16 LED, 3 'D' Cell Flashlight (torch) problems

[justDIY]

sounds fun - take pictures

here's a nice looking lens ... they claim K2, but I don't see why it wouldn't fit any of the luxeons, they all share the same body

3° beam spread! talk about a pin-point spotlight.

 

[HarveyH42]

I'm going to wait and see what I get. The details and specs weren't entirely clear. Guessing the body will be aluminum for heat transfer, and expect to need a socket (can't solder aluminum). If I'm lucky I'll find an old flashlight with metal reflector and socket, otherwise flat stock aluminum.

It might already have optics installed, there was mention of a narrow beam, but did make clear if it was the LED or the maglight focus...

 

[justDIY]

i bought the maxstar5 for my 4d mag, same body as the max3.

the thing that looks like a heavy aluminum metal slug is not that, it is a very thin piece of aluminum, tapped on the inside.

the maglight bulb retention system is proprietary of course, the bulb sits in a socket and is held in place by a retaining bushing of sorts that screws onto threads on the outside of the socket. the maxstar body is this retaining bushing, so it screws onto the mag socket

my max5 didn't come with any optics, except for the luxeon's silicone lens

you'll probably want to disassemble the little guy and then re-mount it to whatever fits inside your flashlight?

 

[Sceadwian]

mvs sarma, reflectors are cheap and useful on a flashlight body, not necessarily something easy to build into an LED itself, to chrome coat the base of an LED assembly would be a little more complicated, especially getting a useful parabolic shape.

 

[HarveyH42]

Finally got around to doing the MaxStar 3... Kind of a disapointment, fo the price. There was a black piece surounding the bulb body the prevented it from fitting in a reflector head off another flashlight, that would fit the one I was working on, so removed it. Wasn't plastic, thin aluminum, heatsink I'd guess. What I found under the LED was kind of a pisser, just a resister for current limiting. Was expecting something to drain the batteries down more.

Will have to wait on the sun to see just how bright, but it's about the same as the 16 LEDs (before they started burning out). With no heatsink, guess this one will be kind of limited life too.

 

[HiTech]

Regarding the Mag-Lite Luxeon flashlight, read this:
**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

 

[mvs sarma]

................ Only been searching through the web a few hours, and there is tons of information to sort through for just modifying a flashlight. Started this thread to help narrow things down to something a little more manageable, and hopefully learn what to avoid.

Hi HarveyH42,

Did you see this site http://elm-chan.org/works/led2/report.html

he gives a 6LED head lamp with two trnsistors-- though old as 2002, he employes a feedback-- a simple circuit