CMG Clickie/123A Mod

I took my CMG Infinity and decided to mod it. I cut off the tail end with the loop and added a clickie. I also bored out the inside and now it can use a 123A battery. I thought the extra power would fry something but it didn't, it actually makes the light a whole lot brighter.

I wonder how much longer it will run now? I'll have to do a test run. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Woo hoo! Amazing that they made the CMG tubing thick enough to bore out for the 123. The clickie is a real help too, since the thin bezel makes the CMG fiddly to turn on compared to a minimag.

If you're not worried about making the LED fail from the higher voltage, maybe you can cut down the tube to make the whole light shorter. You can even use a CR2 for even more compactness.

Hmmmm... I wonder if we could remove the LED and board and cram a badboy400 in there..... I know someone had access to empty unfinished heads for the infinity...

Oh man, yet ANOTHER light you'll have to make for me. Have you considered also boring out the head a bit to fit...(blasphemy!) a 1W Luxeon?

I'm still scratching my head over how the Infinity holds the 123 cell. The Infinity isn't thicker than a Minimag, and I remember looking at whether the Minimag could be bored out for a 123 or even a (slightly thinner) CR2.

Putting in a BB is a cute idea but I'd worry about the light overheating. Look at how much effort went into heat sinking the Firefly (a/k/a tvodrd mini-123).

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy... I want one, no two - at least /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Please keep us updated about the runtime ! Hopefully the led will survive this.

Chris

Well someone went and did it. I noticed last year when I first got a CMG that a 123 and a Kroll would fit almost perfectly lenght wise. I thought about boring it out but wasn't sure if the threads had enough depth. Apparently they do. My idea was to put an Opalec into the head. Unfortunately I don't have access to a shop /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Then, with all the 1w LS lights out now I kind of forgot about it. It's nice to see someone else did it.
Good job Joe!

The CMG was thick enough to bore out but it leaves the body pretty thin, you could actually bend it with two hands and a good amount of pressure. I would imagine with the battery inside it would be more stable.

I like the BB & 1W idea plus a CR2 would also work great. Hmmmmm, back to the drawing board for some more improvements.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Looks NEAT!
Please do post runtime/heat issue/Led life.
Was it a lot of time to mod?
Any chance you might make some more?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Just to satisfy my curiosity, how did you bore it out? On a lathe?

John Frederick - Thanks, I too had the idea a while back but had put it on the back burner. I started the mod a few months ago but just never got to finishing it, I finally had some free time and got it done. BTW, I used a lathe.

Stainless - Thanks, I am planning on doing some runtimes. I don't think I'll have much of a problem with heat but I am a bit worried on LED life. Was it a lot of time to mod? Yea about 4 months . . . LOL, thats only because I started and didn't get a chance to finish it until now. If I had just done it all at once Im sure it would have only taken about an hour or two. Im not sure if I'll make more I want to be sure the LED wont die out due to it being overdriven, I'd hate to make one for someone and have it die on them only after little use.

Joe400,
Glad somebody did it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ! In my experience, 3/4" dia works just fine for 123s. If you keep the I.D. .655.-.650, you'll never crush it with a battery inside. (I considered shortening mine from the front for a BadBoy, but went for the CR2 solution, instead.) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif Nice Mod!

Larry

Joe,
Nice light there! I am in the process of making a Infinity Ultra LS-CR2 light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif but time is really limited /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif.