Suggested conversion method for 2AA Maglight -> LS

Willmore

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I have a few 2AA maglights lying around that no longer get the use they once did--in the era before LED flashlights. I'd like to mod at least one of them to use an LS. I even have the LS element that I want to use--it's a 1W Royal Blue (bare).

What method would people suggest I use to modify this light to use this LED? I like regulated output, I like the ability to use any kind of battery (Lithium, Alkaline, Zinc, NiMH) and I like designs that can run the battery dry--I don't really need a 'moon' mode.

Suggestions?
 

Nerd

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Get a plain 350ma constant current board from dat2zip and mount your own RB 1 watt emitter on it.
 

Entropy

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dat2zip's BadBoy converters all the way...

I'm reaching $55 pumped into my MM at this point. (BB400 + McFlood + Kroll tailswitch + MM accessory kit), and I'm probably going to be putting an order in for $20 or so with Anchor Optical for some experiments in narrowing the beam. (I want to try and get something similar to the results of shining the McFlood into my 2x telephoto converter, but without the $70 lens that's supposed to be for my digital camera.
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Willmore

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Any reason people suggest the BadBoy over the MadMax? I think I like the plots of the MadMax's current regulation better and the stats make it look like the efficiency is higher.

There seems to be this BB is better than MM assumption and I'm curious to know why it is.

I am leaning toward dat2zip's boards, though.
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monanza

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I seem to remember that the BB behaves a little more consistently irrespective of battery used. The MM tends to vary a bit more. I think the MM can also allow higher currents than the BB which may or may not be a problem. Other than that the MM does offer an advantage (user settable output).

Cheers
 

Entropy

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The BadBoy will maintain a consistent brightness until the battery is completely dead, as it is a constant current regulator. The MadMax is a constant voltage regulator, so its brightness will vary greatly depending on the Vf of the LED used, and somewhat on the battery too. (LED ratings are specified by their operating current - Because a tenth of a volt can make a LARGE difference in the brightness of an LED, as the current increases sharply beyond the threshold voltage.) I believe the MM is also more sensitive to battery differences than the BB, but my main reason for getting the BadBoy was that a constant current source is the most consistent and safest way to drive an LED.
 

Willmore

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Thanks, monanza, that makes it make more sense.

Thanks, Entropy, you clarified a few points, as well.

As far as the electronics of LEDs go, I'm well versed. I'm a computer engineer who took a liking to solid state physics back in college. I know way more than I need to about Vf of diodes. Want to see the equations? *shudder* At least I don't wake up in sweats, anymore from trying to calculate erf() of functions....

Any suggestions on which board to use if I want to run 6 30ma UV leds? I'm thinking a UV maglight would be quite handy. Strikes me that the MM would be the natural unless I got dat2zip to make me a custom BB with the lower current (180ma). Even if I overdrove them 50%, I still couldn't use the smallest BB350 board.

So, Entropy, what's a McFlood?
 

Entropy

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Check dat2zip's website, and also some of the threads with McFlood in the title.

It's a replacement for the NX05 optics that gives a nice smooth flood beam. Seems to be far more popular than the NX05 beam pattern.
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Willmore

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Ahh, okay, maybe I should just drive over and check it out.
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You can't be more than 10 miles away....
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I'm more fond of 'spot' lights, so I think the NX05 will do fine for me.
 

Entropy

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Heheh.
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I've usually been more fond of "spots", but I think as another CPFer once mentioned, you probably haven't seen a good flood with any incandescent flashlights... Mags in "flood" mode and almost any other focusable light have horrible looking beams in flood mode.

I have the half acrylic ball sold in dat2zip's sandwich shop - Allows you to give a McFlood light some impressive throw, although at the expense of beam quality. (I think the halfball may have TOO short a focal length - It almost appears as if the beam is being overcollimated and crossing about 6-12 inches in front of the light. This comes from shining the beam into the mist coming from an ultrasonic humidifier.)
 
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