MiniMag LED Upgrade

If you’re like me, you have a collection of traditional Mini MagLite flashlights. The traditional Mini MagLite is a good light but it uses old technology with the Krypton Bulb. Being a caver, lights are a part of my life so a few years ago I started looking at ways to upgrade my Mini MagLites to use LED technology.

I found there are 2 distinct upgrades available. The first uses three LEDs and the second uses a single Microstar LED. I also found the MagLite LED flashlight as well. I have been using all three of these lights for the last few years and I will also include my own reliability evaluation with each one.

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I have the single LED light mounted on my caving helmet as a backup light. My daughter’s helmet has the 3 LED version mounted.

 My Helmet

 The light mounted on my helmet gets lots of abuse as shown on the photo of the yellow helmet. I have had zero problems with this upgrade. As for the light mounted on my daughter’s helmet, I have 3 additional Mini Mags with the 3 LED upgrade and have had no problems with any of them. With all the modified lights the run time has been greatly extended.

The LED Mini MagLite is longer and a little heavier than the traditional lights. It allows for the beam to be focused and is the brightest of the three lights, however, if you are buying a new LED flashlight there a much better lights available.

Here are the LED light patterns from the three lights. I took all the photos with the same shutter and aperture settings:

LED Mini MagLite

 

Single LED Upgrade

 

3 LED Upgrade

The LED MagLite and the single LED upgrade allow the beam to still be focused. The following photo shows the reflectors used. The LED MagLite has a much longer reflector which enables much better light capture and projection. The multi LED module does not use a reflector so the flashlight beam can no longer be adjusted.

Installing the Upgrades

The single LED replacement uses the existing reflector and still has the ability to go from flood to spot. The installation is very straight forward. Once the lens assembly and bulb are removed the new LED module plugs in to the same pin holes as the bulb. The LED module is polarity specific so if it does not work it will need to be removed and rotated so the pins are switched. Once installed screw the lens assembly back on and the light is ready to go.

Top Cap ShownModule Installed

Module Installed

Multi LED Replacement

Top Cap in place

The multi LED replacement installation is about the same; however it requires that the plastic top cap be removed. When you remove this cap be sure there are batteries in the light or the contact assembly will fall down in the light. Once the cap is removed the module can be installed. Polarity is still an issue so check to be sure the light works. Removed the stock reflector from the lens cap and install the one that came with the module.

With Top Cap Removed

Module Installed

The one additional modification I made to my light was to add a switch. The switch replaces the battery cap and allows the LED intensity to be adjusted to 3 different settings as well as providing 2 flashing modes. The switch module also has a small red led that flashes when the battery is getting low.

Mini MagLite Switch

 

 

tomas

Tomas has lived in Colorado since age 5. Having grown up on the Western Slope of Colorado lots of time was spent in the Desert Southwest. Tomas' father introduced him to the love of 4 wheeling at an early age in the high mountains around Aspen, Colorado. While an avid Mountain Biker, Tomas and his Family enjoy adventures in the mountains and desert in the remote locations that can only be reached by 4wd. Day hikes are always a must when on the family trips. While enjoying outdoor activities he wants to share his love as a certified 4wd trainer and ski instructor. Tomas also enjoys caving and cave exploration. Tomas currently resides in Colorado Springs. 

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