# Help me build a ROP



## Turbo_E (Mar 9, 2006)

after reading many threads re: the Roar of pelican Mod for Maglights, i have decided to have a go.
what i have:
-4D Mag or 2D mag
-Modamag 6AA battery holder and lots o' NiMh AA batts
-UCL lens

after building a slew of Luxeon powered Mags, i thought i'd try something different.

now what else do i need and where can i buy them?

thanks for the help.


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## Nubo (Mar 9, 2006)

Thanks to your post I now know what ROP stands for. I've been seing it all over but no clue what it meant. And CPF won't let me search on 3-letter words!


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## jwl (Mar 9, 2006)

See the link below for more info on the ROP

ROP link


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## Delvance (Mar 9, 2006)

Looking at what you have...maybe you should build the 2D as you already have the battery holder for it. You also need a metal reflector , the bulbs (3854 pack), and a charger for those batts! Bear in mind you want high current capable aa's for the 2D, using normal nimh's will lose you some brightness...the cbp1650's will be able to handle it. Or you can use 7 normal aa's in your [email protected] 2D host. Don't need to bore the [email protected], i can't remember but someone found a nifty trick where you could fit 4 aa across without boring (the person did it with 2500 energizers iirc), basically...just have the flap/overlay of the battery shrink/cover all facing inside...but then you'll need the 8aa to 2D holder and a dummy aa.


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## Turbo_E (Mar 10, 2006)

i also have a 8AA holder, also from Modamag 

OK so i can buy the bulbs from Pelican directly or is there a CPF sponsor with them?

basicly i just pop in the bulb, lens and metal reflector and run 8 AA's?


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## PhotonAddict (Mar 10, 2006)

you might also consider modifying the switch to reduce it's resistance
Maglite switch resistance fix 

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.


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## branny (Mar 10, 2006)

Recently bought 2 sets of the bulbs from Lighthound. Unfortunately the low wattage bulb in one set was a #3853, not a #3854 low. 
This seems to have happened to a couple of other people, guess it's a Pelican factory error. I really can't be bothered making a fuss about such a low cost item, Lighhound is a great dealer and it's something outside his control.

Best of Luck!

PS You'll fry the bulb with 8 AA's (6V bulb, though the #3853 is 7.2V... Hmmmm) if you're using regular AA's try 7 and a dummy. Alternatively run 6 CBP1650's from cheapbatterypacks.com


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## KevinL (Mar 10, 2006)

ROP Homepage

Couple of recommendations.. 6 or 7 consumer-grade AA cells are OK. 8 may be pushing instaflash territory, please have spare bulbs on hand. 6 high current cells are OK. 7 high current cells are instaflash risk. If your cells are NOT specifically designated as high current with amperage ratings, they are not. (CBP1650s are high current). 

Bulbs can be had from Lighthound. 

Glad to see so many joining us on this journey. The ROP is not just the destination, it's the adventure that goes with building it.. well of course it's pretty fun to get to the destination too


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 10, 2006)

Interesting to know I could try 7AA.

But I find it just TOO COOL to use a 2C M*g with 2x18650!!!


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## RoyJ (Mar 11, 2006)

Delvance said:


> i can't remember but someone found a nifty trick where you could fit 4 aa across without boring (the person did it with 2500 energizers iirc), basically...just have the flap/overlay of the battery shrink/cover all facing inside...but then you'll need the 8aa to 2D holder and a dummy aa.


 
Maybe this is a stupid noob question, but, why can't you just take the wrappers off?


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 11, 2006)

The wrapper serves to isolate the ground to the butt end. If any other part grounds, you don't get full voltage. And MIGHT get fire or other problems!


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## Radio (Mar 11, 2006)

I have acquired all the components except for the power plant, no rechargeables or charger here, but I happen to have about 800 AA Litiums from the web special and would not mind sacirficing these up for a while to get a ROP off the ground. 

So 

a: will the AA Litiums handle the current

b: at an average of 1.7v how many to run 5 or 6?

c: if this setup will work, what should I expect for brightness and runtimes

PS I have both Modamag and FM battery adapters in both 6 and 8 cell configurations as well as bored 1D and 2D bodies with LOP and Boro and dummy


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## RoyJ (Mar 12, 2006)

PlayboyJoeShmoe said:


> The wrapper serves to isolate the ground to the butt end. If any other part grounds, you don't get full voltage. And MIGHT get fire or other problems!


 
You mean the metal body of the battery is connected to the negative?

I tried measuring between the + and metal body of a normal alkaline, and got 0 volts. Are the Ni-mh different?


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 12, 2006)

I don't really know RoyJ. I just know that other smarter members have said don't tear the cover, so I don't and caution against it when I speak.

Just so you know, Rayovac 1800 will fit 4 across EASY. Just _SEEMS_ that you have to use an extra cell compared to CBP...

My ROP Hi is definately not as bright on 6AA (Rayovac1800 or Energizer2500) as it is on two 18650 Unprotected Li-Ions. There's almost a half an AMP of difference.

I _may_ try 7AA against my ROP HI, but I'd rather not  my one and only example...


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## RoyJ (Mar 12, 2006)

PlayboyJoeShmoe said:


> Just so you know, Rayovac 1800 will fit 4 across EASY. Just _SEEMS_ that you have to use an extra cell compared to CBP...
> 
> My ROP Hi is definately not as bright on 6AA (Rayovac1800 or Energizer2500) as it is on two 18650 Unprotected Li-Ions. There's almost a half an AMP of difference.


 
Thanks for the advice; problem is that it's hard to find cells like 1800 Rayovac or 2100 Energizer/Sony up here.

Current shouldn't be an issue for me, I'm not even building a ROP, just a 2D Mag with a 6D Mag xenon bulb for normal use. I figure Energizer 2500s should give a runtime just short of 3 hrs.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 12, 2006)

OH!

You can run a 4 cell Krypton bulb on 6AA pretty safely. I do it and 8AA against 6 cell Krypton all the time.

To be really safe, use a 5 cell Krypton. To get a NICE beam, frost your bulb using Armour Etch. If you can't find it, PM me and I'll send you a frosted 5 cell.

I'm pretty much  all the time, but it would be the least I could do to "pass it forward"....


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## Turbo_E (Mar 27, 2006)

ok i ordered my parts.

borafloat lens
Big D bulbs
6AA adapeter for mag D
Heavy stiple cammed relector
Mag 2 D (color undetermined)

last questions i think,
which bulb do i use?
just drop it all in and away we go?


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## Delvance (Mar 27, 2006)

You'll get two bulbs, a round tipped one and a sharp tipped one. The sharp tip draws 4amps and is rated at 24W, that's the high output one. It will say 3854-H on it. The round tipped one draws almost 2A iirc, it will say 3854-L on it, 11 watts and that's the low one. Try both and settle on what you like (Usually that means the high output one haha).


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## Delvance (Mar 27, 2006)

Oh yeah, drop it in and away you go! A previous posts mentions you might want to look at cleaning the [email protected] for higher output. I'll second that, need to have a soldering iron at least, and some thin wire etc if you want to go the full way.


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## Turbo_E (Mar 28, 2006)

^^^ thanks!


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## Turbo_E (Apr 4, 2006)

oops another dumb question. for the low bulb, how many AA's?

same for the high bulb. do both use 6 AA's?


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## Yellobie (Apr 5, 2006)

Both the high and low bulbs uses the same number of cells. The difference is the high bulb draw a higher current than the low bulb, like what Delvance had said. 

I had not tried these bulbs on AA, but from what I know, 6AA is on the safe side (does not insta-flash) if you're using either high current AA or consumer grade AA.


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## 91101 (Apr 5, 2006)

Turbo_E said:


> ok i ordered my parts.
> 
> borafloat lens
> Big D bulbs
> ...



What I do with mine is if I want a long runtime I'll use the 11w bulb and if I wan't really bright I put the 24W bulb. I use powerex 2300mah batts and get about 1:15 with the 11w and about 20 minutes with the 24w bulb.

I have tried 7aa with the 24w and it's crazy bright and gets quite a bit hotter. I actually measured 319F (160C) at the the glass with the temp probe on my DMM as compared to 290F (143C) with the 24w with 6 batts and 145F (63C) with the 11w bulb.


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## Turbo_E (Apr 5, 2006)

hmm kinda disappointed. 6 AA's on either bulb fail to dazzle me. (previously using a quad Luxeon III mag) is this right?

the bulbs sem to get brighter after a fraction of a second, not like a reg Mag bulb which is instantly on.

am i doing something wrong?

the 6 pack AA's are giving me a voltage of 8V. using powerizer 2300 mAh batts. I'll try 7 later


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## 91101 (Apr 5, 2006)

What is the condition if your batteries? The voltage for your pack seems a little low, you should be seeing about 8.4 to 8.6 fresh off the charger. The only other thing that comes to mind is that the batteries cannot handle the 4 amp load and are dropping too much voltage. That's why you see a lot of guys using the CBP 1650mah AA's. They will handle as much as 20 amp draw but they sacrifice run time because of the low capacity. 

As far as the bulb seeming to get a little brighter I don't know what that could be.



Turbo_E said:


> hmm kinda disappointed. 6 AA's on either bulb fail to dazzle me. (previously using a quad Luxeon III mag) is this right?
> 
> the bulbs sem to get brighter after a fraction of a second, not like a reg Mag bulb which is instantly on.
> 
> ...


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## RoyJ (Apr 5, 2006)

Turbo_E said:


> hmm kinda disappointed. 6 AA's on either bulb fail to dazzle me. (previously using a quad Luxeon III mag) is this right?
> 
> the bulbs sem to get brighter after a fraction of a second, not like a reg Mag bulb which is instantly on.
> 
> ...


 
Measure both the voltage and current while the light is running, see what you get.

As far as the bulb taking a second to "heat up", think that's a normal behaviour of halogens. Don't know if the Pelican bulbs are true halogens or a mix of xenon and halogen though.


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## REparsed (Apr 5, 2006)

Would a 2C body with 3 123A's work with the Pelican bulbs? 

I have an old 2C Mag that I was going to mod with a 5 or 6 cell Xenon bulb and 3 123A's, but if those Pelican bulbs will work that would be spectacular!


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## Icebreak (Apr 5, 2006)

The 123s can't handle the 4+ Amp draw.

For a 2C KevinL's ROP LE works.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Apr 5, 2006)

123s would probably handle a ROP LO just peachy, and several members can attest to it being no slouch compared to the HI.

Myself, I only have a ROP HI bulb and run it on two 18650 unprotected (ROP HI LE)

When I tried it on 6 consumer AAs it didn't seem as bright. But since I only have the one no head-to-head testing was possible.


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## FredM (Apr 5, 2006)

Has anyone tried to run the ROP LO with a upgraded UCL lens and the stock reflector?

11 watts seems like the upper limits but should probably live if not used for a full runtime right? say 2-3 minute bursts max? No one has the reflector i want right now.


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## Turbo_E (Apr 6, 2006)

update, I tried the 7 AA's...

wow....

this thing can cook food with the beam.

its actually brighter than my Quad Luxeon III!

thanks for all the help guys!


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## DonShock (Apr 6, 2006)

FredM said:


> Has anyone tried to run the ROP LO with a upgraded UCL lens and the stock reflector?
> 
> 11 watts seems like the upper limits but should probably live if not used for a full runtime right? say 2-3 minute bursts max? No one has the reflector i want right now.


Here's a test that someone did: http://flashlight-forums.com/index.php?topic=1801.0
Summary: First sign of reflector discoloration at 7 minutes, growing worse until entire reflector surface was "smoked" by about 20 minutes. At 32 minutes, the stock lens began to distort and the test was stopped. Smoke on the reflector cleaned up but the reflective coating seperated from the plastic which didn't melt. Lens damage was permanent.


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## lexina (Apr 6, 2006)

REparsed said:


> Would a 2C body with 3 123A's work with the Pelican bulbs?
> 
> I have an old 2C Mag that I was going to mod with a 5 or 6 cell Xenon bulb and 3 123A's, but if those Pelican bulbs will work that would be spectacular!


 
As mentioned by Icebreak, for the 2C, you would have to go the LiIon route. the ROP LE is basically an ROP run in a Mag2C using 2 X unprotected 18650s. You will need to remove the spring and de-anodize the inside of the tail-cap. I used lye drain cleaner while others have used a dremel or small file. If you are getting the 18650s, do a search and read up on the proper handling, charging and discharging of unprotected LiIons first.


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## andrewwynn (Apr 6, 2006)

if putting into a 'D' size light (6AA or 2D LiONs.. greaat combo btw).. it is possible to build in a hotdriver.. we will be doing a tester soon.

-awr


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## 91101 (Apr 6, 2006)

I've actually ran the ROP LO with the stock reflector and the stock lens for an hour and fifteen minutes. The coating on the very bottom (next to the bulb) of the reflector bubbled. I used powerex 2500mah batts.



FredM said:


> Has anyone tried to run the ROP LO with a upgraded UCL lens and the stock reflector?
> 
> 11 watts seems like the upper limits but should probably live if not used for a full runtime right? say 2-3 minute bursts max? No one has the reflector i want right now.


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## Turbo_E (Apr 6, 2006)

here's the thing. you WILL be replacing the lens and reflector eventually, either by melting it or by upgrading it. so i say use it as is for as long as you can (short duration) till it dies, then get the upgraded stuff. Once you got ROP, you will never want to use a stock Mag again.

I shined the beam on my friends back from 5 ft away, he noticed his back was getting hot even thru his t shirt.


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## 91101 (Apr 7, 2006)

Oh I've put a Boro lens and and a metal reflector in my ROP 11w. I was just telling you that I've run the flashlight with the stock parts for an hour and fifteen minutes without destroying them...



Turbo_E said:


> here's the thing. you WILL be replacing the lens and reflector eventually, either by melting it or by upgrading it. so i say use it as is for as long as you can (short duration) till it dies, then get the upgraded stuff. Once you got ROP, you will never want to use a stock Mag again.
> 
> I shined the beam on my friends back from 5 ft away, he noticed his back was getting hot even thru his t shirt.


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## andrewwynn (Apr 7, 2006)

hey.. nice alternative to borofloat lenses.. you can get maglite glass lenses for $1.90 if you follow the links from maglite's home page for buying replacement parts! You might need to buy more than just 1 lens to make it worth while because of shipping.. I bought a bunch of them for the lower-power solutions and would be perfect for use in ROP 'keep it simple and cheap' solutions. I would still get the metal reflector so you can use it constant on. 

-awr


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## KevinL (Apr 8, 2006)

91101 said:


> Oh I've put a Boro lens and and a metal reflector in my ROP 11w. I was just telling you that I've run the flashlight with the stock parts for an hour and fifteen minutes without destroying them...



You can reasonably expect to get away without too many ill effects on the plastic if you stick to the low output bulb. High output, ah now that is a different story 

Long term usage of the low output bulb and plastic reflector may result in minor blistering or warping of the reflector, but they are cheap and easy to replace. Lots of CPF'ers doing Mag mods (conversion to LED) dump plastic reflectors for a couple of dollars.


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## andrewwynn (Apr 8, 2006)

mag sells them direct for like $2.50.. you can replace them about 8-10 times for the price of one alum. reflector.. on my 'cheap solution' lights.. i've taken and cut the back off a mag reflector to keep the heat away from the lamp. lasted a lot longer.

-awr


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## Turbo_E (Apr 8, 2006)

ROP vs Quad Lux HERE


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## 91101 (Apr 12, 2006)

KevinL said:


> You can reasonably expect to get away without too many ill effects on the plastic if you stick to the low output bulb. High output, ah now that is a different story
> 
> Long term usage of the low output bulb and plastic reflector may result in minor blistering or warping of the reflector, but they are cheap and easy to replace. Lots of CPF'ers doing Mag mods (conversion to LED) dump plastic reflectors for a couple of dollars.



Like I said, I'm using a metal reflector on both of my ROP's (hi & low). I ran a high on the stock reflector for a couple of seconds, that's not a good idea...:laughing:

Here is a pic of a stock reflector after several 1:15 runs with a ROP low using 6aa's. The top is out of focus not burnt...


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## REparsed (Apr 29, 2006)

I put my ROP LE together last night (minus the boro lens and aluminum reflector). The hardest part was waiting for the batteries to charge!

I can’t wait to try it out at work tonight. Last season I had a 1w LED in the same 2C host. The guys are in for a surprise when they hear the Pelican Roar!


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## KevinL (Apr 29, 2006)

Wish I could be there to see their faces.


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