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The Terralux MicroStar TLE-10 is a tiny LED bulb replacement
for the Minimag AA and AAA flashlights. Replacement
reflectors are included for both lights in the package
and no permanent modification to the Minimag is necessary.
The TLE-10 uses a high power Nichia LED for light and
has a regulator circuit that is advertised to provide
6 hours of good output on 2 AAA and 18 hours on two
AA cells. Why install it? Better output, more light,
regulated output, and shock resistance.
Body: There isn't too much to the TLE-10. It just looks
like a little disk with two pins on the bottom and an LED perched
on top. Installation is very simple - remove the old reflector and
bulb from your Minimag, replace the reflector with the appropriate sized
included reflector and replace the bulb with the TLE-10. If it doesn't light,
pull it out, turn it 180 deg and insert again. That's it!
Size
From the front, you can see the change (here installed in a Minimag AA.)
Instead of a tiny bulb you have a little LED sticking through the hole in the
reflector. Since it fits in both lights, two reflectors come in the
package.
Output: The beam of light produced is bluish white
in the center with a strong yellowish-green tint to
the corona. Not the best color, but very usable, and
it's much better than the orange beam of the normal
bulb. You can still focus the light out to a flood and
you still get the "rings and holes" that you did with
the original reflector. The spot focus produces a nice
smooth spot without the normal bulb's artifacts and
swirls. Another big difference between the old bulb
and this module is that you get more light output than
with the original bulb, for a longer period of time
as a result of the boost/regulator circuit in the module.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: AA Minimag - YOWZA! About 13.5 hours
until regulation fails.
Runtime
completed with Eveready alkaline batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Runtime Plot: AAA Minimag - Very nice! About 7 hours
until regulation fails.
Runtime
completed with Duracell alkaline batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The switch is the same as the original Minimag.
Twist the head for on and off.
Batteries: Two AA or AAA batteries power the module. There is also
a new bulb adapter available from Terralux that will let you use this
module in larger Maglites as well.
What I Liked: Better output than the original
bulb, Shock resistant.
What I Didn't Like: Noticeable
slight blue center and strong greenish tint in the beam
corona.
Other Things I Noticed: n/a
Conclusions: Another great replacement
LED product for the Minimag. I think you'll notice the
biggest difference when used in a AAA Minimag. I haven't
gotten the chance to test it out in one just yet, but
full details will be added soon.
The Terralux BA-1 Bulb Adapter is an accessory
which can be used with the TLE-10 to adapt the module
to a PR base flashlight.
It is, quite simply, a PR base with a
bi-pin adapter connection built in. It is designed for
use only with the Ministar 2 or the Microstar 1 modules.
Installation is very simple - just place
the adapter in a 2 or 3 cell PR bulb Maglight like any
normal bulb. Then insert the lighting module into the
adapter. The result is much longer runtimes.
 
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