1W LED Mod of a TacStar T-45 (with many pics)

drumgod

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
35
Location
Chicagoish
Hello again,

Okay, so I've had this small flashlight kicking around for about 10 years. It's a TacStar T-45. I bought it to put on a shotgun after reading a magazine review that gave it high marks as an inexpensive option to a SureFire. Um no. It's been a while since I put batteries in it (3xAAAA) but I would say it's about as bright as a 2xAA MM but with less throw and batteries that are hard to find, more expensive, and last like a week on the shelf. I used it for a little while but pretty much hated it. It was reasonably well built so, into a footlocker it went with a bunch of other nice-but-unused stuff. So, dang near a decade has passed and as I start to play with flashlights again I have pulled this sucker out (reeking of silicone) for an LED mod.

The first thing I did was take head apart and do some measuring. Believe it or not, the internal dimensions of the head are pretty much identical to a MM. Which, of course, means an NX05 or Fraen will drop right in (sans tab). Score #1! So, I move on to the body. The body was milled out in a kind of clover shape to hold the 3xAAAA configuration, but a AA fit beautifully as well. After gutting the tube I realized the first half inch or so was not fully milled and has the same I.D. as the MM. One of Dat2Zip's MM sandwiches would drop in. Score #2! The only problem was that when I dropped the switch/lamp assembly from a MM into the T-45 body the AA was too long to fit. No problem, heck even better, since the body has a bit larger O.D. than a MM It could be milled out. Score #3! A short trip to the company machine shop and I had a 1x123 body.

So, here it is:



Next to a Dorcy AAA for comparison. It works in candle mode!



Partially disassembled and a shot into the milled body:



The obligatory beamshots:
First: Dorcy AAA (That purplish smudge on the left) and the T-45 (right)
Second: SF C3 (top left), Modded T-45 (middle right), Dorcy AAA (That purplish smudge on the bottom left)



While trying to decide if I should buy a MM+Q3 or a MM+LuxIII T they um... both sold out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif So I ended up dropping a MM+Q2 in it. Now I know what people mean when they describe an LED as a "greenie" or use a /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif icon. There's a really funky green color that only a bad bruise, rotting pork, or (apparently) an LED can make. Don't get me wrong. The sandwich is awsome and the center of the hotspot is a nice color and bright, but man, the outer edge is *yuck*. Oh well nothing a better binned sandwich won't fix. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

lambda

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 6, 2002
Messages
1,795
Location
Iowa
Very Nice!

A recycled blast from the past /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Great write up of the trials and tribulations of making a modified flashlight. I don't think I've ever seen a 3X AAAA flashlight with the batteries side by side. The conversion to CR1233 and Luxeon seems to be a big improvement for that flashlight.
 

Rothrandir

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
7,795
Location
US
dam my worthless computer! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

it sounds very nice, but my computer is having major problems with images, and i can't see yours /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 

drumgod

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
35
Location
Chicagoish
Thanks Lambda,
Yeah, it's sort of an unusal light. It took me a while to figure out what kind of light it is. (It has no markings on it what so ever.) I bought it new, but it was so long ago I couldn't remember the manufacturer or model. I found that answer here on the board in the collectors forum. There must be a bunch of them around. I remember them being advertised in many firearm related magazines.

Rothrandir,
Sorry you're having problems. Maybe you can navigate/view them directly on my server here?

To all,

I noticed Dat2Zip's shop has MM+Q3s back in stock. I'm holding off on ordering one though. I'd really like to drop a R2 or a LuxIII S or T in it. So, is anyone happily running one of Dat2Zip's LuxIII sandwiches on 1x123? I need to go back and re-read that thread on 1x123 and see if there's more info there. A "Heck yeah the LuxIII sandwiches rock on 1x123!" would be good to know before I hold out to buy one.

Thanks all.
 
Top