in the future....I'm not throwing it away....it almost seems to be a useless/gimmicky addition....but that is just my $.02
I've got the IQ in a 35 mm film can in my gear box though just incase I ever want to use it in the future....I'm not throwing it away....it almost seems to be a useless/gimmicky addition....but that is just my $.02
Sonic Blast
Newly Enlightened
Don't get it, it really robs the light of power. I think that it may not work on the low modes with regulated LED dropins as they would try to regulate the voltage and current to keep their britenss at max. But I may be wrong.
Light Sabre
Enlightened
I have several NiteIze IQ switches. Love them for their blinking LED on the tail cap so that they're easy to find in the dark. Love having the 3 different brightness levels. Love having the 2 flash modes available if I need them. Don't have to refocus the flashlight everytime I turn it on. I replaced the head O-rings with thicker ones so that they don't twist as easy and keeps the focus where I like it best. If I do need to change focus, it just takes more effort now, but I rarely change the focus. I have the TerraLux TLE-20 upgrade in 2 lights and the TLE-5 in 2 lights. I have the NiteIze red LED upgrade and the IQ switch in 2 lights, but have the heads turned so that the power is off (tail LED doesn't blink). Keep these for emergencies, they're right next to another Mini-Mag that has the tail LED blinking. It all depends on what you want your flashlights for and how you use them.
One thing that I have noticed about the IQ switch (since I have so many) is that they get flaky, finiky and the tail cap flashing LED quits working when the battery voltage goes below ~1.3v/cell. I do 1 of 3 things when this happens: 1) replace the batteries and put the old ones into something that is not so voltage sensitive. Meaning you always have new batteries in the flashlights. 2) install the TerraLux clickie switch which still keeps your focus. 3) put the original Mag tailcap back in.
What is kinda funny is that I'm walking distance from TerraLux from home and walking distance to NiteIze from work.
One thing that I have noticed about the IQ switch (since I have so many) is that they get flaky, finiky and the tail cap flashing LED quits working when the battery voltage goes below ~1.3v/cell. I do 1 of 3 things when this happens: 1) replace the batteries and put the old ones into something that is not so voltage sensitive. Meaning you always have new batteries in the flashlights. 2) install the TerraLux clickie switch which still keeps your focus. 3) put the original Mag tailcap back in.
What is kinda funny is that I'm walking distance from TerraLux from home and walking distance to NiteIze from work.
