# Budget Showerhead Mag Drop-in.



## Jash

*Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Hi Folks,

Found this little Fusion 36 led drop-in on ebay after seeing someone on here talking about it a bit. It's for a 2-6 cell C-D maglite.

So, it cost $23 delivered and came in a plain cardboard box with a little bubble-wrap around it.

It's a 36 Nichia led array that simply drops right in to your C-D maglite. Just pull out the reflector and bulb, slot this in and screw the bezel up tight. It's quite chunky and the leds are all placed firmly and uniformly within the module. Surprisingly well made for the price.

Claims 400-600 lumens with a 10k hour lifespan. Operating voltage is 3-9 volts.



Fusion 36 on right, P7 on left.










P7 at three metres.





Fusion 36 at three metres. It's a bit on the blue side.





P7 on house at 15 metres.








Fusion 36 on house at 15 metres. 





Stock 3w Mag led on shed at 15 metres.





P7 on shed at 15 metres.





Fusion 36 on shed at 15 metres.






Well, that's the beam shots updated, I got a new camera. Indoor wall shots, F2.8 1/50sec. Outdoor shots, F2.8 1sec.

Now for some more info.

I ran it for about 15 mins to see how hot it got (both Fusion 36 and P7 run on 8 fresh eneloops). The whole unit weighs in at just over 50 grams and most of it is aluminium so there's plenty to suck away the heat. After 15 mins it was warm to touch. I could hold it firmly in my hands without any discomfort and it felt like it was only a few degrees above body temp, maybe.

It's ALL flood. There's absolutely NO useful light after 50 metres.
Because of this, it is of no use other than to light up a large area within 30 metres, but it does it well.

The light starts almost immediately from almost 180 degrees and graduates brighter the closer to the centre of the beam. It's VERY nice and smooth and is a great light for those who want LOTS of very bright flood that's nice and cheap.

If you've got an old mag lying around doing nothing and want to give it a bit of zing, this will do it. Has to be the best bang for your buck drop-in for a mag available, just don't go expecting great things and you'll be happy.


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## kramer5150

:sick2:nichia blue:sick2:
LOL

Curious...
What exposure settings did you use on your cam?
Whats the tailcap current draw?
Is it regulated?

thanks!!


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## Jash

The exposure level on the cam I used is weird, just goes from -2 to +2 in 0.3 incraments. Had it set on -0.3 with iso400.

Current draw at tail cap is 1.42A.

The manufacturer does not state anything on the issue or regulation, so I'm going to assume there is none. Would be good if it was.


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## adirondackdestroyer

It looks to be nearly as bright as the P7, so I would expect at least 400 lumens. Do you agree? 

I think I'm going to have to pick one of these bad boys up. Very good bang for your buck!


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## Sgt. LED

Having no regulation on this one could be OK.
I'm thinking it may be a D cell vampire! Let know what it does please.


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## Jash

adirondackdestroyer said:


> It looks to be nearly as bright as the P7, so I would expect at least 400 lumens. Do you agree?



It's pretty close to the P7 in output, but the tint makes a big difference to how your eye percieves it.

I asked my son which one he thought was brighter on the ceiling bounce and he said the P7. Then I pointed it at a wall and he said the Fusion 36.

It's ALL flood, so up close it may look brighter as it lights up a LOT of wall.


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## LEDninja

1.42A/36LEDs=39.4 mA/LED. The Nichia GS should be able to handle that.
Can you try some alkaline cells to see if the amperage drops and the light becomes less blue.

I did not notice the Nichia Blue in the beamshot in the other thread.


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## Jash

LEDninja said:


> Can you try some alkaline cells to see if the amperage drops and the light becomes less blue.



Just measured the current at the tail with 4 fresh Duracell D's and showed 1.32A. 

No noticable change in colour. It's only in the very centre it's a bit blue, everything else is white and you don't notice it at all outdoors.

I'll run it for a few hours over the next week to see if the drop in voltage makes much difference.


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## adirondackdestroyer

I picked up two of these (one for my father in law and one for me) based on your recommendation. He has an old 6D mag that he absolutely loves, and I'm sure will like ten times more with one of these in it!


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## ama230

Great review and pics Jash :twothumbs

I had a good camera but not good at setting the night shot exposure settings.

As for the setup you have, is it a fm holder with the 4parallel/2series holder?
As for the voltage what is it at in the picture, just curious as i do not know a lot about the holders/adapters.
Then are you using a AR coated glass lens as I think this would help with throw and a focused beam as I think the photons are confused as where to go with a plastic lens, IMHO

Then for the blue in the picture, I would like to state that there is no blue, this is what the camera picks up. As for what you actually seen is a true white light, heavy in the 6500k and little in the 5500k. This is what the sun emits and i am sure the sun doesn't look blue. There is a little hue of the purple/yellow tint on the very far outskirts of the flood beam, as this is to ensure that this is the latest gs k1 bin. 

As for the overall impression i find that you were actually pleased with your purchase as it is a little overwhelming that a 23$ drop in can perform as well as it does.  Then for the title on this as it is a little harsh and a little misleading, but for anyone who clicks across it I hope it gets a little of their attention. Then to add as this would cost us 40$ easy for materials and more for time to build as you have to give the Asians credit for this bang for the buck marvel.:devil:

Then for the heat, it does great as well too. If you put your hand in front of the beam, you can feel the IR heat from the leds as this thing is screaming. 

I know what you are trying to imply on past posts as a single or double or triple can out do this, as you are totally right, but a simple improvement to a lame design can flip it to win it in a minute(rhyming unintentionally:naughty. 

Then as i got one good question is that, are you seriously still going to throw this in your glove box still? This thing means business and has the best of both worlds(throw and flood). Then another question, if you were to rate this out of 10 where would it stand?

When I used mine it easily threw a 100meters, but on the camera it looked weak as this does not have any optics.

Then to state the previous question in this post:
Is it regulated?
For sure, it handles multiple ranges and keeps a steady output on batteries. They use a simple cap, inductor, resistors and ic configuration. This is a low level of regulation and is not complicated with no pwm. It does not need any pwm as the current for each emitter is negligible to do so and would be squeezing out a few less mW. But for the price, who can argue.

I wish they did a module for a minimag as i would buy atleast ten of them, i can see it now a 2AA maglite screaming at [email protected] This is a great company and I hope with your reputation and friends on here we can help them help us with our needs.


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## Jash

ama230, 

I'm using Soshine 2xAA to D adaptors that give you four 4ah D's with a total of 5.6 volts fresh off the charger. After running it for 15 minutes straight and then probably another 10-15 just mucking around, they were down to 1.32 volts for each battery. So I'm expecting good runtimes with this configuration.

I'm just using a DX glass lens on the Fusion 36 and the stock plastic lens on the P7.

Don't think I will throw this in the glove box as the beam is even more floody than the P7. So I'm going to use it for my night time walking the dog light as I really do like the floody characteristics of this light engine. Especially that when you hold it at your hip (pointing straight ahead), there is light at your feet and plenty of light all in front of you and to the sides.

Mine doesn't throw 100 metres. Well, there is light at that distance but not what I would call usable, especially compared to the TK40. It's a different light for a different purpose, and that's why I like it.

To rate it something out of just 10 is difficult. So I will give my ratings for different reasons.

Flood: 10/10 (perfect for making the WHOLE back yard light up)

Throw: 4/10 (Can't see the BMX track 100m away)

Value: 10/10 ($23 for 400+ lumens, off alkalines too!)

Quality: 6/10 (machining could be better)


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## adirondackdestroyer

Jash,

Thanks a lot for posting this. I would never have believed this drop in to be anywhere near 400 lumens if it weren't for your review. 
My order shipped today, and I'll post back in here with my findings once my arrives. :twothumbs


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## sithjedi333

Hi, I have a couple of questions

1) what do you think runtime would be on 2 or 3 alkaline D cells?

2) would this work in an incan D Mag from 1990? i dont know if the dimensions have changed over the years

thanks, it looks great!


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## Jash

sithjedi333 said:


> Hi, I have a couple of questions
> 
> 1) what do you think runtime would be on 2 or 3 alkaline D cells?
> 
> 2) would this work in an incan D Mag from 1990? i dont know if the dimensions have changed over the years
> 
> thanks, it looks great!



I've only got 4D mags so I can't tell you about runtimes with 2-3D. But I would imagine several hours of good light with light output declining with voltage drop.

It should fit an older style mag as the module has quite generous tolerances. As well as the use of a standard bulb base. It really is as easy to fit as a normal bulb.


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## sithjedi333

Here is the response from the seller. Unfortunately runtime is too short for me.

_____
Yes, the module built in a switching mode regulator. Runtime for 2D alkaline will be about 1 hour. However, we will suggest buyer use 2D rechargeable Lithium for more light and longer run time. The module can fit old style Maglite as well.


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## ama230

I would hope that this is a guestimate. 1 hour is a little too short in anyones case here as I have heard it from first experience.

Jash has seen .06v drop form his eneloops and they have less than half the power density a Dcell battery, then this was measured after 15min. Doing the math, this would be around 8 1/2 hrs with the eight eneloops 2P4S @ 5.4v.Realistically i would estimate about 4-5 hours on this setup because this is just using backyard math atm. I would not use alkalines in this as you are putting terrible gas in a nice vehicle, but this is my opinion too so please take this with a grain of salt, I do not want to say its a fact as nothing is for sure.

My math is 1.4v/.08v(per 30min of runtime). Then this gives 17.5x30min= 525min/60min = 8.75hrs with 4 supa frickity fresh eneloops @ 5.4v. Correct me if I am wrong but is this a crazy runtime or what? Is this a new guiness record or what, please correct me if I am wrong here.

Then to add is I have done this with two ultracaps @ 700F. Also one ultracap that has about a 1/3rd of the power density of a aa, just for reference. Then the runtime of the light was an hour solid with this setup.

Also to make it clear too is this light engine is going to quit at the .7v mark as this is the Vf of a diode and this internal circuit. This is a very good engine and there is very little room for improvement and that would be the regulation circuit integrated. 

Then for the quality of the module of course it is not as good as the builds I have seen on here but again this is a nice piece of machined billet and has a 9/10 build quality of the top builders on here, but for me its a 10/10.

I am going to do a run time test on this with fivemega 6aa to 2dcell setup with tenergy 2600mah AA cells and will promptly report it on here as it will take a week or so for the maglites and modules to come in.lovecpf

Then another question for jash,
How far will your p7 mod throw in meters?

Hope this helps,
Eric Ramirez


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## Jash

P7 throws about 70% of a TK40 on turbo, which is a LOT.

The Fusion 36 throw is about 50-60% of the P7. It puts a lot more light to the side compared to the P7.

The P7 module I have is this one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14413

Second best bang for your buck as it needs a little modding to your mag to get it to work.


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## sw629

Jash,
If i may ask, which seller on ebay did you purchase from? I'm currently looking at a Fusion unit for my Dewalt work light and have two Mags I may upgrade with the unit you tested. Great review, thank you for the information.

Cheers, Will


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## Illum

Jash said:


> Just measured the current at the tail with 4 fresh Duracell D's and showed 1.32A.
> 
> No noticable change in colour. It's only in the very centre it's a bit blue, everything else is white and you don't notice it at all outdoors.
> 
> I'll run it for a few hours over the next week to see if the drop in voltage makes much difference.



6V in...all LEDs in parallel....expect to find a 2.2 ohm 10W resistor somewhere in there. assuming nichias are being driven at 3.6V downgraded from 6V, that resistor should be giving out at least 3 watts of heat, if not more


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## Jash

sw629 said:


> Jash,
> If i may ask, which seller on ebay did you purchase from? I'm currently looking at a Fusion unit for my Dewalt work light and have two Mags I may upgrade with the unit you tested. Great review, thank you for the information.
> 
> Cheers, Will



I contacted SINO UNION and they said you can buy them on ebay, but I can't find them anymore.

They also said that bulk purchases can be made directly from them. I don't know what they consider 'bulk' but I'm going to find out as I have quite a few friends who would probably like one of these. They can't see the point in spending $70 on a Malkoff:mecry:but this would seem more reasonable to them.


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## adirondackdestroyer

They're still on Ebay, and there is 4 available at the moment. Here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FUSION-36-LED-P...iewItem&pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item1c130f125e


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## shipwreck

I bought the last 1


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## ama230

i had ordered another two and if you ask they will give you one of their pen lights for free, when you order two or more of their work light or maglite modules, which are 10-15 lumens using the same die material as a nichia. It has the blue yellow hue as a nichia but has a much nicer beam. I would like to see these in a multiple led setup. Then again Nichia corp had sued alot of people and is suing alot of people for copying the beam characteristics and die characteristics. I hope This is a spin of the nichis as it is really really nice as it has a nice clicky type feel to it.

As for the one that have ordered their products I know they will be more than enough light for 1.4A draw as a xpg will have to have at least two or three leds at at least 1a to meet and beat this. Also did i mention pure white as this is the closest out can get to the sun rendition. 

I ask please as you guys rock on here is that you please do a review of module you ordered as we need to see a multiple perspective on this light as it would help for future tweaks on an awesome module. Prepare for a beam that and will cut through air as the photons are ripping from this module.


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## Jash

A little update.

I've used it for two walks with the dog now. Each walk takes roughly 30-35 minutes and I leave the light on the whole time (checked the temp of the module after each walk and nothing more than warm). I've mucked around with it a bit just shining it in the back yard and comparing it to my other mags and maybe used up another 10-15 mins runtime.

When I first inserted the 4 Duracell D's, each one measured between 1.51-1.53 volts, so they weren't BRAND NEW, but not far off (I think I used them in another light for a little bit).

After running now for about an 1 1/2 hours since dropping them in, they are all now between 1.38-1.4. An average drop of about 0.13 of a volt. 

I'm hating using full size D's, they weigh so much :thumbsdow!

*Edit* I had to correct an error in my voltage readings. They are now correct at 1.38-1.4v. Went for another walk this morning and voltage now reads between 1.33-1.36v after about 2 hours of use now. It's still plenty bright too.
This module is a miser!


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## shipwreck

Mine is going to go in a 3D light. I'll see how it works for me, but it sounds like this is a good deal.


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## adirondackdestroyer

I picked up a 6D Maglite at Tractor Supply tonight for $24 after tax (used $5 off $25 coupon) to use with this drop in. I've always wanted a huge 6D Mag, but never had any real reason to buy one, and now I do. 
I'll post back with my findings after it arrives.


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## shipwreck

I don'tw ant one that big for now. But if I like it enough, I may pick up a larger Maglight and another LED head.


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## Barrie

I ordered 3 of the fusion 36 and 2 of the solitaire drop-ins
i asked if i qualified for 2 free penlights :devil::naughty: and to my surprise the vendor said yes they would put 2 in with my order :twothumbs
hope it isn't on a slow boat from honkers
i hate the waiting


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## ama230

Barrie said:


> I ordered 3 of the fusion 36 and 2 of the solitaire drop-ins
> i asked if i qualified for 2 free penlights :devil::naughty: and to my surprise the vendor said yes they would put 2 in with my order :twothumbs
> hope it isn't on a slow boat from honkers
> i hate the waiting



The penlights are quite neat and its always nice getting something for free.:twothumbs Also the time it took from the other side of the world to Arizona in the US was 5 working days, maybe 6. I don't want to check my email right now but it was quicker than stuff from the uk, these Asians don't mess around i tell ya.

Then for jash, I know how you feel with actual Dcells they suck as they weigh like six pounds each. Then again non rechargeable lithiums would be nice but using aa's in this is a lot more convenient. Then again they would probably cost like $600 a cell. Also i would rather be on the receiving end of a beating with aa's than dcells. 

Please let us know how those solitare mods do pics and input as well as i am quite intrigued.Also do a review pics and opinion of the showerhead too.


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## shipwreck

For a newbie that has only modded a mini maglight before... I am awaiting this drop in to arrive, so I don't have it yet. I assume there are instructions...

But, it seems that the head of the fullsize maglite doesn't unscrew like the mini maglite does. How hard is it to install this showerhead drop in?

Just unscrew the part around the reflector/lens, pull everything out, and put in the new piece?


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## Jash

shipwreck said:


> Just unscrew the part around the reflector/lens, pull everything out, and put in the new piece? *Yes.*


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## shipwreck

OK, thanks. I didn't know if there was some trick to getting the main head off that was going to be necessary.


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## Zatoichi

Just FYI, unless Mag have changed the designs recently, the heads do just screw off the larger Maglites. There's quite a lot of thread there so it might just feel like it's going nowhere.


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## shipwreck

Ok, it just seemed to continuously focus and defocus the light - I didn't notice anything else. Maybe it does take a lot of turns. Thanks


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## Zatoichi

shipwreck said:


> Ok, it just seemed to continuously focus and defocus the light - I didn't notice anything else. Maybe it does take a lot of turns. Thanks



It does! I remember wondering if it was ever going to come off.


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## adirondackdestroyer

I still haven't gotten mine yet. 

I'm hoping it will come pretty soon ,as I plan on giving one to my father in law for father's day.


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## Jash

adirondackdestroyer said:


> I still haven't gotten mine yet.
> 
> I'm hoping it will come pretty soon ,as I plan on giving one to my father in law for father's day.



Mine took 8 days. Surprisingly quick compared to how long stuff usually takes to ship from China. My SSC-P7 module from DX took about 6 weeks.


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## ama230

adrion - it should be any day as they are super quick for free shipping. I don not know how they ship it soooo cheap sooooo fast as they have me stumped there, as it would cost me 50 bucks to get it there that quick.

Also for the ones that have the old and new maglites. You take out the reflector and put the module under the lens and then tighten the bezel all the way and it should flop around. As for the little receiver that held the bulbs you keep that piece that screws on and leave that in and tighten. The module then sits in there when you screw on the head all the way as far as it will tighten. There is no focus as the light has great throw and awesome flood. As far as a p7 throw it wont go that far but as far as the eye will see at night it will. 

Jash - LOOK WHAT YOU STARTED :twothumbs

Hopefully we can get some more to report on here.


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## Jash

ama230 said:


> Jash - LOOK WHAT YOU STARTED :twothumbs



Whoa there! You started this, not me


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## Barrie

got my order yesterday 5 days to the UK 
thought i would be more like 5 weeks very fast delivery 

i am happy to say every thing is working 
the fusion 36 is great what a bargain 

the only drop-in i have that is brighter is the terralux m300 and that was more than 3x the price and needs more power to work

the fusion works well with just 2 NIMH rechargeables i will be using it in a 2D mag running on 3x c-cell i am doing a run time test just now will report back on that later 
i don't see any significant difference in brightness to my eye i have tried it on 2' 3' 5' and 6 cells all 1.2 rechargeables more cells seems to = longer run time i am very happy with this so far


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## shipwreck

Barrie said:


> i don't see any significant difference in brightness to my eye i have tried it on 2' 3' 5' and 6 cells all 1.2 rechargeables more cells seems to = longer run time i am very happy with this so far



Good to hear - I was debating whether or not to buy another mag light with more batteries, just so it would put out more light...


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## Barrie

run time on 3xc-cell in a 2D Mag was 2 and 3/4 hours continuous run till auto shutoff 
cells now 1.17-1.18v light only got slightly warm at the head run done indoors on dining table no fans or air-con to cool the light and it is a relatively warm day over here in Scotland 26 degrees-c :twothumbs
cells are rated at 4000mAh by manufacturer


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## shipwreck

I have a 3D maglight I am putting mine in. I am surprised it did not arrive yesterday. So, when I get home, it should be there today... I hope


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## Jash

Barrie said:


> run time on 3xc-cell in a 2D Mag was 2 and 3/4 hours continuous run till auto shutoff
> cells now 1.17-1.18v light only got slightly warm at the head run done indoors on dining table no fans or air-con to cool the light and it is a relatively warm day over here in Scotland 26 degrees-c :twothumbs
> cells are rated at 4000mAh by manufacturer



Mine also died at 1.17-1.18. 

Wasn't too happy about it either, I was only 3/4 way through my walk and had to make the rest of the journey by the dull and infrequent street lights (my fault for not taking an EDC). 

Got about the same runtime using 4, 4ah batts in a 4D for a walk I do 4 times a week for the last 4 months since we got our new dog that has 4 legs.

26 degrees!!! That's winter weather here. Though today it's supposed to go down to 21!! Might have to put on a jumper.


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## sithjedi333

why does it cut off at 1.17, does that mean they are protected for nimh (where protection cutoff is usually around 0.8)? will they run alkalines until dry?


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## ama230

no this is what a typical low regulation setup will do. Its prety close to what a diode will pass as far as volatge. Diode=.7v. Also its alot cheaper for a transistor to see a higher voltage and step up the voltage and drop the current. This is very typical among cheap regulators. for 20bucks i didnt expect a whole lot but again with the runtime on great batteries, i use tenergy 2600mah aa's in a 2d-6aa fm holder. Ill give the runtime here shortly as im testing it now. If it lasts more than three hours than it did its job, nut who wants to waste more money on li-ions and get another charger and only have 500 cycles. Anyways thats my opinion but will post results.


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## Barrie

just run another set of batts to shutoff 1.13-1.17 also tested two side by side one on 3 cells = 3.6v and one on 7 cells = 8.4v on the ceiling bounce the higher voltage one was noticeably brighter than my first test which were 3.6 and 6v i wonder if it will Handel 9 rechargeables = 10.8v or will it go in to meltdown


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## Jash

Barrie said:


> just run another set of batts to shutoff 1.13-1.17 also tested two side by side one on 3 cells = 3.6v and one on 7 cells = 8.4v on the ceiling bounce the higher voltage one was noticeably brighter than my first test which were 3.6 and 6v i wonder if it will Handel 9 rechargeables = 10.8v or will it go in to meltdown



The module is stamped with '3-9v' so I don't think I'd push nearly 11v through it or


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## ama230

i had just done a runtime test for the first time and all my cells are brand brand brand new with this being the first cycle. I am saying this because it takes time for the chemistry to break in.As we speak now i am doing a complete discharge and then recharging them and do a new test and hopefully hit the 3hr mark.

6 - AA Tenergy 2600mah batteries from battery junction.
1 - 6AA-2D Five Mega Adapter
1 - Fusion 36 nichia gs led drop in
1 - 2D copper maglite
Battery pack = 8.1V from sitting cells from the last week and they are brand new just out of the clear wrapping shrink wrap.

Test began at 9:03PM with the room being 80F.

Ended at 11:27PM

Run time just short of 2.5hrs

The batteries all had different voltages when measured. Ranging from 1.05V, 1.17V, 1.08V, 1.05V, 1.11V, 1.09V.

Temperature of the light was at least 100F as it was warm to the touch and not hot and kept stable the whole run.

You can definitely tell when the light is going to crap out is when the light gets about 100lumens and its no longer blindingly bright. Still not even thinking of regretting the purchase one bit... Also if it wasn't so hot in Arizona i feel that run time would be a little better.


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## Barrie

well i just run it on 3 x 18500s starting at 12.20v and boy was it bright  
no  not yet anyway
first tried a short burst of 1 minute and all was OK so tired 2 Min's still OK so we tried 10 Min's twice with a 10 min rest in between 
and just finished a 20 min run and all seems to be OK don't know how long it would last if it was driven at that all the time just thought i would try it in the name of science


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## ama230

That was 800+ lumens you had just witnessed and as for the overdrive great job as I am very curious. This is basically like the maratac on a li-ion and it just overdrives the boostcircuit. It doesnt hurt it it just is not regulating until it sees the proper volatge and then goes into regulation. So could you say that this is direct drive until it hits the 9v mark. As for the leds the nichia gs are great under pressure and are fine until 80mA each so this is where its probably at. I am very interested to know the run time you have the leading battery chemistry and hope to see three hours as when i see this i wont feel so bad for my short light. 

Also you got some balls as I would not do it as i am very crazy!!!

What are the ratings on your cells(three li-ions) in amp hrs.

Also whats the runtime as its been too long already.


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## shipwreck

Man, mine was shipped out on 6-9, but its still not here today... :thinking:


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## Barrie

did you order through eBay and what part of the world are you in
i ordered on eBay and was sent a email on dispatch and postal tracking code 
:mecryne more hour of torcher on the 18500s killed my drop in 
9 AAs in a 3D Mag would do the same i think 
so probably best to keep the voltage to 9v or under 
2 hours in total to meltdown but it was vary bright


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## ama230

I had just wanted to say that I am sorry for your loss as I knew it was a good guy and was great while it lasted. He's in a better place now. To think of it this way is that you had done some great R&D testing as this is the absolute limit the module can see. It was a sacrifice in the name of science so let it be remembered well as it was great while it lasted. Then for the good side is that it only costed 20bucks and was not a huge loss in money.

Also was the light hot when it gave out?

Did the leds do the color change where it went blue then green then white the died. When a 5mm is overdriven slightly it will go through a series of colors before it fades and dies. Or did it just and no more light?
Was there any smoke or smell fromt the light when it gave out?
Any other damage to the light?


Im trying to do a CSI CSI investigation here so we need to find a culprit and see what caused this to give out.

I know that the lithium cells that you used are quite amp monsters so what could you say was the tailcap draw when you had three in there. Or what is the rating on each cell(2600mah or........)?

Also you have to break some shat in the name of science, this is what makes innovation so fun...

Thanks for risking your little buddy as he will be missed but I know he will be replaced very soon.


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## recDNA

Jash said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> Found this little Fusion 36 led drop-in on ebay after seeing someone on here talking about it a bit. It's for a 2-6 cell C-D maglite.
> 
> So, it cost $23 delivered and came in a plain cardboard box with a little bubble-wrap around it.
> 
> It's a 36 Nichia led array that simply drops right in to your C-D maglite. Just pull out the reflector and bulb, slot this in and screw the bezel up tight. It's quite chunky and the leds are all placed firmly and uniformly within the module. Surprisingly well made for the price.
> 
> Claims 400-600 lumens with a 10k hour lifespan. Operating voltage is 3-9 volts.
> 
> 36 Nichia's all lined up like soldiers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Next to an SSC P7 mag.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fusion 36 on left, P7 on right.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P7 at three metres.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fusion 36 at three metres. It's a bit on the blue side.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P7 on shed at 15 metres.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fusion 36 on shed at 15 metres. Did I mention it's a bit blue.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well, that's the beam shots, though the camera (cheap AA peice of junk) does show off the blue more than what your eyes really see. Divide it by half and that's about how blue it really is. Wanted to use the Canon 50D, but the missus only knows how to use it and didn't think my beamshots were worthy.
> 
> Now for some more info.
> 
> I ran it for about 15 mins to see how hot it got (both Fusion 36 and P7 run on 8 fresh eneloops). The whole unit weighs in at just over 50 grams and most of it is aluminium so there's plenty to suck away the heat. After 15 mins it was warm to touch. I could hold it firmly in my hands without any discomfort and it felt like it was only a few degrees above body temp, maybe.
> 
> It's ALL flood. There's absolutely NO useful light after 50 metres.
> Because of this, it is of no use other than to light up a large area within 30 metres, but it does it well.
> 
> The light starts almost immediately from almost 180 degrees and graduates brighter the closer to the centre of the beam. It's VERY nice and smooth and is a great light for those who want LOTS of very bright flood that's nice and cheap.
> 
> If you've got an old mag lying around doing nothing and want to give it a bit of zing, this will do it. Has to be the best bang for your buck drop-in for a mag available, just don't go expecting great things and you'll be happy.


 

Man, I'd buy one of these for every one of my Maglites if it weren't so blue. I like cool white but this thing is cool blue. Too bad really. I love cheap and ez and this is cheap and ez. I wish one of our great modders would build something like this that produced white light. I've read up on Maglite mods and they're beyond me. I don't haveown a dremel and I don't want one!

Oh I can't stand it. Give a link to buy one of these. Paleeese!


----------



## shipwreck

Barrie said:


> did you order through eBay and what part of the world are you in
> i ordered on eBay and was sent a email on dispatch and postal tracking code
> :mecryne more hour of torcher on the 18500s killed my drop in
> 9 AAs in a 3D Mag would do the same i think
> so probably best to keep the voltage to 9v or under
> 2 hours in total to meltdown but it was vary bright



I live in Texas. My wife is from China, and we mail stuff back and borth a lot. Others stated 8 days, and that typically is what it is.

Maybe he didn't ship it out on the day he claimed, I don't know.

I REALLY hope it comes in tomorrow.

I'm currently waiting on 2 other flashlights from Hong Kong too - all 3 items are from different vendors, though.


----------



## ama230

recDNA said:


> Man, I'd buy one of these for every one of my Maglites if it weren't so blue. I like cool white but this thing is cool blue. Too bad really. I love cheap and ez and this is cheap and ez. I wish one of our great modders would build something like this that produced white light. I've read up on Maglite mods and they're beyond me. I don't haveown a dremel and I don't want one!
> 
> Oh I can't stand it. Give a link to buy one of these. Paleeese!



They do not require any modification. Also by the pictures above there is a hint of blue but i can assure and the rest on here that have bought this great module are more than satisfied. If you have ever seen a nichia in action it has the BEST color rendition of all the leds out there. Heck the name is the guy who invented the led. A camera also makes me look ugly too but i can assure i am great looking. Also its your preference as gm tells you that their v8's get 30mpg but if you understand physics its not possible.

Buy one as its 20 bucks and you couldn't spend it better. I GUARANTEE!!!!

Also the link will not work right now as all of the guys on here have bought the supply for the week and next week there will be more so keep following the post and Ill help you out or others would be glad to.


----------



## Jash

Barrie said:


> 2 hours in total to meltdown but it was vary bright



Well, you could look at it this way. Pop-corn and a movie will set you back about $20-30 for two hours of entertainment and it wouldn't be half as entertaining as watching your module self destruct


----------



## ama230

I agree with jash and movies lately are lame beside ironman etc...


----------



## Barrie

I'm not to bothered as i am know trying to dismantle it but the bulb holder is spot welded to the heat-sink and the hole thing is tide together with the wires
i have-played with it a bit and it gives the odd flash of light now and then i think the very thin wires may be the problem
i will try to dismantle it and see if i can rewire it there is a faint smell of burnt from the bulb-holder not the LEDs 
the batts were ultra-fire LC18500 1600mAh 3.7v x3 
OH-and i ordered 3 so still have 2 to play with :laughing:
i will let you know how i get on


----------



## shipwreck

OK, I checked the tracking # when it didn't come today - It wasn't shipped for 3 days, despite the claim. And now it is in Houston - will be here Monday


----------



## ama230

great to hear. As for the suspense for your purchase , I know how it feels. I always think "what the fudge?" Also the guy has run out of supply for this week and hopefully will be doing more. You're gonna love it as i dolovecpf


----------



## ama230

Barrie said:


> I'm not to bothered as i am know trying to dismantle it but the bulb holder is spot welded to the heat-sink and the hole thing is tide together with the wires
> i have-played with it a bit and it gives the odd flash of light now and then i think the very thin wires may be the problem
> i will try to dismantle it and see if i can rewire it there is a faint smell of burnt from the bulb-holder not the LEDs
> the batts were ultra-fire LC18500 1600mAh 3.7v x3
> OH-and i ordered 3 so still have 2 to play with :laughing:
> i will let you know how i get on



Thats great to hear as i thought this was your only one. I ordered the worklight module a while ago and was able to screw off the bottom and see what was in there but i do not know if its the case on the maglite ones. It will be interesting of you could bring it back to life...:shrug:


----------



## Barrie

Hi again
i got the drop-in apart
had to cut the wiring on inspection found one of the wires at the head was loose very loose to the point it fell out in my hand 
i don't think i will be able to fix it as the wiring and solder joints are tiny i had to use a aspheric lens as a magnifying glass to see where the wire was fixed
i do not have a soldering iron for such fine work
it maybe that the higher voltage i put through than recommended heat the wiring and loosen it but those wires are really tiny about 1MM that is with plastic insulation
i will probable harvest the LEDs 
it is a great drop in for the money and i like that it also runs on lower voltage making it very versatile i ran it on 2D-size rechargeables 2.4v way up to 12.20v and it will run on a number of combination of batts and voltages in between i will run them at 3.6 and 7.2 v =3c-cell and 6AA-cell in 6AA to 2D in a 2D Mag i will buy more at the price it is a - (Mags best friend)


----------



## ama230

Barrie said:


> Hi again
> i got the drop-in apart
> had to cut the wiring on inspection found one of the wires at the head was loose very loose to the point it fell out in my hand
> i don't think i will be able to fix it as the wiring and solder joints are tiny i had to use a aspheric lens as a magnifying glass to see where the wire was fixed
> i do not have a soldering iron for such fine work
> it maybe that the higher voltage i put through than recommended heat the wiring and loosen it but those wires are really tiny about 1MM that is with plastic insulation
> i will probable harvest the LEDs
> it is a great drop in for the money and i like that it also runs on lower voltage making it very versatile i ran it on 2D-size rechargeables 2.4v way up to 12.20v and it will run on a number of combination of batts and voltages in between i will run them at 3.6 and 7.2 v =3c-cell and 6AA-cell in 6AA to 2D in a 2D Mag i will buy more at the price it is a - (Mags best friend)



Couldn't have said it better......


----------



## recDNA

ama230 said:


> Couldn't have said it better......


 
This is going to be one of those deals where it's always out of stock when I remember to check.


----------



## Barrie

done another run time test this time i used 2 of KDs 6AA to 2D adapters with 6 energizer 2450s 
3hrs 29 Min's to shutoff which makes this a very practical light for my needs 
i like my terralux 300m but in a 2D size i can only get around 1hr run-time so although not quit as bright the fusion is a good alternative
i need around 2hrs run-time on one of my longer walks with my dogs
i will try the run-time test again today just to double check i didn't get the runtime wrong


----------



## shipwreck

This *post had text I did not type. Not sure what happened with the server.*


----------



## shipwreck

Ditto


----------



## shipwreck

Ok - something is screwed up - everytime I make a post, someone else's text is showing up.

I did NOT make the last 2 posts.

(I have since edited them and removed the text posted by someone else in my posts)


----------



## shipwreck

Ok, my LED came in today. It is bright. Can't wait to see it outside tonight.


----------



## shipwreck

Ok - I've had a chance to play with the light outside.

I guess I expected more - based off of what others stated. At first, I was a little disappointed. However, I went and got my P20C2 Mk II Eagletac, and did some comparisons between the two. I still prefer my eagletac - but the up close spill of this flood Fusion LED head is not bad. It's even better indoors. 

Overall, Im happy with the product - especially for the money. I contemplated buying another when they are available again, and getting another maglight. But, I'm gonna leave it with just the 1. I'd still recommend it, however, as it is certainly much better than a standard Maglite.


----------



## kaichu dento

Why is it that every time I hit the newest post button for the *Munroe Design Mega Dangler *I get directed here to a thread I never subscribed to?
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/277794


----------



## shipwreck

kaichu dento said:


> Why is it that every time I hit the newest post button for the *Munroe Design Mega Dangler *I get directed here to a thread I never subscribed to?
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/277794



The software is messed up. I made a post yesterday, and when it came up - it was words from someone else. It happened 2x yesterday. I let the admins know, but they never deleted my posts - so I just editted them myself (you can see them above). i think some stuff is still not working right.


----------



## DM51

CPF was closed for maintenance for a while yesterday, as there had been a few problems. 

There have been a few reports like those here, about links not working properly, but they are relatively minor problems.


----------



## ama230

Anybody else receive theirs as is would be great for pictures and a little review. This is a great deal and should satisfy greatly. Anybody????


----------



## neoseikan

Hi, could you take more photos at the rear view and side view?
I hope to see how it touch the maglite body, and improve my own module design.
Thank you!


----------



## Jash

Hope these help.












I don't think an aweful lot of the module makes contact with the head. It's mostly just the pin and the rim around the leds that touches anything. There's quite a bit of play and it relies on it's own mass for heat sinking which seems to be adequate.

If I were designing my own module it would be a more snug fit. 

Curious neoseikan, what are you planning on building?

Mac is making a whopper of an MC-E module that screws into the head itself. Tons of aluminium. Can't wait for one of those babies!! https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/252279


----------



## LEDninja

hijack,

neoseikan,
Elektrolumens made a number of drop ins MT-1, MT-3 (III), MT-4 (IV), MT-5 (V).
The piece that goes into the bulb holder is separate, making it easier to machine the heatsink part.
Here is ernsanada's review. He has pictures of the back of the module and the adapter further down.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/181157
The ground path is through the body of the drop in and the body of the flashlight. The user has to do some sanding to remove the anodizing on top of the flashlight body to provide the electrical path..

/hijack


----------



## magnetx

It is back in stock. i bought one, now it is 4 left


----------



## ama230

magnetx said:


> It is back in stock. i bought one, now it is 4 left


when it comes in please let us know your review. thank you:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs.................:green:...:twothumbs


----------



## shipwreck

Anyone know if these will work in an LED 3D maglight - the one I have is in a standard incandescent maglight body. I wasn't sure if they would work in an LED maglight.


----------



## ama230

I was wondering that myself but this is not possible. The incandescent or the non-led style will work. Then for the multi-mode or the 3w it WILL NOT WORK. You are stuck with the configuration that comes with it. As far as the single mode led 3w I am positive it will not work but I have not seen the guts of it.

The 3D led you have in not upgradeable as far as a drop in but I have seen people on her take theirs apart basically destroying it but if you are really really really good at doing these types of things then no. The rebel in your light is awesome and has great throw as is. 

The answer is a definite no for the 3D led you have since the emitter is un-removeable. Only the lights with a removeable bulb inside or if it has a spare bulb in the tailcap.

Hope this helps...

Also since you ordered one, you should give a review and your thoughts as most on here would love to see it...:twothumbs


----------



## shipwreck

Ok, thanks for the info. I have another LED maglight, and I was just thinking that maybe I'd eventually upgrade it too. But, I had a suspicion that it wouldn't work.

I did make a post further up the thread. It is a nice upgrade, and I am glad I got it. But after reading the comments in the beginning of this thread, I was expecting more, I suppose.

While I was waiting on mine to come in, I thought I might buy 1 or 2 more Maglights and get some more of these.

Now, I think I'll just stick with the one. I will be getting an 800 lumen Eagletac soon, and that will likely replace this Maglight drop in combo that I am using for outdoor duty right now.


----------



## Jash

shipwreck said:


> While I was waiting on mine to come in, I thought I might buy 1 or 2 more Maglights and get some more of these.



Do go and buy a mag or two for one of these.

Don't know exactly when this will be built, but if you're going to be one of the lucky few who get one, you won't regret it.


----------



## LEDninja

shipwreck said:


> Anyone know if these will work in an LED 3D maglight - the one I have is in a standard incandescent maglight body. I wasn't sure if they would work in an LED maglight.


It should work in the older '3W LED' version of the Mag.
It will not work with the newer Rebel Mag LED.


----------



## march.brown

I have an old 2C Maglite ... At least 15 years old ... Just wondering if this unit would fit OK ... I assume it is just a matter of taking the old bulb and reflector out and putting the new unit in ... Is it the same size unit for both C and D bodies ? ... How long would the two C cells run on continuous ? ... I would use the Duracell Professional C cells unless someone can recommend better at a sensible price.

Is this really going to be more powerful than my Solarforce L2 on high ?

Is it worth converting the 2C to use a single 18650 with this multi LED unit ? ... If so , what would be the run time ?
.


----------



## ama230

march.brown said:


> I have an old 2C Maglite ... At least 15 years old ... Just wondering if this unit would fit OK ... I assume it is just a matter of taking the old bulb and reflector out and putting the new unit in ... Is it the same size unit for both C and D bodies ? ... How long would the two C cells run on continuous ? ... I would use the Duracell Professional C cells unless someone can recommend better at a sensible price.
> 
> Is this really going to be more powerful than my Solarforce L2 on high ?
> 
> Is it worth converting the 2C to use a single 18650 with this multi LED unit ? ... If so , what would be the run time ?
> .



A 2D will run for a hour and a half or so but this is what the manufacturer says. It does fit the C and D maglites with no problems. It would be alot better in a C cell light as its a bit smaller and would be a better profile. As for the D cell it allows for a larger capacity and cell configuration. 

For 20bucks you should just get it as if you buy two for $46 shipped you could get a free penlight, do not forget to ask. Also if you get a holder or just put some lithium cell configuration with foam around it, it will last longer. Then again you could get a five mega holder and use AA's and Jash on here has provided a great runtime with the kai domain 2AA-D holders. 

In my opinion you should get something with AA's to a dcell sonce aa's are cheap and easy to find and everything uses them. Just make sure you buy a quality rechargeables with a name brand since there a numerous counts of low capacity with rechargeables(Nimh, Li-ion, Li-poly, etc) 

Then again it will have great runtime with any cell configuration but its going to be expensive to keep buying regular c-cells or d-cells. So check up on battery adapter and get something above 2000mah and you will be more than happy.

Then again with the post with the solarforce. I am assuming that its the 230lumen or 300lumen module, then it will be a bit brighter with just the regular c-ell configuration and then with a higher voltage than 3V it will be alot brighter as the minimun brightness is 400lumen and maximum brightness is in the range of 600lumen with 7-9v. 

If you pick a cell configuration with anything higher than the 3v with 2c-cells it will work awesome and the flood is rediculous and with a great throw. But it the nit picky it will not have the hot spot to beat your solarforce. Then again the color rendition of this module will not be beat.

Then with the 3.7v 18650 @ 2600mah it will double the runtime than on two c-cells. All you have to do is get the plastic sleeve to fill up the gap. You just have to look around.

Hope this helps...
ERic


----------



## march.brown

ama230 said:


> A 2D will run for a hour and a half or so but this is what the manufacturer says. It does fit the C and D maglites with no problems. It would be alot better in a C cell light as its a bit smaller and would be a better profile. As for the D cell it allows for a larger capacity and cell configuration.
> 
> For 20bucks you should just get it as if you buy two for $46 shipped you could get a free penlight, do not forget to ask. Also if you get a holder or just put some lithium cell configuration with foam around it, it will last longer. Then again you could get a five mega holder and use AA's and Jash on here has provided a great runtime with the kai domain 2AA-D holders.
> 
> In my opinion you should get something with AA's to a dcell sonce aa's are cheap and easy to find and everything uses them. Just make sure you buy a quality rechargeables with a name brand since there a numerous counts of low capacity with rechargeables(Nimh, Li-ion, Li-poly, etc)
> 
> Then again it will have great runtime with any cell configuration but its going to be expensive to keep buying regular c-cells or d-cells. So check up on battery adapter and get something above 2000mah and you will be more than happy.
> 
> Then again with the post with the solarforce. I am assuming that its the 230lumen or 300lumen module, then it will be a bit brighter with just the regular c-ell configuration and then with a higher voltage than 3V it will be alot brighter as the minimun brightness is 400lumen and maximum brightness is in the range of 600lumen with 7-9v.
> 
> If you pick a cell configuration with anything higher than the 3v with 2c-cells it will work awesome and the flood is rediculous and with a great throw. But it the nit picky it will not have the hot spot to beat your solarforce. Then again the color rendition of this module will not be beat.
> 
> Hope this helps...
> ERic


 Many thanks for your reply ... I can either use 2 C cells or a 18650 at the moment ... I could also use two 50mm long Li-Ion batteries though that would be more expensive as I would probably buy a couple of spares too ... In a 2C body , what other options are there ?

I already have a few AA to C convertors but with two Eneloops we are down to about 2.4 Volts.

The only other option is to get a better dropin for my Solarforce L2 or even a 2 X 18650 body plus a dropin and put the old mag 2C back in the cupboard.

I'm trying to keep the costs down.
.


----------



## Jash

march.brown said:


> The only other option is to get a better dropin for my Solarforce L2 or even a 2 X 18650 body plus a dropin and put the old mag 2C back in the cupboard.



A 3C mad will accomodate 2x18650's nicely and give you the maximum output for the module as well as some reasonable runtime.

I've only started back at work after being off for a month, but when I get some more cash I'm going to do the 3C with 2x18650 thing as a 4D is a little large to use all the time.

Besides, I need the 4D as a host for a triple XP-G module someone is working on.


----------



## Barrie

it will run on 2.4v mine dose 

AAs in adapters will work OK how long it runs will depend on the mAh of the battery 
if you are in the UK ALDI stores do rechargeable-AA and C for a few quid or you could go for 2x 18500 li-ion = 7.4v + charger you'd need to get these on the net KDs or DX are the best known 

the ALDI C-cell are rated at 4000mAh each = 2,4v for 2 i will do a run time test on two of these tomorrow and let you know the run time 
3 of these in my 2-D mag was over 2 hours continuous 
i have know bought 8 of these fusion 36 
some are for XMAS for the 2-D mags i gave my nephews last year


----------



## ama230

Barrie said:


> it will run on 2.4v mine dose
> 
> AAs in adapters will work OK how long it runs will depend on the mAh of the battery
> if you are in the UK ALDI stores do rechargeable-AA and C for a few quid or you could go for 2x 18500 li-ion = 7.4v + charger you'd need to get these on the net KDs or DX are the best known
> 
> the ALDI C-cell are rated at 4000mAh each = 2,4v for 2 i will do a run time test on two of these tomorrow and let you know the run time
> 3 of these in my 2-D mag was over 2 hours continuous
> i have know bought 8 of these fusion 36
> some are for XMAS for the 2-D mags i gave my nephews last year



You are the best Uncle ever!!!! Can I be your nephew?:wave:
They are going to have an awesome xmas this year, might as well buy them good sunglasses as these are going to blind them.


----------



## march.brown

Jash said:


> A 3C mad will accomodate 2x18650's nicely and give you the maximum output for the module as well as some reasonable runtime.
> 
> I've only started back at work after being off for a month, but when I get some more cash I'm going to do the 3C with 2x18650 thing as a 4D is a little large to use all the time.
> 
> Besides, I need the 4D as a host for a triple XP-G module someone is working on.


Mine is only a 2C mag , so two 18650s won't fit.
.


----------



## Barrie

2x 18500 will fit 

*Ultrafire TR-18500 3.7V 1600mAh Rechargeable Battery*
i dont have a 2c mag all mine are D cell but have you tryed 
2 x 18650s with the tail sping removed


----------



## LEDninja

Suggestion deleted.
Not gonna work.


----------



## Barrie

Hi
march.brown

i just finished a run test with 2 x c-cell 1.2v 4000mAh fresh from the charger 2-hours 53-minutes from start to auto shut off :thumbsup:
hope this of some help to you


----------



## march.brown

Barrie said:


> 2x 18500 will fit
> 
> *Ultrafire TR-18500 3.7V 1600mAh Rechargeable Battery*
> i dont have a 2c mag all mine are D cell but have you tryed
> 2 x 18650s with the tail sping removed


 Tried it and two 18650s are still too long by about 10mm ... Can't even get the tailcap threads to engage ... Great shame.
.


----------



## march.brown

Barrie said:


> Hi
> march.brown
> 
> i just finished a run test with 2 x c-cell 1.2v 4000mAh fresh from the charger 2-hours 53-minutes from start to auto shut off :thumbsup:
> hope this of some help to you


 Thanks Barrie

Is the torch more powerful than say a 200 lumens Solarforce when using the two C cells ? ... My Solarforce lasts for two hours thirty minutes on a single 18650.

I guess that two AA Eneloops in the 'AA to C' adaptors would be about half your value ... Nearly one and a half hours ... I've got eight of those adaptors already.

I'm going to price some Li-Ion 18500 cells as I've already got a charger that will take them ... Two C cells or two C adaptors will also fit ... That means that 2 18500 Li-ions or 2 C cells or 2 AAs will power it ... That is great.

Thanks for running the test , the results certainly seem good for using two NiMh C cells ... I only have chargers for AA NiMh cells though.

So I gotta work out whether it is more cost effective to go for the C cells plus a charger or just 18500 Li-Ions with my existing chargers.

Thanks again

George
.


----------



## march.brown

Well , you sort of talked me into it ! ... If I don't like it I will blame all of you for persuading me to upgrade my old Police issue Maglite 2C.

I have just bought a Fusion 36 LED unit for $23 and also two 18500 (1600mAh ?) protected cells for $7-98 (£5-44) ... So my total cost is £20-66 ... I could have bought a nice Solarforce and dropin for that money ... If the batteries are OK , I will probably have to get another two (just in case) ... I have Duracell C batteries also some AA to C adaptors ... That means that I will have the choice of using AA , C , 18500 or even a single 18650 with a spacer ... I will try the single 18650 and if it works OK then I might not have to get another two 18500s.

I just hope that I have done the right thing in getting these ... It will be used as a general purpose house torch ... My Wife will like it as she has had the torch for many years ... A Policeman accidentally left it with her after an attempted break-in ... After I bought my smaller LED lights the Mag 2C was put into a kitchen cupbourd and forgotten about ... It did seem a shame not to use it , but it isn't really a pocket torch ... Anyway , time will tell if it has proved to be an investment or just a waste of money ... I will keep you all informed.
.


----------



## ama230

The only thing that this module is not going to do is throw as far as a light with a reflector so note this. Then again it will be substituted for an awesome flood. It will throw eighty+ meters and flood a 50+ meter at this distance. Also there is no heat, so good bye bugs and mosquitoes. 

You are going to love this module as it being for around the house. I can see it now as your wife says "Damn that's a bright light" and then you say "I told it was a good investment". If you can compute this, as each led is 11+ lumen at 30mA+ and this is very easily done by a Nichia gs W rank led. 

Also would like to thank barry for the runtime test as I get a little over 2hrs and 30min with a Fivemega 6AA to 2D adapter with 6 Tenergy 2600mah AA's @ 8.4V. This is very respectable as for as much light as your getting and for the amount of run time you're getting.

I can guarantee you will get over two hours with the li-ion configuration. Also dont blame us if you have to order more but just this time ill take partial blame for this incident only.:devil:


----------



## march.brown

ama230 said:


> The only thing that this module is not going to do is throw as far as a light with a reflector so note this. Then again it will be substituted for an awesome flood. It will throw eighty+ meters and flood a 50+ meter at this distance. Also there is no heat, so good bye bugs and mosquitoes.
> 
> You are going to love this module as it being for around the house. I can see it now as your wife says "Damn that's a bright light" and then you say "I told it was a good investment". If you can compute this, as each led is 11+ lumen at 30mA+ and this is very easily done by a Nichia gs W rank led.
> 
> Also would like to thank barry for the runtime test as I get a little over 2hrs and 30min with a Fivemega 6AA to 2D adapter with 6 Tenergy 2600mah AA's @ 8.4V. This is very respectable as for as much light as your getting and for the amount of run time you're getting.
> 
> I can guarantee you will get over two hours with the li-ion configuration. Also dont blame us if you have to order more but just this time ill take partial blame for this incident only.:devil:


 Thanks for the information and for taking some of the blame for my purchase ... It's nice to be able to say to my Wife , "A smooth-talker persuaded me that I really needed to upgrade your old useless Maglite 2C Police torch into something befitting a gorgeous Wife" ... Well , something along these lines ... Anyway , I have a few questions about the LED unit.

Since it can use several battery configurations , is the unit voltage regulated ?

Does the 11+ lumens per LED increase with voltage increase ? ... What I mean is , Is it brighter with the higher voltage batteries ?

30mA X 36 LEDs means 1.080 Amps drain ... Does this also increase with increased voltage ?

What is the minimum lumen output that I can expect and does this also increase with voltage up to the point where the LEDs go "puff" ?

Oh , so many questions that I should have asked before I was influenced by this thread whilst wearing "beer goggles" ... In my case it was whisky.

Anyway , the deed is done and the items ordered , "whilst under the affluence of incahol" ... So I can't really be blamed for spending my well-earned pension.

During a storm , it isn't lightning that you see ... It's dearly departed flashaholics shining their torches ... The thunder is their Wives shouting at them to put the Bl**dy light out ! ... If my Wife finds out how many torches I own , I might be up there sooner than I expected.

Thanks again for sharing the blame along with "the amber nectar"... That now means that I am blameless.
.


----------



## Jash

Barrie managed to kill one by running 12.2v through it. 

It's stamped on the module 3v-9v, so I would stop at 9v, or two li-ions of your choice.

I use mine with 4 ni-mh D's (2AA to D converters) for a total of 5.6v fresh off the charger and it's plenty bright. There's no noticable drop in output until it shuts itself off when each cell gets to around 1.18, then you just charge them up again and off you go.

Lumen output is said (by manufacturer) to be 400-600 lumens, so I would guess that voltage increase equals output increase.


----------



## ama230

Jash is very very very right there....

Then for the minimum brightness in lumen when driving with 2 D-cells or 2 C-cells will be 400+ lumen @ 11.1lumens @ each led(20mA). This is also generating a tailcap current of +/-1A depending on if using rechargeables or alkalines.

Then for the lumen estimation, this is the absolute lowest a Nichia will do as this is the best 5mm out there and will do better than stated on a spec sheet. Then as Jash stated there was a casualty with one of the modules but this was an abuse test when seeing how how much this thing could handle. :fail: But was a success in the name of science!!! 

Also if you were to tailstand this, it would be the equivalent of a 120Watt incandescent. Then again its only running at +/- 3W, so this is quite a feat and is very low heat generating so the leds will last a very very very long time.

Also just by estimates your incandescent police led maglite is going to 10X as bright with double the run time so there is definitely something to look forward to.lovecpf

Then for the lumen increasing as the voltage goes up and so will current follow but this is regulated with a transistor and resistors hidden in there somewhere. I would say that when driven at 40mA each the leds will do 20lumen each with 600+ lumen output. Enough with the numbers as my head is not liking them right now. :duh2:


----------



## Barrie

Regarding the one i torchard to death 
:naughty: oh the fun i had did i mention it was real bright








it was not the LEDs that failed it was the components in the the bulb holder that regulate it that were burnt out
once i got the thing apart i bridged out the back of the LEDs with a 6v battery pack and thay light up well 1/3d of them at a time the thing works in 3 separate sections


----------



## Barrie

just done another run time test for Mr Brown 
on 1x 18650 2500mAh was 1Hr 45 Mins to shut off
i will try 2x AA eneloops and 2x 18500 later got to get ready for work now
:tired: i HATE night shift 
but it dose pay for my toys


----------



## Jash

Barrie said:


> :tired: i HATE night shift



That's a bit of an oxymoron for a flashaholic isn't it?


----------



## march.brown

Thanks guys , this is starting to look interesting now ... I'm looking forward to trying a few of the voltage combinations myself when it eventually arrives in the UK.

I will stay below the nine volt limit though.

Thanks again.
.


----------



## ama230

No problems glad to be of service and thanks to Barrie for providing the wonderful information as this is really really helpful for people reading these posts.


----------



## Omicron

I put one of these drop-ins into a 2C mag that I had adapted to 3 CR123's, using a piece of car heater hose as an insert. It's nice and bright, similar to the way it was in in my 4D Mag, but, of course, a handier size.


----------



## ama230

Great mod as its alot smaller than what most of us got and since its at 9v its screaming at 600+ lumens. Would love a runtime test and beamshots if you could Omicron? :twothumbs

BTW.... Thats a classic MacGruber!!!


----------



## Barrie

Hi Again
run time on 2x eneloop 2000mAh was 1hr 20Min's
tried on 2x 18500 but one if the battery's protection circuit cut in 1hr 10 Min's in to the test

and just for fun and out of curiosity i tried it on 6x 1000mAh AAAs in 2 of the 3xAAA holders that came with some of the cheap lights i have run time was around 2 hours that should fit well in a 2c mag


----------



## march.brown

Barrie said:


> Hi Again
> run time on 2x eneloop 2000mAh was 1hr 20Min's
> tried on 2x 18500 but one if the battery's protection circuit cut in 1hr 10 Min's in to the test
> 
> and just for fun and out of curiosity i tried it on 6x 1000mAh AAAs in 2 of the 3xAAA holders that came with some of the cheap lights i have run time was around 2 hours that should fit well in a 2c mag


 Never thought of six AAA Eneloops ... That would be OK ... Just checked and if I cut the 2C spring down a bit , it will fit ... My LSD AAAs are all 800mAh , so they should give about 96 minutes ('ish) by calculation.

So , the best time is with six 1000mAh AAAs at 120 minutes , then one 18650 at 105 minutes , then two AA Eneloops at 80 minutes , then two 18500 at about 70 minutes maybe more if freshly charged ... That all sounds great , after all we are talking at over 400 lumens maybe up to 600 lumens ... Even at only 400 lumens , I should see the difference when compared with my Solarforce L2 with a single 18650 ... The L2 lasts for two and a half hours though.

This should really blind the slugs and snails when I go hunting in the garden at night ... They won't see what's coming ... Splat !

Thanks Barrie for doing the research ... Very useful figures you have given ... My Wife won't believe that it's the same old torch.
.


----------



## Omicron

I did the same thing with 6 AAA's last night, carriers a little long, so fashioned a short "spring" from 14 Ga. house wiring (scraping the inside of the tailcap and inverting the existing spring would probably be better). Thanks Barrie, for the run times; I have fresh 123's on order, when I get them I can check the run time with those. - I don't think CR2's and N's are worth trying ---


----------



## Barrie

your longest run time will probably be on 2 high mAh c-batts although
this is going to be at the lower end of light output
but still a lot of light for so little power 
and the 18500s or 6AAA will give you full power but run time will be less as said don't cut the tail spring turn it round and scrape or sand the anodising of the inside of the tail cap where the spring contacts it


----------



## Omicron

Well, I did the runtime using 3 RayOVac 123's and they lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. Sorry I'm not equipped to provide beam shots.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Just tested my new Fusion 36 in a 4d Mag that I converted to a 5c.

YEAH MAN THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!
+1000 on those that say Mag's best friend!
YEEHAH!
$23 for this is the absolute best lumen for dollar value I could have hoped for.
I can light up half an acre with usable light....:naughty:


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> Just tested my new Fusion 36 in a 4d Mag that I converted to a 5c.
> 
> YEAH MAN THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!
> +1000 on those that say Mag's best friend!
> YEEHAH!
> $23 for this is the absolute best lumen for dollar value I could have hoped for.
> I can light up half an acre with usable light....:naughty:



That's awesome as ones here they are like, "its alright, the tint is too blue, it doesn't throw that far"...etc. 

You couldn't have said it better brother as for twenty bucks shipped, its an awesome deal. Its an absolute canon for a maglite with all useful light. 

Also thanks for the great comment as this is basically what needs to be said as most on here cant justify spending over a couple hundred bucks on something they plan to break or replace. Then again this is not to offend the majority on here but this dropin cost 20 bucks and does the best for the ease, practicality and output.

Glad you like the light and great job on the mod with the 5c's as its crafty and different.:thumbsup:

lovecpf


----------



## mvyrmnd

I've just ordered one of these to fit in a spare 4C mag I have here. This looks like an awesome dropin for a standby light. It's a pity they don't seem to like 12v, as 3x18650's fit perfectly in a 4C.


----------



## Jash

Barrie said:


> Hi Again
> run time on 2x eneloop 2000mAh was 1hr 20Min's...



400 lumens from 2 eneloops for over an hour. 

Is there any other light on the planet that can do that?


----------



## march.brown

I had the two protected 18500s a couple of days ago and today the showerhead arrived ... It fitted perfectly into my 2C , but the tailcap spring was too long ... I pushed the spring together and it sort of deformed and went shorter ... Screwed the endcap on and it was perfect ... Just enough tension to give a good contact and not enough to damage the protection PCBs on the batteries.

I cut four inches of plastic pipe to hold the two 18500s and wrapped some Selotape round the outside of the pipe and now everything fits in the body without rattling.

I made a tactical error when I screwed the endcap on ... The showerhead was facing me and the light came on ... I can now see an image of a showerhead wherever I look except that the LEDs are in pink ... So keep the head end away from your face because it is really bright ... My eyes are back to normal now but it took about fifteen minutes.

This is now the most amazing Maglite 2C ever and running on two 18500s (8.4 volts) ... I will eventually try it with six Eneloop AAAs as I have some cheapie torches that have the 3AAA cassettes fitted ... That will be only 7.2 volts , so might not be as bright ... It still works quite brightly on two Duracell Procell (primary) C cells and is about the same as my Solarforce L2 though it is difficult to compare them as the showerhead is a floody beam.

Nevertheless , this is a great mod to a torch that I was not using.
.


----------



## march.brown

Tonight , I showed the Mag 2C showerhead torch to my Wife ... I suppose that was only fair as it was originally hers ... A policeman left it many years ago when she had an attempted break-in ... She remembered how poor it was originally with the 2 C cells and a filament bulb ... I aimed it at the kitchen wall and she was almost speechless at the brightness.

Unfortunately she has now put it in a kitchen cupboard and given me the 2AA Mag LED that lived there.

The moral of this story is "Don't show one to anyone that might grab it".

It will still work on two C cells if needed , though it's better with a higher voltage .. I might look for a 2D to convert and would use six AA Eneloops in it.

It is so versatile in that it will work on so many different types of cells ... It does look nicer in a C body in my opinion and a 3C with two 18650s would be brilliant !
.


----------



## Trancersteve

Is there any chance someone could post more photos of the beam shots produced by this drop in? The few on the first page are quite small and I am interested in seeing a close up of how blue the tint is.

Thanks


----------



## Jash

Trancersteve said:


> Is there any chance someone could post more photos of the beam shots produced by this drop in? The few on the first page are quite small and I am interested in seeing a close up of how blue the tint is.
> 
> Thanks



Photo's updated on first post, except outdoor shots which will come tonight. I got a new camera which is quite a lot better than the other one I used.


----------



## Barrie

the blue tint is only noticeable on white walls close up if used out doors it appears white at leased mine dose all eight of them


----------



## jacktheclipper

Trancersteve said:


> Is there any chance someone could post more photos of the beam shots produced by this drop in? The few on the first page are quite small and I am interested in seeing a close up of how blue the tint is.
> 
> Thanks


 
OK some thoughts on this :
The tint is blueish so if you're a tint snob you will definitely notice it
But the tradeoff is so worth it. Because we're talking about a seamless wall of bright light coming out of a Mag. 
Yes , you lose some throw , and a lot of Mag users value the throw of a Mag . This dropin repurposes your Mag into a powerful floodlight.
Honestly , I had all but stopped using my Mag because I bought some smaller , more powerful lights . I thought of my Mag as a baton that could also serve as a backup light of sorts.
But NOW , not only is my Mag bright but the beam is very even and 
peripherally I can see a lot more than every other light I have ever used.
 
Because we're talking about a Seamless. Wall. of. Bright. Light. coming out of a Mag.


----------



## hank

> we will suggest buyer use 2D rechargeable Lithium

lithium-ion?


----------



## ama230

hank said:


> > we will suggest buyer use 2D rechargeable Lithium
> 
> lithium-ion?



Thats correct but nimhs are soooo much more practical and lsd's aa's are great. Nothing against lithiums but they are not easily found and take special chargers. Also i am unfamiliar with a dcell lithium ion. Anybody got this question.

Also two eneloops seem to have the same runtime as an 18650, which is awesome and alot cheaper and lighter. Also if you ahve an eight pack of eneloops, you got 6+ hrs of 400 lumen. Thats pretty sweet. Also love to see how many happy campers and non campers on here are. Great job Jash and crew, we have saved money and got awesome lights.lovecpf


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> OK some thoughts on this :
> The tint is blueish so if you're a tint snob you will definitely notice it
> But the trade-off is so worth it. Because we're talking about a seamless wall of bright light coming out of a Mag.
> Yes , you lose some throw , and a lot of Mag users value the throw of a Mag . This drop-in re-purposes your Mag into a powerful floodlight.
> Honestly , I had all but stopped using my Mag because I bought some smaller , more powerful lights . I thought of my Mag as a baton that could also serve as a backup light of sorts.
> But NOW , not only is my Mag bright but the beam is very even and
> peripherally I can see a lot more than every other light I have ever used.
> 
> Because we're talking about a Seamless. Wall. of. Bright. Light. coming out of a Mag.



Couldn't have said it better, thanks for the honest input.:thumbsup:


----------



## Jash

jacktheclipper said:


> Because we're talking about a Seamless. Wall. of. Bright. Light. coming out of a Mag.



It's funny how you percieve things. When I first got this I was rather impressed and began to use it for my dog walking light because it's even more floody than my P7. 

After a couple of weeks using it, it seemed less impressive until last Friday night I took my kids for a dark walk down to the lake across the road. They had their stock 3w LED Mags. I didn't actually use my Fusion 36 until we got down there so the kids could make use of theirs. It's fun watching them point that little hotspot into logs and onto lilly pads and stuff.

I turned mine on and lit up about half a football field worth of real estate and very quickly came to the conclusion that my kids will be getting one of these drop-ins for Christmas.


----------



## march.brown

hank said:


> > we will suggest buyer use 2D rechargeable Lithium
> 
> lithium-ion?


 On a 2D Mag , why not use two convertors ... Each D convertor uses three AA Eneloops ... If you have a 2C , use six AAA cells with the adaptors out of cheap torches ... On my 2C , I use two 18500 cells and it's great.
.


----------



## hank

gack, so many different $1 holders for multiple AAA and AA cells, e.g.
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Adorcydirect.com+"battery+holder+cartridge"
(replacement cheapies for ones that break easily, from everything I read. Cheap tho')

(and I know some good sturdy ones are made by CPF members)


----------



## Trancersteve

Jash said:


> Photo's updated on first post, except outdoor shots which will come tonight. I got a new camera which is quite a lot better than the other one I used.



Thanks for that. There definitely is a shade of blue going on but it looks like it can be forgiven.


----------



## ozzy702

Received mine today and was super excited to try it out. Only problem is IT DOES NOT WORK.  Hopefully they have half way decent customer service. I tossed the original postal envelope like an idiot and according to their warranty policy they won't refund without it. So for anyone that buys this product, make sure you have the original postal envelope and packing slip in case yours is defective too.


----------



## Jash

ozzy702 said:


> Received mine today and was super excited to try it out. Only problem is IT DOES NOT WORK.  Hopefully they have half way decent customer service. I tossed the original postal envelope like an idiot and according to their warranty policy they won't refund without it. So for anyone that buys this product, make sure you have the original postal envelope and packing slip in case yours is defective too.


 
Try rotating the head while the switch is on. Mine didn't make contact at first and needed to be in just the right position to get the electrons flowing.


----------



## Trancersteve

Thinking about buying a Maglite 2D and one of these drop ins. Will this drop in fit all 2D bodies or only the incandescent body?


----------



## Omicron

See post #83. Apparently only drops into the incan. ones.


----------



## gswitter

It will work fine in the first gen LED Mags - they're identical to the incans aside from the PR-style LED bulb/drop-in.

It will not work in the newer Rebel-based LED Mags.

It's pretty easy to distinguish the two generations, but, if in doubt, go with an incan.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Well I just ordered my second Fusion 36 for my old 3D Mag
I'll use 4C configuration for the additional voltage . 

Everyone that has seen this dropin in action has had the same reaction
HOLY SH*T! Where did you get that ? 

In a previous post I asked the question "" What flashlight has the smoothest beam ? ""
Well , now I know that you get the smoothest beam from a flood light . 
And if you have enough light coming out the front , you actually don't have to worry about throw . 

I would like to thank the crew here that recommended this dropin
and I'm going to stop posting about how great this thing is .

But before I go , I'll just add  :twothumbs :rock:  :wow: lovecpf


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> Well I just ordered my second Fusion 36 for my old 3D Mag
> I'll use 4C configuration for the additional voltage .
> 
> Everyone that has seen this dropin in action has had the same reaction
> HOLY SH*T! Where did you get that ?
> 
> In a previous post I asked the question "" What flashlight has the smoothest beam ? ""
> Well , now I know that you get the smoothest beam from a flood light .
> And if you have enough light coming out the front , you actually don't have to worry about throw .
> 
> I would like to thank the crew here that recommended this dropin
> and I'm going to stop posting about how great this thing is .
> 
> But before I go , I'll just add  :twothumbs :rock:  :wow: lovecpf



I feel the same way but I do not have the seniority around here yet to make those claims but as you have said, throw is over rated as anything within 100 meters is more than acceptable and also the flood coverage withing the throw is awesome as well. We need a good picture taker to show the flood that is happening here. 

Also, could you do a little mini review as to what you like/dislike and your overall impression with some pics maybe. We need some input... thanks and glad you love this little bugger as i really do too!lovecpf


----------



## etc

jacktheclipper said:


> Just tested my new Fusion 36 in a 4d Mag that I converted to a 5c.
> 
> 
> I can light up half an acre with usable light....:naughty:



Pics?


----------



## jacktheclipper

Unfortunately , pictures of this dropin in action don't do it justice . 
The beam seems bluer and weaker in a pic than to your naked eye .


----------



## ama230

mucho agreeo!!!, how do you like that Spanish b#$%#%'s...:twothumbs


----------



## Jash

Here's some real world use pics. 

Fusion 36 on the footpath I use everyday at around 4:30am.






P7 on same path.





For reference, the lines in the concrete are 3.4 metres apart (11ft 2in.). The first line from the bottom in each pic is 3.4 metres from the camera at head height. You can also compare the P7 to a stock 3w mag led in the first post.

As you can easily tell, the Fusion 36 is a FLOODY light, and the blue you see with your eye is about 1/10th what the camera picks up. Anyone who has seen this will tell you that.


----------



## hank

The 'similar threads' window at the bottom of the page is now showing several earlier threads about this same Fusion dropin.

Anyone who's had one a while noticed this and care to comment on longevity in use?

I note there this caution: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2881803&postcount=10

(Mine's already in the mail)


----------



## mvyrmnd

That's OK. When the 5mm's inevitably fail, we can use the dropin body as a host for something else!


----------



## gswitter

mvyrmnd said:


> That's OK. When the 5mm's inevitably fail, we can use the dropin body as a host for something else!


That's my plan.


----------



## randomlugia

ama230 said:


> Thats correct but nimhs are soooo much more practical and lsd's aa's are great. Nothing against lithiums but they are not easily found and take special chargers. Also i am unfamiliar with a dcell lithium ion. Anybody got this question.



You can get them here: http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=2708


----------



## ama230

hank said:


> The 'similar threads' window at the bottom of the page is now showing several earlier threads about this same Fusion dropin.
> 
> Anyone who's had one a while noticed this and care to comment on longevity in use?
> 
> I note there this caution: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2881803&postcount=10
> 
> (Mine's already in the mail)




This is really ridiculous as this guy is stuck in the 80's with resistors with leads. In the future they will come up with surface mount resistors that will take up no space. Also the leds that they used in the past were just no names with little life themselves. The nichias are the best of the best of the best with the longest life and efficiency. I have had my module for 3-4 months and with driving it at 8.4v there have been no problems besides they are making me broke for ordering too much.:mecry:

This will last you a while as they have been distributing for a while and are around for a reason, great products at great prices. Also for the comment, when it does break, ill still have a working upgrade body.... Great and awesome outlook as most on here are doom and gloom and forget that everything breaks and will break... but there is quality at a good price here... 

Rest assured, everyone on here is happy with the purchase except for the unlucky few on here that got dead on arrival units which is always a bummer. Sorry for those but once you get a working one you will be happy. Its a waiting game in the mean time, gives you a reason to order more than one and get a free penlight.:twothumbs

Also for the lithium d's, Dang those are expensive!!! Hopefully those come in a 2pack because if they are individual they are crazy expensive. Then again they have great capacity, also whats the cycle life on those?(500 maybe?, just guessing) 

Then thanks to jash for the great pics as always as they are a great reference. :twothumbs


----------



## hank

Got mine in today's mail. Works fine.

First impression indoors in daylight -- as everyone says -- B-b-b-b-blue. 
Hotspot, as blue as my little Fenix EO-1 or $5 3xAAA light; noticeably bluer than the Dorcy PR2 LEDs I use in older [email protected]

In a moderately dark hallway I can see the flood spill -- indeed nice; the blue hotspot is still relatively bright.

I put Scotch Magic frosted tape over the glass lens, and really like the result -- the blue is gone, as the hotspot gets spread out to a smooth flood.

I'll look for a frosted lens.

I'd love one of these with warm or amber LEDs, though I doubt they'll make such.

My thanks to whoever put this thing together.

Hmmm ... four little screws -- has anyone taken one of these apart yet? 
Must restrain my curiosity ...


----------



## mvyrmnd

Mine arrive in the mail this morning. comparison beamshots tonight


----------



## Deadshot11

Beam shot comparisons with a frosted lens would be great.


----------



## moviles

good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag


----------



## Deadshot11

moviles said:


> good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag



That cost $23 assembled with emitters? Sweet! Send me one and I'll paypal you the $23 straight away!


----------



## mvyrmnd

I just did the scotchtape trick, and I'll tell you it makes a massive difference. 

I'd recommend to anyone who has a problem with the blue hotspot to frost their lens.


----------



## rekd0514

moviles said:


> good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag



This is the budget light forum.........:fail:


----------



## davefr

I just got mine and this thing is absolutely amazing with my 6D Mag Lite. Mag Lite quality with this drop in results in a penominal light source.

I had some Mag Lites collecting dust but I'm going to outfit all of them with this drop in.


----------



## march.brown

moviles said:


> good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag


 Are these in the same price range ?

I assume that since you posted in the "Budget Light" section , the 3XP7 and SST-90 are in the same price range as the Fusion 36 ... Can you give us any more information on these other budget Mag dropins please ?

Much appreciated.
.


----------



## hank

Hm, with a lux meter, I didn't notice any significant difference between using this in a 2-C and a 4-D host, both equally bright. Guess I better check the batteries ...


----------



## davefr

moviles said:


> good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag


 
I think you're confused. There are no Maglite drop-ins based on 3XP7 or SST-90 from what i could find.

Maybe someone could buy piece parts for a DIY project but it would be much more then $23 including freight.

If there's anything better then Fusion 36 as an affordable drop in then post the link because I'm interested.


----------



## ama230

moviles said:


> good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag



I love comments like these, always looking out for the really good deals of course:green:............:fail:

Also glad to see how everyone else here likes the product. 

From my findings as I have ordered a few. There seems to be two different tinted modules. I have always liked the famous purple yellow hue of Nichia GS k1's but there is the warm bin that i totally forgot about. 

As with majority of the lights, there is a tint lottery.

Also correction: All of the leds are the same bin in every module but the general tint varies between cool and warm. I love both of them and the purpose of this statement is only for the tint snobs.

Other wise they both are bright as heck : P


----------



## Jash

moviles said:


> good dropin for the 90s years but now we have available 3xp7 and sst-90 heatsinks for mag



Perhaps, but they'll cost a bomb more than $23.

With this thing, you can have a 400+otf lumen light for $50 running off alkalines for 6+ hours. There's no other light in the world that can do that as far as I am aware.


----------



## randomlugia

mvyrmnd said:


> I just did the scotchtape trick, and I'll tell you it makes a massive difference.
> 
> I'd recommend to anyone who has a problem with the blue hotspot to frost their lens.



How much brightness do you lose, if any?


----------



## Jash

randomlugia said:


> How much brightness do you lose, if any?



Lamination film also works a treat. You don't lose much, if any brightness, but it destroys throw leaving you a super smooth flood beam with zero blue.


----------



## Trancersteve

Just purchased one of these.

Now to sort out a body and AA adapters! Can anyone confirm any difference in brightness with 2 or 6 cells?

Am eyeing up using these 2AA to D cell (At the bottom of the page) anyone see any problem with them?


----------



## Jash

Trancersteve said:


> Just purchased one of these.
> 
> Now to sort out a body and AA adapters! Can anyone confirm any difference in brightness with 2 or 6 cells?
> 
> Am eyeing up using these 2AA to D cell (At the bottom of the page) anyone see any problem with them?



They work well. I've had mine for nearly a year and nothing's broken yet. I'm about to order some more as I've gotten a few new lights that need them.

Got mine from DX.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Someone posted in the lantern subforum about spraying window frosting
from a can ( Krylon ? ) on a lantern globe to smooth out the light emission and eliminate artifacts . Has anyone tried this on a flashlight lens yet ? 


:shrug:


Oh , and the only way to light up a large area on a budget better than a Fusion 36 


Is with two of them...:devil:


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> Someone posted in the lantern subforum about spraying window frosting
> from a can ( Krylon ? ) on a lantern globe to smooth out the light emission and eliminate artifacts . Has anyone tried this on a flashlight lens yet ?
> 
> 
> :shrug:
> 
> 
> Oh , and the only way to light up a large area on a budget better than a Fusion 36
> 
> 
> Is with two of them...:devil:



I like the way you think


----------



## jacktheclipper

If there was a way to warm up the beam tint on this dropin
a lot more people would warm up to it 

Is there a way to both diffuse the beam and color it ?


----------



## randomlugia

jacktheclipper said:


> If there was a way to warm up the beam tint on this dropin
> a lot more people would warm up to it
> 
> Is there a way to both diffuse the beam and color it ?



I don't know if you've ever tried this, but SLR lens filters do a great job of adjusting the tint.


----------



## Trancersteve

Cheers for that Jash.

I need to order a host in the next day or so as I am going on holiday very soon. 

I was just about to buy a 2D body but have just thought would I be better off buying a 3D body and using it with three 2AA to D cell adapters?

Is the extra size/voltage/runtime worth it?


----------



## march.brown

Trancersteve said:


> Cheers for that Jash.
> 
> I need to order a host in the next day or so as I am going on holiday very soon.
> 
> I was just about to buy a 2D body but have just thought would I be better off buying a 3D body and using it with three 2AA to D cell adapters?
> 
> Is the extra size/voltage/runtime worth it?


 Just use the 2D body with six AA cells ... You can get adaptors that take three AA cells ... Two of these will give you six cells in series ... 6 X 1.2V (Eneloops) = 7.2V ... That will give you nicely over the 400 lumens.

I have a 2C and use two 18500 cells or six AAA (Eneloop) cells.

Dont go over the recommended maximum of 9 volts.
.


----------



## Trancersteve

march.brown said:


> Just use the 2D body with six AA cells ... You can get adaptors that take three AA cells ... Two of these will give you six cells in series ... 6 X 1.2V (Eneloops) = 7.2V ... That will give you nicely over the 400 lumens.
> 
> I have a 2C and use two 18500 cells or six AAA (Eneloop) cells.
> 
> Dont go over the recommended maximum of 9 volts.
> .



Cheers I will get the 2D body. 

It is proving rather difficult to find 3AA to D cell adapters here in the UK - so I have given up looking here. 

Litemania has some with 10 day delivery but seems like I can't pay by card on their site - they only want bank wire or cheque 

KA has some but I got a feeling with their slow delivery the adapters will arrive too late for my camping trip in 15 days time.

Is there anywhere else I can look for them?


----------



## MiniLux

Trancersteve said:


> Cheers I will get the 2D body.
> 
> It is proving rather difficult to find 3AA to D cell adapters here in the UK - so I have given up looking here.
> 
> Litemania has some with 10 day delivery but seems like I can't pay by card on their site - they only want bank wire or cheque
> 
> KA has some but I got a feeling with their slow delivery the adapters will arrive too late for my camping trip in 15 days time.
> 
> Is there anywhere else I can look for them?



You might give FiveMega's adapters a try:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/244640

MiniLux


----------



## Ecolang

Trancersteve said:


> It is proving rather difficult to find 3AA to D cell adapters here in the UK - so I have given up looking here.


PM me and we can work something out. I'm in the UK and can easily drop a couple of these in the post to you tomorrow.


----------



## Trancersteve

Have sent a PM many thanks Ecolang


----------



## simplec6

Is this thing still available>? Anyone have a link to where I could buy it?


----------



## Deadshot11

Search ebay for "maglite fusion".


----------



## MiniLux

simplec6 said:


> Is this thing still available>? Anyone have a link to where I could buy it?



Take a closer look at post #21 of this thread, go to the seller's shop and check for a new batch to get available 

MiniLux


----------



## jacktheclipper

I bought some Mag mounting brackets and now my "Magfusion" lives bezel down over my workbench as a a work light .


heh heh , dang this just gets better and better

:thumbsup:


----------



## offroad

I have an old 3D Mag incandescent light and am considering this drop-in for it
Would prefer to run it with AA 2000mah eneloops, which would be better for output and run time:

*6x AA in 3-D adapters @ 3.6v
4x AA in 4-C adapters @ 4.8v*

How much brighter will the 4.8v setup be, and what will the difference in run time be like?

Thanks


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> I have an old 3D Mag incandescent light and am considering this drop-in for it
> Would prefer to run it with AA 2000mah eneloops, which would be better for output and run time:
> 
> *6x AA in 3-D adapters @ 3.6v*
> *4x AA in 4-C adapters @ 4.8v*
> 
> How much brighter will the 4.8v setup be, and what will the difference in run time be like?
> 
> Thanks


 I don't know whether the output increases linearly with increasing voltage , but apparently it will produce about 400 lumens with two 1.5 volt cells ... At 9.0 volts , it apparently produces 600 lumens ... If it is linear , then at 6.0 volts it should produce about 500 lumens.

I use a 2C Mag with two 18500 Li-Ions and it is bright at 8.4 volts ... The 2C will also take two adaptors that use three AAA cells in series (7.2 volts) ... Unfortunately , a 2C body wouldn't take two of my 18650's ... 

You can get D adaptors that will hold three AA's in series ... Two of these plus a dummy D cell will give you a 7.2 volt supply ... In a 2D that would be my personal choice ... Unfortunately , I don't have a 2D Mag to play with.

Bear in mind that it is a very floody dropin ... Great for round the house ... My Wife tells me so.

At the price , you can't really go wrong with this dropin.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> You can get D adaptors that will hold three AA's in series ... Two of these plus a dummy D cell will give you a 7.2 volt supply



Makes me wish I had a 2D mag instead of a 3D, oh well.

Any idea where you can get cheap 3x AA in series D cell adapters in the US?


----------



## Jash

offroad said:


> I have an old 3D Mag incandescent light and am considering this drop-in for it
> Would prefer to run it with AA 2000mah eneloops, which would be better for output and run time:
> 
> *6x AA in 3-D adapters @ 3.6v
> 4x AA in 4-C adapters @ 4.8v*
> 
> How much brighter will the 4.8v setup be, and what will the difference in run time be like?
> 
> Thanks



The makers of the module claim an output of 400-600 lumens with a voltage input of 3-9v. If that is correct I don't think you'll notice a whole lot of difference between those two voltage inputs you mentioned. Using the 2AA to D adaptors you will double your 2000mah to 4000mah and so in turn increase your runtime.

If you want that extra voltage as well as the extra runtime pick up some C cell Accupowers from Battery Junction, 4500mah and no mucking around with adaptors.


----------



## offroad

Jash said:


> If you want that extra voltage as well as the extra runtime pick up some C cell Accupowers from Battery Junction, 4500mah and no mucking around with adaptors.



Looks like a great deal on price and performance, unfortunately my only charger (BC-700) is for AA/AAA


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> Makes me wish I had a 2D mag instead of a 3D, oh well.
> 
> Any idea where you can get cheap 3x AA in series D cell adapters in the US?


 
Not in the US , but KD have them for $1-99 each including postage.
Item SKU S003294 ... 3AA to D adaptor.

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=2723

Worth a look ... Get 3 or more and apparently the price is cheaper.
.


----------



## Trancersteve

Mine arrived sometime last week and I got to try it out tonight after coming back from holiday.

First impressions were of panic - no light! But quickly realised this drop-in loves to be screwed quite tightly into the lamp fitting of the maglite.

I am using 2x 3AA to D converters (thanks Ecolang) and the thing is a bloody monster of light for money spent. :twothumbs

I agree with others. The photos in this thread don't do the drop-in any justice. The light is extremely floody and this kind of wide spread light is hard to capture properly in a photograph. The main bug bear of a few and me including to begin with was the blue tint.. I also agree with others that it is no where near as prominent to the naked eye as the snaps here show.

Edit: Can I just add how pathetic the incandescent lamp is that comes with the 2D maglite, it is quite embarrassing. I shoved 7.2v up it with the 3AA to D converters.. made things a touch brighter but only for a 100th of a second


----------



## ama230

Trancersteve said:


> Mine arrived sometime last week and I got to try it out tonight after coming back from holiday.
> 
> First impressions were of panic - no light! But quickly realised this drop-in loves to be screwed quite tightly into the lamp fitting of the maglite.
> 
> I am using 2x 3AA to D converters (thanks Ecolang) and the thing is a bloody monster of light for money spent. :twothumbs
> 
> I agree with others. The photos in this thread don't do the drop-in any justice. The light is extremely floody and this kind of wide spread light is hard to capture properly in a photograph. The main bug bear of a few and me including to begin with was the blue tint.. I also agree with others that it is no where near as prominent to the naked eye as the snaps here show.
> 
> Edit: Can I just add how pathetic the incandescent lamp is that comes with the 2D maglite, it is quite embarrassing. I shoved 7.2v up it with the 3AA to D converters.. made things a touch brighter but only for a 100th of a second



If you dont mind me asking is what kind of batteries are you using with your setup?

Also what's color on the outside, is the module?

If its black, it's the cool tint gs's.

If its silver, it's the warm tint gs's.

You can ask the guy when you buy them as this will definitely suit your needs if you are tint specific.:twothumbs

Also there is a little quirk with contact but this can be solved with tightening the head down all the way. If it rattles in the head, its not tight enough as it will not turn on or will wiggle loose and seem like its dead. 

The first mod that I have done is getting some gitd paint from superglow, its the 12hr green with no color and had dabbed it on each of the four screws. It works awesome and do not know if its considered a mod. 

Also I had got a bunch of 2aa parallel to d converters from fleabay, as I had got the idea from jash(he purchased his from KD). I had got 16 of them for a little less than 20 bucks shipped and they have the whole bottom of them as a metal plate. I am also using tenergys lsd aa's as they are super cheap on ebay from all battery and they come with 6 battery cases. So for 30 shipped you get 24 lsd aa's and 6(4aa) battery cases.
Its a pretty good deal as I have just purchased tones as well from costco.
There was a guy on here and they have a higher capacity than eneloops but have a slightly less threshold voltage. Cant beat it for the price though, thought I would give you guys a heads up. Great warranty too!

Also you cant beat the runtime as off two eneloops or two tenergy r2u lsd's you get over an hour of 400+ lumens. Take that cree XP-G, as you got nothin on this except for throw you sucka. Just for the record, I love Cree and am still eye'n the quark tactical 2aa. Im just jealous too, but take that Cree. Nichia still wins for now!!! : P (For money / lumen not overall brightness, throw me a fricken bone guys)


----------



## offroad

ama230 said:


> Also what's color on the outside, is the module?
> If its black, it's the cool tint gs's.
> If its silver, it's the warm tint gs's.



Any difference between the level of blue on these or just the tints listed above? How warm is the silver one?


----------



## Trancersteve

ama230 said:


> If you dont mind me asking is what kind of batteries are you using with your setup?
> 
> Also what's color on the outside, is the module?



Am using 6x AA Uniross Hybrio 2100mah batteries in series with 2x KA AA to D adapters.

I never knew there were different tints of this drop-in. Mine has a silver coloured head. It looks quite nice outside.

Took some snaps of mine today.. as you do. This is my first ever maglite am very impressed with the build quality feels rock solid and I love the finish. I think you are right ama230 it is the best bang for buck around.. the neighbours keep looking out the window with I turn this on in the garden :laughing:


----------



## offroad

Trancersteve said:


> Am using 6x AA Uniross Hybrio 2100mah batteries in series with 2x KA AA to D adapters.



Are these the KD adapters *SKU: S003294*, running AA's in series for 7.2 volts (6 x 1.2v)? How would you rate their quality?
What kind of run time are you getting?


----------



## Trancersteve

offroad said:


> Are these the KD adapters *SKU: S003294*, running AA's in series for 7.2 volts (6 x 1.2v)? How would you rate their quality?
> What kind of run time are you getting?



They are indeed the KD adapters, I bought them from another CPF user.

They are delivering 7.2 volts in total to the drop-in module. The quality of the adapters are decent enough.

I can't comment on run time yet as I haven't tested.. I expect rather long run times with this battery setup though.


----------



## offroad

Just ordered this drop-in.

Anyone in the US have a 2D [email protected] they would trade for a 3D?
If so, PM me.


----------



## Ecolang

offroad said:


> Are these the KD adapters *SKU: S003294*, running AA's in series for 7.2 volts (6 x 1.2v)? How would you rate their quality?
> What kind of run time are you getting?



With that setup I measured 875mA from 6 Eneloops and got around 400-450 lumens out of it. The reason for the wide range is I don't trust the accuracy of my tests. 875mA should give about 2.5 hours from 6 2000mAh cells.

The following tests were all done with 8,000mAh LSD NiMH D cells so the numbers will be a little higher than with AAs as the internal resistance is lower. The lumen numbers are very approximate.

With two cells it draws 1075mA so with 2 AAs in adaptors you will get around 300 lumens for under an hour.

With three cells 1110mA which is a bit of a surprise. It would seem that over 4 volts is a good idea. 7 hours runtime

With 4 1070mA 360 lumens 7 hours runtime
With 5 960mA 410 lumens a little over 8 hours runtime
With 6 860mA 450 lumens 9 hours or thereabouts


----------



## Ecolang

offroad said:


> Are these the KD adapters *SKU: S003294*, running AA's in series for 7.2 volts (6 x 1.2v)? How would you rate their quality?



Adequate, but not exceptional. KD do not recommend them for currents over an amp as they introduce a fair amount of resistance. If you search for articles on the ROP you should find quite a lot of comment on these adaptors. They did reduce light output significantly on the ROP high bulb.


----------



## Ecolang

offroad said:


> Just ordered this drop-in.
> 
> Anyone in the US have a 2D [email protected] they would trade for a 3D?
> If so, PM me.



Just make up a dummy cell. A length of dowel 60mm long with some nice fat wires running down the sides and use a drawing pin as the contact at each end. Or get one of those single AA-D adaptors that many people have lying around and put something conductive of the right length in the slot for the AA.

Or you can use 4C cells in a 3D with a bit of appropriately sized piping or just rolling the cells in paper till they fit nicely in the tube. I am actually using mine in a 3D with 3 D cells as that gives me plenty of light and a pretty good runtime - it doesn't stay dark for that long at this time of year here.


----------



## ktm032

offroad said:


> Any difference between the level of blue on these or just the tints listed above? How warm is the silver one?



The warm bin on these is the same as the new photon freedom lights. This doesn't have the cool hue(purplish). I has a very warm beam as there will be no complaints if you dislike the coll gs bin leds. 

You can compare these to conventional headlights that have a warm beam and very yellow but with a nice white blend. I would compare it to a osram super dragon led but slightly whiter.


----------



## dosmun

I currently have a 2D mag that I use 3xC and a 3D mag that I am running 4xC and the 4xC is noticeably brighter. The Drop in that I have in the 4xC is whiter than the other.


----------



## Jash

Trancersteve, you're going to have to resize your photo's or one of the mods will turf them. 800x800 is the limit.

By the way, nice shots.


----------



## Trancersteve

I wondered if there was a size limit, have sorted it now.

Thanks for the comments Jash


----------



## ktm032

Trancersteve said:


> Am using 6x AA Uniross Hybrio 2100mah batteries in series with 2x KA AA to D adapters.
> 
> I never knew there were different tints of this drop-in. Mine has a silver coloured head. It looks quite nice outside.
> 
> Took some snaps of mine today.. as you do. This is my first ever maglite am very impressed with the build quality feels rock solid and I love the finish. I think you are right ama230 it is the best bang for buck around.. the neighbours keep looking out the window with I turn this on in the garden :laughing:



In this pic as you can see the module has a silver color on the outside of the module. This is the warm bin module. 

Then there is the module that has an all black outside that is the cool bin of leds. This has that purplish color that most on here hate. As I really like this color and use it on my every day 2c mag lite with 2 aa Tenergy R2U cells. I would just like a non scratch plastic reflector that has an anti-reflective coating on it. Anybody know where to get about a handful of them.

I don't want glass because my lights are likely to get dropped or used as hammer at some time.


----------



## Jash

ktm032, have a look at this to see if it's what you're after.


----------



## ktm032

Jash said:


> ktm032, have a look at this to see if it's what you're after.



Thanks alot jash:thumbsup:, also do you know what the diameter is of the maglite c & d lens?


----------



## Ecolang

ktm032 said:


> Thanks alot jash:thumbsup:, also do you know what the diameter is of the maglite c & d lens?



52.1mm


----------



## hank

Hmmmm, mine's silver, but definitely has the purple color. I recall suggesting when I bought mine that they ought to start making a warm color version -- is this a recent change? 

I can't imagine one much more purple than the one I got, it's the same purple you see in a Fenix EO1 or the earliest Arcs or cheap $5 LED lights. Tolerable with a diffuser outdoors, anyhow.


----------



## Ecolang

hank said:


> Hmmmm, mine's silver, but definitely has the purple color. I recall suggesting when I bought mine that they ought to start making a warm color version -- is this a recent change?
> 
> I can't imagine one much more purple than the one I got, it's the same purple you see in a Fenix EO1 or the earliest Arcs or cheap $5 LED lights. Tolerable with a diffuser outdoors, anyhow.



Mine, which is about a month old has the sunny yellow surround to the hotspot but not the purple hotspot, unlike my TiKey or E01. This may be down to sheer output or a warmer tint.


----------



## ama230

im stumped because all my silver color modules are all warm. I have three of them. What the fudge, maybe post a pick of the beam as we need to see? Maybe its a one of where they mixed up the bin with the outside as from what i can see and personally vouch for.

Do you have the newest photon freedom, as you can see this is very warm.

The cool bin one is very very veeeerrrrrrrry purple with the outside being yellow. 

At night i can assure you that the silver one is very warm. This is just the properties of a nichia. Its not what a xp-g can do but i can assure you its a 100% better in color rendition at night with either tint cool or warm.


----------



## ama230

Ecolang said:


> Mine, which is about a month old has the sunny yellow surround to the hotspot but not the purple hotspot, unlike my TiKey or E01. This may be down to sheer output or a warmer tint.



I think your right with the sheer output as this is not at all ugly. Remember you are getting the worlds highest efficient emitter in a 23 buck package and the hot spot is great with an awesome flood. 

I would just suggest you order another and ask for a warm module and then compare as this is cheap and where else can you get and hour and 20 domething minutes on two eneloops at 400 lumens?


----------



## Jash

As you all well know mine has a blue (no purple) tint to it, but in saying that it renders colours very well, better than any other cool white light I own. Even in the 'blue' hotspot, grass still looks green and dirt looks brown.

The only criticism I have for this module is that it doesn't have modes. A two or three mode version of this module would be great, even if you had to pay an extra couple of bucks for it.


----------



## hank

Got some 'beam' photos on a white foamcore board I'll post later.

Dropped the module about 2' onto the carpet while taking photos of the light, and one of the LEDs fell out.

The rest still work. And I was able to push the loose one back into the holes and it works too. 

No sign of solder on the leads, when I looked at the one that came out closely. Just pressure fits? Anyone had one of these apart?

Now it's more sensitive than before to how the bezel is screwed down (too tight or too lose and it doesn't work) and the LEDs flicker if the bezel is not screwed in exactly the right amount -- I think the outside of the 'PR2' part is too small for the socket on the MagC it's in, maybe it needs a shim to fit that socket tighter.

But I'm not going to mess with this any more, just leave it in the flashlight.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


----------



## Jash

hank said:


> No sign of solder on the leads, when I looked at the one that came out closely. Just pressure fits?



I would suppose this means that when an individual led dies, you can simply pop in a new one and away you go. Also might be upgradable in the future as even brighter Nichias become available. Then again, for $23 would you bother?


----------



## ama230

hank said:


> Got some 'beam' photos on a white foamcore board I'll post later.
> 
> Dropped the module about 2' onto the carpet while taking photos of the light, and one of the LEDs fell out.
> 
> The rest still work. And I was able to push the loose one back into the holes and it works too.
> 
> No sign of solder on the leads, when I looked at the one that came out closely. Just pressure fits? Anyone had one of these apart?
> 
> Now it's more sensitive than before to how the bezel is screwed down (too tight or too lose and it doesn't work) and the LEDs flicker if the bezel is not screwed in exactly the right amount -- I think the outside of the 'PR2' part is too small for the socket on the MagC it's in, maybe it needs a shim to fit that socket tighter.
> 
> But I'm not going to mess with this any more, just leave it in the flashlight.



Please contact the vendor as they will be glad to send you another one. They have pride in their product and I can 100% assure that they will gladly replace it. Just contact them and ship it back with the proper instructions he gives you. The reason I bought from him is not just the cheap price but how well they guarantee their products, this separates it from the cheap light category. Also ask for a warm module as you will like this one a tad better.

Hope this helps and sorry for the fiddly light module.:thumbsup:


----------



## jacknife

got mine and loving it. Not gonna do anything but run it on the two d's for now..,, simple and good enough


----------



## Barrie

the LEDS are soldered at the back of the Board they are mounted on at leased they are on the one i killed


----------



## hank

> contact the vendor
Email sent, I'll hope to exchange it.
It won't stay lit now for more than a few seconds; flickers, dims, brightens, goes out.
(2C [email protected])

EDIT hang on, one cell was at 1.3v and the other at 1.4v -- each showed "40 percent" on the ZTS tester.

I replaced those with fresh C-cells and the light is no longer flickering and dimming. Set it up on the desk to watch it.

Well, 1.3 plus 1.4 equals 2.7 volts -- can't complain I guess, as it wants 3v. Anyone know what's inside the case, or done a light vs. time curve yet?

Oops, it's gone out. Hmmm, wiggled the loose LED, came on briefly. Wiggled it in the [email protected] head and it's back on and bright.

I dunno how much of this twitchiness is just the contacts. Has anyone tried adding conductive lube, or shimming around the PR2 base to make it fit in the [email protected] bulb socket a little better?

No sense shipping it back if I can solve the flickering problem; I want it to be able to stay on if I drop the flashlight, not go off every time I wave it around.

Yeah, it's fine as a fixed light clamped over the workbench -- til the earthquake or I bump it. 

Well, I'll wait til I hear back from them. I do like the idea of the thing fine.


----------



## ama230

it wont be long. Also try contacting him through ebay as he will get back at you faster. They will surely take it back.


----------



## hank

I emailed per the posted return policy describing the problem exactly as above and asking for a RMA.
Here's the reply I got, in full:
________
"Please read our "Return Policy" carefully before taking any action.
There is no warm white version for Nichia K1 LED. Only one thing we can do is specify
color rank to a little bit warmer. However, cost increases for fixed color ranking.
On the other hand, at least 10% dimmer than pure white."
_________
I'll ask again.


----------



## Trancersteve

Got back from my camping trip today, took my Maglite 2D + fusion drop in.

I was *the* king for packing the most lumens on the site .. was able to fill so much light that others would switch their light off as it wasn't needed. :candle:

The camp site had many pot holes and the fusion worked very well filling the area in front of me with light.

The last night I went owl spotting deeper in the forest.. managed to catch a couple of owls in flight due to the fusions massive flood, without that kind of flood I highly doubt I would of caught them with my other light - The Solarforce L2R with its very tight beam in comparison.

The beam is quite interesting in total darkness of a forest.. beyond ~60m the brightness of the flood beam renders visibility into a 'haze'.

What did concern me though was that the current draw seemed like it was more than expected. Running 6AA's (Uniross Hybrio 2100mah) in two KA adapters after roughly 30mins of intermittent use during the night they then went on to accept a charge which was much more than expected. I think I will investigate some more with this now I am back home.


----------



## ama230

with the setup you are using it should give you a solid two and a half hours. Thats if the uniross cells you have are actually rated at 2000mah each. This is using eneloops with a 6aa to 2d space so its very similar to what you have.

Also what charger are you using. 

Great to hear that you were able to shed some light on others as they had thought until then that the walmart and etc purchases they made were adequate.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Has anyone tried an aspheric lens on one of these ?


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> Has anyone tried an aspheric lens on one of these ?



That would be awesome as this thing would definitely throw but would like to see what the throw vs spill changes to.


----------



## Trancersteve

ama230 said:


> with the setup you are using it should give you a solid two and a half hours. Thats if the uniross cells you have are actually rated at 2000mah each. This is using eneloops with a 6aa to 2d space so its very similar to what you have.
> 
> Also what charger are you using.
> 
> Great to hear that you were able to shed some light on others as they had thought until then that the walmart and etc purchases they made were adequate.



Interesting on the run time I should be getting.. I don't dispute that as from my naked eyes the fusion seemed bright all through-out the trip.

I can confirm that 4 of the 6 cells have a capacity of 2000mAh.. I will test the others in days to come. 

The charger I was using was the Maha C801D. I believe it delivers a 2amp charge in default quick charge mode.. oddly it seemed to take longer than an hour to recharge the cells. Again I need to investigate what is going on with my cells and perhaps even the charger.


----------



## Omicron

jacktheclipper said:


> Has anyone tried an aspheric lens on one of these ?


 
Aspherics don't work on multi-emitter lights. They need a point source to focus on. Would that we could,tho'.


----------



## ama230

with just two aa lsd cells i get a little over an hour. I am using 2 eneloop aa to c cell spacers in a 2c maglite. The cells i am using are tenergy lsd aa's @ +/-2100mah.


----------



## Jash

jacktheclipper said:


> Has anyone tried an aspheric lens on one of these ?



Hahaha...that would be funny. O hang on, I've got an aspheric somewhere.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Jash said:


> Hahaha...that would be funny. O hang on, I've got an aspheric somewhere.


 
WOW! That's uh .... sorta cool .... and totally useless , unless you're ... well , I can't think of any good reasons for a flashlight to have a beam like that . Thanks for the demonstration !


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> WOW! That's uh .... sorta cool .... and totally useless , unless you're ... well , I can't think of any good reasons for a flashlight to have a beam like that . Thanks for the demonstration !



Jash, hows the throw at night as i know its shooting it at an extreme angle outwards. Alo could you post a shot against the wall fromfar away as you did with your p7 mag and this 36led mag.

I know this is pointless but it still different.


----------



## Jash

jacktheclipper said:


> ... well , I can't think of any good reasons for a flashlight to have a beam like that .



Depends what you've been smoking.


----------



## ama230

Jash said:


> Depends what you've been smoking.



Mucho Agreeo :duh2: Will have to put it in my pipe and sublimate it, testing as we speak, j/k!:devil:


----------



## Jash

ama230 said:


> Jash, hows the throw at night as i know its shooting it at an extreme angle outwards. Alo could you post a shot against the wall fromfar away as you did with your p7 mag and this 36led mag.
> 
> I know this is pointless but it still different.



The photo was taken with the light about 12 inches from the wall. The aspheric lens just spits the light almost sideways. When I stood about 1 metre from the wall, almost none of the light hit the wall, just went to the floor and ceiling.


----------



## ama230

dang it well thanks for doing this anyways. Its fun to fiddle with stuff and it sometimes results in inventions but not this time.:thumbsup:


----------



## offroad

My drop-in arrived today, I guess 12days to the US isn't too bad. Still light outside so only tested in a darkened room, but its working fine and appears to be a flood monster.

I requested a silver/warm version and I'm happy enough with the color. Still haven't received my KD 3xAA to D converters, so I'll have to wait to see how much brighter it is on 6 NiMH over 3D alkalines. Can't wait to try it out tonight, but for the money it looks like a bargain.


----------



## Jash

For best results, test it next to a stock mag led, then you will think you paid virtually nothing for it.


----------



## fangle

My light arrived yesterday. The time from the seller to the US was shorter than the time the USPS had it. 

It is in a 3 D light. It is bright, but not as much as I hoped from the hype here. (I guess I'll have to get the P-Rocket as well. :naughty The housing is silver and the beam is a blue spot surrounded by a gold halo. This is obvious in white wall hunting, but also very noticeable during use outside at night in the back yard. I'm still glad I got it. I used it today to do inspection inside some equipment at work and it lit the entire inside. Other lights that have the same brightness spot require moving that little spot over all the ductwork. This drop-in was much better.

I compared to a 3D new version MagLed, which cost about the same during the sales early this year. They have different uses. The MagLed had a brighter hot spot and was mostly white but had much less spill. It would light the house up the street but not all of my yard. The drop-in wouldn't light much past the neighbor's yard but all my yard was illuminated.

The drop-in has some limitations but I still recommend it.

Question - This is my work light so it will be fed disposable batteries. How much difference would there be if I change to 4 C cells in the 3 D light? Is it worth running 5 C cells in a 4 D Mag host?


----------



## offroad

fangle said:


> The housing is silver and the beam is a blue spot surrounded by a gold halo.



That's pretty much how I would describe mine except there isn't enough blue to notice it outside much.


----------



## jacktheclipper

fangle said:


> Question - This is my work light so it will be fed disposable batteries. How much difference would there be if I change to 4 C cells in the 3 D light? Is it worth running 5 C cells in a 4 D Mag host?


 I use my fusion 36 in just this way for the extra voltage and brightness .
Besides , down here in hurricane land a flashlight that can use different battery sizes is a big plus .


----------



## Screwball

I have a stock 6D maglite and next to knowledge of electronics all I need is a good bright light that will run for a couple of hours should my old heap of a car break down and I have to walk
My question is will this drop in do what I need and still run on bog standard duracells as I don't want to start investing in batteries and chargers for what is an emergency light /hammer/leverage aid when changing tyres etc etc 
Cheers


----------



## dosmun

screwball, the Fusion will be perfect for you. Will use alkaline batteries, simply drops in and your good to go.


----------



## Screwball

Thanks off to evilbay it is :thumbsup:


----------



## jacktheclipper

In a previous post I mentioned that this dropin allows me to see 
peripherally better than any flashlight I have ever used . The wide flood beam illuminates such a large area with usable light , that for defensive purposes it would be much more difficult to sneak up on someone armed with it . So for a walk in possibly hostile territory this is a very usefull tool .
 
And since it's a Mag , it's good for goin' clubbin' .


----------



## ama230

jacktheclipper said:


> In a previous post I mentioned that this dropin allows me to see
> peripherally better than any flashlight I have ever used . The wide flood beam illuminates such a large area with usable light , that for defensive purposes it would be much more difficult to sneak up on someone armed with it . So for a walk in possibly hostile territory this is a very usefull tool .
> 
> And since it's a Mag , it's good for goin' clubbin' .



I agree as 6d's to the dome should get them seeing stars.


----------



## SleepEXE

After reading this massive thread, I decided to order one a few days ago. Got it Thursday of last week and dropped it into a 3 D-cell host.

A pair of li-ion 18650 cells slipped inside a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe along with a 1/4" brass air compressor coupling serving as a spacer allowed me to run it at ~8V to play around.

I have to admit I'm very pleased with the result. Oh how it embarrasses the original LED module. I'm not fond of the cool tint but the flood is great for a lot of tasks around the house. My go-to light over the last couple of years is a modified (3x 18650 cells) Romisen RC-T6 because of its massive output and relatively good spill. By no means will this light replace it but I'm finding it very useful. I had to climb under the house on Sunday and it worked superbly. I needed to trace some wires and the broad light output made it easy to survey large areas without having to sweep the beam around a lot.

A few minutes ago I hooked it up to a variable power supply to get a seat-of-the-pants look at brightness and regulation. Mine lights up with only about 1.3V input suggesting the driver is a boost type. Light output climbs progressively up to about 6V, and then levels out up to about 9V where I stopped. In that first region of 1.3V - 6V, current stayed relatively flat at 1.0 - 1.1A. Then from 6V up to 9V, it fell progressively from 1.1A down to 0.75A. 

So if you want maximum output, either 2x li-ion or 6x Ni-MH cells looks like the best recipe. In both cases you'll get essentially full output from full charge all the way down to empty.

Thanks to the OP for bringing up this cheap thrill.


----------



## offroad

SleepEXE said:


> Mine lights up with only about 1.3V input suggesting the driver is a boost type.



Shouldn't the driver be a boost/buck type since it will also step the voltage down from 9 volts? My current draw tests agree with yours, as I'm getting 1.16a from 3x D alkalines (4.7v) and .90a from 6x AA NiMH (7.86v).

Its noticeably brighter when running off of 6x NiMH and I'm doing a run test now as well. The 3x AA to D adapters from KD are smaller than I thought they would be, I'll have to measure but it looks like they would be close to fitting the diameter of a Mag C tube. Has anyone with a Mag C tried this?


----------



## SleepEXE

offroad said:


> Shouldn't the driver be a boost/buck type since it will also step the voltage down from 9 volts?



Absolutely, thanks for correcting me on that. Definitely appears to be a buck/boost regulator. Mainly what I was trying to say is that its boost is able to operate with as little as 1.3V input. And though it's not a particularly useful feature (a single alkaline or Ni-MH cell wouldn't give good output or discharge its full capacity), I just wasn't expecting it in such a cheap drop-in.


----------



## offroad

Run time on 6x AA NiMH was just under 2hrs, not bad considering the output.


----------



## frosty

What runtime are you getting on the 3D's?


----------



## SleepEXE

For alkaline and Ni-MH, anything from 2 cells to 4 cells will yield about the same run time since current is relatively flat through that region (2.4V - 6V). 

All other things being equal, you'll actually get slightly better run time with 5 or 6 cells but it won't be dramatic.

Using 6 cells, I'd estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20% based on the measured current consumption and battery voltage profile. Here I'm assuming large alkalines whose voltage won't sag under the load, so as to keep the average voltage above 6V through most of the discharge curve. With Ni-MH, the bump in run time would likely be even less.

[edit] Oops, Frosty, I may have missed your question. In the context of using battery adapters to convert, say, 3x AA cells into one higher voltage battery as offroad is doing, each cell is probably in the range of 2000-2500mAh. If instead you are using big honking conventional D cells, you're probably in the 10,000-12,000mAh range in which case you'd get 4-5x the run time of the former but at reduced brightness. [/edit]


----------



## offroad

frosty said:


> What runtime are you getting on the 3D's?



I haven't tested run time on 3x D Alkaline cells but I would guess a bit more like 2.5hrs or so. Since the brightness is better on 6x AA NiMH and run time is long enough for me that's probably what I'll use for power with this drop in.


----------



## MiniLux

offroad said:


> I haven't tested run time on 3x D cells but I would guess a bit more like 2.5hrs or so. Since the brightness is better on 6x NiMH and run time is long enough for me that's probably what I'll use for power with this drop in.



See post #193 of this thread:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3488434&postcount=193

MiniLux


----------



## offroad

MiniLux said:


> See post #193 of this thread:
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3488434&postcount=193
> 
> MiniLux



Thanks for the link, looks like he used D sized NiMH which I don't have though.


----------



## Ecolang

offroad said:


> Thanks for the link, looks like he used D sized NiMH which I don't have though.



I did. But they were 8,000mAh cells - OK with a lower internal resistance than alkalines. I'd expect an alkaline to have more than that.

The Duracell discharge curves here http://www1.duracell.com/oem/Pdf/new/MN1300_US_CT.pdf 
don't give an actual mAh capacity as it varies so much with discharge rate. 3 D cells is around 1100mA draw so I'd expect up to 6 hours. It is very hard to extrapolate from the Duracell graphs as they use logarithmic scales.


----------



## Jash

I got well over 5 hours on 4 Duracell D's. That was on/off use though, not a non-stop event.

I timed my morning walk and it takes about 30/35 minutes and one set of batteries lasted me two weeks. They weren't even completely flat (there's still 1.27/1.28 volts on each cell), I just got sick of the extra weight so I went back to 8 eneloops.


----------



## ama230

offroad said:


> Run time on 6x AA NiMH was just under 2hrs, not bad considering the output.



I get a little over 2hrs and 30min with 6 eneloops in a fivemega 6aa to 2d holder. Also with just two eneloops in the eneloop aa to d adaptors i get about 1hr and 30min.


----------



## march.brown

The seller of the Budget Showerhead is also selling another one suitable for DeWalt torches ... It uses Nichia K1 LED's and is quoted at 800 lumens ... Will this fit into a Maglite ?
.


----------



## dosmun

march.brown said:


> The seller of the Budget Showerhead is also selling another one suitable for DeWalt torches ... It uses Nichia K1 LED's and is quoted at 800 lumens ... Will this fit into a Maglite ?
> .




No


----------



## offroad

ama230 said:


> I get a little over 2hrs and 30min with 6 eneloops in a fivemega 6aa to 2d holder. Also with just two eneloops in the eneloop aa to d adaptors i get about 1hr and 30min.



My 1hr 55min run time was also with 6x eneloops but in two KD 3xAA to D adapters, new cells so maybe they will improve a bit. Otherwise perhaps my drop-in hits the cells a bit harder (900mah draw), or there is less loss with your battery holder. The dummy cell I made up probably isn't the best either (dowel with folded up aluminum foil down the sides), will make a better one later. 

On mine it lost just a slight bit of brightness in the last 10-15min, but stayed very bright otherwise until it just shut off entirely.


----------



## Nasty

New to the fancy stuff guy here...

What would this showerhead in a M*G 3D do (both brightness and runtime) with:

Fully charged fresh D 12000 mAh NiMH Titanium batteries

.vs

Off the shelf alkaline Duracell D batteries?


----------



## offroad

Nasty said:


> New to the fancy stuff guy here...
> 
> What would this showerhead in a M*G 3D do (both brightness and runtime) with:
> 
> Fully charged fresh D 12000 mAh NiMH Titanium batteries
> 
> .vs
> 
> Off the shelf alkaline Duracell D batteries?



Brightness would be basically the same, run time estimate probably 50% more than shown here since 12000 vs 8000mah


----------



## Nasty

Cool...and if I changed it to 9AA?

Again...same options of either high quality 2600 type or shelf alkalines...


----------



## offroad

Nasty said:


> Cool...and if I changed it to 9AA?



You would fry it, the max voltage is 9v so 6 cells is about it.


----------



## ama230

Nasty said:


> Cool...and if I changed it to 9AA?
> 
> Again...same options of either high quality 2600 type or shelf alkalines...



the highest ive seen this run is 10.8v and it was auser in her that ended up frying one at 14.4v. You could run 8 aa's in a 9aa holder with one dummy cell as make sure its a good one as the resistance has to be low as the batteries are going to suffer if its higher and not to mention runtime.

I have used the 2600mah and 2700mah batteries and they do not run as long as my eneloops as the stated capacity is usually over stated. Not saying all but for my tenergy 2700mah aa's, this is true. Just be aware as would stick with the lsd aa's and aaa's as they are true capacity and quality such as the tenergy r2u or eneloops. Just have to shop around to get the $2 or less per cell. They will pay for themselves in the longrun and not to mention when the thing is siting for a year it will still work awesome and its rechargeable so the batteries will pay for themselves after a few uses.

For the runtime i stated, jash had got the same runtime on 6aa's 3(2AA parallel to 1 d adaptors) as with my 6aa in series to 2d adaptor from five mega.


----------



## Trancersteve

Still enjoying mine

Has anyone done any tests on this drop in? How close is it to the advertised 400 lumens?


----------



## march.brown

They are back on Ebay now ... Just bought another one with "warm effect K1 5mm LEDs" (it says) ... The batch is only a small one of (I think) 25 dropins.
.


----------



## Ecolang

Trancersteve said:


> Still enjoying mine
> 
> Has anyone done any tests on this drop in? How close is it to the advertised 400 lumens?



With 6 not very good NiCd D cells I got 350 dropping to 320 at 2 minutes. I must retest it with my good NiMH D cells. 

Having done so: 398 lumens at switch on dropping to 370 at 2 minutes. More honest than most.

These tests were not done with lab-grade equipment so don't take them too literally but it is in the 400 lumen ballpark - quite a bit brighter than an ROP Low.


----------



## Trancersteve

Ecolang said:


> With 6 not very good NiCd D cells I got 350 dropping to 320 at 2 minutes. I must retest it with my good NiMH D cells.
> 
> Having done so: 398 lumens at switch on dropping to 370 at 2 minutes. More honest than most.
> 
> These tests were not done with lab-grade equipment so don't take them too literally but it is in the 400 lumen ballpark - quite a bit brighter than an ROP Low.



Cheers Ecolang nice to know it really is producing close to advertised. What kind of setup are you using for testing?

I do love tail standing it. It sure does light up a room


----------



## Nasty

I caught one of a couple he posted the other night...was put in the post earlier today. Wonder which it will be...likely the older model.

Of note...price increase to $25 from $23.

The warmer emitters cost more?


----------



## ama230

No he is compensating as these are the only products that are selling of the handful he sells. Also they are selling like hot cakes and has now got Americanized and gone with the supply and demand, got dang it!

Also its funny how he stated that there is no warm modules to begin with, when in fact i have seen two versions as i have both. Funny huh?

Aslo great to see that they are within the rated spec with brightness as it means that this module will last forever as its not being over driven. 

As for the statement, it really lights up a room.
It sure does as the light bulb module he has would be awesome as its only 6watts, take that cfl and incan.:devil:

This would be the ultimate for a house running on solar as you could run this for a month on a car [email protected] 700 lumen. Crazy!!!


----------



## Ecolang

Trancersteve said:


> Cheers Ecolang nice to know it really is producing close to advertised. What kind of setup are you using for testing?
> 
> I do love tail standing it. It sure does like up a room



The "lightbox" is a large cardboard box with an internal baffle so that light from the input port can't reach the meter port (Which is at right angles to it at the opposite end of the box) directly. To make the numbers larger, I painted the interior of the box and the baffle with white gloss paint - 4 coats then a transparent lacquer on top of it.

The meter is a cheapy from DX but is adequate for my needs. Essentially it is calibrated against lights where there is a consensus on output.

Like I said, not lab grade but it gives an idea of comparative output which is all I'm really after anyway. I'd guess that errors are of the order of +/- 20%.


----------



## march.brown

march.brown said:


> They are back on Ebay now ... Just bought another one with "warm effect K1 5mm LEDs" (it says) ... The batch is only a small one of (I think) 25 dropins.
> .


 I've just sent for a new 2D Silver Maglite on thingybay for £12-24 including postage also some 3AA to D convertors.

So I will be able to use six AA Eneloops or two 18650's in the torch ... The 18650's should be slightly brighter than the Eneloops though the runtimes should be about the same.

Can't wait to get it up and running though it should be much the same as the one my Wife took off me ... Should be a warmer tint though.
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> Just bought another one with "warm effect K1 5mm LEDs"



It will be interesting to hear the difference from someone who has both.


----------



## Nasty

What would be the ideal battery setup (full brightness, max run time) in a 4D Mag?

This will be my *thump* in the night light...the Fusion, ESD "Xcapecap" and "Talon" bezel.

It ought to be pretty handy at certain times.


----------



## Ecolang

Nasty said:


> What would be the ideal battery setup (full brightness, max run time) in a 4D Mag?
> 
> This will be my *thump* in the night light...the Fusion, ESD "Xcapecap" and "Talon" bezel.
> 
> It ought to be pretty handy at certain times.



Probably your best bet would be 5 good NiMH Cs and an adapter pipe. You may need to shorten the spring - 5 Cs are 250mm, 4Ds are 248mm but Mag springs are usually too long and make the tailcap a pain to put on anyway. The output will be down a bit on 6 Ds but in a much more manageable package. 

You might just get 6 SubCs into it with a shorter runtime. It is best at 6 cells but the difference is not a great amount around 10%. The figures in my post #193 are too high. After recalibrating the lightbox it will give around 400 lumens with 6 good cells.


----------



## Nasty

5 good NiMH Cs it will be then...what is the current best flavor and charger for them?

I've been in the dark for a while...


----------



## Ecolang

In the UK? Not a lot decent available.

I've been very happy with the high-current 5,000mAh Tenergy C cells which are normally used to power a Varapower SST-90 light where they get around 15A pulled from them. They are probably overkill for a device pulling around an amp. For the currents involved I'd look at whatever low self-discharge C cells you can find.

I charge them on a Maha C808M but a cheap hobby charger will cost less and do at least as good a job.


----------



## Nasty

The use for this light will be to sit at the ready for long periods of time with only occasional periods of heavy use. Rather than invest $100 in rechargables and a charger, I'm thinking of using plain old disposable Alkaline C cells.

Would 5 off the shelf Alkaline Cs work just as well until they go dead and how long would they last in such use?

If usable...which Alkaline C cells would likely be the best choice?

I'm in the US...


----------



## Ecolang

Nasty said:


> The use for this light will be to sit at the ready for long periods of time with only occasional periods of heavy use. Rather than invest $100 in rechargables and a charger, I'm thinking of using plain old disposable Alkaline C cells.
> 
> Would 5 off the shelf Alkaline Cs work just as well until they go dead and how long would they last in such use?
> 
> If usable...which Alkaline C cells would likely be the best choice?
> 
> I'm in the US...



With alkalines, it will likely be down on output - I'll see if I can test for output and current later on - I will have to improvise some sort of holder - and see if I actually have 5 alkaline Cs lying around the house. 

When it comes to alkalines I'd say you either go cheap and check them regularly for leakage or you buy more expensive ones and check them regularly for leakage.

If it were me I'd buy Duracell or Energizer or good quality Japanese made ones as they are less likely to leak (But all alkalines can leak) and are likely to give more light and longer runtime.
*
Edit:* Figures added
From here: http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/E93.pdf 
a typical Energizer C cell gives 6500mAh at 250mA and 4500mAh at 500mA. So, assuming a linear relationship between current draw (Which is probably not the case but extrapolating from the graph on this page is not exactly precise) and capacity we get:

Doubling the current gives us 4500/6500mAh capacity - about 69% so if the current draw/capacity relationship is linear when we double the current again we get 69% of 4500mAh or 3100mAh.

Now the light is drawing 960mA with 5 cheap C alkalines totalling 8.02V so runtime is roughly 3100mAh/960mA=3.24 hours - say just under 200 minutes of continuous running. When used intermittently it is likely to give significantly longer.

Output is around 350-360 lumens. Output is down to 340 lumens at 30 seconds and 310 by two minutes. Better alkalines will likely improve on all these figures.


----------



## Barrie

5 rechargeable Cs fit in a 4D no need to shorten the spring 
or 7 1/2 Ds also fit in a 4D


----------



## Nasty

More than 300 lumins from a 4D Mag won't be shabby. 

Another good thing about loading 5 Cs is that the last time we had a major power outage, the only batteries left on the shelves at the local mart were the Cs.


----------



## ama230

Nasty said:


> More than 300 lumins from a 4D Mag won't be shabby.
> 
> Another good thing about loading 5 Cs is that the last time we had a major power outage, the only batteries left on the shelves at the local mart were the Cs.


 
Don't worry as the lumens are bright as they are using a light box setup for a light with a large reflector. This doesn't apply for this light as its more of a tremendous flood and nice throw. In a distance it doesn't have the concentration a deep reflector has and thus the lower lumen/flux rating. At 6-7.2v its a car headlight! It still is crazy bright on just two eneloops in my 2c or 2d maglite.

Try and take a look at Thomas distributing as they have the accupower/accuevolution or nexcell lsd cells on sale and from many on this site have stated that they are 100% on with claimed capacity.

Or battery junction as they have the best price on the best lsd c cell batteries as of now. They are cheap as these are aa prices!!! I also get 2hours and 30min with 6 aa eneloop lsd batteries in series in a fivemega(6aa to 2D holder). So you should see a smaller current draw when pushing a higher voltage and will give you an easy three hours as the capacity of the accu batteries are a true 4500mah vs the 2000mah enepoops.
C cells:
TD:http://www.thomasdistributing.com/s...html?SP_id=&osCsid=a98rm8a91donrsllit8gi3gna7
BJ: http://www.batteryjunction.com/accuevolution-c-4500-nimh.html

Charger:
TD: http://www.thomasdistributing.com/s...html?SP_id=&osCsid=a98rm8a91donrsllit8gi3gna7
BJ: http://www.batteryjunction.com/md-3000-charger.html

The maha 808 seems to be the top choice on here for charging anything from a to d cell's. It also comes with a nice bag and battery and a pair of battery holders but no dc plug as its extra but only costs 7 bucks more. They also have great prices and don't forget the cpf coupon. Cheap and fast shipping and great customer service as if anything were to arise they will take care of you.:thumbsup:

Then for battery junction as the don't sell maha chargers, they sell the titanium brand which is awesome as I have the 8bay AA/AAA smart charger and it works awesome. It came with the ac and dc plugs and doesn't over charge my cells. You can have the accupower lsd batteries and this charger for under a hundred bucks and don't forget to use the cpf coupon.

Hope this helps,
ERic


----------



## Trancersteve

Ecolang said:


> The "lightbox" is a large cardboard box with an internal baffle so that light from the input port can't reach the meter port (Which is at right angles to it at the opposite end of the box) directly. To make the numbers larger, I painted the interior of the box and the baffle with white gloss paint - 4 coats then a transparent lacquer on top of it.
> 
> The meter is a cheapy from DX but is adequate for my needs. Essentially it is calibrated against lights where there is a consensus on output.
> 
> Like I said, not lab grade but it gives an idea of comparative output which is all I'm really after anyway. I'd guess that errors are of the order of +/- 20%.



Is interesting to know, thanks. Maybe if I continue in my ways I'll end up making one some day!


----------



## jacktheclipper

Nasty said:


> More than 300 lumins from a 4D Mag won't be shabby.
> 
> Another good thing about loading 5 Cs is that the last time we had a major power outage, the only batteries left on the shelves at the local mart were the Cs.


 
I use a piece of 1"' PVC cut to 9.5'' long as a spacer tube in my 4D Mag .
Then just wait for a sale on Duracell C's and buy a bunch of 'em .


----------



## offroad

ama230 said:


> I get a little over 2hrs and 30min with 6 eneloops in a fivemega 6aa to 2d holder.



Bought a [email protected] 2D and retested runtime with 6x AA eneloops in the KD 3x AA to D adapters (7.2v). Now getting 2hrs 32min so my poorly made dummy cell was obviously not working well. Was very bright right up until it shut off completely. 

I soldered the springs on the KD adapters, and added some solder on the positive ends. The positive bump was not high enough to reliably make connection with the indented contact in the bottom of the mags switch assembly. Also using a plastic sleeve in the mags battery tube as the KD adapters fit very loosely otherwise.


----------



## MiniLux

Were all the cells ok when you finished your test, none discharged too deep?

I did the same experience in a Mag 2 D with those KD adapters and 6 RayoVac Hybrid LSDs topped the day before

After 2 hours continuous runtime, I checked the voltage and the cells where between 0.98v and 1.0v, so I decided to stop it as I didn't want any cell to be damaged...

MiniLux




offroad said:


> Bought a [email protected] 2D and retested runtime with 6x AA eneloops in the KD 3x AA to D adapters (7.2v). Now getting 2hrs 32min so my poorly made dummy cell was obviously not working well. Was very bright right up until it shut off completely.
> 
> I soldered the springs on the KD adapters, and added some solder on the positive ends. The positive bump was not high enough to reliably make connection with the indented contact in the bottom of the mags switch assembly. Also using a plastic sleeve in the mags battery tube as the KD adapters fit very loosely otherwise.


----------



## hank

I never got a reply to my second request for RMA to return the module I dropped 2 feet onto the carpet, that had one LED fall out.

I got the LED stuck back in the hole and taped down; it works, and some conductive gel in the 2C [email protected] socket solved the problem of the light going on and off when I shook it, so, I'll keep it, it's good enough for cheap, not worth the time to pursue returning.

If there's ever a confirmed warm version I'd buy one. I'm guessing the variation in the look is from having them put together at more than one shop with whatever materials are handy, rather than an actual planned distinction between warm and cool modules.

If anyone's had one apart, I'd be very curious to know how the soldering on the back of the circuit board looks.


----------



## offroad

MiniLux said:


> Were all the cells ok when you finished your test, none discharged too deep?
> 
> I did the same experience in a Mag 2 D with those KD adapters and 6 RayoVac Hybrid LSDs topped the day before
> 
> After 2 hours continuous runtime, I checked the voltage and the cells where between 0.98v and 1.0v, so I decided to stop it as I didn't want any cell to be damaged...
> 
> MiniLux



I only checked a couple but they were just above 1.1v when the light went out, that shouldn't be a problem. I think most smart chargers take them down to .9v when doing a refresh or discharge.


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> Bought a [email protected] 2D and retested runtime with 6x AA eneloops in the KD 3x AA to D adapters (7.2v). Now getting 2hrs 32min so my poorly made dummy cell was obviously not working well. Was very bright right up until it shut off completely.
> 
> I soldered the springs on the KD adapters, and added some solder on the positive ends. The positive bump was not high enough to reliably make connection with the indented contact in the bottom of the mags switch assembly. Also using a plastic sleeve in the mags battery tube as the KD adapters fit very loosely otherwise.


 I received my Maglite 2D yesterday (£16-69 including postage) off Ebay ... Just waiting for the KD 3AA to D adaptors to come plus the (warm tint) showerhead.

I will solder the springs and probably solder a small washer to the positive ends of the adaptors if necessary.

My 2C showerhead is working great with two 18500 Li-Ions ... Just wondering if two 18650's will also work in the 2D Mag.
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> Just wondering if two 18650's will also work in the 2D Mag



Should work, 2x D cells are 123mm long vs 130mm for 2x 18650, might need to shorten the tailcap spring. Voltage off the charger will be 8.4v so should get max brightness. Probably need a sleeve to take up the extra room though.


----------



## ama230

Announcement: If you are having problems with the light turning on and off or wiggling in the head. This is due to it being tightened all the way, which I do. I had one wiggle in the head and would be picky to turn on.

The solution: The aluminum shroud around the light gets bent a little as the bulb holder is pressing up and the shroud is being pressed back thus making the module a 1-2mm too short.

What you do is put both your thumbs in the middle of the module where the leds are, the center of course. Then use all of you other fingers on the bottom of the shroud(the thin aluminum not the machined piece). Then you should feel it bend back, as this will extent the modules length. Then rinse and repeat if you take your maglite apart alot or just fiddling with it a lot. As when you tighten it all the way its just smooshed it a little too much.

Hope this helps...
Eric


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> Should work, 2x D cells are 123mm long vs 130mm for 2x 18650, might need to shorten the tailcap spring. Voltage off the charger will be 8.4v so should get max brightness. Probably need a sleeve to take up the extra room though.


 I'll give it a go when the showerhead eventually arrives ... I could take the showerhead out of my Wifes 2C to try it in the 2D , but she would only moan at me ... I will just wait.

Just wondering , would it be better if I drilled out two D convertors to fit the 18650 cells into ... perhaps the rattling would be eliminated ... Or drill them out to fit a piece of tube into ... I've got some plastic water-pipe that is the right bore for my 18650's ... I could Araldite the plastic parts together , then all I would need to do would be to plop two 18650's into the tube and put it into the 2D.

I still want to be able to use two 3AA to D convertors with six AA Eneloops ... This way , I have the option of using AA or 18650 batteries ... The run-time should be much the same.

I might consider drilling a couple of 1mm holes in the end-cap and filling them with beeswax to act as a pressure relief valve , just in case !
.


----------



## [email protected]

You guy's have got me pondering how this "drop in" would work in my ancient 6D clone :thinking:

Thanks


----------



## Nasty

It ought to be just fine in your 6D.

I'll be putting mine into a 4D and like the choices...

1. 4Ds (either alkaline or NiMH) 
2. 5Cs (either alkaline or NiMH)
3. 7 1/2 D NiMH
4. I think I could also do 3xAAA to D and a dummy cell
5. 2x 18650 and 2 dummy cells (is this even safe?) A side benefit of this would be to shift the balance point of bludgeon, er, flashlight for faster handling.

Any other combinations the 4D can take?


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> Just wondering , would it be better if I drilled out two D convertors to fit the 18650 cells into



Posts 3 & 5 of this thread should help with your conversion.



[email protected] said:


> You guy's have got me pondering how this "drop in" would work in my ancient 6D clone



Should be awesome, 6 cells (1.5v & 9v total) is the max its intended for so you will get max brightness.


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> Posts 3 & 5 of this thread should help with your conversion.


 Thanks offroad , I have read these threads but I'm still wondering if it would be possible to drill out two D convertors to take a piece of plastic tube of the right size for 18650's ... I just thought that this method would be a better fit since it would be using the D convertors and the plastic tube which is a perfect fit for my 18650's ... I wouldn't need to use any packing or paper to get a perfect fit.
.


----------



## MiniLux

Made a new test, just to get an idea 

Mag 2 D, 6 x Alkaline AA in 2 x KD 3AA to D holders (no 'big' brand, just plain vanilla cells sold at a local market, about 5 Euros for a pack of eight).

Runtime until shut off: 1h26min 

Tried to reactivate the light after about 3 hrs of rest and got another 2 minutes until shut off.

BtW: 6 x AA Lithium primaries don't work, voltage seems way to high so that the light just flashes a fraction of a second and shuts off :shrug:

MiniLux


----------



## ama230

offroad said:


> Bought a [email protected] 2D and retested runtime with 6x AA eneloops in the KD 3x AA to D adapters (7.2v). Now getting 2hrs 32min so my poorly made dummy cell was obviously not working well. Was very bright right up until it shut off completely.
> 
> I soldered the springs on the KD adapters, and added some solder on the positive ends. The positive bump was not high enough to reliably make connection with the indented contact in the bottom of the mags switch assembly. Also using a plastic sleeve in the mags battery tube as the KD adapters fit very loosely otherwise.



Great to hear as the dummy cell was a little too flaky. Also should have gone with the kd 3aa as 40 bucks for an adapter is pretty crazy.

Also thats interesting on the lithium primaries aa they should only read 10.2-10.8v which i have heard form another member here who had tested it and anything above this and then poof.


----------



## Nasty

Thanks MiniLux!

That at least sets a baseline.

I wonder what the other combinations would run?

1. 4Ds (either alkaline or NiMH)
2. 5Cs (either alkaline or NiMH)
3. 7 1/2 D NiMH
*4. (tested) 2x3AAA to D alkaline (in a 2DM*g) ran 1 hour 26 minutes*
5. 2x 18650 and 2 dummy cells (is this even safe?)


----------



## Nasty

The Fusion 36 arrived today...man, is it bright! I am looking forward to tonight to see what it looks like in the yard. I'm currently running it on 5 Duracell Cs in a PVC tube.


I wonder what the other combinations would run?

1. 4Ds (either alkaline or NiMH) 
*2. 5Cs (either alkaline or NiMH)Very bright!*
3. 7 1/2 D NiMH
*4. (tested) 2x3AAA to D alkaline (in a 2DM*g) ran 1 hour 26 minutes*
5. 2x 18650 and 2 dummy cells (is this even safe?)
*6. 6 AA cells in series @ 7.2v using 2x KD 3AA to 1 D cell adapter. Thanks to Trancersteve for this one! "beast of light for the money paid"*


----------



## Trancersteve

Beamshot time vs a Solarforce L2r  :duh2:
Maglite 2D with Fusion 36 5mm drop-in. With 6 AA cells in series @ 7.2v using 2x KD 3AA to 1 D cell adapter.






No light





Solarforce L2r
1/4 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5





Maglite 2D Fusion 36 drop-in
1/4 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5

The maglite is a beast of light for the money paid. I reach for it for all things bump in the night, having 100% flood is great for filling an area within 50 metres with light. Indoors it sets a room alight with light. :huh:





Solarforce L2r
1/5 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5





Maglite 2D Fusion 36 drop-in
1/5 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5


----------



## ama230

Trancersteve said:


> Beamshot time vs a Solarforce L2r  :duh2:
> Maglite 2D with Fusion 36 5mm drop-in. With 6 AA cells in series @ 7.2v using 2x KD 3AA to 1 D cell adapter.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No light
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Solarforce L2r
> 1/4 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maglite 2D Fusion 36 drop-in
> 1/4 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5
> 
> The maglite is a beast of light for the money paid. I reach for it for all things bump in the night, having 100% flood is great for filling an area within 50 metres with light. Indoors it sets a room alight with light. :huh:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Solarforce L2r
> 1/5 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maglite 2D Fusion 36 drop-in
> 1/5 sec 18mm 400 ISO f3.5



great pics! and thanks for the review as when in a pinch for funds this thing is great as well as if you have money too as it will definitely save some coin.

Cant wait to see nasty's pics too as we need some variation...

Its great to see these pics as it shows the true color of the light. A lot like to argue that its all purple or not all white. Id have this rather than the cree xre cyan color anyday.


----------



## Trancersteve

ama230 said:


> great pics! and thanks for the review as when in a pinch for funds this thing is great as well as if you have money too as it will definitely save some coin.
> 
> Cant wait to see nasty's pics too as we need some variation...
> 
> Its great to see these pics as it shows the true color of the light. A lot like to argue that its all purple or not all white. Id have this rather than the cree xre cyan color anyday.



Thanks 

When you first fire one of these up against a wall they do look ugly but it really doesn't matter after some real world use of the light. The purple tinge isn't noticeable after some use. 

I love having a flood light, while my L2r has much much more throw, I find 100% flood more useful to check out the garden or the house, as it covers such a large widespread area with light. In the next few weeks I will probably buy my first Quark, but I got a feeling I will definitely be disappointed with the beam spread. Flood is so useful... unless you are trying to spot something, of course .


----------



## jacktheclipper

Anyone gotten a warm version yet ?
Beamshots ?

Edit : If you have original and new , is the new one warm or more neutral ?


----------



## Nasty

I'm sorry that I don't have a camera suitable for beam shots...but this thing is *awesome* for what it cost. I have some of the cheap 3AA to D holders coming and as soon as I see for myself how the setup does in a M*g2D, I will probably be ordering another one.

It makes a great yard light...you don't have to aim it, just point it in the general direction and the entire yard is visible.

BTW, I read about how "This thing likes to be screwed down tight." It's interesting that even though you take out the standard PR bulb, they tell you to reinstall the PR retaining ring. This difference was enough in mine to make or break solid contact.

As I said...I see myself ordering another.


Jack - Beamshots can be seen in the other thread: 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3524307#post3524307


----------



## offroad

Nasty said:


> It's interesting that even though you take out the standard PR bulb, they tell you to reinstall the PR retaining ring.



I didn't see that in the instructions, mine is working fine but I'll try it with the ring back in.


----------



## march.brown

Nasty said:


> I have some of the cheap 3AA to D holders coming and as soon as I see for myself how the setup does in a M*g2D, I will probably be ordering another one.


 I have a Mag 2D and I just received some 3AA to D convertors from KD ... They are much better than I expected for the money ... Each spring is quite nicely soldered in two places and the convertors seem to be very strong ... They fit in my 2D body perfectly so when the (apparently) warm showerhead arrives I will give it a go ... I have sent for some single AA to D convertors and will drill two out to take a piece of plastic tube so I can use two 18650 batteries ... Should be much the same performance as the six AA Eneloops.

My Wifes Mag 2C showerhead is great on two 18500's , but she won't give it back to me ... Hence the need to build another in the 2D body ... She won't want the 2D as it is much bigger than the 2C (luckily).

Only snag with these torches is that they are not exactly pocket torches ... That is where the Solarforces score ... Still , for round the house and garden there is nothing to touch these showerheads ... Great for annoying people with very expensive torches too !
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> Each spring is quite nicely soldered in two places and the convertors seem to be very strong



The KD 3x AA to D adapters I received just a week or so ago didn't have the springs soldered and are pretty lightly (but adequate) built. I've soldered them myself but your comments have me curious if they have an improved version now.

Can you post a few pics of them?


----------



## Nasty

I ordered two of the KD 3x AA to D adapters to see for myself.

The springs are **not** soldered.

The springs on the two adapters are **not the same**.

The housings themselves **are of different lengths** by more than 1/10".

Am I allowed to say **TOTAL CRAP** here? :fail:

I'm not going to even worry about an electrical evaluation...they are not worth the time.

I'll contact KD and see what they have to say...if they can provide two of the item I ordered instead of two mismatched items, I may still try them with a 2DM*g.

Cheap is as cheap does.

FM...don't worry, I won't let this junk even get close to your beautiful products!


----------



## DaveG

My drop in showed up,very happy with it in my Mag 4d.


----------



## Nasty

I agree...the Fusion 36 drop in :rock:*rocks*:rock:.

The KD 3AA to D *fail*.


----------



## offroad

Nasty said:


> Am I allowed to say **TOTAL CRAP** here?



I'm sure compared to the one's FM makes this is 100% true. The two KD adapters I have (after some modding) are working fine though. I'm not sure of their lifespan even with gentle usage however.


----------



## march.brown

Nasty said:


> I ordered two of the KD 3x AA to D adapters to see for myself.
> 
> The springs are **not** soldered.
> 
> The springs on the two adapters are **not the same**.
> 
> The housings themselves **are of different lengths** by more than 1/10".
> 
> Am I allowed to say **TOTAL CRAP** here? :fail:


Mine are definitely soldered and the lengths of my three are 58.85mm , 58.97mm and 59.14mm ... So they are pretty close to being the same length with only 0.29mm difference between the longest and shortest.

The weight does differ ... One is 13.1 grams , the second is 13.4 grams , the third for some reason is only 11.6 grams ... I can't see why there is a difference of 1.8 grams in two otherwise identical adaptors , so I will use the two that are closest.

They do fit perfectly in my 2D Mag and there is no rattling.

Maybe I was just lucky.
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> They do fit perfectly in my 2D Mag and there is no rattling.



Mine fit so loosely I made a sleeve from a plastic binder for notebook paper.


----------



## ChibiM

Finally my first post at CPF...

:wave:the Fusion are up for sale at Ebay again, now 25dollars!!!


myself, am thinking about a drop in for my M*g 3D, received as a gift.. but still has incan bulb...


----------



## 1anrm

To those that have a warm tint please post a pic with another light. 
thanks


----------



## ama230

1anrm said:


> To those that have a warm tint please post a pic with another light.
> thanks


 
I will in the next day but it is a major improvement on tint as i like the cool version. The warm is the same brightness and will definitely exceed expectations. As you will love it!!!. I have mine in a 2c with two eneloops and it absolutely rocks. Then running more batteries is an option but doesn't really need it unless you have a set specification that you want.

To say the cool version has about 30% purple and the new has about 10% purple and this is being very picky. Imagine 36 new photon freedoms and this is the result, pure bliss!!!:devil:

Also have to do some exercises with my camera as im still new to this, its a fine art i tell ya!


----------



## jacktheclipper

So it's not warm yet , just less purple . 
O.K.


----------



## march.brown

march.brown said:


> I have sent for some single AA to D convertors and will drill two out to take a piece of plastic tube so I can use two 18650 batteries.


 The four convertors from 7dayshop.com arrived today ... I will have to drill them two of them out to take a 23mm OD tube that fits my 18650 batteries ... Unfortunately this will have to wait a week or so till the house decorating is finished ... The new showerhead hasn't arrived yet so no desperate hurry (yet) , as I could still use the torch with the two 3AA to D convertors or even two D cells or for that matter with two of the (single) AA to D convertors (undrilled).

I still think the 2C torch (hers) looks nicer and is handier than the 2D torch , unfortunately so does my Wife ... This 2D torch (mine) should have a longer run-time than her 2C.
.


----------



## ama230

march.brown said:


> The four convertors from 7dayshop.com arrived today ... I will have to drill them two of them out to take a 23mm OD tube that fits my 18650 batteries ... Unfortunately this will have to wait a week or so till the house decorating is finished ... The new showerhead hasn't arrived yet so no desperate hurry (yet) , as I could still use the torch with the two 3AA to D convertors or even two D cells or for that matter with two of the (single) AA to D convertors (undrilled).
> 
> I still think the 2C torch (hers) looks nicer and is handier than the 2D torch , unfortunately so does my Wife ... This 2D torch (mine) should have a longer run-time than her 2C.
> .



Just dont tell her that or you could possibly lose another light:duh2:

I have used tenergy aa 2700mah batteries and then the 2300mah lsd ones and eneloops and they all give the same runtime. The 2700mah batteries are clearly overrated when it comes to stated capacity so please be advised.

I have both the 2c and 2d setup and love the 2d because of the size in hand. Its ice to have a bat and light in one!:devil:


----------



## march.brown

ama230 said:


> Just dont tell her that or you could possibly lose another light:duh2:
> 
> I have used tenergy aa 2700mah batteries and then the 2300mah lsd ones and eneloops and they all give the same runtime. The 2700mah batteries are clearly overrated when it comes to stated capacity so please be advised.
> 
> I have both the 2c and 2d setup and love the 2d because of the size in hand. Its ice to have a bat and light in one!:devil:


 With AA batteries , I only have Eneloops and Hybrios now ... With AAA , I only have Eneloops , Hybrios and GP Recykos now.

I have passed all my stock of non-LSD 2700mAh cells to my Son-in-Law as the Grandchildren go through AA's & AAA's on an almost daily basis ... I think that LSD's would be a waste of money when the cells are only in the toys for at maximum one week (usually much less).

I just hope my Wife doesn't want to swop her showerhead for the warmer tint ... If she does , I will get her a Wratten glass photographic filter to warm the tint up slightly ... She would never know.
.


----------



## ama230

march.brown said:


> With AA batteries , I only have Eneloops and Hybrios now ... With AAA , I only have Eneloops , Hybrios and GP Recykos now.
> 
> I have passed all my stock of non-LSD 2700mAh cells to my Son-in-Law as the Grandchildren go through AA's & AAA's on an almost daily basis ... I think that LSD's would be a waste of money when the cells are only in the toys for at maximum one week (usually much less).
> 
> I just hope my Wife doesn't want to swop her showerhead for the warmer tint ... If she does , I will get her a Wratten glass photographic filter to warm the tint up slightly ... She would never know.
> .



you could order two cuz you dont know if this guy is going to charge more in the future and supply in demand is definitely kicking in.

the filter is a great fix...:devil:


----------



## march.brown

ama230 said:


> you could order two cuz you dont know if this guy is going to charge more in the future and supply in demand is definitely kicking in.
> 
> the filter is a great fix...:devil:


 I hope not to buy any more of these dropins unless a more powerful one comes along ... One original for "Her Indoors" and one new one for me will be enough , hopefully.

With the photographic filters , you can get glass filters in every shade from darkish blue through a clear (UV) to a darkish red ... You can even get Infra-red filters ... They are made out of thin , optically perfect glass so you might have to put the filter in behind the lens rather than instead of the lens ... If they are good enough to use on cameras , then they are OK for torches ... Look up Wratten Filters on a search engine for more details.

If you can get hold of some of the glue that they use to glue glass lenses together in binoculars , you could glue the filter behind the torch lens ... If you don't want to go to this trouble , you can get filter holders to clip the filter to the end of the torch ... You could then easily change filter glasses to get the perfect tint.
.


----------



## Brian10962001

First post on the forums guys, I'm jumping a bit into the deep end I suppose. I have my payment in on a "warm shifted" one. This will be my first step into modding since I was a little kid swapping bulbs and 9 volts into my old Mag's :thumbsup:


----------



## Nasty

Welcome to the *Light* side Brian!
:welcome:


----------



## offroad

Brian10962001 said:


> This will be my first step into modding since I was a little kid swapping bulbs and 9 volts into my old Mag's :thumbsup:



Easy drop in mod and much better results, let us know your impression when it arrives.


----------



## ama230

Brian10962001 said:


> First post on the forums guys, I'm jumping a bit into the deep end I suppose. I have my payment in on a "warm shifted" one. This will be my first step into modding since I was a little kid swapping bulbs and 9 volts into my old Mag's :thumbsup:


:welcome:

youll love it and the maglite has endless possibilities with batteries and bulbs.


----------



## LEDninja

:welcome:


Brian10962001 said:


> First post on the forums guys, I'm jumping a bit into the deep end I suppose. I have my payment in on a "warm shifted" one. This will be my first step into modding since I was a little kid swapping bulbs and 9 volts into my old Mag's :thumbsup:


This is still a bulb swap. Take out the old bulb, put the showerhead in.

Your Dorcy is a mod as you have to get out your soldering iron.

This is a Mag Mod
How To Mod a Maglite P7 - 38 PICS
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/238641


----------



## march.brown

march.brown said:


> The four convertors from 7dayshop.com arrived today ... I will have to drill two of them out to take a 23mm OD tube that fits my 18650 batteries ... Unfortunately this will have to wait a week or so till the house decorating is finished ... The new showerhead hasn't arrived yet so no desperate hurry (yet) , as I could still use the torch with the two 3AA to D convertors or even two D cells or for that matter with two of the (single) AA to D convertors (undrilled).
> 
> I still think the 2C torch (hers) looks nicer and is handier than the 2D torch , unfortunately so does my Wife ... This 2D torch (mine) should have a longer run-time than her 2C.
> .


 The decorating is done now and I have modified two of the 'AA to D' convertors ... I just cut the middle out of the convertors to take the 23mm OD plastic tube (128mm long) ... I was able to put some heat-shrink tubing over and it is now a fairly tight fit into the Mag 2D body ... The tailcap spring is simply reversed for use with the 18650's and if I decide to use two D's or two AA's , the tailcap spring will go back the normal normal way round ... I measured the voltage at the bulbholder when using two 18650's and it was 8.4V , so I am now just waiting for the showerhead to arrive ... It was posted to me a couple of days ago , so with a bit of luck it should be with me next week.

When the tailcap spring is reversed , it does not make good contact with the bottom of the 18650's so the spring was slightly modified ... The bottom of the Mag spring has a bar across and I wrapped a length of wire around the centre to make better contact to the battery base ... I used a small paper-clip and it works well ... I might solder it in place if there is a connection problem but I don't think that will be necessary.

Well , this may not be the prettiest mod , but it is inside the torch where it won't be seen.

This will probably become my regular 'House torch' with the powerful floody beam ... Unfortunately 'Her Indoors' will notice it ... After all , you can't fail to notice a torch that is this bright.

I wonder how long it will last on two 18650's ... Hopefully at least a couple of hours before recharging them.

*Improvisation is the Mother of invention.*
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> The decorating is done now and I have modified two of the 'AA to D' convertors



Post some pics if you can of your converter mod.



march.brown said:


> I wonder how long it will last on two 18650's ... Hopefully at least a couple of hours before recharging them



Should be roughly equal to 6 NiMH or a bit more so probably somewhere in the 2.5-3hr range I would guess.


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> Post some pics if you can of your converter mod.


 I send lots of pictures all over the world in my Emails and it is dead easy.

I have had a look on CPF at how to put pictures on , but it seems to be far more complicated and seems to involve a third party to act as an intermediary ... Some of these third parties are not free to use.

I don't see why we can't just add pictures to our posts as you would in an Email.

*Offroad* , if you would like some photos , perhaps to put on CPF , let me have your Email address and I will send them to you.
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> *Offroad* , if you would like some photos , perhaps to put on CPF , let me have your Email address and I will send them to you.



I upload pics to my Photobucket (free) account and just link in the post to them. No problem though, I sent you a PM with my email addy.


----------



## ama230

march.brown said:


> I send lots of pictures all over the world in my Emails and it is dead easy.
> 
> I have had a look on CPF at how to put pictures on , but it seems to be far more complicated and seems to involve a third party to act as an intermediary ... Some of these third parties are not free to use.
> 
> I don't see why we can't just add pictures to our posts as you would in an Email.
> 
> *Offroad* , if you would like some photos , perhaps to put on CPF , let me have your Email address and I will send them to you.
> .



You should sign up for a free photobucket account as I could not find an easy to use and free service to host pictures. Also flickr is another great free one. Then to resize then just use the paint program in accessories in the start panel on your pc. Make sure to resize them before uploading as they are pretty picky on here and size cant be bigger than 800x600 pixels.

If you just want to keep the original size, just post a link as its a little easier and you will not get in trouble with resolution and content.

Hope this helps...


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> I upload pics to my Photobucket (free) account and just link in the post to them. No problem though, I sent you a PM with my email addy.


 Pictures sent ... Excuse the background to the pics ... I use a Guinness Bar-top mat (34" X 10") as a mouse-mat for my Laser mouse ... I also usually have a cup of coffee and chocolate biscuits on it , so please excuse the crumbs etc.

Hope the pictures eventually make it onto CPF ... The battery holder is not pretty but it is functional ... It will not be seen as it is inside the torch ... Thats my excuse.
.


----------



## Trancersteve

Tested the runtime on mine last week.

I got 1hr 45mins until shut down using 6AA Hybrios in series. Brightness was the same (as far as I could tell) all the way through the test.

Would be great if they developed this drop-in and added two or more brightness modes to prolong battery life.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> Hope the pictures eventually make it onto CPF
> 
> Its not the prettiest of mods , but it works OK and as it is inside the torch body, no-one will see it. I'm sure that the paperclip (wrapped round the spring) could be neater or even soldered.
> I had to stretch the heat-shrink tubing to fit onto the convertors (before heating it) which is why I wasn't able to put it on in one long piece. With one piece of a wider heat-shrink, the job would be much prettier.



Here they are:
Looks functional and durable to me, nice job.


----------



## g.p.

Just ordered one! :huh: I hope it's a whiter light than my Malkoff drop-in. Either way, the price is right!

Thanks for all of the info everybody!


----------



## FlashTech

I remember seeing somewhere online where some company sold modified Maglites in this showerhead configuration for law enforcement use. I think I also remember seeing something about crime scene use too.


----------



## Nasty

They are now clearly listed as being warmer...and I've ordered two more.

There may be some sort of mind control involved...:tinfoil:


----------



## offroad

FlashTech said:


> I also remember seeing something about crime scene use too.



They would light up the average crime scene quite well I'm thinking.


----------



## ChibiM

Trancersteve said:


> Tested the runtime on mine last week.
> 
> I got 1hr 45mins until shut down using 6AA Hybrios in series. Brightness was the same (as far as I could tell) all the way through the test.
> 
> Would be great if they developed this drop-in and added two or more brightness modes to prolong battery life.



Oh yes.. that would be great!!! as Im looking for a LED for my 3d [email protected] 
but need more runtime..


----------



## offroad

ChibiM said:


> Oh yes.. that would be great!!! as Im looking for a LED for my 3d [email protected]
> but need more runtime..



Multiple modes would be nice but I'm getting 2.5hrs from 6x eneloops in a 2D mag, earlier in the thread guys using 3D's say they get much more so run time is very good considering the output even with just one mode.


----------



## ChibiM

I think I start to like multiple modes more and more
(lol, because I still have no flashlight with multiple modes)
just looks like they are more useful!! choose whatevery you want.. Max output, or Max battery.. All-in-1


----------



## offroad

ChibiM said:


> I still have no flashlight with multiple modes



Solarforce L2 or L2R with their 3 mode R2 drop in is a great place to start and inexpensive too.


----------



## ChibiM

Offroad,, thanks for the tip.. !!!
but a multimode showerhead would be a nice upgrade for my 3d [email protected]


----------



## march.brown

offroad said:


> Solarforce L2 or L2R with their 3 mode R2 drop in is a great place to start and inexpensive too.


 I have two of these plus two five-modes and a single mode but they don't even come close to the amount of light put out by the showerheads.
.


----------



## offroad

march.brown said:


> I have two of these plus two five-modes and a single mode but they don't even come close to the amount of light put out by the showerheads.



Absolutely correct, but they are still a very good entry into the P60 drop in world. Also cheap like the showerhead, much smaller and out throw it too.


----------



## hank

"FUSION ... Nichia K1 Series LED with warm shifted from September 2010."

http://cgi.ebay.com/FUSION-36-LED-P...1854529?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item1c159f6f41

Encouraging.

Anyone got one of their 110v lamps?

Their ebay page includes feedback; one jeer from someone at CPF, others pretty good.


----------



## Nasty

Damn!



> Q: Hello, I have been really interested in the Fusion 36. but as I ready over at Candlepower, is the battery only last about 1.5hours.. It would be really great if you could put a driver in there, with 2 or 3 modes.. that would be a REAL BESTSELLER just for your consideration.. for the future if you plan on making this.. please let me know regards Sep-29-10
> A: OK. We will consider in the future. Thank you for your suggestion.



This means I will have to buy replacements for the three I have already bought!

Sweet!


----------



## ama230

Nasty said:


> Damn!
> 
> 
> 
> This means I will have to buy replacements for the three I have already bought!
> 
> Sweet!



Cant wait for a low and a high and if there are ore modes then that will be great.


----------



## RogerO

Could someone who has the new "warm" fusion post some beamshots. After 12 pages of comment on this showerhead a couple of photos would be nice. Especially nice would be an outdoor shot with some other light (standard Maglite maybe) for comparison.
Thanks


----------



## march.brown

Well , the showerhead arrived this morning and it is now in my 2D Mag with two 18650 batteries ... Brilliant ... My mod inverts the spring and it is a bit awkward to put the end-cap on ... Nevertheless , it works well once you get the cap screwed on.

I checked this one against my Wifes 2C (with two 18500's) and the level of illumination looks to be identical ... That's because the operating voltages are the same ... The newer showerhead is a slightly warmer tint ... This was checked by shining them side by side on the ceiling which is not a very technical way of testing colour temperature differences.

Ideally someone with a colour temperature meter needs to measure the difference ... I'm happy other than the fact that the 2C is smaller and nicer than the 2D ... But my Wife snatched the 2C as soon as she saw it ... Unfortunately I was forced to get another and I chose the 2D ... Still , my two 18650's will last longer than her two 18500's plus the fact that I can still use the six AA Eneloops in the two adaptors.
.


----------



## Brian10962001

I got mine in this morning. I swapped it into an old 6 C cell mag lite (Pre C series, believe i got it in the late 90's). The head only screws down about 1/2 way which is a bit annoying, any tighter and the bulb shuts off. I already knew about this from an earlier post. This thing is BRIGHT. The color seems good, maybe a bit of purple to the tint but it's not even dark here so I will find out for sure later.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Just ordered two more for my friends . I was tired of being the only one with a light cannon . It's sort of amusing when you're walking along on a dark trail with other people using ordinary flashlights and you turn on the Magfusion - KA CHA ! - and instantly their beams become invisible .

I said it before and I'll say it again , YEEEEEHAH !


----------



## mustang90

How would this head work with a cut-down 1d maglite that can accept either AA's or 1 18650?


----------



## Nasty

Spec's say 3-9 volts puts out a minimum of 400...ought to work just fine.

I know it works on 2 Duracell D's.


----------



## Ecolang

Nasty said:


> Spec's say 3-9 volts puts out a minimum of 400...ought to work just fine.
> 
> I know it works on 2 Duracell D's.



Minimum of 400 is over optimistic. Maximum of 400 is nearer it. 
398 with 6 good NiMH D cells is the best I've got out of it.
5C alkalines, 358 - dropping to 314 at 2 minutes
3D NiMH D 251 dropping to 242 at 2 minutes.
6D old NiCd D 347 dropping to 321 at 2minutes.


----------



## Nasty

Yup...advertising lumens.

Regardless...one heck of a lot of flood for $25.

A whole lot better than simply using old mags as clubs!


----------



## march.brown

Ecolang said:


> Minimum of 400 is over optimistic. Maximum of 400 is nearer it.
> 398 with 6 good NiMH D cells is the best I've got out of it.
> 5C alkalines, 358 - dropping to 314 at 2 minutes
> 3D NiMH D 251 dropping to 242 at 2 minutes.
> 6D old NiCd D 347 dropping to 321 at 2minutes.


Perhaps you've got a bad one.





.


----------



## funkymonkey1111

Just got my fusion 36 last night and i'm underwhelmed to say the least. not a ton different than those cheapy $5 LEDs lights with 9 LEDs you see at the gas station, plus it took over a month to get to Colorado from Hong Kong.


----------



## march.brown

funkymonkey1111 said:


> Just got my fusion 36 last night and i'm underwhelmed to say the least. not a ton different than those cheapy $5 LEDs lights with 9 LEDs you see at the gas station, plus it took over a month to get to Colorado from Hong Kong.


 If it's that bad , tell the seller ... What voltage are you running it at ? ... What current does it draw ?
.


----------



## offroad

funkymonkey1111 said:


> Just got my fusion 36 last night and i'm underwhelmed to say the least. not a ton different than those cheapy $5 LEDs lights with 9 LEDs you see at the gas station, plus it took over a month to get to Colorado from Hong Kong.



Something is wrong for sure, mine will light up our entire front yard (1/2 acre or so). Running on 6x AA eneloops it draws 900ma and is very bright. Mine came to Missouri in 12 days, sorry yours was that slow.


----------



## funkymonkey1111

march.brown said:


> If it's that bad , tell the seller ... What voltage are you running it at ? ... What current does it draw ?
> .


 
I don't know the volrage or current, it's just running on 3 fresh D cells in a maglite.


----------



## dosmun

funkymonkey1111 said:


> I don't know the volrage or current, it's just running on 3 fresh D cells in a maglite.




Something is wrong with it. I had a 18v Fusion 48 that went dim. Something wrong with the internal circuit. Sounds like the same problem.


----------



## Ecolang

funkymonkey1111 said:


> I don't know the volrage or current, it's just running on 3 fresh D cells in a maglite.



It works best with 4 - 6 cells. That said, I'm running it on 3D NiMH.Dim it isn't. I get over 250 lumens at switch-on in that configuration.


----------



## Squidboy

I am waiting for delivery of my drop in but got round to thinking that I should probably replace the glass lens in the 4D maglite.

Any recommendations. Should I go for a 52.1mm by 2.84mm thick one designed for use with the big teralux TLE-300M-EX dropin or a 52.1mm by 1.90mm which seems to be standard size.

Any thoughts ?


----------



## Brian10962001

I kept the plastic in mine, hopefully it doesn't melt  OH and mine is VERY bright on 6 generic NiMH AA's in C cell adapters. It's got a bit of an orange halo and looks a tad purple, but not blue. I would describe it as warm tinted.


----------



## offroad

Brian10962001 said:


> I kept the plastic in mine, hopefully it doesn't melt.
> OH and mine is VERY bright on 6 generic NiMH AA's in C cell adapters



It won't, I have run mine the full 2.5hrs I get from 6x Eneloops in 3x AA to D KD adapters (series), and it only gets warm. I did order glass replacements from DX though due to easy scratches.

What kind of adapters are you running, 2x AA to C parallel? I've looked everywhere for cheap 3x AA to C series adapters.


----------



## Brian10962001

I have an old 6 C cell mag lite, so I just used basic 1 C to 1 AA adapters that came with my generic rechargeable batteries. It makes the light super light weight, I've handed it to a few people and they're usually shocked how light it is for its size.


----------



## MikeHunt79

dosmun said:


> Something is wrong with it. I had a 18v Fusion 48 that went dim. Something wrong with the internal circuit. Sounds like the same problem.



Hi, I ordered one of these units after seeing this thread. It arrived today, and mine seems very dim. 

Tried it in a 3 x D cell maglight and it didn't light up.

Tried it in a 6 x D cell maglight and it lights up but is very feint. 

Did the seller send you a replacement OK? Looking at his returns policy it looks like I may have to post this all the way back to Hong Kong which means this could take ages before I get a working unit!


----------



## Brian10962001

Try running it directly off of a 9 volt, I had a similar issue with a Solarforce L2. Turned out to be something else, not the drop in. Dim should not be a word used to describe these drop ins.


----------



## dosmun

MikeHunt79 said:


> Hi, I ordered one of these units after seeing this thread. It arrived today, and mine seems very dim.
> 
> Tried it in a 3 x D cell maglight and it didn't light up.
> 
> Tried it in a 6 x D cell maglight and it lights up but is very feint.
> 
> Did the seller send you a replacement OK? Looking at his returns policy it looks like I may have to post this all the way back to Hong Kong which means this could take ages before I get a working unit!




I sent mine back a week or 2 ago. Haven't heard anything yet.


----------



## g.p.

I'm having trouble finding a host for my soon-to-arrive drop-in. Does anybody know who is stocking the old style 3D Maglites in Canada still? All I can find is the new Rebel version. I've tried Canadian Tire, Walmart, Campers Village, Peavy Mart, Superstore, and Totem Building Supplies. Any more ideas?

Also, is the drop-in brighter with more cells? Is 3 cells enough? I did find a 4 cell host, but didn't really want it any bigger than a 3 cell.

Thanks!


----------



## Brian10962001

You mean they don't carry the regular incan mag lites?


----------



## g.p.

Nope, can't find 'em anymore. :thumbsdow

Has anybody compared the Fusion 36 to the new Rebel? Should I just buy a Rebel and cut my losses on the Fusion?


----------



## Nasty

gp - How about 3 of the $1 AAA to D converters?


----------



## g.p.

Sorry, you lost me. 

I need the actual flashliught to put the Fusion into. Are you talking about running AA cells in a D cell light with an adapter?


----------



## Nasty

Sorry...yes...3 x AA in a D size converter.

I misunderstood the issue.


----------



## Brian10962001

Wal Mart's web site has them for 18.88, cheaper than in stores. The stores around here are full of the regular old incan mag's. We haven't got the new stuff yet as far as I've seen.


----------



## g.p.

Nasty said:


> Sorry...yes...3 x AA in a D size converter.
> 
> I misunderstood the issue.


Will that just make it lighter if I have to go with the 4D version, or would that bump up the voltage? Just wondering what the benefit of going with the adapters is?



Brian10962001 said:


> Wal Mart's web site has them for 18.88, cheaper than in stores. The stores around here are full of the regular old incan mag's. We haven't got the new stuff yet as far as I've seen.


I just checked and the 3D isn't available at my local Walmart. Thanks for the heads up though! I'm going out of town this weekend, so I'll take a peak at another Wally World as that is a smokin' price.


----------



## offroad

g.p. said:


> Also, is the drop-in brighter with more cells? Is 3 cells enough?



Yes its brighter with more cells but still plenty bright with just 2 or 3. I'm running 6x AA's in a 2D Mag (2 KD 3xAA to D series adapters) but its still good with alkaline cells in my 3D mag.


----------



## g.p.

Thanks. I might give that a try as I have a bunch of Enerloops here.


----------



## Notsure Fire

The terralux is a rather budget dropin that works great on an SMO reflector.


----------



## g.p.

Just checked Wholesale Sports and they have a big Maglite selection. They had the old 3D and a 4C as well. I've never seen the 4C in person before until tonight. I didn't realize that it's not much longer than the 3D. I think that I'm going to go with that one as it's cheaper too! :twothumbs


----------



## Nasty

It'll work just fine in a 4C...


----------



## offroad

g.p. said:


> I've never seen the 4C in person before until tonight.



Lucky You.

I've never seen *any* C models locally only D versions. I've thought thought about getting a 3C since it wouldn't be any longer than an 2D and would have a smaller tube.


----------



## Nasty

My two new units advertised as warmer arrived today...sure enough, they are visually much warmer, approaching neutral.

I now have a 2,3 & 4 D Mag with these installed. The 4D is running 5 C cells in a piece of PVC pipe, the 3D has 3 of the $1 KD 3xAA>D adapters in it and the 2D has, well, 2D.

I need a couple more of the cheapo adapters...they work fine for this showerhead.

I suppose I could throw a couple of 18650's in it, but that would like pearls before swine, eh?


----------



## offroad

Nasty said:


> the 3D has 3 of the $1 KD 3xAA>D adapters in it



Are you using all 9 slots in the adapters, and what kind of cells? Wondered since the drop-in is rated for 9 volts max.


----------



## Nasty

All 9...plain old Duracells. I'm sure that I am losing a lot through the carriers, switch and tailspring. No issues so far.


----------



## march.brown

Nasty said:


> I suppose I could throw a couple of 18650's in it, but that would like pearls before swine, eh?


 The 2D works well with two 18650's also the 2C works well with two 18500's ... The 2C looks nicer and is smaller and easier to carry , but the two 18650's give better run-time plus it can be used with six AA Eneloops and if you really need to , it will use two D cells.

Anyway , my Wife won't give me the 2C back so I had to make the 2D showerhead for myself ... It's too big for her to use so I'm safe with it.
.


----------



## Jiffy

I'm waiting in mine arriving. 400lm of flood for 9 hours on 6aa sounds like it could be pretty good for a headlamp so I'm toying with idea of taking the head of the mag and fixing it onto an old Petzl Zoom. Failing that I'll just get the ducktape out!


----------



## funkymonkey1111

Jiffy said:


> I'm waiting in mine arriving. 400lm of flood for 9 hours on 6aa sounds like it could be pretty good for a headlamp so I'm toying with idea of taking the head of the mag and fixing it onto an old Petzl Zoom. Failing that I'll just get the ducktape out!


 
post pics when you do


----------



## funkymonkey1111

Nasty said:


> My two new units advertised as warmer arrived today...sure enough, they are visually much warmer, approaching neutral.
> 
> I now have a 2,3 & 4 D Mag with these installed. The 4D is running 5 C cells in a piece of PVC pipe, the 3D has 3 of the $1 KD 3xAA>D adapters in it and the 2D has, well, 2D.
> 
> I need a couple more of the cheapo adapters...they work fine for this showerhead.
> 
> I suppose I could throw a couple of 18650's in it, but that would like pearls before swine, eh?


 
i don't know about all these battery converters, etc--are using 3xAA's better (more power, more output) than the D cells?


----------



## Nasty

Yup...more voltage (up to 9 anyway) makes it run brighter and more cells (at least to my eye) reduces sag.

I can always in an emergency revert to simple D cells, but while things are good, I'm trying to get the best flood I can without spending much money.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Just received two more dropins from the warm run , along with the free AAA penlight . The tint of the new dropins is definitely better . If you've been on the fence about buying one of these because of the tint I believe this batch could change your mind . :thumbsup: Not nearly as blue , but with the same level of illumination .

The penlight is nothing special , as it has a very blue beam with artifacts but it will probably have a long runtime and use up every bit of juice out of a couple of AAAs .

These dropins are for my friends , so we can all have cheap light cannons .


----------



## Quest4fire

jacktheclipper said:


> Just received two more dropins from the warm run , along with the free AAA penlight . The tint of the new dropins is definitely better . If you've been on the fence about buying one of these because of the tint I believe this batch could change your mind . :thumbsup: Not nearly as blue , but with the same level of illumination .
> 
> The penlight is nothing special , as it has a very blue beam with artifacts but it will probably have a long runtime and use up every bit of juice out of a couple of AAAs .
> 
> These dropins are for my friends , so we can all have cheap light cannons .


Uh oh! I've been enjoying the shower head I got a couple months ago (Even with the blue tint it's awesome) but it might be time to pull the trigger on a couple more. Especially with warmer LED's.


----------



## Nasty

I bought two of the newer warm...well worth it.

I expect to buy a few more if they start making multi level as he said he would look into.


----------



## g.p.

Got mine today and installed it in my 4C Maglite. I must say this is pretty good for a $20 drop-in with no reflector. Of course it doesn't compare to my TK45, but it blows away the stock Mag for sure. Much better than I expected!


----------



## Notsure Fire

Pretty amazing. What a great idea. How come noone's thought of that? Seems like the showerheads have been ignored.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Notsure Fire said:


> Pretty amazing. What a great idea. How come noone's thought of that? Seems like the showerheads have been ignored.


 
I have long thought that this thread needs renaming .
Preferably with Fusion 36 somewhere in the title...

Jash...?


----------



## richpalm

Well, you all talked me into ordering one. :shakehead Got a couple Mags sitin' here rotting and I need flooders.

Rich


----------



## Jash

jacktheclipper said:


> I have long thought that this thread needs renaming .
> Preferably with Fusion 36 somewhere in the title...
> 
> Jash...?



Done.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Well , I installed a warm module in a 2C mag that I modded to 3 123A and 
I'll have to say that the amount of OTF light , coupled with the form factor , make this a serious contender in the ' sleeper light ' category .

:naughty:


----------



## offroad

jacktheclipper said:


> I installed a warm module in a 2C mag that I modded to 3 123A



Pics on the mod?


----------



## Nasty

The "mod" is nothing more than a piece of either PVC or hot water hose, either of which can be found at auto or hardware stores large enough to fit the 123's and slips into the Mag body...nothing more to it.


----------



## Jash

jacktheclipper said:


> Well , I installed a warm module in a 2C mag that I modded to 3 123A and
> I'll have to say that the amount of OTF light , coupled with the form factor , make this a serious contender in the ' sleeper light ' category .
> 
> :naughty:



You'd probably fit two 18500's in there quite nicely too.


----------



## march.brown

Jash said:


> You'd probably fit two 18500's in there quite nicely too.


 They fit great though the spring is too long ... I just squeezed the spring with pliers till it was short enough to fit nicely ... Only snag now is that two C cells don't fit properly unless I use magnets.
.


----------



## Jash

march.brown said:


> They fit great though the spring is too long ... I just squeezed the spring with pliers till it was short enough to fit nicely ... Only snag now is that two C cells don't fit properly unless I use magnets.
> .



18500's should be the same length as AA's and C's.


----------



## march.brown

Jash said:


> 18500's should be the same length as AA's and C's.


 I can only say what *I* did when using two protected 18500's in my 2C Maglite ... To avoid too much pressure on the PCB's I chose to squeeze the spring down a bit in length ... If you want to risk using perhaps too much spring pressure on the PCB's or if your 18500's are unprotected (shorter) then it's up to the user to decide ... I was being cautious ... It does work very well though.
.


----------



## Jash

march.brown said:


> I can only say what *I* did when using two protected 18500's in my 2C Maglite ... To avoid too much pressure on the PCB's I chose to squeeze the spring down a bit in length ... If you want to risk using perhaps too much spring pressure on the PCB's or if your 18500's are unprotected (shorter) then it's up to the user to decide ... I was being cautious ... It does work very well though.
> .



Fair enough. What brand are you using? I know some are a bit longer than others, by as buch as a few millimetres.


----------



## Jash

Err....just ordered two more of these. The warm leds were just too tempting.


----------



## march.brown

Jash said:


> Fair enough. What brand are you using? I know some are a bit longer than others, by as buch as a few millimetres.


 I'm using Trustfire (silver/grey) 18500's ... Their length is 52.60mm and my Duracell Procell C's are 49.27mm long.

I've tried with the Duracells and they do work without the 3mm magnet even though the spring tension isn't as strong as it was originally.

I still think that the 2C is neater than the 2D , but my Wife has appropriated the 2C conversion ... Typical !

I do like the fact that the 2D will take two D cells (if necessary) or six AA's or (normally) two 18650's.
.


----------



## jacktheclipper

My Fusion 36 dropins are still working great . Question : has anyone tried the dropin for the AA Minimag from the same seller ?


----------



## bowlingblogger

I just received my Fusion 36 and installed it in my 6D Mag, but unfortunately I cannot get it to light up at all. I tried it both with and without the bulb retaining ring installed, and nothing. I would like to check to make sure the drop-in is not dead with my multimeter, but I don't know how and I don't want to experiment for fear of blowing it up. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Sorry for what must seem like a very noob question...


----------



## Trancersteve

I have to say that since the XM-L emitter has come about in P60 format, my Fusion 36 has been gathering serious dust!

The very thought of loading my Mag 3D with 6 AA cells seems like such a waste of AA cells these days, given the runtime I have experienced from my Fusion 36.


----------



## jacktheclipper

Trancersteve said:


> I have to say that since the XM-L emitter has come about in P60 format, my Fusion 36 has been gathering serious dust!



Yeah , I know what you mean . My Manafont 3 mode XML is like having a Fusion 36 with a big bright hotspot .


----------



## fomoco6.8

I just received my Fusion 36 and installed it in my 6D Mag, but unfortunately I cannot get it to light up at all. Sorry for what must seem like a very noob question

Don't worry about the "noob questions", We all have gained knowledge here. Like my late grandfather used to tell me..."The day you stop asking questions is the day you start dying". I had some issues with mine when I first started using them. Be sure to loosen the head before you tighten the lens/drop-in. I would even take the adjusting head completely off to install the drop-in and lens, that way you know THEY are tight. Then reinstall the head and tighten in down until it begins getting tight. you can cycle the switch while doin this too. when it comes on, you know that it's begining to compress the bulb holder spring.

Good luck!


----------



## bowlingblogger

Thanks for the advice, fomoco6.8...before I saw your advice I tried tightening and loosing the head several times with the switch turned on, and I also monkeyed around with the drop-in with the head off to see if I could get it to light up by applying varying amounts of pressure with it to the bulb housing--still nothing. I gave up and decided to return it to the vendor, who issued me an RMA right away. The only problem is that I'll probably have to wait at least another month before I can a working drop-in . Oh well, if it works in the end I will be happy!


----------



## dizhu

I installed fusion 36 on a Mag 2C bored for two IMR 26500. It is now my go-to household flashlight.

Update:

I bought two and one aluminum rim is marginally low compared to height of the led. Fully tighten down crush the glass lens. Since the drop-in is directly pushed to the lens by bulb tower's spring, I found that 46mm x 2mm (ID x cross) O-ring fits perfectly between the showerhead and the lens.


----------



## mvyrmnd

You know what a good addition to this dropin is? One of Shao's Glow-in-the-dark diffusers 

An excerpt from my small review in the CPFMP sales thread:
"First up is a 4C mag with a Fusion 36 dropin. For those who are unfamiliar with the Fusion 36, it's a great bang-for-buck 5mm showerhead dropin thats usually sourced from eBay. Newer version use warm Nichia emitters, but mine's an early version with lots of angry, belligerent and violent blue. Thanks to me using the Daylight setting on the camera, it doesn't look too bad in the pic.

Stock Lens






Pale Yellow Diffuser: Slight colour change, much more even beam.





Dark Yellow Diffuser: Much more drastic colour change, even smoother beam. There's a slight drop in output, due to the darker filter.



"


----------



## bowlingblogger

I sent my dead-on-arrival Fusion drop-in back to the seller and they fixed it and sent it back with epedited shipping--took less than a week to get back, and now it works like a champ. So not only is the drop-in great, but so is the seller!


----------



## DaveG

bowlingblogger said:


> I sent my dead-on-arrival Fusion drop-in back to the seller and they fixed it and sent it back with epedited shipping--took less than a week to get back, and now it works like a champ. So not only is the drop-in great, but so is the seller!


Good to hear he backs up his product.I am thinking about ordering a 2nd one.


----------



## bowlingblogger

I just had to pay return shipping (about $4 USA to HK). My 6D is an unbelievably intimidating light cannon now! I have it running on 12AA NiMHs (with 6AA-->D adapters).


----------



## march.brown

bowlingblogger said:


> I just had to pay return shipping (about $4 USA to HK). My 6D is an unbelievably intimidating light cannon now! I have it running on 12AA NiMHs (with 6AA-->D adapters).


I thought that the maximum voltage for the Fusion was Nine Volts.
Twelve AA's seems to be a bit over that.
I'm assuming that the adaptors are series adaptors (to give 12 AA's in series).

My 2D has two adaptors in ... Each with three AA's ... So mine is running on six AA Eneloops (in series) and is great.
.


----------



## bowlingblogger

Sorry, I should have specified that each adapter accepts either one AA or two in parallel. Since I am using NiMHs, the total voltage is 7.2v. I got the adapters on eBay for about a buck a pop.


----------



## Kindle

bowlingblogger said:


> My 6D is an unbelievably intimidating light cannon now!


 
Wouldn't 'light claymore' be a more apt moniker for the Fusions?


----------



## gatorgofer

Will 2 18650's fit in a 2C Maglite with a Showerhead drop-in? I'm looking for the best rechargeable option for the 3C Maglite.


----------



## jacktheclipper

gatorgofer said:


> Will 2 18650's fit in a 2C Maglite with a Showerhead drop-in? I'm looking for the best rechargeable option for the 3C Maglite.


 
:welcome:

EDIT: Saw your post count and not your join date . 
If you lost any prior posts in the meltdown my welcome might not be your first .

Welcome .


----------



## march.brown

gatorgofer said:


> Will 2 18650's fit in a 2C Maglite with a Showerhead drop-in? I'm looking for the best rechargeable option for the 3C Maglite.


 My Wifes 2C (showerhead) uses two 18500 Li-Ions ... My 2D (showerhead) will take two 18650's though at the moment I am using six AA Eneloops (in two "3AA to D" convertors).
.


----------



## Kindle

gatorgofer said:


> Will 2 18650's fit in a 2C Maglite with a Showerhead drop-in? I'm looking for the best rechargeable option for the 3C Maglite.


 
To make them fit into a 2C you'll need to remove the stock spring & de-anodize the inside of the tailcap (anodizing is a poor electrical conductor). You can remove the anodizing using a dremel or sandpaper, alternatively lye will also remove it (I'm sure there are tutorials on CPF if you search).

Depending on the length of your particular 18650's you'll also need something to take up the little bit of remaining space. I've heard of people using rare earth magnets, mini-mag springs or key/split rings folded over.

You'll also probably want to find a length of pvc/rubber tubing to slide the cells into to keep them from rattling.


----------



## tjhabak

gatorgofer, check out this link. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?215997-Wide-Deep-2x18650-M*g-C-Tail-cap I just ordered one myself. I put the stock Mag C spring in it to run 3xCR123 lithiums. It is an awesome little package now!


----------



## gatorgofer

Thanks for the info guys. I'm currently running 3 CR123's in my 2C. It's very bright but the tail cap is a bear to put on (the new tail cap looks like it will solve that problem, thanks!) and too expensive for a "dog walking" light. Hence the need for a rechargeable option. I'm hooked on the Lumens! I've ordered a 3C and it looks to be a bit longer than a 2D. Will this fit the 18650's without mods? Thanks again for the help and the welcome.


----------



## Greenmando

This was a pretty interesting thread. I gave up on my old maglights and now I may have to dig them out. I have a 30 year old 5C that was in nice condition last I looked at it.


----------



## mccririck

Where can I buy this Fusion 36?


----------



## LEDninja

Go to ebay and search Fusion 36.


----------



## meph

Hi Guys... i'm having trouble deciding what kind of battery mod to use with this bulb. I have a 3D Mag. I was thinking of using 4 C's rechargeable NMH or getting 2AA-D adapters and putting 6 AA's rechargeable NMH. or Lithium ions 18650s? Can you use Lithium on these flashlights?

I'm looking for something that lasts and wont break the bank.

After going to every post in this thread.. i understand the more cells the better in terms of battery life and lumens.

Seems like everyone has a different setup. Any suggestions would be a great help.. 
TIA


----------



## march.brown

meph said:


> Hi Guys... i'm having trouble deciding what kind of battery mod to use with this bulb. I have a 3D Mag. I was thinking of using 4 C's rechargeable NMH or getting 2AA-D adapters and putting 6 AA's rechargeable NMH. or Lithium ions 18650s? Can you use Lithium on these flashlights?
> 
> I'm looking for something that lasts and wont break the bank.
> 
> After going to every post in this thread.. i understand the more cells the better in terms of battery life and lumens.
> 
> Seems like everyone has a different setup. Any suggestions would be a great help..
> TIA


 My Wife has a 2C with two 18500 Li-Ions but it will still run OK on two C cells , but not as bright ... Mine is a 2D and I started off by using two 18650's , but I now use six Eneloop AA's ... The 2D body holds two "3AA to D" convertors and this is my favourite ... If you can get "2AA to D" series convertors , then that would be my personal choice ... The 2D with six AA cells certainly works well , so a 3D with six AA cells will be just as good.
.


----------



## Nasty

Just a quick post-by here...I am still running mine the same as I did originally and all are still working perfectly. I have one of the original and two of the warm, have subjected one of them to a very rough thump...mag light did its job and the light didn't even flicker.

If I had any more Mags hanging around, I'd be buying more of these.


----------



## dizhu

I have run 2 IMR 26500 and 1 IMR 26500 configurations on a bored 2C Mag. The issue is that when the light suddenly cuts off, the voltage on the battery is already too low, around 2V. I now moved fusion 36 to my new monster Mammoth with 2S2P 18650 configuration. Hopefully protected batteries won't be destroyed this time.


----------



## nicodimus22

I just got a Fusion 36 today. It is a nice upgrade from the incandescent bulb, and it works in my 25-year old 4D so I'm pretty happy with it.

Something I don't quite understand, despite looking through this thread...maybe someone can clear it up for me. I've seen adapters out there that let you put either 1 AA or 2 AA batteries in a case that acts as a D battery. I'm wondering a couple of things:

-Why is this better than using D-batteries?

-Why do some adapters use 1 AA and some use 2? Isn't the adapter trying to mimic the output of a D-battery?

-If you use 3 of the 2 AA adapters, as some of the people in this thread seem to...what takes the place of where the 4th D-battery would go? Or am I misunderstanding, and you can only do that in a 3D mag?

Thanks.


----------



## march.brown

nicodimus22 said:


> I just got a Fusion 36 today. It is a nice upgrade from the incandescent bulb, and it works in my 25-year old 4D so I'm pretty happy with it.
> 
> Something I don't quite understand, despite looking through this thread...maybe someone can clear it up for me. I've seen adapters out there that let you put either 1 AA or 2 AA batteries in a case that acts as a D battery. I'm wondering a couple of things:
> 
> -Why is this better than using D-batteries?
> 
> -Why do some adapters use 1 AA and some use 2? Isn't the adapter trying to mimic the output of a D-battery?
> 
> -If you use 3 of the 2 AA adapters, as some of the people in this thread seem to...what takes the place of where the 4th D-battery would go? Or am I misunderstanding, and you can only do that in a 3D mag?
> 
> Thanks.


I use mine with AA batteries because I don't want to use D cell rechargeables ... I have plenty of AA Eneloops ... I have a 2D with two "3AA to D" adaptors ... This allows me to use six AA Eneloops in series ... This means that the torch is running well within the Fusions voltage limit ... I can also use two 18650s if I wish. 

If you are happy using D cells then just do it ... If you want to only use AAs then you would need either three "2AA to D" adaptors or two "3AA to D" adaptors ... The empty space will need to be filled with the appropriate number of Dummy cells (with the ends shorted together internally) to give a good connection.

You could use two "2AA to D" convertors and two "1AA to D" convertors which would mean that the torch would be running on six AAs ... Perfect ! ...Make sure that the 2AA convertors are the series type not the parallel type.

Don't go over the six cell limit just in case you burn-out the dropin ... It works great on six AAs.
.


----------



## nicodimus22

Interesting. I am debating on whether it would be better to get 4 nimh D-cells or try to find two 2AA-D and two 1AA-D adapters. Has anyone compared the battery life/brightness performance between 6 AA nimhs and 4 D nimhs?


----------



## march.brown

nicodimus22 said:


> Interesting. I am debating on whether it would be better to get 4 nimh D-cells or try to find two 2AA-D and two 1AA-D adapters. Has anyone compared the battery life/brightness performance between 6 AA nimhs and 4 D nimhs?


 Ideally you should go as near to nine volts as you can , but the Fusion 36 is still bright using four NiMh batteries ... It is however brighter with six batteries ... My Wifes will run OK on two C cells but is brighter when using two 18500 Li-Ions.

Compare the milli-ampere-hour capacity between the AA and the D cells ... This will give a rough idea as to how much longer the D cells will last ... Ideally you could measure the current (in milliamps) at the tailcap and as you already know the milli-ampere-hour capacity of the battery type , just divide the mAh by the measured current and this should give the hours that the torch will run for (approximately).

You could always do a run test and time it properly.
.


----------



## nicodimus22

9 volts, eh? I just looked at my 4 D duracell alkalines, and they say 1.5 on them, so I guess right now I'm running on 6 volts. If I switched to nimh D's, I would be running at 4.8 volts (4 X 1.2) which is a little more than half of what you recommend. Sounds like the wrong way to go.

I already have plenty of nihm AAs, so 6 of them would be 7.2 volts (6 X 1.2.) 

What if I ran 3 of the 2AA-D adapters with 1 of the AA-D adapters (7 AAs altogether?) Am I right in thinking that would give me 8.4 volts, which would be closest to 9 volts without going over? 

Can anyone link me a 2AA-D adapter that is the series-type that would be best for this? I have found a couple of them, but they do not indicate series or parallel. Thanks again.


----------



## march.brown

nicodimus22 said:


> 9 volts, eh? I just looked at my 4 D duracell alkalines, and they say 1.5 on them, so I guess right now I'm running on 6 volts. If I switched to nimh D's, I would be running at 4.8 volts (4 X 1.2) which is a little more than half of what you recommend. Sounds like the wrong way to go.
> 
> I already have plenty of nihm AAs, so 6 of them would be 7.2 volts (6 X 1.2.)
> 
> What if I ran 3 of the 2AA-D adapters with 1 of the AA-D adapters (7 AAs altogether?) Am I right in thinking that would give me 8.4 volts, which would be closest to 9 volts without going over?
> 
> Can anyone link me a 2AA-D adapter that is the series-type that would be best for this? I have found a couple of them, but they do not indicate series or parallel. Thanks again.


Just checked the voltage on several of my AA LSD cells and they are mainly between 1.34V and 1.36V with a couple down as low as 1.3V ... The on-load volts will drop a bit , but I think that six cells in series is good enough for my purposes ... I had all my convertors from ebay and they all seem to work fine ... You might need to look at the soldered connections just in case you need to solder any dry joints ... All mine were actually OK.

You might find that the NiMh cells have a lower internal resistance than the alkalines ... 

You might also find that two 18650s would be better as there would only be four points of contact with the cells ... With seven cells there would be fourteen points of contact with the possibility of more added resistance ... Nevertheless , I still like to use six AA Eneloops in my 2D torch.
.


----------



## nicodimus22

march.brown said:


> Just checked the voltage on several of my AA LSD cells and they are mainly between 1.34V and 1.36V with a couple down as low as 1.3V ... The on-load volts will drop a bit , but I think that six cells in series is good enough for my purposes ... I had all my convertors from ebay and they all seem to work fine ... You might need to look at the soldered connections just in case you need to solder any dry joints ... All mine were actually OK.
> 
> You might find that the NiMh cells have a lower internal resistance than the alkalines ...
> 
> You might also find that two 18650s would be better as there would only be four points of contact with the cells ... With seven cells there would be fourteen points of contact with the possibility of more added resistance ... Nevertheless , I still like to use six AA Eneloops in my 2D torch.
> .


 
You're kinda speaking Greek to me. Are you saying that the 7-AA idea is bad?


----------



## march.brown

nicodimus22 said:


> You're kinda speaking Greek to me. Are you saying that the 7-AA idea is bad?


The voltage using 7 NiMh AAs should be OK , but there would be more contacts because there would be a lot of batteries to connect together ... Each contact would have its own amount of resistance to add ... I know that mine with six cells is OK , so seven might well be OK ... Just be aware that there might possibly be sufficient resistance to limit the current taken by the Fusion dropin ... Make sure that all your contacts are clean to minimise resistance ... I clean mine with pure alcohol and then wipe with Servisol Super 10 Contact Lubricant using a cotton wool bud.

It will not be expensive to buy three double and one single convertors , so give it a try ... You can compare the light with seven AAs and with four D cells ... Should be an interesting comparison.
.


----------



## nicodimus22

Cool. The only thing now is to figure out which 2AA adapters are series and which are parallel so I can avoid em. Thanks!


----------



## march.brown

nicodimus22 said:


> Cool. The only thing now is to figure out which 2AA adapters are series and which are parallel so I can avoid em. Thanks!


Just ask the seller if they are the series adaptors.
.


----------



## gatorgofer

The Fusion 36 has been conspicuously absent from E-Bay these last few weeks. Have the lights gone out at Fusion?


----------



## DaveG

gatorgofer said:


> The Fusion 36 has been conspicuously absent from E-Bay these last few weeks. Have the lights gone out at Fusion?


Noticed that also,I think they some times drop off to restock,at least I hope that is whats going on.


----------



## alpg88

nicodimus22 said:


> Cool. The only thing now is to figure out which 2AA adapters are series and which are parallel so I can avoid em. Thanks!



i've never seen 2aa-1d adapters where aa were wired in series,


----------



## Deadshot11

alpg88 said:


> i've never seen 2aa-1d adapters where aa were wired in series,


 
Neither have I.

If nicodimus22 is still around, I'm running mine on 7aa with no problems. It's in a 3D, with two 3aa->D adapters, and one 1aa->D adapter. Nice bright and floody.


----------



## Slasher42

gatorgofer said:


> The Fusion 36 has been conspicuously absent from E-Bay these last few weeks. Have the lights gone out at Fusion?


 


DaveG said:


> Noticed that also,I think they some times drop off to restock,at least I hope that is whats going on.



I've been checking about once a week trying to buy a couple of these and no luck..... guess I can always go see if anyone bought extras and will sell on marketplace :/


----------



## Slasher42

gatorgofer said:


> The Fusion 36 has been conspicuously absent from E-Bay these last few weeks. Have the lights gone out at Fusion?


 


DaveG said:


> Noticed that also,I think they some times drop off to restock,at least I hope that is whats going on.



Ive been checking eBay for a couple weeks tryin to buy a this.... havent seen one... 

Guess I'll have to see if anyone over at the CPFMP will sell an extra they have


----------



## Slasher42

gatorgofer said:


> The Fusion 36 has been conspicuously absent from E-Bay these last few weeks. Have the lights gone out at Fusion?


 


DaveG said:


> Noticed that also,I think they some times drop off to restock,at least I hope that is whats going on.



I have been trying to buy a couple of these for a few weeks now and never see them listed.... I really hope they aren't gone for good. 
I guess I could go try and get one from the market place if anyone is willing to part with an extra they might have....


----------



## Slasher42

gatorgofer said:


> The Fusion 36 has been conspicuously absent from E-Bay these last few weeks. Have the lights gone out at Fusion?


 


DaveG said:


> Noticed that also,I think they some times drop off to restock,at least I hope that is whats going on.



I have been trying to buy a couple of these for a few weeks now and never see them listed.... I really hope they aren't gone for good. 
I guess I could go try and get one from the market place if anyone is willing to part with an extra they might have....


----------



## alpg88

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120726577359?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp5197.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D120726577359%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1


----------



## nicodimus22

alpg88 said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/12072657735...77359&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_fvi=1&_rdc=1



This auction isn't active. There is no place you can click to buy one.


----------



## march.brown

nicodimus22 said:


> This auction isn't active. There is no place you can click to buy one.


 They are selling six other LED items ... Click on one of these then ask a question about the Fusion 36.
.


----------



## Slasher42

Wow I apologize for the Quadruple post up above... Either my internet connection or the forum was really messing up yesterday when I was trying to post that... I never saw it a single time and I waited 3-4 minutes... closed my browser and cleared cache and came back and still never saw my post.... then I check now and see all of them 


Back on Topic.... Yeah the Fusion seems to be gone from ebay


----------



## alpg88

nicodimus22 said:


> This auction isn't active. There is no place you can click to buy one.


damn, i missed that little detail, sorry.


----------



## march.brown

march.brown said:


> They are selling six other LED items ... Click on one of these then ask a question about the Fusion 36..


I emailed them and this is the reply I had , so I suggest if anyone wants a dropin that they email the seller.



> *Dear march.brown,
> 
> *Our eBay Store is maintaining recently.
> Please leave your email address if hurry,
> we will contact you sooner.
> Thank you.
> 
> - sinounionechnologyld


I don't know exactly what they mean by "maintaining recently" but anyone wanting a Fusion 36 should leave an email request with them ... Obviously their English is considerably better than my knowledge of Mandarin (to me it's an orange thing that we have at Christmas).

Good Luck
.


----------



## LEDninja

march.brown said:


> Obviously their English is considerably better than my knowledge of Mandarin (to me it's an orange thing that we have at Christmas).


They are in Hong Kong. So the older folks there speak Cantonese. Mandarins are those sweet squishy orange look a like fruits.


----------



## march.brown

LEDninja said:


> They are in Hong Kong. So the older folks there speak Cantonese. Mandarins are those sweet squishy orange look a like fruits.


 Cantonese or Mandarin , all the written squiggles are exactly the same ... It's just the sounds that are different.

Mandarin (with a capital M) is the official form of the language of China.

Anyway , I am unable to speak any Chinese dialect whereas he can speak and write in English ... Good on him !
.


----------



## Walterk

Just mail them by the email-adress on their website : http://www.sinounion.com.hk/

You can buy directly ftom them and pay by PayPal.
I've bought a dozen 24V DC Warm white bulbs from them in this way. 
I had no trouble communicating with them at all using English.


----------



## Quest4fire

> i've never seen 2aa-1d adapters where aa were wired in series, [/QUOTE
> 
> During an ebay search for inexpensive multi- AA to D adapters, I ran across and purchased several 2AA to D holders in parallel configuration. They were less than a buck apiece and made of clear (Opaque) plastic like these. They would probably work well in a 4 or 5 D [email protected] with a fusion drop in.


----------



## LeJerk

I'm looking for something like this. Is there an alternate manufacturer or model to check out?


----------



## march.brown

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

The seller has just Emailed me to say that there are three of these for sale on #bay at the moment ... I don't need any , so just passing it on ... I'm not advertising these dropins , so you would have to search for them.
.


----------



## roverjohn

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Just got mine. I was a little disapointed at first indoors but had a chance to use it last night in the woods and Holy Cow. I usually like navigating the woods at night without any light at all but this thing is pretty amazing. A nice even flood of light everywhere without having a super bright hot spot that just makes eveything else look dark. It didn't seem to have much effect on my night vision also which is a welcome change. Definately a keeper. Is it any brighter using more than two cells?


----------



## march.brown

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



roverjohn said:


> Just got mine. I was a little disapointed at first indoors but had a chance to use it last night in the woods and Holy Cow. I usually like navigating the woods at night without any light at all but this thing is pretty amazing. A nice even flood of light everywhere without having a super bright hot spot that just makes eveything else look dark. It didn't seem to have much effect on my night vision also which is a welcome change. Definately a keeper. Is it any brighter using more than two cells?


 The more we use them the more we like them ... My Wife just cannot believe that an old ex-Police 2C can produce this amount of light ... She doesn't know anything about the two 18500 Li-Ions in the 2C , she just uses the torch and loves it ... I use mine with six AA Eneloops , though it is great with two 18650 Li-Ions too ... It's just that I have plenty of Eneloop AA's.
.


----------



## Vesper

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

So I just bought one of these.. It says works in a 2-6 cell maglite, meaning 3v-9v range. Wondering this:

1) Is it brighter at 9v than 3v, or just a longer runtime?

2) Where can I get adapters if I want to use eneloop AA's or 18650s in a maglite D tube?

Thanks


----------



## jsalmika

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

1) I suspect it's both:
Battery comparision - UCL lens
Battery comparision - LDF lens
3D -> 4C -> 2x18650
Perhaps someone else has measured some runtimes.

2) Usually from your home - at least I found some paper and aluminium foil


----------



## Vesper

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Cool, Thanks.


----------



## tigerledz

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Reading this just cost me $25, LoL


----------



## 6thtexas

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Just got mine in today via ebay. 

This is neat! I'm waiting on some 2 AA to D apdapters to arrive. I've got a 3D mag and am planning on running 6 Eneloops in it.


----------



## march.brown

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



6thtexas said:


> Just got mine in today via ebay.
> 
> This is neat! I'm waiting on some 2 AA to D apdapters to arrive. I've got a 3D mag and am planning on running 6 Eneloops in it.


 I have a 2D with six Eneloops in and it is great.
.


----------



## g.p.

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Both of mine have started to work intermittently. It seems to be the contact between the Fusion 36 and the Maglite. If I tighten and loosen the head, and fiddle with them, they'll work for a short time. I cleaned the contacts with isopropyl, but it didn't help much. Any ideas?


----------



## Doogman

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



g.p. said:


> Both of mine have started to work intermittently. It seems to be the contact between the Fusion 36 and the Maglite. If I tighten and loosen the head, and fiddle with them, they'll work for a short time. I cleaned the contacts with isopropyl, but it didn't help much. Any ideas?



It sounds like it's time to invest in a bottle of Deoxit. 

Just received the showerhead in the mail today. Great upgrade! Very pleased with the performance in my 4D Maglite with half-dead akalines; it makes the old workhouse worth using again. I find the tremendous amount of flood useful for my own typical night time tasks.

I'm going to get another one for my 2D mag, but with that one I'm planning on using 6 serial AA NiMH.


----------



## Jash

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

I recently gifted mine to my father. He was very impressed with how bright it was, especially that it will burn just as long if not longer than his old incan bulb that he had.

I'm down to just two mags now - 4D with Malkoff XP-G dropin and 3D with Mac's SST-50 dropin. Probably the two most reliable upgrades a mag can have.


----------



## mccririck

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



Doogman said:


> It sounds like it's time to invest in a bottle of Deoxit.



Expensive in the UK. I'm sure there is a cheaper product which would work.


----------



## tjhabak

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

I had this problem in an old 3D Mag (pre D serial #). It looked like the sides of the module made intermittent contact with the socket, so I folded up a strip of tin foil and wrapped it around the base of the module. So far, it seems to have fixed the problem, and its been 100% reliable.




g.p. said:


> Both of mine have started to work intermittently. It seems to be the contact between the Fusion 36 and the Maglite. If I tighten and loosen the head, and fiddle with them, they'll work for a short time. I cleaned the contacts with isopropyl, but it didn't help much. Any ideas?


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## 51coronet

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

These are listed on Ebay at the moment. Search "Fusion 36 led power module for c or d cell maglite" a smaller combination of that should work. For example "fusion 36" without the quotes or any combination should get you there. Ebay search function is pretty good. $25 and do not see any shipping prices listed. I really do not need any more lights, this thread almost cost me a $20 mag host and another $25 for the module....I will keep it in mind though LOL.


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## march.brown

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



Doogman said:


> I'm going to get another one for my 2D mag, but with that one I'm planning on using 6 serial AA NiMH.


 I've done this with six Eneloops in series and it is brilliant ! ... It will also take two 18650's ... My Wifes 2C is running on two 18500's and that is also great ... She prefers the lightness of the 2C compared to my 2D.
.


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## Vesper

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



g.p. said:


> Both of mine have started to work intermittently. It seems to be the contact between the Fusion 36 and the Maglite. If I tighten and loosen the head, and fiddle with them, they'll work for a short time. I cleaned the contacts with isopropyl, but it didn't help much. Any ideas?



I love this showerhead. Nice bright floody upgrade. When I first put mine in my 2D, the batteries were low (each measured about 1.3) and it did this - on and off - mostly off. As soon as I put fresh batteries in, no problems. Maybe when it goes just under 3v it get blinky.

Where do you guys get good 2AA to D adapters? I've seen some out there on ebay and amazon but reviews say they're junk. Would pay extra for something well made.


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## g.p.

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



Vesper said:


> I love this showerhead. Nice bright floody upgrade. When I first put mine in my 2D, the batteries were low (each measured about 1.3) and it did this - on and off - mostly off. As soon as I put fresh batteries in, no problems. Maybe when it goes just under 3v it get blinky.


You could be right. I put fresh batteries in when I cleaned the contacts and it was good for a week or so of daily use. I'll try new batteries tonight at work without doing anything else and see if that helps...


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## SikDMAX

Im not seeing any currently on eBay.


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## g.p.

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



Vesper said:


> I love this showerhead. Nice bright floody upgrade. When I first put mine in my 2D, the batteries were low (each measured about 1.3) and it did this - on and off - mostly off. As soon as I put fresh batteries in, no problems. Maybe when it goes just under 3v it get blinky.


I tried new batts this week at work and I haven't had the light blink off/on at all. It still seemed pretty bright with the old batteries, but I guess it doesn't like low voltage.

Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:


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## Doogman

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

I performed a quick and dirty ceiling bounce test on various configurations of the Fusion 36 and a few other setups for comparision.


Fusion 36 Showerhead2D Akaline (3.05V)17Fusion 36 Showerhead6AA NiMH (7.71V)33Fusion 36 Showerhead4D Akaline (6.06V)28TerraLux TLE-6EXB2D Akaline (3.05V)6Sipik1AA NiMH8SipikLion (4.10V)20


Comments:

While the Fusion 36 works on 2 cells, you are leaving quite a bit of performance on the table and not utilizing a large part of the capacity of your cells when the Fusion hits the LVC. Using the six NiMH AA in series is sweet, pity the cheap adapters are lame as I had to use a magnet to get a connection. Nevertheless, they seem to work well enough when everything is screwed tight. I'll being ordering another 36 for this flashlight the next time they go on flea bay.

The Fusion 36 works really well with the 4D Maglite. It's hard to beat a 3 minute upgrade that makes the old workhouse 5 times brighter. Now it's worth buying another set of batteries for the club.


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## LEDAdd1ct

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Time for the one year resurrection!

Thinking about putting one of these in an inbound 6C Maglite.

The Maglite is scratched and nicked all over.

My main concern is reliability.


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## russde

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

What kind of runtimes do you see with the 6 AAs


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## DaveG

SikDMAX said:


> Im not seeing any currently on eBay.


 Thay have a web site,google - the fusion lite.


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## EscapeVelocity

I just picked up one off of ebay yesterday. There is one more listed out of 10, 9 have been sold in the last week. Seem to be pretty popular!


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## Sagebrush

I've used a Fusion 36 in my work lite, a 4D and it has lasted over a year now, and thats daily use. I put a second one in a 3D Maglite for the truck and so far so good. When I was doing building inspections the 4D batteries would last almost 2 months using Tenergy Premiums. Haven't run my 3D all the way down yet. 

I'll probably order another, I have a 3D with the factory LED bulb and it sucks compared to the others, but the batteries do last forever with the wimpy oem drop in. Still can't see crap with it though. The Fusion drop in is great around the farm, IMO its best as a work light around the house. I would not buy a MagLite at retail for one of these, but its great for giving new life to free maglites or old ones you have lying around. Even Walmart has decent lights under $20 now. The only reason I like a Maglite is due to the dual purpose design when dealing with shady situations. My LD-20 is plenty bright, but it sucks as a club.


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## EscapeVelocity

Just got this thing and it is all kinds of awesome! All flood, no throw. A wall of light with a bright center that slowly fades in a very wide spill. 

I first put it in my 3D Mag and it worked a treat. Im going to put it in my 6C Mag which resides beside/under the bed. This thing will blind any intruder if you point it in their general direction in the house for 15 seconds and have them seeing spots for a couple of minutes! I really like this drop in!

Does anybody have runtime figures for the Fusion 36? See EDIT

EDIT: I did some reading in the thread and am conservatively guestimating 6 hrs runtime on 6 Cs. 

Ill put a 1 watt NiteIze in the tail cap which should be able to run on Fusion 36 depleted batteries for days at 50 lumens or so...as a backup.

PS - These are advertised as Warm Light these days and mine has a yellowish tint to it around the main hotspot. Really liking this thing!


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## StorminMatt

I actually finally gave in to curiosity a couple of weeks ago and bought a Fusion 36 drop-in. I have to say that my feelings about it are rather mixed, as this piece certainly has its good points and not so good points. As far as its good points, as has been said quite a few times in this thread, the quality of the light put out by this unit is GREAT. If you are using your lights for 'outdoor adventure' use rather than, say, law enforcement or search and rescue, you probably appreciate flood MUCH more than throw. And this unit is probably about the BEST flooder you are going to get your hands on. The hotspot is rather subtle, and transitions rather gently into the spill. In other words, lighting is VERY even. If you use this light on a dark trail, it will light up LARGE areas of land, giving you a good view of the the trail and everything surrounding it. You won't see much 700 feet down the trail. But for 100-150 feet, things will be quite well lit. Additionally, tint is pretty good. The light is on the warm side, but without any of that annoying yellowish green that can plague some other lights. And finally, as others have said, it drops into a Mag in no time.

So what's there not to like? Light output, for one. While the QUALITY of the light output is AWESOME, the brightness is a little underwelming. It's not bad considering the low cost of this drop-in. But it just doesn't live up to the numbers. This unit is advertised as putting out 400-900 lumens. And I can only assume that they mean 400 lumens with two cells and 900 lumens with six cells (and somewhere in between accordingly with 3-5 cells). But you certainly WON'T get 400 lumens with only two cells. Maybe 200-250 tops. And you MIGHT get around 400 lumens with six cells. I'm using five cells. And it's somewhat brighter than my 270 lumen Malkoff drop-in for my 2C. But it's nowhere NEAR as bright as my 600 lumen (on three cells, or 900 on four) Malkoff XM-L2 drop-in. I would estimate maybe 350-400 lumens (or so). Again, it's certainly not bad for $26. But be aware that, if you're expecting 900 lumens from six cells, these ARE 'Chinese lumens'.

I've als had contact problems. This seems to be common with this piece. And it seems to happen quite soon. Sometimes, I would have to turn the head a few turns to get the light to come on. Other times, I would have to hit the light as if it was some junky, cheap light from the 70s. One thing that I have found helpful is running it with the retaining collar in the bulb socket. It would seem like this puts a little more pressure on the bulb base that they use on this unit. Hopefully, it will hold up. But I don't know how much I trust it in the long run. Especially as my main light out on a trail somewhere. It just seems like they could have done better here. But again, this piece was certainly built to a budget.



EscapeVelocity said:


> Does anybody have runtime figures for the Fusion 36?



On 5 C cells, I'm getting a tailcap current of about .85A. With 4000mAH Tenergy Centuras, this works out to be approximately 4.5-5 hours. Given that tailcap current seems to drop slightly with increasing number of cells (there appears to be SOME degree of regulation), 5 hours seems about right with six 4000mAH cells. Of course, the light will run longer with higher capacity cells (like 5000mAH Premium cells).


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## EscapeVelocity

Thanks for the info and the knowledgable review StorminMatt.


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## mccririck

Thinking of getting one of these, are there any others I should consider too?


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## EscapeVelocity

mccririck said:


> Thinking of getting one of these, are there any others I should consider too?



TerraLUX 310M-EX
Malkoff XP-G2
Malkoff XLM-2

in that order. The TerraLUX gives you 3 modes Hi/Med/Lo I believe, for flexibility and battery management. The Malkoff XP-G2 isnt as bright as the XLM-2 but it's cheaper and also has longer runtime and a warmer tinted output, but both are single mode lights.

All are relatively easy to find.


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## mccririck

I notice those are all much more expensive. Think I'll go for the Fusion 36.


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## mccririck

Anyone tried an LED bulb drop-in like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281054985219&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT"

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/TTS-Maglite-Torch-Flashlight-Cree-3-Watt-LED-Bulb-Conversion-Upgrade-2-D-C-Cell-/00/s/MTAyNFgxMTAw/$(KGrHqNHJDkFCrHyUH55BQq3hZCMvQ~~60_12.JPG

*Image tags removed from hot linked image - Norm*


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## funkymonkey1111

that looks alot like one of the terralux retrofits


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## mccririck

funkymonkey1111 said:


> that looks alot like one of the terralux retrofits



Are they any good?


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## 1pt21

mccririck said:


> Are they any good?



I don't see how that could possibly sink heat from the Cree very well. Maybe with an aluminum reflector? Looks nice, but I wouldn't buy it personally..


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## EscapeVelocity

I like the TerraLUX 6EX and 6EXB. But you really need an Orange Peel metal reflector to improve the beam quality and it may help with heat dissipation. Im going to be testing the TerraLUX 6EXB vs the MagLite 3D LED Upgrade bulb in a 3D Maglite with a standard MagLite reflector and a Medium Orange Peel Aluminum reflector when the MOP Aluminum reflectors get here.


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## mccririck

Been using my Fusion 36 at work for the last week in my 2C Maglite. It's good, has a nice warm tint, but one thing that irritates me with it a bit is that the centre of the beam is brighter - it's got a bit of throw if you like, with a huge spill. I prefer flood flashlights to have an even flood beam, and then focusable for if you need a bit more brightness.

The 2C Mag is a bit big and heavy compared to my old LED Lenser T7 as well. And I'd say the 2C last only a bit longer than the 4AAA in the Lenser. But the Lenser is lost...


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## Richwouldnt

REVIVAL TIME

I have two of the Fusion 36 LED shower head MagLite drop ins on the way and one of the Terralux 3 LED 3 mode 310 drop ins coming for my old Maglites which started life as Incandescent models. I have a 2D, a 3D, a 3C and a 4D version so the Terralux will go in the 4D and the Fusions in the 3 cell lights for starters. The 2D already has a red LED conversion in it for night vision preservation astronomy use. The others have old minimal output LED drop-ins in them. As I also have a Fenix TK60 on the way it should be interesting to compare it to the 4D Maglite and Terralux combo as the claimed outputs of both are quite similar. If I do not like the shower heads or Terralux there are always Malkoff conversions. I just wish his Maglite drop ins were muti mode.

I intend to feed everything with NiMh batteries as IMO Alkalines have no business in high output lights. I have the C and D cell NiMH batteries for both and a bunch of Chinese 3AA in parallel to D cell battery holders I recently acquired through eBay. Three hours on Turbo from my Fenix TK50 with two of them filled with 2000 mAh Eneloops. Not too shabby IMO.


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## fangle

Since there's a revival on this thread I will add a comment. 
I have the Fusion 36 in a 4D MagLite and found that it is a great light for night geocaching. We didn't use it for moving around, but when it came time to find the hidden cache at the final location this light was perfect. Held at head height and aimed down it evenly lit a large area for the search.


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## Richwouldnt

Now that the new third generation 500+ lumens Maglites are here I am not sure if there is much point in the upgrades, particularly since many cost more than the new high output, multi mode, electronic switch lights do. If you want a pure flood beam then they make some sense. Otherwise go with the new lights with their enhanced versatility unless the old light is such a friend that it is something you cannot bear to retire.


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## DaveG

I have a Fusion 36 in a 6-d Mag,great flood light, but like walking around with a lit baseball bat.


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## Chrontius

I've got a Fusion module in a Ryobi worklight, (protip: they don't work with the latest generation of Ryobi lights!) and I've yet to figure out what sort of runtime I'm getting. Nice blast of light, and since it's not a pencil beam you can set it back a little way and light up an entire project.

I reach for it more often than many other "nicer" lights. :shrug:


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## StorminMatt

Richwouldnt said:


> Now that the new third generation 500+ lumens Maglites are here I am not sure if there is much point in the upgrades, particularly since many cost more than the new high output, multi mode, electronic switch lights do. If you want a pure flood beam then they make some sense. Otherwise go with the new lights with their enhanced versatility unless the old light is such a friend that it is something you cannot bear to retire.



I disagree. One of the biggest problems with all Mag LED offerings to date is that they employ rather aggressive stepdowns. To me, this makes the rated outputs of these lights rather deceiving. What good is 600+ lumens if it can't hold it there for more than a couple of minutes? If you want something that is actually capable of maintaining high output throughout the life, you are FAR better off with a drop-in like Malkoff than one of the new Mags.


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## chrono110

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*

Hi first post be gentle lol 

Got one of these for my 4d mag and am disappointed with it so far feels cheep and doesn't seem fit for purpose . My old led I got around 5 or 6 years ago outshines the fusion quite drastically From memory the old led was rated as 300 lumens but performs around 180 on alkaline cells. What is the best option to get the most from this drop in as it seems either faulty or underpowered? Also seems to power down or fade the light output almost instantly. 
Cheers


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## DaveG

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



chrono110 said:


> Hi first post be gentle lol
> 
> Got one of these for my 4d mag and am disappointed with it so far feels cheep and doesn't seem fit for purpose . My old led I got around 5 or 6 years ago outshines the fusion quite drastically From memory the old led was rated as 300 lumens but performs around 180 on alkaline cells. What is the best option to get the most from this drop in as it seems either faulty or underpowered? Also seems to power down or fade the light output almost instantly.
> Cheers


 Welcome to CPF, I run mine in a 6-d Mag,dont use it much, but have not had it drop output right away as you have.


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## chrono110

*Re: Budget Showerhead drop-in for Mag. Fusion 36, now available in warm.*



DaveG said:


> Welcome to CPF, I run mine in a 6-d Mag,dont use it much, but have not had it drop output right away as you have.


Thanks 

Got it working now used the foil trick in the bulb holder to improve the connection. Now running well on 5cs in the 4d at 7.5v?, didn't help the batteries were just "heavy dutys" any issues using c cells in a d cell mag?
I am planning to invest in some decent cells would I be right in thinking even though recargable cells are 1.2v not 1.5 each, that with 5c cells (6v) I would probably see an improvement over the 7.5 with alkalines? Any recommendations for brands of cells not to bothered about the weight these things are toys to me lol may even look at a ten cell mag at some point  . Is there any other way to hit the magic 9v with cells I've missed ?


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