Accidental Overdrive On Mag 3W

I don't have the money to experiment at $18.00 a shot, but I recently got my Mag 2 cell 3W LED mixed up and put in a Mag 3c flashlight. Well, it is very bright and now has been running for a while with no issues. I discovered my error but it runs so bright I hate to change it back. Anyway, my need for a 2 cell LED has about gone away.

So, when can I expect a failure? Sure looks good, but I assume it will have short life.

Thanks,

Don

Hi MadMag,
I don't know the answer but I'm sure if you just use it for failry short periods, it should hold up a lot longer. I've read in "Flashlight Reviews" that these "Maglight" drop-ins get hot quickly due to insufficient heat sinking and dim a bit during that "warm-up" phase. Restarting the module after a cool down period restores the initial brightness.
Good luck overdriving your 2 cell module. Post an update if/when you learn the answer.

This is the first time I've heard of a MagLED module working and producing brighter light with an extra cell above spec. Very interesting to see how long it lasts. Thermal regulation might save it from burning up... but I suppose a component will probably overheat and fail. I wonder how bright it is, lumen wise?

I wonder how bright it is, lumen wise?

Click to expand...

I can only compare. It seems to compete with my TLE-6EX in a converted 2c to 3XCR123 Mag. It seems much brighter than my Diamond 3W (3 cell) in 3D Mag. Also, brighter than my Mag (3 cell 3W) in 3D Mag.

I will let you know when it goes pop.

Just one update. It seems brighter than 3 cell 3W, but not quite as bright as my TLE-6EX. Also, after 20 min. constant on it still running Ok, but sure gets warm.

I am running in Mag 2D converted to 3C.

Wow it lasted 20 minutes constant on?! It must have dimmed down automatically by then... I mean, even a matched up MagLED with 2 cells would have throttled down after that time. Maybe for short intermittent use of a few minutes at a time… this trick is sustainable? Huh… who would have thought! Keep us updated

I ran for 30 minutes continuous tonight. At the 20 minute mark it did appear to dim. At the end it appeared to be about as bright as my 3 cell 3W Mag led in 3D host. The socket was too hot for me to hold my finger on, but I could touch for short times. I am surprised it seems to hold up. Also, at the end I thought I could see some yellow tint to the center of the beam....but not sure if this was real or my eyes playing tricks. Anyway, the light output after 30 min. seemed as usable as my 3D 3W.

I guess in the long run there is no real advantage to this overdrive. After 20 minutes I am not having any real advantage over a Mag LED for 3 cell. Just interesting that it works.

My friend ran a Diamond DB-3W (Luxeon III) meant for 3-cells in a 4-cell setup... It was bright and all, but it overheated and permanently dimmed after about a week's use for short periods.

But that's understandable since most of the LEDs have a Vf of about 3ish to 4v, which is just nice for 3-cells with sagging. So overdriving a 2-cell to 3 may not be as bad as overdrivinig a 3 to a 4.