# change your maglite to L.E.D.



## techieman33 (Nov 8, 2004)

I have switched most of my maglights over to led, i'm kind of a maglight addict, i own at least 10 of varying sizes, this pertain's to the 2AA model though. It's very simple, and makes a great running light backstage during shows, you can get the leds in all kinds of colors, the batteries last forever, and you don't blow up lamps.

First go to radio shack or anywhere else you can get led's, and find one that is at least 3v, if you get one to small it could blow up, and be sure to look at how the led is focused, they come in varying degrees, from 5 to 50, i think, just cut the pins off a little longer than the standard maglight lamps, then insert it into the plug, if it dosen't come on, pull it out, and plug it in opposite how it was before, it should light up, and depending on the led you may have to drill a larger hole in the reflector, and seeing as how the led is already focused it's not a problem, but you have to leave the reflector in so the the light will turn off. 

I usually get somewhere around 50 hours out of a set of batteries, which i love becuause you don't have to worry about the batteries dying in the middle of the show. The light is less intense, but i feel that it's worth it for the much improved battery life, and you don't really need that much light backstage, just enough to see. 

The leds only cost a couple of dollars depending on what color you want.


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## soundman1024 (Nov 8, 2004)

*I must agree*

For our last production at church I was using a keychain LED as opposed to a mag. It seemed to be alot better at not lighting the whole area up, but lighing up where you shine it better. It was perfect for lighting up the script because it was dim enough to not be a strain on the eyes, but light enough to read the script very well. I think LEDs have alot of uses in the future, but they need to get discovered a little more.
Jeff


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## ccfan213 (Nov 8, 2004)

i have an led headlamp for camping. it has 4 LEDs so it is a bit more powerful than your standard LED lamp, and it straps to your head so your hands are free. its great for setting up a tent or walking in the woods with gear. i have only used it indoors for running wires in small areas that dont have lights like the ceiling of my temple when i was networking it, it would probably work good for climbing through a little passage uner the stage that wires are run through, but it wouldnt work for a show because it provides alot of light. i love it and would definately reccomend headlamps for anyone who has ever found themselves in the situation where they are waling around with a maglite in their mouth or in the dark because they dont have a hand to hold a flashlight


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## digitaltec (Nov 9, 2004)

One of the best LED Flashlights for this industry:

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/pipmoreshell1_2.jhtml?sku=EM222&pid=43506100


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## techieman33 (Nov 9, 2004)

digitaltec said:


> One of the best LED Flashlights for this industry:
> 
> http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/pipmoreshell1_2.jhtml?sku=
> EM222&pid=43506100



ya, those are nice, but they are really expenive, they don't look like it but in the long run they are out of most high school and college students, those batteries are well over $10 a pair, and it can be hard to find replacements.


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## tenor_singer (Nov 9, 2004)

A tech director friend of mine told me that maglite actually has a kit that you can buy that will convert your light bulb to an LED. I don't remember the amount he said that it was, though, I do recall thinking upon his finishing that it seemed fairly pricey. 

Sounds like a good idea, though.


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## techieman33 (Nov 9, 2004)

tenor_singer said:


> A tech director friend of mine told me that maglite actually has a kit that you can buy that will convert your light bulb to an LED. I don't remember the amount he said that it was, though, I do recall thinking upon his finishing that it seemed fairly pricey.
> 
> Sounds like a good idea, though.



there are lots of converions kits out there ranging from $20 to $30, but i don't really want to spend that much money on one, and i prefer, to do it myself, mine probably isn't a bright, but i don't want it bright, i want just enough to see where i'm going, read my cue sheet, and watch for spikes on the fly lines.


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## digitaltec (Nov 12, 2004)

techieman33 said:


> ya, those are nice, but they are really expenive, they don't look like it but in the long run they are out of most high school and college students, those batteries are well over $10 a pair, and it can be hard to find replacements.



Yeah, but for something that can be ran over by a tank and not break, it's a very good christmas list item. The battery life is not bad too 20 hours. I usually chance my maglite batteries out ATLEAST once a month. Maybe I just use mine more then most people, but in my opinion I tend to spend more money on my mag-lite then my X5. But, if you truly want to get a top notch LED flashlight that will last, the X5 is the one to get hands down.


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## techieman33 (Nov 13, 2004)

i disagree, my maglite is indestructible, i've dropped it off the grid and it turned right on, and the only time i put batteries in it are when i start a new show, so 4 sets a year, of AA, and that's pretty damn cheap if you ask me.


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## SuperCow (Nov 13, 2004)

Get a Scorpion if you want a really bright light. Those things are insanely bright, but a fair bit pricey. They have them at Tools for Stagecraft. They run through batterries quickly, though, but that's because they're so powerful.


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## ccfan213 (Nov 13, 2004)

i have never had a maglite die on me, but my cousin who is in the NYPD told me that he has found that maglites are unreliable. he probably uses his alot more than ppl in the theatre indudstry though. he said most cops buy other lights that either work better or are a knock off maglite that is cheaper and they plan on replacing frequently


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## Calc (Nov 13, 2004)

I know that they sell the kits to do it at LED Supply
http://www.ledsupply.com/terralux.html

I haven't purchased any of the maglite kits, but I have ordered LED's from them, and they're real good about shipping them to you. Even for regular LED's, they're a ton cheaper than Radio Shack, and have more choices.

It only took five days for me to get them. Not too bad for anything ordered online.


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## JP12687 (Nov 14, 2004)

I have used a 2 LED head light while rigging for a show, as they did dry tech under me. It was a very interesting experience working up on the grid with only a headlight. But it lit up every thing i looked at and worked great. I woudl recomend spending the $20 to get one, or if you need a brighter one $40 for the 4 LED version


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## ccfan213 (Nov 14, 2004)

i love mine, and i use it all the time, but as i said before, if you dont want bright light during a show you probably should stick to either 2 leds or one like mine with an adjustable brightness.


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## producer (Nov 29, 2004)

I dont use my mag anymore. Not since i got my Kyocera Blade cell phone. Has a built in LED flash light. Its jsut one lest thing to have on my belt.


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## techieman33 (Nov 29, 2004)

i think my brother has one of those and if it's what i'm thinking of, it would be a pain to use, and then there's the fact that it's a lot more fragile, for day to day it would be fine, but backstage during a show, i would be afraid of breaking it, not to mention, you shouldn't really have a cell phone backstage anyway, we all do it anyway, but if my old high school director saw me using it i would have never heard the end of it.


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## producer (Nov 30, 2004)

ITs actually not that painful. Its one handed whereas the maglight AA version requires 2 hands or 1 and a mouth. all i do is press a button and its on. It'll never fully replace a maglight because a maglight can focus. about the fragility issue, if you knew how many times i've dropped it from a 15foot ladder, you would understand that it isnt THAT fragile. 

> not to mention, you shouldn't really have a cell phone backstage anyway


I dont USE it!!!! during a show its used as pager.


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## techieman33 (Nov 30, 2004)

i get what your saying buy how does a maglite require 2 hands?


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## SuperCow (Nov 30, 2004)

I've dropped my Maglite many a time off ladders, and she's still going strong!


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## techieman33 (Nov 30, 2004)

that's what i love, mine have taken 60ft. falls off the grid and are still running strong


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## producer (Dec 1, 2004)

One to hold the barrel and the other to turn the head.


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## techieman33 (Dec 1, 2004)

i've always done it with one hand, and never had any problems.


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## TBNAudioEngineer (Dec 21, 2004)

*LED Fanatics*

RadioShack LED are far overpriced for the quality of the LED. If you want cheap, AND QUALITY LEDS order from superbrightleds.com You can get 10mm leds for under $2. I use them for my car in the headlights, turn signals, and brake lights. The very best on the market currently are Luxeon LEDs. They have 1watt, 3watt, and even 5watt leds. They are very pricey with some near $45 per led, but nothing is nearly as bright.

Jonathan G. Phillips
WDLI - Canton, Ohio
Audio Engineer / LED Fanatic


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## dvsDave (Dec 21, 2004)

hmm.. this is an interesting conversation.. I think what I would do is convert two 2AA minimags... one with a standard white LED and one with a red LED so I can read a script in the dark without losing my nightvision as badly. 

I also own a 4 D cell maglight that works great as a flashlight and also, as my friend dubbed it, a "people beater".


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## ccfan213 (Dec 21, 2004)

dave, beating people is wrong, 

.... if your friend dubbed it the "actor beater" that would be a different story.


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## ccfan213 (Dec 21, 2004)

y dont u just convert one and attach a piece of red gel on during shows?


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## techieman33 (Dec 21, 2004)

it's no fun to just put red gel over it during a show, it's nice to have an actual red l.e.d. One reason is the batteries last forever. 

I'll have to look into superbrightleds.com, that would be nice to have some more powerful l.e.d's. 

At one time i had something like 5 maglite's converted to l.e.d. a red, blue, yellow, white, and a green. But I have lost most of them over the last year or so, all i can find now is the blue one. I always seem to lose maglites. 

And I call my 4 D-cell maglite the german shepard killer, one of my friends told me that on one of packages for one, he saw that they were guarenteed to kill a german shepard, and that sounded kinda cool, so that's what i call it.


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## ccfan213 (Dec 21, 2004)

i call my 4D "too damn heavy to carry around".


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## asb002 (Dec 21, 2004)

I put a little red LED in my Mini-Mag and it works great for reading scripts in the dark. Batteries are still going strong, and it doesn't kill your night vision.


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## producer (Jan 5, 2005)

i admit. I have returned to the maglight world. I'm not saying that i've dropped my cell led light yet. My reasons? the LED on my Cell is good for close distances and general flood, but when it comes to working on specific projects or using your mag as a security guard, the mag is much better becasue it focuses. 
The best thing that i have found for when you're working in confined spaces is a head lamp. it does make you look like a geek, but boy is it ever handy


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## scarlco (Jan 16, 2005)

Although modifying a mag yourself is by far the cheaper alternative, I've done business with this site: www.theledlight.com - they've got almost everything, including the flashlight conversion kits.

My newest, favorite, and by far most expensive light is the Inova X0. It's 1 LED at 1 watt, and the brightness is comparable to my scorpion. Uses the same batteries, but lasts MUCH longer. I've got the Inova X5 and X1 as well - both have their purposes. The X5 is a great little wide source of light, while the X1 is extremely focused - great for those tight areas backstage. I call it my 'mini-spot', and the darned thing is almost bright enough to use as one... if it's really dark on stage, that is.


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 16, 2005)

I've tested the two major players in self-contained LED upgrades for MiniMags, the Opalec NewBeam and the TerraLux MiniStar 2. The Opalec review appeared in TD&T magazine (the official publication of USITT) some time back, and both that and the new MiniStar review will appear on my new review/tips/stories from the road site once I get it up and running (by the end of the month, I expect).

For the short version, both are about $30, and both are great. Both feature voltage step-up circuits that allow the light to put out a constant light level for hours and hours, long after a standard MiniMag has become useless. The NewBeam has three LEDs and is available in white and blue (the blue is available from Rose Brand, the white from various online dealers); it also has a fourth dim red LED that serves as a low battery indicator.

The MiniStar2 has one side-firing LED, which means that, with it's custom reflector, it is still focusable, which the NewBeam isn't. It is brighter than the NewBeam, but doesn't last quite as long. It doesn't have a low battery indicator, you'll have to judge by when the step-up finally gives in and the light level drops.

Both are pretty sturdy and will take a drop well.

I've been using the MiniStar lately since I am FOH and there's so much other light around that I typically don't need the blue (although of course I could get another and gel it blue), but it's a pretty close toss-up between the two. Brightness vs. battery life and a low-batt indicator is basically what it comes down to, since I never change the focus on my MiniStar. Before I got the MiniStar, the NewBeams served me quite well--I used the white for load-ins and outs and the blue for show calls throughout all of the '03-'04 tour of "The Full Monty", and it never let me down. 

FWIW, I have also swapped out the tailcaps of all three of my lights (white NewBeam, blue NewBeam, MiniStar2) with Kroll rubber pushbutton tailcap switches. You push them in partway and they act as momentary switches, all the way and they click on. It's really only a MiniMag in body now, LOL. Since I had the Mags lying around, and the upgrade kits are cheaper than tactical lights anyway, and AA batteries are much easier to come by for cheap than the various odd batteries that the bright tacticals usually use, it was a no-brainer for me.

Best,
Andy

P.S.-There's another brand of switch out there, too, the Ram Instrument Tailcap Switch. I do NOT reccomend it in any way, shape, or form. I liked the design better, because it's a knurled knob with an inset button, but the button is wired backwards so that the momentary shuts it off, rather than on, and of the two I ordered, one didn't work right out of the box. Eek!


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## SuperCow (Jan 27, 2005)

In the picture above, from your website, the heads of both of your flashlights are silver, rather than the black like the body. Is this because of the LED retrofit, or did you just buy them that way? I'm seriously considering buying one of these, as well as that tailcap switch, so I'd like all the information I can get.

P.S. I tried to ask this question via the comments section of your site, but it didn't work.


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## Andy_Leviss (Jan 27, 2005)

Hey Simon,
Your post at the site did actually work, it just is set up to require me to approve posts before they appear right now, until I can get a good comment spam blocking system in place.

Anyway, I hadn't mentioned that, but I'll talk about it when I put up the post about the tailcap switches. The multi-colored body I did, swapping parts from multiple Mags. Over the years I've had various color combos--I used to have a set of black and blue ones where the black head was my white light and the blue had a blue gel, for example. If you look closely, the one on the left in that photo is silver, while the one on the right is pewter, if you want to get technical )

So, short answer, nope, nothing to do with the LED upgrade, I just like to be able to tell mine apart form everybody else's really easily.

--A


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## SuperCow (Jan 27, 2005)

Alright, great. I, on the other hand, like the one color thing. And the light is either in my hand or in my belt pouch, so it's chances of getting lost are slim!

I'm looking foreward to reading your review of the tailcap switch. It seems like a really good idea, hopefully it's put into practice well.


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## jyenish (Jun 20, 2005)

I carry two flashlights. I have my mini mag on my belt with my multitool and my LED is in my tool pouch. I like how bright the mag is when doing repair work or even just when I need a flashlight outside the theater. However during shows the LED is great for just enough light to see. If you don't mind having two lights it works well for me


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## BISON (Jun 20, 2005)

*CHANGE YOUR MAG LITE TO LED*

I carry three flash lights, one blue mini mag in my pock its pouch, one black mini mag in my clc electricians tool pouch ( both converted to led) , and a scorpion flash light in my every day setwear script bag.


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