HELP! Need homemade heatsink!

Hello everyone.
Recently I purchased a Terralux TLE6 EX for my 5D cell maglite. As i use it for about ten minutes, I begin to notice that it is dimming due to overheating. I REALLY need a heatsink for this. I don't want to order one because my parents think I'm crazy for being interested in flashlights. I'm also only 16. I just want to be able to make one from scratch with household objects. I am not able to cut metal or anything like that. And I'm still a noob because I have not ever done any modding on a flashlight seeing as I only own two good ones. But, any suggestions on a homemade heatsink? Please help. Thanks in advance.

I am unsure about how the terralux dropin fits into the maglite, but try wrapping it in aluminum foil.

:wave:
I'm 17, and I'm a flashaholic.

If you have any old PC's around the house then consider pulling one apart for the motherboard chipset heatsink.

If not, then maybe just get to work with a pair of pliers and an old beer can or soup tin.

Good luck

There's not much you can do besides putting thermal paste and wrapping the module in aluminum foil as there's no way for the heat from the LED to get to the body.

You may want to use the LED and driver from the module to create a mod using a proper heatsink sold in the BST.

tebore said:

There's not much you can do besides putting thermal paste and wrapping the module in aluminum foil as there's no way for the heat from the LED to get to the body.

You may want to use the LED and driver from the module to create a mod using a proper heatsink sold in the BST.

Click to expand...

I would consider doing that... But doesn't that require me to take the LED apart? :shrug:

Capo_au said:

If you have any old PC's around the house then consider pulling one apart for the motherboard chipset heatsink.

If not, then maybe just get to work with a pair of pliers and an old beer can or soup tin.

Good luck

Click to expand...

Those old heatsinks in computers are to big. I am also into building computers so I don't think there is one small enough on there... :shakehead

csshih said:

I am unsure about how the terralux dropin fits into the maglite, but try wrapping it in aluminum foil.

:wave:
I'm 17, and I'm a flashaholic.

Click to expand...

I already tried that... Problem is that the dropin module fits inside the long part of the reflector. So when I put aluminum foil in it, the long part of the reflector (i don't know what to call it) pushes the aluminum down inside the tube of the maglite...

Cole07 said:

I would consider doing that... But doesn't that require me to take the LED apart? :shrug:

Click to expand...

It does. Sooner or later the modding bug will bite, there's no fighting it. :thumbsup:

I've learned there's never a perfect product, there's stuff that comes close but never 100% and modding is just a way of making closer to being perfect.

If you build your old Magmod with LED it will be better than anything you could buy for the same money.

Hmm... I just need to mod a few cheap little flashlights first just to sort of get the hang of it... Then maybe I will move on to the Maglite. But any other suggestions are welcome and appreciated!:twothumbs

A very, very good alternative to your current maglite is the Romisen RC-N3 Q5 from shiningbeam.com. It's considerably smaller than your Maglite, and uses 2AA batteries. There is no noticeable dimming.

If/when you ever make the switch to rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the light will also accept a RCR123A, brighter, too.

Thats another one of those things where my parents won't let mo order anything because they think its a waste of money. And what country is it made in? If its made in China I will not buy it. I try to stick only to American made things. Plus I doubt this will have anywhere near the throw of my Maglite. But thanks for the suggestion! :twothumbs

alright, no worries! (though your spending budget just skyrocketed..)
american made... too bad 47s lights arent included.

McGizmo, Muyshondt, Malkoff Devices, Ra, Surefire.. have fun!

btw.. arent terraluxes made offshore?

Maglite is American made. High quality. Beat down tool. Runs great. And best of all cheap. Thats why i stick with them. Yea you are right. My terralux is made in China. The website lied to me. Said made in America. They probably meant designed in America. lol :shrug:

Cole07 said:

Plus I doubt this will have anywhere near the throw of my Maglite.

Click to expand...

Sad to be the bearer of bad news, but the little rominsen outclasses the mag handily.
Futher, Mag Industries is Canadian. Don't yours have the Ontario address on the bezel? I suspect many components originate over seas, but this is speculation.
While I'm not in favour of nationalism, I totally support you wanting to buy locally produced goods as this saves the carbon costs of shipping and contributes more to the local economy. Just realize that you've got to be willing to pay a premium for that, so you're choosing local and paying more for something that may by many other measures be a superior product.

Anyway, back to the heatsink part ... if you're serious about heatsinking that's great. It means you'll want to improve the thermal path from the emiter to the outer tube. You've noticed there's a cam in the way. You choice is which you want more, the cam of an improved thermal path.

G'luck.

linger said:

Sad to be the bearer of bad news, but the little rominsen outclasses the mag handily.
Futher, Mag Industries is Canadian. Don't yours have the Ontario address on the bezel? I suspect many components originate over seas, but this is speculation.
While I'm not in favour of nationalism, I totally support you wanting to buy locally produced goods as this saves the carbon costs of shipping and contributes more to the local economy. Just realize that you've got to be willing to pay a premium for that, so you're choosing local and paying more for something that may by many other measures be a superior product.

Anyway, back to the heatsink part ... if you're serious about heatsinking that's great. It means you'll want to improve the thermal path from the emiter to the outer tube. You've noticed there's a cam in the way. You choice is which you want more, the cam of an improved thermal path.

G'luck.

Click to expand...

No no no no no no Mag is not Canadian. There's another Ontario besides our idiot run province and it's in California.

Don't you know that any cool stuff invented in Canada was ignored so the inventors went to the US where people were smart enough to recognize their ingenuity.

linger said:

Sad to be the bearer of bad news, but the little rominsen outclasses the mag handily.

Click to expand...

I wanted to say something along the lines of that, but didn't really have a comparison. I've never handled a terralux in such a large mag., though, with only a cree XR-E of unknown bin, I'd think that linger's right.


Cole, here's my outdoor comparison thread of quite a few lights. Sorry, it only has a single maglite -- 3D with the kyrpton bulb
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235171

tebore said:

No no no no no no Mag is not Canadian. There's another Ontario besides our idiot run province and it's in California.

Don't you know that any cool stuff invented in Canada was ignored so the inventors went to the US where people were smart enough to recognize their ingenuity.

Click to expand...

Hello there,
good home-made heat sink is more difficult to make than you think. You have to have a lathe and you really need to design your heat sink - see mine:

If you don't mine imported stuff from Thailand you can order $11 heat sink from Setaponghttps://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/203235

In any case, you'd have to attach your LED on the heat sink. I doubt you can interface drop-in to heat sink (might as well start over).

Jerzy G.

linger said:

Sad to be the bearer of bad news, but the little rominsen outclasses the mag handily.
Futher, Mag Industries is Canadian. Don't yours have the Ontario address on the bezel? I suspect many components originate over seas, but this is speculation.
While I'm not in favour of nationalism, I totally support you wanting to buy locally produced goods as this saves the carbon costs of shipping and contributes more to the local economy. Just realize that you've got to be willing to pay a premium for that, so you're choosing local and paying more for something that may by many other measures be a superior product.

Anyway, back to the heatsink part ... if you're serious about heatsinking that's great. It means you'll want to improve the thermal path from the emiter to the outer tube. You've noticed there's a cam in the way. You choice is which you want more, the cam of an improved thermal path.

G'luck.

Click to expand...

I doubt that. Judging by the pictures that 3D mag looks like it could out throw Romisen. I'm not saying it's a bad light. It is a great little tactical light! But I'm looking for throw more than flood. And my Mag with the drop-in will out throw that mag by 3x at least and probably has as much flood as the romisen in that guys picture review.


But as for the heatsinking, I still need some advice. Some one who is experienced in handling mags... Guess I will just have to wait and see. :mecry: BUT IM STILL UP FOR SUGGESTIONS!!!

csshih said:

I wanted to say something along the lines of that, but didn't really have a comparison. I've never handled a terralux in such a large mag., though, with only a cree XR-E of unknown bin, I'd think that linger's right.


Cole, here's my outdoor comparison thread of quite a few lights. Sorry, it only has a single maglite -- 3D with the kyrpton bulb
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235171

Click to expand...

Thanks for the beam comparisons! I am surprised by that Romisen. Didn't expect so much out of that little light! :twothumbs

It can be done with a drill(press), dremel, files, thermal epoxy, thermal grease, and grinder, thats how I did it.
Get a thin (southbridge) heatsink.
Drill a hole in the center so that the module fits in real tight.
I think I made the hole too small then opened it with a Dremel small sanding barrel.
The heatsink will be added to the very bottom of the Terralux module any spikes should point down below the Terralux heatsink.
Use a good epoxy, either Arctic Silver or mix some of the shavings of aluminum you will make shaping the heatsink to 2 part epoxy.
Now I used a bench grinder to rough out the shape of the Mag D tube.
Finish it out with a file or the dremel for a tight fit in the tube, it shouldn't be super tight.
Use some thermal grease to improve the heatsink to body thermal path.
Now cut the tube of the mag reflector off a 1/8th inch from the base of the bell.
It will have a fixed focus but it will not turn blue.
I just wish I took pictures of this before I gave it to my friend.