1940s? Swiss Army Surplus Flashlight: Lithium-ion 18650 Upgrade

[@thisissoeasy]

What a great project! I was in the Swiss Army quite some years ago and we had an updated version of your flashlight: The outside looked basically identical, however, on one side it featured a sliding switch which engaged either a red or a green filter in the lens. Red = for nightvision and signaling, Green = for signaling. The "shield" is mainly used for "stealth" mode, so you can't easily be seen from a distance. Also, inside the light was a fixture for a spare bulb... (I am now going to convert my old surplus US military torch, which I find is really fantastic.)

[@HennerZeller]

Extra points for using a Swiss Army knife as a universal tool in this conversion.

[@RinoaL]

+Henner Zeller well i use my super tinker in pretty much every video, lol

[@terminashunator]

That's a cool project, but I think switching to LEDs (perhaps even 1/2w LEDs) would be a cool modification. With a good LED driver you could run the LED at a lower current and thus not blind yourself or be seen from low earth orbit.

[@RinoaL]

+James Pourroy yeah, however i do like how its still incandescent. the color quality is a bit nicer i think.

[@rednecksdoitbetter2975]

Rinoa Super-Genius thanks for making a tech video I always love them

[@Markle2k]

The "color quality" is what destroys night vision. You could put a red LED on a switch and that would work for preserving your low-light vision.

[@themaritimegirl]

In my opinion, on a vintage device like this, an LED totally ruins the look.

[@IDKOKIDK]

you still have to use a dim red LED though. If you don't have a 3w or so red led flashlight give it a try yourself after your eyes become fully sensitised to the darkness. Shine light at anything remotely close and you night blind yourself. Just use a dim warm light like in this torch.

[@survivaltactician9929]

I have a WW2 German daimon light, but I like yours cause of the space for few small survival items.

[@LZ2SM]

I work in the railway in Bulgaria and as a hobby I convert my colleagues flashlights to led and lithium in a similar way,but for convenience I add a micro USB Charing controller!nice job!

[@troyduncan1969]

Very cool modification. The only possible issue with the 18650 adapter is a spare bulb use to fit near the top within the metal clamp and I am not sure a spare bulb will now fit.

[@superniall9995]

Could you store a Swiss Army Knife in the Swiss Army Flashlight?

[@RinoaL]

+superniall 999 sure but i always carry one with me anyway so itd be a bit redundant.

[@themodellhanger1963]

Its not a swiss army flashliget

[@eva2k0]

A tritium button or tube embedded somewhere on it so that you can find it in the dark is always useful. They glow for years and don't need to be charged unlike a glow in the dark paint.

[@Viscontiorama]

The problem is I love the design but I'm sure a little button cell and an LED would be brighter. so in order to make this useful I would put 3 18650s in there and the circuitry for micro USB charging as well as a two amp output USB to make it USB battery bank, maybe even have a separate port with separate wiring for a 12v D.C. Output, with 3 3AH batteries you get 9 amp hours if you use very good batteries, that could of power any number of 12v things , lights for video , electric heating elements, water pump, etc... you could always put a brighter led in there , but you seem to be a Fan of incandescent also possibly silicone seal or gasket for water ingress protection.

[@Afterburner]

Look at small pocket survival kits in Altoids tins - You could fit quite a bit in that space and have a survival flashlight tin that could get you through all kinds of contingencies. Great video.

[@RinoaL]

not very useful for me tbh.

[@sixtyfiveford]

Neat flashlight. I like the button mount.

[@JN.0_o]

A protection/charging module would definitely be a good addition to this light, but a very nice little updated light nevertheless. I'm a fan of doing exactly this myself and I'm always on the lookout for old lights like this to convert.

[@grandpaseed]

An extra battery is my vote

[@eirikblodks7469]

grandpaseed and bulb

[@koltinn]

@@eirikblodks7469 There's a spot for a spare bulb on the top right, right above the battery.

[@dancoulson6579]

I know a lot of people here are saying to upgrade to LED. But I wouldn't. Sure, LED's are brighter, last longer, and draw less current. But it's not genuine. A crisp blue white gleam coming from this would look wrong. The dimmer, yellowish glow from an incandescent suits it much more. As for what to put in there... A spare bulb might be a good idea. Perhaps a loop of wire could hold it in place, so it doesn't rattle about.

[@MrCaptainNObeard]

This is exactly the video i needed

[@liviostocco1745]

Good idea to make the most of these old flashlights. You have a workshop with lots of interesting things and you are also pretty 🙂

[@Aleziss]

well what you need in a light bulb flash light is... a spare light bulb... then something to charge that battery... then if you still have some space, matches... or you could replace that light bulb with a super bright LED... plus that super bright LED could also turn red because red light does not affect your eyes in darkness... then no need for a spare light bulb...

[@Ademusicuk]

Very nice item. I'd use it to store fire starting materials or a first aid kit. Neat project!

[@Laracrafttrabant]

neat little project , also for the compartment insulate it and put 2 spare 18650's in there - it is the only useful i can think off. also when you put a high current 18650 in there like a Sony vtc5 you can just pass current trough a little coil of resistive wire and also have a way to light stuff like a cigarette f.e. keep up the good work girl :) -lara

[@LZ2SM]

You can screw and unscrew te bulb a bit to change the focus of the beam

[@RodebertX]

use it for tools, bandages etc. keeping true to the theme

[@mohawk1460]

You could probably fit a small sewing kit on top of the matches and also put a solar panel in the door.

[@niteexplorer9934]

Space for an older zippo lighter and the perfect addition for creating your spooky 16 mil forest flicks

[@RinoaL]

+Nite Explorer they arent spooky

[@joethomas8181]

Great little upgrade!! Be a great trail light.

[@srjskam]

Birthday candles and mini glow sticks. Increase its reliability as a luminosity enhancer by redundancy.

[@grannieannie1371]

Small first aid kit and a key to your house would be helpful in addition to the matches. Especially as you said you use it to go outside

[@anthonymiller8979]

If you hold it left handed the little Morse code button would fall naturally under the thumb and leave most people's dominant hand free for other tasks (like writing down the coded messages).

[@joshmarkham8985]

Furthermore, you can buy a 4.5v Panasonic battery Identical in size and shape to the original.

[@TheFurriestOne]

Flint and steel in case the matches get wet, or a water-proof matches holder, easier than water-proofing the unit!

[@MadGoose1440]

How odd.... I very recently found an old lamp very similar to this, except it's not swiss army. It's made in Italy and says La Pile Leclanché on it. Takes one of those big 4,5V square batteries. 'Been wanting to upgrade it, then this pops up!

[@RinoaL]

yeah i looks like quite a few countries used this design.

[@flori8320]

It seems to be a french name (la pile = battery) maybe it was used in the army ^^

[@Blendedasian]

guppyandthedodo "la pile" = battery leclanché = guy who invented zinc-carbon cells (originally named "leclanche cells") not sure why someone would label their lamp brand as "zinc-air battery", probably means you're supposed to power them with 1.5V cells or a variant with 1.5V cells in series inside.

[@loyp4328]

Leclanché is a Swiss brand, located in Yverdon (Vaud Canton)

[@flori8320]

Possible things to put into : little first aid kit (you don't know what you'll bump your knee in the dark ^^ emergency kit (little road flare, pen sized flare gun - I have a red one from the french army that could probably fit) fire kit, lighter fluid, charcloth or an emergency old nokia phone xD Sidenote, I just discovered two old plastic lamps (possibly from the army) that run from a 6V lead acid battery, and there is even the charger inside !

[@chronicmilitarycollector9232]

great video, thanks

[@cekpi7]

yesterday i was looking at similar flashlight and i was thinking about putting 3 18650s in parallel and 3w led with lens since it would fit perfectly since you uploaded this video i might try

[@neglekt_official]

This was one of the koolest videos I've seen. Subbed for sure.

[@fookutube501]

Should make it into a swiss first aid kit haha...Love the video Rinoa!

[@joshmarkham8985]

Btw the bit above your battery case to the left of bulb is another bulb holder.

[@mikeofmanymikes2630]

scrape the tip of the soldering iron before use fore best results.

[@lonnymoore2622]

i can think of two a charge controller where you can recharge the flashlight and maby the solar pannle like you mentioned. possibly even a usb power sorce so it truly is a multi funtion unit.

[@sheep1ewe]

Back in time there was a type of big battery with rounded sides ant two top connectors (wich reminded of a wery big paperclip) , that type had 4,5V. those lamps was ment fo one of those batteries. I hawe the Nordic army type of this lamp, it hawe an interna slide plate to adjust the light instead of that lid type cower, interesting. There are also a waerson wich had multiple slideplates so one can change between, "darklight" Red and green light. (Sorry for my English...)

[@Kilroy_Was_Here_1897]

I'd pop a little solar cell in there, but not have it stick out. Just have it in the case on a small length of wire and have the ability to take it out, sit it on a rock or something, and charge the battery. If you had it sticking through a window on the front it'd probably get damaged, scratched, and dirty. With a hiuge hole in the front you also lose a lot of the watertightness that the metal provides, which leaves you with a soaked circuit and useless matches! Personally, I'd add a bar of trioxane to go with the matches! And maybe a flash drive with Linux on it.

[@AsBi1]

really nice

[@smallenginedude71]

thats awesome, i think you should put a spare bulb in it

[@StingyOLanigan]

Really cool light. What was that double stick tape you used? I like the look of that better then the foam crap that doesn't hold very well. And I sorry but when you put it on your jacket and faced the camera, I thought "Hey low budget Tony Stark cosplay. Also I think solar charger is the best use of space.

[@RinoaL]

+Uncle Gravy think its a knockoff of the 3m tape. think its called mounting tape.

[@tek4]

some cotton, or char cloth in a small altoids tin, like the super small, 1 inch x 3/4 sized. maybe some candy or a lighter

[@dv6579]

A little bottle of jack daniels would look cool.or some spare batteries or bulbs or one of each

[@Oneupthesleevecustoms]

Put a tp4506 1s charging board in it and a micro usb in the side to charge it and a volt meter so you know its flat

[@shanekneeshaw3483]

great project 😁

[@JTDavis623]

Any insight into the type of bulb this is? Looking to get an LED version

[@TheDodge1996]

Cool! Now put the LED on! :D

[@palazzetto0775]

when you open the flashlight just to the right of the bulb i see a metal holder sticking out...i think might be useful to fill it with a spare bulb, i guess that was its purpose...(not sure however) thank you from Italy! :)

[@RinoaL]

+Andrea Palazzi i had to take the spare out in order to fit the 18650 in.

[@Kilroy_Was_Here_1897]

You could always cut the rivet out and stick the holder somewhere else in the case!

[@kidbach]

do you still recommend it as a buy? i have found one for $19.95 and wonder if i should buy it. thanks for sharing.

[@RinoaL]

well i love switzerland so my opinion is biased. i think germans and swedish had similar lights.

[@fibrodad1354]

it is sposed to go on you belt i think as well Miss!

[@TIO1JPG]

How about a self contained charging circuit? (w/plug, or maybe USB?), so It can work even if you don't have charged cells laying around.

[@Blendedasian]

does this setup with the lithium cell have any kind of protection from overcharge or overdischarge? these little fellas can burn quite bright if mistreated, that's why i'd rather slap giant cheap nimh cells into stuff instead, they seem to fare better against rough loads.

[@RinoaL]

no, i just dont charge it more than 4.2v. also these cells are from laptop battery packs so dont put out enough energy quickly enough to explode just by itself. i mean shorting it, not physical damage like smashing it. for theses cells there is only enough energy to make them get very hot and spew chemicals everywhere, but you would need a few more cells in parallel to it in order to feed it enough to catch fire in the event of a short circuit. but i put fuses on each cell for any multi-cell packs. however i've found on my bigger battery packs, having more than 12 cells in parallel with the cell that shorts out will provide so much power that the connectors between the cells can fry like a fuse. overall, healthy 18650 cells dont have catastrophic failure until they are charged to 4.5v or so, they just get very heavily damaged inside. most name brand cells like the panasonic ones are testing by charging up to 12v if i remember correctly, and are designed to only vent and fume even at that. so i wouldnt worry too much about lithium. in the years that i've worked with lithium i've only had a few issues, and they would have been easilly avoided with a fuse. however if you still want a safer battery, try LiFePo4, it has like 3x higher voltage than NiMH too.

[@Blendedasian]

Rinoa Super-Genius nice.

[@BesrVideos]

Use a USB circuit to charge the battery and to be an emergency charger

[@Oneupthesleevecustoms]

Led and a spare 18650

[@olivermuggli4610]

Himmel Nein !!! Das ist wie wenn du in einer 57 er Corvette einen Hyundai Elekroantrieb verbaust !😂😂 Die Original 4,5 Volt Batterien sind Kult....es braucht kein USB anschluss um sie wieder zu laden...es gibt sie überall zu kaufen,die Lampe ist nicht Wasserdicht,egal,trocknen,läuft wieder 😅 Ich habe viele Versionen ab ca 1914...die gehen alle noch 😁💪

[@JrTECH-ei9nx]

Led .extra battery and and I will try to make it water resistant and maybe a mini fire stick

[@Terrierwrangler]

Toilet paper, for those nighttime excursions from your tent

[@davidalferez1019]

Imagine this flashlight with led

[@Hellforsa]

i have a swedish daimon light, amaxzing thig mint in box :)

[@P.I.S.OnYou.]

Where can i find a 4v 18650 battery?

[@RinoaL]

all 18650s are about 4v

[@P.I.S.OnYou.]

@@RinoaL all mine say 3.7v

[@imaginarymask]

put a flashlight in the compartment. flashlight-ception

[@gabrielsutton4578]

Spare wire and fishing line with hooks?

[@SobakkaPavlova]

Make a vape in it.

[@tek4]

Alik Krutoshinskiy as some one who mods, I think that would be a waste of potential for it.

[@thingyee1118]

mini swiss army knife

[@TheEPROM9]

USB sticks with bootable OS'es.

[@missouripatriot6926]

Spare bulb and led conversion

[@chaconfc13]

small survival kit

[@vintagemountaineeringandhi6060]

Small compass :)

[@sewell2777]

A small notepad with pencil perhaps?

[@sewell2777]

Then when you've got the flashlight open, the bulb will still be lit allowing you to write in the dark ;)

[@sewell2777]

+Sewell 27 It keeps in line with the vintage feel and the pencil could clip in on the old battery terminal. Okay I'm done with secondary thoughts so no more extra comments 😂

[@henrymach]

Replace that bulb with a LED. The battery wil probably last longer for more light. Bulbs are shit

[@KuntalGhosh]

you look live the guy of green ham gameing

[@samhenderson2947]

Hehheh nice ironman impersonation

[@ki4npx]

a cigarette lighter and a joint......

[@HDXFH]

Stepper motor dynamo hand wind genny

[@kartsandcameras2441]

Why can't I watch this video?!!!

[@sheep1ewe]

It works for me...

[@themodellhanger1963]

Dont modefy history

[@WhalesWilly]

Not matches a Swiss army knife and emergency kit

[@RinoaL]

what?

[@WhalesWilly]

@@RinoaL don't put matches in a flashlight that heats up, instead put in a small Swiss Army Knife and a mini emergency kit inside your flashlight.

[@RinoaL]

it doesnt heat up.

[@generaluse-rk1xf]

led bulb

[@koltinn]

not first

[@RinoaL]

+Koltin Nilam hahahahaha

[@catsinheat]

First...hehe

[@RinoaL]

+James Madden good job :D

[@longtrend1]

Are you single