Built an Aleph LE - First Real Mod! - Then Killed It - Had Fun

[Dirty wage guy]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Right on nbp! Looks damn good to me! How ar you liking the GD1000? I was wondering if in your research for your build,
you came up with any other options for drivers other than what is being sold at the shoppe? (Not knocking the shoppe by any means! I love me some shoppe! Wayne and Cindy Rock!) Also LED options as well?
Anyone use an XP-L on one of these LE's yet and if so, what would be a good converter board to use with it?
maybe you stated this already nbp, but what gauge wire did you use?
Great work Sir! Keep it up and thank you for the pics!!

DWG

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Looks pretty good to me!

 

[nbp]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Right on nbp! Looks damn good to me! How ar you liking the GD1000? I was wondering if in your research for your build,
you came up with any other options for drivers other than what is being sold at the shoppe? (Not knocking the shoppe by any means! I love me some shoppe! Wayne and Cindy Rock!) Also LED options as well?
Anyone use an XP-L on one of these LE's yet and if so, what would be a good converter board to use with it?
maybe you stated this already nbp, but what gauge wire did you use?
Great work Sir! Keep it up and thank you for the pics!!

DWG

Thanks guys.

GD1000 seemed nice. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fix the flashing before I goofed some more stuff up. I will probably post in the Shoppe forum to see if Wayne has any tips or info on that.

I would like to find another source for drivers, not because the Shoppe isn't good, they are, but they are sort of expensive. As an amateur trying to learn I'd rather wreck cheap drivers than ones that are $19-40 a piece. If there is another source for them that has the size I need for Aleph cans I'd like to order a couple. I hope to research that.

The emitters I used I got from Vesture of Blood on the MP. He had XP-G2 S2 reflowed onto Sinkpads in the 16mm size which is what I needed so I went with that. I doubted my ability to flow them on properly. At the moment I didn't care that much about tint and all, just wanted to make something that worked.

I think I used 26 gauge wire. I wouldn't go thicker with those tiny holes in the driver board.

I hope the pics are helpful and I will be able to build some more soon. :thumbsup:

 

[sunny_nites]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Hey bro!! Way to go!! You have to be ready to sacrifice a driver/led every now and then to achieve knowledge and experience and knowledge is never cheap.
Good for you!! I would hazarded a guess that your next project will be very interesting!!

 

[nbp]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Hey bro!! Way to go!! You have to be ready to sacrifice a driver/led every now and then to achieve knowledge and experience and knowledge is never cheap.
Good for you!! I would hazarded a guess that your next project will be very interesting!!

It sure seems that way. Hahaha. Thanks for the support.

 

[datiLED]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Powering the converter without the leads attached to the LED (or load) will instantly kill the converter. It will flash as you have indicated. From the looks of your solder joints, your soldering iron may be a little underpowered. Also, are you using solder flux? Flux will give you a smooth, shiny solder joint.

 

[nbp]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

I did not power up the converter at all until it was connected to the MCPBC with the LED mounted on it. I put it all together before putting the LE in the Mule and powering it. :shrug:

I bought a 40W soldering iron. Would you say that I need a more powerful one? The problem I saw was that more powerful ones available at stores around here had larger tips, far too large for the tiny work we're doing. I am open to any suggestions!

I used rosin core solder; I thought that was sufficient. I will have to read up on proper flux usage.

Probably, I also will need to find some better solutions for doing the actual soldering as my joints were messy. Even with the helping hands I trouble holding my components and heating and applying solder. As I understand, you are supposed to heat the object and then apply the solder to it. How do you do that effectively when soldering those tiny wires into the converter board for example? You cannot heat the board, so I tried to stick the wire through, heat it, add solder to the wire so it wicked up to the board and held, and snipped off the excess wire off the bottom. Or when attaching the leads to the MCPCB, how do I hold the wire down, the soldering iron, and the solder? I need three hands. Or do you heat the MCPCB and add solder, then set down the solder and hold the lead on the solder blob and heat it so it bonds? SO many questions.

 

[datiLED]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

You may have had a component shift when you soldered the board to the can. It would be easy to do if the can moved before it cooled completely.

40 watts is the bare minimum. I have a simple analog 60 watt temperature controlled soldering station from Circuit Specialists. It works fantastic, and is a good value. I use 0.031" diameter Kester rosin core solder, with some solder flux that I get from Radio Shack. I tin the pads of the MCPCB before it is installed in the light engine. After the light engine is assembled and the leads are trimmed to length, strip the ends and pre-tin the wires. To connect the leads, I apply some flux to the pads with a tooth pick, and hold the wire to the pad with tweezers. I touch the tip of the iron to the solder, wetting the tip, and contact the solder joint and wire. In a few seconds, the solder flows smoothly over the connection. Remove the tip of the iron, and let it cool before removing the tweezers.

An underpowered soldering iron will take too long to make a connection, and will produce rough looking solder joints. A solder joint should take about 2, to 3 seconds if the tip is hot enough. Sometimes a well sinked copper MCPCB may take a couple of seconds longer. Maybe 5 seconds, at most. Another tip that I will pass along which may be helpful: I bend the tip of my soldering iron. When it is heated up at the highest setting, I work the tip into a 90 curve shape. This allows me to solder with the iron being at nearly any angle. I can use the point, or a larger section of the tip to heat a connection. It is also good for working around other components, or in the head of a light that has not been fully disassembled.

Regarding the helping hands. I gave up on the alligator clips many years ago. They don't hold anything well, are hard to position and very unstable. I purchased a GRS double third hand, and never looked back. I got mine for about $100, including shipping and it was worth every penny. When I grip something to solder, it stays in place. The tips are removable for cleaning, and solder won't stick to them. Another tool that is really useful for building light engines and general flashlight work is a jeweler's peg clamp. They can be found on e-Bay for cheap, too. Cut off the base with a hack saw, and it will rest flat on your work bench. It will clamp the light engine or flashlight head easily, and makes soldering much easier. Don't clamp too tight, or it will leave a mark.

 

[nbp]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Thank you for those ideas Derek! I will read that over several times for sure and look into improving my setup before starting on the next one. That soldering station is awesome, and only a few dollars more than I paid for the one I bought, which has none of the controls. I will also look into using a quality flux as well. I'm sure I will have some more questions along the way. Do you have any suggestions for soldering in the leads to the tiny holes on the converter board? The LE I have from you is so cleanly done. :bow:

 

[datiLED]

Re: Going to Build an Aleph LE; My First Real Mod!

Do you have any suggestions for soldering in the leads to the tiny holes on the converter board? The LE I have from you is so cleanly done. :bow:

I pre-tin the leads, and insert them with the bottom of the can facing up. The third hand is clamped onto the wires, supporting the can. With just a little of the end of the wire protruding through the hole, apply a small bit of flux to the hole and wire end. I wet the tip of the iron with solder, and heat the joint. When the solder flows, I touch the solder to the wet joint to get it to flow through the plated hole for a good connection. Remove the heat and it is done. Smooth, shiny and strong. This literally takes two or three seconds. When using a good temperature controlled soldering iron, the tip maintains a constant temperature. This allows for quick application (and removal) of heat which is important when working with converter boards that have a lot of small components.

 

[AndyF]

Thanks for all the good info guys!


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[nbp]

I pre-tin the leads, and insert them with the bottom of the can facing up. The third hand is clamped onto the wires, supporting the can. With just a little of the end of the wire protruding through the hole, apply a small bit of flux to the hole and wire end. I wet the tip of the iron with solder, and heat the joint. When the solder flows, I touch the solder to the wet joint to get it to flow through the plated hole for a good connection. Remove the heat and it is done. Smooth, shiny and strong. This literally takes two or three seconds. When using a good temperature controlled soldering iron, the tip maintains a constant temperature. This allows for quick application (and removal) of heat which is important when working with converter boards that have a lot of small components.

Got it. :rock: I will have to get a better iron, and some junk wire or old circuit boards or some junk to practice on a little bit before I order some new parts and try again. Do you vary the temp that you use for different projects or always use the same temp? I think mine says it hits 900F, but I think you are right, in that when you solder something it cools down and probably takes a bit to heat up again and so the subsequent soldering job is not so good.

Thanks for all the good info guys!


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+1! Most of the Aleph light engine build threads are quite old, so I am hopeful that this one will serve as a more up to date resource for others besides just me! oo:

 

[KDM]

Your iron should be fine for soldering leads. If you didn't use flux paste this is a extremely important step for heat transfer and flow. Pick some up for probably $2.00 at Radio shack, Home Depot, or a plumbing store and use it on a scrap piece of wire. You'll be amazed at the difference and how little heat you actually need.

 

[calipsoii]

Just wanted to pop in and say it's great to see you giving this a shot nbp. We need more modders and builders around here so good on ya for taking the plunge. I can see you've already learned a lot from what didn't work and your next mod will certainly reflect that. Keep the updates coming man! :twothumbs

 

[gunga]

I appreciate all the great soldering into too! I just use solder with flux core but I'm sure it would work better to use separate flux


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[nbp]

Your iron should be fine for soldering leads. If you didn't use flux paste this is a extremely important step for heat transfer and flow. Pick some up for probably $2.00 at Radio shack, Home Depot, or a plumbing store and use it on a scrap piece of wire. You'll be amazed at the difference and how little heat you actually need.

Seems like missing the flux was a big lapse in technique. I will pick some up and try to do some test runs to work on my skills.

Just wanted to pop in and say it's great to see you giving this a shot nbp. We need more modders and builders around here so good on ya for taking the plunge. I can see you've already learned a lot from what didn't work and your next mod will certainly reflect that. Keep the updates coming man! :twothumbs

Thanks for the kind words calipsoii. I was greatly inspired by your 1.5v Project thread even though I have not posted much in it. You guys who just dive in and start learning and experimenting are amazing! I'm just a learner now, and don't have much to offer in this section other than to document my efforts, but maybe someday. I am optimistic about trying again though.

I appreciate all the great soldering into too! I just use solder with flux core but I'm sure it would work better to use separate flux
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For sure, tons of great info coming out here. You guys all rock!