# DIY Mini Mag Mod Guide



## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

Ok here we go , I dont know if there is a simpler mod , but the idea here is both : To be cheap , and to be simple . 

You can use any LED that will fit , Ive used a Cree XR-E Q5 , because its a mature LED and its flexible and can take some abuse . 

So for the most basic part of this mod , you need the LED [ 15mm or smaller ] , some thermal epoxy , or Devcon , a soldering iron , and the odd file ..

For the first part , I will show you how to install the Q5 .. 





First things first , dis assemble the light ..

Use a flat head screw driver to separate the two part plastic assembly that the bulb goes into , 





This is what were after ,





Pull out the negative tab 





We then feed into the positive tab some wire , you can do this without soldering , but I would strip both ends of the wire first when you have worked out the correct length 





Now we must work out negative and positive for the top part .. I cut in some slots and a grove for the positive wire ..




Here you can see from the other side , and in this picture I have glued on the LED already .. [ When gluing , do your best to center it ]




After the led is glued in , we solder on the negative wire , I hope these pictures explain it . 













Here I am test fitting before doing any wiring ... 









When the positive wire is in place , feed the bottom assembly into the body , and use some AA's to keep it in place , then lay the wire so it runs in the grove when you snap the top part in place ..

Then feed it to the positive tab on the LED and solder ...









And before I forget , file the anodizing of the face of the body so the negative wire can complete the circuit .. Also this gives us our twist on of .


Ok so Ive done the pictures , now ill try and explain it without having to worry about pasting pictures ..

1. Dis assemble the light ..
2. Pull apart the two part bulb holder 
3. Remove the negative tab from the bottom one 
4. Attach wire to remaining positive tab in bottom assembly 
5. Glue LED to top assembly 
6. Cut 3 slots + Grove for positive wire 
7. Attach the negative wire to LED and feed it through the slot and around the base of the assembly and back up through the middle slot 
8. File the anodizing of the front of the body
9. Assemble the two part assembly feeding the wire along the grove and then to the positive tab on the led 
10 . Now you can test to make sure it works , just push the led down and it should turn on ..
11. You need to increase the size of the hole in the reflector to allow it to easily slip over the lens+retaining ring .. 
Once thats done correctly [ Dont allow any binding , it must be a lose fit ] 
You have a moded mini mag ...

Remember , to be aware of negative and positive on the LED ..
Fit and refit to make sure wires are correct length , and trimmed etc to correct length .. 

Now , there is still more you can do ..

Glass lens from DX/KD , tail switch , 

This mod will run 2xAA 

Also you can run 14500 + Dummy cell ..

You can buy a AA dummy from the market place , or make one from a AAA to AA adapter , use a spring [ soft ] internally to complete the circuit , and dont trim the spring too much , as it will offer resistance to current , 

I will do some beam shots tonight ..

With this one , I did put in a Lens , to get rid of the cree rings , and the black hole in the center .. A glass lens would be better , as would be a orange peel reflector ..

Anyhow - This light can be yours ! 

Yes Im giving this one away , I dont want anything in return ..

If you want it : ???

Just post a reply in this thread saying = "I want the MM mod" 

And I will put you in the draw , sorry no reserved numbers , and only a single entry , and the draw will be AKA Lucky dip .. 

If your name/number comes up , I will PM you asking for Snail mail so I can ship it to you .. Usual disclaimer about posting stuff ...
This is 100% Free and open to all ... :thumbsup:


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

Reserved for future use : 





Win this Mini Mag  I will end this Sat Local time [ Fri for you guys in the states ] and then do the draw , and hopefully post it Monday . 


Q5 reverse twisty + acrylic lens [ twist to tighten / to turn on ] Will run 2xAA or you can run 1x14500 + Dummy Cell .

With 2 Duracells = 0.150mAh 
Varta Heavy duty = 0.180mAh


Draw :

1/ wolfstyle
2/ Volny
3/ d1337
4/ KD5XB
5/ Tmad
6/ bshanahan14rulz
7/ Fender
8/ linty
9/ Pekka
10/ dealgrabber2002
11/ DoctaDink
12/ dubweiser
13/ J.C.F.
14/ zozo
15/ gunga
16/ 3D black mag
17/ raven1911
18/ lonesouth 
19/ Ty4752 
20/ dd61999
21/ RAGE CAGE 
22/


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## Hack On Wheels (Sep 16, 2009)

Too bad, I was interested to see this mod, but the heatsinking (or lack thereof) would definitely be a problem.


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## fatts (Sep 16, 2009)

I agree. Heatsinking would be a big problem with this mod, especially given how this setup is direct-drive, so the current to the LED isn't regulated. 

I'm not sure how much runtime you'll get before the LED overheats.


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

It could be ..

So far no problem , but Ive kept the runs to 5 minutes or less ..[ 14500 ] 

If you ran it for 30 minutes it could be a problem .. But if you run 2xAA I dont see an issue .. 14500 with not enough resistance could be an issue , but then the simplicity goes out the window .


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

Well , I just did a 20 minute run with my 14500 Mini mag Q5 mod [ not the one here ] and no problems ... Moded the same way . 

Nothing melted , and it seemed to heatsink to my hand just fine ..
And if your worried , you can always go with the IQ tail switch witch will give you 3 modes ... 

Again , I dont see a problem with 2xAA ..

If you were to leave the light on with a 14500 and it had nothing to heatsink to like your hand , Ok , it would probably get real hot ...

Mine runs 600 - 700mAh due to the resistance from the dummy cell ..
With the 14500 .. And it seems to be very manageable .

Just tested the light with 2xAA [ The one I moded here and is on offer ] 

With 2 Duracells = 0.150A - 0.170A
Varta Heavy duty = 0.180A - 0.210A 
With the 14500 + dummy cell = 0.55A

Sorry guys .. I dont see a problem with AA's / The 14500 would obviously require some care , but I ran mine for 20 minutes with no issues .. Again mine is regulated to 600-700mAh with the dummy cell .


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## wolfstyle (Sep 16, 2009)

"I want the mm mod."

wolfstyle


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## bstrickler (Sep 16, 2009)

Couldn't you use an XP-E with a 10mm board (and probably a small heatsink that will touch the head of the light), instead? I might have to figure out a way to do that, and see if it will be functional.

~Brian


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## Volny (Sep 16, 2009)

"I want the MM mod"


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

If I had a lathe , I would go nuts .. and build a SSC P7 Mini Mag .. 
Yes its do-able .. 

As is , I think its fine , for $5 you can make the old incan very usable . 
And as I mentioned before , Go IQ tailswitch for multimode . 

Going outside for beamshots


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## Alistair (Sep 16, 2009)

Thanks 4570, for a nice explanation. I live in South Africa so will have to order the parts from USA. Can't wait to have a go.


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

Incan with 2xAA Duracell /\






Q5 with 2xAA Duracell /\






Q5 with 1x14500 and dummy cell @ 0.55A


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## d1337 (Sep 16, 2009)

Great mod. I'm surprised we don't see more mods like this with so many MM around. Please enter me in the drawing. :thumbsup:


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

Alistair said:


> Thanks 4570, for a nice explanation. I live in South Africa so will have to order the parts from USA. Can't wait to have a go.



This is the second one i've done , and Im very happy with the mod ..
About 2 hours of your time , and you end up with a very usable light , and if your worried about melting it , just run AA's , I was very pleased with the low current draw o.2A and lower , so should give good run time on AA's .


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## KD5XB (Sep 16, 2009)

I'd like to be in the drawing, too -- so.....

"I want the MM mod" 

Tnx


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## Tmad (Sep 16, 2009)

Looks good. Really liked to see the difference in the batteries. I've got a good buddy who works at a machine shop and I'm gonna see if he'll make a heat sink or two for me.

I'd also like to be in the drawing please.


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## Tmad (Sep 16, 2009)

Great information. I really liked to see the difference in the battery beam shots. Nice.

Please enter me into the drawing.


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## bshanahan14rulz (Sep 16, 2009)

I want the MM mod!!!

I'm trying to do a 2xAAA MM mod myself, just a matter of logistics. Right now I will be mounting an xp-e to an 8mm board (fits perfectly in the hole at the head of the body), it will be glued to the inner diameter of that hole, plus an aluminum slug to act as the heatsink and spacer for the single AAA-sized li-ion (10440?). Switch I'm thinking of just taking out the battery. I need to check and see if I got any replies to my other post about switch ideas.

For optics, I am using a ledil iris. I had a P3 7C, beautiful color. while half-asleep, I 'd it.

Anyways, nice work


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## IceRat (Sep 16, 2009)

Great Job!! :thumbsup:

I have a Brinkman (MiniMag clone) that I wanted to upgrade for a long time. Where did you order the emitter and how much was it? I would like to order a few and do this upgrade on a few lights.

Thanks Again!


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## ^Gurthang (Sep 16, 2009)

Nice DIY How-to-Mod.... I ordered a Q3 from SB just for my MM. I'm going to machine a small Al slug for sink. What sort of draw can NiMHs or 'loops source?


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## jar3ds (Sep 16, 2009)

oh gosh... i'm getting so sick and tired of all the 'heatsink' nannies... who cares! :nana:

seriously... it all practical purposes... most people turn their lights off... admire how bright it is... then turn it off oo:...

if your light is getting hot it means its working! :devil:

Thanks for the DIY Mini MOD Guide! lovecpf


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## Illum (Sep 16, 2009)

yeah...while the heatsinking may pose as an issue its still much better than the stock minimag LED.

besides...CREEs are cheap 
Given the real-estate in a minimag...the only ability to effectively heatsink it would be inserting a brass slug or what not in the body of the light and use a single 14500, but that won't be a "simple" mag mod


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## Fender (Sep 16, 2009)

I want the MM mod!


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## linty (Sep 16, 2009)

"I want the MM mod"

woot!


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

IceRat said:


> Great Job!! :thumbsup:
> 
> I have a Brinkman (MiniMag clone) that I wanted to upgrade for a long time. Where did you order the emitter and how much was it? I would like to order a few and do this upgrade on a few lights.
> 
> Thanks Again!



Cree's = Many sources 
I usually get mine from Dealextreme or KaiDomain , you can also head on over to the CPF Marketplace , and check the links/sponsors . 

IQ tail switch 

And thank you , I figure lots of people have Mini Mags in the draw doing nothing , and if you can get them up and running for $5 , why not ! 
I've learned a lot here at CPF [ still lots to learn ] and this is just a little Pay Back ... lovecpf


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## old4570 (Sep 16, 2009)

^Gurthang said:


> Nice DIY How-to-Mod.... I ordered a Q3 from SB just for my MM. I'm going to machine a small Al slug for sink. What sort of draw can NiMHs or 'loops source?



Im not sure I understand the question ...

Im guessing your wondering how much current they can provide , and the answer is around 1.7A+ for a single cell with a Cree XR-E ..
Now thats only in my experience , Hardcore AA users may know better .


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## Pekka (Sep 16, 2009)

Simple yet effective, me likes 
Oh, and I want the MM mod!


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## dealgrabber2002 (Sep 16, 2009)

Thank you for this great gesture.

I want to be in the raffle as well. 

"I want the MM mod"

Thank you once again.


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## dubweiser (Sep 16, 2009)

This is great!! Exactly what I was looking for.

oh yeah.. I want the MM mod!


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## DoctaDink (Sep 16, 2009)

Thanks for posting the Mod. Definitely looks like one to try.
And...yes, I want the MM Mod.

Thanks again.


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## nanotech17 (Sep 16, 2009)

you could use the Fraen reflector to get a better beam.


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## J.C.F. (Sep 17, 2009)

how nice
I want the MM mod!!!!!
cool and thanks.


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## zozo (Sep 17, 2009)

I want the MM mod.

Please.


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## gunga (Sep 17, 2009)

Clever mod.

I'm surprised it can work with 2 batteries since the vF is usually around 3.2 V etc?

I guess it can work with 2 alkalines or lithium, but 2 nimh should not work (or is very dim)?

Oh, btw.

"I want the MM mod"

:devil:


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## 3D black mag (Sep 17, 2009)

Nice work and good DIY guide.


"I want the MM mod" :twothumbs


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## raven1911 (Sep 18, 2009)

I want the MM mod.

Please.


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## Justin Case (Sep 18, 2009)

gunga said:


> Clever mod.
> 
> I'm surprised it can work with 2 batteries since the vF is usually around 3.2 V etc?
> 
> ...



Vf is not a single value. It comes as a pair -- Vf/If and spans a range of values depending on drive current. The usual spec for Vf is given at 350mA drive. For a Cree P4 (haven't measured a Q5, although I have a loose one sitting around somewhere), I measured about 150mA drive at roughly 3V in. But at 2.8V, the drive current fell to about 50mA. Each LED will have its own Vf/If curve, but if we assume as a first cut that the Q5 has similar behavior, you can then refer to the relative luminous flux vs drive current curve in the Q5 datasheet to estimate output.

Fresh NiMHs should start out about as bright as 2xalkaline, since NiMHs can be charged to around 1.45V per cell. But the output will probably fall quickly.

At these relatively low drive currents, the LED probably won't heat up drastically, especially if you run the light for brief periods only. I can run my loose Q5 (emitter and substrate sitting on a 14mm circular base board only, not even a star) to re-check that. My test P4 is glued to a heat sink, but I can put a thermocouple to the solder point directly. But direct driving a Q5 mounted only a star using 1xLi-ion is going to heat up the LED rapidly. You essentially have a 4W heat source that is very sensitive to temperature and whose longevity doesn't bode well. Try running a 4W night light some time and then touch the bulb.


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## lonesouth (Sep 18, 2009)

Good job on the mod! Enter me in the drawing!


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## Ty4752 (Sep 18, 2009)

"I want the MM mod"
Thanks,


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## Justin Case (Sep 18, 2009)

I put a thermocouple to the solder point of a test Cree XR-E P4, as shown here: http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/XLampSolderingandHandling.pdf

My test P4 is a emitter/substrate reflow soldered to a star. The star has been nibbled away to about a 15mm diameter circle (it was scavenged from a crappy P60 drop-in). I attached the emitter/substrate/star to a light piece of metal using Arctic Alumina compound under the star and then secured the LED to the heat sink using standard epoxy around the perimeter of the star. I suppose that technically, this AA Mini Mag mod has less heat sinking than this (just the round metal mini-board under the substrate).

I powered the P4 at Vin=3.6V and within one minute, the thermocouple temp reached 170F (77C). The datasheet spec for thermal resistance between LED junction and solder point is 8C/W. I drove the LED at [email protected] (this current level is why I didn't run the P4 at 3.7V or 3.8V to simulate a Li-ion more closely), or 4.1W. Thus, the junction temp is calculated to be 77C+8*4.1 = 110C.

At full power, I wouldn't run the light for more than a few sec at a time if direct driving a Cree XR-E Q5 with 1xLi-ion. Parasitic resistance in the light can help here, acting like a built-in dropping resistor.

To simulate the effect of parasitic resistance/dropping resistor, I ran my test P4 at 650mA drive current (3.35V input) and reached 123F (51C) after 3 min. That gives an estimated junction temp of 51+8*(3.35*0.65) = 68C. The thermocouple measurement seemed to be moving upward fairly slowly after 3 min, so I can believe that running for 5 min or perhaps even for 10 min continuous would not heat up the light excessively (however, what you perceive on the outside of the flashlight may not reflect what is going on at the LED, especially since the LED looks to have poor thermal contact to the rest of the metal flashlight body). At 650mA drive current, you could get around 130 lumens out the front.

When I ran my XR-E P4 at low power ([email protected]~150mA), the solder point temp reached 92F (33C) after 2 minutes and didn't look like it was going to move much higher (if any at all). The calculated junction temp in this case is about 33C+8*0.45 = 37C.

So running the light in direct drive using 2xalkalines or 2xNiMH looks like there should be no heat issue. Of course, output is also correspondingly lower. Relative luminous flux at 3V/150mA drive current is about 50% or around 50 lumens for the Q5. Not bad for a quick and dirty AA Mini Mag direct drive build.


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## merrimac (Sep 18, 2009)

well, i ordered the LED ( 5 ), so i thought about how simple this was i went ahead and put a P7 in today, send me a email and i'll send pics, not as clear as yours, just a cheap Kodak, [email protected] don't know how to put pic on here, mac


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## Blue72 (Sep 18, 2009)

I want the mm mod


That thing is cool!!!!!!!!!!!! Simplicity at its best!!


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## gunga (Sep 18, 2009)

Justin Case said:


> So running the light in direct drive using 2xalkalines or 2xNiMH looks like there should be no heat issue. Of course, output is also correspondingly lower. Relative luminous flux at 3V/150mA drive current is about 50% or around 50 lumens for the Q5. Not bad for a quick and dirty AA Mini Mag direct drive build.


 

Great information, thanks a lot.

:twothumbs


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## RAGE CAGE (Sep 18, 2009)

"I want the MM mod" 

PLEASE and THANK YOU


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## old4570 (Sep 18, 2009)

merrimac said:


> well, i ordered the LED ( 5 ), so i thought about how simple this was i went ahead and put a P7 in today, send me a email and i'll send pics, not as clear as yours, just a cheap Kodak, [email protected] don't know how to put pic on here, mac



You need to find a picture host : 
Upload the picture to the host 
then copy and paste the code to your post here on CPF 
Ive used up my bandwidth for the month , so im in the slow lane .. 

http://www.youruploader.com/

Just do a yahoo search for picture hosts ..


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## old4570 (Sep 19, 2009)

:twothumbs Clossed
Drawn = 20


20/ dd61999 Please PM me your Snail mail , and I will post Monday ..


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## Blue72 (Sep 19, 2009)

old4570 said:


> :twothumbs Clossed
> Drawn = 20
> 
> 
> 20/ dd61999 Please PM me your Snail mail , and I will post Monday ..





YAHOO!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!! I REALLY WANTED THIS LIGHT!!!

Thanks old4570!!


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## old4570 (Sep 19, 2009)

Congratulations , and I hope you will be happy with it ..

Will put it in the post Monday . 

:wave:


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## dealgrabber2002 (Sep 19, 2009)

What old4570 meant was 20/2 = 10. I won I won!!!! lol

Congrats dd61999!!!


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## old4570 (Sep 20, 2009)

Posted - 14.20Hours 21st day Sep 09


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## Blue72 (Sep 28, 2009)

Old4570

I received the light tonight and I really enjoy it. I like the optic you put in it, Its created the biggest hotspot I have ever seen. Where did you get them? Also what kind of reflector was used, it does not look like the stock mag reflector.

Once again thanks for the light!


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## old4570 (Sep 28, 2009)

Lens from DX .. Acrylic 17mm ? if memory serves . 

Reflector is stock Mag , just modified a little .. to fit Cree . 

:thumbsup: Arrived safe and well :thumbsup:


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## Dez (Feb 28, 2010)

Hey! Just got the LED I ordered to do this mod and the pics are missing. =( Could you upload again or mail the pics?


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## icpd30 (Feb 28, 2010)

Hey, where did the pictures go? How can I do this mod...I can't read the text, only look a the pictures to figure stuff out. 

:shrug:

Just kidding, but I would like to see the photos, if they could be reposted?


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## baywatch106 (Feb 28, 2010)

I want the mm mod


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## baywatch106 (Feb 28, 2010)

guess i should read all of the posts before posting.


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## wildstar87 (Mar 3, 2010)

For heatsinking you can do this mod slightly different, I posted this up a while ago.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/194179

It would work fine with DD as well. A tailswitch is mandatory however, but I have 3 of these and they warm up nicely, and have decent output.


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## old4570 (Mar 3, 2010)

Hmmm , the pictures are still up ...


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## GarageBoy (Mar 4, 2010)

Don't forget the sandwich


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