Well after months of doing a bit here - then not doing anything for ages - then doing another bit, I was forced to fast track finishing my P7 Maglite dive conversion.
I wanted to take it on my Poor Knights Live aboard over the last weekend.

After an initial leak test with no internals to 16.2M I took it out on a night dive of Middle Arch.
Must say that I am stoked with the results. It completely blew away anything else on the boat. I almost felt bad for my buddy and his (still impressive for the size) 120 lumen LED torch. His beam just disappeared when merged with mine.

If anything I really need to turn it down once a critter of interest has been spotted - as I found that the Morays didn't really appreciate being lit up with some 700 odd lumens of pure white light (they tend to get a bit snarky).

Anyway, I won't bang on about the details too much as Packhorse has brilliantly documented most of them, (BIG thanks by the way for all the guidance Packhorse).

Scope of project and Specs:
Design decision:
Decided not to go with a can light as I wanted the option for the light to sit in the kitchen draw when not in use for diving.

Specs:
Host - 4D Maglite cut down to ~ 3D size.
Emitter - P7 C Bin emitter (700-900 lumen)
Batteries - 2x 18650 protected Li-ion batteries in series
Driver - KD Super 3 mode 3A driver
Burn Time - 70mins
Max Depth Tested so far - 34.5m

Some pics (unfortunately no in water beamshots)


P7 on Heatsink.


Internals of light (minus the relay and reed switch, which are up near the light head).
Battery holder is MacGyver'ed up from two double AA holders.
Driver is heatsinked to buggery and sits in the tailcap to prevent overheating.


P7 in light head.


P7 Maglite in hand - despite the larger size, it isn't a problem to hold. Clips on to BCD when not in use.


A beam shot just for interest sake.

Next project might be to make the same but in a canister light as I still have another P7 and heatsink sitting at home - Bad news for you Packhorse as I might be hitting you up to fabricate the canister for me

Nice work!

If you're interested I will be making up a run of cans of a similar design to the alloy one I did in the other can light thread here.. It will be smaller and made of acetal so no where near as bulky or heavy. I currently have orders for 3 and I expect them to cost $140 each approx. It will be able to take a 12v 5000AH NIMH battery pack.

PM me if you're keen.

Good stuff DM.
Isnt it satisfying to do your first dive with it, blow away everyone elses lights and have it leak free!!

I recommend you take PB up on his can offer. I will not be making cans for anyone else as I do not have access to a lathe big enough.

The other option is to make one out of PVC storm water pipe and end caps. Problem with these is that they dont look nearly as good as acetal and the PVC is remarkably expensive.

Nice work.
Could the same conversion be done with a Pelican torch?

Problem with a Pelican is that its plastic and will have trouble dissipating the heat.

Hey Darkman

Just wondering about the reed switch and collar you have used;
-Where did you manage to source the rotating collar for the reed switch?
-Does it fit snugly to the maglight?
-Also are you using the three modes in the driver? And if so are you actuating them in the same manner as Packhorse? (Cycling through the modes by turning it off then on quickly - or another method?)

Cheers

The collar is simply a bit of PVC pipe joiner from a hardware store. I think it was 40mm internal diameter or something. Cost me all of $5. Had to wrap a bit of tape around the maglite barrel to get a snug fit. Could have gone with a narrower diameter PVC collar and sanded the inside down I guess.
I drilled a 9mm hole and pressed/glued a 9mm rare earth magnet in to the collar.

The reed switch is mounted on the original maglite switch barrel. I simply cut a groove in the plastic and glued the reed switch in so that it sat flush with the switch barrel.

The barrel sits snug in the mag body (thanks to me being a little liberal with the J-B Weld). It can still be removed though. Note that you can also just wrap a bit of tape around the switch barrel to get a more snug fit as well.

Yep, using the same driver as Packhorse, so I switching between levels the same way. Simple as to do - it's just a couple of quick twists of the wrist.

Have you coated the RE magnet in anything?

I am just wondering about corrosion.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that.
I haven't coated the magnet.

I might have to slip the collar off and see what's happened to it...