Thread: The flashlight sticky

@gadgetman do you know offhand what size torx bit is used for the M24 / 2X for the 4 screws holding the driver in place.
I managed to get away with a 1.2mm allen head until now, but have one screw that just will not come free.
The other option is to drill it out, and get a new screw.
I'm playing with the Taskled drivers in place of the Maxtoch ones, so I can run input voltages up to 21V. Allows me to use my big battery packs for those long sessions, and customise the mode selection. The 2X at 5A is truly insane, and doubles as a hand warmer. Too much light if that is actually possible.

T6 is the animal you want.

Cheers - will pop out and grab one of those

You could take the torch with you.

We thought long and hard about how many amps current to run new 2X at, did some experiments, and finally decided at 4.5. Its not the max for an XML2-U4 but it's extreme output in the 2X and still stable.

Q - your 5 amp 2X must be running at 400k lux or a tad more - that's a helluva lot of light esp in the 0-200m range. Sunglasses I think.....

Originally Posted by mudgripz

We thought long and hard about how many amps current to run new 2X at, did some experiments, and finally decided at 4.5. Its not the max for an XML2-U4 but it's extreme output in the 2X and still stable.

Q - your 5 amp 2X must be running at 400k lux or a tad more - that's a helluva lot of light esp in the 0-200m range. Sunglasses I think.....

And sun block lotion if likely to encounter reflective surfaces.

Just talking a few stats with Mcgadgetman...hundreds of new 2Xs and upgrade M24s sold through aliexpress in last 2-3 months (plus heaps of batts, chargers, packages etc) - with 90+% bought by kiwi hunters. Maybe 100-150 landed in country to date and at this point one light had a watermark on it - no other defects. No duds. That is very good QA from Maxtoch. I would have expected maybe 2-3% fail rate in any production chain but under 1% is first class. One other light got broken in transit with chinapost.

Just a pointers for new buyers:
* Use optic cloth or something equally soft to look after the AR (antireflective) lens. Keep lens clean
* Treat it an an electronic system like a camera. Yes it can club possums but not too often...
* Use medium mode for normal hunting - has over 1000m max range and gives good runtimes
* Only highest quality panasonic/maxtoch 3400 protected buttontop batts - no cheapies
* Range will decrease if there's alot of dust or mist in atmosphere
* Don't leave batts in torch when not in use - they will discharge much quicker

No plans for new Maxtoch LR torches. The new 2X and upgrade M24 both have great range and we won't design anymore until some new all-purpose led comes out that's suits our hunter job.

@mudgripz - you need to get hold of this trademe dealer. He has a XM-L2 putting out 4500lumens! I'm pretty sure that would be the LED you are after for a new LR light. high power g700/X800 Tactical Military | Trade Me

Thank God there no new ones Coming out, would need to upgrade!

That 'high power' one on trademe is a total crock. Bullsh*t lumens and a basic little torch you can buy off aliexpress for a few bucks:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SKYW...a-8220be08e2a0

Quentin should buy some.....

I got one off AliExpress a while back for $5 with free shipping, with the plan of using the LED and switch out of it. No XML LED in it (seriously ancient LED in the light), so I got a reverse clicky switch and a battery tube for $5. If it's a slow day at work, I post comments on these ridiculous auctions.

Not posting that system up @quentin ?

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

Not posting that system up @quentin ?

Yeah, probably should. Did it arrive today?

Yep. Thankyou very much.

A little project that I was working on for Wirehunt's quadbike spotlighting setup.

The brief was for to utilise two Maxtoch 2X's, one as a helmet mounted light, and the second as a rifle mounted light. Each had to be independently switched, not as bright as the out of the box Maxtoch (but with the ability to wind the maximum output up if required), run off the 12V battery from the quad, and be able to unplug the helmet mounted light from the power source quickly, so gates etc could be opened.

After some back and forward emails, some phone calls that always got off topic (a thermal scope is now on the must-try list), the requirements were all gathered, and the list of components were ordered.

2 Maxtoch 2X's, 2 x programmable buck drivers, a handful of connectors, switches, wiring, and the alloy case all eventually arrived.

A couple of battery tube adapters were turned up on the lathe, and the build was underway.

The plan was drawn up while on the phone to Wirehunt:


The lighthead had the Maxtoch driver removed, and rewired:


The case needed to be milled flat inside so the thermal tape would bind correctly. The driver was wired up, and 27 pages of programming notes used to get the desired features configured.


Here's what it looked like for initial testing. All of the marker pens scribbles were scrubbed off prior to sending it off.


Along the way, there were small changes to the requirements as I understood what Wirehunt does for a living, and how he uses his lights. Sometimes it was easier to do a video to explain the features. This proved to work well.
The video of the mode selection:


The last step is for the controller box to be wired and affixed to the quad, and for this to start getting used