Hello everyone, this is my first post. I am interested in converting a 4D maglite to led/18650 and I have some questions that I couldn’t find the answers to on my own. Im using these two write-ups as a guide:
My questions mainly revolve around the purchasing of parts. I have no real purpose in mind for this light, i just want something big and bright. I am currently planning on using a SST-50 LED as it was the brightest single led I could find. Here is what I am confused about:
1) I can’t seem to find a driver that specifically says it works for this LED. Do you know of any? Single or 3 mode are preferred.
2) I have a few lights already and i see variations in what are labelled as the same LED. I am really concerned about the shape of the hotspot. I want to make sure the hotspot is even and round as opposed to projecting the shape of the LED. How can I be sure of this? Here is the LED I was considering: http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S009427
3) The maglite I am converting was incandescent, will the lens and reflector be suitable for what I am doing or should I replace them?
You might like the MT-G2 led also. Very bright with nice tints available. Check out RMM’s store Mtn electronics for drivers and LEDs. He can program the driver of your choice with a variety of options. You will need a heat sink to run any high power led and the H22A* is one option. You could DIY one out of copper if your skills and desire are up to that instead. The stock reflector is fine one you remove the cam.
Determine what kind of a hot spot you want. Look at it like this, at 40 yards, do you want a hot spot that is about 10' across or do you want a hot spot that is about 20' or more across? Determining the hot spot diameter will help to pick a reflector. If you use the stock reflector, the hot spot will be large and with an SST-50 led, the hot spot will also be "ringy", kind of like the stock hot spot. With an MT-G2 led and the stock reflector, the hot spot will be big, but less "ringy" than the SST-50.
If you want a small hot spot, you have to use a different reflector.
Thanks for the info. I am more interested in throw than flood so I guess I would want a smaller hotspot. I think ill try the stock reflector and then change it later if I am not happy. My original concern with the hotspot was more about the shape. For example I have 2 lights with XML-T6 led’s. My nightcore has a round intense hotspot but the cheap ebay light with the same led projects a square with lines running through it. Is this controlled by the led or the reflector?
Thank you for those recommendations. Im definitely going to go with the MT-G2 instead. I knew i needed a heatsink and I was going to try to make one on my own, but those seem nice and the prices are nice so I may go that route. When you say “ remove the cam” what are you referring to?
The cam is the tube shaped, bottom part of the reflector that extends beyond the hole. It is used by Mag to allow focusability. With a 4D mag, you’ll be able to fit three series 18650 or 26650 cells. If you’re going with an MTG2 LED, then a buck converter is advisable (three different drivers available from RMM) Do you have cells already? If not, I suggest getting protected cells for this light.
The MT-G2 is a big led so it while it will put out massive amounts of light it will be floody. This thread has a ton of information that you can use to compare LEDs. For a tighter spot than an mtg2 1500 lumens is no big deal for an xml2 on copper and even an xpg2 can approach 1000 lumens and will have an even tighter spot than xml2(it’s all about die size, the actual size of the emitter). Dedoming the emitter will tighten the spot further but will also change the tint some. Now there are factory made flat top versions of LEDs that instead of a dome have a flat cover and are designated “high intensity”. I encourage you to spend a little time looking over these different possibilities.
That square is an image of the led die. To see the lines it must be focused pretty well. Not a bad thing since that’s what it’s designed to do but I guess not to your taste.
Thanks for the explanation. I am going to have to look into the buck converter, I don’t see anything on mountain electronics by that name. I was planning on using 18650’s that I salvaged, but if they’re not advised with this setup ill order some Keeppowers for it.
Wow, I never thought that that could be the intention. The lines from the die are very sharp, but this hinders visibility when illuminating anything IMO.
Thanks, I was able to sort it out. I ended up buying a SST-90 and buck driver combo from fasttech. They’re probably of cheaper quality than mountain electronics, but I am going to try my hand at soldering and assembling with this and some salvaged 18650’s before I spend money for the better parts.
It seems like the H22A heatsinks aren’t sold anymore, the post I was linked to is old and the guy hasn’t responded to any emails. Does anyone else make something similar? I didn’t find anything through google or the popular diy flashlight sites but I’ve only found cheaper looking generic heatsinks.
Thats not a bad idea at all. I did hear back from him and I was also made aware of a BLF member that sells a similar piece, but the copper cap could definitely come in handy for future projects.