My Little Weekend Project: The “Crazy Flashlight” Mod
Alright, so let me tell you about this thing I tinkered with last weekend. Called it the “Crazy Flashlight” project, mostly ’cause the results were just… nuts. Wasn’t even planning on it, really. Just got bored staring at the wall after my neighbor decided 7 AM on a Saturday was perfect for testing his new leaf blower. Seriously, who does that?
Anyway, I had this old, cheap flashlight lying around. You know the type, takes like three D batteries and is about as bright as a tired firefly. Useless. So, I thought, why not soup it up? Make it actually do something.
Getting Started
First thing, I tore the old thing apart. Took out the bulb holder, the reflector, all that junk. Kept the body tube, ’cause it felt solid enough. Then I went digging through my parts bin. Found a ridiculously overpowered LED I’d ordered ages ago for something else I never finished. Typical me.
Here’s what I basically did:
- Ripped out the original pathetic bulb assembly.
- Tried to figure out how to mount this massive LED chip. Needed a heatsink, obviously. Salvaged one from an old computer part.
- Had to dremel out parts of the flashlight head to make room. Made a right mess. Aluminum shavings everywhere.
- Wired it up. Decided standard batteries were for losers. I wanted power. Found a lithium battery pack from a defunct RC car. Sketchy? Maybe. Did I care? Not really.
- Had to rig up a new switch ’cause the old one couldn’t handle the juice. Just jammed a toggle switch into the side. Looks awful, works okay.
The “Crazy” Part
So I got it all jammed together. Looked like something out of a Mad Max movie, but worse. Took it outside that night. Pointed it at the fence. Clicked the switch.
HOLY COW.
It wasn’t just bright. It was like staring into the sun. Instantly bleached a spot on the wooden fence. The heat coming off the front was intense. After like, 10 seconds, the whole head of the flashlight was too hot to touch. The cheap plastic lens started to warp. Smelled funny too.
I quickly shut it off. Thing was practically glowing. The battery pack was warm. Probably not the safest build, let’s be honest. It’s powerful, ridiculously so, but it’s basically a fire hazard that works for 15 seconds max before probably melting.
So yeah, the “Crazy Flashlight”. It’s crazy alright. Crazy bright, crazy hot, crazy dangerous. Probably gonna just leave it on a shelf as a reminder of what happens when I get bored and have too many spare parts. Don’t think I’ll be building another one. My workbench still smells faintly of burnt plastic. And my neighbor? He hasn’t used the leaf blower early since. Maybe he saw the beam.
