First mod - MT-G2 questions

It’s due time for my first mod! Hopefully it’s not over-ambitious, but I bought an MT-G2 on 20mm Noctigon DTP board thanks to the sale Hank has going on at intl-outdoor.com

That looks like a very interesting emitter, and one that I don’t currently own (as it seems to have been superseded by the XHP line). For hosts, I am awed by DB Custom’s latest build and am thinking about the M1, particularly as the reflector will apparently fit over the MT-G2 dome without modification.

If I want a floody light, though, which apparently the MT-G2 excels at, is the reflector on the M1 deeper than I’d want? I already own some pretty decent throwers in S70S, C8, and M3XS-UT form. (Hmm, maybe I should order the emitter on a 16mm board instead and build a mule in a Convoy S3 host or similar…? Is that crazy?)

If I did go with the M1, I’d basically just need a driver, right? This thread has some suggestions for drivers, but not ones I’ve seen before. If I wanted to run off a single 18650, rather than two smaller cells in series, what kind of driver might I need?

This one from RMM sounds a lot like the driver in the BLF A6, offering linear and direct-drive, while the DrJones driver seems to be highly regarded, albeit expensive. Or maybe I could get someone to build me a TA driver if it’s appropriate?

Thanks for the help!

Reserved for updates if I manage to put this together.

Both that driver and the DrJones H17F you linked are linear drivers. In a linear driver, the voltage in equals the voltage out. A li-ion cell typically supplies 3.7v while an MTG2 requires 6v, .

To run an MTG2 with either of those drivers, you would need to use 2 cells in series. However, doing so exceeds the voltage range of the driver’s MCU. You would need to modify the driver with a Zener diode to prevent burning out the MCU. In the Convoy M1, running 2 cells means using 2x18350. This means lower capacity and more risk of explosion than using a single-18650.

If you want to run an MTG2 on a single-cell you need a boost driver, that “boosts” the voltage from 3.7v to 6v+. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of readily available single-cell boost drivers around. I know there have been at least a couple mod threads on BLF where people were working on one, but I’m not aware of any that are readily available. RMM does not sell any.

I understand it is somewhat difficult to make a boost driver small enough to fit in a 17mm driver slot that has sufficient output current to make it worthwhile. If you want a boost driver you’re probably going to have to either make your own or dig up one of those boost driver mod threads and IM the driver designers asking for a special order.

I have an mtg2 in a m1. Very nice light. I’m using a moonlight special(amc7135) linear driver with zener mod and two 18350. I added stacked amcs to get up to 5amps. It’s a lot of light. Very floods but I used a tir optic with dc fix to blend the beam.

There are some new 18350 cells that hjk just reviewed. They have Been found to have over 1000ma capacity. I would look into those if you do move forward.
:slight_smile:

That’s my oversight! Thank you for all this information, it’s exactly what I need.

Great to know! This may be the path I end up going.