tr-1200 direct drive?

[CASHESVALLEY]

can you direct drive a tr-1200 with 2 18650 batteries ran in series. 7.4 volts too much or would they have to be riged parallel?

 

[LEDninja]

In the past the Vf of LEDs was 3.6 to 4 V. Today's LEDs have Vf at 3.4V. Putting 7.2V into them will result in 5 sources of magic smoke in a TR-1200.

In the olden days direct driving an LED with a Li-ion battery was OK as the battery tops out at 4.2V, the LED can take 4V and there is a small amount of resistance in the switch and wires.
Today with the Vf of LEDs down to 3.4V often the voltage of 4.2V of a single freshly charged battery can overwhelm them.
Elektrolumens has been building direct drive lights for years with no issues. This year he had to recall a bunch of lights because the LEDs were burning out. And those were 1*18650 lights, not 2*18650 lights like the TR-1200.

You also have to be careful when modding lights you do not exceed the safe amp draw of your batteries or you will have an explosion. The cheap sources for the batteries tend to overrate the mAH of their batteries so you have to take that into account.

Just remember each of the LEDs in the TR-1200 can pull 1.4A when direct driven. 5 of them can pull 7A (or more than half that of an electric frying pan). So make sure your batteries can handle 7A safely. And your wiring (notice how thick an electric frying pan's wires are, You can probably go down one gauge size but still...). And the switch (the current of the stock TR-1200 only needs to handle 2.5A, you need 7A).

In conclusion
7.2V will fry the LEDs.
Running 1*18650 will cause a battery explosion.
Trying to run 2*18650 in parallel in the existing battery tube is a mess. If you accidentally create a short you will have a battery explosion.
DD a TR-1200 is not for a first time modder.

For a first mod stick with a 1*18650 light - advice was given on your other thread.

Or do a 3D P7 Mag mod.
How To Mod a Maglite P7 - 38 PICS
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=238641
A 3D Mag is big. but the big head holds a big reflector. Note the difference the big reflector makes.
Mag P7 left, MTE 5 mode P7 right.