mag 4 d cell

I have a beat up long maglight. To my delight, it seems that you fellas may be able to help me turn it into a monster of a throw machine. A rebirth!

I am clueless about parts available, but electronically able. What can I do to this bad boy. I especially like that most guys say that it can be done cheaply.

Throw is what I am after. Throw, power, power, I want more more more.

(by the way, I tried the search and got very confused)

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e2e
super stinger rch
blaster jr.

Look at this thread, especially PeterW's reply near the end. He talks about a 50w lamp in a 4D. I'm not sure how much "throw" those MR16 lamps have, though. Don't they have an integrated reflector?

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=90876

You'll definitely need:
Borofloat lens, ~$5
Aluminum reflector, ~$20 + s/h
High amperage / voltage bulb, $6~$12

You'll likely need:
multi-AA to D battery adapters, $10~$40
NiMH AA cells, $2~$3 each

Plastic parts in the Mag head melt past about 10 watts, so they must be replaced with glass or metal.

Stock bulbs don't make the wow you crave, so you'll need to find a "super bulb". Carley and Welch Allyn make popular ones. Prepare to learn about bi-pin versus potted.

Alkaline batteries won't supply the current needed to drive super bulbs. Most people seem to go with some sort of (3AA to 1D) or (4AA to 1D) type of adapter. Then just stuff them with NiMH rechargeable cells capable of supplying lots of current. With a 4D body, you might be able to make enough volts out of the 1/2D NiCad cells.

Good luck, and have fun. I'm just getting started with high powered incandescents myself, but there's quite a few knowledgable folk around here.

Or you could put in a Luxeon 3 watt LED.
It gives mucho grande throw with the mag reflector!

Here is an online guide, plus you can always ask for help here on CPF.
http://kevin.htgk.org/oad4cookbook.php

This option is a lot cheaper than the one mentioned in the post above, but I don't know how the two compare in throw.

The only problem here is that a heatsink may not fit your Mag if it's too old. Look at the serial number, if it starts with a D, you can use it.

You find a lot of good info in this thread.

Sigbjoern

depending on the $ you want to spend... i was pretty surprised by the 6W bulb powered by the mag charger (5 cell 6V).. but if you want to make something with serious power you're talking hotwire... not sure of what you can run at 4.8V though (4x 1.2).. so maybe using 5 Cs in a 4D with a sleeve will get you to 6V and you can use a 10 or 12W bulb..

if you want to make it uber reliable a 3W DD emiter with the right match of luxeon will do the trick with some farily stock parts.. 4 NiMH will get you 4.8.. you could probably get away with a UX1N emitter and o-sink but would probably need a small amount of resistance ... just enough to get the emitter to about 1000-1100mA and you'll be stunned by the output and throw you'll get (i would estimate close to 8000-9000 lux).

-awr