# Mag Solitaire bulbs to run on Li-Ion 10440?



## RobertM (Nov 9, 2008)

Are there any 3.7v bulbs that will fit in the Mag Solitaire that I could run on an AW10440? Maybe something about 10-20 incan lumens that won't melt the stock lens or reflector? 

I searched CPF, but couldn't come up with much. The Mag 2AA bulb is too long to fit, I already tried.

Thanks in advance,
Robert


----------



## Chrontius (Nov 9, 2008)

Cool idea - wish I could offer help. Free bump, though.


----------



## jrmcferren (Nov 10, 2008)

Try trimming the leads of a 2AA bulb, see if that helps, it will throw the focus off as the bulb itself is larger.


----------



## RobertM (Nov 10, 2008)

jrmcferren said:


> Try trimming the leads of a 2AA bulb, see if that helps, it will throw the focus off as the bulb itself is larger.



It's funny that you mention that...
I was really excited when I realized that cutting the leads by about 1.5mm would make the entire lamp equal in length to the 1AAA bulb. As I was about to operate on the 2AA bulb... Trimming the leads won't help at all with the length problem--it's the bulb section of the 2AA lamps that makes it too long.

I did find that the 2AA is just short enough that when screwed down against the lens, it's just enough to push in on the switch and turn off the light, but a gap remains and I really don't like it pushing against the lens.

My search continues :laughing:


----------



## jerry i h (Nov 11, 2008)

When you do figure it out, bump this thread? I thought that a 2AA bulb is rated at 2.4v, so a 10440 at 3.7/4.2v and .
I was just on zbattery, and they have OH so many colors: 3 different greens, yellow, amber, pink, red, copper . I know that tek-tite makes a drop-in, but I like your idea much better.


----------



## mudman cj (Nov 11, 2008)

It's tough to find bulbs that small. I found this bulb that could possibly be removed from the metal base without pulling the wires out of the glass envelope. If it was small enough (hard to say from the info I could find) it would be brighter than a 2xAA minimag bulb. The standard maglite 2xAA bulb is 1.8W, while this bulb is rated at 3.96W with 3.6V. Here is another source that includes a picture. And here is another bulb I found that just may be small enough, and is a 3.5W, 3.5V bulb. Best of luck in your search.


----------



## GarageBoy (Nov 12, 2008)

How about a bulb that fits in the head/ignore the reflector?


----------



## RobertM (Nov 14, 2008)

GarageBoy said:


> How about a bulb that fits in the head/ignore the reflector?



While using a bulb without a reflector would probably open up the options for bulbs, I think the output would be pretty poor. LEDs can pull this off sometimes because they are forward emitting, but I'm not too sure it would work too well with an incan.

Robert


----------



## metlarules (Nov 14, 2008)

You might try emailing some of the bulb manufactures and asking them.
You never know.


----------



## RobertM (Nov 14, 2008)

metlarules said:


> You might try emailing some of the bulb manufactures and asking them.
> You never know.



That's not a bad idea. It's too bad that LF doesn't make any. I found a thread from a while back where Mark from LF was asking if people would be interested but everyone told him not to waste his time since everyone liked their 3mm LED mods.


----------



## redsfairlane (Nov 14, 2008)

You need the reflector to operate the switch, don't you? Tightening and loosening the head, moves the reflector on and off of the switch.



GarageBoy said:


> How about a bulb that fits in the head/ignore the reflector?


----------



## turbo chicken (Nov 14, 2008)

***Deleted misinformation****


but... reflector isn't needed...


----------



## labrat (Nov 14, 2008)

turbo chicken said:


> nope the swithc is in the tail cap really... take off the head leave the bulb in and press on the bulb... the light turns off ... the bulb being pushed down by the lense is what activates the switch...
> 
> now take off the back of the flashlight... hold it in one hand and push downward on the spring... the tabs move to contact what would be th body of the flashlight to turn it on...
> 
> hope i splained that good. but... reflector isn't needed...



Sorry, you are totally wrong.
In the tail is a spring, to take the movement of the battery back down the tube when the bezel is screwed down.
The bulb is mounted on a bulb-carrier which is loose from the tube and can be moved in and out/ down the tube, *by the reflector in the bezel when the bezel is screwed down to turn the light off, or out when the light is to be turned on.*
On this carrier is some contacts, which make contact with the tube when the carrier is moved as far out as it can before being stopped by an inward flared edge of the tube.
These contacts make the electrical path from the body/negative of the battery to the bulb.
So you do definitively need the reflector!
It is possible to make the opening in the reflector bigger, a little bit, to accommodate a bigger bulb than the original one.
But not much!
I would estimate another 1 mm diameter opening before the back of the reflector becomes too thin and weak.
So a bulb fitting that hole would fit.


----------



## labrat (Nov 14, 2008)

Actually I find a Strion bulb might fit!
If you do some modification on the carrier and the bulb's leads to make it possible to install the Strion bulb in the bulb-carrier.
The remaining problem is that the heat from the bulb might weaken the plastic reflector so much it might collapse when you screw the bezel down to turn the light off.


----------



## mitch79 (Nov 14, 2008)

You also need to watch the discharge current of the bulb.
A Strion bulb will put too much load on a 10440, exceeding 2C discharge.

My AA [email protected] bulb draws ~400mA with a 10440.


----------



## labrat (Nov 15, 2008)

mitch79 said:


> You also need to watch the discharge current of the bulb.
> A Strion bulb will put too much load on a 10440, exceeding 2C discharge.
> 
> My AA [email protected] bulb draws ~400mA with a 10440.



A Strion bulb draws around 1.7 A on a RCR123 cell.
On a 10440 not much runtime, but for a great impression from a a small light, absolutely!
For the time it lasts!


----------



## mudman cj (Nov 15, 2008)

The concern here is not runtime so much as safety. Li-ion cells with Co chemistry (standard, high capacity) are limited to about 2C discharge rate or they can become too hot. If a Li-ion cell gets too hot, it will enter a thermal runaway reaction which cannot be stopped even by turning the light off. Only  can result at that point. 10440 cells in particular are very thin and seem able to dissipate heat better than other sizes of Li-ion cells. I think this is why they have been used to power lights at 3C without reported incidents. I have recently even read of someone running one at 4C without a problem - yet. But >5C load from a Strion bulb is territory that I wouldn't want to explore. Be safe friends.


----------



## CancerLad (Nov 16, 2008)

Have you thought of trying the 2AAA bulb? 
I know they are rare, but someone somewhere must be selling them.


----------



## RobertM (Nov 16, 2008)

CancerLad said:


> Have you thought of trying the 2AAA bulb?
> I know they are rare, but someone somewhere must be selling them.



In looking at some pictures online, it _appears_ that the 2AAA bulb is about the same length as the 2AA bulb.


----------



## turbo chicken (Nov 17, 2008)

labrat said:


> Sorry, you are totally wrong.


 
Yes I was completely wrong about the operation of the light.

I don't have the reflector in mine and it still works  ... i want to find an optic lense for it now


----------



## BigusLightus (Nov 17, 2008)

Heat was a major problem when I tried something similar in the past.

I think heat will melt the entire plastic socket. I've tried the soli with three or four lamps and everything including the overdriven mag lamp melted some part of the lens and reflector. A 10440 is just pumping out too much power to the tiny lamps. Rayovac makes a 3AA lamp that fits. Even though it is rated for 3.6 Volts it produces more heat than the soli can dissipate. And, I must add, there was a lot of light briefly (poof) but the beams were almost unusable. Some 2AA Mag lamps lasted for thirty seconds and some lasted almost two minutes.

I hope y'all have better luck than I did.


----------



## mitch79 (Nov 20, 2008)

I found a way to get a 2AA Minimag bulb to fit in a Solitaire properly.

Take the head off your Solitaire and remove the bulb.
Now carefully prise out the plastic insert in the centre with a pin. It's retained by two plastic pins. The rest of the switch will fall out when you remove the insert.
Now you need to drill out the centre of the insert with a 1/8" drill bit so the bulb can pass right through. Try not to hold the insert by the pins when you do this or you risk breaking them off.
When done reassemble your Solitare with a Minimag bulb.

Here's a picture of the mod with the bulb removed;





The 2AA Minimag bulb now seats deep enough that it clears the lens with the head screwed down and doesn't need to be screwed all the way off to achieve proper focus. 

Enjoy your Solitaire hotwire


----------



## RobertM (Nov 21, 2008)

mitch79 said:


> I found a way to get a 2AA Minimag bulb to fit in a Solitaire properly.
> 
> Take the head off your Solitaire and remove the bulb.
> Now carefully prise out the plastic insert in the centre with a pin. It's retained by two plastic pins. The rest of the switch will fall out when you remove the insert.
> ...



I was about to give up on this idea until you posted :laughing: 
I take it that the 2AA bulb ran without a problem on the 3.7v 10440? I thought I read in another thread on here in my searches that the 2AA bulb is actually okay up to 4.5v?

Can you elaborate a little more as to how you pull the switch out?

Thanks!
Robert


----------



## mitch79 (Nov 21, 2008)

My charger only charges my 10440 to 4.08V.
Maybe that's a good thing, I haven't flashed a bulb....yet.
My usage has been limited to short bursts of up to 30secs. I haven't experiences any melting problems.

To remove the centre insert put a AAA in the tube to support the switch.
Use a pin, fine tipped hobby knife or small jewellers screwdriver prise out the insert, working around the circumference evenly.


----------



## Robocop (Nov 22, 2008)

This thread is interesting and got me thinking.....I was shopping at the local bass pro shop and naturally found myself in the lighting section as always. I noticed they had two very small bi-pin bulbs that did look as if they may work. I do not know anything about the current draw of these with the 10440 however size wise they look to be small enough. One says it is designed for the 3-C cell while the other says it uses a 3-AAA set up. It should be fine as far as actual voltage goes at least......think these may work??

http://www.testproducts.com/product_info.php?products_id=457


http://www.testproducts.com/product_info.php?products_id=459


----------



## turbosteve (Dec 31, 2008)

RobertM said:


> I was about to give up on this idea until you posted :laughing:
> I take it that the 2AA bulb ran without a problem on the 3.7v 10440? I thought I read in another thread on here in my searches that the 2AA bulb is actually okay up to 4.5v?



A little extra info here albeit probably not much use though, before reading this thread I was doing a 5mm LED mod to my solitaire last weekend and popped in what I thought was the original bi-pin bulb (turned out to be from my 2xAAA minimag) while powered with a 12v A23 battery. Lo and behold the light worked quite OK and it was pretty bright too. I cycled it several times to have some fun and on the 4th or 5th time it insta-'d. I was VERY surprised it handled the voltage from the battery at all. I know they are a low amperage battery that's why thier so great for the LED mods but I was quite impressed it handled the battery.

Steve


----------



## BigusLightus (Jan 1, 2009)

This is the Soli I souped up last year or so. Lots of light. Lots of heat. Ugly beam. This lamp is the only model that did not .


----------



## RobertM (Jan 1, 2009)

BigusLightus said:


> This is the Soli I souped up last year or so. Lots of light. Lots of heat. Ugly beam. This lamp is the only model that did not .



Will the head of the Solitaire screw down all the way without the bulb hitting the lens with these Rayovac lamps? Any beamshots?

Thanks,
Robert


----------



## hank (Jan 2, 2009)

I did something like this by removing the flat plastic lens and replacing it with a little bubble of plastic I found somewhere that cleared the bulb.

No recollection at all what I used, something from the scrap or trash.

Worked fine.


----------



## zs&tas (Jan 9, 2009)

anyone getting anywhere with these ? or can show us some comparison shots outa interest ? 
i just bought a terralux tre 20 1/2 watt led for my 2xaaa mag think that will work quite nice


----------

