4D unused Maglite best mods available now 2013

hi, i see there is a post for a specific 4 d cell mag but it is a little old.
I wondered what the best mod today would be for an underused unloved maglite. things do seem to move on quickly, i can remember buying this 20 years ago and thinking it was the dogs' but now it just sits in the back of the drawer.
I want to mod it to get it back into regular use but also to keep up with the times, i don't really want to cut and shut this as it really is a nice lamp.
Also i am located in UK so any suggestions of parts need to be from suppliers that will ship to me.
thanks in advance.

fivemega said:

1- Do you enjoy incand or just use LED?

2-Are you willing to spend some money? How much?

3- If necessary, can you solder wires?

4-How much minimum run time do you need?

5-Is that OK to use lithium ion (or Eneloop AA) in your flashlight? Or you prefer D size alkaline?

6-What kind of brightness do you expect?

Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the reply, i will try to answer in order.

i have no affinity for either incand or led,

money ho, ho, we are in the uk remember, but yes a reasonable amount say $60.
Yes soldering is no problem, i am a vehicle technician.

Minimum run time would be good if i could get 1-2 hours.
Lithium , ni-mh , or as at the mo some old but still ok nicads.

brightness, hmmm, as i am a new user here i dont really know what to expect, when i bought this about 20 years since i thought it was like the sun, well how things change! i have just ordered a 65w magic scorpion , and i am sure that will open my eyes into another world, so super bright is not fantastically important, just much better athan it is.

thank you again for your time.

One of the simplest would be a Maglite drop-in. Malkoff makes the best ones from what I hear, but there is a bit of work involved (mostly trimming the reflector cam).

:welcome:

Edit: you might need the shim or something for the drop-in, since your maglite might be the older version with the slightly wider body.

Gunner12, i looked at the website and all looks pretty impressive.
one q is, i have two lamps one two d and a 4 d, the serials are 2233104 and 40595258 respectivly, i assume these are older lamps that need the spacer? i also see they do a reflector ready cut and idiot proof! considering i have now dug out two lamps which first if i want the most brightness? i assume the 4d lamp?
thanks.

If you want maximum brightness, the 4D is the better way to go. You actually have two choices here. You can go 700 lumen XM-L for $69 or 260 lumen XP-G for $39. I would go XM-L. For the 2D, you only have one choice - 240 lumen XP-G. So if you want a dimmer light, save it for the 2D (and the 260 lumen XP-G drop-in WON'T work in the 2D).

On the other hand, the XM-L WILL work in the 2D if you are willing to run a Li-Ion battery or AA batteries in a holder. But you can expect MUCH shorter runtime than with true NiMH D batteries in the 4D. Also, since neither of your lights has a D in the serial number, you will need sleeves for both. And finally, although the XM-L can be run on alkaline batteries in the 4D, it runs MUCH better on NiMH.

One thing i do want, when modding these mag lites is to keep the batteries std, or leave the standard option open. imo it does not matter how bright the light is if all the batteries are flat. sometimes when in the back and beyond the only option for batteries is the local shop so choice could be limited out in the field.
over here in the UK there is not a Walmart on every street corner, most of the small shop owners still refer to the D cell as the "U2" so nicad will just be a foreign word.
Thanks again for your help and patience.

If you are going to be running the light on alkalines, the XM-L can be used. But, since it draws over two amps, you're pushing those batteries REALLY hard. Performance will certainly not be optimal. I guess you could say the XM-L is MEANT to run on NiMH/Nicad, but will run on alkalines in a pinch. The XP-G is probably a better choice if you plan to run the light mainly on alkalines and want to optimize alkaline performance and runtime.

Ni-mh is my prefered choice but the option to go backwards i do find attractive if i have no means of charging.
A torch with flat batteries is like a chocolate teapot.

Is it just me or does the malkoff website not function at this time? I'm going on the assumption that malkoff's XM-L only has 1 mode (hi).

You could always put together an equivalent to the malkoff XM-L dropin but use a driver that has 3 modes. This way you could get the really bright high and have the option to have a low and medium for conserved run time and use with alkaline batteries. Modes introduce some annoyance but increase the functionality. There's a nice tutorial on how to do it with a p7, basically you do that with an XM-L and a slightly different heat sink. The parts list is:
LED (T5 at5000k for nice color or a u2 for more light)
Driver (2.8 amp or 3.04 amp, 3 mode amc7135 based. I'd recommend getting it with wires on, they are very small to solder on yourself)
Heat sink (a cpf member sells them)
heat sink shim (since your light is super old)
Some extra wires and solder, thermal epoxy, hand tools, optional epoxy, optional thermal grease.