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This mod is provided by William I. William has taken a minimag
light and used a 3/16" drill bit to enlarge the hole in
the reflector. He has then taken and replaced the stock bulb
with a white LED. He has also placed 2 lenses on the end of
the light to produce a very nice round circle of light. This
picture is of a 2' circle of light at 6' from the flashlight. |
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In order to drive the LED to an acceptable brightness, 4.5
volts are necessary. William overcame the problem by using
2 different types of batteries. Per William:
The batteries are as follows: (1) AA 1.5 Volt Lithium
(Energizer Photo Lithium) and (1) 2/3AA 3 volt Lithium (
Varta lithium, #6237). I checked the voltage again on both
batteries after using it all week intermittently at work
and of course the normal "new" playing with it
constantly, and the voltage on the 3 volt was 2.996 and
the 1.5 volt still read 1.774!
A number 4 spring was used to fill the gap that remained
in the light barrel.
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The circle of light is created by using two 1/2 convex lenses
stacked on top of each other. They are held in place with
the accessory cap used to hold the color filters in place
on the MiniMag. Per William:
The LED's whiter light is a major advantage and the shock
"proofness" of the LED make these lights awesome.
But the lens addition really makes this light like a mini
Surefire with that nearly perfect circle of light!
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William has found that various lenses can do the trick:
I pulled the secondary lens(s) from the back of an old
cctv lens tonight and found this works perfect with the
spacing from the LED the mini-mag provides.
It would be advisable to experiment to find out what works
best.
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To paraphrase William on an update to the mod:
A 7/8" rubber crutch/chair leg cap fits the Mini-Mag
just perfectly... It holds the (2) lenses on real tight
too. The lens closest to the outside is a smaller diameter
lens than what is nearer the LED. To keep it from rattling
around I used an "o" ring that fit the lens tight
around the circumference and this keeps it centered under
the cap.
I have been using the light(s) at work all week long and
they seem to hold up just fine. Awesome lighting with your
head stuck up in a ceiling.
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Update from William I. 01/26/2002:
The Minimag LED/Lens mods are still doing fine for work
and play. Still no reduction in brightness either! Use them
at work everyday and have dropped them again too. No problems
either. Other workers have noticed the light and inquired
about it. Co-workers have been converting their flashlights
as well. One co-worker was forced to use his pocket "AAA"
minimag and complained that it was dull to start with and
lasted about 10 minutes. He promptly converted that sucker
after seeing mine!
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Update from William I. 03/17/2002:
Just an update to let you know the mod lites are still
getting it! I still have not had to change batteries on
the MINI-MAG LED AND LENS flashlights that use the Lithium
batteries! Use them everyday too. Still have not located
a cheap or any source yet for the 2/3 AA batteries. Found
some 1/2 AA's at First Saturday and may have to switch to
them and longer spring. If I ever have to change them out!
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Here's another quick mod along the same
lines from William I.! This time with a 4-AAA Double Barrel.
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Just an update on the AAA DB mod and led &
lens mod for MiniMag. The DB finally got an LED running at 4.5
volts with no resistor. You do not even have to cut the tabs
off the led as the DB LED sits much higher in the base than
a MiniMag. I, of course, added some lenses as well. The particular
lenses I ended up using produce a very tight projected beam
which I find useful on those walks around the block at night.
The DB reflector causes some weird looking reflections around
the edges. This last batch of LED's from Tanner's were a little
different in the voltage handling department. Seems if one of
the batteries is a little lower in juice than the other two,
you get a "whiter/brighter" light than with (3) brand
new 1.5 volt batteries. Otherwise it goes blue which spells
impending doom for the LED if run too long at this voltage.
I have included some attached .jpg's showing the rubber chair
cap and the beam as seen from 2 feet away and also from about
6-7 foot away. The rubber chair cap will get a bob of some
of that rubber up front to reduce its bulk. A good 3/16"
might be able to be shaved off to reduce weight. It uses a
1 1/4" rubber chair leg cap. It's a good fit to the AAA
DB reflector head. Sure is tough getting that hole in the
front Through all that rubber though!
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Many thanks to William I. for sharing these
mods with FlashlightReviews.com and its visitors!
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