# Some simple maglite mods?



## Tostitos (Oct 3, 2005)

I've always owned cheap plastic flashlights. Starting six months ago, I bought myself a few maglites, and abused them. They continued to perform above and beyond with a few bulb replacements (although I wish replacement lenses and reflectors were available in stores where I look) and I love them. I'm already eyeing Surefires.

Right now, I want to make some changes to my 3D. Mainly, how difficult is it to replace the bezel/crown? Or would I be able to have a crenellated one made to fit? I like that idea. 

Second, when I untwist the head, it takes quite a while. Is there a way I could change the threading to quickly 'pop' it on and off, and then have the focal adjusting? 

I saw how some people make cartridges of four or three AA batteries and stack them in a multiple D flashlight :twothumbs and the various bulb and candlepower upgrades. What's a fun little way to pump out more lightpower out of my mags, without going nuts?

Thanks.  I hope this isn't the wrong forum. People on THR and TFL always link this forum when a discussion about highpowered flashlights comes up, so I came here with my question. 

Aaron


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## pelks (Oct 3, 2005)

Welcome to Candlepowerforums Aaron,
If you want to mod your Mag check out this site 

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/mods/mods_index.htm

Flashlightreviews has a wealth of mods for lots of lights.
If you think your Mag is good you SHOULD buy a Surefire, they are
outstanding :rock: 

_____________________
SF U2, SF 6P with G&P 3W, Peak Matterhorn, Nuwai TM-115X Titanium.


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## Mattman (Oct 3, 2005)

For the 3D, the Mag85 is my favorite mod. All you need is battery holders, batteries, a bulb, and a reflector that won't melt from the heat. If you do a search for Mag85, you'll find all the info you need, but it's really easy since you just put the parts together and don't actually have to "mod" the light. There are lots of mods for other mags, like the 2D, 2C and minimag, so if you want to have more fun with mods, you might want to search around and pick up one of those models. Have fun!


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## mobile1 (Oct 3, 2005)

I'll have an even better MagLite Mod coming... more details in about 2 weeks.


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## Grox (Oct 4, 2005)

Tostitos said:


> What's a fun little way to pump out more lightpower out of my mags, without going nuts?



Hi Aaron, welcome to CPF! Well first things first, coz you're here and posting, you're already nuts!  Hehe, just joking  We're all nuts here!

Anyhow, the various EASY things you can do to your mag can be broken down broadly into 2 categories: LED and incandescant. I don't know much about the LED mods. But the incan mods sure are fun and have the potential to be brighter than anything LED at the present time. The sky's the limit as to what you can do with mag-host mods! How much are you willing to spend?

To build the mag85 mentioned here are directions, snipped from Ginseng, :bow: one of the gurus of "hotwire" mods. Oh a couple of things you need to know first: the mag85 is traditionally uses a welch allyn 1185 bulb and 9aa nimh batteries for about 20-35 minutes of runtime. Output is estimated at about 1200 bulb lumens by Welch Allyn , figure about 800 lumens come out the front. 

Abbreviations: BP= bi-pin (referring to bulb base)

-------- begin cut & paste ---------

Items required

0. Flashlight: Duh, it's a Mag mod so go get yourself a Mag 3D in any color you like.

1. Bulb: Welch Allyn WA01185, 9.6V, 3.15A spec. If you are using the MagCharger bi-pin slug drop-in mod, you can use the bare, unpotted bi-pin bulb as-is. This bulb is commonly available a) from CPF supporting vendor LightEdge, b) direct from Welch Allyn after a $100 minimum purchase requirement is met or c) through a Group Buy such as recently organized by S4MadMan.

2. Reflector: There are multiple ways to skin the cat but the easiest is to wait until mid-late February for CPF super-modder Fivemega to post that his latest batch of cammed, aluminum Mag replacement reflectors are for sale. I think this will be in the B/S/T forum so keep your eyes peeled.

3. Lens: Go to CPF supporting vendor Flashlightlens.com and order up some of his UCL (Ultra Clear Lens) or the tougher but marginally lower transmission Borofloat upgrade lenses.

4. Battery Carrier: The Mag85 mod, in its classic form, uses 9 x AA nimh. To handle these in your Mag body, you'll need a battery carrier that arranges these cells neatly in a circuit. Your best bets are a) Elektrolumens' 3-D battery adapters. We are waiting to hear about the next production run but when they become available, get yourself three of 'em. b) Fivemega's ultra gnarly 9AA-3D adapter. As with the Fivemega reflectors, keep your eyes peeled on the B/S/T forum.

5. Batteries: Through extensive testing and use, I've found that anything from 1800mAh to 2300mAh cells will work. However, if you want the optimal balance of runtime and brightness, 2100mAh cells are your best bet. My personal favorites are the Sanyo/Energizer 2100mAh cells.

6. Bulb Socket: If you plan to use the bare bi-pin bulb (this is the most flexible option) then you'll need to score yourself a replacement bi-pin slug receiver from a MagCharger switch assembly. I buy mine from Cases4Less and their part number is ML-108-106 which costs $10.50.

That's all. Directions are as follows.

1. Unscrew the front face cap and replace the stock plastic lens with the Flashlightlens upgrade glass. Screw the face cap back on. make sure the O-rings are seated properly and do not screw down too hard or you risk cracking your lens. Note: The face cap is the ring at the very front of the light that has writing on it.

2. Then, replace the stock plastic reflector with the Fivemega aluminum upgrade unit. Screw back on the face cap and then unscrew the entire head.

3. While the head is off, plug in the bulb. If using the BP mod, stick the bulb pins into the two holes as far down as they will go. It might be useful to carefully clip off 2mm from the end of the pins to help focus. If using a potted bulb, simply replace the bulb as you normally would. Note: When reinstalling the head, I find that 2-3 wraps of teflon pipe thread tape around the threads elminates head wobble and helps maintain good bulb/reflector centering.

4. Stuff the batteries in the battery holder of your choice. Double and triple check for correct battery orientation. Remove the tailcap and load the battery carrier(s) into the torch. Before you do this, though, make sure the switch is in the "off" position.

5. Push the switch and bask in the 1,200 lumen (800 lumens out the front) glow of a genuine superlight that you've just assembled yourself!


--------- end cut & paste ----------

That is a bit out of date, items numbers 2, 4, 5 and 6 need to be updated. Here are my takes: 

2. Look for these in the group buy forum or B/S/T
4. Elektrolumens 3-to-d (v2) are out, check out the elektrolumens website to buy em. These are cheap $3.50 each and will hold your AA nimh batteries. Here! 
5. Also highly recommended are 9x Titanium 2400mah and 2600mah batteries. (amondotech.com) You can also get 8x CBP 1650s and an 8aa-2d adapter (or run the 9aa-3d with a dummy battery). (www.cheapbatterypacks.com) 
6. Get kiu's high temp socket (out of stock at the moment) or fivemega's high temp bi-pin to PR base socket.

If you manage to get ahold of the 9aa-3d adapter, to make life smooth and easy for yourself when recharging why not grab yourself this $29 pack charger which will charge the batteries all at once. So you don't have to take them out individually and put them back together.

Total cost will realistically probably be $100 tops to you (I don't know precise costs because of shipping etc to Australia). But believe me, this will be the best 100 you ever spent! :rock:


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## hotbeam (Oct 4, 2005)

Welcome to the CPF Tostitos. Hotwire mods, do a search for member BWaites and Ginseng. They (and others I don't recall right now) have done some great mods. If you want to go LED, check out the Hotlips thread in my sig file.

Get ready to be poor!


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## andrewwynn (Oct 5, 2005)

'get ready to be poor'.. funny, but true.

mag85 is a great light.. to be a little more reserved the 1166 or 1331 bulb give a nice trade off of runtime and brightness.. 

read the thread about maglite switches from modamag in this forum.. stock magswitches have a lot of resistance.. high-current lights will lose 15-20% of their output w/o fixing the switch. 

Welcome to CPF it's awesome.. keep asking questions and soon you'll be making some kick butt light that will 'spread this contageous affliction' 

-awr


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