Recomend first maglite mod.

Would ya'll please recomend a first mod? Could be either one of the high power "superbulb" or a LED mod. Call it a beginers project.
Thanks

ROP (roar of the pelican)
easy to do and well worth it if you like really bright lights that can throw.

What size of Maglite are we talking about? 2AA, 1AAA, 2D?

Well I have 2 spare "aa" and a 2 and 3 "d" that can be donors. Oh and two of the "aaa" DB energizers ( one has been moded to take a UV led ).

Hello there Skunked!

For the AA Mini Maglites that you have, maybe you can check out The Sandwich Shoppe and look up the drop-in LED replacements that are in "pill" form a.k.a. sandwich. Then get a UCL lens replacement.

The one I have running is a NexGen750BB w/TW0J + 20mm IMS Reflector and UCL lens. This little "stock"-looking Mini Maglite is BRIGHT in its own right and size factor. In my opinion, it's much brighter than a stock 2D cell Maglite. This was the most simplest one for me to accomplish—with help from fellow CPFers of course!

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

Go buy a 2C and build a 3x123 with a KPR112 bulb. It's a nice sized light, puts out a good amount of bright with plenty of throw, and has a reasonable runtime.

It's easy enough that anyone can build it, but requires enough effort that you'll feel like you've actually done something. It's also relatively cheap, and bright enough to give you a taste for hotwires.

You'll find plenty of well detailed instructions if you do a little searching, but the recipe is straight forward enough. First, get yourself three lithium CR123A cells. Do yourself a favor and buy them online for $1 ~ $1.50 each, instead of paying retail. Take one to the hardware store and find a piece of PVC where the cell fits nicely inside. Cut yourself a length of the PVC to hold three cells. Wrap a dozen turns or so of electrical tape around each end of the PVC to build it up thick enough so it fits nicely inside the Mag 2C. Replace the stock bulb with a KPR112 (cheap at Radio Shack). A Mag 6 cell Xenon (Numstar) bulb works pretty good too, but the KPR112 is a little brighter and a lot cheaper. For the finishing touch, you can get the heavy side cutters and snip a couple turns off the tailcap's spring. It'll work without cutting the spring, but it's a lot easier to get the cap back on if you do cut it.

That's it. Load in three cells and hit the button. You're probably looking at well over a hundred lumens. It should run for a good 60 to 80 minutes. The KPR112 probably won't last more than a couple battery changes, but it's cheap enough, so who cares? The Numstar would last quite a bit longer; that's what I have in mine. The 2C has a pretty good sized reflector, so you can dial in a reasonably tight spot for good throw. Have fun!

If you don't want to buy a new Mag host, you might be able to do the same thing in your 2D. Plan to use more tape on the ends of the PVC, and check to make sure the tailcap spring is going to be long enough.

skunked,

For 2AA, CHC had a good recommendation from Shoppe, and personally, I'd recommend the NG500 sammie which is visually only 10-15% less light than 750, but runtime is double(for Nimh batteries or alkaline).

Another really great option is the new Lambda SMJ led, exceptional runtime with decent brightness. The SMJ led kit, like the sammie kit, is also very simple to do.

If you don't mind some work to gather the parts, I am doing a GB on 120 lumens Minimag mod socket/reflector Groupbuy...though the 2nd run sign up is closed, very possibly there will be left overs for purchasing.

Skunked are you referring to a DIY mod? If you just want to buy a drop-in maglite mod, then could try a terralux TLE5 ministar - just make sure you get the newer model with the high dome luxeon.

Welcome to CPF.

Take a slow read through the link in AuroraLite's signature line. Then pick the mod you feel most comfortable with.

Link to Lambda's new SMJLED page. Installation instructions included beginner/advanced.
http://home.mchsi.com/~lambda_lights/smjled.htm

Link to Wayne Yamagouchi's SANDWICH SHOPPE supplier of all the bits and pieces for modding.
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/

I just did my first mod recently on a 2D Mag-lite. I don't know how this stacks up to the other examples in terms of brightness or runtime, but it looks pretty damn bright to me (especially for the price and for coming from the 2D Mag-lite body). I got (2) 3 aa to D battery adapters from Elektrolumens.com for $4.99 each. That website is kind of hard to navigate, so to find the adapters, do this: (1) Click on "Products For Sale" on the main page, (2) Click on "Order now!", and (3) Click on "V2-3-To-D". After you get those 6 aa batteries loaded in a 2D Mag-lite, replace the 2 cell bulb with a 4, 5, or 6 cell stock Mag-lite bulb.

Hey I like that Lambda website. Very informative and just learned about that this evening!

Thanks for the link LEDninja!

Should have said "First DIY mod". The drop ins seem, well , too easy(yeah I know saying that sound silly). I am in the Telecomunications field so have some technical ability. Am really looking at one of the Luxon mods( got my dad one of the Dorcy 3"d" 1 watt lights for Christmas-almost didn't make it but the wife took it away!) or one of the superbulbs mods. Cash is really the issue, like to keep it under $50.

The above 3x123+KPR112 or KPR113 bulb in the 2C host is nice... I've probably sold more of those (mostly off forum) than any other mod. You can also do a similar mod using 4x123 cells and a KPR118 bulb, but you'll have to use some tape around the PVC spacer to fill up the D-sized body and you'll need to get rid of the spring and make connection with the tailcap by using a short bolt, nut and fender washer. If you are interested in this, I'll find exactly what sizes you need. If you prefer a smoother beam, you can sputter the reflector which trades away a bit of throw for an almost perfect beam.

As for an LED mod, they are easy enough. And you should come in under budget. You can either use a 2D body using C cells or the 3D body using D cells. I think you can come in under budget... About $12 for the O-sink, $12-$15 for the Lux III emitter (I'd go for an L Vf... or possibly K.) About $4 for arctic alumina and a couple $$ for wire. Later on, you can regulate it with a convertor board for more consistant brightness and longer runtime.

The 'real' hot wires are going to be more expensive... $50 for the bi pin adapter and reflector, $7 for the glass lens, $15 for three bulbs, ~$20 for the 8AA to 2D adapter and about $20 worth of NiMH cells if you don't already have them.

Skunked,

If you want a dead easy 3D mag mod that is guaranteed to please, check out:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/97856

Cost, less than $5. Time, less than 5 minutes.

Have fun, TR

skunked said:

Should have said "First DIY mod". The drop ins seem, well , too easy(yeah I know saying that sound silly).

Click to expand...

There's some challenge in trying to build your own sammie (from The Shoppe), or for kicks :green: try "deadbuggin" one of Lambda's miniPro converters and cramming it into a Dorcy or some other small light. If you want to do something harder, start digging into the Zetex mod threads (do a search for Zetex, I think pbarrette had a post with lots of links) and build your own "pills". That should keep you busy for a bit.

Aluminum Reflector and Glass Lense are the hard parts!

Once you have these, something like running a M*gcharger Bulb on 6AA NimH is pretty nice!

I prefer rechargable lights for fun. My 2C and 3C that were my early BRIGHT lights both have C batteries these days and a LED in them.

I have two hot 2D and a SUPER hot WA01185 bulbed 3D!!!