Beginner's Mag thrower

revs · May 26, 2008

I want to build a Mag that throws real well. But, I am on a limited budget. Can someone guide me in the right direction? I am thinking 2D or 3D host. Would like to stay LED for longer battery life. All my lights now are good for spill, but sometimes you need a little throw.

Thanks all.

Greg G · May 26, 2008

Well, a Seoul P7 emitter, a heatsink, and 3 NiMH C's or D's would be cheap and throw well.

StarHalo · May 27, 2008

2D Mag @ local Lowe's hardware store - $15
TerraLUX K2 MiniStar LED drop-in @ BatteryJunction.com - $23
Exotic Mag Aspheric lens/optic @ Kaidomain.com - $20

Total cost without shipping $58; Result would be a 150 lumen Super-Thrower LED Mag still powered by just two regular D cells. No cutting or soldering needed, just replace the stock bulb with the drop-in, replace stock lens with the optic, done.

shakeylegs · May 27, 2008

revs said:
I want to build a Mag that throws real well. But, I am on a limited budget. Can someone guide me in the right direction? I am thinking 2D or 3D host. Would like to stay LED for longer battery life. All my lights now are good for spill, but sometimes you need a little throw.

Thanks all.

If your budget is $50 or so, and you have soldering capability, you can build a nice Seoul modded thrower with some readily available parts. This thread will give you an idea of how the mod would perform (beamshots) https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2116184. And this thread will give you an idea of what's involved in the mod. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/163902.

Parts needed:
*2 or 3 (C/D) m@g host
*Litemania's P4 heatsink for C or D Mag from fenix store ($17).
*Seoul P4 U bin emitter from fenix store ($10) or the newer U2 bin from photonfanatic in the dealer forum $11. Photonfanatic also has arctic alumina thermal adhesive for mounting the emitter to the heatsink ($6.75)
*A multi-mode 7135 driver from DX or Kai found in the DIY flashlight section $3 or $4.
*A few short lengths of wire and some basic tools

It's a fairly simple mod that results in a fine thrower. And it should run fine on alkaline primaries or Nimh rechargeables.

revs · May 27, 2008

StarHalo said:
2D Mag @ local Lowe's hardware store - $15
TerraLUX K2 MiniStar LED drop-in @ BatteryJunction.com - $23
Exotic Mag Aspheric lens/optic @ Kaidomain.com - $20

Total cost without shipping $58; Result would be a 150 lumen Super-Thrower LED Mag still powered by just two regular D cells. No cutting or soldering needed, just replace the stock bulb with the drop-in, replace stock lens with the optic, done.

Like this idea, but, where can I find a bezel that extends enough to protect the aspheric lens? I would be throwing it in and out of the work truck when I go out of town. I drive truck for a local greenhouse.

revs · May 27, 2008

shakeylegs said:
If your budget is $50 or so, and you have soldering capability, you can build a nice Seoul modded thrower with some readily available parts. This thread will give you an idea of how the mod would perform (beamshots) https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2116184. And this thread will give you an idea of what's involved in the mod. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/163902.

Parts needed:
*2 or 3 (C/D) m@g host
*Litemania's P4 heatsink for C or D Mag from fenix store ($17).
*Seoul P4 U bin emitter from fenix store ($10) or the newer U2 bin from photonfanatic in the dealer forum $11. Photonfanatic also has arctic alumina thermal adhesive for mounting the emitter to the heatsink ($6.75)
*A multi-mode 7135 driver from DX or Kai found in the DIY flashlight section $3 or $4.
*A few short lengths of wire and some basic tools

It's a fairly simple mod that results in a fine thrower. And it should run fine on alkaline primaries or Nimh rechargeables.

This sounds like something I can do. I have decent soldering skills, they are a bit rusty. I have an Associates in Electronics and have done my fair share of soldering in the past.

Thanks to all that have given me ideas. Now, I may have to make a couple. So much for a budget

Crenshaw · May 27, 2008

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4465

you can get the whole kit, 200+ lumens at the emittor.
only thing, a bezel that helps guard the aspheric lens is due from kaidomain sometime soon.

or, you would also make an ROP...

Crenshaw

FILIPPO · May 27, 2008

if you want something cheap why don't you use 4 "C" cells in a 3D mag?

I know that there are a lot of better mods but this will throw very far!

I used to have one with the same set up and throw very well basically becouse of 2 things: small filament and SMO standard reflector...

with 4 cells you will have also more lumens and better (higher) CCT...

:thumbsup:

-F

StarHalo · May 27, 2008

revs said:
Like this idea, but, where can I find a bezel that extends enough to protect the aspheric lens?

As Crenshaw noted, Kaidomain hasn't come up with one yet - Mag bezels are pretty rare finds.. If you went this route, I'd also go with his package drop-in/optic deal since it's a couple dollars cheaper, and you're already getting the lens from the same place anyway

Crenshaw said:
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4465

you can get the whole kit, 200+ lumens at the emittor.

Another option if you'd be willing to bump up the price a bit would be the Terralux TLE-300 (http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-300.html) which puts out *500+ lumens* in a large hotspot and doesn't require any other modding. I own and use one of these in a Mag I have an can confirm that the throw is remarkable. I use a 2D Mag host, powered by six rechargeable AA's which can be done using a pair of 3AA/1D battery adapters, also available on Kaidomain. If you'd prefer to stick to D batteries, you'd need to use a 4D Mag for this drop-in. Total build cost is around $90.

Gunner12 · May 27, 2008

You can check this thread for a list of the more common maglite drop-ins/mods.

IMO the simplest and cheapest would probably be to use 3 batteries, a heatsink, and the right LED(no driver, or the right resistor). The brightest would be the P7, but that LED is also pretty expensive.

For something cheaper, the Seoul P4 U-bin should work pretty well too. The Cree XR-E Q5 would produce a ring in the beam.

revs · May 27, 2008

shakeylegs said:
If your budget is $50 or so, and you have soldering capability, you can build a nice Seoul modded thrower with some readily available parts. This thread will give you an idea of how the mod would perform (beamshots) https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2116184. And this thread will give you an idea of what's involved in the mod. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/163902.

Parts needed:
*2 or 3 (C/D) m@g host
*Litemania's P4 heatsink for C or D Mag from fenix store ($17).
*Seoul P4 U bin emitter from fenix store ($10) or the newer U2 bin from photonfanatic in the dealer forum $11. Photonfanatic also has arctic alumina thermal adhesive for mounting the emitter to the heatsink ($6.75)
*A multi-mode 7135 driver from DX or Kai found in the DIY flashlight section $3 or $4.
*A few short lengths of wire and some basic tools

It's a fairly simple mod that results in a fine thrower. And it should run fine on alkaline primaries or Nimh rechargeables.

Is this the driver you were talking about? http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2958

And, where exactly would it get mounted? Under the heat sink between the batteries and the heatsink? Just trying to figure out how to do this. I really like this idea.

Also seen the 3 123As in a body with a 6cell bulb. But, that was incan, not LED. What bulb would be recommended for that route?

These are giving me lots of ideas. Thank you. I am totally new at this. The only thing I have really modded to date is a C cell military angle head light by putting a LED bulb in it. Now, to find 2-3AAA adapters to put in it to give the bulb the 6 cells it really wants :devil: After all, the package for the Nite Ize bulb said 2-6 cells.

revs · May 27, 2008

I guess I should have looked around more. Thanks for the link to the other thread Gunner. I was tired. 14 hours and 650 miles will do that to a person.

LukeA · May 27, 2008

revs said:
I guess I should have looked around more. Thanks for the link to the other thread Gunner. I was tired. 14 hours and 650 miles will do that to a person.

The aspheric kit from KD should be very good. It will outthrow anything in the size range.

spencer · May 27, 2008

Just on a side question, how would a P7 throw with one of KD's aspheric lenses?

revs · May 27, 2008

Is the Mag a reverse clicky? Will the board you mentioned, Shakeylegs, work with the Mag switch? It says to change modes you press a reverse clicky. Never owned a C or D cell Mag.

revs · May 27, 2008

I like the idea of the aspheric lens, but, I am afraid it would get scratched up. Anyone make an extended bezel for the Mag? If I could protect the lens, I would definitely go for it.

fireboltr · May 27, 2008

Has everyone forgotten how to do this that quick????

one word

Malkoff

nuff said

StarHalo · May 27, 2008

The stock Mag switch is a forward clicky, but if instructions tell you to do a "reverse click" it usually means to do a full depression of the switch. Depends on the context though.

And the only Mag bezels I've ever seen are quite hard to come by because they're just done in limited runs and everyone wants one.. The designer does say there will be more though:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/178708

spencer · May 27, 2008

Answering my question about the P7 aspheric, I found a sweet little thread here. Post 24 for the beamshots with the P7.

LukeA · May 27, 2008

revs said:
I like the idea of the aspheric lens, but, I am afraid it would get scratched up. Anyone make an extended bezel for the Mag? If I could protect the lens, I would definitely go for it.

I made a removeable cap for mine out of a properly sized old tupperware.

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