I picked up the 5W and 1W units - will post pics shortly. I took the 5W apart; CREE LED on a star with a removable pill, comes with 3D Heavy Duty batteries which I thru away and installed Energizer Max’es. Fairly deep reflector.
The 5W which is now $10.00 was originally $24.99
The 1W which is now $5.00 was originally $12.99
good to know! ill stop at my local autozone later
How dose the 3D compare to a stock 3D mag light led?
MagLite 3D Standard=131lm
DuraMax 3D=280lm
I bought the 5 watt one at my local Auto Zone. 5 watter has a very heavy pill 20mm star, 20mm driver, probably an xp-g emitter, plastic 54mm lens (but will take a 55). Hey, guys this is a 10 dollar very moddable light, I ordered two more J) J) Hellava nice aluminum (not plastic) reflector, od 50mm, 44mm start of parabolic, 44mm deep, nice reflector. Stock batteries, 1.4 amps high, .30 amps low. On one Moli 26700, 1.45 amp, .35 amp.
Nice find trace30. Thanks for reporting. I bought one of each. Looks like they will be nice hosts.
Pictures attached. Please suggest an emitter and driver upgrade for this host. As was stated, they are 20mm and I will be staying with 3D cells.
I had one of these in my hands today and put it back, started for the door and turned around and picked it back up. Didn’t buy it though because I put it back down again! Now that I have seen it apart, I going back tomorrow and buy it, and no one is going to stop me, not even myself.
Yeah, and knowing your luck your store will have it marked down to $1.49! :)
Does look very nice. Pill looks very good. I assume there is solid surface under the emitter star? (i.e. it's not hollow.). How about just an XM-L emitter swap if you're sticking to alkalines? If the driver has next-mode memory, the capacitor is easy enough to identify and put an appropriate resistor across.
I don't think a driver upgrade will do you much good for Alkaline use. It's probably already direct-drive on high which is what you want for max output on alkalines. Wait - can't be direct drive since Flo measured output above on a 26700 and still had about same current. Perhaps someone could speak up on how to jump resistors for direct drive output on high.
-Garry
Flomotion was a bit stealthy in linking an AR coated glass lens from KD that should fit this light in case anyone missed that.
-Garry
Garry, No one can be that lucky, I am starting to believe I have the POWER! :bigsmile:
BTW this light may have a driver similiar to the DST. Remember that one! It too was limited on high but there was a simple move of the wire. First thing I would do is check for continuity from the spring to here. (from trace30 pic)
I agree with Dchomak. Definitely not direct drive stock. Even a sick Moli IMR26700 would have delivered much more current than 1.45A.
Thanks for the tip! Looks nice.
There is a solid surface under the emitter pad. Correct, it is a 2-mode High/Low driver. Can I go with an XM-L2 U2 on this? This is my first mod so sorry for the simple questions.
Also, there is continuity between the spring and the pad that was circled. What would moving the wire to this pad do?
If there is continuity and you moved the wire now going to L+ you should get direct drive. Because I have not yet picked one up, and this is your first mod, you should wait until I or someone else can confirm that this is a good thing to do.
Also, from what you have described it seems that it would be possible to merely change the LED to an XM-L2 U2 with no problems other than the driver may not be able to survive passing current to such a powerful LED.
If it is possible to convert to Direct Drive, the current driver would not be used, as is is being bypassed after the conversion. I doubt 3 D cells could drive enough current to cause any overheating of the LED and pill.
OK, I’ll stand by for some feedback on the direct drive option. If I do go direct drive, does that eliminate the high/low mode?
That was my concern, whether you'd lose the low mode by moving the emitter wire. Personally I'd prefer keeping low mode and raising high to direct drive (or at least higher than it is stock).
-Garry
I agree, it would be better to try and keep the low if at all possible. The advantage of converting to direct drive is that it is simple, cheap (free) and reversible.
Thanks for the pictures trace30. If you still have the light apart, could you measure the depth of the driver side of the pill?
If no, I will check it out tomorrow.
EDIT: Installing a XML2 should not put any stress on the driver. The XML2 will have a similar Vf. The driver is limiting the current to the LED, not the other way around.
I just bought one and though it looks well made on the outside, the threads are worse than the typical Chinese lights I have. The head to battery tube (and pill) are about as sloppy as it can be without easily stripping. With only 0.1mm thread engagement (on mine) and only 4 1/2 of them, I’m afraid to tighten it very much. It feels like the peaks of the threads begin to wedge together. A good whack up side an assailant’s head would probably cock the head. The tail cap isn’t quite as bad but still sloppy. Also, the O-rings seem useless because of little or no contact.