A Better Mag Reflector

Otokoyama

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Nov 30, 2002
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Mag reflectors are too good. Their perfect parabolic shape and mirror finish magnify every imperfection in the bulb filament ... and it's a disaster if the bulb hasn't been potted with the filament in the exact center. They throw very well, but what's the point when the beam is pathetic.

Surefire gets around such matters with their fairly good quality control and stochastic reflector, which will make a decent beam out of just about anything.

It would be nice if someone made a stochastic after-market reflector for Mags. I think the market for this would be fantastic.

But in the mean time, check out the faceted reflector from the $7 RayOVac Swivel-Lite. With only a little work, it fits the Mag like it was born to fix Mag beams. It can be focussed, but by screwing it in and out, not using the Mag focus mechanism. The only problem with the reflector is that it's the slightest touch cloudy, perhaps from plastic outgassing.

I put one on my Space Needle. (Please forgive me MR Bulk!)

MagSwivelReflector.jpg
 

treek13

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May 11, 2002
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Otokoyama,

Interesting discovery.

What do you have to do to get it to fit in a Mag (particularly one that has already got a luxeon in it such as a Space Needle)?

Could you by any chance take a beamshot photo of your Space Needle with Ray-O-Vac reflector?

Thanks for sharing,
Pat
 

Otokoyama

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I should know the protocol by now. This is on a 5W SE Space Needle with tired batteries. The original Mag reflector is on the left, the Swivel-Lite reflector is on the right. The paper is standard letter size at 15 feet.
MagVsSwivel.jpg


Perhaps a better test is using an incandescent bulb using the same settings as above (and unfortunately resulting in blown out hotspot). Here's a Mag 3D with a standard bulb that I've worked on to center as best as I can, but it's still off a bit. The left is the original reflector; the right is the Swivel-Lite reflector with rounder and softer beam.

If you want laser beam throw, the Mag reflector delivers. If you want to actually see something, the Swivel-Lite reflector provides an option.
MagSwivel3D.jpg
 

Otokoyama

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treek13: I reamed out the PR bulb opening to fit the Mag focus assembly (5/8" I think) and sanded off everything PR related. As I recall, the plastic sanded off fairly well rather than melting. I may have pulled off a barely glued on lens.

To use effectively with a Mag focus assembly, you may need to pin the focus assembly back a bit. The Space Needle emitter is farther back than the uncompressed Mag focus assembly, and so works quite well.
 

IsaacHayes

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Jan 30, 2003
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That reflector does look a bit clouded. On high power lights such as 5w/etc do you think that some light is lost through the chrome coating? I mean you can look at the back of the reflector and it's glowing quite bright on the back side. Maybe solid polished aluminum would be more effecient?

Also notice that the mag reflectors are coated blue plastic. Some of the blue reflects back through the chrome coating, helping give the incandecents a bit more of a white look. I had always thought mags were just super powerfull to make a white beam until I looked at the reflector.
 

BuddTX

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Nov 27, 2001
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I guess I will be buying a 7 dollar swivel lite for my Space Needle and Space Needle II tomorrow!

Did you get them at Wal-mart?
 

FreeBSDboy

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Feb 25, 2003
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Hmm. that gets me thinking. Think it would be possible to give the mag reflector a better coating so it would, reflect better?
 

Otokoyama

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Nov 30, 2002
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I think the Mag reflector already reflects perfectly (parabolically). The object is to not reflect perfectly, thereby creating a more useful, more pleasing, but less efficient beam.

Carley Lamps lets you specify the amount of "stipple" in their vacuum metalized reflectors. I don't doubt that it's possible to find someone that would re-metalize a Mag reflector with a specified amount of stipple. I keep bringing the Yellow Pages in to work, but never have time to let my fingers do the walking.
 
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