Replacing the mag charger

My brother is looking for something to replace his mag charger, exact reason somewhat unclear, but I suspect the battery pack may be at the end of its life span. He needs a powerful spot. Usage is occational search light for outdoor use (at sea and in the woods).

I like the design and durability of the mag AA/C/D lights, but I am not exactly impressed by the light output. I've upgraded 1 3D cell and a couple of 2AA's with led replacement, and the improvement is huge (and cheap! No expensive malkoff mods, I'm afraid...) The mag charger, however, seems to be in a totally different league:

I've never used the mag charger, but it seems to get a lot of praise on this forum for its high quality AND light output, with hints of output in the 200 lumens range.

Will the mag charger be outshined by, say, a fenix L2D Q5 or TK20? Based on lumens rating alone, my guess is "probably not". There just is no point in buying an expensive led flashlight if it does not illuminate as good as the mag charger, preferably better... Then he'll probably be better off replacing the battery pack.

BTW: My reference is fenix L2D (not the Q5 version).

I have tried a number of times but just can't find anything that comes close to the convenience and output of the Magcharger package.
There are after market battery packs cheaper than the OEM part as well as lamps from Welch Allyn which will make the output even better!!

It seems you are right. My guestimate is that although you find reasonable priced 2*AA's that are just as powerful, it is hard to find something in that price range with enough throw/thight beam to be a substitute for the mag charger.

I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, of course ... :thumbsup:

Untill then: Any tips of where to find aftermarket batteries for the mag charger?

Check out the Fenix TK20. Its not rechargeable, but runs off of 2 AA batteries and has a nice warm tint. Otherwise you could get a 3D mag and a terralux drop in, or any of the countless hotwire mods. How about a P7 mag? Way more than 200 lumens...

Google is your friend, but try here

http://www.batterycountry.com/ShopSite/flashlights.html

Replacing the battery pack sounds like a good idea. Especially if he likes the form-factor of the MagCharger.

A good alternative is the Streamlight UltraStinger. It's designed for the same jobs as a MagCharger.

The head of a Magcharger is designed for throw.It is bigger than a DBS or a Tiablo A10 head.Because of this it will stand toe-to-toe with the best LED's built today.Put a Phillips 5761 bulb(765 bulb lumens) in it and you have a light that will outthrow/outspill everything out there except the HID's.Tell your brother to buy a new battery pack and a couple of 5761 bulbs and he won't be disappointed.

^Best suggestion so far

ANDREAS FERRARI said:

Put a Phillips 5761 bulb(765 bulb lumens) in it and you have a light that will outthrow/outspill everything out there except the HID's.

Click to expand...

I'm sure you can use the stock reflector with this setup but doesn't something have to be done to it in order to fit the 5761 bulb? I'm sure I read something somewhere here on CPF about that...:thinking:

The hole in the reflector needs to be enlarged slightly so as the bulb will fit through it. Also,a mica shield should be used in between the bulb and the socket so the plastic socket won't melt due to increased heat.

I am new to the board and would like to offer an alternative to enlarging the reflector hole to accomodate the 5761 bulb. I have two Mag Chargers using the 5761 bulb upgrade.

Instead of enlarging the hole, take the reflector and ring/lense assembly apart (yes I know the manual says not to),hold the reflector over the bi-pin adapter, and put the bulb prongs through the reflector hole and into the adapter and push all of the way down. Slide the head up over the reflector, holding the reflector very still as you will bend the bulb pins if you are not careful, and screw the ring/lens assembly back on to the head. That's it.

The first time you twist the head, the reflector will slightly raise the bulb so that the focusing option is maintained and the bulb is a little further from the plastic on the adapter.

As I said earlier. I have two of these set-ups and have not had a problem with either one.

I hope this suggestion is useful.

Tuck

What kind of battery would he use. isn't the 5761 bulb 6 volts? that's what the magcharger has is a 6 volt battery. I'm also looking to do something to my magcharger...

Obviously, you're not over-driving the 5761 in an otherwise stock MC, but can the plastic MC reflector take the heat?

gswitter said:

Obviously, you're not over-driving the 5761 in an otherwise stock MC, but can the plastic MC reflector take the heat?

Click to expand...

I have done a lot with 5761s. MC can take it. You may need to enlarge the hole in the reflector to 10 mm by using a dressed grinding ball in a dremel.
the slug needs a little protection as the socket is plastic. A mica insulator from a transistor will do, ceramic blanket too but cheapest was a piece of fiber glass matt from automotive body repair section of your auto parts or Wal mart store. A matt under the bulb will do.

WA makes a bulb some people put into the WC as a hot wire. The 5761 at its rated 6V is brighter.

My first MC mods used parallel NiMh packs, bad idea as a parallel Nickel pack will destroy itself. I have switched to lithium but as I said you can get a ton of light with the standard 6v battery pack, you can also get high capacity 6v. packs for it also from some of the battery sites. The 5761 at 6V produces 765 lumens, out of the 6V light that is nearly 500 torch lumens! On a 7.2 volt lithium battery pack and soft start (my pcb soft starts it) you can put out nearly 900 torch lumens, 1351 lumens. Figures are calculated by the Hotrater. Standard OEM is just less than 200 lumens.

This next link describes some of the upgrades, followed by my other experiments

MagCharger Hot Wire hosts?
Brightest Simple Mag Charger Mod, brighter than the 1160
Another M*gCharger 5761, but why
2,272 foot throw from my MagCharger!
Ceramic Mag Chager G4 and G6.35 socket- DIY now picts!
A Fuse Saved My Hot Wire! (PICTURE!)

gswitter said:

Obviously, you're not over-driving the 5761 in an otherwise stock MC, but can the plastic MC reflector take the heat?

Click to expand...

Doesn't MC use a metal reflector? Or am I thinking about something else?

My MC has a metal reflector.

I bought my MC new a couple years ago, and the reflector's plastic. I have a couple metal reflector options from FM, but neither has a bulb opening large enough for the 5761.

I looked into the larger capacity NiMH packs back when I first got the light, but I didn't get one because I was wanting to upgrade to a hotter bulb, and it was questionable whether the NiMH packs could supply enough current (~3A max as I recall).

The standard ni cad pack is better for running hight current bulbs.

jzmtl said:

Doesn't MC use a metal reflector? Or am I thinking about something else?

Click to expand...

MC reflectors are steel with a aluminum coating and are mounted in a plastic frame that is elevated and vented so not to burn or heat up. My new one is the same as my 30 year old one.

Will the plastic frame stand up to the heat from an over-driven 5761?