LED flashlight question

[Perd Hapley]

What happens if I run a 3 volt LED on 3 D cells?

[wmenorr67]

Try it and let us know how it works out.

[TommyGunn]

You get blamed for the result, that's what happens.

[vaskidmark]

What happens if I run a 3 volt LED on 3 D cells?

It stays lit longer than if you ran it on AAAs?

[whiney voice]Is this a trick question?[/whiney voice]

What is the LED light attached to?

Where did you find an LED with a battery compartment that takes D-cells?

[whiney voice]Is this a trick question?[/whiney voice]

stay safe.

[Perd Hapley]

 Proper LED "bulbs" for my old-school Maglite run from $11 to $17. The local hardware shop has one for $5, but it's for 2-cell lights and runs at 3 volts.

[roo_ster]

Proper LED "bulbs" for my old-school Maglite run from $11 to $17. The local hardware shop has one for $5, but it's for 2-cell lights and runs at 3 volts.

The light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long. And you have burned so very very brightly, Roy fistful.

[Brad Johnson]

Proper LED "bulbs" for my old-school Maglite run from $11 to $17. The local hardware shop has one for $5, but it's for 2-cell lights and runs at 3 volts.

The retrofit LED kits have resistors to get the proper voltage to the element.

You'd be better off to leave your old school MagLite just as it is and buy a new LED MagLite instead.  A bit more but the light quality is tons better than the LED replacement setup.

Brad

[bedlamite]

I stepped away from the Maglites completely when the high intensity LED's came out. I've had one of these for a couple years now with absolutely no complaints. With a pair of batteries and a charger, it's ~$35

[charby]

More than likely it will burn bright for a little bit then burn itself out.

3volt bulb with 4.5 volts provided to it.

[Perd Hapley]

Darn it. I need a more optimistic forum, that believes in the free lunch.

[Chuck Dye]

I bought a Terralux module for my Streamlight rechargeable, should find it in my mail box on my next visit.  I'll report when I have tested it.

As to over-volting an LED, I'd guess at a shortened life at increased brightness.  Any increased brightness seems a good thing, shortening depends on how much shorter.  For $5, I would eschew the theoretical, embrace the empirical, and risk the fin.

[Chuck Dye]

Running searches on LED voltage and overvoltage LED produces numerous sites.  It seems white LEDs are 4 volt gadgets.  That $5 may not be at such risk as I first thought.

[Hawkmoon]

The retrofit LED kits have resistors to get the proper voltage to the element.

You'd be better off to leave your old school MagLite just as it is and buy a new LED MagLite instead.  A bit more but the light quality is tons better than the LED replacement setup.

That's what Maglite wants us to do. They came out with LED upgrade modules for their original Maglites -- you can find references to them through Google. But you won't find them on Mag's web site. So I contacted them, and they told me they discontinued them. I own at least six original Maglites -- a couple of 3-D-cell, a couple of 2-D-cell, and a couple of 2-C-cell. The new LED Maglites cost $30 to $35 each -- so Mag wants me to just ignore over $120 worth of perfectly good hardware and go out and spend about $200 to replace them? No thanks.

I found a Terralux LED replacement that costs $14.95 and works in both 2-cell and 3-cell Maglites. I tried two of them, and they work VERY well. So I'm going to order four more. The one I got is the 3-watt unit. I also tried one of the 1-watt Terralux units -- it's nowhere near as good, not just in light output but also with respect to color and ability to focus the beam.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/maglite2dor2d.html

[Hawkmoon]

As to over-volting an LED, I'd guess at a shortened life at increased brightness.  Any increased brightness seems a good thing, shortening depends on how much shorter.  For $5, I would eschew the theoretical, embrace the empirical, and risk the fin.

Problem is, you may also be risking the Maglite.

[Perd Hapley]

The retrofit LED kits have resistors to get the proper voltage to the element.

You'd be better off to leave your old school MagLite just as it is and buy a new LED MagLite instead.  A bit more but the light quality is tons better than the LED replacement setup.

Brad

When it comes to the Mini Maglites, I have learned this by experience. That is why I find $5 an acceptable price for an upgrade, but I'm not sure I want to spend anything north of $10.

[Perd Hapley]

The new LED Maglites cost $30 to $35 each -- so Mag wants me to just ignore over $120 worth of perfectly good hardware and go out and spend about $200 to replace them?

They are selling a 3 D cell LED model and a 2 AA cell LED model as a package, with batteries and accessories for the Mini Mag. They cost $30 at my local Home Depot.

[Boomhauer]

so Mag wants me to just ignore over $120 worth of perfectly good hardware and go out and spend about $200 to replace them?

I replaced my "Always failing" maglights with Surefire and Streamlight for a reason...

[Hawkmoon]

They are selling a 3 D cell LED model and a 2 AA cell LED model as a package, with batteries and accessories for the Mini Mag. They cost $30 at my local Home Depot.

I have plenty of Mini-Maglites, already converted to LED. The math remains the same. Mag Instruments had LED conversions and decided to sell out their existing customer base by NOT making conversions available. Obviously, they figured they'd make more money selling us new flashlights, and that's probably true. But it tells me how they feel about me as a customer.

[Jim147]

Throw a couple of rectifier diodes in it and you should be good to go.

jim

[Perd Hapley]

I have plenty of Mini-Maglites, already converted to LED. The math remains the same. Mag Instruments had LED conversions and decided to sell out their existing customer base by NOT making conversions available. Obviously, they figured they'd make more money selling us new flashlights, and that's probably true. But it tells me how they feel about me as a customer.

How did you convert them? I bought one of the Nite-Ize kits, which was a waste. The converted light was brighter than the old Mini Maglite, but the $20 Mini Maglite LED is far brighter than either one of them. I thought its multi-mode switch would be a problem, but it has been fine.

I have seen some web sites saying you can just replace the bulb with an LED from Radio Shack. I had thought there was some extra circuitry required.

[seeker_two]

Easy fix....disassemble your current flashlight.....then drop it in the trash can and buy one of these....

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-3AAA-LED-RWG-Flashlight/13029916

....you'll never miss the old one..... 

[Tallpine]

Old maglites still make good thumpers 

[BryanP]

I upgraded all my Mag lights years ago and have them stashed around the house and garage, but mostly I use one of these that lives in my pocket:

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=210635364&sellerid=10001650

I have some 90-lumen lithium powered flashlight in my murse, but that little Streamlight is always with me and is generally sufficient light.

[RoadKingLarry]

I like my old Mini Maglights, decent lights and cheap enough I can toss one in every glove box and have a few stashed around the house. I also have one of the mini mag light LED jobs. It rides in my back pocket every night. The 4 function switch is kind of over kill though. I can appreciate the high setting and the low mode. I can even sort of understand the strobe mode but the S-O-S mode is kind of a waste.
I've also got a couple of Surefires, a G2 and  G2 LED I don't think the G2 LED is any brighter than mini mag light LED when both have fresh batteries and the mini mag runs more readily available AAs.

[Boomhauer]

decent lights

When you have 4 (that's right, FOUR) mini-mags, 2 brand new and 2 a couple years old, fail on your camping trip (and they were your only 4 lights) due to the connection issues with the twist head...you quickly loose that opinion.

Flashlight failure on a SAR mission or in a structural fire is also not acceptable. There's a reason we use Surefires and Streamlights on our helmets.

And when you have AA batteries (Duracell and Energizer) leak within a month in a flashlight...yeah, I'll take the much more reliable CR123s any day.

My surefire G2LED rates as the best flashlight purchase I have made in a while. Bright, reliable, durable, and hasn't failed me yet...unlike every cheap other flashlight I have tried (with the exception of Fenix...that was battery leak issues).

some say Surefire is paying for a name. Maybe so in some cases. In the case of their basic pocket lights and many of their weaponlights, not so IMHO.