USER MODIFICATION
Elektro-Blaster LS

User Modification: Elektro-Blaster direct-drive LS, starting from $40
Manufactured by (see below)
Last updated 08-03-09




I've asked this before with one other LED light, but what SHOULDN'T you do when you first get the Elektro-Blaster home? Exactly what most people do when they buy a flashlight - that is, load the batteries in, aim it at their face, and push the button. You'll receive a very nasty surprise if you do that with this light. So here's some sage advice: Aim this bad boy at a wall or the ceiling, not your face, when you first get it.

This particular unit uses a white Luxeon Star LED, driven directly from 3 "C" cells. This is built into a 2 "D" cell Mag-Lite body, using a piece of white PVC toliet pipe that runs the length of the barrel as an adapter so the batteries fit properly.

Important! The Elektro-Blaster does *not* come with the red head on a black body! I did this myself so I could quickly tell it apart from other Mag-Lites when I want to reach for it.






When you first pick up the light, you might not notice anything out of the ordinary. But when you look at the business end, something isn't quite the way it was before: instead of a glass light bulb, you'll see a big honkin' LED surrounded by a black collar. To turn the Elektro-Blaster on, just push the button on the side like you would with an ordinary Mag-Lite. Press again to turn it off. The rubber covered button makes a slight click you can hear and feel. The beam is not adjustable in size; because the Luxeon Star LED uses a fixed lens. So it won't do you any good to twist the head back and forth like it would with an unmodified Mag-Lite.



The battery configuration in the Elektro-Blaster is unique: although it was made from a 2 D cell Mag, the light actually uses 3 C cells. An inner sleeve made from PVC toliet pipe narrows the barrel so the C cells fit properly.


To change the batteries, unscrew the tailcap and set it and the loose spring aside. Dump out the old batteries. If the white pipe comes out, just slide it back in the barrel. Put in 3 new C cells, button end (+) first, then screw the tailcap with spring in it back on.

The purpose of the pipe is to allow the C cells to properly fit in the D cell body, and is a very simple and elegant solution.



This modification appears as well built as any I've seen, and you can't tell the flashlight was messed with unless you look down the business end or take the tailpiece off and see the white pipe in there. Though this light is not submersible, it should hold up fine in bad weather. The water resistance of the original Mag is preserved in its entirety.
Wayne took great care in building this modification, and it shows. The Luxeon is properly centered, firmly-affixed, and nothing rattles around inside that shouldn't. Part of the Mag's original reflector was also saved and used in this modification; it gives the flashlight a more professional "finished" look than it might have if it were left out.


This is the business end of the flashlight.



And this shows the Luxeon Star LED potted in place.


As you can see in the photos, the LED was potted in place with a thermally-conductive epoxy, and the original Mag-Lite's reflector was preserved for aesthetic reasons - it really isn't functional in this mod because the light is collimated entirely by the lens on the end of the LS LED. However, the flashlight looks much more attractive with it in place. The bottom of the reflector was cut away to allow the large LED to poke its head through and deliver its beaming goodness to the outside world.

The tailcap also receive some work in this modification. The anodized finish on the inside bottom of it was ground off so the smaller spring could make a good electrical contact at the bottom. If you try to change the tailcap with one of another color and then wonder why your Elektro-Blaster no longer works, this is why. A few minutes with a dremel & grinding wheel (?) attachment and you're in business.



Beam shot on the test target.
Measures 355,000mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.

As Doctor Chaotica on Voyager might say: "Full power to the ELEKTROBLASTER!!!"









Various beam comparison shots.
The color is NOT the "rotten donkey urine green" these pictures portray.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the LED in this flashlight.


Spectrographic plot
Same as above; newer software & settings used.
USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.



Beam profile analysis.



Beam contour analysis.

Charts made by the ProMetric system, on loan from Radiant Imaging.



TEST NOTES:
Elektrolumens at Candlepower Forums is making & selling these modifications.
The cost is $49.99 for the 2 'D' cell to 3 'C' cell, and $52.99 for the 3 'D' cell. You can also send him your own Mag-Lite and he will convert it for $40.

See http://www.elektrolumens.com for more details on various lights of his, or http://www.elektrolumens.com/4_SALE/For_Sale.html for details and updated pricing info on these particular modificaitons.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a modification to an existing Mag-Lite, and is not marketed as anything other than a home brew modification to a Mag-Lite. Elektrolumens has no affiliation with the company that makes the original flashlight. The flashlight on this page is still a Mag-Lite, albiet a slightly hacked up one.


UPDATE: 00-00-00








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