Mini Maglite L.E.D. Conversion???

[C_Claycomb]

I remember seeing a LED conversion head for the mini-maglite when we had our meet up at Bisley back in the early summer. Since then I havn't been able to source one for myself.

Anyone know where I can find one of these things in the UK?

Chris

[Colin KC]

Seem to remember that Peter had one didn't he? mebbe he'll know.

BTW Chris, you gonna join in the knife inna hat?

[Martyn]

7 day shop dot com, they're called the "opalec newbeam", retail at about £20-£30, bit pricey, but I gave up on the battery runtime test on mine, afer about a week.

read this...
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171&page=1&pp=20&highlight=opalec

[PS_Bond]

What Martyn said :)

I've been using it off & on quite a bit, still haven't flattened the first set of batteries.

[C_Claycomb]

THANKS!!!!!!!!

That is great! Even better that they are selling them for £17 :D

Thanks again, that was an amazingly fast response! :biggthump

Chris

[Cool]

Cool.

[Mr. Bombastic]

The Opalec Newbeam was THE light to have when I got stuck in that US/Canada blackout.

"Now you see why I carry two bloody torches!" I politely informed my Canadian hosts. :D

[Roger Gregory]

I've been using that conversion for a while now - it was also an excuse for another mini-maglite :D

I'me very pleased with it, and it was even easy to fit for a non-techy-torchy-geek person ;)

Roger

[Alick]

£17's a steal. Cost me £30 to import when they first came out. Not the brightest lamp on the block but it improves the minimag no end. The voltage regulator circuit is excellent - you can get hours of extra use out of old batteries that are too flat to run your clocks, radios, etc. Cheers.

[Jerseyman]

I love my NewBeams. I bought my first one direct from Opalec. They advised me that they were looking for a UK distributer. I let 7DayShop know.
Now we can all buy them for £17!!

[Colin KC]

Welcome Jerseyman,
things are looking brighter in the Jamie forum alla time:D

[jamietaylor]

I am selling a cheaper version which i make on ebay at the moment. I have tested it and the battery has lasted well over two weeks! An up grade of the batteries can improve the brightness even more by using three smaller N size batteries and a spring.

take a look http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3647816146&category=19296

jamie

[Ross]

Can you tell me more about your upgrade Jamie? Are they nichia LED's? would Lithium AA's work OK?

Thanks

[Martyn]

Opalec newbeam is currently £14.99 from 7dayshop.com (http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=9187)

I'd call that a good deal. ;)

[Sajuma]

Is it any brighter than original maglite? Or is it just the batterytime that you guys are after?

Juha

[jamietaylor]

Not sure of the make as i buy over the internet but i have had no problems. I use 10,000mcb but run them at 30mA to get 16-20000mcb.
Lithium bats should be no problem. I use industrial bat and had no problems with it. As for the brighness I would say they are brighter but in daylight they don't seem so as it is a white light unlike the bulb which is a yellow light.

[ODS]

You do not know the brand or style of LED you are using Jamie?

Also do you have to remove parts from the maglite as with the newbeam and will it work in both the old style maglite AA and new, or only the New one, without modification by the user to fit the old style?

How well is the beam pattern is it giving out three individual beams or are they all fading together to give a decent defined hotspot centre?

Have you tested lithiums with it yet as some LED's will run on them, but will fail after extended use on them.

can you post a picture of the beam shot for us to view, possibly a side by side comparison?

The housing of the LEDs is it a hardened type ABS plastic or rubber, can not tell much from the picture. If rubber, when it heats up under the lens from the LED heat does this cause the beam pattern to become distorted?

What is your warranty policy on the item?

Is this something you plan to make on a regular basis?

I'm just looking at this from all angles as I'm interested in it myself. Sorry for the 20 questions, but I'm sure they may be asked from others as they come across the thread so this may sum it all up for everyone.

cheers,
Joe

[jamietaylor]

Ok I will try and answer your questions but this is one of the first ones I have made and are not of the same standard as the newbeams as they are a large manufacturer. I am simply offering a cheaper alternative!

The LED's are 10,000mcb 5mm with a Viewing Angle: 15 degree
DC Forward Current: 30mA Max DC Forward Voltage: 3-3.5V Reverse Voltage: 5V Soldering Temperature: 260°C for 5 seconds.
With my conversion I will supply a special washer which replaces the reflector, as there is a slight lip on the reflector which ensures the water tightness.
The beam is one hotspot as this is part of the construction and each unit is calibrated over a 1m distance to ensure a solid beam. I will post a picture soon when I have time.
Lithium batteries have worked fine on my conversion but I have not tested them over a length of time. However I have done a 2-week test using industrial alkaline batteries that worked fine running the torch at 3V. I am currently testing the LED’s running at 4.5V using 3 N type batteries. I will post my findings soon.
The outer case is made of heat shrink and during my test the beam didn't distort at all. In fact the temperature of the LED's was not that hot at all (3V) I will let you know at 4.5V
As I am already working full time I can only make so many units at once but if the demand is there (not quite sure as the newbeam is dropping in price all the time) I will get them manufactured professionally. I am currently thinking about offering a 60-day warranty but obviously this is something new to me and could be altered.
Hope this helps and I will try and post that beam shot ASAP.
Any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
Jamie

[tomtom]

EDIT: sorry got the wrong thread :ashamed01

[puzo]

just checked 7dayshop.com and they are now only £8.99 :)