Radio Shack torch with 1W SE

***Updated 3/1/3 with beam shots - see end of post...

I received a RS 3C torch from a CPFer to modify. Anyhow I finished it off yesterday & took some pics. Basically it's a 1W Luxeon SE mounted to a copper slug that drops in place of the original bulb - no other mods to the torch. Runs direct drive.

The slug and the insulated base:


Closeup of slug and insulated base:


Insulated base test fit on bottom of slug:


Wire soldered to base and 'threaded' through the slug:


Ground wire soldered to slug - takes quite a bit of heat!


SE glued on to slug - ready for soldering connections:


Completed 'bulb' ready to go:


LED 'bulb' installed in torch, just drops in:


Head screwed on - all ready to 'fire' up...


Some beam shots:

First one is with the camera flash firing:


Next one without the flash:


Beam from about 5' from the door:


george.
My Home Page for LED stuff

very nice!

how well does it distribute the heat? i've been wanting to do a mod like this, but was concerned about melting the reflector. i'm currently working on a design (in my head of course /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ), that will drop-in, but not be limited to the standard bulb size. (it may only work in *ags?)

[ QUOTE ]
Rothrandir said:
very nice!

how well does it distribute the heat? i've been wanting to do a mod like this, but was concerned about melting the reflector. i'm currently working on a design (in my head of course /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ), that will drop-in, but not be limited to the standard bulb size. (it may only work in *ags?)

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! Seems to do a good job, the slug is copper and sucks the heat out of the Luxeon quick smart. The assembly that the 'bulb' sits in is aluminium which does a fine job of tranferring the heat from the copper slug to the fins that connect to the body of the torch. I've run it for several minutes (I'm conserving my Duracell C cells...) and it's barely warm at the slug.

george.

Hey, that's a nice mod!

I forgot about the RS flashlight. When CPF was getting overhauled, I made this:



I almost fried it in a 2D Mag with 3C cells, but it survived even though it got real (real) hot. Might actually be useful in the RS.......

More details posted at:Darksbane Light Forum

While not the recommended way to use a Luxeon for maximum cooling, bulb type mods may work very well in aluminum bulb post lights like the RS. In the Mag D with the plastic bulb post, there's nowhere for the heat to go. But the RS light is all aluminum. I better go dig in the closet for an RS......

I have used my LEDTronics 3-cell 1W PR bulb with resistor in Nordic 2C and 3C flashlights (Nordic made RS) It seemed to me that there was a lot of "slop" or "play" between the brass PR base and the aluminum post cylinder. My read was that the heat transfer would be OK at the flange into the threaded aluminum rim retainer and the LEDTronics above the PR flange fins, but that most of the heavy bulb base below the flange would not enjoy effective metal-to-metal contact.

NICE mod. BTW, your website awesome! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Great mod...I was in the middle of a mod and was stuck with how I wanted to proceed. Yours gave me an idea. I hope to work on it some tomorrow. I'll get pictures once I'm done.

I had been bugging George to do something like this. He finally has come through. I am also urging him to make this available to CPFers. He also told me that the first "bulb" that he made sucked about 1.1A but barely got warm. I believe the copper slug is very effective at transfering the heat.

I can't wait until I get my hands on the proto #2. I donated the torch and more importantly, I did NOT bug him. I just let him do his magic.

Thanks,
- Vikas