Mini Mag Mod Muddle - Pls Help w/ hotwire

This is my 1st mod, and it doesn't work (yet )

I put the standard hotwire kit together with TLE-5 bulb, clicky, new lens ceramic base and metal reflector and 14500 lithium batteries.

I epoxy glued the ceremac base into the mag to keep it from falling out. Probably a mistake... Now I suspect that the + terminal is not making a good connection and it is very difficult to access.

I have read of people using 0.5mm x 6 mm magnets to make a better connection. Does anyone think it would help me and if so, where can I buy them?

Appreciate any suggestions.

Frustrated and in the dark

dealextreme.com carries the magnets. Not sure about the other problems. I am fairly new here, also.

JSO123 said:

This is my 1st mod, and it doesn't work (yet )

I put the standard hotwire kit together with TLE-5 bulb, clicky, new lens ceramic base and metal reflector and 14500 lithium batteries.

I epoxy glued the ceremac base into the mag to keep it from falling out. Probably a mistake... Now I suspect that the + terminal is not making a good connection and it is very difficult to access.

I have read of people using 0.5mm x 6 mm magnets to make a better connection. Does anyone think it would help me and if so, where can I buy them?

Appreciate any suggestions.

Frustrated and in the dark

Click to expand...

:welcome:

I think maybe you need less epoxy instead of more magnets. Sorry, I couldn't resist. There have been cases I've read on CPF where those magnets shift to the side when the light is bumped or dropped. Even though anodizing is non-conductive, there might be a microscopic bare spot that could short out the batteries. That is of course very dangerous with Li-Ion. Worth doing a search if you haven't heard about this.

If you have a DMM, just measure from the bare aluminum on the rear of the battery tube to the contact on the ceramic that goes off to the side. You could cobble together a makeshift tester from a battery, a small bulb and some clip leads. It's probably not making contact as you said.

Epoxy turns all rubbery at about 300°F. A little bit of heat is all you need to take it apart. It also makes nasty fumes if you get it too hot. Try to do it in a well ventilated area. Take off the O-ring and as much of the grease as you can. Stick it in the toaster oven first at about 250° to see if that's enough. It will only take a few minutes if it's hot enough. Grab the body with a pot holder and push the ceramic out with a piece of wood. Don't forget a folded up piece of paper towel or something to land on. It might break the ceramic or burn the counter. Epoxy tends to re-harden as it cools so try to clean up the residue while it's still hot. A long thin screwdriver will help here.

If you don't have a toaster oven and decide to use something like a torch, be very careful. Not only will excessive heat make toxic smoke, it will change the color of the anodizing.

Good luck

I'm not sure if this will help but have you ever seen those ultra thin cheesy key rings like you get when you buy a lock? If you cut off ≈ 300° segment from one of those, bend it to the right shape... The ceramic and the battery are both beveled slightly. Perhaps enough to allow the use of a keeper that doesn't prevent contact with the bulb holder. But if it does, try soldering a small piece of brass or copper to the contact on the ceramic. Don't use magnets. And don't solder on the batteries.

Of course you do have to get it apart first.

Where did you get the kit from? I read there weren't any more available. Good luck with your mod.

Lighthound has the socket only back in stock. You have to come up with a metal reflector. The Shoppe mentions the McR-20 Joker as working with the M*mag. The pdf says it has a hole in the center 5.79 mm wide. Anybody know the diameter of the TL-3 bulb? If not the McR-20-S is shorter on the bulb end for a 7 mm opening.

, I just checked there to make sure it was the TL-3 bulb and the socket is not listed at the moment. I was yesterday. Might be worth checking back to see if they come in. Or email them to ask if they're expecting more.

I take it all back. Both the McR-20 Joker and the McR-20-S have a diameter of 19.05 mm at the second step that would fit inside the reflector housing. I just measured my MiniMag and it's about 0.2 mm smaller than that. OK mine is kind of old so maybe the newer ones are different. But even so, the front step is 2.33 thicker than the one on the plastic reflector so there would be a huge gap in the bezel. The only way either McR-20 will fit a MiniMag is if you have access to a lathe.

The negative terminal of the ceramic socket has to make contact with the inside of the flange on the body. This could be your problem.

You could also try the stock tailcap to make sure that the clicky is not defective.

Try boiling it in water and then push out the socket. Clean out all of the epoxy from inside the body.

You can use a thin o-ring to retain the socket.

I also insert a #12 SAE flat washer inside the body before I slide in the socket. This spaces the filament down a little so I can achieve proper focus without having to unscrew the head as much.

When you get it working, try a Carley H1499 in it for more output.

Thanks for the advice.

The problem was the ground termimal from the ceramic base did not reach the metal body of the mini mag to complete the circuit. I added a bit of solder wire and it works OK for now. I'll probably pick up a new base so it will be a better permanent fix.