2C Mag with 3x123 and KPR112 RS how to

How do you perform the 2C Mag with 3x123 and KPR112 RS mod? I looked around and couldn't really find any exact specs on how to do it. Maybe because everyone does not list maglite as the exact name for the brand name....I dont know..

I use a piece of 3/4" CPVC plastic hot water pipe with a turn or two of duct tape around either end to hold the 123 cells. Some folks use radiator hose. Either way it should be just about long enough to be held end to end tightly by the tailcap. You will need a spacer for the length difference. I use a roundhead 1/4" bolt, nut and flat washer. Some folks make very nice elaborate spacers, some use springs.

The KPR112 (or a M*G Whitestar Krypton 5 cell) goes in place just like the stock bulb. Some careful centering of the bulb at this point pays off! You might also try a M*G Xenon Star 6 cell bulb. I think a 5 cell Xenon would go poof!

You MIGHT want to put a piece of Writeright PDA film (for a B&W PDA such as Palm 100), or better still an Acrylite Lense (search for it in BST Lights forum). This step gives a Surefire type beam. If you don't do it, it should throw a loooong way!

Hope I covered everything you needed to know! Get ready to fry some eyeballs!

elektrolumens sells the 2c to 3cr123 adapters (very nice hard plastic), if you dont want to muck around cutting pvc or hose...

You might want to get the Acrylite lens. These work great at getting the rings out of the beam.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB8&Number=317597&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=

Playboy Joe summed it up very well. Here's a thread with som good info:
285 LUMEN MAG

Brightnorm

"You will need a spacer for the length difference" ???

Why would you need a spacer? 3x123 cells are slightly LONGER than 2xC cells?

C cell = 50mm x 2 = 100mm

123 cell = 35mm x 3 = 105mm

Actually,

A quick and easy search on "KPR112" would turn up quite a few informative and descriptive threads.

Ginseng's 2C Mods

Jace's 2C Mod

This_Is_Nascar's 2C Mod

Crucible's 2C Mod

MTFD17's Mod Questions

Wildcat's 2C Mod

You'll get lots of mileage out of the search function. Give it a try.

Wilkey

Okay so I was wrong about the spacer.

I was pulling this outta my head you know... and there ain't much extra HDD space up there for details!

No worries. I remembered that I had to cut my spring down because it was too tight with 3x123 (actually, I thought it was too damn tight with the stock C cells as well).

I'm trying to remember how much I cut off the spring...? It was at least 2 full turns, and probably 3. Then I bent the top of the remaining spring into a tight center coil to make contact with the smaller battery base and it worked like a charm. And the tail cap is easier to install as well.

I have since used a slightly smaller piece of PVC to make an AA adapter for another 2C Mag (since I have tons of AA NiMh rechargeables, and no C size) and I run a GH88F (2.2V/2A frosted) lamp in that one. It makes a great night stand light. It gives a nice smooth, wide, room filling flood beam that is bright enough to see well, but not so retina searing bright that it gives you a headache if you use it to find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I drive it with 2xAA NiMh batteries so it's real cheap to run. I'm really liking this set up, and it has become my in-house "grab light" of choice lately.

In the 3x123 rig I tried running a GH24F lamp (6V/1.7A, 10W frosted) and it produced a huge wall of brilliant white illumination. Lights up the whole house! It still focuses to enough of a hot spot to have decent throw with tons if flood spill. Nice smooth cone of light with a central peak, and none of the nasty Mag artifacting. These frosted lamps are pretty cool for times when you need an area light. They really tame the Mag reflector.

And finally, I've been running the GH24 (clear) lamp on 3x123 and it is very nice. It doesn't focus as tight as the RS lamp, but it puts out a hell of a lot more light. I figure on 3x123 I'm probably getting 13+ watts (what's that formula again?). It has a much larger hot spot than the 112, but it still throws like mad, and lights up a much larger area. Gives a very impressive "light saber" beam when pointed up into the night sky, too. Seems to be taking the over-drive in stride. Not sure how the stock Mag reflector will take the heat on an extended run (I think I'm a bit over the limit), but it handles several minutes at a time okay.

could you give us more info on those bulbs?
How much? Where do you get them? PR based? Thanks!

Yes please! If there are other bulb options I'd LOVE to hear about them!

Ooops, sorry. Guess I should have given more info.

http://www.reflectalite.com/halogenpage.html

Their lamps are pricey ($5.80), but I've been playing with several of them for a while now and they are very durable and over-drive well. The most interesting ones are the GH88 and the GH24. Add "F" to the part number and you will get a bead blasted frosted finish ($6.93). They only charge $2.90 shipping (even to Hawaii) and my orders come fast.

Been running a GH24 in one of my dive lights on 6xNiMh for a while now and I'm really liking it. Haven't put a lot of run time on the 3x123 rig yet (only cobbled it together recently) but I flashed a couple of 112 lamps pretty fast (they don't seem to last very long) and so far the GH24 is holding up much better.

Actually, I tried running the GH24 off of 6xLithium AA in the dive light, which should be a much greater over-drive than 3x123 (E91=1.75V each, or 10.5V) and it survived that test as well. Couldn't really do an extended run in the dive light because it's made of plastic and I'm pretty sure this lamp would melt it at that drive level. On 6xMiMh it has survived so far for runs of up to several minutes out of water, and some longer runs in the water.

Will post details, and maybe some beam/comparison shots after I've put some significant run time on this rig.

Aloha, iG

Nice find, Geek! The GH24 specs out almost identically to the discontinued Carley CL612. 6.0V, 1.7A, 182 lumens.

Wilkey

Ran the light quite a lot last night. We had a real NASTY storm with hurricane force wind gusts and massive lightning and thunder. It was cool! Spent some time outside with the light watching the trees dance until the lightning got too close for comfort, then retreated inside and watched through the windows.

Ran the light for a while more this evening and it's still going strong. Not sure what the color temp is at this drive level, but the beam is whiter than "Xenon" white. Makes my Legend LX and Pelican M6 look very yellow. And it totally overwhelms them too.

Still looks yellow next to my 1W Lux modded PT40 and HID light (no surprize there), but it is the "whitest" incan I own now.

Gave it some impromtu "flash testing" by turning it on and off repeatedly, and shaking the light vigorously and tapping it against a hard surface while on, and it took it all in stride. Seems to be very durable in spite of the substantial over-drive.

Wish it would focus a bit tighter, but I guess you can't have everything. (Well, not yet anyway... but I'm always looking for new lamps.)

This will be sweet when my PMR arrives.

Just a little update...

Took the light for a walk tonight, and brought the dog along for company. She was quite impressed with how bright it was (actually, she was more interested in sniffing the spots the other dogs had pissed - not a flashaholic dog, I guess).

But a girlfriend of mine shouted, "Holly crap! It's a search light!" when I fired it up. Later on the walk she was carrying the light and thought she saw something on my shirt (a bug or something) so she pointed the light at me and turned it on, then shouted in pain and nearly dropped it. Not a good idea to point it at a light colored surface when your eyes are somewhat dark adapted. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

Anyway... on my 3rd set of batteries and the original GH24 lamp is still going strong. Looks like this lamp can take the 3x123 heat, and then some.

Aloha, iG

Thanks for your feedback on this lamp. What kind of runtime are you getting on a set of 123 batteries?

You've got me interested enough to incorporate Reflectalite lamps as part of the next Group Buy if there is enough interest.

More info on the next WA/CA group buy to follow in a couple of weeks.