Streamlight Tasklight 3AA Improvements

After visiting for a while, I've been inspired to jump into the fray and commence to feed my addiction. I have a Streamlight Tasklight 3AA that has a Luxeon emitter standard. I'm seeing that there are much more efficient (more light for a given input) emitters available from Cree and Seoul.

I'm thinking this light would be a great host because I like the form factor with the clicky on-off on the body. The beef in the head would make for a good heat sink, too. Any suggestions on where to start, or what to do?

:welcome:

And good timing as well! I just modded my 3AA Task-Light Luxeon and posted it here. As I said there, I'm looking into the possibility of fitting an inductor based driver in the head instead of the linear regulator based ones I got. The Cree Q5 made a world of difference over the old Luxeon that was in it. Happy modding! It's addictive!

Blue - thanks for the input. Very much appreciated. Most of my experience with electronics involves letting out the magic smoke. So help at this point is fantastic.

I've continued my research, and have found a few threads on the Cree Q5. One of the reviewers from DX had this to say:

Some other members on another thread were talking about not using any circuit. Yenster just hardwired it directly...

Yenster said:

I just reached 1012 mA by direct driving with an 18650 battery. That battery measured 4.12 Volts right after I measured that current. It seems that might be the eaiest way to reach 1A, just take out the driver circuit.

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Did you ever get your Tasklight modded? I'm thinking of buying one and swapping out the star with a Cree. Only thing that worries me is if it will focus well.

ampdude said:

Did you ever get your Tasklight modded?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, not yet. Too many things going on at once, and this hasn't been a priority. But, it has been an itch that will get scratched! Maybe that 6-die Osram 1000 lumen monster will fit?! It does come on a star...:devil:

hey blue crow, do you think I could rebuild a 3C twin task (the entire switch module/light engine blew up) with just an AMC board, a switch and a Cree XRE with a reflector and or optic?

Okay, I'm back at this thing now, and while it had some initial appeal, the 6-die Ostar isn't right for this job. So, I'm looking at these options now:

1. The Seoul P4 on a star
2. The Luxeon 5W on a star

May not be the bleeding edge of technology, but I need to start somewhere...

It would appear that with the Seoul, I could employ a micropuck and then wire directly to 3x NiMH AA cells... Same for the Lux. Problem is that I'm a mechanical guy. When it comes to electronics, my typical experience is that the magic smoke that was once hidden inside the gadget finds a new home. In other words:
Maybe I should have used the handle "Sparky"??? :thinking:

Any suggestions?