FINISHED!! My Big Build of the season, The 3 Green Maglites "Listen while I play my Green Tambourine" FINISHED!!

I think every build ought to have a song attached to it. Here's the theme song for this build of three green Maglites.

The Lemon Peppers - Green Tambourine

OK, you now know for sure that I'm going over the edge, rather quickly, so I will get to the Modding.

I am going to mod these 3 Green Maglites. The 2D will become a 1D with a tail cap switch. The 2AA will become a single 14500 light and the 2AAA will become a single 10440 light. EDIT: 10/19 I can see major issues with making the AA and AAA into single cell. The wall thickness is terribly thin, so I am going to leave them 2AA ans 2AAA. If someone wants to use Li-ion, I can always make a dummy cell for them. Also, I imagine I will just use a TIR optic in the AAA instead of an aspheric. The problem is with using the tail cap as the on/off. The tail cap threads inside the body are not anodized well enough and just screwing the tail cap on, would make contact in the threads, so there would not be any off, till the tail cap was taken out. That's no good, so I will leave it as a TIR and use the head for on/off, like I always do.

New ideas are great, but they don't always work out...

I have already thought out what I can do with the reflectors and optics, so here's what I got.

The 2D/1D will use an XM-L led and it will use this reflector. I use this reflector because it has a good spot, with plenty of spill.

Also, since the 2D/1D will have a tail cap switch, I need to decide on which button for that. It's either a Nickel Silver button, or an abalone shell button.

This is a mouse over shot, use the mouse to see the two buttons.

The 2AA/14500 will have a Nichia 219 led and use either or these TIR optics. In fact, I may include both of them. One is a 15 degree and the other is a 45 degree.

The 2AAA/10440 is going to be an aspheric. Yes, an aspheric. EDIT: 10/19 - Nope, it will be a TIR optic.

The 2D will use one of E1320's 5 mode drivers and the other two lights will be direct drive.

That's all I have right now. This build will take some time, as I will be doing quite a bit of modding and quite a bit of cosmetics, so that the lights will look like a matched set.

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I did manage to get the 2D cut down to 1D tonight and I didn't even do it like I showed in the video. It's shorter than I have done before.

Here's the lower part of the body and it has the cut done around the OD, with the dremel tool. It's in the freezer getting cold, so it shrinks down. Digiorno anyone?

Here's the top section. It has the cut done to the ID and I made a plastic washer, with a copper center, for the positive contact. The top section has been sitting under a 100W bulb, to heat it up.

The two pieces are now together... for good. They are very tight and even with hot and cold, it took a rubber mallet and some hard pounding, to get them together. The seam is OK, but not good enough to leave it as is. I will have to turn this seam into a shiny ring around the light.

I said this was about the shortest 1D I have done and here is the comparison to a 2AA light. Almost the same length.

That's all for tonight.

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Tail Cap Switch is done

Not much to tell, but all the info is in a video in the next post, where the videos are.

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As usual, once I get close, I just finish the build and don't take many photos. I will show what I have and try to describe it.

Pill for the AAA light consists of a Nichia on a 10mm star, a copper round, a copper tube for the positive lead, with a plastic cap and copper contact.

I had to drill out the AAA light, to fit the pill. 1/2" drill bit.

Remember to remove the ano on the top of the tube, to make contact with the pill.

The AA pill, shows how I made the positive contact. I did some with plastic, but I wanted to make them more durable, so I soldered copper tube to the back of the heat sink and places a plastic isolator on the end. Then I used a copper positive contact and soldered it to the wire, ran it down and used AA to glue the plate on. Now it's solid and won't tend to break off very easy.

The pill in the AA light.

I don't have shots of the 1D heat sink, but it is the stock way I do all of them, with an aluminum round and copper shim to make it tight. I have been drilling and putting in 3mm screws this year, to hold the heat sink in and to make good negative contact and it seems to work well.

3AA battery holder for the 1D, redone with copper contacts.

And..... here's the finished trio!

I wanted to keep a theme and keep the lights with some similarity, via cosmetics or other means. The 1D is using an XM-L T6 3C led and it is direct drive to 3AA NiMHs. No driver, just on off.

The AA light is using a Nichia 219 led and is direct driven off 2 AA Alkalines. The AAA light is using a Nichia 219 and is direct driven using 2 AAA Alkalines.

The AA and AAA lights are using TIR optics and the 1D is using an aluminum reflector and a glass lens. I have not stippled the reflector and probably won't, even though I don't like the beam, it's more of a thrower now and I will show what I mean, when I do beam shots tonight.

OH, they all work too!

That's all except for the beam shots, when I get home from work, after midnight CST.

I haven't done much on these lights yet, but I did manage a couple of videos. One is on where to cut the body of a 2D, if you are doing the human lathe method, with a tail cap switch. The other has a little information about a "D" Maglite switch and modding it.

This is just one example and it has two seams. It can be done with one seam, by cutting at (from the top) 40mm and 110mm. Then you end up with the knurl closer to the head, but only one seam. Of course, for a shorty that uses the stock switch, the measurements will be different again.

This video is on the newer style tail cap switch I've been doing. It's different from the old one, so I thought I would show how it's done.

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BEAM SHOTS

ISO 100, F:2.7, Daylight WB, Shutter 1 second.

2aaa

Here's the 2AAA light against the garage door. I don't know what degree the TIR optic is, but it's a total flooder.

2aa15

Here is the 2AA light and I have a MOUSE OVER for the two TIR optics. The first photo (mouse out), is the 15 degree optic. The second photo (mouse over), is the 45 degree optic.

I have done mouse overs on the 1D reflectors as well.

1ds1

Here, the first photo (mouse out) is the shorter of the two CNQG reflectors I use. The second photo (mouse over), is the deep reflector from CNQG that I use. The short reflector is 51.2mmX29.5mm and the deep reflector is 52mmX40mm. The next shots show you that the short reflector is a tighter thrower than the deep one? Maybe It's not the depth, it's the diameter and the actual reflector profile.

1ds2

I took the shutter speed to 1/15 second, to show a better shot of the actual hot spot on both the reflectors for the 1D. The first photo (mouse out), is the shallow reflector and the second photo (mouse over), is the deep reflector.

These next two shots are done with 2 seconds shutter speed. The images are not zoomed in, but merely cropped. The distance is around 80+ yards. This is with the Shallow reflector, which has a tighter hot spot than the deep reflector.

1ds3

1ds4

OH, here's a shot of the two TIR optics for the 2AA light

2t

That's it. The set of three will go up for sale soon.

Very cool indeed… the vid too :smiley:

I’ve got a general modding question if it’s ok to ask without taking your thread off topic. When you cut down a D MagLite to a 1D, how are you threading the barrel for the tail cap? I ask as I wouldn’t mind trying this, but I’m not sure how to do it or what tools I’d need to borrow/acquire.

Thanks.

Old-Lumens "OK, you now know for sure that I'm going over the edge, rather quickly, so I will get to the Modding."

If this is going over the edge I cant wait. I just got the best of Cream. My 19 year old son likes the plain button and when asked why he thought the colored one looked a bit girly. Maybe I'm girly but I like both. I'm looking forward to the comparison of the two different TIR optics.

I like the plain button more than the abalone shell.

I think for the 1D you should go for an xpg-2 in an aspheric! Or even in a reflector it would still have some sick throw to it.

[quote=MRsDNF]

Old-Lumens “OK, you now know for sure that I’m going over the edge, rather quickly, so I will get to the Modding.”

If this is going over the edge I cant wait. I just got the best of Cream. My 19 year old son likes the plain button and when asked why he thought the colored one looked a bit girly. Maybe I’m girly but I like both. I’m looking forward to the comparison of the two different TIR optics.

[/quote

Off topic but you have to get the Cream reunion from 2005, “Cream live at Royal Albert Hall”, Bluray or DVD. I am so glad they got back together for a few nights to do this.

Abalone

plain :slight_smile:

the abalone clashes with the green to me. Does remind me of some paua jewelry I made for my wife years and years ago though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQKweeTHZu0&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_0WaW5YWFs&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/user/OldLumens/videos

A rotary tool is just about a necessity to do it the way that is shown above.

Ya, it does clash with the green. I like the plain too. The shell would be good on black.

Use a cabochon emerald for the button…

The 2AA will become a single 14500 light and the 2AAA will become a single 10440 light. EDIT: 10/19 I can see major issues with making the AA and AAA into single cell. The wall thickness is terriblely thin, so I am going to leave them 2AA ans 2AAA. If someone wants to use Li-ion, I can always make a dummy cell for them. Also, I imagine I will just use a TIR optic in the AAA instead of an aspheric. The problem is with using the tail cap as the on/off. The tail cap threads inside the body are not anodized well enough and just screwing the tail cap on, would make contact in the threads, so there would not be any off, till the tail cap was taken out. That's no good, so I will leave it as a TIR and use the head for on/off, like I always do.

New ideas are great, but they don't always work out...

The tailcap wouldn't work? It works fine on mine...

Nope, I tested it. I think the quality of the Maglites is slipping. I have noticed this in the newer lights I am getting. They have more minor defects in them. I see both visual and functional. I would bet it’s because of having to reduce the labor force there, which they have been doing. Threads are not as smooth, anodizing is more patchy, little marks that shouldn’t be there, due to improper cleaning before anodizing, etc. I have noticed lots of that kind of thing, but I inspect them harder than most probably do, so I see more. Their quality has slipped some and that’s expected and sad too.

Thank you, very interesting videos :slight_smile:

I’ve wanted a Green Mag since I was a little kid. Never have got one. You don’t see any of the cool colours in Canada on the shelves. Spoesin now I could just buy one online.

I like the Nickel button better as well.

Thanks for these threads they are very inspiring! Where did you get the reflector for the D mag?

Green is hard to find. Zbattery is where I found these three.

CNQualityGoods CNQG. They have two that can be used for maglites, but they both require “massaging”, to fit. Material has to be taken off the reflector OD or the head ID.

Really? Definitely troubling if your word is to be believed (it is). The hardware store that I buy hosts from has no stock newer than Jan. 2009. How recent is this phenomenon?

Loved that slick Blue Brothers build you did last (or earlier this?) year. You can make that 1AAA size direct drive Nichia aspheric with a green Solitaire—the 2AAA Minimag head screws on to a Solitaire without any fuss. Grinding off threads from the 2AAA body should allow the Soli head to screw far enough on the 2AAA to cover the o-ring. Voilà, instant (<— as if) 2AAA penlight and a tiny 1AAA Nichia aspheric for a green quartet

edit: make that another vote for the nickel button