ROP finished-upgrade?

[T3hk1w1]

Well, I finally went ahead and did my first flashlight mod-It's a 3D Maglight ROP high running on 7AA. Now, it's really bright and I like it a lot, but the 2 empty battery slots are bugging me. I'm considering going Mag85, but I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. I know there's a fair bit of difference in light output, but how noticible is it? Also, how much bulb life can I expect with this current setup?

-3D Maglite (Black)
-Borofloat lens
-3854H ROP Hi bulb
-Fivemega cammed MOP reflector (MS)
-Fivemega 3D-9AA adaptor
-7x AA (Energizer 2500Mah, new enough that they don't suck yet)
-empty slots in the adaptor are filled with a piece of 2 guage welding cable w/tin foil on each end to improve contact

 

[mooman]

I'm suprised the bulb hasn't gone out on you. 7 AA batts is way over voltage limits. Most people hotwire a ROP on 6 AA batts. With the hardware you already have, you might as well get a bi-pin bulb adapter and make a Mag85.

 

[R@ndom]

Get the mag85 parts only a adaptor and 2 extra batteries for about a third more light. Lots of people drive the rop with 7 cells...

 

[Chrontius]

Most people use the Rop-7 with a soft-starter, though. OTOH, most people don't use Energizers, which is probably just enough internal resistance to avoid flashing the bulbs.

Word of advice: Never combine the seven-cell configuration with resistance fixes without a good soft-start. Maybe not then, too.

 

[fugleebeast]

These pictures aren't the best but I thought I'd post them.

I usually run my ROP with 6 Eneloop AAs but was curious how it would do with 7. I compared this to my Mag 85. The only difference is that I switched the bulbs and added 2 batteries, other than that everything (host) is the same. 3D Mag, FM battery holder, FM bi-pin adapter (for the 1185), Kaidomain reflector, Borofloat lens, most resistance fixes done.


First up is the ROP running on 7 Eneloops.

Next up is the Mag 85 on 9 Eneloops.

To my eyes, they looked about equal. Granted that this was a relatively close, indoor test. The difference may be more apparent outside.

The difference between a ROP on 6 AAs and a Mag 85 is pretty apparent. Adding that 7th battery to the ROP however, really brings them closer together.

The Mag 85 is very nice, just don't expect a jaw-dropping difference in brightness.

 

[^^Nova^^]

I assume you have not done any resistance fixes? If you have, the high bulb would blow very easily with 7 cells. I have a ROP high setup running 6 sub-c cells and it will blow bulbs if not rested off the charger.

Cheers,
Nova