# Introducing the WQ-McG45 ...



## wquiles (Sep 4, 2006)

Introducing my latest "monstruosity": The WQ-McG45 :naughty: 

Yes, it looks like a normal M*g C with HAIII coating. By the real beauty lies inside:







Everyone who has handed the awesome HD45 (by McGizmo) can attest that the 45mm reflector is the main reason the light is so awesome. Yes, the HD45 is heavy duty, has dual CC settings, and it is built like a tank, but the reflector is rather unique in that it gives good trow with an outstanding sidebeam.

What if "somebody" where to make this awesome 45mm reflector inside the M*g light?






Of course, the reflector is so deep that standard heatsinks would not work here:






For this to work "somebody" would have to figure out how to get the reflector to fit and would require a custom HS (heatsink), one that would also allow for electronics/regulators to be incorporated and/or resistors for DD (Direct Drive). Something like this:






Of course, such a "solution" (sounds better than a hack, doesn't?) would have to deal with a different length for the switch & HS "module" and the holding ring:











Since this solution would also need a custom setup to perfectly align the emiters within the new HS, I created a "jig" to make this easier and perfect every single time I build one of these:











This one light, being the prototype or proof of concept, I keep things really simple. I selected one of my tested W-bin 5W LED's, and used a 1 Ohm resistor in series for a nice, clean DD test bed with a target current of about 1 Amp or so. Here is the "battery pack", which is simply 2x18650 cells:






and the current with the resistor in place:






Final assembly:






use some thermal grease inside the body and burnish some thermal paste on the HS (I learned this from overclocking computer CPU's):






and put everything in place:











And my standard beamshot comparison. Canon Rebel XT, manual mode, F5.6, 2sec, on tripod.
- CR2 Ion - High:






- Fenix L1P:






Lumaray FL6:






Lumaray FL12






BOG 3W:






Custom bored-out HAIII 6P, Aleph 19 head, UX1L DD on custom copper HS:






BOG 5W:






WQ-McG45 (W-bin at 1.1Amp):






Will


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## Mirage_Man (Sep 4, 2006)

Sweet! Is that one of the [email protected] I did for you?

MM


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## ianb (Sep 4, 2006)

Beat you ...
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/130940


but you have done a way nicer job! That heatsink is great, I just filed the lip off a hotlips type sink and pushed it down into the body. I'm only driving at .75A's too, that looks awesome at 1.1A! How hot does it get?

Ian


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## flex76italy (Sep 4, 2006)

:goodjob: and nice pics Will, but in the pic n° 6 (from top to bottom) the button switch is out of the hole, so my question is, you turn on the light with the twist of the tailcap?


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## Mirage_Man (Sep 4, 2006)

Where can one get the MCR45 reflector?

MM


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## ianb (Sep 4, 2006)

another CPFer 'litemania' seems to stock them, at least he did a couple of weeks back, you can probably find him in the 'Dealers Corner' and PM/e-mail him.
The Sandwich Shoppe sometimes carry them and if you want 500 or more you can contact McGizmo himself 

Ian


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## wquiles (Sep 4, 2006)

flex76italy said:


> :goodjob: and nice pics Will, but in the pic n° 6 (from top to bottom) the button switch is out of the hole, so my question is, you turn on the light with the twist of the tailcap?


That was a "before" picture. Later pictures show that I solved that "problem" 




Mirage_Man said:


> Sweet! Is that one of the [email protected] I did for you?
> 
> MM


No, that is an older one from FM.




ianb said:


> Beat you ...
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/130940
> 
> 
> ...


Actually, not quite  . I have posted about doing this back in Nov 2005 as shown here . But, you did beat me in assembling one first  . I have started working on my custom parts back in May of 2006, but did not finish assembling until today. I guess great minds do think alike 

As to temps, I don't know yet as it is still daylight and I have only played it today doing some short runs. I will do a "long" run tonight and let you know 

Will


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## ianb (Sep 4, 2006)

I was only kidding , as I said you've done a proper job, nicely put together, I was just excited by the end results. The inside of mine live up to looking like my first mod project  , but hey it works great  with that trademark McR-45 beam, I love it 

That heatsink is very nice are you going to produce these?

Ian


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## wquiles (Sep 4, 2006)

ianb said:


> I was only kidding


Of course dude, no worries. I was also kidding - you still got there first, and your solution was simple and effective 

I made two of everything, so I have parts to make one more complete flashlight. I can probably work with somebody to make these custom HS's out on a CNC machine as doing them by hand like I do would be too expensive  

Also, on a "C" light, to use the 18650 cells, the reflector and the body also need to go in the lathe to make them fit (there are a lot of steps/custom work I omitted in these pictures), so having the custom HS's only gets you partially there. 

Then, as you and I know well, getting the 45mm reflectors is getting much, much harder lately  

Will


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## jch79 (Sep 4, 2006)




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## cue003 (Sep 4, 2006)

Paypal standing by.


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## bombelman (Sep 4, 2006)

WQ, you did an awesome job ! I how you always finish things up very nicely...!

Keep up the good work !


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## nemul (Sep 4, 2006)

i love it!!!


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## andrewwynn (Sep 4, 2006)

adding an LDO^3 which is as small as 10mm across will get you regulated output from the same light :-D Nice stuff as always will, thanks for sharing!


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## Icarus (Sep 4, 2006)

Great job Will. :twothumbs ... but in your next light you should use the MaxFlex driver.


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## wquiles (Sep 4, 2006)

Thank you guys - very humbling 

Freddy - For 2x18650 the MaxFlex will not work (like the Fatman it needs lower voltage than the vf), but the MaxFlex is in fact "the" driver to have for the 1C versions of this light that I will be making - 1x18650 cell powering a W-bin 5W LED with multiple levels @ 1Amp max - this is going to be awesome :naughty: 

The nFlex would be great for a single 5W LED from 2x18650 cells, except it is way, way too large for a 1C, specially the confined space of this solution. If the nFlex were available in the same form factor as the Fatman or the MaxFlex, that, like they say, would be a different story 

Will


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## Anglepoise (Sep 4, 2006)

Very nice looking mod. Also reminds me how lucky we are that Don sells all his reflectors
to anyone that wants one. Nice job


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## Icarus (Sep 5, 2006)

wquiles said:


> Freddy - For 2x18650 the MaxFlex will not work ...



Of course you can’t use the MaxFlex in this light because it’s single led…  
Looks like I’m suffering from the TL syndrome… :lolsign:


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## jar3ds (Sep 5, 2006)

dang! That is awesome.... I'm sure that light crushes any U2.... w-bin @ 1.1A!


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## wquiles (Sep 6, 2006)

jar3ds said:


> dang! That is awesome.... I'm sure that light crushes any U2.... w-bin @ 1.1A!


Yes, this is a much nicer beam, and brighter, than my W-bin U2. The beam from the 45mm is simply awesome. I did a 10-15 min run of this initial prototype unattended and when I got to it it was warm, but still very confortable. About 1-1.1A is perfect for the 5W and the "C" size M*g :naughty: 


As an update to those who showed interest, I am now working on getting additional parts so that I can build a few of these for sale. I will be working with MirageMan to use his really hard/tough HAIII bodies to offer turn-key lights (you just need your own batteries), as a light this nice trully deserves a HAIII body 

Will


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## MSaxatilus (Sep 6, 2006)

Will,

Really nice job.

PM Sent!

MSax


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## IsaacHayes (Sep 7, 2006)

Nice!! Built your own HD45 for a lot less (maybe?) hehe. Intersting I didn't know the reflector was deepr than the mag. I bet that helps focus teh 5w better than the mag since it will catch more off perimeter light.

EDIT: What stops the reflector from going down too far and possibly crushign the luxeon/leads? Is there a physical stop point?


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## wquiles (Sep 7, 2006)

IsaacHayes said:


> EDIT: What stops the reflector from going down too far and possibly crushign the luxeon/leads? Is there a physical stop point?


Good eye - I was wondering when somebody would ask about that  . I designed a delrin "bushing" that provides a physical stop point - I am right now playing with the right heigth (I want to go past the optimal focus point so that folks can fine-tune it to their taste), and it will be very soo slightly oversize diameter-wise so that it will be pressed in place and not ratle when the reflector is up in the "normal" position or when the whole head is removed from the body :naughty: 

Will


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## Long John (Sep 7, 2006)

:wow:What a great light Will:goodjob:......:twothumbs

Best regards

_____
Tom


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## ianb (Sep 7, 2006)

wquiles said:


> I designed a delrin "bushing" that provides a physical stop point



now, I want one of those 

If you screw the head in past best focus on mine, it shorts the battery , leave it there too long (seconds) and  fried batteries!, melted insides, how would I get past this? So does the ring rest on the heatsink? Great design idea though, I'll have to try and make something similar. The only problem being mine has much less inner space than your as my heatsink rest on the original cut down switch, placing a ring of more than a mm or too think would push it above best focus , in fact maybe somthing that slim would work 

Ian


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## wquiles (Sep 7, 2006)

ianb said:


> now, I want one of those
> 
> If you screw the head in past best focus on mine, it shorts the battery , leave it there too long (seconds) and  fried batteries!, melted insides, how would I get past this? So does the ring rest on the heatsink? Great design idea though, I'll have to try and make something similar. The only problem being mine has much less inner space than your as my heatsink rest on the original cut down switch, placing a ring of more than a mm or too think would push it above best focus , in fact maybe somthing that slim would work
> 
> Ian


Yes, the sleeve/bushing will rest on the HS 

Here are some teaser photos:











:naughty: :naughty: :naughty: 

Will


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## jdriller (Sep 9, 2006)

I think I want one!


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## wquiles (Sep 10, 2006)

I will be making a small run of these (3-4 for now) for sale in the next week or so 

Will


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## wquiles (Sep 16, 2006)

Another quick update. Today I was able to spend some quality time with my lathe and I was able to finish the delrin bushing, which protects the reflector from crushing the LED legs/wires.

Here is the finished work. The delrin busing is press-fit, so it stays in place and does not rattle  . I designed the height of the busing so that you can still go a little past the optimum focus point while still protecting the LED - it works great!






Another finishing touch on the prototype is that I removed the HAIII from the bottom of the tail cap and used conductive silver epoxy to attach a small spring in place - no more fumbling around for "something" to make the battery contact  











Will


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## andrewwynn (Sep 16, 2006)

nice touch.. my 18650 2C my spring falls out when i take off the tailcap 

a nicer solution by far since you have the means at your disposal.. machine in a pocket for the spring to notch into.. cut the hole not quite at a 90deg.. maybe 95 deg.. and it will hold that sucker really tight. 

I am very curious about the resistance of that connection.. do you have a current-limiting power supply where you can pump an amp through and measure the mV drop to measure the miliohm resistance? 

-awr


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## cue003 (Sep 16, 2006)

I am in for one when they are available for sale. Please let me know how much they will be ASAP.

Thanks.

Curtis


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## georges80 (Sep 17, 2006)

wquiles said:


> Thank you guys - very humbling
> 
> Freddy - For 2x18650 the MaxFlex will not work (like the Fatman it needs lower voltage than the vf), but the MaxFlex is in fact "the" driver to have for the 1C versions of this light that I will be making - 1x18650 cell powering a W-bin 5W LED with multiple levels @ 1Amp max - this is going to be awesome :naughty:
> 
> ...



I guess this prototype nFlex driver (1" diameter) would be an option here??






george.


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## Christoph (Sep 17, 2006)

Is there a list I could get on for one of these.


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## wquiles (Sep 17, 2006)

andrewwynn said:


> nice touch.. my 18650 2C my spring falls out when i take off the tailcap
> 
> a nicer solution by far since you have the means at your disposal.. machine in a pocket for the spring to notch into.. cut the hole not quite at a 90deg.. maybe 95 deg.. and it will hold that sucker really tight.
> 
> ...


The pocket does sound like a good idea - I have to think some more on it. For now the conductive/silver epoxy is working great - holds the spring pretty tighly. 

In terms of resistance, no, I don't yet have a way to measure the mV drop, but it is only 3 turns of a the spring I am using, so it should not be too bad at 1A which is the design goal for this 5W LED light. I "do" need a spring since I have to account for the different length of two non-protected cells vs. the protected cells (which are longer).






cue003 said:


> I am in for one when they are available for sale. Please let me know how much they will be ASAP.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Curtis


Thanks much Curtis. Right now I have just a total of 4 reflectors available: one used in the prototype, one in hand, and two in the mail to me. Everything is fitted/assembled by "hand" (the reflector, the heat sink, the retaining ring, the delrin bushing, the LED, the driver, etc.), so it takes a little bit of time to finish each one. Unfortunately it appears that these awesome 45mm reflectors are not being made again by the Shoppe, and I bought the last ones. Unless I can find more or unless folks provide their own, I don't know how I will be able to make more than 4 total McG45 lights. Besides the 2C version with 2x18650 cells driving the W-bin 5W LED, I also was hoping to make a few ones with the custom 1C and using the MaxiFlex to drive the W-bin 5W LED, but without reflectors, there is not much I can do 





georges80 said:


> I guess this prototype nFlex driver (1" diameter) would be an option here??
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, these will work. I will have to cut the heatsink to make them fit (the OL of the switch + HS is critical for the head to screw enough in the body), but I would love to give these a try! PM on the way.

Will


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## Nebula (Sep 18, 2006)

wquiles - Great work! If you start a list please add my name. Also, if you decided to "retrofit" existing lights I would be very iterested as well. 

I am curious about one thing -- you mentined that the reflector has to be cut down to fit the 2x18650s. I have a fivemega 2C light with the extended tailcap. Could the FM extended tailcap be used thereby eliminating the need to resize the reflector? 

Thanks. Kirk K


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## wquiles (Sep 18, 2006)

Kirk - thanks 

What I meant was that the reflector has to be cut in two places for it to fit in a "C" M*g host. This is true regardless of the host being a 1C or 2C (or any length). The custom FM "C" bodies work as well. Hope this help clarify your question 

Will


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## Nebula (Sep 18, 2006)

Will - thanks for the clarification. I am sending you a PM. Kirk


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## wquiles (Sep 21, 2006)

Well folks, I tried, but the bottom of the barrel has been found. I got the last two reflectors in the mail this last Sat, so I have a total of 4 reflectors with me. I even contacted Don himself and unless we can come up with 300 45mm reflector purchases (the min.) we can't have new ones made. With only a potential 20 or so, Don and I agreed that this is not worth even trying.

So there it is. I am even willing to let go my own prototype unit, so only a grand total of 4 can ever be built. The problem is that I have at least 15-20 of you who have showed interest and/or PM'ed me about building you one of these great lights. 

I am leaning towards some sort of auction model after I complete each one so that you guys can decide who gets them. Any ideas/suggestions as to how to proceed? 

Will


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## MSaxatilus (Sep 21, 2006)

An auction would work, or you could do the old lottery trick. Have a sign up list, put everyone's name from the list on a piece of paper and then let your dog lick one out of the bowl. The slobbery 4 are the lucky ones.

I suppose this would work with small children as well.

MSax


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## gl22man (Sep 21, 2006)

MSaxatilus said:


> An auction would work, or you could do the old lottery trick. Have a sign up list, put everyone's name from the list on a piece of paper and then let your dog lick one out of the bowl. The slobbery 4 are the lucky ones.
> 
> I suppose this would work with small children as well.
> 
> MSax




how about selling to the first 4 people who expressed interest either in pm's or in the post.. isn't that how it normally gets done on Cpf, just curious??
mike..


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## wquiles (Sep 22, 2006)

Good idea, except that I did not keep all of the PM's due to lack of space. I only have a few PM's and the folks who posted interest here 

I will get started building one of them this weekend. I am also looking to use a driver circuit instead of the DD resistor in the prototype. I will keep you posted 

Will


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## KevinL (Sep 23, 2006)

Very very nice. Like your tailcap solution, excellent for ROP users as well. 

Your photography has come a long way, I like it too.


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## wquiles (Sep 23, 2006)

KevinL said:


> Very very nice. Like your tailcap solution, excellent for ROP users as well.
> 
> Your photography has come a long way, I like it too.


Thanks 

Still lots to learn 

Will


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## wquiles (Sep 23, 2006)

OK, following the advice above, this is the list of folks interested (I did my best to order based on TimeStamp on this thread and on PM's):

- cue003
- Nemul
- MSaxatilus
- jdriller
- Christoph
- Nebula
- gl22man
- dksd39
- nanotech17
- ZeissOEM2
- Archangel

EDIT: The sales thread has who has been interested and who is next.

I started a main thread in the Custom B/S/T sub-forum. These folks, in this order, have first right of refusal. If they say, no thanks, the next person will have a choise, and so on, until all 4 lights are sold. I can't get more 45mm reflectors, so this is it.

I hope this is the most fair to everyone 

Will


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## ZeissOEM2 (Sep 24, 2006)

edit


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## wquiles (Sep 24, 2006)

ZeissOEM2 said:


> 45mm reflector is found here
> http://litemania.com/front/php/category.php?cate_no=47


Yes, I ordered (and already received) the last two that he had for sale 

Will


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## Stillphoto (Sep 25, 2006)

Well, years from now when a hidden stash of these reflectors turns up...or if hell freezes over and the flying pigs start dropping the reflectors from the sky...I'd be down for a 1C version.


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## wquiles (Sep 25, 2006)

Stillphoto said:


> Well, years from now when a hidden stash of these reflectors turns up...or if hell freezes over and the flying pigs start dropping the reflectors from the sky...I'd be down for a 1C version.


I hear you loud and clear. From talking to Don, about an extra 40-50 reflectors were made. 

I created a post wanting/offering to buy some back, and not a single person has replied. Ianb and I are the ones ones (that I know off) what have actually used them for a custom light, so it makes you wonder who has the extra reflectors and what are they doing with them :candle: 

Will


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## wquiles (Sep 25, 2006)

nanotech17 - If by 9PM central time (USA) I have not heard from you I will have to assume that you want to be skipped.

Will


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## Stillphoto (Sep 26, 2006)

Well I know Don is currently assembling what he can out of the mixed parts and prototypes that he had laying around..one can hope that maybe there are a few reflectors that turned up in that crate...I wonder who might be sitting on some of them...sure wouldnt feel nice lol


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## ianb (Sep 26, 2006)

wquiles said:


> ...you wonder who has the extra reflectors and what are they doing with them :candle:
> 
> Will


They are similar to gold, they seem to hold there value well , I had thought at one time Litemania had many, obviously got confused 

The results of a lux 5 in the Mcr-45 are cool enough, but this at 1A+! is awesome, I am going to try another with a downboy 1000 when I get time and money for a new host

You'll have an awesome light the lucky 4 who get these,

Ian


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## wquiles (Sep 26, 2006)

By the way Ianb, since you were the first to assemble the light with the 45mm reflector, I will make you a free custom delrin bushing for your "D" version so that the reflector does not crush the LED if the head is screwed down too far. 

Of course, I have to first finish these 4 custom lights before I can work on your bushing. 

My bushings are fitted, one at a time by having the light here in my "shop" (if you can call my work area a shop!). 

To do this we have two options: 
1) I will then need accurate measurements from you based on this picture:




2) If doing this by email/PM's proves too difficult, you can send the light to me and I can sent it back to you with the fitted bushing - you only pay for shipping charges both ways 

We can talk about this when these 4 lights are complete 

Will


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## wquiles (Sep 26, 2006)

wquiles said:


> nanotech17 - If by 9PM central time (USA) I have not heard from you I will have to assume that you want to be skipped.
> 
> Will



I am sorry nanotech17, but I will keep going through the list as I never got a reply to my PM nor either thread 

ZeissOEM2 - your turn 

Will


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