The McLux and the CMG Infinity...what a combo!

Among all of the CPF`ers, I consider myself to be the "poster child" for the technologically challenged.

I mean, some of you guys have the uncanny ability to take an emitter and a blank metal tube, and then using nothing but your bare hands can create a beautiful flashlight within a matter of minutes. Me...? I`m at the absolute other end of the spectrum.

BUT...as they say, "Even a blind pig can find the trough every once in a while."

There I was, late last night, playing with an HA (Yes! HA!) McLux that Don "Mcgizmo" had been kind enough to send my way. This light, I thought to myself, was certainly worth the $1,250 that I had to pay to Don to get it...autographed by him, and all.

But WHOA...! What`s this? The Kroll switch was starting to act up. It didn`t stay on all the time when I pushed the "clickie" hidden and protected in the guard of the McLux.

I started to panic...as persons at my end of the spectrum are want to do. "What the hell am I going to do now," I thought to myself.

I knew that if I couldn`t get the McLux to work right, its value would plummet to a mere $1,125.00...the value commanded by Don`s autograph (at least that was the value given by Don, and he should certainly know best).

I immediately started to send another email to Don...this time for help to fix the clickie. (I had been emailing him earlier in the evening... giving him information about the criminal penalties for mail fraud, a topic that Don, for some reason, has been pretty preoccupied with lately.)

I needed Don`s advice on how to get at the Kroll switch, so that I could make at least a feeble attempt myself to get it working right again. The way the McLux is constructed, you see, you can`t easily unscrew the Kroll switch because of the way its protected by the switch guard.

Well...anyway...just as I was getting ready to send the frantic email plea for help out to Don, I happened to look at a rather large, and forlorn, pile of flashlights that was on the floor by my computer. (These were some flashlights that I`ve purchased over the years, but for a variety of reasons were now rarely, if ever, used by me...having been replaced by other "nicer" flashlights.)

There it was...right by a couple of prehistoric 4D M*gs... a CMG Infinity!

A dim light went on in my technologically challenged head. "Why don`t I try to use the 1AA battery pack of the Infinity," I thought to myself, "as a tool to screw out and remove the clickie!"

I quickly took the CMG apart and removed the battery (I knew how to do that), and then ever so carefully inserted the empty CMG battery pack into the McLux guard and over the rubber tip of the Kroll switch.

AND THEN...now here comes the good part...I successfully unscrewed and removed the clickie... and then reinstalled the clickie back into the McLux the very same way!

The McLux now works perfectly again. It turned out that the Kroll switch was just a little loose...but I tightened it with my CMG!

I celebrated long into the night...constantly clicking my now tightened Kroll switch on and off, and at the same time researching for Don (and also apparently for Darell) what countries one could flee to and be safe from extradition. (That list, BTW, started with Singapore....)

YES...life is good. Me and my McLux, and my CMG!

Carpe,

I forgot that I charged you that much for the signature and that was without the ruby!! BTW, I trust you implicitly but are you sure this monopoly money will be accepted in Singapore?

I must say, great story and wonderful wit!!

For a nanosecond of seriousness, GREAT IDEA on the Kroll extraction tool! I can get my fingers in through the ports on the kroll but I think you have hit on a much better method! Darell, being digitally challanged (you've seen those Arc limbs of his!) has come up with a very good method for Kroll insertion and extraction as well. It does involve heating up a small sloted screw driver to the point that it melts into the Kroll base after passing through the spring and contacting the plastic. Once the plastic cools, you have a nice recessed slot that allows you to screw the Kroll in or out with ease and confidence.

Carpe, I believe someone once said that necessity is the mother of invention. Your situation, my friend, is a good case in point and I don't think you should sell yourself short when there are likely others who are willing to do so for you. Well at least that's my take from personal experience; may not apply to you.

Botom Line: Good Job

- Don

Nice discovery! If you screwed the switch in further than it was when you received the light, that counts as a mod!

John

Originally posted by jmm:
Nice discovery!

If you screwed the switch in further than it was when you received the light, that counts as a mod!

John

Click to expand...

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WOW! You really think so?

That`s great!
I have now died and gone to heaven...
ME...a Mod`er!

Move over, Don and Wayne and the rest of you Mod guys...make room at the workbench!

Well hot damn. I've gotta give that a try. My method works REALLY well, but it is a bit more of a challenge to do right. And I get to use a flame and destroy some tools. Nevermind. I think I'll stick with my way...

This brings up an interesting point. How do you guys insert and remove the Kroll at Skunk Lights. Its an easy task with the Arc.

It turns out that Don has these dainty little girl fingers. He just pokes them into the guard ports and spins the things on. Seriously.

I was a total failure at that (hands too manly, I guess - of maybe it is the cloven hooves), so I devised my own way, which Don described above. I melt a slot into the white base (under the spring). Then after I hand-start the switch into the threads, I tighten it by sticking a screw driver down the battery tube and into the slot. You can get the switch REALLY tight this way. No way to remove them by hand (or by CMG I've just discovered) with my method. I've tested a couple of my assemblies, and none of them have leaked water - so I'm pretty confident that tighter is better.

Dang, you're right, Carpe! That CMG fits on that boot about perfectly. Even works better if I take the pocket clip off first.

Originally posted by mst3k:
This brings up an interesting point. How do you guys insert and remove the Kroll at Skunk Lights. Its an easy task with the Arc.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">For most times, I find even using just my (fat) fingers is sufficient to get an OK screw-down on that Kroll. My definition of 'OK' means the seal formed must pass the mild-suction-test.

But I tell ya, I just tried Darell's method on 3 of my own McLux - and it can't be beat! The melted slot just allows you to apply so much torque and R-E-A-L-L-Y tighten that Kroll for a good seal and contact. I like Darell's method so much now that its going to be the default way the TKs are assembled.

This method may be trickier for the longer powertails, but its definitely doable across the board. And far simpler than I had imagined too!

I'll be taking my newly tightened McLuxes for a swim in a 10-ft pool soon and I'll keep y'all posted as to how they fared

(OK - gotta go now, I'm on a borrowed PC at a friend's house...)

For those thinking of buying the new Inova X1 instead of the CMG infinity: reconsider your purchase if you will own a McLux .

Excellent idea Carpe Diem.

Cheers.

Hey - I think we should get a cut of CMG sales now...

Oh btw Darell, because of my unbelievable abilities to forsee the future and my amazing luck. I have already sent you a Kroll fastener.

Remember that white tube that the E-clickie came in?

-YC