Ridgid flashlight questions

[cactusman]

Does anyone know the difference between the r849 18 volt flashlight and the r859 24 volt flashlight?
ok, 6 volts...
Seriously....
Aside from the bulb's operating voltage being different will an eighteen volt battery fit the 24 volt flashlight?

I figure there are 18/24 volt compatible tools and perhaps the flashlights are also 18/24 volt compatible. Yes I know different bulb.

My motive is to buy a flashlight and then modify it to run a 5 watt luxeon LED
thus providing great light and at 18v amazing run time.

I have seen a few 18v and 24v flashlights around. The cost may actually determine which one I buy

Cactus Man

[onlycordless]

I was going to attempt the same thing. You beat me to the post.

However, I can't seem to locate a 24volt luxeon. I can use 12 volt and overpower it. With the 10,000 to 100,000 bulb life, I should only see half that which is still unbeatable.

I have not tried the 18 volt bulb in the 24 volt flashlight, however, the 24 volt flashlight bulb is rated at 12 volts. What I like about running it with lithium is that you get consistent, practically non-dimming light for the entire charge. You will not get this with the ni-cad 18 volt light.
I would go with the 24 volt because you will get better runtime if you have the batteries. Last I checked, the 24 volt flashlight is $36 and the 18 volt is $22.

Let us know how the mod comes out.

[cactusman]

any luxeon LED needs a regulator circuit. They typically run around 3-4VDC
and I'm not sure about the current demand, I estimate less than 50ma

So using a 24 or 18v flashlight I hope there is some room inside to slip a small circuit module into it.

Where have you seen the flashlights on sale? My local home depot is not offering them as stand alone items

Cactus Man

[onlycordless]

any luxeon LED needs a regulator circuit. They typically run around 3-4VDC
and I'm not sure about the current demand, I estimate less than 50ma

So using a 24 or 18v flashlight I hope there is some room inside to slip a small circuit module into it.

Where have you seen the flashlights on sale? My local home depot is not offering them as stand alone items

Cactus Man


I have never seen them at Home Depot, just online. I can't remeber the specific store, but if I find it I will post it.

Ebay has them http://cgi.ebay.com/24V-RIDGID-FLASHLIGHT-18-VOLT-24-VOLT_W0QQitemZ130156024854QQihZ003QQcategoryZ20760 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[canucksartech]

Not too sure if it would work, but I have seen LED replacement bulbs to be used in MagLight flashlights. Not sure if it is the same type of small bulb (threading, etc.), but it does seem to be a straight swap-in replacement - no need for modifying anything or adding in any small circuitry (might have it inside the LED bulb replacement).

I too was thinking of doing the same thing. Haven't really had a chance to look into it further though.

[cactusman]

I honestly doubt the mag-lite LED lamps will work. The reason is they are for
3-6 D batteries or a max of 9V

The Ridgid light is 18V or 24V

You will immediately destroy the LED.

I can't find a 5watt Luxeon LED locally so I'll most likely order a 1watt one from all-electronics and see how it does.

I will also build a regulator circuit instead of a resistive voltage divider circuit. The reason is the regulator will allow the LED to work longer.

I suspect once built I will see a run time of 50+ hours at full illumination on a 18V 2.5ah battery [not an actual calculation just a number pulled out of a hat]

I'll report back as this project moves along

Cactus Man

[Woussko]

If you have room, maybe a cluster of several LEDs would work. The Voltage would be divided by the number used if they are series connected. You would need to be sure all of them match each other.

[ooman2]

I've thought about doing that also. (see http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9472)

Check out these cree's: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1302

A quick measure shows that 5 of them might fir in the ridgid 18v fl.


My electronics is a bit rusty, but if wired in series they should get about 3.6v each.

If anything I think heat dissipation would be the big problem. Maybe mount them to an aluminum disk and carve holes in the housing.

[Frankiarmz]

I'm sure you guys can modify together a LED into a Ridgid flashlight, but this should be a simple task for the design team at Ridgid. I am going to paste a little info on teh task light by Ingersoll Rand which they sell along with their 1/2 inch cordless impact gun. LED's are the way to go and single Luxeon is the LED of choice. Hope they are not dragging their feet just to sell bulbs?

June 13, 2007 - TL10 task light features onboard microprocessor and utilizes single LED technology providing 160 lumens of brightness and over 50,000 hr bulb life. Using IQV series 19.2 V battery, it runs up to 10 hr on single charge. Device weighs 0.8 lb without battery, and from 1.8-3.2 lb depending on battery used, and also features 160° pivoting head and drop resistant structural housing that protects against breakage and harsh fluids.

[Disaster]

I've thought about doing that also. (see http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9472)

Check out these cree's: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1302

A quick measure shows that 5 of them might fir in the ridgid 18v fl.


My electronics is a bit rusty, but if wired in series they should get about 3.6v each.

If anything I think heat dissipation would be the big problem. Maybe mount them to an aluminum disk and carve holes in the housing.

Better if you had a regulator circuit but with 24 volt Lithium Ion battery and 7 of these in series you would be at 3.43 volts...assuming consistent resistance between them.

[zooommmm]

I know the current LED lights on the market have circuit boards but a friend
of mine who's currently in Iraq was into LED's. The pics are of one of his 1st
creations & there's no circuit board! He used to sell the key chain flashlight
in liquor stores along w/his hand held fans! Zane

[cactusman]

a quick update....

I finally opened the flashlight and there is a circuit board with what looks like some sort of regulator/boost circuit.
I used an 18v battery and measured 12v at the lamp socket.

Do not buy the mag-lite 3W LED replacement bulb! It will not fit in the flashlight.

The bulb the flashlight uses is a standard bayonet style.

I will eventually pick up a LM317Tadjustable voltage regulator and assemble some sort of circuit.

oh, I did try using an everled LED and a simple resistor voltage divider but although the LED assembly fit into the lamp socket the LED did not illuminate very brightly. I did experiment with a variety of resistor values but maybe the LED was defective..it was in my "junk box"

More as I progress...

Cactus Man