# 6AA in 2D 3S2P Adapters



## Alan B (Feb 4, 2009)

Looking for 6AA adapter to fit in 2D wired 3 series 2 parallel to produce 3.6V (NiMH). Did some searching, didn't find any quite like this. Would be good for P7 and some other LED applications. Do they exist? Where available?? (Note that it needs to be low resistance to handle 3A).

Thanks,


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## gswitter (Feb 4, 2009)

Icarus has a couple fivemega 3S3P holders for sale.

Why not just use D cells?


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## Alan B (Feb 4, 2009)

gswitter said:


> Icarus has a couple fivemega 3S3P holders for sale.
> 
> Why not just use D cells?



2D NiMH cells are 2.4V. 3S2P AA cells produce 3.6V. Don't have 3D worth of space in a 2D light. 3S won't fit in 2D.

Thanks,


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## gswitter (Feb 4, 2009)

My bad. The 2D didn't register.


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## Alan B (Feb 4, 2009)

No problem.

Looks like 3S2P adapters are made of unobtanium. Ohwell, it was a nice idea.


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## gswitter (Feb 5, 2009)

On the off chance your host is big enough, you could run a fivemega 2D 4S2P adapter with a couple dummy cells.

Or, if you're not dead set on AAs, you could run 3 Cs, SubCs or 1/2Ds.

Or you could add a 65mm extension and run 3 Ds.

Just pulling ideas out of my *ss.


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## bobli17 (Feb 5, 2009)

Wally World has a flashlight (rayovac i think... :thinking with a 3S2P carrier. they sell it for $8.00 or 2 for $15.00. With a little modifing, i've made mines into a 6s carrier :naughty:


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## Alan B (Feb 5, 2009)

bobli17 said:


> Wally World has a flashlight (rayovac i think... :thinking with a 3S2P carrier. they sell it for $8.00 or 2 for $15.00. With a little modifing, i've made mines into a 6s carrier :naughty:



Is the diameter and length suitable for [email protected] D tubes? Which model?

Thanks,


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## mdocod (Feb 5, 2009)

It's on my list of things I'll be trying to make when I get my new equipment all here and set up


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## Alan B (Feb 5, 2009)

mdocod said:


> It's on my list of things I'll be trying to make when I get my new equipment all here and set up



Great. I had noticed your mention of that in the past when I searched, and I seem to recall some equipment that you were waiting for on the M6 regulator. It would be useful to have this option for 2D LED builds.


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## mdocod (Feb 5, 2009)

Yea with 3 cell direct drives being very popular for P7/MCE builds I have certainly "upped" my interest in perfecting such an adapter.



Eric


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## bobli17 (Feb 6, 2009)

Sorry for the late response.

I tried to look for my flashlights(2 for $15), but I couldn't find them, but I do believe they are made by Rayovac. I only purchased the flashlights for the battery carrier. I'm sure Walmart still sells them.

The carrier does fit a 2D Mag but you'll need a thin sleeve so the batteries don't rattle. I used cardstock and electric tape.







Here is a close up of the battery carrier. The top one is modified to 6s.






It was essential to modify the bottom of the carrier to make a good contact. I simple cut an aluminum disk, drilled some holes and screwed it to the bottom.


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## Alan B (Feb 6, 2009)

Thanks for the photos and information! :thumbsup:


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## blackdragonx1186 (Feb 6, 2009)

bobli17 said:


> Sorry for the late response.
> 
> I tried to look for my flashlights(2 for $15), but I couldn't find them, but I do believe they are made by Rayovac. I only purchased the flashlights for the battery carrier. I'm sure Walmart still sells them.
> 
> ...



that holder is really nice. do ya think you could get the link up so we can see exactly which model has that holder? cause im looking for something like that!


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## bobli17 (Feb 6, 2009)

I couldn't find it on Walmart's website but I did find it on Rayovac's. This is the twin pack, you can also find a link to the single pack. Hope this helps. I was at my local WalMart maybe 2 weeks ago and they still had it there.


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## geek4christ (Feb 10, 2009)

Thanks for that link, bobli17.

I had heard there was a light with battery carrier at Wal-Mart but never figured out which one it was. I'm going to pick up some of those for myself.


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## Grog (Feb 10, 2009)

bobli17 said:


> I couldn't find it on Walmart's website but I did find it on Rayovac's. This is the twin pack, you can also find a link to the single pack. Hope this helps. I was at my local WalMart maybe 2 weeks ago and they still had it there.




I don't remember ever seeing those around here, but I have four walmarts within ten miles and two more I will be near in two days so I will be on the hunt.


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## Grog (Feb 12, 2009)

Never noticed them before but they had a ton of them today. 2pk for $15 or $8 each. I can get SKU and/or UPC if anyone needs them. 


I'm a little slow on how to mod them even with pictures, just having a bad day I guess


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## rmteo (Feb 12, 2009)

Thanks guys for the tip of using the RayOVac carriers. I am using it in my new MAG 2D Rebels. Here is another tip: instead of using an aluminum disk on the negative terminal of the carrier, I put a 2-56 screw in the brass eyelet - it is tight but will easily self thread. This raises the recessed contact above the bottom level of the carrier. A half dollar is then used as the contact surface for the spring. The MAG's have such strong springs that I did not need to make a sleeve - there is absolutely no rattling even if you shake the light vigorously.

Now my loaded MAG's are about 19 oz. (instead of 24 oz.) and the balance feels much better - not tail heavy as before. Also, you have the equivalent of 8,000mAH batteries using NiMH's. :twothumbs


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## wingate (Feb 17, 2009)

I bought one of the RayOvac lights to use the 3s2p carrier in a direct drive P7 mag. Well, with one KD 3AA carrier (3AAs in series), the P7 (DSWOI) is driven at 1.2A. With the RayOvac carrier loaded with 6AAs, the P7 is only driven at 0.6A!?! 

Is it possible that there is so much resistance with the RayOvac carrier that it just can't be used at these higher currents? Resting voltage of the loaded 3s2p carrier is ~3.8 as is the KD 3AA carrier.

Any suggestions for reducing the resistance if this is the problem?

I was hoping to use this carrier to avoid boring the light for a 4AA carrier, but it doesn't look like it will work. :shrug:


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## Alan B (Feb 17, 2009)

wingate said:


> I bought one of the RayOvac lights to use the 3s2p carrier in a direct drive P7 mag. Well, with one KD 3AA carrier (3AAs in series), the P7 (DSWOI) is driven at 1.2A. With the RayOvac carrier loaded with 6AAs, the P7 is only driven at 0.6A!?!
> 
> Is it possible that there is so much resistance with the RayOvac carrier that it just can't be used at these higher currents? Resting voltage of the loaded 3s2p carrier is ~3.8 as is the KD 3AA carrier.
> 
> ...



It is extremely likely that there is a lot of resistance. This is a common problem with commercial holders.

The plastic is not the problem. The contacts, springs and wires are the likely culprit. Mostly the spring/wire they use is not low resistance.


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## ace0001a (Feb 18, 2009)

Alan B said:


> It is extremely likely that there is a lot of resistance. This is a common problem with commercial holders.
> 
> The plastic is not the problem. The contacts, springs and wires are the likely culprit. Mostly the spring/wire they use is not low resistance.



Yeah I have found this to be common with commercial multi-battery carriers. I think our best bet is wait for MCOCD to come out with a line of 3.6V battery adapters/carriers for direct driving P7/MCE flashlights. A 3S2P 6AA-to-2D would work great for 2D Mags. I also inquired with him to make a 2x18650-to-3D adapter for direct drive 3D P7/MCE Mags...sure there some space wasted there, but 2x18650 in a 2D is already tight by itself nevermind having the added space of a battery carrier. You could probably fit 2x18650-parallel in a 2D Mag with no tailspring, but I'm not sure how well that would work. But anyway, direct driving P7 and MCEs seem to be a good way to go these days since a good driver is expensive and the cheap ones are really inefficient. I would suggest all who are interested to contact MCOCD.


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## thunderlight (Feb 22, 2009)

On those Rayovac 6AA adapters, from what I could tell they produce 6 volts with 6 Eneloops in a 2D Mag or an 2D Eveready Industrial. I used a 6 cell Magnum Star Xenon and it was underpowering it with an orange glow. On a hunch, I tried a 4 cell Magnum Star Xenon and that worked quite well. [Obviously, this was not a scientific analysis.] I purchased 2 of these and they both had the same behavior.


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## bobli17 (Feb 22, 2009)

Here are some photos

Voltage of 6aa






Voltage of 2 18650





draw from 6aa





draw from 2 18650





The batteries aren't fully charged, but does this clearify any questions about the resistance in the rayovac battery holder?


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## Alan B (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks for the info.

Those appear to be 6S battery holders (all six cells in series) rather than the 3S2P holders that we're looking for. They would be about 4 volts instead of 8.


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## rmteo (Feb 23, 2009)

I use the the ROV 3S2P 6AA-to-2D holders in the new MAG 2D Rebel flashlights and my experience is similar to bobli17 - I do not see the high resistance as reported by some. Typical voltage with 6AA's is 4.1-4.2V. Current draw is the same whether using the battery pack or powering the light from a bench PSU.


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## bobli17 (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks rmteo.

I'm not sure if there are different holders, but i'm very satisfied with the two i have. I've tested the resistance in the holders and didn't find very much.

After reading some of the earlier post, I was thinking about finding a new 6aa carrier. Now I'm going to stick with my current setup... to each his own I guess.

Bob


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## Alan B (Feb 23, 2009)

It does sound like we are talking about two different carriers.

Glad they are working for you. It depends on the current, so what works for one situation may be inadequate for another.


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## rmteo (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks pointing out those ROV battery holders, Bob. I have modified 2 of my 2D rebels with charge plugs so the batteries can be charged without having to remove them. Makes the light about 4oz. lighter (compared to using 2 D's) and better balanced. Sort of a lightweight (20oz.), shorter LED version of the MagCharger with long run times, 7+ hours of full power (beam shot at 15 feet shown).


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## supasizefries (Jul 14, 2009)

Just stumbled onto this thread and was wondering if anyone made headway in finding a 3s2p AA adapter. This would be great for a DD P7.


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## Alan B (Jul 14, 2009)

supasizefries said:


> Just stumbled onto this thread and was wondering if anyone made headway in finding a 3s2p AA adapter. This would be great for a DD P7.



Still waiting here...


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## rmteo (Jul 14, 2009)

See posts #12-29. You can get 3S2P->2D adapters at Walmart.


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## Alan B (Jul 14, 2009)

rmteo said:


> See posts #12-29. You can get 3S2P->2D adapters at Walmart.



Did anyone figure out the true resistance of those carriers?


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## supasizefries (Jul 14, 2009)

Yeah I read those posts and it seemed like it was a lottery in terms of getting a "good" or "bad" one ie low/high resistance.


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## Illum (Jul 14, 2009)

mdocod said:


> Yea with 3 cell direct drives being very popular for P7/MCE builds I have certainly "upped" my interest in perfecting such an adapter.
> 
> 
> 
> Eric



in terms of setting up 3s2p in a 2D carrier it's going to be more complicated then having at a 3s3p in a 3D configuration. 

unless of course you plan to lay sold copper cores inside delrin rods and go with the way surefire did with its MB20s


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## alpg88 (Jul 14, 2009)

radio shack sells 8aa holder, it is wired to make 12v, the way it comes it wont fit into maglite, or any other d cell light. 
i used sandpaper, exacto knife, and made that holder fit into maglite without borring it. it isn't hard, the trick is to make aa batts touch each other inside the holder, need to cut out slots, and remove most of the hight of the divider.
a little ingenuity, imagination, and $3.49, and you got yourself 8aa pack that fits into d cell lights. or 6aa, you can rewire it for 6v, i did. now i got 32 led (e bay kit, was originally bought for 4d mag, which now has tle 300, very unusuall hot spot, looks like 6 squares, but still very bright) 2d maglite, not a thrower, but a desent flood light.
i used those holders when i build 5d mag with 50w(than i swaped for 20w) mr16, rechargable light, but charging 20 aa cells 4 at a time is a pain in the butt, so i sent it to my ex father in law, in ua, afaik it still works, 5 years later.


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## Illum (Jul 14, 2009)

While radioshack holders are nice...they appear to be designed for things that draw less than an amp, I've melted one 8AA holder by drawing 9.6V @ ~2 amps running eneloops before...

I like the ones with built in switches


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## alpg88 (Jul 14, 2009)

posibly, i guess my 20w mr16 12v didn,t draw that much, at least i didn,t see any meldowns, mr16 50w would, good thing i stoped using it before i finished the light. first 10 min in the light, mad hot head, cooked o rings and burned lens convinced me to swap it for 20w.
but yea you are right they aren't made for high amp. thou i think if contacs are redone with heavier guage wire or even copper strips, it could handle more, the question is will it worth it? idk know if there are any other similar holders on the market, never looked for any, always tried to make batt. pack soldered in 1 solid piece, sealed, since that 5d mag, i hate the idea to charge bunch of batts. seperatly for few days, or even remove them.


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## jabe1 (Jul 14, 2009)

I'm using a ROV holder modded to 6s in an antique hotwire with a Magnumstar 5 cell bulb with great results. Honestly though, without major mods, I won't trust the holder at anything over 2 amps.


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## Techjunkie (Sep 26, 2009)

I picked one of these up tonight and found that the springs in the RoV carrier are thicker and stiffer than the KD springs, and are a single piece from one battery to the next instead of spring to sheet metal to spring as in the KD carrier. The carrier is constructed as two 3s carriers connected in parallel (pos-pos and neg-neg) by two strips of sheet metal. After a quick solderless mod (remove the top strip entirely, cut and bend the bottom strip and fasten it under the screw that held the top strip), I have turned the carrer into 6s and am very pleased with the cheap and easy results. It's not a super hotwire carrier, but for multi LED application (<5A), it does the trick on the cheap. Pics tell the rest:

The donor:





The carrier mod:





Springs compared:


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## think2x (Nov 30, 2009)

I found an easy way to mod this pack that looks clean.

1. Cut metal strip from rivet on the packs negative terminal on the bottom.

2. Pry strip up and away from pack(it is still attached to pack at mid point) Fold strip back and forth at this "mid-point" until it breaks.

3. There is a strip that goes from mid pack to the positive terminal of the pack attached at the mid point by a phillips screw. Remove this screw and pry this strip up and away from pack until it is perpendicular to the pack. If you pull straight out working it left and right it will pull free of the terminal.

4. Return phillips screw to its spot on the pack and solder a wire(I used 20ga) from that screw to the brass rivet in the center of the pack.(it's only about a quarter inch between the two) This wire connects the positive of the bottom half of the pack (the screw) to the negative of the top half of the pack (the rivet) Making it a 6 cell SERIES pack.

I hope I didn't step on any toes, I just stumbled upon this way of doing it on my second attempt. (bought the two pack of lights) I took my time on it and only took 15 minutes tops


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## Techjunkie (Dec 1, 2009)

think2x said:


> I found an easy way to mod this pack that looks clean.
> 
> 1. Cut metal strip from rivet on the packs negative terminal on the bottom.
> 
> ...


 

Same difference. You're soldering a wire whereas I'm using the strip that's already connected to that center rivet. I fold the end of it and drill a hole through it. The folded end with the hole replaces the spring that the screw goes through. It feels more secure to me than solder, but each to his own. If only there were an 8AA carrier like this


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## think2x (Dec 1, 2009)

Do you think this pack will hold up with an ROP low bulb? I already have a modamag 6aa to 2d I'm going to use for the ROP high.(If my order ever ships!)


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## Techjunkie (Dec 1, 2009)

think2x said:


> Do you think this pack will hold up with an ROP low bulb? I already have a modamag 6aa to 2d I'm going to use for the ROP high.(If my order ever ships!)


 
Definitely. Both of the ROP Low bulbs draw less than 3A. That shouldn't be a problem for this carrier. It isn't the lowest resistance carrier you can get, but its contact points should be able to handle 3A current, unlike the KD adapters. I'm not sure what its breaking point is. Maybe I should drop it in my 5761 to see how well it performs.


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## sween1911 (Jul 12, 2011)

Coming in way way WAY way after this thread, but I've been looking for a good way to run 6 AA's in a 2D Mag, maybe just with a 6-cell Xenon bulb to have a handy rechargeable light. I'm going to hit the local Walmart and Radio Shack to see what they have in the way of this Ray-O-Vac light or any 6AA->2D adaptors. 

Thanks!


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## CyberCT (Jul 13, 2011)

For those with this light, can the carrier be broken out into two pieces that hold 3 AA batteries each? I have been looking for a 3 AA to D cell adapter (parallel) for a long time now, and if this dual adapter can be broken out into 3 AA x 2, I will buy multiple of these lights for use in for instance my Rayovac Sportsman Extreme lantern, which takes 3 D cells.


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## Techjunkie (Jul 13, 2011)

CyberCT said:


> For those with this light, can the carrier be broken out into two pieces that hold 3 AA batteries each? I have been looking for a 3 AA to D cell adapter (parallel) for a long time now, and if this dual adapter can be broken out into 3 AA x 2, I will buy multiple of these lights for use in for instance my Rayovac Sportsman Extreme lantern, which takes 3 D cells.



It most easily can be broken in half to make a 3S carrier with very little effort, but I think 3P would take some very careful snipping and rewiring, as the batteries are in the 2 one way and 1 the other, traditional 3S orientation.


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## CyberCT (Jul 14, 2011)

I still just simply cannot believe that there is no manufacturer that makes a simple 3 AA to D parallel adapter configuration. I just can't believe it.


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