ab
Enlightened
A simple Mag 2C Luxeon conversion with 30 mm optics:
One of the mods I got done over the weekend was a quite nice little Mag 2C Luxeon LD conversion using Wayne's 30 mm optics. The light body donor is a common Mag 2C which has had its' entire floating-bulb holding assembly removed from the switch. The Mag's reflector is also removed and not used in this mod. The inferior stock Mag lens has been replaced with one of the excellent UCL lenses from flashlightlens.com.
Here's a look at the light in profile:
Wayne (Elektrolumens)'s 30 mm collimating optic is used in the head of the light. It is held in place by the lens until I make up a shoulder assembly to place with it behind the lens. The Luxeon is located in the head of the light rather than in the barrel of the light body. The Mag 2C head is quite a bit more massive than that of the Mag 2D since the 2C head tapers down to a much smaller neck diameter than does the 2D. This makes for a great opportunity if an appropriate aluminum baffle is silver-epoxied inside. This turns the 2C's entire massive head into a very effective heatsink.
Looking down the "business end":
The light source is a white Luxeon Star LD Q2K (not Luxeon emitter but Luxeon Star)
Q2K is nominally: 30.6 - 39.8 Lumens, 5000 - 5500 K colour temp, 3.51 - 3.75 Volts Vf.
I had a few of these Q2K Luxeon Stars from the same production run (in fact their heatsinks were still unseparated) but I found most of them were a little too green. I returned those but kept this one and one other that were very bright and had good colour.
Power is supplied by four 1/2C rechargeable NiCad batteries. These drive the Luxeon through a current-limiting resistor array mounted in the light barrel's cavity where the bulb-holding assembly was removed. In a pinch the light can also use four 2/3A NiMh batteries with the addition of a battery spacer in the barrel and an inset tailspring.
The Luxeon can be driven by just three of these batteries, and that was certainly an option. However, this Luxeon has a relatively high Vf and charging these cells in sets of four is quite a bit more convenient than in sets of three. So it made sense for this light to be designed around using four of these batteries. If the Luxeon I chose had a slightly lower Vf I would probably have given the three-cell design some more consideration. In any case, the four battery system works very well and can deliver the high run currents (and consequent high output) needed to make this light a serious contender in the 1W Luxeon world.
The 30 mm collimator is a super product and creates a great flashlight beam when used with the Luxeon. A bright centre hotspot is developed with a reasonably even spill beam surrounding that.
From just a short distance away this pattern has not fully developed yet - the light's output appears quite uniform with a barely identifiable centre hotspot.
This beam is very bright from just 10" away!
Here is comparison at 1 metre between the AB modified Luxeon 2C with 30 mm optic and a stock Mag 2C with fresh batteries.
I tried not to feel too sorry for the stock Mag 2C! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif
Here is a comparison with my excellent Elektrolumens Blaster II (the light first designed by Elektrolumens to carry the 30mm optics). (notice that the AB Mag 2C Luxeon is noticeably brighter and whiter and has a significantly more even beam!)
AB Mag 2C Luxeon w/30 mm and Elektrolumens Blaster II (again, from 1 metre)
Finally, here is a comparison between the AB Mag 2C Luxeon and a couple of other common flashlights, the Mag 2D and Mag 4D. Both Mags are stock here but I gave them every advantage, even installed brand new Maxell alkaline batteries in both lights. (the Maxell alkaline D-cells have up to 1.6V when new!)
AB Mag 2C Luxeon w/30 mm vs. common Mags
Here are their beams from 3.5 metres away:
No Mags were hurt in the making of these pictures. Well... maybe their feelings were hurt a little... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
This light is small and convenient to carry. Its' output is intense - markedly superior to common 4-cell incandescents and even to the well-renowned king of Luxeon 1W lights, the Blaster II. I'm trying not to smile too much!
To be fair, the laws of physics must always be obeyed, and this extreme output is possible only by virtue of serious heatsinking and massive overdrive (but not direct drive - can't lose all touch with reality in a four-cell system!)
This is a super functional light and I'm really pleased with it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
A.
p.s. - I was an engineer out of control this weekend finishing up ARC greys, a few Matchbox Mapasaurs, Veluxiraptors, AB PagerLights, a good handful of custom lights and special projects, etc. Nearly 15 lights in the AB Workshop over this weekend! Whew... I even managed to finally wear out a tip in my Pace soldering station! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
One of the mods I got done over the weekend was a quite nice little Mag 2C Luxeon LD conversion using Wayne's 30 mm optics. The light body donor is a common Mag 2C which has had its' entire floating-bulb holding assembly removed from the switch. The Mag's reflector is also removed and not used in this mod. The inferior stock Mag lens has been replaced with one of the excellent UCL lenses from flashlightlens.com.
Here's a look at the light in profile:
Wayne (Elektrolumens)'s 30 mm collimating optic is used in the head of the light. It is held in place by the lens until I make up a shoulder assembly to place with it behind the lens. The Luxeon is located in the head of the light rather than in the barrel of the light body. The Mag 2C head is quite a bit more massive than that of the Mag 2D since the 2C head tapers down to a much smaller neck diameter than does the 2D. This makes for a great opportunity if an appropriate aluminum baffle is silver-epoxied inside. This turns the 2C's entire massive head into a very effective heatsink.
Looking down the "business end":
The light source is a white Luxeon Star LD Q2K (not Luxeon emitter but Luxeon Star)
Q2K is nominally: 30.6 - 39.8 Lumens, 5000 - 5500 K colour temp, 3.51 - 3.75 Volts Vf.
I had a few of these Q2K Luxeon Stars from the same production run (in fact their heatsinks were still unseparated) but I found most of them were a little too green. I returned those but kept this one and one other that were very bright and had good colour.
Power is supplied by four 1/2C rechargeable NiCad batteries. These drive the Luxeon through a current-limiting resistor array mounted in the light barrel's cavity where the bulb-holding assembly was removed. In a pinch the light can also use four 2/3A NiMh batteries with the addition of a battery spacer in the barrel and an inset tailspring.
The Luxeon can be driven by just three of these batteries, and that was certainly an option. However, this Luxeon has a relatively high Vf and charging these cells in sets of four is quite a bit more convenient than in sets of three. So it made sense for this light to be designed around using four of these batteries. If the Luxeon I chose had a slightly lower Vf I would probably have given the three-cell design some more consideration. In any case, the four battery system works very well and can deliver the high run currents (and consequent high output) needed to make this light a serious contender in the 1W Luxeon world.
The 30 mm collimator is a super product and creates a great flashlight beam when used with the Luxeon. A bright centre hotspot is developed with a reasonably even spill beam surrounding that.
From just a short distance away this pattern has not fully developed yet - the light's output appears quite uniform with a barely identifiable centre hotspot.
This beam is very bright from just 10" away!
Here is comparison at 1 metre between the AB modified Luxeon 2C with 30 mm optic and a stock Mag 2C with fresh batteries.
I tried not to feel too sorry for the stock Mag 2C! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif
Here is a comparison with my excellent Elektrolumens Blaster II (the light first designed by Elektrolumens to carry the 30mm optics). (notice that the AB Mag 2C Luxeon is noticeably brighter and whiter and has a significantly more even beam!)
AB Mag 2C Luxeon w/30 mm and Elektrolumens Blaster II (again, from 1 metre)
Finally, here is a comparison between the AB Mag 2C Luxeon and a couple of other common flashlights, the Mag 2D and Mag 4D. Both Mags are stock here but I gave them every advantage, even installed brand new Maxell alkaline batteries in both lights. (the Maxell alkaline D-cells have up to 1.6V when new!)
AB Mag 2C Luxeon w/30 mm vs. common Mags
Here are their beams from 3.5 metres away:
No Mags were hurt in the making of these pictures. Well... maybe their feelings were hurt a little... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
This light is small and convenient to carry. Its' output is intense - markedly superior to common 4-cell incandescents and even to the well-renowned king of Luxeon 1W lights, the Blaster II. I'm trying not to smile too much!
To be fair, the laws of physics must always be obeyed, and this extreme output is possible only by virtue of serious heatsinking and massive overdrive (but not direct drive - can't lose all touch with reality in a four-cell system!)
This is a super functional light and I'm really pleased with it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
A.
p.s. - I was an engineer out of control this weekend finishing up ARC greys, a few Matchbox Mapasaurs, Veluxiraptors, AB PagerLights, a good handful of custom lights and special projects, etc. Nearly 15 lights in the AB Workshop over this weekend! Whew... I even managed to finally wear out a tip in my Pace soldering station! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
