# Long Runtime Incandescents



## DayofReckoning (Jan 23, 2020)

With the rise of LED's, a long runtime Incandescent is a bit of a niche catagory in our hobby. Nonetheless, I love the idea of obtaining long runtimes in Incandescent lights. Does anyone else here as well?

I purpose built a light for this specific purpose, and thought I would share a few pics and details here. It's a Fivemega 26650 E-Series body, Tad's Bi Pin Adapter with 3712 bulb (1.2A), Vapcell 5500mah cell, and most importantly, the guts of a Lightsaver Miser Tailcap installed, which allows me to run the light at 25% brightness.




















So not accounting for resistance, lost battery capacity, etc, how much runtime am I looking at here on the 25% brightness setting? FWIW, HKJ just tested these cells and they actually rated at above 5700mah.  And the 25% setting is still very useful at night for tasks.

What's the longest runtime incandescent setup you guys have seen, or own here on CPF? I have some other Tad's bulbs that I could underdrive and get some insane runtimes with.


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## novice (Jan 23, 2020)

I think your set-up would be hard to beat. 

It would be nice if Tad produced a bi-pin bulb adapter to fit in a regular SF Z44 bezel. Perhaps it could be a 2-piece fixed focal-length arrangement - with a central shaft to slide in and out of place, to avoid getting fingerprints on the reflector. Focal-lengths could possibly be moot if it was for his series of proprietary A2 bulbs. Hopefully it would be different enough from Fivemega's long-discontinued magnificent threaded adjustable bi-pin adapter design, that no one would think that there was any infringement going on.


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## DayofReckoning (Jan 23, 2020)

Very good idea, and something I would definitely like to see Tad's produce. I'm sure it would sell.


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## Grijon (Jan 24, 2020)

I’ll estimate 14+ hours, and interested to hear the real results 

Yes, this is cool.


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## DayofReckoning (Jan 24, 2020)

Grijon said:


> I’ll estimate 14+ hours, and interested to hear the real results
> 
> Yes, this is cool.



Thanks! Only thing I'd worry about with a runtime test is the Vapcell 26650 doesn't have a protection circuit, so I'd have to keep a close eye on it and not overdischarge it. Though I do have a protected Keeppower 26650 but with less capacity (5200mah) I could try.

I own a 1X26650 cell extender for it as well, but the only available bulb from Tad's for 2XLi-ion is the 7212 (1.2A)







I wish I could find a bi-pin bulb for 7.2V that draws less than 1.2A and fits correctly in the Tad's socket. Seeing as though non-surefire type bulbs like this, generally speaking, have a lifespan of around 20 hours, give or take, we could possibly be looking at a situation where the battery life is longer than the bulb life!


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## RobertMM (Jan 25, 2020)

After seeing TAD'S Customs Mag2 and 3C builds for sale at the bay using G4 halogen bulbs and recently acquiring a Solarforce L600(20watt G4 halogen bulb), the thought of going the opposite direction dawned unto me.
I am thinking a Mag3C, with a 6-cell Magnumstar bipin and two 21700 cells if the highest capacity I can find.

Problem is that the old 3C Mags are hard to find, I haven't acquired one til now. 😅


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## fivemega (Jan 25, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


> I wish I could find a bi-pin bulb for 7.2V that draws less than 1.2A


*Streamlight TL-3 bulb is 7.5V, 1.2A *


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## DayofReckoning (Jan 26, 2020)

fivemega said:


> *Streamlight TL-3 bulb is 7.5V, 1.2A *



Thanks for pointing that out FiveMega. Good bulb, but they are very expensive  At least compared to the bi-pins I get from Tad's


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## ampdude (Jan 27, 2020)

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 couldn't find my carry light the other day, so I slipped an E2e with one in my coat pockets. Didn't feel "underarmed."


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## Lumen83 (Jan 27, 2020)

I haven't tested the total time yet, but I use a surefire 6p host with a 16650 and a 6 volt xenon lamp and it just runs forever it seems.


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## Grijon (Jan 27, 2020)

Lumen83 said:


> I haven't tested the total time yet, but I use a surefire 6p host with a 16650 and a 6 volt xenon lamp and it just runs forever it seems.


May not be as long as you think 
I use a stock Surefire 6P with a 16650 quite a bit, and after 2 hours the battery is pretty well done.


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## ma tumba (Jan 27, 2020)

My fav incand setup is either the fivemega 2x18350 or 2x18500 hosts with adjustable head plus a sf tail with either miser guts or aw three stage switch. 

Great thing about the shorter host is its flexibility: you can use the fivemega's t2 bulbs with 2x18350, if you need lumens, 5/6D mag replacement bulbs if you want more runtime, or 3D bulb with an 18650 if you want even more runtime


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## DayofReckoning (Jan 27, 2020)

There's one thing I've learned since owning this light. People, including my past self, truly don't realize how weak, anemic and lacking the 16340/18350/16650/18650 cells are until you've run 26650 cells of this caliber. At least when it comes to driving incandescent bulbs, where shifts in brightness and whitness is very noticeable. Especially these Vapcell 26650's, which according to the charts on HKJ's fine battery comparator, pretty much blows away everything else. The performance under load is insane.

For example, the brightness seems to almost double swapping from a Keeppower 16650 over to the 26650, with whiteness improving as well. Even swapping from a Keeppower 35000mah 18650 to 26650 shows an noticeable increase in brightness. Of course, I do expect bulb life to be reduced as a result.


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## Lumen83 (Jan 27, 2020)

Grijon said:


> May not be as long as you think
> I use a stock Surefire 6P with a 16650 quite a bit, and after 2 hours the battery is pretty well done.



Thats long! I guess perception is everything. But 2 hours out of a 6p incan is forever to me. I also have one bored for 18650s that I used to run that bulb in and that was even longer. It was starting to be boring, it got such long run times. So I put it back over the 16650 which is still crazy long in my book.


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## RobertMM (Jan 31, 2020)

A 3.7V P60 mated to a 21700 or 26650 would be awesome.


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## Grijon (Jan 31, 2020)

Lumen83 said:


> Thats long! I guess perception is everything. But 2 hours out of a 6p incan is forever to me. I also have one bored for 18650s that I used to run that bulb in and that was even longer. It was starting to be boring, it got such long run times. So I put it back over the 16650 which is still crazy long in my book.


Perception is everything!

From a Surefire perspective 2 hours is pretty crazy - from a 4D Maglite perspective not so much - from a 14+ hour custom incan setup like I think the OP has...


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## DayofReckoning (Jan 31, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> A 3.7V P60 mated to a 21700 or 26650 would be awesome.



That's essentially what I'm running in my light, the Tad's 3712 is very similar to P60 output, maybe even greater when driven by a 26650.

They do sell a 3.7 P60 style xenon module on the big auction site. I've never ran one though.

I just remembered that Lumens Factory sells their HO-E1R lamp. With a current draw of 0.8A, I think the runtime would enter the category of "That's just [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]ridiculous" :laughing: [/FONT]


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## RobertMM (Feb 7, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


> That's essentially what I'm running in my light, the Tad's 3712 is very similar to P60 output, maybe even greater when driven by a 26650.
> 
> They do sell a 3.7 P60 style xenon module on the big auction site. I've never ran one though.
> 
> I just remembered that Lumens Factory sells their HO-E1R lamp. With a current draw of 0.8A, I think the runtime would enter the category of "That's just [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]ridiculous" :laughing: [/FONT]



A minimum of 3 to 4 hours off aa 4000mAh 21700 on thaat Lumens Factory lamp would make me happy.

I think I'll go ahead and give those 3.7V P60s a try. They are inexpensive anyway.


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## broadgage (Feb 7, 2020)

A standard 2D flashlight with a 2.7 volt 150ma bulb will give over 100 hours service on alkaline cells.
A lantern with a 5 volt 90ma bulb and a 6 volt zinc carbon battery will also give about 100 hours service.


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 7, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> A minimum of 3 to 4 hours off aa 4000mAh 21700 on thaat Lumens Factory lamp would make me happy.
> 
> I think I'll go ahead and give those 3.7V P60s a try. They are inexpensive anyway.



Something you may want to note. On Kaidomain, they have 2 versions available, a 12W and 15W. Many of the big auction site listings don't specify what they are, even though they all look identical.


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## fivemega (Feb 7, 2020)

*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)*


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## RobertMM (Feb 10, 2020)

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.


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## Grijon (Feb 10, 2020)

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


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 10, 2020)

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.


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## RobertMM (Feb 11, 2020)

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?


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 11, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> 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.


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## RobertMM (Feb 12, 2020)

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?


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 12, 2020)

You're welcome. 

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


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## chillinn (Feb 24, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


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





Grijon said:


> I’ll estimate 14+ hours,




for 5700mAh and 1.2A,

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



DayofReckoning said:


> 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 




ampdude said:


> 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.


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 25, 2020)

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.


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## RobertMM (Feb 27, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


> 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.


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 27, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> 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.


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## RobertMM (Feb 29, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


> 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?


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 29, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> 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.
> 
> ...



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.


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## Grijon (Feb 29, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> 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!


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 29, 2020)

Grijon said:


> 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.


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## bykfixer (Feb 29, 2020)

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.


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## DayofReckoning (Feb 29, 2020)

bykfixer said:


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




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


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## chillinn (Mar 1, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> 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. 



DayofReckoning said:


> 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.


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## RobertMM (Mar 2, 2020)

Grijon said:


> 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.


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## RobertMM (Mar 5, 2020)

Well, I got my 3C Mag today.
My 5000mAh cells were already charged in anticipation, and I dropped the 6 cell bipin bulb and was surprised to see that the cells, while technically not button top, made sufficient contact and the bulb fired right up.
A bonus is that even if loose, the cells did not rattle as the stiff tailcap spring put enough tension to hold them in place. No need for a DIY spacer, I guess.

Beam was as expected: a lot of artifacts and some fiddling was necessary(bending the bulb ever so slightly this way and that while mounted on the socket) to get the best beam profile.
Silly me forgot to pickup a can of clear acrylic spray to lightly stipple the stock reflector and clean up the beam. 

That will come next, as may some resistance mods I learned about in this forum. Overall pleased with this build, if the lamps pull 950mA and with the cells fully charged I guess I can expect at least a couple hours of runtime for this setup. 😁


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## DayofReckoning (Mar 5, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> Well, I got my 3C Mag today.
> My 5000mAh cells were already charged in anticipation, and I dropped the 6 cell bipin bulb and was surprised to see that the cells, while technically not button top, made sufficient contact and the bulb fired right up.
> A bonus is that even if loose, the cells did not rattle as the stiff tailcap spring put enough tension to hold them in place. No need for a DIY spacer, I guess.
> 
> ...



Good to hear everything is up and running . I'm not a white wall hunter and am not bothered by the artifacts myself, but understand how it bothers some.

Kaidomain sells orange peeled reflectors here for a decent price

I think you will be most happy with the switch resistance mod. The difference is quite noticeable. I had zero experience soldering, and was able to pull it off without much trouble. Just something to note

Make sure that the insulated wire you use is thin enough that the spring remains nice and flexible. I made the mistake the first time of using too thick of a wire, and the spring lost it's flexibility and was stiff because the wire was too thick to flex. It didn't seem to work consistent and reliable. IIRC, I ended up using 18 gauge wire, and it worked perfect.


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## fivemega (Mar 5, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> 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.


*This is maximum limit of Alkaline cells but if you draw more, efficiency will drop so unacceptable. Therefore, the only choice for brighter bulb (higher wattage) is to add more cells such as 4-5 or 6 cells.
Most flashlight makers to go higher wattage and brighter bulb but still in acceptable size, use Lithium primary ($urefire) or rechargeable (M*gCharger).
With new technology higher capacity Lithium rechargeable, most problems solved and can easily upgrade our old flashlights.*




RobertMM said:


> Beam was as expected: a lot of artifacts


*Your next choice to remove all artifacts and get softer beam shape is Armour etch the bulb. This method may reduce brightness little bit but result is awesome. Worth to try.*


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## RobertMM (Mar 5, 2020)

Thank you for your insights and tips DayofReckoning and Fivemega.
Now I can't decide which one to try 😁

I ran my setup for 3 hours total, in 1 hour increments and when I was done the cells read 3.72Volts each, not bad. 

A major hiccup us that when I looked at the bulb, the glass envelope had noticeably darkened. Bummer. I thought the gases were supposed to prevent that, or at least keep it from happening so soon into the bulb life(only 3.5 hours on it).

Oh well, glad I bought several bulbs.


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## Grijon (Mar 6, 2020)

I can't say for sure because I've never measured, but I'm thinking less than 10 hours per bulb has been my experience with the stock 6-cell bulbs on 6 NiMH.

The 6-cell bulb is by far the shortest lived in my time with stock xenon Maglite 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-cell bulbs on equal number of NiMH power.


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## DayofReckoning (Mar 6, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> Thank you for your insights and tips DayofReckoning and Fivemega.
> Now I can't decide which one to try 
> 
> I ran my setup for 3 hours total, in 1 hour increments and when I was done the cells read 3.72Volts each, not bad.
> ...



I'm assuming you are running the newer style bi-pin lamps? The 6 cell lamps I have are the older PR based style, I bought a batch around 2006. 

I wonder if there is any difference between the two as far as quality and longevity? I would not be surprised to find the older PR style were better.


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## RobertMM (Mar 6, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


> I'm assuming you are running the newer style bi-pin lamps? The 6 cell lamps I have are the older PR based style, I bought a batch around 2006. I wonder if there is any difference between the two as far as quality and longevity? I would not be surprised to find the older PR style were better.



Yes Sir I have the (relatively) newest Magnumstar bipin.I think that the small surface area inside the glass envelope compared to the older PR based bulbs is a factor on why it darkened that quickly. 
I mean for a given amount of filament particles, they can only adhere to a very small area inside compared to the big old bulbs where the same amount of filament particles will only create a thinner and less noticeable blackening.

Considering I paid 21USD for three of these bipins, I am quite bummed.

I had much better experience with the older Magnumstar PR based bulb which had the big cylindrical glass envelope. I ran a single 4 cell variant in a 4D Mag running NiMH for hours on end and I still have the bulb today, with almost no sign of blackening.

As for my project, I sputtered the reflector with 3 blasts of clear acrylic spray from 15 inches away. Turned out better than I hoped, looking like it came from the factory that way. I will run these bipins till they go out or blacken too much, then I'll hunt for a good PR based alternative.


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## fivemega (Mar 7, 2020)

RobertMM said:


> I will run these bipins till they go out or blacken too much, then I'll hunt for a good PR based alternative.



*Like this?
Not a bi-pin but good choice.*


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## RobertMM (Mar 7, 2020)

fivemega said:


> *Like this?
> Not a bi-pin but good choice.*



Love it. Fivemega never fails to impress. 😁


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## ampdude (Mar 7, 2020)

DayofReckoning said:


> I'm assuming you are running the newer style bi-pin lamps? The 6 cell lamps I have are the older PR based style, I bought a batch around 2006.
> 
> I wonder if there is any difference between the two as far as quality and longevity? I would not be surprised to find the older PR style were better.



I have some of both in the 2 cell and 4 cell size. Probably have some 6 cells around as well. From what I remember of the PR based lamps, the output of the Magnumstar I is basically the same as the II, but I have not put them side to side. I don't remember if there is a PR based Magnumstar II. I think there is because I think the II's came out around 2010 IIRC.


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## RobertMM (Mar 31, 2020)

Found some 500mA 7.2V bulbs at evilbay, seller legantec24.

Those should gove awesome runtimes for 2x18650 or 21700 without blackening as much as the small bipin bulbs.


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## 325addict (Aug 9, 2020)

I also made such a long running incan light. Take one standard 2D Mag, add two NiMH 8500mAh D-cells and add a 2.7V / 150mA bulb. Now calculate HOW LONG that will run  
Not much light, but definitely enough light to prevent you from stumbling over things in your house when it's pitch dark.


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## 325addict (Aug 9, 2020)

OK, another one:
- take one Makita BML185 light
- take one fully charged BL1860B battery
- change the bulb for the bulb belonging in a BML184 lamp (18V / 0.2A)

And enjoy 30 hours of nice light!


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