Mod Solitaire or not?

Hello everyone. A friend of mine recently went to the states for two weeks. I gave her $10 and asked her to buy a Dorcy 1AAA LED flashlight for me from Walmart or Target. Apparantly, none were available and after checking with me, she bought the Solitaire as an alternative. (/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif it is better than none at all)

I am wondering if I should mod it using a single 5mm LED and 3 or 4 of the eight,button cells from a 21/23 battery or if I should leave it as it is.

As an incandescent, it is bright enough for its size (I have no ARC /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif) and should give about 2+hrs of usable light. It is focusable and replacement cells are not that expensive.

As a mod, I get beautiful blueish-white light that has as much output as the incandescent and doesn't become increasingly orange as the cells die. I also get a bulb that never neads replacing. (although this is not an issue as I don't plan to use the Solitaire regularly)

Problems:1) I can't get the reflector out and don't have a dremel to drill it where it lays. 2)have no idea how long 3 button cells will provide useful light. 3)The LED doesn't throw as far as the incandescent./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
(If I buy three of the 21/23 cells, I will get either 6 sets of 4 cells or 8 sets of 3 cells.)

Any suggestions??

Mod it. My Solitaire began to dim after five minutes of use.

FIVE MINUTES!!! Goodness gracious! That's with an alkaline cell? Do you have any idea of the performance of the button cells?

Those solitaire are a little bit tricky to mod. But it has been done.
I am sorry you could not get a dorcy in Walmart .My local wall mart usually has them. I have an extra dorcy aaa that i could send to you if you are interested You only pay for the postage.
Ledean

No idea because I don't use it anymore. =P An alkaline AAA doesn't have enough to drive and sustain the bulb anyways. I put an almost depleted cell in one of those cheapo LED lights and it is still going strong.

It's Alive!

I don't think modding a Solitaire with button cells is worthwhile unless you really like the looks of the Solitaire, because button cells are so short-lived.

I'd say get either a coin cell light (I replaced my Solitaire with a Photon II), or get an Arc AAA on BST, or get a CMG Sonic ($9.50 at www.texastacticalsupply.com ) and throw the Solitaire in the aluminum recycling bin.

NewBie's Solitaire pic is a Luxeon mod, which is much more desirable than a button cell mod, but much more expensive and harder to do.

Runtime isn't so great, as I recall, I was pushing 220 or 250 mA. You could back it down and get *alot* longer runtime.

Keep it stock as a nice looking little backup light. Since it is for occasional use it won't make a big difference either way and it throws much farther than any 5 mm led. Niether three nor four cells will drive a white led for very long (a few minutes at best) a red led is best for this though. All this comes from going through many solitaire and 2AAA version mod attempts. Take Ledean up on his Dorcey offer! Very kind act!

Ledean /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif Thank you for the offer however, payment of any kind is a chore for me (no PayPal) and to get to you the postage, I will have to spend a whole lot more.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif Thank you anyway...

Newbie /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif Should I expect any different from someone as skilled as you... VERY Cool!!

paulr, true. Button cells suck. It is just that I have the Solitaire and want to try and make the silly thing better somehow. Maby it will end up simply as a decoration...

NewBie, I don't think that 25 mins at 200mA is bad at all for an AA cell. The regulation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

zapper, I usually use my bicycle tail light if red light is needed. It is a good idea though. I'll keep it in mind.

Eebowler, if you have a credit card, you can use it to order from TTS, Brightguy, Arc, etc. without needing Paypal.

Also, postage to mail a Dorcy light should be less than 2 USD. If you just send Ledean a couple of US $1 bills in the mail, that's probably simplest.

I'd be happy to send you a Countycomm coin cell light, but it may not be so easy to get inexpensive replacement batteries for it down there. I didn't notice your location til just now.

paulr, my friend has a credit card and he has friends in the US. If one of his US friends is willing, I will ask him to pay for the item and to ship it to their address so when they come home, I get my light overseas shipping, duty and tax free. This 'service' isn't available all the time and must be used conservatively as they are not my people. Without help, I can pay from 1.5-2 or more times the actual cost for an item depending on weight, shipping, tax and duties... If the item cannot be bought with credit card, matters gets more complicated and expensive... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gifetc

With respect to sending cash via mail, I am afraid that the end result will be some long faces... What type of coin cell does the Countrycomm light use? 2032 Li cells are about $1US here now. EDIT Just figured it out>>CR2016 cells. I will check the price in the morning, uh, make that Monday.

eebowler,

Send me your address in a PM and I'll send you a Dorcy AAA for free, no need for paypal, credit card or shipping fees. I'll fill out the paper work on my end marking it as a gift and maybe you won't have to pay any duties. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif It's worth a try.

It might take me a few days to get one and get it in the mail because I work a lot of odd hours. I'll send you a PM after I mail it, so that you'll know it's in the mail.

These come in red, blue, gray, gold. I might not have a choice because all colors are not always in stock, but just in case, what color would you prefer? You might want to list colors in the order that you prefer.

eebowler,

I'm going out of town for a few days on my job. I'll try to take care of this when I get back.

Didn'nt know the postage to Jamaica for the dorcy was just a couple of bucks. I can certainly spare that.
You can pm me your adress and i will send it to you.
It is no big deal.
Ledean

Newbie, could you tell me how you turn on the solitaire.
Can you still turn the head to turn it on ?. Or did you use another switching machanism.
I am still trying to do it , what you did is great work , in such a small space.
Ledean

You gentlemen are impressive! CPF is so cool. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Hoghead thank you very much. I appreciate your kindness./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif As you see though, Ledean is willing to mail me one too, so I will take up his offer instesd. Thanks again.

Ledean, thank you sir for your wonderful offer. I'll PM you right away. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/santa.gif

I guess the Solitaire will stay as is and I'll use it to demonstrate the differences between LED and incandescent to non-flashaholics here. (of course, I will also have to tell them that the ARC AAA is much better than the Dorcy any day/month/year!)

Thank you flashaholics for your help. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif

[ QUOTE ]
eebowler said:

Newbie /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif Should I expect any different from someone as skilled as you... VERY Cool!!


[/ QUOTE ]

Gee, thanks!

I think a Sol and a AAA Li-Ions direct drive Lux is your answer. Last about an hour with *regulation* /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif (hope they would make those AAA 10430 cheaper /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif