2X 18650 won't fit in my mag 2C why?!

I have one 2C mag with a DB1000 running a lux 3 off 2 18650 in my old mag. The new mag I just bought to turn into a lux V monster won't take 2 18650 batteries. The batteries are the same lenth but the new mag is shorter. Even with no spring there's an 1/8 inch gap between the tailcap and the body. WTF? I don't want to use 18500 I'd rather have the higher mah. Any ideas as how to make this work? I might have to just dremel away part of the switch. :/

I just checked my new 2C and I get 114 mm from the back of the switch to the edge of the battery tube. A pair of AW's unprotected cells with a single mini-magnet between them extends 16 mm past the battery tube. The internal cavity of the tailcap is 28 mm deep.

Do these numbers jibe with your 2C?

IME, two 18650s tyically require a 3C Mag body, and will have about 5mm of freeplay needing a spring (lengthening) mod or a couple of magnets (easier) to take up the slack.

Two 17500s will barely fit into a Mag 2C with a stock spring. I should probably shorten my 2C Mag spring, as it exerts too much pressure on the 17500s.

I read here, about two 18650s in a 2C Mag by completely removing the spring, a little grinding in the bottom of the tailcap, and a piece of foil or similar object in the bottm of the tailcap, leaving partially unscrewed etc, but that is not my style.

I'm guessing that my old mag was an oddball. I was able to get the batteries in by cutting an 1/8 inch off the switch. I'm running a 6D mag bulb in it for now until my WWOT and osink arrive from the shop.

have no problems fitting 2x 18650 in my older 2C mags. need to remove spring, then scrap off anodizing inside cap.

I have three 2C mags all of which run 2x18650 cells. Two are the 2400 mAh cells in a parallel wrapped pack (to use with a Wiz2 board) and the rest of which are AW's unprotecteds. They all work just fine in my 2C lights. Two of the lights require one itsy bitsy magnet while the last light requires two of the itsy bitsy magnets.

Some protected cells won't fit this way.
Mainly the unprotecteds fit a 2c mag with a cutdown minispring correctly.
I have yet to run into this problem with my 2c mags with unprotecteds.

I've seen several references to a minispring being used with 2 18650s in a 2C host... On all three of my 2Cs that run 18650s, there is like 1/64" to 1/32" of an inch between the end of the second 18650 cell and the bottom of the tailcap... Are you guys actually using springs that are less than 1/16" of an inch long?

I'm trying to envision how a spring that small could even be put into place and stay there?

LumenHound said:

Do these numbers jibe with your 2C?

Click to expand...

Yes, I also got 114mm in the tube and 28mm in the cap. Looks like screwing the cap completely onto the tube costs 10mm, so total usable length of 132mm.

Cratz,

MM springs compress completely into themselves, thus they work in the mod.

Bill

You're absolutely right... That definately works... but it seems more convinient to use the small magnets as they are VERY unlikely to be lost during a cell swap.

Either way... it's always to know different ways to meet the same goal.

Tha switch in the old 2C´s were a little shorter than the new mag´s switch . The tube is a little wider in the old one also . Thats where you are getting the difference .


Kenny

I got my stuff from the shop and assembled it, very nice and very bright. :thumbsup: I had to make a new contact for the switch though since the old one would just fall out since I cut the bottom off. The new mag C also uses a rotating metal ring to make the contact.

On the subject of Two LI-Ions in a 2C: I have two 2C and one of them has the tailcap cleaned out from a previous type of use. Two 18650 unprotected (BIG BIG props to AW for providing them!) will fit in both 2C and the tailcap will screw down. A blob of tinfoil or a short (looking at mine at about 3/8") spring makes contact. Rolled up paper (from my printer) holds the cells inline.

On the subject of 2x18650 against various bulbs: 1185 up first. I have a complete 9AA 1185 to try heads up. The 9AA is WAY WAY brighter and SIGNIFICANTLY less yellow. The 2x18650 is pretty bright and the color isn't TOO bad if nothing more white is present.

1274 up next. I only have one, so no heads up. 2x18650 against 1274 looks pretty good. Probably more yellow by a lot compared to 7AA, but not TOO shabby.

I have 4 or 5 stock MC bulbs... one of those is up next. If it don't flash it ought to be a killer!

EDIT: It didn't flash, so I put my best frosted MC and Carley 1940 reflector on that light and the result is pretty nice. As a bonus it isn't whacking the batteries as bad. 1.7A against 2.7 from the 1274.

I'll have a ROP HO bulb coming thanks to Nickz and I'll give it a go when it arrives. I know however that at 4A draw it won't seem as white as some of these other choices. I suspect that the ROP LO would be a sweet compromise...

Just thought I'd post this pic of an recent Icarus mod to allow the use of 2 18650s in a 2C. I'm not certain of the exact dimensions of the spring but the pic of the inside of the tailcap provides some size reference. Thanks to Icarus for his clever and sano work.

nicest lamp in the configuration described is the 1111 IMHO.. very white... resistant to instaflashing.. decent runtime.. win win solution.

-awr

I might be talked into agreeing with the 1111, except the ROP HI provided by NickZ (THANKS!) is MIGHTY nice in this case. If the ROP LO is any whiter it would be quite white indeed!

Also worth mentioning, the ROPs are PR based so no Bi-Pin mod needed.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure KevinL said that the ROP low is whiter than the ROP high on 2 LiON cells.

ROP Low, baby! Seems like the best 2C incandescent option to date!

cratz2 said:

You're absolutely right... That definately works... but it seems more convinient to use the small magnets as they are VERY unlikely to be lost during a cell swap.

Either way... it's always to know different ways to meet the same goal.

Click to expand...

Where do you get these mini magnets? I'm putting together a ROP/LE with 18650's and this is the first I've heard about using magnets instead of a spring. Can someone point me towards a thread about this or where to get them? Thanks.

Magnets: go to supermagnetman eBay prices w/o eBay hassle.

-awr