# First MAG85



## SneakyCyber (Oct 20, 2009)

Second mod first was a MAG3D P7

Doing a MAG85 with a 9AA-3D FM adapter, SS Bipin adapter (from FM), And a WA1185 bulb. My use will be to light up houses when I deliver pizza's so max on time will be less than 3 min so I shouldn't need a metal reflector. Any other tips tricks I may need so I don't  my bulb. I am looking at this classic thread that I found doing a site search. I haven't decided on batteries yet there are some listed in the tutorial that I will take a look at. If I just throw in alkalines will that work for a bit for testing untill I get the batteries. Just making sure since this is my first incan mod. Many thanks :huh:


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## fivemega (Oct 20, 2009)

SneakyCyber said:


> My use will be to light up houses when I deliver pizza's so max on time will be less than 3 min so I shouldn't need a metal reflector.


*Wrong,
For continuous 3 minutes run you will need aluminum reflector and Borofloat lens.*




SneakyCyber said:


> Any other tips tricks I may need so I don't  my bulb.


*Make sure let batteries rest several hours after charging/trickle is completed.*



SneakyCyber said:


> I haven't decided on batteries yet there are some listed in the tutorial that I will take a look at.


*Take my advise and don't look at anything other than Eneloops.*



SneakyCyber said:


> If I just throw in alkalines will that work for a bit for testing untill I get the batteries.


*Just don't do that.*


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## mdhammack (Oct 20, 2009)

fivemega said:


> *Wrong,*
> *For continuous 3 minutes run you will need aluminum reflector and Borofloat lens.*
> 
> 
> ...


 

What he said!

The heat from that bulb is really intense, a rop hi bulb can warp a lens in only a few minutes. The alkalines won't provide the current for you. Definitely do the Eneloops!! I wish I had done them the first time around, so much better that most anyting out there. You will end up buying brand a batteries and be sorely disappointed with your runtimes/output. Take a little time and save some extra cash to do it right once, otherwise you end up buying all that stuff anyway.


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## SneakyCyber (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks for the help. I will wait and do It right the first time and make purchases as the budget allows. I did that with the SSC p7 and I am very happy with how it turned out.


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## luckybucket (Oct 20, 2009)

fivemega said:


> *Just don't do that.*




LOL. you should try posting a helpful response.

Yes you can throw in alkalines to check the setup. It wont be bright, but it works just to see if everything was assembled correctly


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## Hack On Wheels (Oct 21, 2009)

luckybucket said:


> LOL. you should try posting a helpful response.
> 
> Yes you can throw in alkalines to check the setup. It wont be bright, but it works just to see if everything was assembled correctly



LOL. you should try posting a well thought out response. 

Yes, he could throw in alkalines to check that it lights up. However, the high draw won't do well with, or for, the alkalines. It would also sound like he plans to actually use the light with alkalines until the proper batteries arrive, and even if that isn't full-on use it still wouldn't be a great idea. A new light is awfully tempting to play with, and the last thing a person wants is to have alkalines leaking inside their new toy.


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## buickid (Oct 21, 2009)

fivemega said:


> *Make sure let batteries rest several hours after charging/trickle is completed.*



If letting the batteries rest several hours isn't convenient, then refrain from doing "resistance mods". A stock Mag may not milk every last lumen, but it'll keep you from ing bulbs left and right. Ideally, rest the batteries as long as you can though, its a lot easier on the bulbs. (And stuff an extra bulb in the tailcap!)


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## fareast (Oct 21, 2009)

SneakyCyber said:


> Thanks for the help. I will wait and do It right the first time and make purchases as the budget allows. I did that with the SSC p7 and I am very happy with how it turned out.



:thumbsup: 
I recently did a few mods with the help of FM and _I_ think if he gives you advice, you'd better take it....


and of course, get extra bulbs when you can. I _know_ you will be very pleased with your upcoming Mag85! It's definitely worth the patience. In the meantime there is a ton of information here at CPF about a Mag85.


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## Billy Ram (Oct 22, 2009)

I don't know what may happen if you use 9 ea. AA alkalines in your battery pack. They are 1.5v and I just checked some that are 1.625v.x9=14.625v. That may not be too good for your bulb. 
Edit: Just look at the price of AA alkalines!! You wouldn't want to use them if you could.
Billy


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## jahxman (Oct 22, 2009)

Eneloops are good in this application and plenty bright enough, but I use 9x Elite 1700 high discharge NiMHs in my Mag85, and get a noticable output boost from them as comapred to Eneloops. They do drive the bulb harder, so the advice about resting them a bit after a charge is even more pertinent if you use them. Obviously you will get more runtime with the Eneloops, the usual trade off between output and runtime I suppose.

That said, I haven't had any issues with flashing any bulbs in my Mag85 or ROPs that use the Elite 1700s, but I also have not done any low resistance mods to them (yet) which apparently makes this more likely in conjunction with firing them up fresh off the charger.


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## Mjolnir (Oct 22, 2009)

Billy Ram said:


> I don't know what may happen if you use 9 ea. AA alkalines in your battery pack. They are 1.5v and I just checked some that are 1.625v.x9=14.625v. That may not be too good for your bulb.
> Edit: Just look at the price of AA alkalines!! You wouldn't want to use them if you could.
> Billy


That is the voltage of alkalines WITHOUT load. WITH load, they will have a much lower voltage than Nimh cells, so there is no way that they will blow the bulb. That is why alkalines are not very good batteries... They can't handle very high loads at all.


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## Billy Ram (Oct 22, 2009)

Mjolnir said:


> That is the voltage of alkalines WITHOUT load. WITH load, they will have a much lower voltage than Nimh cells, so there is no way that they will blow the bulb. That is why alkalines are not very good batteries... They can't handle very high loads at all.


 I didn't know for sure.
Thank you for clearing this up
Billy


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## SneakyCyber (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks all for the tips, keep them coming if there's more out there. I just got my first load of parts from fivemega. When it all comes together I will be sure to post pictures (it may be a few weeks budget allowing).


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## SneakyCyber (Oct 24, 2009)

Again Thanks for all the help with this I have the plans nailed down. This one will be put on hold while I build my 3 SSC P7 mag.


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## Linger (Oct 25, 2009)

Look at destructive test for 1185, the voltage range goes up. But for a fool-proof solution guarenteed %100 of the time, you could try running the 1185 at spec, 9.6v (8AA).

Also, you're of course free to do as you please, but can we consider if a 3C [email protected] is the easiest thing to use for your deliveries? Most delivery people could use an additional hand to handle money, product, door handles, dogs, etc. Is this the situation to have a high-powered incan? It would be real unfortunate to drop it and the hot bulb. I'm not going to say you should keep the [email protected] in the car for spotting addresses, but a small single cell high output light, say something with a clip or that has a finger holder, could be very helpful.


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## Databyter (Oct 25, 2009)

FiveMega said everything I would have said.

I just made the same build a few months ago.

I bought a smart charger which stops the hard charging when my eneloops are full, There is still probably a very small maint. charge but I feel very safe using all 9 aa within an hour or two. I'm using the same bulb FM mailed me with my order 2 months abo and I use it intermitently every day. Many hard starts and no flash.

Try not to jar your light or drop it, put it on the seat of car don't toss it etc.. That will help.

You might be interested in some of the resistance fixes for a little extra output, but even with stock you are running some nice volts through that bulb and are probably very close to what you want and NOT doing the resistance fixes also adds bulb life by adding a resistance to the circuit thats just about right for starting up that nice bulb.


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## Billy Ram (Oct 25, 2009)

I like having a short lanyard on small lights so I can turn it loose when I need to. 
Billy


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## SneakyCyber (Oct 25, 2009)

@Linger

Dropping a hot wire would not be good. Most of the time I use the large light for lighting up addresses and I use a stock 3AA mini mag if I need additional light at the house. However some deliveries I take the big light for protection it sits nicely In my back pocket until I need to blind or use it against someone. This would be a rarity since I live in a small town, but I am used to delivering in a large city (Indianapolis In) some habits are hard to break. Dropping an LED light would be disappointing but the bulbs are not subject to breakage like the Incandescent are. I still have the bulb and holder for the mag85 so I may build one in the future for now I am going with the Triple SSC P7 for my next build.


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## Linger (Oct 25, 2009)

SneakyCyber said:


> Most of the time I use the large light for lighting up addresses and I use a stock 3AA mini mag if I need additional light at the house.


Glad to hear. Having someone walk up on a rainy night and drop a prized hotwire would be depressing. (but you could get a high power single AA cell light that out performs the mini mag for brightness and run-time)


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## SneakyCyber (Nov 19, 2009)

Host complete! Got a red 3D today and put it together with duracell's its very bright with the standard batteries I can't wait to get my rechargeables. I will post beamshots when it gets darker. I will be going with this charger and eneloops for my MAG85 and tripple P7.


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## Billy Ram (Nov 19, 2009)

SneakyCyber said:


> Host complete! Got a red 3D today and put it together with duracell's its very bright with the standard batteries I can't wait to get my rechargeables. I will post beamshots when it gets darker. I will be going with this charger and eneloops for my MAG85 and tripple P7.


 I can see I need to get up to date with my chargers:thinking: Everyone is ending up with one of those Turnigys. Glad to hear every thing went together like you wanted. The m*g85 is one of my favorite lights with my m*g458 being a close second. Looks like I went from one extreem to the other and may have missed some of the other great lights in between. Well maybe I'll see something I would like to put together sometime.
Billy


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## SneakyCyber (Nov 19, 2009)

Beam shots compared to a SSC P7 the beam is tighter with less spill but the P7 is using a stock mag reflector. There about the same in brightness with the p7 being whiter overall.


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## lctorana (Nov 20, 2009)

SneakyCyber said:


> There about the same in brightness with the p7 being whiter overall.


That's weird.
Check the condition of your batteries and perhaps do some resistance fixes.


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## SneakyCyber (Nov 20, 2009)

The beam shots were taken with standard AA batteries. I am sure it will be MUCH brighter when I get my rechargeables.


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## Deputy T. (Nov 22, 2009)

Linger said:


> Look at destructive test for 1185, the voltage range goes up. But for a fool-proof solution guarenteed %100 of the time, you could try running the 1185 at spec, 9.6v (8AA).



This is something I was considering for my Mag85 build. How much of a loss of brightness should I expect? Will it still be brighter than my ROP? This concept appeals to me both because it'll be easier on the bulb, and because my battery charger only has 8 bays. I'd just hate to spend the money only end up with a that's not even as bright as my ROP.


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## lctorana (Nov 22, 2009)

Read the graphs.


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## SneakyCyber (May 13, 2010)

Finally got my Eneloops only to find my bulb has some film on the inside and it has a yellow beam that's very dim. What caused this? Time to order more bulbs.


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## alpg88 (May 13, 2010)

my mag 85 runs on 3x18650, that is definitely more v, than 9 eneloops, so far i have not flashed single bulb. thou my cells are not brand new cells, i took them out of laptop packs, but they still 4.2v off charger, i do however let them rest few days.


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## SneakyCyber (May 13, 2010)

The bulb was filmed before I turned it on.. are you running direct wire or through a driver?


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## alpg88 (May 13, 2010)

SneakyCyber said:


> are you running direct wire or through a driver?


 are you asking me???
if you are, i run it direct, my guess stock switch does add some resistance, as does tail spring with aluminium rivet


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## QtrHorse (May 14, 2010)

alpg88 said:


> my mag 85 runs on 3x18650, that is definitely more v, than 9 eneloops, so far i have not flashed single bulb. thou my cells are not brand new cells, i took them out of laptop packs, but they still 4.2v off charger, i do however let them rest few days.


 
Eneloops right off the charger will be around 1.4V, 9x1.4V = 12.6V, the same as your 18650's, 3x4.2V = 12.6V.

A stock Mag will have resistance. I have two different 1185 Mag's. One is a Mac mini hotwire with a tail switch and the other is a cut down Mag with a side switch. Both use a fivemega 3x17670 holder. I have never flashed a bulb in either.


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## alpg88 (May 14, 2010)

QtrHorse said:


> Eneloops right off the charger will be around 1.4V, 9x1.4V = 12.6V, the same as your 18650's, 3x4.2V = 12.6V.
> 
> .


that much?? may be you're right, i never measured my eneloops off charger.
we're livin on the edge, lol
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/bulbs/1185.jpg


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## Billy Ram (May 15, 2010)

My eneloops have 1.42v after resting over night.
Billy


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