Good old classic Surefire A2

[mhs]

Overall, Aviator is still my favourite light, and I find the only competitor for it to be mcgizmo luna-sol.

It becomes hard to get MA02, but there is hope for those who still believe in A2 and it's incandescent beam. Just by replacing 1 resistor in LVR, Aviator's output can be supressed to drive variety of bulbs rated between 3 and 4 Volt. It is possible to fine tune output to slightly overdrive filament. I've been using 3.7 V, 3$ Chinese bulbs, sold in P60-like light assembly. Powered by two RCR123's. I was quite pleased with usable beam range up to ~50 meters / 150+ feet. The only drawback for me in this case is short regulated runtime of only 15-20 minutes with 550 mAh Li-Mn cells. I believe that with good quality bulb, it is possible to hit 100 m / 300+ feet beam range out of standard A2 head. Imagine what could be achieved with A2 turbohead .

At the moment I'm experimenting with 3V bulb - Maglite bi-pin "Mag-Num Star II", powered by 1 x 16650 Li-Ion. So far I have reached useful range of ~30 m / 90 feet, and I'm afraid it's close to it's limit, as the CCT looks quite high already. I'm tempted to push it some more, but I'm afraid of , and these bulbs are not cheap in my country. I haven't measured total incan runtime yet, but it's much longer with this 2 Ah cell. For now I'm hoping to find some robust 3V bulb, able to deliver 50 m beam range that would last for about 1 hour on single 16650.

 

[Ahshan]

DELETED.

 

[Ahshan]

Overall, Aviator is still my favourite light, and I find the only competitor for it to be mcgizmo luna-sol.

It becomes hard to get MA02, but there is hope for those who still believe in A2 and it's incandescent beam. Just by replacing 1 resistor in LVR, Aviator's output can be supressed to drive variety of bulbs rated between 3 and 4 Volt. It is possible to fine tune output to slightly overdrive filament. I've been using 3.7 V, 3$ chineese bulbs, sold in P60-like light assembly. Powered by two RCR123's. I was quite pleased with usable beam range up to ~50 meters / 150+ feet. The only drawback for me in this case is short regulated runtime of only 15-20 minutes with 550 mAh Li-Mn cells. I believe that with good quality bulb, it is possible to hit 100 m / 300+ feet beam range out of standard A2 head. Imagine what could be achieved with A2 turbohead .

At the moment I'm experimenting with 3V bulb - Maglite bi-pin "Mag-Num Star II", powered by 1 x 16650 Li-Ion. So far I have reached useful range of ~30 m / 90 feet, and I'm afraid it's close to it's limit, as the CCT looks quite high already. I'm tempted to push it some more, but I'm afraid of , and these bulbs are not cheap in my country. I haven't measured total incan runtime yet, but it's much longer with this 2 Ah cell. For now I'm hoping to find some robust 3V bulb, able to deliver 50 m beam range that would last for about 1 hour on single 16650.

How are you adapting/interfacing said bulbs to the A2?

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

mhs - if you are able to achieve about 100-150 lumens off a 16650 cell please post pictures of the mod. It would be interesting to see how you get things apart and what gets changed in the setup.

 

[mhs]

How are you adapting/interfacing said bulbs to the A2?

I use spent MA02 LA to host those bulbs in A2 head. Here are some examples:

MA02 stock, MA02 with Strion bulb:

MA02 stock, MA02 with 3.7 V Chinese bulb:

MA02 with 3 V Maglite Mag-Num Star II. With this diameter bulb there's no more room for plastic collar:

So it is basically replacing glass part of lamp assembly, which can be tricky sometimes as bulbs vary in diameter, it requires drilling to fit, and soldering wires to metal plates of assembly. The Fivemega Strion socket would simplify whole process, making it more convenient to migrate from one bi-pin bulb to another.

mhs - if you are able to achieve about 100-150 lumens off a 16650 cell please post pictures of the mod. It would be interesting to see how you get things apart and what gets changed in the setup.

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond, Check your PM box.

 

[m4a1usr]

I use spent MA02 LA to host those bulbs in A2 head. Here are some examples:

MA02 stock, MA02 with Strion bulb:

MA02 stock, MA02 with 3.7 V Chinese bulb:

MA02 with 3 V Maglite Mag-Num Star II. With this diameter bulb there's no more room for plastic collar:

So it is basically replacing glass part of lamp assembly, which can be tricky sometimes as bulbs vary in diameter, it requires drilling to fit, and soldering wires to metal plates of assembly. The Fivemega Strion socket would simplify whole process, making it more convenient to migrate from one bi-pin bulb to another.



ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond, Check your PM box.

That is simply brilliant! I finally got a working bi pin adapter made from a Lumens Factory HO-A2 lamp that I gutted and cut down. The connectors off a Mini Mag lamp holder worked well enough to retain a StreamLight lamp. Quite the "Franken" bi-pin Strion lamp adapter but it works. I'm curious about the resistor mod you mentioned? That sounds intriguing. Would like to hear more about that.

 

[Kestrel]

I just got my first (EDIT: round body) A2. A very cool light! There ist just one problem that I have: I have to press the switch with an extreme amount of pressure which I can hardly do with only one hand if I want to activate the bulb momentarily. It doesn't seem to make a difference how the tailcap ist orientated. The LEDs are activated much more easily. Constant-On operation works normally.

Is this normal? How hard do you guys need to press the switch to light the bulb?

Hello The_Driver,
Although I'm not an expert on the A2's, I have extensive experience with the identical tailcap config wrt the L1's and L2's.
I would wager that if your A2 has the typical nickel-plated insert in the tail section, this insert has been pressed/inserted too far into the body.
I have had a similar (but not identical) issue with a L2 in this regard.

I would highly recommend reading the following thread and examining the various close-up pics.
Let's not work on a solution just yet, but I did want to point you in the right direction to see if you think this might be related to the issue you're experiencing.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-a-Bored-Surefire-L1-Lumamax-amp-Malkoff-Head

In particular, note posts # 9 - 11.

Hope this helps, and best regards;

 

[The_Driver]

@Kestrel: Thanks for the Tip!
The problem has actually almost gone away completely after about a week of use.
I am now able to use the light with one hand and not break my finger when using the bulb.

 

[Kestrel]

Um, OK, glad to hear it.

 

[cland72]

@Kestrel: Thanks for the Tip!
The problem has actually almost gone away completely after about a week of use.
I am now able to use the light with hand and not break my finger when using the bulb.

Strangely enough, this happened to me with an old L1 I purchased used. Apparently the former owner had removed the battery and screwed the tailcap all the way down until it was tight. When I first started using it, the light was less than reliable - I didn't know what to expect because the three tab springs in the tailcap were so worn down. Over time, however, they apparently fixed themselves because the light worked normally after a couple of days.

Perhaps that's what happened here.

 

[gsr]

I've found a shop with a couple of A2-WH-HA for $117. I had one long ago, and sold it several years ago. I'm wondering if I should pick up another one...

 

[rookhawk]

Devastating to think there may be no more Incandescent bulbs available.

I'm just trying to get one spare and some blue LEDs for my secondary light on my flat side white/white unit.

 

[cland72]

Devastating to think there may be no more Incandescent bulbs available.

I'm just trying to get one spare and some blue LEDs for my secondary light on my flat side white/white unit.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Surefir...332842?hash=item5b25bf86ea:g:l3YAAOSwqBJXXiXr

 

[xdayv]

Hey A2 fans...

I just got an Oveready Tailstanding Shroud for Z62 (L1/L2/LX2/A2), I don't know how to install it.

 

[archimedes]

Isn't it threaded, just like the E-series version ... ?

 

[xdayv]

Isn't it threaded, just like the E-series version ... ?

It isn't, I got the four-flats version if that matters?

 

[archimedes]

Really ... ? No threads at the base of the shroud ???

 

[xdayv]

Really ... ? No threads at the base of the shroud ???

The OR Tailstanding shroud has threads, but the A2's tailswitch seems to have no thread to accept it... it has a plastic cover surrounding the rubber tailswitch cap.

 

[archimedes]

That threaded plastic cover is what you remove and replace ....

 

[m4a1usr]

Here's a pictorial for demonstration purposes. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?393042-breakdown-dissassembly-of-a-SF-Z62-tailcap