# “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”



## pizzaman (Nov 10, 2005)

“World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade” say the headlines.

I’m probably not the first to do it this way, but I haven’t seen it written up in the group yet. So here goes.

I wanted to use my trusty, but outdated, mag 3D light as a platform for some basic mods. The simplest seemed to be upgrading to 4C cells. The C batteries are smaller in diameter, so an adaptor would be needed. The 4C cells are longer than 3D cells, so a mod to the spring in the rear cap would be needed. The flashlight already has a Radio Shack XPR103, xenon 3.6v bulb installed.

Just for grins, before I started cutting and grinding, I popped in the 4C cells. I looked at the spring and thought it might work inverted. I pulled out the spring and spare bulb holder. I flipped the spring over and installed it back in the cap. I screwed the cap back on, hit the switch and Wow! It worked! No cutting, no adaptors, the batteries do not rattle (I’ve tried), and no permanent mods.

Plus+ 
Easy. Anyone can do this mod in less than a minute. Inexpensive, just the cost of 4C cells. Fully reverseable in a minute. Use the same bulb.(EDIT: I don't recommend using the maglite 3 cell xenon bulb). Significant increase in whiteness and brightness over a stock mag 3D. Superior runtime compared to pocket sized bright torches.

Minus-
No more room for spare bulb in base of flashlight (keep a spare in the glove box). Unknown life span of bulb, but so far so good with other lights.

What a great way to get newbies or non-tech folks into modding flashlights.

Non-scientific test time-

I pulled out a matching 3D mag (Krypton 3.6v), put in fresh batteries and compared. The 3D was weak and sickly yellow in comparison. I can’t go back now. The difference in performance goes way beyond a simple upgrade from krypton to xenon bulbs. I also tried what I think is mag white star krypton bulb in the stock 3D light. (the bulb has straight sides with a small lens at the top). It did not appear brighter than the krypton, but had more beam artifacts. Maybe somebody can ID this bulb (It says “MEXICO MSA3” on the base).

Currently I have contact paper on the rear of the lenses of all my mags as a diffuser. It works great to smooth out the beam at minimal cost and effort (also fully reversible). 

Next, I did some quick and dirty testing in my darkened basement. Side by side tests with a SFA2 and a $20 Cylops xenon 2, CR123 cell flashlight. I’ll test for throw after it gets dark out.

Mag vs. Cyclops: 
Mag whiter, brighter and better beam.

Mag vs. A2:
A2 whiter. I don’t know how much of that is the added blue/white color of the 3 LEDs that also light up. Brightness, A2 may have an edge, but the mag has diffuser that will reduce this. The mag with diffuser has a better quality and brighter spill with less definition to the edge of the spill.

Mag without diffuser vs. A2: 
This evened things up a bit. The brightness is fairly similar and whiteness of the mag slightly increased. The mag had a very defined edge to the spill. Down-side, the beam is chock full of classic maglite artifacts. Yuck. Back goes the diffuser. Walking around the basement, the A2 and mag are equally functional with a slight edge to the A2 for whiteness (I understand SF drives this bulb pretty hard with its regulated output). Also slight edge in brightness for the A2. This is a guess since the whiter light may be deceiving my eyes into believing it is also brighter.

Impressions- 
Cyclops: Great, low cost beater light (If you can find affordable replacement bulbs)
SF A2: What can I say. This is arguably the coolest, most versatile pocket flashlight made.
Mag 3D/4C: Simple inexpensive mod, that gets this tuff old light off its lazy arse.

For peace of mind, I’ll probably go ahead and fabricate a PVC pipe battery adaptor for the 4C, (this baby still has responsibilities as a “persuader”). I know the xenon bulb shouldn’t be overdriven this hard, but I have put this same RS XPR103 bulb in three different 4D lanterns, with the same superb results. Only time will tell what the lifespan is for this bulb, but I have no worry about “flashing” the filament. Till one pops, I’ll keep running my 4 cell flashlights with this bulb.

I’m liking this mag 4C enough that I may pony up for a nice aluminum MOP or stippled reflector. Maybe even a high quality lens.

I wish I had some test equipment so I could provide the group with precise measurements. I would love to know what kind of output is possible with a 3.6v xenon driven with 4C alkaline cells.

Have fun, TR


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## NotRegulated (Nov 10, 2005)

Wow. Neat.


Could I use the stock Mag 3D bulb with the 4 C's?


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## pizzaman (Nov 10, 2005)

QUOTE: "Could I use the stock Mag 3D bulb with the 4 C's?"

NotRegulated,

If it is a maglite 3 cell xenon bulb, do so at your own risk. I tried a 3 cell mag xenon bulb in a 4 cell lantern and it lasted exactly one second. If it is a krypton bulb it is worth a try. The maglite 4 cell xenon would of course work well, have a decent bulb life, and should still be a nice improvement over a stock 3D mag.

Go to Radio Shack and pick up a few different bulbs to play with (the cost is minimal). I believe they have krypton bulbs in 3.6v and 4.5v. I have run the 3.6v krypton without problems in a 4 cell. Just for grins I tried the Radio Shack 3.6v xenon in 4 cell lantern. It is a nice improvement over the krypton bulb (bigger, brighter, whiter hotspot) and seems to be MUCH more robust compared to the maglite xenon I tried. I have upgraded all my 4 cell lanterns with the RS 3.6v xenon bulbs.

Follow up: The sun is gone and I did a backyard sweep with the 3D/4C mag and the SF A2. Both were superb. I actually like the mag a little better for this job (large suburban yard with lots of trees and bushes). I opened up the hotspot a bit and was able to light up a large area of the yard with superb spill for peripheral view. Note: this is with the diffuser film on the mag. I still think the A2 is marginally brighter and whiter, but for my backyard sweep the larger hot spot and the superb even spill of the modded mag was preferred. I'll do some throw tests later to see how they compare when distance is required.

Keep us posted on your test.

TR


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## SJACKAL (Nov 10, 2005)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*

If you use a 8AA-2D adapter on a 2D mag, you can use a 6cell KPR bulb, or a 7cell KPR if you can find it. Smaller package, brighter and whiter beam.


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## WDR65 (Nov 10, 2005)

I've done the 5C upgrades to my 4D maglites but tonight I tried this with a 2D mag. It didn't work as the C's are almost to the top of the tube. So I grabbed a 2D Rayovac that I never use and ripped the spring out of it as it was smaller. I shoved it into the tailcap recess where the spare bulb normally is and it works fine. A big improvement over 2D cells. 
Oh yeah. I've been running a Magnum Star bulb (xenon I think) in one 4D and no problems so far. In fact it focuses down better than the standard bulb or so it seems to me.


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## greenLED (Nov 11, 2005)

NotRegulated said:


> Could I use the stock Mag 3D bulb with the 4 C's?



The 3D Mag in my car is setup exactly that way. No bulb burned in nearly 4 years of (infrequent) use.


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## WhiteHot (Nov 11, 2005)

That was one of my first mods too. Free mods are great


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## Icebreak (Nov 11, 2005)

My RS XPR103 xenon you told me about has been performing flawlessly every evening for several days in the Dorcy artoodeetoo 4D lantern.

Free mods, yes I'll second that.


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## chrisse242 (Nov 11, 2005)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*

I have a 3D that I'm using this way with 4c-nimh's and the standard mag 3C-cell bulb. Never tried it with alkalines, but the 4 nimh's produce a nice bright and white beam. I'll have to find a Pelican Big Ed rechargeable bulb sometime, this should be even brighter as far as I've heard.

Chrisse


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## sniper (Nov 11, 2005)

pizzaman said:


> “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade” say the headlines. ]Have fun, TR[/size][/font]



Thanks, TR I am gonna try it. I have a new 3D mag that is just dying for some sorrt of attention.


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## pizzaman (Nov 11, 2005)

QUOTE: "Thanks, TR I am gonna try it. I have a new 3D mag that is just dying for some sorrt of attention."

That's how I feel about my maglites. I have a love/hate relationship. These lights were the ultimate torch for the common man back in the 80s. They are now showing their age and dated technology. 

I got sick of the crappy beam and low runtime from my mini-mags. The nite-ize drop in LED upgrade was a superb solution. Nice white smooth beam. I load them with AA lithium batts and they make a perfect car light. Easy on the eyes while reading a map, looooong run time, no worries of leakage, and good output when cold. The mini-mags are staying.

My mag 3Ds were the final bugger. I recently picked up a pair of Dorcy 1w 3D lights ($19 on sale at Target). These really impressed me and make the mag 3d look bad for my purposes. I just can't justify $40 for an EverLed for my mags when I can replace the whole light with a Dorcy for $22. At the same time I am attached to these old maglites and can't toss them or sell them, so it was time for the mag 3Ds to earn their keep.

As an FYI, I dropped by my neighborhood hardware store today and picked up one foot of schedule 40 electrical PVC in size "1 inch". (Cost 90 cents). It is a near perfect C to D cell adapter tube. I cut the tube to 7 1/4 inches (to give clearance for the tail cap) and dropped it in the mag 3D. In go the 4 C cells and on goes the tail cap. Nice. I have no worries now about the C cells shifting under duress causing a circuit failure.

Good luck, TR


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## ROVER (Nov 12, 2005)

Regarding this not working in the 2D mag, 

I just stripped and coiled up a fat piece of single strand copper wire to replace the standard spring. I use two female to female pipe fittings between the 3cs and it works perfectly in a 2D.


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## cratz2 (Nov 12, 2005)

Yeah, for quite a while my large car light/beater was a red 3D with 4 C cells on a 3 cell krypton bulb. Very impressive with a sputtered reflector. I've found that with 4 C cells in the 3D body, if I press the tailcap, then turn backwards then turn forward, I can even retain the stock spring. I've also removed the bulb and just beat the tar out of the light trying to get the cells to shift so that contact is no longer made (by checking again with a bulb) and it ALWAYS lit up every single time.

I have instaflashed a couple 3 cell Mag-brand Xenons, even on cells with over a half hour use. I might have to try the Radio Shack Xenons.

On the tight focusing issue, I have definately noticed that the Xenon Mag bulbs have a very tight focus, much tighter than the Krypton. Again, with my sputtered reflectors, the Xenon looks like it focuses down to a pin point while from maybe 3 to 5 feet while the Krypton bulb focuses down to about 3 inches at the same distance.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Dec 14, 2005)

I was doing these "mods" WELL before I ever heard of CPF.

Another cheap thing to do is take extra time to make sure your bulb is centered. I used to shim the pedestal, tweak the PR base etc. I still tweak, but use the cam action to figure out centering. 

A 3D with 4AA NimH and a diffusing lense was one of my faves before the super hotwires came along!


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## mattyg (Jan 7, 2006)

pizzaman said:


> As an FYI, I dropped by my neighborhood hardware store today and picked up one foot of schedule 40 electrical PVC in size "1 inch". (Cost 90 cents). It is a near perfect C to D cell adapter tube. I cut the tube to 7 1/4 inches (to give clearance for the tail cap) and dropped it in the mag 3D. In go the 4 C cells and on goes the tail cap. Nice. I have no worries now about the C cells shifting under duress causing a circuit failure.



I went out and got some pvc pipe this morning for my 3D -> 4C and can affirm the perfectness of the fit. Thanks for the great idea! Cost me exactly .25 cents.


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## sidespill (Jan 8, 2006)

I made a 3C to 2D sleeve using the large M&M minis tube. The C's fit perfectly after you eat the M&M's.


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## Icebreak (Jan 8, 2006)

Sweet.


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## Varmint1 (Jan 9, 2006)

I'm new around here so forgive me. I'm a little confused. 

To do this, do I use a Krypton or a Xenon bulb? Mag or Radio Shack?

Thanks


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## Icebreak (Jan 9, 2006)

Radio Shack XPR103, xenon 3.6v.


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## tslewisz (Jan 12, 2006)

Hi, all,

First post...and the 3D to 4C was my first mod. I'm using a new, stock Maglite, 3D Krypton bulb and it's working fine on alky's. The 15 year-old stocker blew immediately.


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## Paper Lawyer (Jan 12, 2006)

Guys, presumably the 3.6v bulb will only take the 4.8v from 4 NimH c cells, or will 6v from 4 alkaline C cells be Ok? 

I've got these bulb options easily available to me in the UK:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=20730&TabID=2&WorldID=&doy=12m1


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## Rommul (Jan 12, 2006)

My XPR103's work fine on alkalines.

The alkalines prolly sag way below 1.5 v under load anyway.


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## ghostrider (Jan 12, 2006)

I too did this mod. Only now I am practicing sputtering my reflectors instead of the contact paper. The 4C alkies didn't blow my stock bulb either (brand new). I also tried cutting a 1/4" hole in the center of the contact paper and seemed to get a little better throw. 

I've used the Dorcy and Ace Hardware 3D xenon bulbs, and both flashed.


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## Icebreak (Jan 12, 2006)

I mentioned this to pizzaman a while back when he was figuring his mod. I was surprised the XPR103 didn't blow. Xenon's usually don't like overdrive at all. I think the XPR103 is a found jewel. I'm telling ya I tried all kinds of lamps to beat it in this configuration and it is the champ.


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## colubrid (Jan 12, 2006)

Icebreak said:


> Radio Shack XPR103, xenon 3.6v.


 
thanks I was wondering the same thing


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## Tremendo (Jan 12, 2006)

My Mag 3D has been stock for years. I just switched the bulb to the Radio Shack XPR103, xenon 3.6v. Much better beam, even on beat batteries. Good tip!


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## bestcounsel (Oct 11, 2006)

Im lost, i thought xenons blew and kryptons could take the overdrive of 4C's?

....


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## pizzaman (Oct 11, 2006)

"Im lost, i thought xenons blew and kryptons could take the overdrive of 4C's?"
 
bestcounsel,

The RadioShack XPR103 bulb seems to be a freakish exception to the rule. I am running this bulb in all my 6V flashlights and spotlights with superb results.
 
Also, do some searching and try frosting the bulb. It is simple to do and provides a nice beam w/o the typical maglite artifacts.
Cheers, TR


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## bestcounsel (Oct 11, 2006)

Thats a big 10-4 ill give them a try....


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Oct 11, 2006)

Frosting is the ONLY way for incandescent these days! If it's light but EVEN coverage, brightness doesn't suffer much but beam quality LEAPS forward!

I don't have any M*gs set up this way (all either HOTwire or M*gled) but do have one Smith & Wesson and one GreatNeck 3D done up as 4Cs with frosted bulbs. Made each of those lights CONSIDERABLY better!


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## Jasmes (Oct 11, 2006)

Anyone have beamshots?


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## BigusLightus (Oct 13, 2006)

After reading this thread last night I just had to get a RS XPR103 and put it in my stock Mag 4D. It out throws the Mag 4 D Xenon but it is not as tight on the focus. Perhaps some tinkering with the centering will help.

Thanks to everyone for the bulb advice! I will be getting more of these today for my 6 volt lanterns.


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## shadowbuds (Oct 13, 2006)

Pizzaman, Thank You! I will now actually WANT to grab my 3d(4c) mag now! It is so simple and it makes it what seems 2x brighter! I had my mag in the corner of my room for a long time, it will now be put to use.

To ANYONE that has a 3D maglite and hasn't/doesn't want to "mod" it, this isn't a mod, it's a simple change of batteries which will change your crappy mag into something useful.

*EDIT : I had my doubts about rattling batteries but they don't move an inch.

EDIT #2: Forgot to add, i'm using the STOCK bulb, going to buy the 3.6v bulb at radio shack right now.
*


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## bestcounsel (Oct 14, 2006)

One problem, i have checked 2 local radioshacks and they did not have the bulb. 


Ill keep trying


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## shadowbuds (Oct 14, 2006)

I have the same exact problem. I walked in there and asked for the bulb I needed and the girls respons was... "uh, we only carry flashlight bulbs" as she points to the 3 maglites and only flashlights...

Oh well.​


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## pizzaman (Oct 14, 2006)

"One problem, i have checked 2 local radioshacks and they did not have the bulb." 

Looks like I better rush down to my local RadioShack and clean out their supply before the hoarders get them.
 
Holy crap, I am checking the RS website right now and I don't even see any xenon replacement bulbs. Just a lousy bunch of kryptons. D'oh!!!
 
What a colossal disapointment. RadioShack was one of my favorite stores for most of my life. As a kid in the 60s I could spend an hour or more wandering the aisles and fantasizing about owning so many of the cool goodies there. In high school I spent several years working at radio shack. A major perk was having unlimited batteries to run demolition derbies with the radio controlled cars during slack time.
 
Over the last 10 years watching them methodically eliminate small electronic replacement components and dropping the ham radio gear has been painful. You can't even buy coax by the foot there anymore. Just prepackaged, preterminated, pregurgitated, turnkey products for morons. 
 
It seems now that unless you want to be high pressured to buy a cell phone, that RadioShack has little to offer.
 
TR (Going in the corner to sulk over this recent development)


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## pizzaman (Oct 14, 2006)

There is still hope. I just googled "xpr103" and found-

http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/xpr103~usa.html

don'sbulbs claims to have 5600 of these in stock.

If I can't scrounge some leftovers at RS I might give these a try.

No guarantees it is the same as the RS bulb, but sure worth a shot for the possible performance.

I found the RS page for the XPR103 cached on google here:
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:roGgAhA52YkJ:www.radioshack.com/sm-3-6v-800ma-replacement-lamp-pk-1--pi-2062390_tb-features.html+xpr103&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=8

more surfing provided a possible Dorcy solution:
http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=411690

The link calls it krypton and the description is KPR, but the pic is clearly xenon. I found a thread here at cpf:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/700

Unfortunately most of the links for the Dorcy bulb show "out of stock". I'm wondering if Dorcy was the mfg for the xpr103 and they stopped production.

Even sears is showing out of stock. What a shame if we cannot find a comparable xenon bulb for this application. It is so much better than the 3 cell krypton bulbs or the other 4c xenon bulbs. I tried a couple of the maglite magnumstar xenon 3 cell bulbs with instaflash results.

Does anyone have experience with comparing the Carley xenon star 3 cell bulb to the xpr103?


TR


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## Icebreak (Oct 14, 2006)

This is bad news. They discontinued one of the best lamps they had. They should have built a RS flashlight around the XPR 103.

Here's a Canadian eBay sale. I don't know how to do that so I sent the seller some questions.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Oct 14, 2006)

I've always been happy enough with 3 cell Krypton bulbs. I'm even driving one with 5AA in a 3D light that seems to have some resistence issues!

I also drive a 3 cell Krypton with 2x123 in a couple lights, a 4 cell K with 6AA in a couple, and a 6 cell with 8AA in one.


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## Duff72 (Oct 14, 2006)

looked on radio shack website and could only find a kpr103 which is a krypton bulb am i missing something?


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## swampgator (Oct 15, 2006)

Went to one of the local RS today. XPR103 is listed as being a close out item according the store I was in. Paid $ 0.97 each bulb. Bought out the whole supply (2). I'll hit another RS tomorrow to see what they have.


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## ecnica (Oct 15, 2006)

swampgator said:


> Went to one of the local RS today. XPR103 is listed as being a close out item according the store I was in. Paid $ 0.97 each bulb. Bought out the whole supply (2). I'll hit another RS tomorrow to see what they have.


 
Well this bites, I just paid like $2.29 for 1 bulb (xenon)a few hours ago, they had about 5-7 left, and I picked up the last RS Streamlight gold led stylus for $5 also.


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## swampgator (Oct 15, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



ecnica said:


> Well this bites, I just paid like $2.29 for 1 bulb (xenon)a few hours ago, they had about 5-7 left, and I picked up the last RS Streamlight gold led stylus for $5 also.


 
Yep. Truthfully the RS I went to is the only one in a town of about 15K population. The big city next door has 300K population and several RS stores. Will be checking on them later today. 

As I recall almost all the bulbs I looked at were $1.59 each for the RS brand. But I didn't spend a whole lot of time in the store. It was closing soon and I figured the owner would probably like to take off early.

*edit:*
Went to another RS today. Several XPR103 in the bin. Also they weren't stickered as being closeout and they were retailing for $1.59 for a single bulb.


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## tvman (Oct 16, 2006)

I checked one local RS about 1 month ago and they said the xpr 103 was discontinued. Also a month ago, I found it on Sears website as a Dorcy xpr 103 xenon but only found Dorcy Xenon H??? (3 cell) and Dorcy kpr 103's at the store.

RS said the xpr103 had been devalued in October but it still was $2.29 each. North of the River I found two.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Oct 16, 2006)

The store that was near me in Houston had a decent selection of stuff.

The store in Cleveland has moved from where they were, so probably don't have as good a selection. Ditto the store in Livingston.

That said, given the chance I'll check both stores.

It has been RAINING here since about 3AM... if we don't float away that is!!!!


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## onlinewarlord (Oct 16, 2006)

Stock 3D mag running on 3D's






Stock 3D mag running on 4C's


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## Nubo (Oct 16, 2006)

I have found a bulb "kpr139" that is more robust when using 4 cells. I experimented with some "3 cell" bulbs. As stated, the xenon were short-lived with 4 cells. the kryptons do better but still fairly short life -- I had several burn out after an hour or two, which is discouraging despite the nice output. The krp139 is rated slightly higher voltage - 3.85 vs 3.6. But also has a significantly thicker filament and draws about 1 amp so what you lose by slightly less overdrive you make up for in wattage. Very nice light and good life with 4 cells. I normally use with 4 AA NiMH and have gone over 20 hours -- never burned out but I replaced it because the glass was starting to get darker. I don't have a link handy, but if you search kpr139, I know I've posted one before for online sales. "Topbulb.com", I think.... Four C Alkalines might do ok with this bulb. 4 AA alkalines do nicely for awhile but 1 amp is asking a lot of a AA alkaline.


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## Colorado Fatboy (Oct 16, 2006)

Varmint1 said:


> I'm new around here so forgive me. I'm a little confused.
> 
> To do this, do I use a Krypton or a Xenon bulb? Mag or Radio Shack?
> 
> Thanks



OK, I'm confused now too. I searched on the Radio Shack web site and could not find the XPR103, only the KPR103 which is Krypton.

So I made a call the the local RS and he said they only have the Krypton bulb. Said "they do not carry Xenon bulbs"

Do they not carry this anymore? Will the Krypton bulb work?

Thanks.


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## swampgator (Oct 16, 2006)

I think the XPR103 is being phased out. Don't know if they plan on another Xenon bulb. 

As I understand it, a Kryton (KPR103) can handle overdriving a little better than the Xenon bulb.


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## pizzaman (Oct 16, 2006)

To do this, do I use a Krypton or a Xenon bulb? Mag or Radio Shack?

In a normal world, since this is now a 4 cell flashlight you would use a 4 cell bulb. Xenon and Krypton both work fine. You can even use halogen 4 cell bulbs (though in my experience, they seem to have too large a filament and horrible beam artifacts). The Xenon bulbs tend to be a bit brighter, a bit whiter, have a longer bulb life, and cost a little more. I tend to prefer xenon if I have the option.

Since CPF is not a normal world (heck we already have you stuffing too many of the wrong type of cells into a flashlight), we are always looking for an edge. Some have tried using a 3 cell krypton bulb in this four cell flashlight (overdriving the bulb) for a brighter light. Krypton seems to be more tolerant of overdriving compared to xenon. When a 3 cell xenon is used in a 4 cell light it is common for the bulb to "instaflash" and burn out on power up, or have a very short bulb life.

Through mostly dumb luck, I stumbled onto the RadioShack XPR103 bulb. It is meant for a 3 cell light, but seems to handle the 4 cell over voltage nicely. It seemed to be the best "over the counter" solution to this 4 cell quickie upgrade. With it being discontinued we will have to scrounge the remaining bulbs from RadioShack or find other solutions.

Do they not carry this anymore? Will the Krypton bulb work?
 
Take a few moments and read this entire thread. RadioShack has indeed discontinued all xenon (and halogen) flashlight bulbs.

If you want long bulb life, stick with 4 cell bulbs. The Maglite Magnum Star xenon bulb is probably the best solution. Next would be any krypton 4 cell bulb. If you want to push things a bit for more/whiter output, you can use a 3 cell krypton bulb (still available at RadioShack).

For that matter, you can just leave the stock 3 cell bulb in your light and see how it performs and how long it will last. Just swap out the batteries, flip the spring, and use it as is.

Good luck, TR


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## Colorado Fatboy (Oct 16, 2006)

Opps, it helps to read the second page of the thread!

I'll check a few stores around town and see what I come up with.

For now I put the 4 c's in with the stock bulb! Looks great we'll see what happends.

Thanks for the tip!


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Oct 16, 2006)

It's more than likely all in my mind, but I have had good luck using M*g Krypton bulbs.

Generally speaking, the M*g Xenon Stars will have a tighter beam. But use a 4 cell Xenon Star or  is likely!


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## Icebreak (Oct 16, 2006)

pizzaman -

I put my last XPR103 in a, get this, Mag4C. It has a PMR (medium stipple) reflector so the flood actually works. Tight focus is beautiful and throws very well. You'd think I'd be happy about this. No XPR103s left in this town. I have to go cry now while I mourn the end of this magical lamp.


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## Rommul (Oct 17, 2006)

I am too lazy to check right now (on the wya out the door).

But does this bulb match what others have bought from radio shack.

http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/xpr103~usa.html

I will check myself when I come back in.


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## swampgator (Oct 17, 2006)

Icebreak said:


> pizzaman -
> No XPR103s left in this town. I have to go cry now while I mourn the end of this magical lamp.


 
I have drained the supply in two RS stores locally. Would have hit another today but feel like fighting rush hour traffic in the busiest part of town. But I'll hit it later this week. I'll pick up as many XPR103s as they have. Bought a couple of the KPR103s day before yesterday as well. So I have few to play with.

BTW just finished frosting a generic 3D bulb tonight. Wow! I like it. Nice very tight beam. No beam shots yet but I think I'll take a KPR103 and take some befores then frost and take some afters.


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## Rommul (Oct 17, 2006)

Rommul said:


> I am too lazy to check right now (on the wya out the door).
> 
> But does this bulb match what others have bought from radio shack.
> 
> ...



It seems to be the same bulb.


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## pizzaman (Oct 17, 2006)

No XPR103s left in this town. I have to go cry now while I mourn the end of this magical lamp.
 
Icebreak,

We need somebody to pull the trigger and buy some of the XPR103s from don'sbulbs. If those don't pan out I'll start a CPF support group to cope with the withdrawl symptoms.

TR


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## Icebreak (Oct 18, 2006)

Reference to the lamp on Don’sBulbs.

Radio Shack’s site and the blister pack for XPR103s show .800mA not .750mA.

The RS XPR103 has X3B3A 3.6V0.8A JAPAN printed on it. The blister pack states manufactured in Japan for RS.

Looking at the cross-references we see Philips and BRI LUX.

PHILIPS is Netherlands. I don’t know where all their factories are.

BRI LUX is China.

This may be significant. I’m not sure this is the real deal. I’ve noticed some performance capability differences in lamps that are similarly specked that is not so much country specific but relationally speck/country/factory specific.

Case in point:

The Mag 6 cell lamp. The OEM lamp says 6 CELL JAPAN. Not a terrible performer when overdriven. The Mag White Star 6 cell replacement lamp is Honk Kong. Not to bad but I’m unimpressed with it. The Mag-Num Star Xenon 6 cell is Mexico. It’s a very nice replacement but does not like overdrive. The KPR118 (sometimes confused with the Mag 6 cell OEM) is China. Not the best direct replacement but handles overdrive like a champ.

So that’s four lamps with the same Voltage/Amperage/Base specks made by different factories using different, filaments, gases and potting material. All of these lamps perform differently.

Because the RS XPR103 is such a surprising performer I think it would be good if we could find a source for the exact real deal, otherwise we won’t really be using pizzaman’s xenon jewel.


----------



## Icebreak (Oct 18, 2006)

swampgator said:


> I'll pick up as many XPR103s as they have.



If you find a honey hole think of me. I can cover the gas.



swampgator said:


> BTW just finished frosting a generic 3D bulb tonight. Wow! I like it. Nice very tight beam. No beam shots yet but I think I'll take a KPR103 and take some befores then frost and take some afters.


Oh, great. You're dipping XPR 103s in acid. Rub it in why don't ya. Just Kidding. I think frosting them will yield similar results to non-frosted in a stippled reflector. Nice and smooth and the flood will actually work.


----------



## Icebreak (Oct 18, 2006)

pizzaman said:


> No XPR103s left in this town. I have to go cry now while I mourn the end of this magical lamp.
> 
> Icebreak,
> 
> ...



TR -

A support group would be a fine thing. I'll bring the beer. Now, what would go with beer? Hmmm. Any suggestions?


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## jayhackett03 (Oct 18, 2006)

SJACKAL said:


> If you use a 8AA-2D adapter on a 2D mag, you can use a 6cell KPR bulb, or a 7cell KPR if you can find it. Smaller package, brighter and whiter beam.


 
whats KPR? edit: (nevermind, ended up reading the whole thread after all)


----------



## swampgator (Oct 18, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



Icebreak said:


> If you find a honey hole think of me. I can cover the gas.
> 
> 
> Oh, great. You're dipping XPR 103s in acid. Rub it in why don't ya. Just Kidding. I think frosting them will yield similar results to non-frosted in a stippled reflector. Nice and smooth and the flood will actually work.


 
Actually no, I frost them using 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I was bored at my in-laws. That and playing with acid isn't such a good idea for a clumsy boy. As for results so far, really kind of self defeating since I'm running a stock reflector and a crappy stock lens. With scratches. 

I'll hit another RS later today to see what's in stock.


----------



## Duff72 (Oct 18, 2006)

found a few of these bulbs today and did this mod using pvc to hold the c cells in tight , much brighter but hotspot has a strange shape when focused in tight


----------



## swampgator (Oct 18, 2006)

*Regarding XPR103s*

Went to a third RS store today. Several XPR103 (four I think) were on hand. Listed price of $2.29, 

So far thats 3 stores, 3 different prices.


----------



## BigusLightus (Oct 18, 2006)

The manager at my local Shack said the Mall stores are being downgraded to cell phone and TV stores. They are getting rid of ALL small stuff, including bulbs. That might explain the different prices.

SwampGator, were any of your three stores in a Mall?


----------



## Colorado Fatboy (Oct 18, 2006)

I managed to get a few today. They were $2.29. Both stores were stand alone stores, not located in a mall.

The first store I went to only had 1 bulb in stock. The manager was very helpful, he pulled up the stock of all the stores in the district and told me where I could score them. Most of the stores only have 1 or 2 in stock. He also mentioned this bulb was discontinued some time ago. SO get 'em while you can.

This bulb with the 4c cells is quite impressive for $2.29! Absolutely blows away the stock bulb and 3 d cells

Thanks again!:rock:


----------



## Icebreak (Oct 18, 2006)

Duff72 -

Did it have a comet-like shape? IOWs the brightest part to one side. If so you can bend the flange of the lamp up or down to shift it to center. If it's off the most gain comes in aligning it strait with respect to a line running through the filament in the same direction the filament runs.

If it isn't brighter to one side that's just what a focused beam looks like coming from a smooth mag reflector. Not all the spirals of the filament are in the focal point so they are reflected incorrectly and form artifacts some times referred to as grins or bowties.

This is why folks will frost their bulbs, sputter their reflector or use a reflector that is purposely treated to have orange peel or stipple. I like smooth for most HotWires (except CA 1499) but for this light I like stippled better.


----------



## pizzaman (Oct 18, 2006)

found a few of these bulbs today and did this mod using pvc to hold the c cells in tight , much brighter but hotspot has a strange shape when focused in tight

Try frosting the bulb. It will diffuse the filament and give you a nice SureFire-like beam on tight focus. The other option is sputtering the reflector. Both options are sure to please.

TR


----------



## thunderlight (Oct 19, 2006)

Deleted by Submitter.


----------



## Nubo (Oct 19, 2006)

Seriously, stop mourning, give this bulb a try
3.8V, 1.2A.

The 1.2A gives a clue - the filament is quite a bit thicker than most 3 or 4 cell PR bulbs (.75A). The nominal voltage is just slightly higher than most 3 cell bulbs. I think it hits the sweet spot for 4-cell overdriving. Mostly I've used 4NiMH, with which the bulb has been indestructible even with cells right off the charger. I'll have to give it a go with a 4-D Mag on alkalines to give you a more honest assesment for this particular thread, but I have every reason to expect it will last longer than the '103. My only concern might be wattage. With 4AA NiMH it's pushing about 7 watts. Stepped up to a larger alkaline cell that can handle the amps (can a C alk handle 1.5A?), it would be just within the purported 10watt limit for a stock MAg, at least for a while .

http://www.topbulb.com/find/Product_Description.asp_Q_intProductID_E_45262


----------



## swampgator (Oct 19, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



BigusLightus said:


> SwampGator, were any of your three stores in a Mall?


 
Yep the $2.29 store.


----------



## tvman (Oct 21, 2006)

Ouch! That kpr139 has a rated life of 10 hrs vs. the xpr103 of 36 hrs. Oh well we are overdriving the bulb so throw out the rated life.


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## lightsandknives (Oct 21, 2006)

Well, thanks to this thread, I just finished my first ever mod on my old beater Mag. What a difference it made! I took trips to 4 different Radio Shacks before locating the bulbs but I finally found 4 of them. I happen to have 4 bodies just waiting to make the change. The pvc made a perfect holder for the 4C batteries but I did have a little trouble with the spring. I finally ended up cutting off the very bottom of it. I then took my Dremel with a griding tool and removed the coating from the inside of the tail cap. The spring would now fit tightly inside the tail cap and was a great fit for the batteries.

Now, I'm going to have to try either frosting the bulb, or figure out how to sputter the reflector to remove some of the artifacts.


----------



## Icebreak (Oct 21, 2006)

Using the internal CPF Google search at the top of the page, search on "sputtering instructions". You'll get many hits.

Check out *Nikon's pics and instructions*.


----------



## lightsandknives (Oct 22, 2006)

Icebreak said:


> Using the internal CPF Google search at the top of the page, search on "sputtering instructions". You'll get many hits.
> 
> Check out *Nikon's pics and instructions*.


 
Thanks Icebreak. Just what I needed.

Will a halogen 5.2 volt - 850mA bulb work in this setup? It says it's for four-cell flashlights.


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## lightsandknives (Oct 25, 2006)

This mod has been very cool to breathe life back into some old lights that had been put out to pasture. I converted two of my sons lights last night and he was impressed!

Does anyone have a ballpark idea of how many lumens this delivers?


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## Icebreak (Oct 25, 2006)

Yes. The XPR103 will appear to be much brighter though. Another member and I were just doing beam comparison's with a light that comes with a 5.2V. He put an XPR103 in his and it's much better than the original in a side by side test.

*Guys, try this:*

I've recently found out that if you can find a good Radio Shack store manager they might be able to help you out. Let's say you live in Metropolis and can't find any more XPR103s. Mr. or Ms. Goodstoremanager may be able to locate these lamps in their state or district at another store...let's say Bugtussle. With one mngr-to-mngr phone call the Bugtussle store may just ship them to Metropolis store as a cooperative effort. That way you don't burn time and gas and the Metropolis store gets another opportunity to try to sell you something else.


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## dw51 (Oct 28, 2006)

First off, what a great mod. I tried the flipped spring, but couldn't get any contact with the bottom of the batteries. Somehow, i kept the spring in the stock position and it works fine (outside a bit of trouble screwing the cap on). Now, if I could just come up with the Xenon bulb. Anyone get a quote from don's bulbs?


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## Lighthouse one (Oct 28, 2006)

Radio Shack is running out of XPR103...I just discovered that Garrity makes a 3.7 volt xenon in a two pack...for $2.25- less than half the RS price.... they make a 2,3,and4 cell version...just jump one cell with the bulb! I have both and can see any difference. I got mine at a regular hardware store, Model # HPX30 for the Garrity.


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## dw51 (Oct 30, 2006)

One more question. Forgive me as I'm a newbie here but fast falling victim to the "illness". How exactly do i sputter my reflector?


----------



## dw51 (Oct 30, 2006)

Nevermind. I searched a little harder and found my answer.


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## InfidelCastro (Oct 30, 2006)

BigusLightus said:


> The manager at my local Shack said the Mall stores are being downgraded to cell phone and TV stores. They are getting rid of ALL small stuff, including bulbs. That might explain the different prices.
> 
> SwampGator, were any of your three stores in a Mall?




Exactly what my mall needs!!! Another cellphone/TV store!!


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## jayhackett03 (Nov 1, 2006)

just did this and got an f'ing bulb with a bent filament. guess i'll try frosting the bulb. dang it.


----------



## swampgator (Nov 1, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*

In my limited experience, frosting seems to be the best thing for smoothing up a beam. I've gotten a little OCD about it. Now all bulbs in all Mags get frosted, minimags up to stock 4Ds.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Nov 1, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*

The VAST majority of my Incandescent lights have frosted bulbs. Only one I can think of off the top of my head is a Stinger (as Armouretch wouldn't TOUCH it!).

Of course my Lamp Module lights (SF, SL 3CXP etc.) don't get it as it would be nearly impossible! The SF don't need it, and Writeright fixes the others.


----------



## swampgator (Nov 1, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



PlayboyJoeShmoe said:


> Only one I can think of off the top of my head is a Stinger (as Armouretch wouldn't TOUCH it!).


 
I even frosted a few minimag bulbs the other night. 

Personally, I don't use Armouretch. Acid and clumsy boys aren't good friends. I just use course sandpaper to start the "etching" then progress to about 320 grit.


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## dw51 (Nov 18, 2006)

So I finally made it to Radioshack today. I was a little worried when I asked about bulbs and they showed me two Mag brand bulbs on the shelf. I asked about more and they took me to another aisle with four shelves of bulbs. The clerk seemed stunned when I named the part number for the bulb. Sure enough, one XPR103 left. There is hope though. The clerk said there should be more come in next week. Either he doesn't know what he's talking about, or maybe they aren't discontinued. We can only hope.

Now, if I can only fix the switch in my Mag. It worked fine until I picked it up tonight. It only works when held in continuous. Any ideas?


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## swampgator (Nov 19, 2006)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



dw51 said:


> Now, if I can only fix the switch in my Mag. It worked fine until I picked it up tonight. It only works when held in continuous. Any ideas?


 
There are a few pictorials on here dealing with the mag switch. Do a search and see if you take yours apart to find out what the problem is.


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## Monocrom (Nov 19, 2006)

Sweet! Looks like I have a good reason to fiddle with one of the 3-D Maglites at work.

I'm probably the only one who knows we have them at work. Hell, if I ruin the light, I'll just buy them another one.


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## LiteBrite (Feb 7, 2007)

I'm not sure if this a stupid question, but can this be done with the 3D Magled? Will it have the same effect?


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Funny to see this thread tonight because I just instaflashed a 3 cell Magnum Xenon in a 4D Mag, and came straight to the incan forum... heh. The batteries were really old too, but the bulb didn't last long enough to even get an idea of any potential... a tiny flash and that was that. I'm heading to RS to see what they've got... or not.



LiteBrite said:


> I'm not sure if this a stupid question, but can this be done with the 3D Magled? Will it have the same effect?


Yes! Try it!  Just kidding... don't try it unless you like very strange smelling smoke!


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Feb 8, 2007)

3 is an odd number of cells in more ways than one...

There is no great bulb for 3 C or D. A 2 cell bulb is VASTLY overdriven and likely to flash.

For a 3D M*g the obvious answer is a piece of 1" PVC pipe and 4 C cells.

The less obvious but way better answer is to get a 3 cell M*gled drop in. Better beam, likely better color and stays bright WAY after the incandescent bulb sucks the life out of the batteries!

I don't run any Xenon PR bulbs with an extra cell. Krypton bulbs are WAY more forgiving of the punishment of overdrive!!!


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## bridgman (Feb 8, 2007)

The RatShack / Source KPR103 (Krypton version of the XPR103) is pretty good with 4 alkalines. In a stock Mag 4D with slightly used D alkalines I saw :

- stock Mag 4 cell Krypton -- typical yellow & feeble, not worth carrying

- MagLED 4D -- brighter, beautiful beam shape on spot, worth keeping just for the runtime but not quite bright enough for an outdoor light and too big for an indoor light

- Mag 4 cell Xenon -- on a par with MagLED overall, beam shape not so nice, definitely whiter + brighter than stock bulb, promising. I slightly preferred it over the MagLED because I find it easier to see things with incan beam spectrum but had to admit that in all other respects the MagLED was at least as good and had much more runtime

- KPR103 -- ahh, now we're getting somewhere. Whiter than the Mag xenon and seemed brighter as well. I would consider this the minimum performance to justify carrying a 4D around. 

There seemed to be much more noticeable dimming after operating for a minute or so, and when I switched back to the Mag xenon the dimming was not evident. Might be that the KPR103 draws noticeably more current (which I doubt, a 1.33x overdriven KPR103 should only draw a tiny bit more current than the 4 cell Mag xenon) so it may just be that dimming is more evident because the colour changes as well as the brightness.

Anyways, the KPR103 seems like a real useful bulb in a 4 cell flashlight.


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## Templar223 (Feb 8, 2007)

This sounds like an interesting mod, but I'm curious about battery life with C-cells. What? Maybe six or eight minutes to 50% brightness? 

Minor Hijack:
I have a bunch of 4-D Mags that I bought a year or two ago at Lowe's on the day after T-giving. Having grown spoiled by lithium lights, ROPs and Mag 85/951s, I had to have better performance from those lights... at low cost. So, I took some of those 3-cell Krypton bulbs from my 85/951 projects and put them into my 4-cell lights to enhance their performance for "trunk" backups to my superlights in the car and at home. I like the idea of longer life from the D-cells (compared to Cs), plus the ability to instantly go back to stock in event of a problem with the modded light (as the original 4-cell bulb remains in the tailcap).

Even at that, I feel like my incadescents are living on borrowed time as the LED lights are improving by leaps and bounds. First we had colored LEDs, then white ones, then Luxeons, then Crees - all in the last ten years or less. Give it another six or eight years, and I look for SureFire G2 sized LED lights to output 1000 lumens for a couple of hours on a couple of lithium batteries.

We'll all look at these big stock or lightly modified MAG lights like they were kerosene lanterns.

John


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 12, 2007)

Bimmerboy said:


> I'm heading to RS to see what they've got... or not.


Went to the closest one too me a couple days ago, and they had 4 of them.

Two items of note: One, I almost didn't buy them because of what seems to be a misprint on the packaging, stating they are 2 cell bulbs! The model number was right, the voltage and current info on the back were correct, as were the stampings in the PR base, but it had me wondering for a second. Figured it had to be a misprint, and bought 'em all.

Second, when explaining all this to a salesdude, including that it seems the bulb has been discontinued, he looked it up in the "system", and told me it's actually NOT discontinued! I even had him double check, and it came up the same. According to him, the system is telling him this is still a currently available item. Can anyone else concur, or is this just another example of why some people work at Radio Shack?  I know, that's terrible... 

Anyway, I like the bulb quite a bit! Noticeably brighter and whiter than the stock 4 cell Krypton. Can't say it _blows it away_, but it's definitely an improvment you can see. I've only tried one so far, and only in one Mag, but I did back to back comparisons numerous times by switching out the bulbs over and over. The KPR103 also focuses a little more cleanly, and appears overall a bit less artifact-y than the stock bulb. For $1.39 each, how can you go wrong?!

I find myself suddenly kinda' liking my trusty old Alky 4D Mag again (to an extent), and am tempted now to do a resistence lowering switch mod to make it a little brighter still... which will also give me good practice for a "soon to be" '85... hehe.


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## dw51 (Feb 12, 2007)

Did you get the KPR or XPR? The XPR should be noticibly brighter.


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 12, 2007)

dw51 said:


> Did you get the KPR or XPR? The XPR should be noticibly brighter.



I got the KPR. IIRC, the Xenon XPR doesn't handle the overdrive as well, and can flash more easily. At least that's what I think I remember from this thread.


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## swampgator (Feb 12, 2007)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



Bimmerboy said:


> I got the KPR. IIRC, the Xenon XPR doesn't handle the overdrive as well, and can flash more easily.


 
It's the XPR103 that was discontinued. The KPR103 is readily available. And you are correct a Xenon bulb does not handle being overdriven as well as a Krypton bulb.


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## dw51 (Feb 12, 2007)

Yes, but the XPR 103 does give a wonderful bright white beam. I've yet to instaflash one yet. I've got 5 more if it does happen.


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 12, 2007)

DW, thanks for saving me from re-reading the thread in order to answer Swampgator, and for the encouragement to try the XPR. If all is well, the KPR's will still make good backups.

Back to the Shack.


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## swampgator (Feb 13, 2007)

dw51 said:


> Yes, but the XPR 103 does give a wonderful bright white beam. I've yet to instaflash one yet. I've got 5 more if it does happen.


 
I've instaflashed one. The do have a good beam, just very hard to find around here. I went to four local RS stores and bought out all they had in stock. One store had them discounted to $.99 each. Bought them with a smile!

Somewhere on here, not sure if it's in this thread but I think it is, someone mentions that Garrity makes a comparable Xenon bulb if I'm not mistaken. That might be worth looking into.

Good Luck


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## dw51 (Feb 13, 2007)

> Somewhere on here, not sure if it's in this thread but I think it is, someone mentions that Garrity makes a comparable Xenon bulb if I'm not mistaken. That might be worth looking into.


 Yes, that was in this thread. For the life of me I haven't found any of them yet. I've had better luck finding the elusive XPR 103s. Anyone know any stores carrying the Garritys?


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 16, 2007)

Well, you guys were quite correct. The XPR103 works really well! It's yet another notch up from the KPR, which was already a notch up from the stock Mag bulb. The beforementioned 4D Mag is now looking pretty darn good on old, used cells. I'm quite pleased with these things.

After visiting two different Rat Shack's recently, I now have 4 XPR's. If I wanna' drive 15 minutes each way to another Shack, I can get two more! Woohoo!


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## lastdefender (Feb 17, 2007)

I found this ad for the XPR-103 if anyone is interested...

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...EARS&sid=I0008300030000100085&pid=03493864000


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 17, 2007)

lastdefender said:


> I found this ad for the XPR-103 if anyone is interested...
> 
> http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...EARS&sid=I0008300030000100085&pid=03493864000


Will have to check that out, and compare them to the RS bulbs. Thanks for the link!

Another thing I've noticed about both the KPR's and XPR's, is the potting surrounding the bulb in the PR base looks to be nicer than even current, on the shelf, Mag offerings. Whereas the 103 series has a very even distribution of high temperature rubbery looking stuff, Mag's always had their bulbs potted in cheap looking stuff that's all cracked and shrunken, even when new, and not evenly applied. Mag may make nice housings for the price, but their bulbs... :sick2:


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## shadowbuds (Feb 18, 2007)

Bimmerboy said:


> Two items of note: One, I almost didn't buy them because of what seems to be a misprint on the packaging, stating they are 2 cell bulbs! The model number was right, the voltage and current info on the back were correct, as were the stampings in the PR base, but it had me wondering for a second. Figured it had to be a misprint, and bought 'em all.
> 
> .



Could you give me all that info that was on the back? I went to a local RS store and I know it said for a 2cell maglite, I didn't want to grab the wrong bulb becuase I 100% totally forgot what I was looking for. (I tried looking for these bulbs a few months back but couldn't find any) But now that tehre was some misprints going around i'm fairly sure it was the correct bulb. 

The model # and the volt / current on the back information would help a ton. Thanks.


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## pizzaman (Feb 18, 2007)

Great to see this thread still has some legs.

As the OP, I just want to clarify the bulb situation. As a general rule the xenon bulbs do not do well with overdrive. Krypton bulbs are the typical solution when overdriving. That said, I was too ignorant to know this when I first started, so I went on my merry way plugging in various bulbs and watching the entertaining glow of the instaflash. 

Then, I stumbled on to the Radio Shack XPR-103 bulb. This baby edged out all the competitors and seemed to handle to over voltage with ease. For what ever reason, it is a bit of a freak in the realm of xenon bulbs.

I was obviously a bit discouraged when RatShak dropped this bulb from their line. There haven't been any of these within 50 miles of me for far too long.

Bimmerboy: I would like to hear more about the possible misprint bulb at RS that might be a XPR-103 in drag. Please post some more info about the part number, package info, and bulb info (any writing on the base). This could be great news.

Regarding the RatShak employee that said they were not discontinued. Don't put much stock in that. If these guys were any smarter they'd be working somewhere else. If you think I'm being harsh, let it be known I worked for "The Shack" all through high school and tech school. At least 6 good years with these folks. Most of their sales people are friendly tards. All though I must say it was nice to have an unlimited supply of batteries to power the radio controlled cars around the place during slack time.

Try this instead... Go to the RadioShack web site and see if you can order it. I can't find it anywhere in the system. The search provides "0 results". Last time I was at RS, I had the guy check the system. Nada. No longer listed. None in stock in the entire region. They seemed to have dropped all xenon bulbs with the exception of the MagLite brand bulbs. D'oh!!!

Regarding the Sears and Garrity XPR103. They appear to have the same designation, but I do not believe they are the same bulb from the same mfg as the RS bulb. I looked into this a while back and I recall the specs were a bit different and the bulbs look different with regards to writing on the base. I doubt they are the same. That said, I have no clue if they are better, same, or worse when it comes to output and bulb life. It would be nice to hear from someone that has access to these bulbs to do a bit of a comparison and share the results.

Keep on moddin'

TR


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 19, 2007)

shadowbuds said:


> Could you give me all that info that was on the back?...
> 
> ...The model # and the volt / current on the back information would help a ton. Thanks.


Sure thing, Shadow. It says Lamp type: KPR103, Rated voltage: 3.6V, and Rated current: 800mA.

Same exact specs as the XPR. However, only the KPR (Krypton) has the misprint on the front. Where it should say "For *three* C or D cell flashlights", it says "For *two* C or D cell flashlights" (emphasis mine). Not to worry though, as the bulb held up just fine under 4 alky D's. It's definitely a misprint. What's also good to know, is even when the last of the RS XPR's are gone, the 3 cell KPR's are still a noticeable step up in brightness from a 4 cell Mag bulb. I'd certainly recommend them.

Pizzaman - Glad to help keep the legs going on this subject. And thanks for doing the initial research and experimentation, because without it, I would never have known about the easiest, cheapest Mag upgrade going! :rock: 

Unfortunately, the misprint only applies to the KPR, not the Xenon. The Rat Shack guy was right this time as to the KPR not being discontinued. I know they're usually not exactly, ahem, knowledgeable, but so far, they seem to be able to look things up in the system... heh. He was even able to tell me which other semi-local stores still have some XPR's left. Impressive! 

The Sears/Dorcy XPR103 could be a possibility. If I can get over to Sears sometime, I'll try a couple and report back. The picture used on the site definitely indicates a different manufacture. If you look at the enlarged pic, you can also see it has .79A stamped into the base instead of .8A. By the way, what the heck is a "3.06 Volt Oscillate Bulb"??  And ya' think Radio Shack's bad.


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## shadowbuds (Feb 20, 2007)

Thank you very much! I"ll be checking my RS's tomorrow.


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 25, 2007)

Haven't made it to Sears yet, but did try another RS bulb. The HPR50. It's Halogen, 5.2V, 850mA. Thought it might make a good, or even better contender to the XPR103, but unfortunately, it's not.

On 4 alky D's it's no brighter, and perhaps even the tiniest bit dimmer, so the slight overdrive is not enough to better the XPR on heavy overdrive. The glass blowing techniques used make the top of the bulb very ripply, and with a pointy cut-off in the center. Artifact city in a Mag, with a comet tail-like hotspot. On top of that, it costs $5. Most definitely not an XPR killer.


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## mudman cj (Feb 26, 2007)

Templar223 said:


> This sounds like an interesting mod, but I'm curious about battery life with C-cells. What? Maybe six or eight minutes to 50% brightness?
> 
> John



I would be interested in seeing an output vs. time graph on C-cells. I have found that the C cells just don't keep the bulb as bright as D cells do nearing the end of the battery life, which comes too soon for C cells that only have about half the rated capacity of D cells at 1 amp. I actually un-modded a 3D mag that was running on 4 C cells at work because in practice the extra few lumens was not a welcome trade for a fraction of the runtime and more rapidly dimming and yellowing beam. I have opted instead to mod a 2C to run the 6 cell magnum star from two 18650s. :naughty:


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## Toohotruk (Feb 28, 2007)

When I found this thread the other day, of course, I _had _to try it! So I paid a visit to RS, found a KPR-103 (only one, will have to look at other RSs in my area for more), and some C cells and PRESTO! :thumbsup: Now I have a way-brighter-than-stock 3D MAG, with minimal effort!  

Of course, first I tried several stock MAG brand 3D bulbs I had laying around,  which was kind of fun! 

I also bought a Halogen (HPR50) for my 4D just for fun...it seems to have comparable output to the modded 3D, but it was still cooler to have done a mod myself (even one as simple as this) that worked out so well! Besides, it really made my partner at work wonder what was going on...he even changed the batteries in his 3D and couldn't figure out why mine was still so much brighter! :thinking: 

Thanks to the OP and all of the rest of you for the great info! :goodjob:


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## swampgator (Feb 28, 2007)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



Toohotruk said:


> Of course, first I tried several stock MAG brand 3D cells I had laying around,  which was kind of fun!


 
Lately all the Mag brand bulbs I've used have poofed at the slightest amount of overdrive. Kinda funny since I ran a stock Mag 4 cell bulb in on 3-123's in my 2C for awhile.


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## dw51 (Feb 28, 2007)

Are you having trouble with the Krypton bulbs or Xenon? I always thought Krypton would handle the OD, but I had a 2 cell Krypton quit the other day while running on 3C's. It did run for a few minutes, so it makes me wonder if it was caused by something else. I've got #2 in there now, so we'll see what happens.


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## mudman cj (Feb 28, 2007)

Running a 2 cell bulb on 3 cells (50% over) is more overdrive than a 3 cell bulb on 4 cells (33% over). Don't expect the 2 cell bulbs to last long at all on 3 cells. I think that would instaflash using D cells, since C cells have a little more voltage sag.


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## dw51 (Feb 28, 2007)

Thanks for the info. I'll have to look for another combination. I was just trying to make a crappy old (dim) light useful again.


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## swampgator (Feb 28, 2007)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*



mudman cj said:


> Don't expect the 2 cell bulbs to last long at all on 3 cells.


 
Nope, they went POOF instantly! Yes, I did say they. I'm slow at times.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Feb 28, 2007)

*Re: “World’s Simplest 3D mag Upgrade”*

You know, hotwires are all well and good...

But of 10 lights close at hand here by the 'puter, 7 are LED, with the other 3 normally driven Krypton incands. All my hotrod lights are up high atop a cabinet where kid(s) can't get to 'em!

And I use LED about 98 percent of the time anyhow...

THAT all said, 4C driving 3 cell bulbs was something I was doing pre-CPF and pre-LED.

I haven't bought any bulbs in quite a while, so I don't know how new M*g bulbs would do. All the older ones I have have been pretty tough however...


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## nightstalker101 (Mar 2, 2007)

pizzaman said:


> Next, I did some quick and dirty testing in my darkened basement. Side by side tests with a SFA2 and a *$20 Cylops xenon 2, CR123 cell flashlight*. I’ll test for throw after it gets dark out.
> 
> TR


 
I got two of those in a two pack for $10 at Sam's Club, they aren't too bad of lights.


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## Streamer (Mar 3, 2007)

What a Great First Mod for a newbie (me). I have a government issued BMG black and yellow 3D cell flashlight that I used when I worked on the Census 2000. POC I know...but not any more! Kept it all these years just sitting on the bench in the garage. Dim as all get out with 2D's.. Well, just happened to have a drop of 1" PVC and you know the rest. 4 C's and Viola! Blinded by the LIGHT! Suprised me even more when I looked and a KPR103 bulb was already installed in the head. What an easy mod and this thing will Literally BLIND YOU now !!! Called the local Radio Shacks and XPR103 was not in their online stock anymore so I was told. I don't see how this thing could get any brighter with an XPR anyhow. Just like getting a new torch for nada.. Woo Hoo...great Forum..


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## cass schrabeck (Mar 11, 2007)

I tried a FM 9AA/3D loaded with energizer 2500s


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## cass schrabeck (Mar 11, 2007)

I tried a FM 9AA/3D loaded with energizer 2500s and a 6 cell krypton Mag bulb stock reflector and lense. I thought it was excellent, it beats 8AA HID welch allen(UFO killers) Try this and tell me what ya think.


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## bridgman (Mar 12, 2007)

I noticed a lot of people on this thread seem to have 4D Mags. FYI, batterystation has just started selling a Terralux drop-in for 3-6 cell Mags with an SSC P4 LED. Seems to need at least 4 cells for best performance, and 5 or 6 cells will give more runtime and keep it in regulation for relatively more of the battery life. 

Sounds like ~150 regulated lumens (emitter, not torch) for 20+ hours on 4Ds. I ordered one. No reviews yet but sounds like it would be hard to muck this up.


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## kavvika (Mar 17, 2007)

I just went to my local radio shack and they had 3 XPR103's left. I picked up two. Then I went to Lowes for the C batteries and the 1" PVC. What a fun and simple upgrade! Since I'm using a newer Mag, and Duracell's have a larger cathode, I don't have to bend the tail spring. I'm definately going to pick up the last bulb later today!


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## nickz (Apr 19, 2007)

Seeing this thread reminded me why I started the whole hotwire business. The 3D - 4C mag is what started me. I just took out my old stock of xpr103's from ratshack to look at packaging but mine say for "3 c or D cell flashlights" on them. I wonder how old or new these are compared to others here? THe part number on the package is 272-1182 with same ratings as described earlier in the thread.


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## Bimmerboy (Apr 20, 2007)

Hi Nickz,

The part number isn't within easy reach at the moment, but the XPR103 packaging will definitely say it's for 3 cells. However, it's much nicer on 4 cells.  

Seems to be taking the overdrive every bit as well as the KPR.


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## nickz (Apr 20, 2007)

I getcha! My first mod was the xpr103 on 4 c cells in a 3d mag. Good stuff! (some quoted the packaging as saying for "2 cell c or d flashlights" in this thread and that is why I was curious. Wondering if I had an old old bulb or a new new bulb  )


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## Icebreak (Apr 20, 2007)

nickz -

I've got some that I think are very old. Another member picked them up in a small town several miles away. Same parts number. Instead of the square blister pack they are in a long rectangle blister pack and the packaging is yellowed from exposure to light. Instead of "for 3 C and D cell flashlights" they say "For 3 C or D batteries". They also say "Custom pkgd. in USA for Radio Shack A Division of Tandy Corporation,..." 

The name Tandy was dropped in 2000.

Tandy was a Texas leather goods company started in 1919. They bought Radio Shack in 1963 then sold off all thier leather related business. I still have an 1980's TSR-80 Color Computer.


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## yuandrew (Apr 24, 2007)

I just bought one of those XPR-103 bulbs myself at a Radio Shack in Glendora; there were two left, I took one. I checked one of two Radio Shacks where I live just today and found one left as well.

It's awaiting a host right now. I'm thinking of either a Dorcy Area Light/Spotlight or a 6 volt lantern.


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## Bimmerboy (Apr 24, 2007)

I forget if, or how many times it may have been said, so perhaps nothing new to report here... but just loaded fresh D's, and no flash. The old ones were still strong, but quite old. In fact, the XPR seems to enjoy the new batts, as it seems just the tiniest hint whiter.


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## knot (Apr 25, 2007)

pizzaman said:


> For peace of mind, I’ll probably go ahead and fabricate a PVC pipe battery adaptor for the 4C,
> R



I'm thinking pipe insulation. It comes in various sizes and materials - usually foam.


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## vic2367 (Apr 29, 2007)

whats the more brighter bulb,,,the radio shack xpr-103 bulb or the maglite xenon 4-6 D or c cell bulb ? went to my local radio shack and they have 5 of the 103s in stock,,,last week they had none,,,


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## vic2367 (Apr 29, 2007)

have the mag 3d cell light,,,am using the 4 c cells,,,which of the above would be the brighter bulb ?


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Apr 29, 2007)

In a 3D with 4C I'd either go with a Krypton 3 cell bulb or a Xenon 4 cell.

I've never had the Radioshack XPR, so I can't comment on that.

All I do know for sure is that a 4 cell Xenon M*G bulb on 5C is WAY whiter than a 4 cell Krypton on 6C. The light I tried it in doesn't have a perfect beam, but the difference was AMAZING!

I run a frosted 4K in that light because of the reflector.

But I have a long history of running 3D lights with 4C.


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## Icebreak (Apr 29, 2007)

I don't know of any lamp that outperforms the XPR103 on 4 alkaline cells. We are talking Surefire A2 whiteness. Of course this is still a low watt lamp in a MagLite and all that implies. If you want something Surefiresque I'd diffuse that beam by either sputtering the reflector, frosting the lamp or replacing the reflector with a stippled Al reflector. I say this even though I prefer perfectly smooth reflectors and all the artifacts for higher wattage HotWires.

In olden times Otokoyama offered the PMR (Perfect Mag Reflector). It looks like medium stipple to me. I have a Mag 4C w/PMR dedicated to the XPR103. If you know where 5 XPR103 lamps are I'd suggest buying all of them. They work great in 4 cell lanterns.


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## cd-card-biz (May 5, 2007)

Has anyone actually tried the Dorcy version of the XPR103 (from Sears) yet?

(Sears item #03493864000)

My local Sears was out of stock.


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## Bimmerboy (May 5, 2007)

Unfortunately, not yet! Sears is a couple towns away, and haven't been down that direction lately. As soon as the opportunity arises, I'll try to snatch one.


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## BigusLightus (May 6, 2007)

IceBreak,

I agree. The XPR103 is very white @ 6v (4d alky's). It is, however, even brighter when I drive it with 5 NiMh's (still ~ 6v) !


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## Icebreak (May 6, 2007)

I should have asked what kind of cells.

I just tried it with 5 IB1400 2/3A. They had previously ran a WA1111 for about five minutes and they were cold. 

Oh, well. I wanted to see for myself. Been meaning to source some more XPR103s anyway. No big.


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## BigusLightus (May 7, 2007)

IceBreak,
Sorry to hear 'bout the "Poof". I'm running 5 1/2D's in a 3Dmag and it has been working great. My first xpr103 lasted approx two hours. My current xpr103 has lasted even longer. Perhaps I should do a runtime test on the lamp. Next time I charge the batts I'll take some measurements and post them.


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## Icebreak (May 7, 2007)

Thanks. I knew there was a large risk. These 2/3 A cells are high discharge for RC stuff. I just wanted to know for sure what would happen.

You can probably calculate the approximate runtime. If your 1/2 D NiMhs are 3500 mAh you could probably get a fairly flat run of about 4 hours.

It could be that you got a batch of super-performers. I think it's more likely that because the 1/2 D cells have higher resistance and might not be high discharge batteries, they don't fry your filaments; they just put them right on the edge and decrease the life significantly.

Interesting combination. I'm going to guess that's in the 3600+ Kelvin range. Really white for an incandescent flashlight.


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