MBI #3 - Codename: HF

[the_guy_with_no_name]

I honestly don't know how you do it! But I'm very glad that you do!

Dale

Thanks DBC

+10.
Seems like the fever is gone like it never happened. I'll just sit here quietly while the rush is going on.

Thanks Cataract,

Crashed (into bed) last night, lacking sleep and trying to keep that fever from coming back but very focused right now.
The slight quiet in the threads is nicely timed too, lets me focus on getting things done as quickly as I can.

I think I may have to hire a caravan to take everything to the PO and planning to do a large drop-off on Thursday.

Tgwnn

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

progress, progress....working away.

Planning to spend a freedom day this thursday to get as many HF's shipped as possible within this week.

Expecting some MBI 10430 Nuke's within 1-2 days (that's super high power battery if you've just randomly landed on this page).
Aside from the prospect of my hands melting in the process, I'm ultra excited as this will push the HF (with the 10440 body) to a ridiculous amount of lumens.

Will do a quick test the minute the package arrives and that should make for an impressive showing.
It might be a stretch to get the first production batch done within this year, will see how things go but do stay tuned.

tgwn

 

[climberkid]

Just thought of a question....what is the material on the inside of the aluminum HF case? is it foam? Will it possibly melt or deform with high heat?

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Just thought of a question....what is the material on the inside of the aluminum HF case? is it foam? Will it possibly melt or deform with high heat?

Hi Alex,

The inside is mostly aluminum except for below the base of the HF and the batteries to prevent damage and rattling.

tgwnn

 

[climberkid]

So does the HF make metal to metal contact with the aluminum case? That would help tremendously with heatsinking, but also may cause issue with scratches if it rattles at all. Im sure you thought it out extensively though.

 

[DBCstm]

Hey Alex, did you know that they cast Aluminum engine blocks and heads in styrofoam molds? If you've got an aluminum block or heads, take a close look at any surface area and notice the little circular patterns...styrofoam! Learned this from a mechanic, am blown away! If molten aluminum doesn't do it in, I'm betting the HF won't either! (If, of course, that's what's in the case to keep the HF from rattling) Just don't douse it with gasoline! lol

I had thought that I would not use the extended battery case, but now that you're talking more power, more runtime, well...I'm having to reconsider my position!

Dale

 

[climberkid]

Whoa baby! That's incredible. Thanks for the info! I'm even happier now.

 

[KuanR]

I'm really looking forward to the bigger nukes, I will definitely buy some when they are available!

 

[Cataract]

I'm really looking forward to the bigger nukes, I will definitely buy some when they are available!

I think most of us will want the extra mind-blowing lumens.

 

[KuanR]

Not to mention, I will buy more of these batteries for lights that use 10440 for more power:devil:

 

[xpshooter]

Hey Alex, did you know that they cast Aluminum engine blocks and heads in styrofoam molds? If you've got an aluminum block or heads, take a close look at any surface area and notice the little circular patterns...styrofoam! Learned this from a mechanic, am blown away! If molten aluminum doesn't do it in, I'm betting the HF won't either! (If, of course, that's what's in the case to keep the HF from rattling) Just don't douse it with gasoline! lol

Dale

Hi,
Actually they do not cast the aluminum in a styrofoam mould, they put the styrofoam shape that needs to be cast in sand orcoat the foam with ceramic. When they pour the molten aluminum in the foam goes up in smoke, it is called lost foam casting. They either break the sand or ceramic off the object that was cast.
I worked at Mercury Marine in WI and they use lost foam casting for the engine blocks and they use lost wax casting for the props.

Have a Good Day,

XPshooter

 

[Got Lumens?]

Hi,
Actually they do not cast the aluminum in a styrofoam mould, they put the styrofoam shape that needs to be cast in sand orcoat the foam with ceramic. When they pour the molten aluminum in the foam goes up in smoke, it is called lost foam casting. They either break the sand or ceramic off the object that was cast.
I worked at Mercury Marine in WI and they use lost foam casting for the engine blocks and they use lost wax casting for the props.

Have a Good Day,

XPshooter

+1
Yes. This is true.

 

[Ward]

I have a question about the nukes; what will happen if I put one in my Draco? Increased output? Longer/shorter runtime?

 

[climberkid]

+1
Yes. This is true.

That's why I was so surprised. I've used lost foam casting before, but was excited about the prospect of the foam being able to withstand the heat.

 

[DBCstm]

Well, that explains why it was so hard to believe when that mechanic told me. I recently lost my Cadillac Seville with a Northstar engine in an accident. Earlier models of the Northstar had some issues with the aluminum block related to coolant not being changed. It would seem that the styrofoam pattern in the cast aluminum was thin in some areas and when the coolant broke down it ate away some of the interior aluminum and caused the block to leak like a sieve. Technical bulletins from Cadillac support this. I have not worked it, just read the reports and also heard if from the mechanics. So it does hold true that you can't believe everything you read and only half of what you hear.

The padding that I saw in the case was at the rear, holding the spare batteries and locking in the tailcap of the HF. Seems that the front is a moulded plastic that also locks the bolt shape of the head in place and allows the case to turn the flashlight on and off. So either way, it doesn't appear there's anything to worry about in the heat dept, as 1) the emitter will die and 2) the battery will die before the heat get's to that level and 3) this is a handheld device and you're not likely to keep holding it if it's getting hot enough to melt plastic. If you were to tailstand it on hi, the battery would run out of power in a few minutes (I believe 4 minutes was given) and the light would shut down. Damage would probably be done to the emitter causing it's color to be drastically effected and giving it a much shorter life span. Again, this is what I've gathered from what's been said before, please correct me if I'm wrong (definately not a 1st) as I would really like to know the facts on this little demon!

All this being said about heat, is 200 more lumens from a larger battery a great idea? Definately a point that extreme care needs to be taken in the circumstance of 800 lumens in a 1/2 x 2" torch!!

Dunking an extrememly hot light into water, cold or otherwise, would seem to me to be a great way to break the lens out of the light. Wouldn't that be the case?

Sorry for steering ya wrong Alex, just going on what I was told!

Dale

 

[climberkid]

What else do we have to go on than what we are told. In moments of excitement there is no time to study!

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

So does the HF make metal to metal contact with the aluminum case? That would help tremendously with heatsinking, but also may cause issue with scratches if it rattles at all. Im sure you thought it out extensively though.

Hi Alex,

The head makes contact. The part where the bottom of the HF meets the case is padded with black foam and that prevent it from rattling.

I had thought that I would not use the extended battery case, but now that you're talking more power, more runtime, well...I'm having to reconsider my position!

Dale

On thing to remember is that the 10440 version of the HF won't fit in the case

I'm really looking forward to the bigger nukes, I will definitely buy some when they are available!

Thanks KuanR

I think most of us will want the extra mind-blowing lumens.

Thanks Cataract,
btw, the 10430 Nukes landed today and I was out and there is no pick-up service so I have to bounce up and down against the ceiling till tomorrow!!!!

Not to mention, I will buy more of these batteries for lights that use 10440 for more power:devil:

They should be ok with direct drive lights but will need caution as they deliver a lot of power and you don't want to blow your emitter or the batteries either.

Hi,
Actually they do not cast the aluminum in a styrofoam mould, they put the styrofoam shape that needs to be cast in sand orcoat the foam with ceramic. When they pour the molten aluminum in the foam goes up in smoke, it is called lost foam casting. They either break the sand or ceramic off the object that was cast.
I worked at Mercury Marine in WI and they use lost foam casting for the engine blocks and they use lost wax casting for the props.

Have a Good Day,

XPshooter

Thanks for the lesson XPshooter.
Very interesting stuff!

I have a question about the nukes; what will happen if I put one in my Draco? Increased output? Longer/shorter runtime?

Hi Ward,
Depends on the emitter inside it and if there is any resistance or just direct drive.
With the 10250's it should give you increased power in the output and perhaps shorter runtimes.

tgwnn

 

[Cataract]

[...]
The padding that I saw in the case was at the rear, holding the spare batteries and locking in the tailcap of the HF. Seems that the front is a moulded plastic that also locks the bolt shape of the head in place and allows the case to turn the flashlight on and off. So either way, it doesn't appear there's anything to worry about in the heat dept, as 1) the emitter will die and 2) the battery will die before the heat get's to that level and 3) this is a handheld device and you're not likely to keep holding it if it's getting hot enough to melt plastic. If you were to tailstand it on hi, the battery would run out of power in a few minutes (I believe 4 minutes was given) and the light would shut down. Damage would probably be done to the emitter causing it's color to be drastically effected and giving it a much shorter life span. Again, this is what I've gathered from what's been said before, please correct me if I'm wrong (definately not a 1st) as I would really like to know the facts on this little demon!

All this being said about heat, is 200 more lumens from a larger battery a great idea? Definately a point that extreme care needs to be taken in the circumstance of 800 lumens in a 1/2 x 2" torch!!

Dunking an extrememly hot light into water, cold or otherwise, would seem to me to be a great way to break the lens out of the light. Wouldn't that be the case?

Sorry for steering ya wrong Alex, just going on what I was told!

Dale

The one thing you need to keep in mind is this is a pure flashaholic flashilght to make people go "HOLY F***!!!" with a usable EDC mode. Definitely not something you put in anyone's hands without properly informed flashaholic supervision. I personally do not worry about the foam in the case, since I will only use that to get jaw-drop action from the unenlightened when I take the HF out of it AND NO ONE OTHER THAN ME WILL BE ALLOWED TO EVEN TOUCH THAT CASE WITH TH HF INSIDE. Ignorance is a total danger in this case (oops, a pun!) since they probably won't feel much of the heat from the HF before it is too late. I don't intend on using the high in the case+case's case, although that diffuser might look interesting with 700-800 lumens coming through, but I'd stay away from that idea. I don't even want to imagine how much trouble it could be to break through all the melted plastic and foam.

You are probably right about breaking the lens if the flashlight is REALLY hot and you drop it straight in cold water, but to get to that point your fingers will definitely hurt. To minimize thermal shock, use room-temperature or lukewarm water. I definitely wouldn't leave the HF on high on a table... fingers make a great overheat alarm and I expect that thing to get hot real fast with the 10430 nukes. The light-in-bolt is a great name because of that: flash, then let it cool down a few minutes.

 

[Tixx]

Man, this is killing me. Still on for shipping this week? I just have to know.

 

[DBCstm]

I do believe he's planning on shipping Thursday, which won't be long as he's 13 hours ahead of Eastern time! So, a matter of hours and they'll be in the mail!!!!!

Dale

It's 6:30 Thursday morning for Guy as I write this, 4:30 Central Time Wed for me.