Mag Solitaire bulbs to run on Li-Ion 10440?

Are there any 3.7v bulbs that will fit in the Mag Solitaire that I could run on an AW10440? Maybe something about 10-20 incan lumens that won't melt the stock lens or reflector?

I searched CPF, but couldn't come up with much. The Mag 2AA bulb is too long to fit, I already tried.

Thanks in advance,
Robert

Cool idea - wish I could offer help. Free bump, though.

Try trimming the leads of a 2AA bulb, see if that helps, it will throw the focus off as the bulb itself is larger.

jrmcferren said:

Try trimming the leads of a 2AA bulb, see if that helps, it will throw the focus off as the bulb itself is larger.

Click to expand...

It's funny that you mention that...
I was really excited when I realized that cutting the leads by about 1.5mm would make the entire lamp equal in length to the 1AAA bulb. As I was about to operate on the 2AA bulb... Trimming the leads won't help at all with the length problem--it's the bulb section of the 2AA lamps that makes it too long.

I did find that the 2AA is just short enough that when screwed down against the lens, it's just enough to push in on the switch and turn off the light, but a gap remains and I really don't like it pushing against the lens.

My search continues :laughing:

When you do figure it out, bump this thread? I thought that a 2AA bulb is rated at 2.4v, so a 10440 at 3.7/4.2v and .
I was just on zbattery, and they have OH so many colors: 3 different greens, yellow, amber, pink, red, copper . I know that tek-tite makes a drop-in, but I like your idea much better.

It's tough to find bulbs that small. I found this bulb that could possibly be removed from the metal base without pulling the wires out of the glass envelope. If it was small enough (hard to say from the info I could find) it would be brighter than a 2xAA minimag bulb. The standard maglite 2xAA bulb is 1.8W, while this bulb is rated at 3.96W with 3.6V. Here is another source that includes a picture. And here is another bulb I found that just may be small enough, and is a 3.5W, 3.5V bulb. Best of luck in your search.

How about a bulb that fits in the head/ignore the reflector?

GarageBoy said:

How about a bulb that fits in the head/ignore the reflector?

Click to expand...

While using a bulb without a reflector would probably open up the options for bulbs, I think the output would be pretty poor. LEDs can pull this off sometimes because they are forward emitting, but I'm not too sure it would work too well with an incan.

Robert

You might try emailing some of the bulb manufactures and asking them.
You never know.

metlarules said:

You might try emailing some of the bulb manufactures and asking them.
You never know.

Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea. It's too bad that LF doesn't make any. I found a thread from a while back where Mark from LF was asking if people would be interested but everyone told him not to waste his time since everyone liked their 3mm LED mods.

You need the reflector to operate the switch, don't you? Tightening and loosening the head, moves the reflector on and off of the switch.

GarageBoy said:

How about a bulb that fits in the head/ignore the reflector?

Click to expand...

***Deleted misinformation****


but... reflector isn't needed...

turbo chicken said:

nope the swithc is in the tail cap really... take off the head leave the bulb in and press on the bulb... the light turns off ... the bulb being pushed down by the lense is what activates the switch...

now take off the back of the flashlight... hold it in one hand and push downward on the spring... the tabs move to contact what would be th body of the flashlight to turn it on...

hope i splained that good. but... reflector isn't needed...

Click to expand...

Sorry, you are totally wrong.
In the tail is a spring, to take the movement of the battery back down the tube when the bezel is screwed down.
The bulb is mounted on a bulb-carrier which is loose from the tube and can be moved in and out/ down the tube, by the reflector in the bezel when the bezel is screwed down to turn the light off, or out when the light is to be turned on.
On this carrier is some contacts, which make contact with the tube when the carrier is moved as far out as it can before being stopped by an inward flared edge of the tube.
These contacts make the electrical path from the body/negative of the battery to the bulb.
So you do definitively need the reflector!
It is possible to make the opening in the reflector bigger, a little bit, to accommodate a bigger bulb than the original one.
But not much!
I would estimate another 1 mm diameter opening before the back of the reflector becomes too thin and weak.
So a bulb fitting that hole would fit.

Actually I find a Strion bulb might fit!
If you do some modification on the carrier and the bulb's leads to make it possible to install the Strion bulb in the bulb-carrier.
The remaining problem is that the heat from the bulb might weaken the plastic reflector so much it might collapse when you screw the bezel down to turn the light off.

You also need to watch the discharge current of the bulb.
A Strion bulb will put too much load on a 10440, exceeding 2C discharge.

My AA M@g bulb draws ~400mA with a 10440.

mitch79 said:

You also need to watch the discharge current of the bulb.
A Strion bulb will put too much load on a 10440, exceeding 2C discharge.

My AA M@g bulb draws ~400mA with a 10440.

Click to expand...

A Strion bulb draws around 1.7 A on a RCR123 cell.
On a 10440 not much runtime, but for a great impression from a a small light, absolutely!
For the time it lasts!

The concern here is not runtime so much as safety. Li-ion cells with Co chemistry (standard, high capacity) are limited to about 2C discharge rate or they can become too hot. If a Li-ion cell gets too hot, it will enter a thermal runaway reaction which cannot be stopped even by turning the light off. Only can result at that point. 10440 cells in particular are very thin and seem able to dissipate heat better than other sizes of Li-ion cells. I think this is why they have been used to power lights at 3C without reported incidents. I have recently even read of someone running one at 4C without a problem - yet. But >5C load from a Strion bulb is territory that I wouldn't want to explore. Be safe friends.

Have you thought of trying the 2AAA bulb?
I know they are rare, but someone somewhere must be selling them.

CancerLad said:

Have you thought of trying the 2AAA bulb?
I know they are rare, but someone somewhere must be selling them.

Click to expand...

In looking at some pictures online, it appears that the 2AAA bulb is about the same length as the 2AA bulb.

labrat said:

Sorry, you are totally wrong.

Click to expand...

Yes I was completely wrong about the operation of the light.

I don't have the reflector in mine and it still works ... i want to find an optic lense for it now