Working MiniMAG 2xAA PHR build, w/ FlexDrive

This is my first tutorial, so if I missed anything, please let me know and I'll try my best to put it in.

So, due to popular demand, and my overwhelming generosity (and humility, obviously), I'm posting this build.  My original idea didn't work, then I tried another one and figured out it wouldn't work before I tried it, then I figured out this one, which works pretty nicely.  I've linked to a video of me lighting a match at the bottom of the post.

So, start by buying the color of MiniMAG you want to use.  I was building a blue one for a friend of my dad.

This build uses 14650 lithium batteries.  I bought them from BestOfferBuy.com, since it was cheaper than DX, and DX never got back to me after I contacted their customer service.  (DARN THEM!)  This is a 14650 (top) next to a protected 14500 (standard AA size, bottom).

The first few images are of a camo-colored MiniMAG...it changed colors magically >_> <_< >_>

Take out the bulb, then remove the part that says, "do not remove."



Let the piece inside fall out.


This is where it changes to blue.
Drill out the top to about 12 and 1/4 or 12 and 1/2 mm (mine was in there, somewhere).



Do the same to the reflector.  I tried drilling it out, but wasn't very successful, so I used instead a dremmel (part of why it looks so bad).  This can be just a hair too small, because later it will need to fit snugly on the diode module housing (I use electrical tape).



Take about 16 inches of wire (I have about 16 and 1/2), and coil it tightly around a AAA battery.  Depending on the thickness of the wire, it should be just about the right size to fit inside the AA housing.  (My wire only had to be adjusted slightly.)




Take it off and stretch it out a little bit, but try to keep it a pretty uniform spread.


So I had plenty of wire to work with, I soldered short wires to the diode +/-, the coil to the battery +, and another short wire to the battery -, then I ran them across the FlexDrive, to take up slack, and put some heat shrink tubing on some of the wires, to prevent shorts.  Before I broke it, I tried something like this with the V4 FlexDrive, but I wrapped the wire around the driver, due to its small size, and that did well to make it take up the extra space (not pictured).  The battery negative wire from the driver is leading down and then back up, and sticking out to touch the case just under the rim at the top.  The inside of the case is painted, and does not conduct electricity, but the under side of that ring at the top is not painted, which is where our complete circuit is made.



Insert the whole thing into the MiniMAG, and let the diode stick out the top end.



If the reflector doesn't fit snugly, put on some electrical tape.


Add the main part of the twisty-switch-thing.


Add the reflector.


Add the top ring.


Slowly unscrew the twisty-switch until you feel it getting a little tight, then screw it back a little to D/C the battery negative wire from the battery.  Insert the 14650.


It'll be pretty close to flush, but don't worry, there's a LOT of space that copper coil can take up.


Screw on the bottom.


And if you did it right, you're done!  




And here's the link to my video, showing how well it works
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snu1OjiTgjw

I like it. great tutorial, nice work!!!! I've never seen a flexdrive in a minimag but its a great idea!

-Kendall

WHOW! i did like the same thing last night but mine was red haha

[quote author=Bearded_Galaxy link=1236932268/0#0 date=1236932268]

Do the same to the reflector. [highlight]I tried drilling it out, but wasn't very successful,[/highlight] so I used instead a dremmel (part of why it looks so bad).

Hey there. Here is a tip for drilling out those reflectors and such. I used a drill that was the exact size of the module and spun it backwards in a lathe chuck at about 700 rpm. Then closed a vicegrip around the back extension of the reflector. Not tight on the plastic but closed just enough to keep the plastic from expanding. Then held the reflector with one hand and the vicegrip with the other and basically let the drill grind through the reflector. Go slow and don't let it build up too much heat. Be very patient and you will have a nice round hole. I drilled the hole in the lense of my host in the same way. I did not clean it very well, but you can see from the pic that the hole could be very nice looking.

Hope you find that helpfull.
Later
Clayton

Oops. Sorry, here is the pic.

The tutorial is pretty decent, but it always puzzles me why people choose such ugly hosts to put their labor into. There are much better hosts than minimags, and they don't have that bulbous flat head on them either.

Other hosts don't have the color selection that you get with MiniMAGs, including an American flag and camo. And most other hosts have a bulkier look and feel, which not everyone likes.

so the 14650 is the same diameter as the 14500 just a bit longer. Hmm.

:-[ so does that coil of wire act as a spring

it doesn't look like the end is stripped.
i'm lost

great tutorial though

Kenom said:

so the 14650 is the same diameter as the 14500 just a bit longer.  Hmm.

Click to expand...

Something i picked up one when i was looking up some batteries, in the numbering scheme of these batteries, the first two numbers are the diameter in mm(in this case, 14mm), the next 3 are the length in mm(65mm vs 50mm) followed by a zero.

A quick way to visualize and compare batteries.

Where can I pick up the diode/driver for this tutorial?

Thanks, Philip

Nicely done, I still have an old minimag torch laying around and a handful of diodes already in aixiz so I might give this a try and see how it goes...

Only problem is some batteries leaked inside the minimag and have been leaking for so long its actually crystalised and sealed the entire minimag shut.