Lantern style "spotlight" for modding - toughts

I've been looking at this one closely for quite some time:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220616127209&rvr_id=185919200853&mfe=sidebar

I got the info somewhere that it does use nichia leds.

Anyway, i was thinking to mod it to use 1-2 18650 cells and use the best led emitters i can get with regards to low heat. XP-G R5 comes to mind driven conservatively around 700mA shouldn't heat much. Maybe 3x R5 at 350mA with a AK-57 driver and leds driven parallel, but quite expensive.

Would love to gave the lantern added brightness (diffused) and extended runtime.

Any opinions or ideas to share? I like the "host" very much!

Can't believe no1 have anything to say on subject. Em i the only one to like the host? Color wise sux, but for the rest seems ok.

It looks like it is bigger than it actually is - it took a while for the measurements to sink in for me.

Will it be long enough to take a couple of 18650's - I'd have thought you might be limited to 17500s - but that does depend on how long the carrier is. You'd probably be able to get a single 18650 in it and all the driver you would probably need for three R5s in parallel would be some resistance to keep the current sensible. It should run for 2 and a bit hours off a single 18650.

That sort of mod would be too much work for me, but I'm very interested in seeing how it turns out.

Hmm, battery wise i could make it single alkaline d cell probably (runtime will be poor if not left stock) or one giant D similar size li-ion.

I dislike all 3 cell setups in any form but AA or AAA are the most annoying to me.

Maybe a single XM-L at 1-1,5A is all it needs. Perhaps the AK-47 modded for 1,4A would be perfect and i get the hi-lo modes along.

Heatsinking would require me to probably use a socket 775 modified intel cooler i have a zillion laying around.

I have to order it first then try to figure out the inner works.

Ah what the hell! I'm getting it right now.

i have a ton of these:

Im thinking to drill a hole in the copper to accomodate an ak47 driver and two smaller holes about 2mm to reach the other side for wires to the emitter.

I will probably have to trim the excess fins to suit the size of the host.

A nice aluminum tube somehow glued or possibly screwed for the battery of choice and im pretty done on that part except for minor rewiring around the switch.

Have to think about the leds i will use. Perhaps i can still reuse the original reflector if it is not a true piece of garbage which probably is and plastic to add the insult.

With that much heatsinking i can probably play with decent watt leds if i manage to use also the whole body which has a not so lousy total surface.

The plastic lens in front can give me trouble in the long run.

Maybe i can exchange it with one of these: (as i want it floody, if i manage to fit it):

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13618

A lithium D sounds interesting, I doubt an alkaline D would be a good idea, that would be forcing the driver to work too hard.