Ultrabright! easy DIY Maglight mod

Ultrabright! very cheap! Mag 3D mod

One needs:

• an original Mag 3D or 3C (duh)
• 10 cent bulb and a inch or wire
• solder, thermal glue or paste and a copper coin
• an Edison KLC8 (or other Cree gen. bulb) https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/154394

Total about $7 and a bit of work

Just crack the glass of the bulb and remove all it contents. solder a isolated wire from bottum to top. make a copper coin fitting for the diameter of the top (leave some space to put the wire through). solder the coin on the top and stick (glue) the led on the top. Connect the wire to the plus of the led an the min. to the metal of the bulb.

Put your new led-bulb in your unmodded 3D Mag. and Fire!

I run it at 3D alkaline 4,5v (more than the factory specs.) Due to the internal resistance of the Mag. the bulb only pulls 0,6-0,8A
after 15 min on, the metal part of the bulb get only gets warm ;around 50 degree Celsius. My previous Luxeon K2 led-bulb mod was running hot after a few minutes. I only had this mod running for a few hours so no idea about the actual runtimes. If you want to play it save(r) you can use 3x 1,2v NiMH but you will get a much dimmer light.


As you can see It is MUCH brighter than my Fenix LOD-CE at 3,7v high (direct drive) The original Mag bulb was no match at all, so I did not bother to place a picture of it

3D Mag half full alkaline D-cell's versus LOD-CE with a full 10440 Li-Ion High



at -2 stops: the Mag. is still blooming



picture of the Luxeon K2 mod the KLC8 mod and the original bulb



new modded bulb installed in the unmodded Mag


btw:someone got a spare (free) Mag. 3D glass lens for me?


edit: After putting some graphite on all the connecting parts in the Mag the current draw was 1A and the light was even brighter

Re: Ultrabright! very cheap! Mag 3D mod

Wow that's a great idea! I have a 3D sitting right here just waiting for a mod. And a Cree on the way from DX!

Re: Ultrabright! very cheap! Mag 3D mod

Wow that's a great idea! I have a 3D sitting right here just waiting for a mod. And a Cree on the way from DX!

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Than you can save on a copper coin and cut the star to the right size instead.

Funny thing is, this was exactly what I was trying to do a few days ago before I saw your thread today; the emptied bulb holder is still lying in front of me! I didn't manage to go any further but thanks to your tips, I may try and see if I can get it to work.

Noob alert

Edison KLC8

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Could you please be more idiot proof? I have a 3c Mag I would like to do this mod to, but I'm not sure exactly what LED to get. I don't know anything about LEDs so I need to know the exact one and where to get it.

I had another go today. Biggest problem is trying to avoid the +ve lead of the emitter touching the bub holder (which is -ve). Will need some delicate soldering.

Daravon, you can get the Edison opto here:-

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/150918

It's bright but there's a tendency towards a yellow ring around the hot spot.

It sounds like a good mod regardless, but how do you figure 7 dollars total, if the LEDs are 10 dollars shipped?

I couldn't get the retaining ring to screw down the bulb after the mod so I finally decided to epoxy the bulb on top of the ring. Unfortunately, it worked well and was very impressive for only a short while - I think the heat eventually killed my led.

Yeah this kind of mod with any high powered luxeon-type LEDs has never really been recommended to do mainly because of heat. Lambda did one a while back:

http://lambda10.tripod.com/luxbulb.htm

Obviously it can be done, but how reliable it will be in the long run is in question.

I did this mod with the linked LED, I just used the emitter not the star. I didn't even heat sink or use the star, I just piled some JB weld on the glass that was still in the bulb and stuck the emitter on there. Soldered some bare copper wires and plopped it in.

It's very bright, but I'm concerned with how long it will last. The emitter gets pretty warm, I'm thinking if I just limit it to 5 second bursts, 50% duty, it might last a good while. In the meantime, it's just the thing for spotting house addresses delivering pizza.

Kanarie, is it still running? What's the longest you've run it?

It sounds like a good mod regardless, but how do you figure 7 dollars total, if the LEDs are 10 dollars shipped?

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Probably referring to the fact that Dealextreme sells them for $7 shipped.
That price is actually quite amazing, considering that before DX started selling them, those LEDs were $15 shipped from typical vendors and group buys. DX actually sells some complete Cree lights for under $15, and one my favorite Cree lights (Ultrafire C2 -- great throw, great tint, decent regulation and build quality) for $22!

Only drawback there is the usually long shipping time. However, I would recommend a U-Bin Seoul as opposed to the Cree ($7.18 at DX) -- the Seoul will throw more light to the sides, so more will be collected by the reflector, making for a brighter hotspot than a Cree. The Edison LED is similar to the Seoul in that respect. All three are based on the Cree Emitter, but each uses different phosphor and optics.

Sorry for bringing this back from the dead. But aren't you supposed to isolate the slug? I thought that the slug should be isolated because wouldn't the copper coin touch the negative contact(base) making the copper coin negative as well? I am thinking about doing this for my dad's 4D using 3D's and a spacer or sometime to bridge the connection.

And where do you get the 10c bulb? what kind of bulb should I look for?

M@g 2D direct drive it with HSSA heatsink is better and long lasting.
But the stock cam reflector need to be remove.
1x18650 + 1 dummy D cell.

nanotech17 said:

M@g 2D direct drive it with HSSA heatsink is better and long lasting.
But the stock cam reflector need to be remove.
1x18650 + 1 dummy D cell.

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Whats a HSSA heatsink? I was just really looking for a super cheap mod for my dad. He was amazed by how by my MagLED on how it could put out so much light. He works with electronics and still thinks that LED's are just for indicators.

sorry it's H22A - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/160483
sometimes cheap things don't last that long.
just my 2 cents.

nanotech17 said:

sorry it's H22A - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/160483
sometimes cheap things don't last that long.
just my 2 cents.

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Thanks. I agree with that quote that cheap things dont last long. The heatsinks look nice but minimum order of $18 isn't too good for me =/. I just really am looking for something really cheap. Cash strapped right now lol.

johnny13oi said:

Thanks. I agree with that quote that cheap things dont last long. The heatsinks look nice but minimum order of $18 isn't too good for me =/. I just really am looking for something really cheap. Cash strapped right now lol.

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Litemania also sells heatsinks for D and C maglites. Their $12 a piece and it's $5 to ship a single one of either version. The DHS heatsink, while a minimum order of $18 is needed, will get you two heatsinks without any extra shipping costs (their included in the price). I'd also opt for the $2 registered mail option since their coming from the other side of the world. For $20, it would get you one for yourself and your old man. If you ever decide to get a heatsink, do so; you'll be doing your LED's a favor.

JamisonM said:

Litemania also sells heatsinks for D and C maglites. Their $12 a piece and it's $5 to ship a single one of either version. The DHS heatsink, while a minimum order of $18 is needed, will get you two heatsinks without any extra shipping costs (their included in the price). I'd also opt for the $2 registered mail option since their coming from the other side of the world. For $20, it would get you one for yourself and your old man. If you ever decide to get a heatsink, do so; you'll be doing your LED's a favor.

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Thanks for the info. Do the KLC8's slug have to be isolated? I see that on the specs sheet saying that the slug is anode which is negative right? So you can just connect it to negative? But I have heard others saying that the slug on the KLC8 are positive just like the SSC P4.

the edison slug is like the ssc p4 but since the H22A hs is anodize so i didn't put any spacer in between and it is fine.