3-6 D Cell Maglite mod for a beginner

Hello everyone. I own two D cell maglites. One is three cell and I am unsure of the age of it and the other is a 5 cell that is 20 years old and I have owned it from my mid teen years. Now I am visually impaired and can not see well enough to solder with the tools and magnification that I currently have. I am not saying that I am going to mod the lights, but rather looking for info just in case I want the project.

I read up a bit from my time of CPF about the ROP mod. Is that still a useful mod in this day and age of bright LEDs? What is a nice beginner project for a Maglite? This is a budget forum, so what is an inexpensive mod for a maglite? What about running the lite on D cell batteries vs. using something like PVC pipe and 18650 cells for example? I am unsure of a goal yet, maybe a bright/pure flood light, however I am just trying to learn and also find a cheap project.

Volumes could be, and have, been written on this... Here's my quick answer for you:

Buy a fusion 36 drop-in from ebay (@$26). It's as simple as changing the light bulb. It will give you a tremendous lumen output gain over stock and be very floody.

Any other mod will either be more expensive or more labor intensive (or both).

Thanks for this, I will look into the Fusion 36. :) This is a great forum.

With the Fusion dropin I have, it works better with more than 4 cells. Problem is that a 5D is a bulky object. It still works well with a 3D, but is significantly brighter on a 5D.

That makes sense to me, more voltage = brighter output. Yeah a 5 D cell mag would be bulky but if I get the drop-in for the light it would only be an as needed light more or less, not something I would use everyday.

My first Maglite mod was a homebuilt drop-in similar to the Fusion. It had 36 5mm superbright (at the time) LEDs, all driven at the proper levels. It put out a lot of light but was VERY floody with little throw. From the beamshots I have seen here, the Fusion dropin performs a bit better, but if you wan't a throwy light, don't expect much from that mod.

My goal with the Mag mod is a wall of light with no real hotspot. It seems that the Fusion 36 is my ticket. I will wait for more money and order one and try it. I do not plan to carry a Maglite, but rather have it as a light when needed and also for the fun of having another light. :)