2 D maglite mods, TLE-6EXB and AA to D adapters

Hi all,

Im very new to the world of the flashlight, and have bought several already! what i was wanting to know is would i get any benefit from running my 2D mag on 4 AA alkalines instead?
I have a TLE-6EXB and UCL in it which have improved the throw a great deal, but i have read this upgrade works better in the 3D mag due to more voltage/current, so 4 AA's would surely be 4.8-6V as opposed to the 2.4-3V im currently running? i know run time would go down, this is not a big issue unless it went down under say 2 hours.

Thanks for any help guys, and the 2AA D cells are from DX i have seen are they any good???

Those 2AA to D converters are parallel, so the voltage stays the same, capacity only goes up....You could use 3x C cells in the 2D Mag, you may have to modify the spring though.

You could also return the TLE-6EXB, for the TLE-6EX, and run a 6AA to 2D converter for 7.2-9v depending on chemistry used (Nimh/Alkaline)

Vickers 214

I just did the 2D Mag basic mod. Using 3 x C cells, Plastic pipe (stops the C cells from rattling in the 2D tube), Cutting the tailcap spring, and sanding off the anodising at the bottom of the tailcap. This was of course using the TLE-6EXB drop-in.

I have a 3D cell Mag to compare it with; and the output of the 2D (with 3xC cells) is the same as the 3D Mag. The color of the light is different due to the difference in drop-ins (they both have the TLE-6EXB).

I cut the Widest end off the tailcap spring. Cut it several times in increments so that I wouldn't cut too much off. But nonetheless; I cut off more than I thought I would to begin with. It works just fine because it has to be a certain circumference to fit inside the bottom of the tailcap.

I 'sanded' the anodising of by scraping it with a common sharpening stone; since I don't have a dremmel. Worked just fine.

The plastic tubing doesn't need to be full length inside the 2D body; I left about half an inch front and back so as not to bind up the spring in back and contacts upfront and still support the three batteries well.

Hope that helps. This is my first attempt at modding anything and it worked perfectly with very basic neanderthal tools.

So...end result is: I get 3D Cell performance in a 2D cell Light. I have no idea about runtimes etc. but so far it's seen regular use at night for a week with no signs of any decrease in power. The 3D cell lasts a long long time too. Not very technical info; but hey....it works!!!

Cheers for your help guys, im liking the sound of the 3C cell conversion, sounds cheap, cheerfull, and easy-ish!

I cannot return the 6EXB so the other conversion would involve buying another 6EX and the battery adapter and that would cost me say £40-£50 pounds ($60-$70) with shipping and although i have no doubt it would be very good and i am tempted, i would rather just buy another Eagle Tac!

How much better is the 6EXB running on 3 cells? is it a lot better or just a little bit? when i dropped the module in the throw was about the same as my Eagle Tac P100A2 , but with a lot less spill, its almost a dot! When i Fitted the UCL it throws say another 20 meters more than the Eagletac!
So you cut the spring so it goes inside the cap where the spare bulb is and remove the anodising so it makes contact with the body, sounds easy enough, but where would i get that tubing and how thick is it as i could mod some cold water insulation, i think!

Which leads me to another question, i like throw more than flood, thats why i dont use my Lightstar 220 anymore (and the reverse clicky!)but the Mag now with the LED chip has no spill at all! unless you defocus it and get that horrible pattern of rings which is dreadfull!
So would a new reflector be of use to me and if so what, or how would i 'Orange peel' the stock reflector, and would this help spill while maintaing the throw i already have?
I looked at them doomed lenses but the fact it could no longer stand on its head would be no good to me!

Thanks again guys and sorry for the amount of questions, but im gonna mod this mag and hopefully get away from torches (sorry flashlights!) for good as its doing my head in, however i will wait until i have recieved my Ultrafire C3 in Stainless steel and Fenix E01 ive just orderd for the Mrs!ARGH!

I have just ordered an aspherical lens, as ive now decided i only want throw, anyone know how much of a difference these things make?

And i have e mailed Terralux and according to them the TLE-6EXB is not fully regulated so running it on 3 cells would give you upto 50% more Lumens compared with 2 cells! So if their 140 Lumens rating is correct, on 2 cells it runs at 93 Lumens! I think i have to do the 3c conversion ASAP!!
Anyone know if this will make any difference to an aspherical lens?

Cheers

Hi Vickers,

The plastic pipe I used was just a piece that I had laying around. It looks like regular plastic tubi g for water with walls about 2 mm thick. The C cells fit perfectly inside the tube and when I put the tube in the Mag body, it fits perfectly too, no rattle at all. The brightness is the same as the 3D cell with a Terralux exb.

If you wanted to switch back to 2D cells in this same light; all you have to do is put some washers in the tailcap to elevate the spring (since it has been shortened), no problem.

I did this 'conversion' because it seems like the simplest 'conversion' to accomplish without being an electrical engineer; plus I had a 2D cell Mag handy and also had a 3D cell Mag for comprison purposes.

Relax and have some fun with it.

Hi Lupara,

im glad to hear that the output does go up as im in the middle of doing this mod as i type! The water pipe im sure will be the same as used in the UK, and after a bit of thinking i thought thats what you would have used.

Being a spur of the moment type guy i have used what i have lying around the house, and have 'Lined' the inside of the Mag with Sticky Velcro (not sure if its called that in America, Hook and Loop fastener if that makes it clear?) and the batteries fit great and weight has dropped quite a bit too!

I will post again and let you know how its gone once it gets dark and i have finished the spring mod!

Thanks

Do you know anything about Aspherical lenses?

Did that conversion now, scraped the anodising off with a screwdriver! real DIY job but as you said it works a treat, i can see on the white wall test that it is bit brighter but will need to see what its like when it gets dark.