Just finished the mod today 9/12/18 on a 3 cell Maglite with two 26650's. Bought the FireFly 800 lumen LED Upgrade off your website. This thing is wild!! Absolutely amazing how much this old flashlight puts out now, and a definite keeper. Thought I'd miss the adjustable focus on it, but the light is so bright with a nice beam, I just don't need the focus anymore.
What about the difference in voltage though? Wont the 2x 3.7 lipo cells in seroes (7.4volts) blow the bulb as the bulbs designed for a 3v 2x 1.5v D Cells? Is there a step down regulator inside the 26650 sleeve? Or do you change the bulb to a higher voltage more powerful bulb?
2D Stock bulbs are actually rated at 2.4v since Alkalines start at 1.5v fresh, then drop down to around 1.2v. But yes, you will want a higher Voltage bulb.
I want to upgrade my 2D maglite to be rechargeable. But I don't want to change the incandescent lamp to LED. I'm thinking of using an 18650 or larger LiIon cell, and then inplementing a small charge module port in the cap. I'm thinking that the battery is at 4.1v when full charged and perhaps 3.5v when under a heavy 750ma load of the incandescent lamp. So perhaps I could use a 3.6v incandescent bulb, instead of the stock 2.4v one. The only issue I can think of is runtime... An alkaline D cell has a rough capacity of 8Ah to 12Ah. Where as a single 18650 has maybe 2.3Ah. 2.3Ah / 0.75A = roughly 3 hours of runtime, which isn't the best. Maybe a bigger cell is the way to go (I have the space of 2D cells to play with) but then I have to compensate for the reduced ESR of a larger cell, probably resulting in a higher voltage accross the lamp. I don't think a buck regulator is the way to go - I don't think they make buck regulators with an input range of a single LiIon cell discharge curve (4.1v - 3.0v) not to mention they always have a non zero current draw, even without a load... Meaning that storage time off charge would be very limited. It would be pretty cool if they made a pre-assembled tube with the cell and charge/protection circuitry included. Could even provide a new end-cap with a pre-fabricatd charge port and appropriately rated lamp. It would make upgrading existing maglites much easier. But ultimately it would be a 3rd party device.
hi matt, if im mod a c8, im curious between driver spring bypass vs no spring, use that small magnet on the top of battery, which one will provide lower resistnce to the light ,?. nice greeting im a fans of you from Malaysia country..
May be you can explain this to me. All D-cell maglite have a difference of voltage. From 4.5V of the 3D cells up to 9V for the 6D cell flaslight. Is there a voltage regulator somewhere or the same bulb will be brighter with a 6D cells rather than a 3D cells? Led are way more sensitive to voltage than incandescent bulbs. Should I guess there's a LED for each type of D-cells maglite torch?
In the case of incandescent maglites a different bulb is used for each size. You can take a bulb from a 5 cell maglite and over drive it with 6 cells to get a somewhat brighter light. The bulb will not last as long though. In the case of LEDs there is a regulator inside the maglite switch. Most factory LED maglites use a 3 volt led with a regulator to either boost or reduce current depending on the battery voltage. Most often the regulators in the cannot handle much extra voltage (like if you were to add more cells using extensions), and do not get any brighter when voltage is increased.
So I’d I’m doing this to a 2D Incan model running a 6d Incan bulb, can I still fit the spare bulb in the tailcap? Or does the longer batteries and shorter spring interfere with that? Thanks! Love your vids man
I suppose you could face the bulb vertically though it wouldn't be fully cushioned. Just outta curiosity, what 6 Cell bulb are ya gonna run because there's 3 bulb types: Krypton, Xenon Magnum Star 1 and Xenon Magnum Star 2. The last one uses a Bi-pin bulb and is supposedly brightest though I've never compared them since the beams will be different. Fun Fact: There's an ancient method called overdriving Incan bulbs, you get a very white beam that throws much better with the cost of reduced bulb life. Sometimes the bulb will just die upon turn on called Instaflashing. You can Overdrive 4.8v (4 cell) and 6.0v (5 cell) bulbs with 2x 3.7 Li-ion cells. One last thing, what brand Li-ion batteries are you using?
Fun fact. With this setup or a similar setup (2x 18650s), you can run a 6 Cell Incandescent bulb. And for shits and giggles, you can overdrive the fuck out of a 4 Cell Bulb both Krypton and Xenon which puts out a very White Light and Throws a bit more. Of course this will severely reduce the life of the Bulb. Yes, obviously if you're gonna spend money on this mod, you may as well spend money on one of Matt Smith's high quality LED drop ins :)
I've never done this, but you could heat the spring with a blow torch to reduce the tension. I don't know if this effects the electric resistance in any way though.
Good afternoon matt. Been trying your website and keep getting an error #404. Cannot find the link because it may have been removed or renamed, the it says to contact you for further assistance. Just thought I’d let you know,...
Hey Matt, have you or anyone you know tried to do the same battery conversion with one of Maglites newest LED lights? I'm wondering if the new lights can handle that extra .7 volts or fry it. Lol.Your light is pretty cool, but it lacks the focusing ability.
LOL I'm more confused than ever. You comment about Oldlumens doing that test is not even visible to me any more... Did you delete it or am I just not showing it?
Never mind, I see them now LOL! Thank you for sharing. You can post a link here to the Old lumens video if you want Jason. I dont mind related links to quality channels :)
HI, I have a 4D Cell. Im' thinking of buying the Maglite LED Upgrade 5,000 lumen 3x XHP50 LED Bulb for 6D Maglite but its for 6D cells. Should I buy an extender? For both 4D and 6D length, how many 26650 KeepPower 5200mAh will I put inside?
Hi Tom. Using the 5k bulb you can only power it with two 26650. The extensions are really more for people who want to use regular D cells. Basically turn a 4D into a 6D etc.
Hmmmmm. It's been a long time since I've had a 6D. I think 5x 26650s is the limit though. You can get 2 in a 2 cell and 3 in a 3 cell, but by the time you get to putting 4 in a 4 cell you cant even use a spring anymore. I'm 99% sure that only 5 will fit.
Good afternoon Matt, I've recently come across my "old" 6d Maglite and I was wanting to upgrade my power cells to something more abundant in my house. With a 2d Maglite there is about .5" difference you have to compensate for, but with the 6d that becomes 1.5" of extra battery. Do you already have a solution to this problem by chance?
Hello sir I would like to upgrade my maglites all of mine are (c) cell I don't like d cell just to fat and bulky let me know if u make anything for it willing to buy what u got thanks
Thanks a bunch.. This will only be part of the equation but it's a start. The chip I will use came out of a Vape device that used 3 18650's. The 26650 should give me a few more watt hours before recharging
But the voltage is 8.4 volts with 2 fresh 26650 and 2 D's is only 3V so this is a problem because my flashlight has max 4.5 volts. did u somehow put those in parallel?
Ok, but most 2 cell or even 3 cell flashlights will be limited to 3 - 4.5 Volts no?? I guess i could use single lithium cell with a spacer of some sort.
@@HealthSupercharger No. All D cell Maglites from 2 - 6 have the exact same parts therefore a 2 Cell MAG is not limited to 3.0V. You are probably thinking of the stock 2 Cell bulb which is rated at 2. 4V which gets slightly overdriven on fresh Alkalines (2x 1.4V). Obviously using the 2x 26650s (8.4V fresh) would blow the bulb aka Instaflashing therefore using a higher rated bulb like the 6 Cell Incandescent or an LED dropin would be more suitable.
COMPLETE CREE T6 LED FLASHLIGHT FOR $9.00.... VS JUST A TINY LIL' LED LED BULB FOR A MAGLITE AT... $15.00?? SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS MATH... BECAUSE I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING...
Hi Brett, Some of those "T6" flashlights are not too bad (some are terrible). Just be aware none of them will perform at their rated output. One of the 15.00 ones with a single LED can typically output 300-600 actual lumens though. The dropins I make for maglite are going to output around 5,000 lumens.
If I ever bought an eBay special flashlight like you request, I would end up with a Chinese flashlight of dubious manfacture. With my very trusty maglite with an updated bulb and good newer batteries, I have an even more amazing light that is ready for another 20+ years of duty... that's why we pay more for a mod.
You could do the 800 lumen fire fly and 5C cells. Or you could do the 2,000 lumen bulb with 3C cells and 2 dummies. For the 2,000 lumen I recommend goign with NIMH rechargeable cells.
I don't do sub for sub, but I would be happy to help you grow you channel in other ways. I liked one of your videos and left a comment below it as well.
If I use google translate I can :) You can add subtitles in English to your videos. If you take your script or the automatically generated subtitles and process them through google translate and then upload them to the video.
Just finished the mod today 9/12/18 on a 3 cell Maglite with two 26650's. Bought the FireFly 800 lumen LED Upgrade off your website. This thing is wild!! Absolutely amazing how much this old flashlight puts out now, and a definite keeper. Thought I'd miss the adjustable focus on it, but the light is so bright with a nice beam, I just don't need the focus anymore.
What about the difference in voltage though? Wont the 2x 3.7 lipo cells in seroes (7.4volts) blow the bulb as the bulbs designed for a 3v 2x 1.5v D Cells? Is there a step down regulator inside the 26650 sleeve? Or do you change the bulb to a higher voltage more powerful bulb?
2D Stock bulbs are actually rated at 2.4v since Alkalines start at 1.5v fresh, then drop down to around 1.2v. But yes, you will want a higher Voltage bulb.
I want to upgrade my 2D maglite to be rechargeable. But I don't want to change the incandescent lamp to LED.
I'm thinking of using an 18650 or larger LiIon cell, and then inplementing a small charge module port in the cap.
I'm thinking that the battery is at 4.1v when full charged and perhaps 3.5v when under a heavy 750ma load of the incandescent lamp.
So perhaps I could use a 3.6v incandescent bulb, instead of the stock 2.4v one.
The only issue I can think of is runtime...
An alkaline D cell has a rough capacity of 8Ah to 12Ah. Where as a single 18650 has maybe 2.3Ah.
2.3Ah / 0.75A = roughly 3 hours of runtime, which isn't the best.
Maybe a bigger cell is the way to go (I have the space of 2D cells to play with) but then I have to compensate for the reduced ESR of a larger cell, probably resulting in a higher voltage accross the lamp.
I don't think a buck regulator is the way to go - I don't think they make buck regulators with an input range of a single LiIon cell discharge curve (4.1v - 3.0v) not to mention they always have a non zero current draw, even without a load... Meaning that storage time off charge would be very limited.
It would be pretty cool if they made a pre-assembled tube with the cell and charge/protection circuitry included. Could even provide a new end-cap with a pre-fabricatd charge port and appropriately rated lamp. It would make upgrading existing maglites much easier. But ultimately it would be a 3rd party device.
hi matt, if im mod a c8, im curious between driver spring bypass vs no spring, use that small magnet on the top of battery, which one will provide lower resistnce to the light ,?. nice greeting im a fans of you from Malaysia country..
Dude I just found your lights, I'm buying one this weekend! Super excited!
So battery with protection and unprotection witch one is better?
May be you can explain this to me. All D-cell maglite have a difference of voltage. From 4.5V of the 3D cells up to 9V for the 6D cell flaslight. Is there a voltage regulator somewhere or the same bulb will be brighter with a 6D cells rather than a 3D cells? Led are way more sensitive to voltage than incandescent bulbs. Should I guess there's a LED for each type of D-cells maglite torch?
In the case of incandescent maglites a different bulb is used for each size. You can take a bulb from a 5 cell maglite and over drive it with 6 cells to get a somewhat brighter light. The bulb will not last as long though. In the case of LEDs there is a regulator inside the maglite switch. Most factory LED maglites use a 3 volt led with a regulator to either boost or reduce current depending on the battery voltage. Most often the regulators in the cannot handle much extra voltage (like if you were to add more cells using extensions), and do not get any brighter when voltage is increased.
So I’d I’m doing this to a 2D Incan model running a 6d Incan bulb, can I still fit the spare bulb in the tailcap? Or does the longer batteries and shorter spring interfere with that? Thanks! Love your vids man
I suppose you could face the bulb vertically though it wouldn't be fully cushioned.
Just outta curiosity, what 6 Cell bulb are ya gonna run because there's 3 bulb types: Krypton, Xenon Magnum Star 1 and Xenon Magnum Star 2. The last one uses a Bi-pin bulb and is supposedly brightest though I've never compared them since the beams will be different.
Fun Fact: There's an ancient method called overdriving Incan bulbs, you get a very white beam that throws much better with the cost of reduced bulb life. Sometimes the bulb will just die upon turn on called Instaflashing.
You can Overdrive 4.8v (4 cell) and 6.0v (5 cell) bulbs with 2x 3.7 Li-ion cells.
One last thing, what brand Li-ion batteries are you using?
Will the 26650 fit into the c cell Maglites or is the diameter to big?
Fun fact. With this setup or a similar setup (2x 18650s), you can run a 6 Cell Incandescent bulb. And for shits and giggles, you can overdrive the fuck out of a 4 Cell Bulb both Krypton and Xenon which puts out a very White Light and Throws a bit more. Of course this will severely reduce the life of the Bulb.
Yes, obviously if you're gonna spend money on this mod, you may as well spend money on one of Matt Smith's high quality LED drop ins :)
How would you mod a new factory led 625 lumen 3D version to these types of batteries, or should I just buy rechargeable D cells?
I would buy the D cells. To run more voltage in a factory LED mag you would have to change the driver board that is inside the switch.
I've never done this, but you could heat the spring with a blow torch to reduce the tension. I don't know if this effects the electric resistance in any way though.
Good afternoon matt. Been trying your website and keep getting an error #404. Cannot find the link because it may have been removed or renamed, the it says to contact you for further assistance.
Just thought I’d let you know,...
Is that really a 2d cell battery or a 3d?? Cause I’m trying to figure out how i can convert my 3d maglite is it the same??
Do you sel the kit to upgrade a 2D lake yours save me a ot of head achs im not a di you self thanks
Hey Matt, have you or anyone you know tried to do the same battery conversion with one of Maglites newest LED lights? I'm wondering if the new lights can handle that extra .7 volts or fry it. Lol.Your light is pretty cool, but it lacks the focusing ability.
Nevermind, Old Lumens said he tried it with a 2D 524 lumen and it worked fine. In fact the extra voltage made it a bit brighter. :)
Thanks for letting me know :)
Just to be clear for anyone else reading this, he ran the 3rd Gen Maglite LED 2D cell on a single 3.7v lithium battery and it worked fine.
LOL I'm more confused than ever. You comment about Oldlumens doing that test is not even visible to me any more... Did you delete it or am I just not showing it?
Never mind, I see them now LOL! Thank you for sharing. You can post a link here to the Old lumens video if you want Jason. I dont mind related links to quality channels :)
HI, I have a 4D Cell. Im' thinking of buying the Maglite LED Upgrade 5,000 lumen 3x XHP50 LED Bulb for 6D Maglite but its for 6D cells. Should I buy an extender? For both 4D and 6D length, how many 26650 KeepPower 5200mAh will I put inside?
Hi Tom. Using the 5k bulb you can only power it with two 26650. The extensions are really more for people who want to use regular D cells.
Basically turn a 4D into a 6D etc.
How many 26650 will fit inside a 6d maglite if I modify the spring
Hmmmmm. It's been a long time since I've had a 6D. I think 5x 26650s is the limit though. You can get 2 in a 2 cell and 3 in a 3 cell, but by the time you get to putting 4 in a 4 cell you cant even use a spring anymore. I'm 99% sure that only 5 will fit.
So no risk in using a 6D light on a 2D flashlite?
Supreme GMB no
Good afternoon Matt, I've recently come across my "old" 6d Maglite and I was wanting to upgrade my power cells to something more abundant in my house. With a 2d Maglite there is about .5" difference you have to compensate for, but with the 6d that becomes 1.5" of extra battery. Do you already have a solution to this problem by chance?
The size is the least issue, they don't have any lamps for that much voltage.
Hello sir I would like to upgrade my maglites all of mine are (c) cell I don't like d cell just to fat and bulky let me know if u make anything for it willing to buy what u got thanks
His stuff is for sale on his eBay store.
seller:vesture_of_blood
What size maglight would I need to fit 3 26650 batteries? I'm going to make this into a regulated vape mod(ecig)
Hi Shawn, You can fit 3 unprotected 26650s into a 3D cell mag if you recess the spring and make it short.
Thanks a bunch.. This will only be part of the equation but it's a start. The chip I will use came out of a Vape device that used 3 18650's. The 26650 should give me a few more watt hours before recharging
Let us know how it turns out, can't say I've ever seen a "vape mag".
Could you do this with a normal 6D led bulb?
Yes.
It says you are not available to send a message to on Facebook
But the voltage is 8.4 volts with 2 fresh 26650 and 2 D's is only 3V so this is a problem because my flashlight has max 4.5 volts. did u somehow put those in parallel?
In my example they are in series. The LED used in the light shown here is a 6-8.4V emitter.
Ok, but most 2 cell or even 3 cell flashlights will be limited to 3 - 4.5 Volts no?? I guess i could use single lithium cell with a spacer of some sort.
@@HealthSupercharger No. All D cell Maglites from 2 - 6 have the exact same parts therefore a 2 Cell MAG is not limited to 3.0V.
You are probably thinking of the stock 2 Cell bulb which is rated at 2.
4V which gets slightly overdriven on fresh Alkalines (2x 1.4V). Obviously using the 2x 26650s (8.4V fresh) would blow the bulb aka Instaflashing therefore using a higher rated bulb like the 6 Cell Incandescent or an LED dropin would be more suitable.
GOOD NIGHT YOUNG I DO MAINTENANCE ON THESE LANTERNS
COMPLETE CREE T6 LED FLASHLIGHT FOR $9.00.... VS JUST A TINY LIL' LED LED BULB FOR A MAGLITE AT... $15.00?? SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS MATH... BECAUSE I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING...
Hi Brett, Some of those "T6" flashlights are not too bad (some are terrible). Just be aware none of them will perform at their rated output. One of the 15.00 ones with a single LED can typically output 300-600 actual lumens though. The dropins I make for maglite are going to output around 5,000 lumens.
If I ever bought an eBay special flashlight like you request, I would end up with a Chinese flashlight of dubious manfacture. With my very trusty maglite with an updated bulb and good newer batteries, I have an even more amazing light that is ready for another 20+ years of duty... that's why we pay more for a mod.
Would the magnets intefere with the Protection Circuit?
I have a (rare?) 5 C cell Maglite.
What kind of fun trouble will fit in it ? 🤪
You could do the 800 lumen fire fly and 5C cells. Or you could do the 2,000 lumen bulb with 3C cells and 2 dummies. For the 2,000 lumen I recommend goign with NIMH rechargeable cells.
Anybody know if you can use 2 26650 cells in a 3 cell ML300L Maglite? I was wondering if it would fry the internals.
BEAKER UNREFINED 1 Cell only in 3d maglites
Hi brother
Hello
I'm the guy that sent you a Twitter message, subscribe to my channel?
I don't do sub for sub, but I would be happy to help you grow you channel in other ways. I liked one of your videos and left a comment below it as well.
I understand ... But you understand what I say in my videos? ,you understand Portuguese ?
If I use google translate I can :)
You can add subtitles in English to your videos. If you take your script or the automatically generated subtitles and process them through google translate and then upload them to the video.
cool
How to build a pipebomb! :D