# Maglite Solitaire Mod



## ford (Jan 9, 2009)

Hi, 

i got here cuz i wanted to mod my solitair and searched google and found interesting and nice info here on this forum...

so i now like i said.. i want to mod my maglite solitaire and i found this site

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/mods/solitaire2.htm

i need help on the parts that i need and overall i guess how to basically do it..


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## linterno (Jan 10, 2009)

If you are interested, you could better buy ArcMania Super MJ LED 3mm.

This is the one I preferred to use during night walks until my 2 years old daughter asked me to allow her get "la chiquita" (the little one) as she called it. She unscrued the head and dropped it to the floor and the drop-in broke.

Since I finished paying more than $ 22 to get it to my country I didn't replace it anymore, but this is a good drop-in from maglite solitaire.


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## divine (Jan 10, 2009)

Hah, a 12 volt battery in a solitaire? That's kind of crazy.


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## Marduke (Jan 10, 2009)

It's pretty easy. You just need the battery, the 3mm LED, and something to use for a spacer. This can be a rod, bolt, spring, or even rolled up aluminum foil. You replace the bulb the same way you would replace a burnt out bulb, you open and use 3 or 4 of the button cells, and stick in your spacer.


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## ford (Jan 11, 2009)

linterno said:


> If you are interested, you could better buy ArcMania Super MJ LED 3mm.
> 
> This is the one I preferred to use during night walks until my 2 years old daughter asked me to allow her get "la chiquita" (the little one) as she called it. She unscrued the head and dropped it to the floor and the drop-in broke.
> 
> Since I finished paying more than $ 22 to get it to my country I didn't replace it anymore, but this is a good drop-in from maglite solitaire.



hows does this compare with the 12v bat with 3mm 15kmcd LED(http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2547) and 470 ohm resistor? i mean which is better?

cuz i think buying the 15-17k mcd 3mm LEDs + 470 ohm resistor + 12A23 is cheaper...but im not sure which one lasts longer and gives of a much brighter light...


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## greenLED (Jan 11, 2009)

oops, wrong thread. nm me.


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## Marduke (Jan 11, 2009)

ford said:


> hows does this compare with the 12v bat with 3mm 15kmcd LED(http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2547) and 470 ohm resistor? i mean which is better?
> 
> cuz i think buying the 15-17k mcd 3mm LEDs + 470 ohm resistor + 12A23 is cheaper...but im not sure which one lasts longer and gives of a much brighter light...



Well, for less than the real upgrade ($15 shipped), you can get a Fenix E01 which is both brighter AND longer running than either option.

Upgrading a $5 light with a $15-20 dropin is really not cost effective.


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## Fallingwater (Jan 11, 2009)

The easiest way is, I think, to get a 5mm LED, the appropriate resistor and a 10440 LiIon cell. You can swap the 10440 for three 1/3AAA NiMH cells, if you're worried about overdischarging the LiIon.

You'd probably have to tinker with it a bit to get the connections right.


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## ford (Jan 11, 2009)

Marduke said:


> Well, for less than the real upgrade ($15 shipped), you can get a Fenix E01 which is both brighter AND longer running than either option.
> 
> Upgrading a $5 light with a $15-20 dropin is really not cost effective.



well actually my plan is just to use my maglite solitaire and because it is just here and itsn't actually being used...so not really want to buy/replace my maglite right now...just want to upgrade/mod it and make it lot more brighter...

thats why i was just looking at the 3mm LED cuz that way, i could just re insert the LED pretty much just like replacing the old light with a new one...and then just use the A23 battery and a resistor...

im trying to avoid the 5mm LEDs cuz i dont want to modify my reflector so that the 5mm LED would fit...and all that stuff...


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## spaceconvoy (Jan 12, 2009)

Marduke said:


> Well, for less than the real upgrade ($15 shipped), you can get a Fenix E01 which is both brighter AND longer running than either option.
> 
> Upgrading a $5 light with a $15-20 dropin is really not cost effective.



I know that CPF people think of the solitaire as a joke, but it deserves a little credit. I tried the E01 and it's thicker and nastier feeling than the solitaire. I hate that feeling of knurled aluminum... the solitaire is so much nicer to hold. That said, incan bulbs suck.


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## johnwoo (Apr 11, 2011)

I know this is an old thread, but i think it's the best place for my question:


I need to install a push button on my maglite solitaire. This is to perform eye exam at the hospital. Anyone know what kind of button can i install? i would also want to keep the keyring.

thanks in advance!


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## CaNo (Apr 30, 2011)

johnwoo said:


> I know this is an old thread, but i think it's the best place for my question:
> 
> 
> I need to install a push button on my maglite solitaire. This is to perform eye exam at the hospital. Anyone know what kind of button can i install? i would also want to keep the keyring.
> ...


 
I wonder if they even make those....


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## Changchung (Apr 30, 2011)

I try it time ago, I will recomend you that bought a AAA light, you will get a brighter light and maybe smaller.

Check this out

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/waterp...e-memory-240-lumen-led-flashlight-1-aaa-47661


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## Changchung (Apr 30, 2011)

This one had switch in the tail cap

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultraf...n-white-led-flashlight-with-strap-1-aaa-47702


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## Spade115 (Sep 14, 2015)

I had one of these maglite solitaire's and loved it, but became obsolete when I started buying 9-LED flashlights, wondered if anyone has done any mods to it? 

I see the 3mm LED w/button batteries. which seems pretty cool to try. just add a longer spring right?


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## DrafterDan (Sep 14, 2015)

honestly, the inexpensive multi-LED flashlights aren't a good candidate for high-level modding. They usually run from 3x AAA batteries, so not much capacity for a power-hungry LED, let alone several of them. Not to mention they generally don't have much material involved for removing lots of heat. 







We can put out over 1,000 lumens from a pretty standard triple LED nowadays, running a single 18650. 

I'm pretty sure most of us have owned a solitare at some point. Mine met the fate of probably most of them, where the alkaline battery leaked and glued everything into a solid mass. I've seen some mods for this light, you might do some searching on this forum.


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## more_vampires (Sep 17, 2015)

johnwoo said:


> I know this is an old thread, but i think it's the best place for my question:
> I need to install a push button on my maglite solitaire. This is to perform eye exam at the hospital. Anyone know what kind of button can i install? i would also want to keep the keyring.
> thanks in advance!





CaNo said:


> I wonder if they even make those....


Niteize makes them for Minimag, never seen one for Solitaire. AFAIK, that model kind of dead-ended as far as modding due to massive size constraints in the room you've got to work with.

There's still stuff you can do trying to run the Minimag AAx2 bulb in the Solitaire, slightly over driven with the right lion at just the right discharge level. Definitely not for noobs though.


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## Rowdybandit (Mar 4, 2019)

Bump. I've got a LOT of solitaires, and am having a hard time finding a tailswitch solution. I really do not like twist switches.


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## Icarus (Mar 9, 2019)

As far as I know they don't exist for the Solitaire. :shrug:


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## AER-Lights (Mar 30, 2019)

@ Rowdybandit

I was going over the thread and can’t help but find the ”challenge” interesting. Which could potentially lead to a custom built solution.
I do have a couple of questions for you though.
- How many would you be looking for?
- Is color anodizing a requirement?
- How much current do you need?

Having said that I’m currently engaged in another project so this is not something likely to happen soon.


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## snakebite (Apr 15, 2019)

problem with a tailswitch is that it negates the purpose of a solitaire.
that being keyring use.
as for a mod i use a 5mm high cri led whos vf is friendly to dd from a 10440 li-ion.
and can take silly overdrive.
in fact this mod outperforms a stock led solitaire.
main reason i did this is a incan solitaire is often found free or dirt cheap.
so if you get one that hasnt died of alkaleak this brings a second lease on life.


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## ampdude (Apr 19, 2019)

I have always thought it would be great to have a clicky option for the Solitaire. Now with the warm LED version out this seems even more like a great idea.


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