Malkoff @ 12v?

hello all you lumen loverz,

teh flashlight bug has me :thinking:

i have this

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=2

in a 2D mag (its good but i want more)

so, im guessing i can either get a 3D mag,

but am wondering what would happen if i got this?

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_56_73&products_id=590

or this?

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=778

or another way to realise full potential of the malkoff?

also,

anyone know where to get an o.p reflector for teh mag?,

i prefer more flood to more throw

any advice appreciated.

Never go over the rated voltage on a drop-in, that's a fast way to your investment.

You could cut down your Mag to a 1D size and then use a single 1D/3AA battery adapter to power it, but other than that, there's really no other use for an adapter with that particular Malkoff.

If you're really looking for max output with minimal modding experience, using the Mag you already have, take a look at the TerraLUX TLE-300; 600 lumens for $70. It's essentially just three LEDs, each with its own optic, all in a self-contained drop-in puck with all the necessary circuitry. It's a minimal difficulty install, you remove the stock Mag reflector and bulb, put the TLE-300 in the socket, done.

The TLE-300 projects a big fat hotspot with no corona or spill to speak of. You lose the Mag's focusing ability, but when you've got a glaring hotspot that's over two feet across from only ten feet away, you don't need it. The only con is that the hotspot looks a bit like a round, multi-pointed star (the optics to some degree project the square shape of the LEDs) but in normal use, especially outdoors, you don't notice it.

I mainly use my TLE-300 Mag on night walks down our suburb street to the area mailbox. Any time a car drives by going the same direction, it's a perfect side-by-side comparison of light output, and you can't miss it - the Mag is putting out just as much light as the car (the cars don't miss it either, as they usually slow down). It's still impressive every time I see it.

The TLE-300 is my fave Mag drop-in based on its ease of install, use of standard batteries, and good old "damn that's bright"-ness. I've always liked the idea of an LED hotwire/ROP that doesn't require any modding, and this certainly fills the bill.

See it here: http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-300.html

StarHalo is right about the AA adapters from the Shoppe you linked to in your post. They give 12 volts and 9 volts respectively. If you look at the specs on your 2-3 cell drop-in, in the middle of the page below "Patent Pending", max voltage is listed in red as only 5.5 volts.

The Malkoff specs are 600ma with 2 cells vs. 1 amp with 3 cells. I'm not sure if he's talking about Alkaline or NiMH there, but either way it's a 250% increase in power. You could expect your drop-in to be much brighter using a 3rd cell.

I think the least expensive option without changing the host or the drop-in would be to use Sub-C cells. Have you considered using them? All of these batteries are 43 mm long. A pair of D's is about 120 mm, so 3 Sub-C's would be about 9 mm longer. It might fit OK without having to cut the tailcap spring in your 2D MagLite. I have seen several posts where people use that white PVC pipe you get at the hardware store as a C to D sizing adapter. Apparently there's a size that's just right. Or you could use rolled up cardboard if you're not worried about what it looks like. At least cardboard won't get stuck or clunk around.

You will need a 7 mm spacer to put them in a normal C cell charger. Or you could use magnets and alligator clips soldered onto wires. I don't know how deep the Malkoff is. If there's enough room, you might be able to put a small jack in the side of the light. Something like a Radio Shack mini mono. Then you could use a universal charger for series charging.

Also from their pictures, all the Sub-C's appear to be flat-tops. That might cause a problem contacting the small recessed positive spring in the head of the light. Perhaps you could buy tabbed batteries and solder one of those neodymium magnet on the bottom end of the tab. That would allow you to grip the tab with a plier as a heat sink while soldering to avoid frying the battery. Then just bend it over when your finished. Despite what the link says of their recommended use, many people have said those little magnets shift out of position if you drop the light. At best the light stops working, and it might cause a short.

i now have the malkoff in my 3xD mag, (very nice)

and my terralux in my 2xD mag (on 3 xC cells) also nice but slightly blue in color.

i put my d.m.m. across some cells this a.m.

looks like a fresh duracell D is 1.5v so 4 of them would be 6volts and likely kill the malkoff.

but 3 x Ds is only 4.5 volts

how EXACT are voltage requirements on an item like this?

if the malkoff can accept 5.5v, would 6v kill it instantly? or might it like the added vs?

i could live with things the way i have then now, but as with many here, the lumens bug has got me quite bad:candle:

if i hadent first purchased 2 romisen rc-n3 id be happy, but the output (130lumens) from the romisens is SO excellent and for $17.00 shipped:huh:

i was hoping the upgrade to 240 lumens via the malkoff would impress, but im now thinking lumens are like everything else,

diminishing returns?

its possible to get 100+ lumens reasonably cheap

but the next steps get expensive.

what id really like, is a 5-7" long 1.5" diamiter light, that runs for 2 hours @ 180 lumens 5 hours @ 70, 80 hours @ 2.

ive seen em but their $200.00

and im trying to be cheap

guess ill look around for a christmas present to myself

must be horrible if you lose your 'ideal' $200+ edc

and if its pocketable, im sure its easy to lose

waddup said:

looks like a fresh duracell D is 1.5v so 4 of them would be 6volts and likely kill the malkoff.

but 3 x Ds is only 4.5 volts

how EXACT are voltage requirements on an item like this?

if the malkoff can accept 5.5v, would 6v kill it instantly? or might it like the added vs?

Click to expand...

I would think when he says 5.5 volts in RED, he means just that. Even if the answer is it's OK, why would you want to risk it? You might test it and if it doesn't blow, think it's OK. But instead of out-living you, it will have a dramatically shorter life span. More to the point is the fact that it's unnecessary. Your drop-in has a buck regulator. Which means it lets power through until it has enough for the constant current regulator to reach 1 amp at the LED (or whatever it's set to) and then no more. Since it only takes about 3.7 volts to reach full power and the newer bins even less, that means more voltage would have NO EFFECT on the brightness of the light. No effect that is other than blowing up the regulator. In a word, don't do it. Well I guess that's three words.

Take a look at Malkoff's 4-6 Triple for an example of the way a buck regulator behaves with different voltage input. He recommends using NiMH in those because Alkaline batteries can't supply the amount of current required. He lists the current draw for each of three types of battery arrangements. If you multiply them out you'll notice in each case, the drop-in is drawing 14.4 watts. Essentially the lights with extra batteries have longer run times. They are not brighter.

waddup said:

i was hoping the upgrade to 240 lumens via the malkoff would impress, but im now thinking lumens are like everything else,
diminishing returns?

Click to expand...

So speaking of the Malkoff triple... Why not go for one of them? 750 lumens is more than an incremental jump from a Romisen. The small reflectors have a much wider hotspot than the comparatively huge MagLite reflector. Something you indicated you were interested in from your first post. I was thinking of getting one of them myself. A 6D Maglite is a half a meter of ridiculous length. But if you put 2 of AW's C Li-Ions in a 2C MagLite, it would have 8.4 volts and be a very reasonable size in the bargain.

The TLE-300 StarHalo mention is probably just as bright. Because even though it only has 500-600 lumen output, the TIR optics have almost no spill. It's pretty much all hotspot.

Here is a thread containing among other things, instructions to do a homemade sputter coat to the stock Mag reflector. The link is for the directions. The pics are at the top of the post. If you mess it up, just buy a new reflector. The shipping will probably cost more than the part.

Al Combs said:

Your drop-in has a buck regulator. Which means it lets power through until it has enough for the constant current regulator to reach 1 amp at the LED (or whatever it's set to) and then no more. Since it only takes about 3.7 volts to reach full power and the newer bins even less, that means more voltage would have NO EFFECT on the brightness of the light. No effect that is other than blowing up the regulator.

Click to expand...

ah! thats very helpful, im no electronics guru, i had no idea what a buck regulator was or did.

my head actually hurts,

ive been looking at flashlights for days now and the more i look the better and smaller and more expensive they get,

and the more want 1.

i want a smaller, long runtime, variable output light,

between the twisties and clickies and d10, t11s, deerhunts wolfeyes,fenix,nightcore, olight etc etc

my head actualy hurts.

im happy to pay $150 for a great light

but a 6x D cell mag is wayyyyyyyyyyy to big to be practical

even the 2xC cell mag is HUGE compared to some of the 'tacktical' lights out there.......

As an afterthought, that 2D to 6AA Shoppe adapter you linked to in your first post would be perfect for a Malkoff 4-6 cell Triple in a 2D MagLite. Get yourself 6 eneloops and you're good to go. 2D Maglites aren't sooo big.

After all, you're never going to find a compact light with 750 lumen output that can run continuously.

StarHalo said:

The TLE-300 is my fave Mag drop-in based on its ease of install, use of standard batteries, and good old "damn that's bright"-ness. I've always liked the idea of an LED hotwire/ROP that doesn't require any modding, and this certainly fills the bill.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing from your description you have one of these. There's something I've been wondering about these not mentioned in the product description. After you make sure the drop-in is working, the directions say to unscrew the reflector housing till it makes contact with the aluminum backing of the drop-in for proper thermal transfer. I read into that a little Arctic Alumina at the contact point would be helpful. If the reflector housing is locked into a specific position for contact with the heat sink, what keeps the front lens in contact with the O-ring and front bezel? Without the reflector, the cover glass rattles around in there. Does it come with some sort of plastic ring the shape and size of the front of the Mag's original reflector? Thanks in advance...

Al Combs said:

what keeps the front lens in contact with the O-ring and front bezel? Without the reflector, the cover glass rattles around in there. Does it come with some sort of plastic ring the shape and size of the front of the Mag's original reflector?

Click to expand...

Yup, it comes with a big fat o-ring that sits right behind the lens and holds it firmly in place. That combined with the drop-in being seated squarely on the head means nothing rattles at all, it actually seems more solid than the stock configuration.

You can see it in this pic (it's behind a UCL lens, which is so clear that it's rarely visible or shows in photos):

What about something like this:
http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_12&products_id=26
Combined with 2 of these:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?p=2069089#post2069089
With some sort of tubing to make an adaptor so they fit in the 2D Maglite.

Kinda like what Al was saying in Post #5, but using the 2D Maglite.

StarHalo said:

Yup, it comes with a big fat o-ring that sits right behind the lens and holds it firmly in place. That combined with the drop-in being seated squarely on the head means nothing rattles at all, it actually seems more solid than the stock configuration.

Click to expand...

Thanks StarHalo.:thumbsup: That all makes sense now. I couldn't imagine how they could account for minor variations between the height of their drop-in and the distance from the thermal transfer step on the inside of the reflector housing to the back of the cover glass. That's if you used the front of the drop-in to press against the glass. I thought they had a hard plastic ring just like the very front of the Mag's original reflector to make up the 1.3 mm gap its not being there creates. But if you did it that way, sure as the day was long, someone would come along and try to focus it. That's a rather elegant and less expensive solution to both problems.

Like I was telling waddup, I was thinking of getting a Malkoff triple. I had totally forgotten about the TLE-300. The price has come down quite a bit. I think it was originally $100, or something like that. I'll have to give it another look.

Thanks again.

is it a good idea to power a malkoff in a 2d with a 6aa->2d adaptor? i'd prefer to use rechargeable AA instead of D cells.

eFxA2C said:

is it a good idea to power a malkoff in a 2d with a 6aa->2d adaptor? i'd prefer to use rechargeable AA instead of D cells.

Click to expand...

i believe as long as you dont exceed the voltage limits of the malkoff you can use any battery you want.

eFxA2C said:

is it a good idea to power a malkoff in a 2d with a 6aa->2d adaptor? i'd prefer to use rechargeable AA instead of D cells.

Click to expand...

6xAA has the same voltage as 6xD - if you use a Malkoff drop-in designed to be able to run off 6xD then it should work with 6xAA. The main difference is going to be the capacity of the cells. I have some NiMH D cells with 10,000mAH capacity which is 4 to 5 times as much as AA cells. Of course 6xD cells is going to need a huge torch, so there is a definite penalty to the bigger cells!

If you were to adapt 2 x LiIon C cells then you could have 3,300mAh which is noticably better than you can get out of AA cells - and you still have the same voltage.

Could it be theoretically possible to build a 12V M60 module?

I have a 2x18650 body and wonder if it could take input from either 2x18650 or 4x123 cells.

etc said:

Could it be theoretically possible to build a 12V M60 module?

I have a 2x18650 body and wonder if it could take input from either 2x18650 or 4x123 cells.

Click to expand...

You'd just need a driver that could regulate that large a voltage range. But you don't need that much voltage for insane output levels; the pair of 18650s you already have would net you ~600 lumens from the aforementioned TerraLUX. Beyond that is ~700 lumens from a P7 mod, ~1200 lumens from a '61 mod, etc, none of which require more voltage than you already have.

The issue is really runtime.

Then 2 x 18650 will give you more runtime than 4 x 123 will. If you use primary CR123's there would not bee much in it, but the 18650 will be able to supply loads more current.

Nova