Long Runtime Incandescents

[fivemega]

These 2P 18650 D26 hosts (3.7V, 7000mAh) can power up (P60 type) Xenon (or LED) bulb even longer than 21700 (5000mAh) or 26650 (5800mAh)

 

[RobertMM]

Well, I finally scored a 3C Mag on fleabay yesterday.
Can't wait to buy bulbs(planning a 6 celll Magnumstar lamp) and batteries (two 4000+ mAh 21700, or will 26650 fit with boring the body a bit?).

Hope I don't melt the reflector.

 

[Grijon]

Using a 6-cell bulb with stock reflector and lens should be fine

 

[DayofReckoning]

Some overdrive the 5 Cell Xenon lamp, which from what I've heard is much brighter and whiter than the 6 cell Xenon Lamp when on 2Xli-ion.. However, I've heard some reports of instaflashing as well.

My 2D has resistance reduction mods in the switch and tailcap, combined with INR26650's, I'm not sure the 5 cell would survive. Don't feel like wasting money just to find out.

 

[RobertMM]

5cell bulb probably would take the full brunt of those INR cells and instaflash, good call. I hate wasting perfectly fine stuff as well.
If it proves easy enough I'll bypass the tailcap spring with some copper wire. I'll be happy with the stock 178 bulb lumens (about 115 otf?) though because it's runtime I'm after.
How do you mod the switch for less resistance, BTW?

 

[DayofReckoning]

5cell bulb probably would take the full brunt of those INR cells and instaflash, good call. I hate wasting perfectly fine stuff as well.
If it proves easy enough I'll bypass the tailcap spring with some copper wire. I'll be happy with the stock 178 bulb lumens (about 115 otf?) though because it's runtime I'm after.
How do you mod the switch for less resistance, BTW?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC7GYov9CAw&t=226s

He covers it a minute or two in.

 

[RobertMM]

Thank you Sir.
I was wondering if resistance mods would shorten runtime a bit, since the allow the battery to put more current to the bulb?

It seems if I want the longest possible runtime off the cells I use, I should leave the electrical paths as they are?

 

[DayofReckoning]

You're welcome.

My understanding has always been that reducing resistance will improve the efficency of the batteries and bulb, thus increasing runtime.

 

[chillinn]

So not accounting for resistance, lost battery capacity, etc, how much runtime am I looking at here on the 25% brightness setting?

I'll estimate 14+ hours,

for 5700mAh and 1.2A,

5.7Ah / 1.2A = 4:45 x2 = 9:30 x2 = 19 hours at 25%

and most importantly, the guts of a Lightsaver Miser Tailcap installed, which allows me to run the light at 25% brightness.

…at 15 minute intervals

I'm okay with the Surefire MN02. It runs 2.5hr at 25 lumens on two CR123A's. I think on fresh batteries it starts out at more like 40 lumens.

I believe the MN02 is an under-reported and closely guarded secret at CPF. No one talks about it, but NOS MN02 lamps for reasonable prices, when they appear on eBay, do not last long. I think MN02 is incredible. It is a 0.5A lamp, and it will fire on a single 3.6V Li-ion to squeeze out a mind-blowing 2 hours and 24 minutes of incan E1e-intensity light on a single 1200mAh 18350.

I asked Tad to look into offering a half amp bipin, and he did, but what was available was not ideal. Most are into bright light, and in that space Tad Customs is ideal.

I did find half amp 2.5V halogen lamps for sale in limited quantity I hoped to use for 2xAA E Series, but the lamp is (probably) too tall for the Elite head, though I am optimistic it might fit in the head if the Elite bezel and lens are altered the way McGizmo altered an Elite head to fit the 1000lm 3A halogen bipins FiveMega sells.

 

[DayofReckoning]

Chillinn, 15 minute intervals with blinky flashes to let you know said 15 minutes are about up

With the discontinuation of the MN02, the LumensFactory HO-E1R, with it's 0.8A draw, paired with a 16650, is a good alternative.

 

[RobertMM]

Chillinn, 15 minute intervals with blinky flashes to let you know said 15 minutes are about up

With the discontinuation of the MN02, the LumensFactory HO-E1R, with it's 0.8A draw, paired with a 16650, is a good alternative.

Hi Sir, may I ask why does it need to be in 15 minute intervals?
Do the tailcap guts overheat?

That HO1 0.8Amp bulb looks mighty fine. I may have to try that in an E2e someday.

 

[DayofReckoning]

Hi Sir, may I ask why does it need to be in 15 minute intervals?
Do the tailcap guts overheat?

That HO1 0.8Amp bulb looks mighty fine. I may have to try that in an E2e someday.

I have no idea why they designed it that way, but I'm not a fan. I don't think it's due to heat concerns though. Hard to say what they were thinking to be honest. As a matter of fact, I've around dug the internet hard trying to get whatever kind of information on the Lightsaver Miser I can, and there really isn't much to be found. It is a mysterious little tailcap, that is for certain.

 

[RobertMM]

I have no idea why they designed it that way, but I'm not a fan. I don't think it's due to heat concerns though. Hard to say what they were thinking to be honest. As a matter of fact, I've around dug the internet hard trying to get whatever kind of information on the Lightsaver Miser I can, and there really isn't much to be found. It is a mysterious little tailcap, that is for certain.

I probably would not be a fan as well, knowing that I would be underdriving the bulb. I would just opt for a lower amperage bulb and higher capacity cells.

BTW since this is a thread for long runtime incans, I am happy that my 3C Mag has landed in my country and is in customs jail.

I got myself a couple of 5000mAh 50E 21700 Samsung cells to pair with the Magnumstar 6 cell bulbs I bought earlier.
Any last minute tips for my project?

 

[DayofReckoning]

I probably would not be a fan as well, knowing that I would be underdriving the bulb. I would just opt for a lower amperage bulb and higher capacity cells.

BTW since this is a thread for long runtime incans, I am happy that my 3C Mag has landed in my country and is in customs jail.

I got myself a couple of 5000mAh 50E 21700 Samsung cells to pair with the Magnumstar 6 cell bulbs I bought earlier.
Any last minute tips for my project?

When it comes to under driving bulbs, there is a certain balance to be had.

Under drive just a little bit and bulb life can be expanded, but​

underdrive too much, and the bulb will blacken too fast. The real damage to lamps is when they are flashed on and off quickly.

3C Maglite with 21700's and 6 cell Xenon is a good setup. If you haven't done so, I recommend doing the switch resistance mod I linked earlier in this thread. It makes a big difference.

 

[Grijon]

I got myself a couple of 5000mAh 50E 21700 Samsung cells to pair with the Magnumstar 6 cell bulbs I bought earlier.

Very interested to hear your real-life results when you get them together!

 

[DayofReckoning]

Very interested to hear your real-life results when you get them together!

I've compared the Magnumstar 6 cell lamps driven off 2X26650 in a 2D to the Tad's 7212 bulb driven off 2X26650 inside the little E series head using a smooth reflector. Doing a ceiling bounce test indoors, believe it or not, the little Tad's 7212 bulb outputs a bit more light than the 6D Magnumstar. Tried it with 2 different bulbs just to make sure. Being as though the 7212 draws 1.2A, I'm guessing the Maglite bulb is a little less than that.

Many report using the 5 cell magnumstar bulb with good results. But I've ran across too many instaflash posts, enough to scare me off of trying. The successful users are probably running smaller lower ampere cells like 18650's.

 

[bykfixer]

I like 4 cell mag bulbs with 2 LifePo4 solar lamp batteries. (18500)
Works great in 2C sized lights.

Tads bulbs are good.

Member Chillin' did a thread a couple years back about some bulbs used in the dash board of F-14 fighter jets called Lamptronix. Not really bright output type but pretty tough. They're 3 volt bipins with a ridiculous filament shadow. I bought several to see how tough they are and use them in my 3aaa lights. One lasted about 10 minutes being driven by 2 18650's. So for a bulb with a long lifespan those Lamptronix are hard to beat if you can find them anymore.

My incan long runtime champ is a 2D prototype made by Brinkmann for Snap On Tools with a high and a low switch using a PR4 krypton bulb. Runs at about 25% when the low switch is pressed.
Snap On said "nah" to the idea so only 6 were actually made. Don Keller shared one of them with me for my collection.

 

[DayofReckoning]

I like 4 cell mag bulbs with 2 LifePo4 solar lamp batteries. (18500)
Works great in 2C sized lights.

Tads bulbs are good.

Member Chillin' did a thread a couple years back about some bulbs used in the dash board of F-14 fighter jets called Lamptronix. Not really bright output type but pretty tough. They're 3 volt bipins with a ridiculous filament shadow. I bought several to see how tough they are and use them in my 3aaa lights. One lasted about 10 minutes being driven by 2 18650's. So for a bulb with a long lifespan those Lamptronix are hard to beat if you can find them anymore.

My incan long runtime champ is a 2D prototype made by Brinkmann for Snap On Tools with a high and a low switch using a PR4 krypton bulb. Runs at about 25% when the low switch is pressed.
Snap On said "nah" to the idea so only 6 were actually made. Don Keller shared one of them with me for my collection.

I would love to hear more about this. How old is this light? How is the brightness controlled? Resistance? PWM?

 

[chillinn]

I probably would not be a fan as well, knowing that I would be underdriving the bulb

Miser Lightsaver tailcap at 50% or 25% does not underdrive the lamp (if your cells are charged and matched to the lamp). I'll be mysterious and let someone else explain why.

I have no idea why they designed it that way, but I'm not a fan. I don't think it's due to heat concerns though. Hard to say what they were thinking to be honest.

I'm not sure this is the reason, but the incan E series never had anything like low voltage protection, probably because there were no secondaries available during (nearly most?) of its model life, and the lamps were designed for primaries. Ever set an incan E down, even as the only light source, and be distracted and not realize your (unprotected) cells are damaged until you're in the dark? When I was inexperienced, ir happened to me several times. Well, even if you're using primaries, the timer helps extend battery life, or at least makes one more conscious of it. I would assume heat is a reason for the timer also, but I've never had a problem with stock Surefire lamps overheating cells (Tad's lamps otoh given time at those amps can cause cells and host to get surprisingly hot, but not enough to burn skin... maybe it'd leave a mark on your inner thigh or groin if fired in the pocket unawares). The timer is a dumb (not stupid, just not "smart" like "smart" in "smart phone") low tech solution for a seemingly high tech tailcap. In fact, I'm not really sure, but it is possible Lightsaver also ceased being manufactured before secondaries became available, or widely available. That would satisfy my curiosity as to why the desigers didn't include features useful to secondary users. Anyway, blinkies are always annoying, and though blinkies seem purposeful and rational, no one really ever uses them.

 

[RobertMM]

Very interested to hear your real-life results when you get them together!

I am excited to put it together and use it.
It won't be just a toy, seeing that the runtime would make it good for practical usage.

@Dayofreckoning, I remember someone posted here a link to Fivemega saying that the 6 cell Magnumstar bipin draws just 900-950mAh, so it makes sense the TAD which is drawing more will be brighter.
Thanks for your inputs!

Really enjoying this thread.