ROP (iknow it's asked alot)

[a4d]

Hey alright i'm pretty much set i'm probably going to go buy the maglite tomorrow. What i want to know is wich mag is the best for the ROP? Also trying to keep as cost effective as posible.

Runtime is not a main concern this will be used in the woods for the kinda long distance attacks. It wont be getting out to much while i'm at school only when i go home for the holidays and such and then after i grad.

Also i am a complete NEWB!! to ROP so try and help me out with the terms i'd like to learn as much as i can. Thanks..

 

[DonShock]

The normal ROP configuration is 6AA in special battery holders in a Mag2D. There are also combinations such as two 18650 li-ions in a Mag2C, which requires a tailcap spacer, and six Sub-C cells in a Mag4D. But if size is no object and runtime is your main concern, you can always go full size with six rechargable D cells in a Mag6D. If you get the largest capacity cells available (12,000 mAH) that should give you about 3 hours of runtime with the 4A current draw of the ROP high output bulb.

 

[a4d]

no i'm not worried about the runtime thats not a big deal. Just the brightest possible combo i can get for $40 or cheaper

 

[DonShock]

$40 wil be tough to do. Even if you have the Mag host already, you still need the metal reflector ($20-30), glass lens ($5-10), bulbs ($8-9), battery holder ($6-40), and batteries ($20-60). The exact cost can vary a lot depending on which configuration you choose and what quality of components you use.

 

[a4d]

Well if i can't do the ROP right now are there any other lights that might come stock or even needing upgrading that will be real bright to light up the woods. We usually hang out in a big 30 acre sand pit in the woods, so something that would do good out there.

 

[DonShock]

If I were looking to spend around $40 to get the brightest light I could, I would get one of the Fenix lights that use a Cree LED. I think there are a couple versions for $43 over at LightHound.com (I know the AAA powered L0D CE is $43, not sure of the price on the AA or CR123 lights).

 

[a4d]

I have the Fenix L2d Q5, i was looking for something with a little more throw. I do like though how the fenix lights up everything around it and does throw pretty far, but something alittle further.

 

[horizonseeker]

if you feel comfortable modding a light (soldering and such), I think the 3D maglite + SSC is one of the better compromises out there.

the cost for my 3D mod:

mag host: 15
heatsink (h22a): 12
SSC : 6 (dealextreme/kaidomain)
lense : 1 (per lense from pack of 5) (kaidomain)
driver: 2 (per driver from multi-pack) (dealextreme)

suppose to push 800mA to the SSC P4 (I can't measure it), and the total cost is roughly 40 + labor.

this throws better due to the large reflector, but the size is much worse (huge) than my fenix L2T.

david.

I followed this tutorial here:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=167866

 

[Gunner12]

The WF-600 might work for this job.

With 2 cheaper 18650 batteries and a cheaper charger it costs $44 shipped. The WF-400 will bring the price down to $39 but it won't throw as far as the WF-600.

 

[Marduke]

$40 wil be tough to do. Even if you have the Mag host already, you still need the metal reflector ($20-30), glass lens ($5-10), bulbs ($8-9), battery holder ($6-40), and batteries ($20-60). The exact cost can vary a lot depending on which configuration you choose and what quality of components you use.

You can skim on a few of those. Kai sells smooth aluminum reflectors for $15, DX and Kai sells the glass lenses, if you go with 6D Mag (~$20), you can use the 2AA to D parallel converters from DX for $8.04. You can upgrade battery holders later to 3xAA to D's, or get NiMH D's, and get UCL lens later also.

 

[a4d]

You can skim on a few of those. Kai sells smooth aluminum reflectors for $15, DX and Kai sells the glass lenses, if you go with 6D Mag (~$20), you can use the 2AA to D parallel converters from DX for $8.04. You can upgrade battery holders later to 3xAA to D's, or get NiMH D's, and get UCL lens later also.

Will 2 AA to 1d really be enough to get power out of the light? Also what bulb would you run?

 

[Marduke]

Will 2 AA to 1d really be enough to get power out of the light? Also what bulb would you run?

A 6D mag with 2AA to D's will give twice the runtime as a 2D mag with 6AA's in series. Same voltage in both setups. The voltage is what drives your brightness. The number/capacity of cells is what will drive your runtime. You can later upgrade with 3aa to D parallel adapters, or hicap NiMH D's.

Or, you can go straight to a 2D and use a 6AA series adapter.

There are dozens of threads in the Incan section as how to build a ROP setup. You might find what you're looking for there.

 

[a4d]

Alright i'll give it a look.

 

[shakeylegs]

These are inexpensive 3AA to D series adapters. They'll function but get a few backups, as one of those sent me was missing a spring.
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3294
And price is nice.

For 26 dollars, plus batteries and a charger, this throws almost as far as a mag/ssc mod, if perhaps slightly dimmer. Nice quality for the price.
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3794

I've no experience with this one - a new offering that looks like a multilevel version of the above.
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3980

 

[Grox]

Hey alright i'm pretty much set i'm probably going to go buy the maglite tomorrow. What i want to know is wich mag is the best for the ROP? Also trying to keep as cost effective as posible.

Runtime is not a main concern this will be used in the woods for the kinda long distance attacks. It wont be getting out to much while i'm at school only when i go home for the holidays and such and then after i grad.

Also i am a complete NEWB!! to ROP so try and help me out with the terms i'd like to learn as much as i can. Thanks..

Something very important that has not been mentioned yet that your usage pattern will be unsuitable for NiMh batteries (ie regular AA rechargeables). Normal (non-low self discharge) NiMh should really charged every month because they discharge themselves so quickly. If you were to buy low self discharge NiMh it would push your price over your price bracket. I am not an expert on batteries by any means but if you were to leave your light unused for long periods of time while you were away, it would be detrimental to the batteries and you would come back to a light with dead batteries.

I would also second the ultrafire WF-500 or WF-600 to you in this situation. If I recall correctly, the WF-500 is a hotwire; the WF-600 is LED. You will also need 2 rechargeable lithium ion batteries and a charger. Lithium ions don't have the same high self discharge problem that NiMh does. Please make sure that you read up about the dangers of lithium ion batteries (see the sticky thread in flashlight batteries and electronics) before you embark down that route though. Where it comes to lithium batteries, cheapest is not best and is certainly not safest.

The WF-600 is available cheaply from http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9428

The WF-500 is here: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1317

And replacement bulbs for the WF-500 are here: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3144

For sheer bang for buck, the cheapest thrills are found from 20 or more million candlepower lanterns. They are large and usually use lead acid batteries but should quite easily fall within your price range. This option will almost certainly give you the brightest light for the least money.

Something like this (but for less than your $40 budget) should be available from your local hardware stores.

I hope this helps you.

 

[a4d]

Something very important that has not been mentioned yet that your usage pattern will be unsuitable for NiMh batteries (ie regular AA rechargeables). Normal (non-low self discharge) NiMh should really charged every month because they discharge themselves so quickly. If you were to buy low self discharge NiMh it would push your price over your price bracket. I am not an expert on batteries by any means but if you were to leave your light unused for long periods of time while you were away, it would be detrimental to the batteries and you would come back to a light with dead batteries.

I would also second the ultrafire WF-500 or WF-600 to you in this situation. If I recall correctly, the WF-500 is a hotwire; the WF-600 is LED. You will also need 2 rechargeable lithium ion batteries and a charger. Lithium ions don't have the same high self discharge problem that NiMh does. Please make sure that you read up about the dangers of lithium ion batteries (see the sticky thread in flashlight batteries and electronics) before you embark down that route though. Where it comes to lithium batteries, cheapest is not best and is certainly not safest.

The WF-600 is available cheaply from http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9428

The WF-500 is here: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1317

And replacement bulbs for the WF-500 are here: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3144

For sheer bang for buck, the cheapest thrills are found from 20 or more million candlepower lanterns. They are large and usually use lead acid batteries but should quite easily fall within your price range. This option will almost certainly give you the brightest light for the least money.

Something like this (but for less than your $40 budget) should be available from your local hardware stores.

I hope this helps you.

Thanks "grox" I do have a 10,000,000 candle power light in my truck i just wanted something a little smaller.

 

[Grox]

Sure.

Good luck in finding your ideal light.

Your budget might not get you what you want - but even those with fatter wallets have difficulty satisfying their needs around here!

Let us know what you decide and how it performs!

 

[nanoWatt]

I know it's been asked around here, but I can't find it. What does ROP mean? And also, what are BINs that are brought up?

 

[Marduke]

I know it's been asked around here, but I can't find it. What does ROP mean? And also, what are BINs that are brought up?

It's an incan modded Maglite using called "Roar Of the Pelican". Very bright for a short time.

Bins are a grading system for the efficiency/quality/brightness/tint of LED's

You might want to read through the Welcome Mat. It answers a lot of questions:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=172991

 

[Brighteyez]

It doesn't quite have the output of an ROP, but here's a relatively low-cost solution for a 2D Mag. Get the 3AA to D adapters from Kai as mentioned in one of the other postings and then use either the 5 or 6 cell MagNum Star Xenon bulbs.

If you're going to use NiMH cells, use the 5 cell bulbs; or get the 6 cell bulb if you're going to use alkalines. I prefer the 5 cell with NiMH cells as it maintains a relatively stable brightness level throughout the run-time of the batteries. You should be able to get about 2 hours run-time with either setup. I'd also suggest getting extra adapters to enable quick battery changes and to replace adapters if they break. Also get two of the Mag bulbs so that you can replace the spare bulb in the tail-cap. The usable throw from a 2D Mag with this simple modification is a little over 100 yards. In comparison to commercially available lights, the throw is a bit more than a Streamlight SL-20, but less than that of a Magcharger or SL UltraStinger.

You will need to make a slight modification to the Mag. The spring on the Mag switch doesn't quite reach the positive terminal on the Chinese adapters, so you'll need to remove the switch from the Mag and stretch the spring a little bit.

This solution can also be used with a cheap 2D flashlight if you really want to keep costs down. Just for the sake of proving a point, I did it with a $2 Eveready from Wal*Mart (it even had a metal reflector ). The overall cost with the Eveready, with the adapters, 6 AA batteries, and a 6 cell MagNum Star bulb was less than $10.

If you already have NiMH batteries and a charger, you should be able to assemble this light for well under the $40 price point that you were shooting for. If you don't have the batteries and charger, you can still use the alkaline batteries and a 6 cell bulb and come in at a low $30's price point.

Mag 2D - $16 (nominally)
4 3AA-D adapters $6
2 MagNum Star 5C bulbs - $7 (nominally)

And this modification is totally reversable if you want to revert back to a 2D light, just put the original bulbs back into the light and use D batteries.

no i'm not worried about the runtime thats not a big deal. Just the brightest possible combo i can get for $40 or cheaper