Lithium Ion Maglite Conversions

DISCLAIMER: These Maglite modifications are to be performed at your own risk. Maglite does not recommend them and I take no liability for them. You need to be well versed in electrical principles as well as lithium ion battery safety before attempting.

I previously posted about mods for vintage Maglites as well as some awesome lithium ion Adventure Sport Maglite conversions but what if you really want to take it a step further and build a great, bright, rechargeable Maglite yourself? (I also wrote another post about custom lithium ion LED lights too.)

The idea behind the light is to use lithum ion batteries as a power source. Lithium ion batteries are nominally rated for 3.7 volts but actually put out around 4 volts. An alkaline cell puts out about 1.7 volts on a good day. What you're getting is more than twice the volts out of a rechargeable cell of a comparable size. It's a win-win. The trick here is sizing a bulb or LED that matches up with a larger number of alkaline cells and then substituting a lesser number of lithium cells at the same voltage. The most common mod is 2 lithium ion cells powering a 7D or 6D bulb.

7D and 6D PR based bulbs are nominally rated for 6.3 and 7.5 volts and put out more than double the amount of lumens vs. a 2 or 3 cell bulb. 6D batteries actually put out 10.7 (1.7 *6) volts and 7Ds put out 11.9 (1.7*7) volts so these bulbs are actually rated for more than what they are labelled. These bulbs can easily be installed and run in a 2 cell light with 2 lithium ion batteries for more than double the brightness out of a smaller package.

The most common platform is a 2C Maglite. The C lends itself well because most lithium ion batteries have a smaller diameter than alkaline. 2 C cells are also the exact same length as 2 - 18500 lithium ion cells. The D cell lights aren't as lucky. None match up with lithium ion cells and all D cells require either modification to the end cap or barrel or the use of a not so easily found spacer. The 18mm diameter of the 18500 cells (18mm diameter by 500mm length) is a little narrower than a C cell (26 mm diameter by 500mm length) but this is easily remedied with a small length of 3/4" PVC Pipe that acts a spacer as shown below. As a side note make sure you order button top cells so they will work in series. Flat tops will not work in series and the light will not power. A protected or safe chemistry cell is highly recommended. Also, there are 26mm lithium ion cells but they all measure greater than a 26mm diameter and will not fit in a C cell Maglite so I stick with the 18mm lithium ion cells.

Drop in the 6D or 7D bulb of your choosing and you have a nice little thrower!!

I went a step further and picked up a TAD Customs bi-pin setup. These bi-pin setups are pricey but there are a lot more bulb choices. (i.e. brighter) The bulbs are commonly used in track lighting and as such come in a large range of wattages and voltages. The bulbs do put out a bit more heat though so you'll want to switch to an aluminum reflector, like the one from KAI Domain, and glass lens so you don't melt the stock plastic reflector and lens.

I also added a FiveMega recessed tail cap that allows me to use a slightly longer 18650 battery for more capacity and to dress it up a little I added a FiveMega scalloped bezel. You can also machine out the standard "Store-A-Bulb" end Cap to recess the spring and accomplish the same thing. Shown below is this very powerful 2C along with a beam shot. It easily lights up my neighbors tree at 100yds away and will likely throw much further. The warm white tint is easy on the eyes. too. It's not an overpowering light up close.

I can't take credit for this mod, it's been kicking around the various hobbyist message boards in one form or another for at least the last 10 years. As my fellow hobbyists say: "It's a 7D Maglite in a smaller package". So, how about a 7C in a smaller package? Shown below with my very rare and newly restored 7C.

As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

1994 Remember Sarajevo Mini Maglites

Summary: The "Remember Sarajevo" Mini Maglites were produced for use in the closing ceremony of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics and were intended to raise awareness of a growing military conflict in Tony Maglica's home country. They are one of five lights Maglite has produced as giveaways for historical events.

Mag Instrument has only produced a handful of "giveaway" or donation lights. These are special lights that are laser etched as part of a donation or promotion. These lights are highly sought after by collectors because of their rarity and history. I've detailed the George HW Bush and 2001 George W. Bush and 2005 George W Bush Inaugural Mini Maglites and the 9/11 3Ds. There is a 5th that I've been searching for and it is the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics "Remember Sarajevo" Mini Maglite.

In 1994 the Winter Olympics were hosted in Lillehammer, Norway. That year's Olympic games were fairly typical as far as the competitions go. However, at the end of the games there was a special closing ceremony that offered remembrance and hope for the site of the 1984 Winter Games, Sarajevo, Bosnia. Sarajevo was a booming town when it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics but around 1992 it was be-seiged as part of the Bosnian conflict. Thousand of civilians were killed, displaced, and the city's infrastructure was bombed during the siege. The siege lasted almost 3 years, the longest in the history of modern warfare.

So why would Maglite produce lights for a Winter Olympics and conflict half way around the globe? Well, Tony Maglica was born in New York City but was raised in Croatia. At the time Croatia and Bosnia as well as handful of other states were all part of the former communist Yugoslavia. Tony loved his homeland but detested the communist government. He moved back to California near the end of his youth and started Mag Instrument. In the democracy of the U.S. his business flourished and he supplied flashlights to the world.

As the 1994 Winter Olympics was drawing to a close Maglite sent 40,000 AA Mini Maglites inscribed "1994 Lillehammer Olympics" and " Remember Sarajevo" to the closing ceremony as shown below. The lights were used during a the closing speech where a speaker offered hope for Sarajevo.

Like the George W Bush lights 40,000 were produced. So, why are they so rare today? Like other giveaway lights they came with batteries and like many other Maglites the batteries were not taken out before storage which destroyed the lights when the batteries leaked. Also, because all of the lights were sent to Norway they very rarely show up on the second hand US market. I see about 1 every year or 2 for sale and they never fetch more than $50 or so likely because most collectors don't know the history of them.

What's also interesting is that the head has TM after the panther logo. As per my Mini Maglite Dating Guide this is because the lights were produced in 1994 but the panther logo registered trademark wasn't approved until 1996.

UPDATE: I received a picture of a 2C "Remember Sarajevo" Maglite from a reader in Norway so I wanted to post it along with some info. This is basically an up sized version of the AA "Remember Sarajevo" Mini Maglite. It is one of the few lights displayed on my blog that I don't own. From what I can gather these appear to have been made for VIPs attending the Lillehammer event and were likely made in only very small numbers. I would love to be able to purchase one eventually so if you have one or know where I might be able find one please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. My contact info is at the right.

As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.