Gentlemen,
As the progression of things like these go, it was inevitable... First there was the mini-mag, next came the JohnnyMac inspired micro-mag, and now there's the nano-mag.
This little 2xAAA mag incan was purchased over a year ago and has sat unmolested on my shelf till this past weekend. Recent frustration over a certain quad build led me to find solace in a more potentially successful endevor. With that, I present the build up of black beauty's baby brother...
First, the body is cut down and the head is bored for the impending pill:
13mm was about as large as I felt comfortable going while still keeping head integrity intact. The body was cut down to 1xAAA size and the top opened up to allow front loading the cell.
Next came making the actual pill. Thankfully I was able to make it out of brass, as compared to copper required of my larger triples. This is the smallest pill I've yet made, and the walls are only .5mm thick.
Here it is hanging out with it's soon to be partner: a 12mm boost driver from illuminationsupply.
Such a wee beast...not even big enough to be a pinky thimble
Driver installed and potted in the pill, along with the soon to be mounted nichia219 reflowed onto a 11.5mm star.
Here's the leads shortened, star mounted, and all soldered up.
Installed in the head, it was sure getting crowded in there...
The stock reflector was used, but needed a little attention with an exacto knife for proper fit. Here's a shot of how it needs to be modified (pic was taken before final sanding):
Here's the side view along with a depth measurement:
And of course here's a horribly dusty and out of focus shot of how the reflector sits in the head (cameraphone fail).
The end results (in my highly biased opinion), turned out quite well!
Only looking at the photo posted here now instead of on my phone do I realize that the wife's red tablecloth may not have been the best background choice....live and learn.
Since without size reference the above photo could be a regular cut down MM, here it is hanging out with some more well known contemporaries: A thrunite Ti and a mag solitare.
Finally, a few shots with it's bigger brother:
I'll end the pictures with an end shot:
Mmm....shiny...
Final thoughts:
Currently the tailcap is bare, but I left it thick enough for the option of either a clip or keyring. Functioning is a simple twist on (tighten) twist off (loosen) and plenty of threading was left so the head wouldn't fall off when in the off position. The driver is a single mode and the combination is deceptively bright on a fresh alkaline.
I was planning on, and still might, stiple the reflector. Currently unstippled, there are a few artifacts when hunting the Great White Wall....but in practical use either inside or out this goes unnoticed. Besides, I do like the large, yet visible hotspot.
Out the front lumens were measured at 103.5L - Impressive (to me) from a nichia and single crappy alk AAA. This is at a 1.7a tailcap current draw.
I'll post some beamshots up (maybe) at a later date.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and as always, thanks for humoring me.
-Match