How do we brighten our 4D Mags???

Guys, I have a 4D mounted in my truck, which I like, but it does not even compare to the 2C mod I just did. How can I get this 4D (while still running on 4D's) to wake up? I'm looking for something simple, but not ready to do a LS mod.

I guess if I have to, I can fill it with 123's since they are cheap now from SureFire.Com, and get a hot bulb...

I am not concerned about run time, but would expect an hour from the setup. What would you guys do? Thanks in advance. -Jace- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Simplest is a 3 cell bulb instead of the 4 cell.

A piece of 1 inch plastic pipe with 5 C Cells works good for me.

[deleted, Joe beat me to it]

Tater Rocket made a cool 20W MR16 mod on the 4D Mag. He claimed a runtime of 50 to 60 minutes with 1600mah AA NiMH's. You can find the thread (including a beamshot) here.

Playboy, are there supposed to be two thumbnails in your sig?

maybe try a 20-led module, like the one I picked up on eBay.

I would suggest an EverLED. I have two mags with them...very nice.

It all depends on how much trouble you are willing to go to for this mod. If super brightness is what you are after then the MR16 bulb mod is definitely the way to go. Several of us are planning on converting over to 12volt MR16 bulbs in our 4D Mags when Wayne's 3-To-D adapters come available, which should be very shortly. That would allow you to easily fit 12 rechargeable AA batteries into your 4D Mag, in series, to overdrive a 12 volt MR16 bulb. The only hard part of this mod will be interfacing the MR16 bulb to the stock Mag socket, but with the 3-To-Ds, the power supply problem will be a piece of cake.

Careful about putting 5Cs in a 4D configuration if you're talkin' about incandescents (or some LEDs, for that matter)... It may not like the voltage increase...

Thanks for the replies! I really would like to brighten up the one in my truck. I want the brightness of the Brinkmann LX light, with the size and bulk of the 4D.(this is in case I need to blind someone, and then bonk them over the head with my light)-Hey, ya never know!

This weekend I will try the suggestions. I will look for a good krypton 3D bulb, and I will also try stuffing in 5C's. With the 5C's, do I still keep the same 4D bulb? Surely a 3D bulb will flash on me. I guess I answered my own question. I DO know that dropping a 2D bulb into a 3D mag will only last 1 minute.

I did follow that you guys are putting MR-16 in mags. We don't have a Lowe's up here, but I will try the depot. Are you guys using rechargeable Alkalines, or NiCad/NiMH?

zmoz, is the EverLED a drop-in replacement for the PR bulb? Where do I look for one? Thanks!

As I type this, eBay is down for maintenance. Later I will look at the 20 LED, and I also see that there is a 32 LED conversion for about $45 shipped. I don't know what the beamshot looks like, or if it will throw a descent beam. I like the reliability and durability of LED(remember what it might be used for!) ..still thinking. Perhaps I will e-mail the LED seller some questions.

Falcon, I guess I will just shop for a few bulbs if I take that 5C route. Any suggestions?


One last thing, I was in Aubochon the other day with my wife, and in the parts bin isle, and saw a bin of flashlight bulbs. They had standard, krypton and Halogen bulbs - all for different voltages. These halogen bulbs were $5-$6 each. Should I try one, or are halogen bulbs not the way to go anymore? I am new at this, but I remember when I was youger, I got a black plastic Eveready click-on/click-off HALOGEN light, and it was brighter than anything else at the time. I am thinking that halogen "went away" because of the immense power draw. Then everything seemed to be Krypton. But I could be wrong. Thoughts on Halogen bulbs in the Mag? Home Depot does have the Xenon Mag bulb, but someone may have said that they were no big whoop. I don't think Aubochon will replace a burned out $6 halogen bulb that I tried to overdrive with 4 or 5 cells. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

>>>Playboy, are there supposed to be two thumbnails in your sig? <<<

Actually what my sig is is a clickable image thanks to (damn brain - insert appropriate name here).

Jace,
I can see a couple of different simple ways to make your 4 D Mag brighter. First is the EverLed lamp at forty bucks depending on where you get them. Here's one place to get the EverLeds. The EverLed will make your Mag a little brighter and the run time will increase greatly but from what you have said your looking for something real bright.
I just bought a Responder by Koehler-Bright Star and most everyone that has seen the flashlight has commented on just how bright it is. It has a tighter beam but is brighter than the headlights on my truck.The responders lamp should fit in the Mag and they only cost $3.50 plus shipping. They claim that fresh out of the package they put out about 30,000 to 35,000 candles. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif You can find the Responder lamps here. This should be better than over powering other lamps and will allow for a longer lamp life and the Ds should help as well. These lamps are produced for use with four AA batteries so the Ds are going to increase your run time to over an hour. If you use Nimh or Nicd batteries the voltage is going to drop and the light may become a little more yellow in color and not as bright. I haven't overdriven one of these lamps yet but they should really be something to see on. A configuration of five fractional cell RECHARGEABLE batteries may just be something VERY BRIGHT. A few 4/5 D cells and a little tweeking of the rear spring may just work well to drive the Responders lamp on rechargeables to keep the long run expense down.
You may want to watch your lens or window in the Mag because this lamp may be hot enough to melt the lens, I'm not sure.
Keeping it real, Bright
Wylie

Thank you for all that info! This morning I took a 3D Krypton bulb and put it in my 4D. It's brighter than stock, and I ran it for a few minutes. I am interested in the EverLED now. But I will take a look at the responder lamp. It's too bad they don't have a picture. Perhaps i will find a pic on the net. I will probly just order the white EverLED and the responder from the same site you posted. I have (2) 4D mags & (1) 3D MAG, so between them all, I will find homes for the super bulbs.

So how do I get a better MAG lens for hot bulbs?

Thanks again,
-Jace- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

Hi Jace,

Mag lens for a hot bulb: flashlightlens.com is a CPF sponsor that sells UCLs (ultraclear lens) for $7.00 each. I have bought a number from them. They really are clear. I have measured between 5 and 10% more light getting through them.

Regarding the EverLED: As I understand it, the maximum wattage is 1.2 watts, when it's cool. As it heats up, an internal circuit drops the output to prevent thermal overload. I don't know how much it drops in the Mag -- shouldn't be as much as in a plastic light. So, it's not a bright bulb. In my estimation, what it has going for it is that it's whiter and it's regulated, sucking more out of the batteries.

Paul

One good source for lenses is http://www.flashlightlens.com

Thank you again! I will be sure to get a new lens. But no one has commented about dropping a Halogen bulb (several voltages,from the hardware store) into my 4D. Have halogen bulbs been replaced by Xenon, which might stand up to the heat better? I need an education! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

Jace,

For this information, I would suggest you use the search function here (at the top of the page). To learn how to use it see the FAQ (also at the top). If I were doing it I would use "all forums," searching for "xenon halogen bulb," with the search option "and," over a time period of "6 months" or so.

I remember seeing a lot of good information on this recently. It was an education for me. I think you'll find the good posts too using these parameters.

Good luck with your explorations!

Paul

How is the Epieon LED Replacement Bulb compared to the EverLed?

The InReTECH TriLight works well in the MAGLITE 3D or 4D

Well, the other day I did some side by side comparisons.(I have 2 lights) I bought the Xenon maglite bulb from Home Depot, and I didn't notice any difference at all. Perhaps I need a light meter, but if the gain is too little to see with my eyes, then what's the point? Unless it lasts longer, I guess. Anyway, I have 4D's powering a 3D KPR, and I have 5C's powering a 4D KPR as well. I can't remember which one was brighter, but the difference was there. I think the 4D on a 3D bulb was the brighter one. One of my lights has a very ugly beam shot. It's tear drop shaped. I might try repositioning the reflector or the bulb, or both.. So for now, the simple 3D KPR in the 4D seems to be the winner. You can get cheap KPR's at Wal-Mart or Home Depot. You get a 2 pk for about $2.

I e-mailed the seller of the eBay 32-LED Mag-Lite unit, and he said that it does not throw a good beam, but it's real bright up close, and you batts last a long time. We knew that it wouldn't be focusable. I guess I will keep my $45.

I am going to look for some halogen bulbs(3D & 4D), and see if that's any brighter than my KPR's. I wasn't very impressed with the Xenon, but I still have more experiments to try.

I know that this isn't really true modding, but more simply pushing a bulb to it's limit. As long as I can make my 4D throw a nice white blinding beam, I am happy.

**BTW, I bought a 20W MR-16 (38 degree flood) at Walmart for less than $6 over the weekend. I plopped it into a 3D head, and went out to test it at night. I powered it with my john deere tractor battery, and even though the beamshot was nice, it wasn't as bright as I had hoped. The spot was nice and uniform, circular, no artifacts, but it was warm-yellowish compared to my other lights. My 2C 3x123 mod was about 5x brighter. I brought the MR-16 inside, and ligned up 5xSF123's, and lit it up. On more voltage, it was brighter, but again, not very impressive. Perhaps the outcome would had been different if I had 5x2 paralleled, but I wasn't ready to give up 10 of my SF123's and dump them into a 20 watt bulb. This particular MR-16 was a 38 degree flood. I returned it to walmart, said it was the wrong one, and life goes on I guess. Is there an MR-16 with more of a SPOT pattern? I don't really want a flood...

-Jace- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif