Juggernaut
Flashlight Enthusiast
Can't image the last time a thread on a 458 was posted. For many years I had meticulously maintained the 18x AA Elite battery pack in my relatively ancient Maglite 6-D sleeper. No pics needed 100% stock looking.
This light was super awesome, the best flame starting light I ever owned (not including stuff I could plug into the wall)
Well after moving 3 times in 1 year it got annoying fishing out my chargers for its monthly charge discharge cycle. Eventually the cells have gone flat and outright died. Obviously AA batteries dumping 8 amps need to be all working together flawlessly or performance isn't going to happen. Well it's 2017 and while it appears I can still find and buy Elite AA cells. I worry about A. how long they have been sitting on shelves unsold. As well as the fact that there had to be a better option. As cool as the Fivemega (if it was, hard to remember) 18 battery adapter was. Battery tech has exploded in the last decade. There must be better options. I was considering 26650 cells. 6 of them would match the voltage of 18 NiMH cells while increasing run time 3 fold easily. However I worry greatly that the voltage sag would be so little I'd just flash bulbs.
18x NiMH ultra hi drain batteries start off around 21.6 volts vs 22.2 of Li-polly Even with the fancy soft starter in this light (anyone else worry about all of the forgotten relics being well forgotten? I used to know this thing inside and out and can't even remember who made the soft starter, or its specifics).
I think I'd still flash bulbs. While 5x 26650 is 18.5 volts. It's possible they'd hold up their voltage better then 18x Elites but I can't say I never took the opportunity to see how much they sagged under load. I know these WHERE the cells to use back in the day so it couldn't have been much.
This light was super awesome, the best flame starting light I ever owned (not including stuff I could plug into the wall)
Well after moving 3 times in 1 year it got annoying fishing out my chargers for its monthly charge discharge cycle. Eventually the cells have gone flat and outright died. Obviously AA batteries dumping 8 amps need to be all working together flawlessly or performance isn't going to happen. Well it's 2017 and while it appears I can still find and buy Elite AA cells. I worry about A. how long they have been sitting on shelves unsold. As well as the fact that there had to be a better option. As cool as the Fivemega (if it was, hard to remember) 18 battery adapter was. Battery tech has exploded in the last decade. There must be better options. I was considering 26650 cells. 6 of them would match the voltage of 18 NiMH cells while increasing run time 3 fold easily. However I worry greatly that the voltage sag would be so little I'd just flash bulbs.
18x NiMH ultra hi drain batteries start off around 21.6 volts vs 22.2 of Li-polly Even with the fancy soft starter in this light (anyone else worry about all of the forgotten relics being well forgotten? I used to know this thing inside and out and can't even remember who made the soft starter, or its specifics).
I think I'd still flash bulbs. While 5x 26650 is 18.5 volts. It's possible they'd hold up their voltage better then 18x Elites but I can't say I never took the opportunity to see how much they sagged under load. I know these WHERE the cells to use back in the day so it couldn't have been much.