MEGA 6

Mega 6, retail $325 to $355 (see below)
Manufactured by InReTECH
Last updated 03-06-06




The Mega 6 is a high output flashlight built using a Mag Light body and a thick aluminum slug outfitted with six (6) five-watt Luxeon Star emitters. That's 30 watts of mega-power, to borrow a phrase from a TV infomercial. The unit is designed to operate at maximum brightness with no regards for battery life. The Luxeon emitters are not outfitted with the usual collimators; instead the light is designed to generate a very wide-angle floodlight; which illuminates a very broad swath of real-estate in front of the user.

The Mega 6 is available as a drop-in retrofit that you install inside your own 6-D Mag Lite, and as a complete, ready-to-use flashlight.


SIZE



The tested unit was provided as a screw-in retrofit "bulb" for a Mag 6-D flashlight I already have. Pressing the rubber button on the barrel turns it on and off. Functionally, it is pretty much like a regular Mag-Lite, except that there is no beam width adjustment. Batteries are loaded from the rear.

If you are retrofitting your own Mag with this product, the following steps should take care of it:
  1. Unscrew the head, and set it aside.
  2. Unscrew the collar that holds the light bulb in (as you would for replacing the bulb), and remove the bulb. Do not replace the collar you took off when you removed the old bulb. Throw the collar in a drawer or somewhere else you can find it in case you ever want to go back to a regular bulb.
  3. Screw the head assembly back onto the Mag's body.
  4. Now, unscrew the TOP of the head (this is the lens retaining ring), from the main part of the head assembly as you would do to change the lens.
  5. Remove the reflector (throw it in the same drawer as the bulb collar).
  6. Put the Mega 6 module in the opening, and screw it into the bulb holder (clockwise) until it stops turning.
  7. Screw the top of the head assembly back onto the bottom of the head assembly. The plastic lens should not fall off.
  8. Do not aim at face. Place on a hard surface. Light fuse and get away.

This is the entire module; note the thick aluminum slug for heat
transfer and the base that screws into the Mag's lampholder.




To refill the Mega 6, unscrew & remove the tailcap, dump the dead D cells into a large, heavy-duty garbage can (we don't have a battery reclamation program here in Washington - please recycle them if you do); and slide six new batteries in with the button (+) end going in first. Screw the tailcap firmly back on, and go about your business. Be sure to empty that garbage every now and again; you don't want rats or flies. :-)

This flashlight was designed exclusively for brightness, not long battery life.

Current consumption was measured at 2.08 amps (2,080mA) on the meter's 20 amp scale.
I used almost-new Radio Shack Enercell Plus alkaline cells in the light for this measurement.




As a retrofit, it appears to have been professionally assembled. The LEDs are mounted in a commercial-looking round PCB, and a very thick and heavy aluminum slug on the bottom provides heat sinking for the LEDs. The PCB has six (!) 5-watt cyan Luxeon Star emitters.

As a flashlight, the unit is sturdy, and is of a proven physical design. Mag Instruments (of which Inretech has *no* affiliation!) has been making flashlights for years, and they have a long track record for durability. This LED module appears that it should live up to those standards, and allow you to get many more useful years out of your Mag Lite.



Shining on the test target from ~12" away.
Measured 84,500mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
As always, wide beam angles result in lower readings.



And here's a shot of it lighting up my "special room".
That really is a Commodore CBM 8032 computer and a
JVC RC-550JW ghetto blaster on top of the computer in
this picture. Yes, they're both about 20 years old!!! :-P
In contrast, the Mega 6 adapter is about 20 weeks old. :-O
The computer & ghetto blaster are more than 50x older! ;-)

Distance for this shot is approximately 9 to 10 feet.



The unusually wide-angle beam angle means that any light readings I take will be extremely low when compared to the usual 15° and 20° LED flashlights; including those using the Luxeon emitter with collimator. With new batteries, I read 84.5 foot-candles (84,500mcd) at beam center from 12" on my Meterman; and while this may seem low, remember that wider beam angles always mean lower meter readings. This is a true FLOODLIGHT if ever there was one. The power distribution is very even, this is a normal characteristic of the high-dome Luxeon emitters used to make this product.

As for measuring total emitted flux, I am not equipped for that. Between the multiple sources and the high divergence, you would really need an integrating sphere to do this job. I suspect that's how the published reading (720 lumens) was obtained. The beam angle is also far too wide to run this through the ProMetric with the lens it is equipped with. It was built for me with regular LEDs with beams of 5° to 30° in mind.

When used as a candle by standing the light up on its tail (balancing it very carefully), it lights up the whole room. When stood up in the bathtub, I could sit on the john at the other end of the room and read newspapers and my NFO paper toilet diary using only the bizzare colored Mega 6 adapter's light.



TEST NOTES:
Sample of this adapter was received on 10-10-03, and must be returned soon. So it will be expedited through The LED Museum so the page for it can get up there more quickly.

Due to the flashlight's design, measuring closed-ciruit (loaded) Vf will not be possible; but it is likely to be just over 7 volts on new batteries.

The LEDs are significantly underdriven in this flashlight, so their usable lifetimes should extend well beyond that of the LEDs in most other LED flashlights.

Retail price is $325 for the adapter by itself, or $355 for the adapter plus a 6-D Mag.

Normally, this adapter comes with WHITE LEDs. I don't have a white LED model for testing, but it should be as bright as this cyan model is.


UPDATE: 03-06-06
InReTECH is now closing its doors because the owner can no longer keep it operational. This and all other InReTECH web pages will be kept available for the benefit of current InReTECH product owners.


PROS:
High total luminous flux
Unusual, wide-angle beam profile makes it suitable for some tasks that ordinarly wouldn't be suitable for a regular flashlight.
Sturdy, proven design using existing Mag Light body.
Batteries are easy to find pretty much anywhere.
Once you're dark-adapted, light easily illuminates a large, broad area with no blinding hotspots.
Deliberately underpowered LEDs are more efficient and will live much longer.


CONS:
Flashlight is the largest & heaviest tested to date. Not a pocket flashlight.
Initial cost is quite high.
Battery life is shorter than a regular LED flashlight; always pack extras. (Note: Light was not designed for economy, it was designed for intensity!)
Wide beam angle not suitable for some tasks like spotting objects at a distance.
Wide beam angle will also make a daylight demonstration ineffective. You have to show this one off at night to really impress people.


    MANUFACTURER: Inretech
    PRODUCT TYPE: Luxeon Star retrofit for 6-D Mag Light
    LAMP TYPE: 5W Luxeon Star LED emitters
    No. OF LAMPS: 6
    BEAM TYPE: Very wide angle with smooth distribution.
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off.
    BEZEL: Standard Mag bezel with clear plastic lens.
    BATTERY: 6x size D cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 2.08 amps
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: None
    WARRANTY: 1 year

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star RatingStar Rating





Mega 6 Adapter *






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