Sometimes if you want something ‘just so,’ you just have to do it yourself…
The update:
Improvements: New wiring. Changed jacks to RCA type-better contact. New paracord wrap. De-fuglified the switch area. Added vertical stiffener. Added an outrigger light (Longbow, modded with an XM-L and a 105C driver) for use as a dedicated strobe. Yes, I feel much safer and need a nighttime strobe for walking 3 dogs. Can’t see it much in the pics, but I also added a little wackerific red flasher to the rear so comatose drivers see me from the rear. Plus, added a tailcap from a C Mag on the handle. (had it drilled out for a tailcap switch from a previous mod.) Right now I’m trying to come up with something to put in the hole or cover it.
The outrigger light is a Longbow, made in ~2003-4. Best source of info on that would be a CPF search. Very short-lived company that came and went, but the lights were beyond high quality; really excellent.
Much happier with this now! Or, how poor modders manage without rich boy toys, like a lathe!
The Gadget is designed specifically for night dog walks. Cops’ll probably think it’s a nuclear device and check me out this time when they see the thing!
(End of update, previous post below)
The fugly first try:
The holder is made up of four copper pipe pieces soldered together and covered with 3M non-skid tape-favorite stuff for no-slip gripping. I fabbed the handle out of PVC pipe; all I had on hand. The cigar grips (from greedbay) hold the lights in place. I modded the tailcaps to take 1/8” audio plugs/jacks (all I could think of for wiring) and wired them parallel to the switch from the parts drawer.
The lights are four of the neutral XPG triples I built a couple years ago-AMC 12-chip drivers with LED Supply 400K triples. They are not slaved together, but work fine in unison with the single switch, set up for L-Mid-Hi. Hosts are L2P’s. Carclo optics are all medium frosted. Hosts are wrapped with a layer of aluminum from a disposable baking pan, just enough to snug the lights for heat transfer.
Is it a hack job? YES. All hot glue, plasti-dip, crazy glue and JB Weld, but it’s solid and works! I still need to come up with something to make a tripod mount for it.
The idea is to run them at the mid setting and cut down on heat instead of using a single light on high. The thing throws out a tremendous, beautiful neutral flood with a frightening amount of light that’ll probably light up a football field. And the beauty of it is that I can swap in any Solarforce host I want.
The only real chore is unscrewing things to charge batteries, but I’m not complaining!
I named it the Gadget in honor of the code name for the atomic bomb in WWII. It’s about that bright!
Rich
"I am the flashlight king! I can light anything!"
It’s…beautiful!
Where did you get the cigar grips?
Beamshots? 8)
Where is the like button ?
awesome build !
visit my photostream:
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Haha, awesome!
Oh I thought it was the prototype for the Blackshadow Terminator.
Nice!
Dealer from Ebay that had them. They are Olight parts.
Not set up for beamshots, and it’s damned cold out!
Rich
"I am the flashlight king! I can light anything!"
Useless – one of the hosts is blue….you’ll have to send it to me for “disposal” :bigsmile:
Nice creative job, I like it.
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What a fantastic build. Love it. well done.
djozz quotes, "it came with chinese lettering that is chinese to me".
"My man mousehole needs one too"
old4570 said "I'm not an expert , so don't suffer from any such technical restrictions".
Old-Lumens. Highly admired and cherished member of Budget Light Forum. 11.5.2011 - 20.12.16. RIP.
ERMAHGERD.
Love it! Pop in four extensions and you get an even brighter and longer lasting light.
From the looks of the handle, I bet it balances real nice in the hand too. Very cool!
Richie
I love it, that’s more fun than buying for sure. FrankenGadget
awesome
I’m glad I’m not the only flashlight collector out there, I was beginning to think I was strange.
My name is Kendall and I’m a Flashaholic from western Canada
Really nice idea
Light up the darkness.
estimated output and runtime ?
Very cool, nice job!!
New Collection / Old Collection
http://budgetlightforum.com/comment/183056#comment-183056
love it!
Now that is very cool.
I was wondering when someone was finally going to do it. Amazing work, I love it!

Love the toggle switch.
"In the land of the blond the one eyed man is king."
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Nice, you just need to jack in a large power pack that hangs on the tripod you plan to mount.
Man, that’s one utt buggly light…
nice.. you’re giving me idea about strapping 4 skyray king together
The only way to do a great work is to love what you do.
Rich,
Kudos to your creativity and pursuit of the most light from a hand torch! Not the most polished mod, but pretty friggin' cool if you ask me. Seriously though, I think we need some beam shot comparisons.
It reminds me of a build using 4 x 3-up XPGs in a mag host with a massive copper heatsink and the same optics. I saw it on CPF once but can't remember whose work it was.
My lights here and here
If only you used a larger host like C8’s; Imagine a tri or quad C8 setup like that with XML’s all driven at 2800ma+ >) .
I’ve been thinking about tri C8 setup for a while like this but planting them in a PVC pipe and making some kind of holders; If I add some interrupters and keep the modes while driving them off of a large lipo in the back I could have different lights at different outputs/modes while avoiding battery fuss.
Now I just need some cheap c8’s ;). A fan could be driven off of the lipo if it needed active cooling (Stationary flood, when used w/diffuser, etc) but I’d intend on using this as a mobile ‘flood light’ with a better run-time than bigger spot lights.
I just need to see how lights handle the lipos (I’ve got a cheap headlight I plan on hacking up this week and while it is higher voltages that can always be stepped down or I can just wire larger individual cells in parallel w/some fuses to prevent any dangerous overheating. If the current is too much it would have to be stepped down/limited/restricted.
If I can I’d like to avoid lions and just add a monitor for the lipo cells; If I’m going to be running 4000mah+ packs it would be nice to charge them at 2+ Amps :bigsmile:.
How did I miss this thread? I swear I miss way too much around here.
Rich, good to see you are still modding. That is somewhere between James Bond and Rube Goldberg, but it's cool looking and I bet, it's bright as hell!
Way to go Rich!
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Born of necessity as night vision is worse. Don’t get old!
I’d like to redo the handle. Looks worse in the pic than in person though.
Rich
"I am the flashlight king! I can light anything!"
wheres the beam shot at the football field
weird i just get addicted to flashlight like in a blink of an eye.
In my mind… I’m lazy, not equipped for beamshots, and it’s too damn cold!
"I am the flashlight king! I can light anything!"
Bump, new pics and comments.
"I am the flashlight king! I can light anything!"
No one with comments about the updates?
"I am the flashlight king! I can light anything!"
Thats our subtle way of telling you that we are still waiting for beamshots.
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