Went home to my family in Capiz, Philippines for holidays and got struck by typhoon Phanfone (local name Ursula) on Christmas Eve. Electricty down and only brought with me a few of my lights. Batteries were depleted after 1 day. The reason: FET driven lights in muggle hands (I guess I don’t have to explain here). Went to the local 7-eleven (only store open) and only C and D cells were left on the shelf. All the lights I gave to my family the last few years are aa or aaa driven and they never have spare batteries around ever.
So has me wondering about D cell compatible lights. I should probably need to have one and also give to my family since D cells are still widely used here in the Philippines even in remote areas. Trying to look for Lumintop SD4a or SD10 but they seem to be out of stock everywhere. Can anybody suggest a light that can be powered by a single D-cell and li-ion (26650 or 18650 with a spacer). Suggestions for a cheap and not so large host (I can maybe use a 14500/aa driver from sofirn) also welcome.
Eveready has a cheap 1D 25 lumen LED light that will also run on single C cells and can be run on AA’s and AAA’s with adapters. This light is a vampire and will run on “dead” batteries that have been run down in other devices. Great for extended power outages.
If you have an old 2 or 3 D cell incandescent Maglite or a 2D military angle head light, they can be upgraded with a LED drop in (Nite Ize’s 55 lumen LED drop-in works well) and adapted to run on everything from C’s, AA’s, AAA’s, CR123’s, 16340’s 14500’s, 18650’s, 26650’s etc. using home made or 3D printed adapters. You can do the same with newer 2-3 C or D cell Mags LEDs, such as the ML25, ML50 and ML300.
Nice. Thanks for the suggestions xxo. Forgot about those military angle lights. I remember vestureofblood modding thise. That should be a cool project.
Unfortunately I have no maglites as those were quite rare where I grew up. Cheap everyreadies are common though. I should take a look at my father’s stock room.
A Mag isn’t gonna be a screamer, not by a longshot, but The Muggle will have a hard time running it down overnight.
Also, look for Mag-alikes, like Brinkmann and similar Mag(ish) lights.
Fwiw, I got those Mag LED replacement bulbs, and even fit them into a 2×AA light (Taskforce) that originally took a PR3 hotwire bulb, and it works fine on a pair of AAs. It isn’t exactly a high-strung bulb, so AAs can power it fine.
In a pinch, the bulb can go into a Mag if ever needed. (It’s the fat-base bulb that does not fit PR-type sockets. In the Taskforce, I tossed the retaining cap and shaved the hole in the reflector to make the bulb a press-in.)
Hurricane Maria and the extended power outages that followed is what got me making 3D printed adapters – I wanted to see how many different types of cells I could run in common 2-3 C and D cell lights. In a situation like that you will have a bunch of problems more important than flashlight batteries, but I figured it would be nice to be able to use a wide variety of cells and maybe have one less thing to deal with.
Saw your adapters when you first posted and I was interested but needed to cut down on my flashlight spending. Now after this typhoon, I think I need need them. I could probably make my own but having something 3D printed here is costly and I probably won’t have the patience to source and properly put those connectors in place. Will post in your thread after I get the chance to measure some of my lights. Thanks xxo.
Before I started 3D printing them, I used to make adapters out of all sorts of stuff, from PVC pipes to rolled up newspaper and electrical tape. Sometimes it’s harder to find the right metal fittings to make contact from the light to the cell(s). I generally use brass machine screws/nuts for the 3D prints, though steel screws will work in a pinch if you can find the right length or cut down a longer one. Brass or aluminum rods can work if you cut them to the right length.
Really appreciate the input. I much prefer a single D-Cell light but a 2D maglite might be the best option. They’re expensive here though and not sure of the quality of cheap knockoffs. Time to do research on maglite mods and modules since I wasn’t really interested until now. Thanks guys.
These are good for lighting the inside of the house with the light inside and the solar charger on the roof, and it comes with a battery, they get cheaper if you buy 2 or 3 at a time.
This is a single AA light that is pretty bright for solar.
That looks interesting. But my particular interest is a light that can be powered by multiple types of cells with priority to D and aa cells since these are the most common or, in most cases, the only battery types available from local off the grid stores. Bonus if it can work with Li-ion for general usage. 9V batteries are quite uncommon where I come from.
The eveready light is a 1D light. It’s not the most ruggedly constructed or water resistant light but it has very good run time and only costs about $3 in the USA. Walmart sells a similar Ozark trail 1 D light here for around $2.50 that is brighter and throws further, though it has less run time and it is not as good of a vampire for running on “dead” batteries. Don’t know if you can find these in the Philippines.
If I wanted a cheap 1D light I think I’d just saw an old 2D light in half, glue or tape the tail part and spring back onto the front half of the body, and use the head (board and driver) from a random 1AA or 1AAA light. Is it even worth the trouble though? Just keep a few AAA and AA cells around the house. There are always some around anyway, in clocks, remotes, etc.
