Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics, beamshots)

ok, a lot of people have already done this so I'll keep the words short and let the pics do the talking (sorry they're a bit grainy)...
Here's an SSC P4 MAG 3D mod (using the AMC7135 1050mA circuit from DX):
SSC P4 epoxied to Litemania heatsink (with Artic Alumina Adhesive):

Now add clear epoxy to the outer rim with Glow in the Dark powder:

Here's a glow shot:

Wire traces soldered to the AMC7135 circuit board (note both jumpers bridged to give 1050mA):

Wire traces soldered to led through holes in heatsink:

Bottom view:


Top view:


Stock MAG 3D:



Stock MAG 3D incandescent bulb:


Removing the rubber switch cover:


Using allen key to remove switch assembly:


Dropping switch assembly out through rear:


All MAG 3D parts disassembled:


Removing bulb holder mechanism from switch assembly:



Removing -ve contact from switch assembly:


Removing switch barrel (+ve) from assembly:


Soldered wire traces onto both +ve & -ve parts:


Insert barrel part into main switch assembly (+ve):


Then insert the -ve part:


Slide switch assembly back into MAG body and tighten switch, notice no cutting of the switch assembly:


Solder -ve & +ve wires to the circuit board:


Insulate the circuit board (I used electrical tape, you could also hotglue the circuit to the underside of the heatsink however it may require cutting of the switch assembly:


Looking into the barrel:


All wires and circuit inside the MAG body:


A snug fit:


Now with a heap of thermal transfer paste... and yes, the heatsink does go all the way in... I just took the pic before having all the paste squeeze out everywhere.


Now to mod the reflector ... this is the only non-reversable part of my mod, but MAG reflectors are cheap and easily replaceable. Trim the cam portion off with any useful tool.


Install the modded reflector:


With the head back on and batteries loaded:


Beam shot at approx 1m:


Another shot:


From the front:


A Closer look:


And now a nice GLOW....


One last pic to finish it off...


Thanks to Nereus and all the other helpful threads/tutorials on how to mod a MAG. I'll post some comparisons between this and my MAG 4D SSC P4 with 800mA circuit (also from DX) as well as a stock 3D.

EDIT: Beamshots

In order from left to right: MAG 3D SSC P4 (1050ma), MAG 4D SSC P4 (800ma), MAG 3D stock.


MAG 3D SSC P4 (1050ma), MAG 4D SSC P4 (800ma) (-2 exp)


Again: (0 exp)


In the dark:


Side by side:


Business end of the MAG 4D SSC P4:


And now the MAG 3D SSC P4:

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Excellent job!!!!!!!! and exellent photos :twothumbs

Greetings - Saludos

msxtr

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Nicely done. With all these mag mods recently appearing I will definitely have to move up to the big boys league and get one done.
I suppose you can't be a true flashaholic if don't own at least one modded mag!

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Excellent 3D maglite upgrade! So with the SSC P4 driven that hard you're getting at least 160 (or thereabouts) lumens out the front right?
A lot of folks mock maglites... but a quick little upgrade like this turns em' into powerhouses :huh: Run time from 3D is going to be very good too - 4 hours + I guess.

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Looks great!!
A couple of suggestions.
Find some highquality aluminum camless reflectors.
INstall a UCL glass in front.
Between them you will see an even better beam and higher output.
Nice worrk.
Yaesumofo

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Very Nice!

Where did you source these parts (LED,Heatsink,Thermal Paste,Cicuit Board)? Also, what kind of soldering gun and solder would be good for this type of project.

I think I will do one of my own after seeing this!

Thanks!

-Chris

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Nice job. After this thread, I think I'm convinced I need to do my own mag mod.

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Thanks for all the comments. I really enjoyed myself with this mod and I'm glad others enjoy the pics as well.

Cydonia said:

So with the SSC P4 driven that hard you're getting at least 160 (or thereabouts) lumens out the front right?
A lot of folks mock maglites... but a quick little upgrade like this turns em' into powerhouses :huh: Run time from 3D is going to be very good too - 4 hours + I guess.

Click to expand...

Actually I don't have a light meter so I have no idea whats coming out the business end. And in terms of runtime.. not really sure the mAh's in a standard Duracell D battery so don't really know. My guesstimate based on actual use of my 800mA driven MAG 4D SSC P4 is definitely > 4 hrs maybe a bit more.

The only form of measurement I can do (if you can call it that) is compare the output to other lights I have. I have my MAG 4D w/ SSC P4 and also a stock MAG 3D & 2D. I'll line them up tonight for a beam shot shoot out. :laughing:

yaesumofo said:

Looks great!!
A couple of suggestions.
Find some highquality aluminum camless reflectors.
INstall a UCL glass in front.
Between them you will see an even better beam and higher output.
Nice worrk.
Yaesumofo

Click to expand...

I actually did this mod for someone else (who paid me to do it) after they saw my MAG 4D SSC P4 mod. They opted only for the $30 worth of extra parts (i.e. heatsink, led, circuit). This light cost them $60 AUD ($27 for the MAG & $30 for the parts for the mod). I didn't charge him for labor as he was a mate. And he didn't want to up the costs to $90 (approx $30 extra for the aluminium camless reflector and UCL).

beach honda said:

Where did you source these parts (LED,Heatsink,Thermal Paste,Cicuit Board)? Also, what kind of soldering gun and solder would be good for this type of project.

Click to expand...

D Heatsink - from Litemania's dealer thread
SSC P4, AMC7135 1050mA circuit board - from www.dealextreme.com
Thermal Paste - from www.jaycar.com.au
Soldering iron - $15 from www.dse.com.au or Bunnings Warehouse

I'm actually looking to upgrade my Soldering iron as my current one is real cheap and doesn't give me good heat and control. It was a little difficult to join the bridges on the AMC7135 circuit board from DX or maybe that was to do with the soldering tip being rather deformed after so much use.

I'll probably be doing more mods like this in the next month as I have purchased MAGLites for my dad & father-in-law for father's day, plus the odd mate who wants to jump on the bandwagon. Hence I purchased the 10 pack of circuits from DX. :laughing:

I'll keep posting if I figure out ways to improve what I've already done or find cheaper/better sources for the parts. Maybe there's an aluminium reflector in the works for my 4D? :naughty:

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

joedm said:

... Thanks to Nereus and all the other helpful threads/tutorials on how to mod a MAG. ...

Click to expand...

Thanks to yourself for a very detailed and profound tutorial!

-N

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Nice write up Joedm.
Could you tell us where you got the glow powder and how much you mix into the epoxy?
I was also interested in these drivers. Can you give some details on why you have to modify the circuit by bridging the jumpers, what effect does this have?
Would it be possible to fit the driver into the back of Litemania heatsink, and fix with epoxy?
Cheers

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

Essexman said:

Nice write up Joedm.
Could you tell us where you got the glow powder and how much you mix into the epoxy?
I was also interested in these drivers. Can you give some details on why you have to modify the circuit by bridging the jumpers, what effect does this have?
Would it be possible to fit the driver into the back of Litemania heatsink, and fix with epoxy?
Cheers

Click to expand...

I got the glow powder from glowinc.com (direct link).
I used about 5-10mm diameter blob of clear epoxy and just kept adding glow powder until it couldn't take anymore. Basically the blob grew to almost twice it's volume and was very thick in consistency. I read somewhere on CPF that the idea is to try to add as much powder as possible.
Having said that there was way too much for 1 led and I ended up using it on a total of 5 other lights that I had. The epoxy I used was the 12 hours setting version which is what you need in this case as 5 min epoxy would not let you work with it. Also, because it takes so long to set you are able to take your time and do it properly. The epoxy will set with the help of gravity so make sure to put your heatsink on a nice flat level surface.

In terms of the driver/circuit, the 1050mA version has 3 x AMC7135 IC's on the one board. Each delivers 350ma but in order to use any more than 350ma you will need to solder/join the two contacts that make up the bridge.

Here's an image that shows what you need to do (thanks to Kaidomain):


So by bridging both jumpers you get 350 + 350 + 350 = 1050 (by default q1 is enabled hence a default of 350).

Finally, yes the circuit board fits easily in the bottom of the Litemania heatsink however I'm not sure whether you will need to cut a bit off the plastic switch assembly to have the heatsink sit all the way down.

Hope this answers your questions.:twothumbs

Re: Yet another SSC P4 - MAG 3D (pics)

For anyone wanting to know the mAh of D cell; here's a link to one of Energizers PDF's about theirs. http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/E95.pdf

Added beamshots to first post.
Thanks for that link. I found the data sheet for the Duracell's I use and according to the Led Pro program I have a runtime of approx 10 hours at 1A.

Here's the link for duracell: http://www.duracell.com/oem/primary/alkaline/alkaline_manganese_data.asp

nice one joe.
i have to order the heatsink as well as my Terralux drop in will turn slighly blue after constant ON for 5 minutes with 2x18650 cell.
Good job joe.Way to go

thanks.

When I was doing the beamshots I left both modded MAGs shining against the wall while I went hunting for the stock MAG 3D. I couldn't remember where I had put it. Anyway, it would've been at least 15 minutes before I found it in a shopping bag upstairs. Then another 5 minutes of photos. I felt around the head and the base of the MAGs where the body joins the head and they were only very slightly warm... no blueish at all... so that makes me happy knowing I can run these for extended periods without a problem.

With that AA with it - definately suck away those heat.

I built the same thing some time ago but just added the AMC7135 running on alkaline batteries it's right on 1Amp, nice and bright, definitely the best throw LED I have. I'm using a cut down standard mag reflector and borofloat lens but I don't get the nice perfectly round hot spot shown in your pics.
Norm

nice to see a fellow Aussie modding. :wave:

my 1amp amc driver just arrived and i pop it in right away.
run it with 1x protected grey UF 18650 2400mah for 30 minutes, no colour shift or whatsoever.The HS is from H22A.It's still daytime though - using a cut down standard mag reflector and borofloat lens,but here it is :-
http://shw.fotopages.com/15322405.html

nice one :Thumbs up:

just one point to the glow powder:
it raises the "output" extremely, if there is white color behind the powder.
Also with the epoxy, the powder will somehow sink down and not stay mixed with the epoxy.
I therefore do it this way now:
paint the base white and let dry, use clear spray paint on the white and put powder directly on the wet paint and let dry a bit, do some layers of clear + powder and finally a last clear "shot".
Its very important to cover emitter and everything else around from paint and powder!