Will it take it?

[Ross]

Hi folks,
I am a VERY inexperienced but keen flashaholic. I have read some great things from various people in this forum and I have a couple of questions.

I'm currently modding a 2D mag to run a MR16 35w 12v bulb. I've got a heatsink from Elektrolumens (Thanks Wayne!) and a MR16 holder. I have managed to modify the switch and bulb holder assembly in the Mag so I can accomodate the gubbins in the mag head.
Now the questions!
- If i cram 4 123's in the mag body, will overdriving the 12v bulb that much reduce the life span to a ridiculously short time? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
- Will the mag switch handle the load? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Is there anything else I should consider when I put it all together?
Any help would be appreciated - If it all works, I will try & post some pics

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif

Ross

 

[InTheDark]

I don't think 4x123's are going to be enough, so don't worry about overdriving it. I'd go with at least 5 x 123's or possibly 2 rows of 5 x 123's at the minimum because the batteries are going to drop in voltage under load, so you probably won't even be getting 12v to the bulb.

I'm running 12 Nimh AA's in series (14.4 V) to power a 20W MR16, and it's still not delivering enough power to be as bright as I want. There's a lot of info on the MR16 mods in some of the other threads. Do a search for Klaus, or MR16 or something like that. The older threads don't show up for some reason, but some of the newer threads link to them, so you'll be able to find something.

And the mag switch will handle the load, no problem.

Oh yeah, make sure your batteries aren't going to short out inside the flashlight. That's very important.

 

[Rothrandir]

i am doing somthing similar, but with a 50w irc mr16! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

i believe the mag switch can take around 2.5a
on my 50w mod, the current was calculated to be 3.47, which is too much for the switch...i will probably replace it with a different switch.

also, i would suggest using nicads, as they can handle the drain better.

i will be using 12 1100mah sanyo nicads in sieries to overdrive on 14.4v. (does anyone know of a cheap charger that can handle 12nicads in series?)

the overdriving will not hurt the runtime too much, and it should make the light whiter.

 

[dougmccoy]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but whilst it should be possible to power the lamp assembley by using the above suggested combinations of batteries will the Mag reflector (Made of plastic) be able to handle the heat? I've read somewhere of others having had melt down issues.

Doug

 

[Rothrandir]

the mr16's have their own built in reflecor.

but you did remind me of another good point...lenses.

i will order some ucls as soon as possible...i want to pass as much radiation as possible /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

the plastic lens in a mag will melt like butter...

 

[Deleted member 684]

MR16 comes with it's own reflector. If you're going to use a mag reflector, it will melt on anything higher than 15 watts, and that you'll have a tough time trying to find a way to place the bulb on the bulb holder.

 

[soloco]

I had been going the MR16 route lately; until I got some parts from Carley Lamps. I have a PR bulb socket that accepts G4 base bi-pin Halogen bulbs and solid 2" aluminum reflector from Carley. I have a 12V 20W Halogen bulb from Home Depot and a UCL from flashlightlens.com. I filled it up with 2 rows of 5 123s, and I got a super bright light with a tight spot. It's not quite even, because it's hard to center the filament in the reflector, but the throw is fantastic! With this setup any bi-pin G4 bulb can be swapped out. 35W or 10W, both should work.

 

[LEDmodMan]

Bowser: Look here and here. These two threads have several references to several MR16 mods. If you do your homework and look through everything referenced in these two threads, you should be ready to finish your light. Enjoy!!!