archer6817j
Enlightened
Hey all, so I seem to have gotten the bug. I ordered one of the 52mm P7 dropins from DX. Maybe not the best components but I wanted to try some new things with the light body and not worry about the electronics.
Right now the body is roughed out and I'll go back and do some fancy stuff when I have time.
This is the DX P7 drop in. The reflector is probably the best part. Nice even and small spot with a mild but huge spill. The lens (for now) is a 1/4" piece of polycarbonate that is grooved along the outer rim for an o-ring. At the moment it's just a press fit but I'll be making a bezel to hold everything together.
I went with another reed activated MOSFET switch. Rotate the ring to turn on. I also need to make a ball plunger and make a groove so I can get an nice positive click in the "on" position.
I'm also using unprotected cells so I needed to make a battery holder to have space for the PCB and the MOSFET. I also needed to take up some diameter since the inside of the bore is about 1" and the batteries about about 3/4". I was at the hardware store and found some PVC pipe that perfectly fits and 18650 battery. I had to turn down the two white end caps to fit inside the body.
This is the front end of the battery holder where it touches the drop in spring. The little brass bit is a contact for the MOSFET and the PCB. I cut a disk out of brass shim stock and dimpled it with a pin punch to contact the top of the battery. The little slots were milled to run the wires.
The tail end. Not a lot of glamor here
The little bit of reduced diameter PVC holds the actual PCB and the MOSFET. I soldered wire to the little brass disk on the right. This is the negative body contact for the MOSFET switch. When the tail cap is screwed on the disc is captured between the end of the PVC and the bottom of the tailcap. Since the battery tube is "floating" inside the body I rely on the spring pressure from the drop in to hold everything tight.
Just a shot of all the parts. When I'm done it "should" be waterproof as well.
This shows the battery tube relative to the assembled light...in case that wasn't self explanatory
Here is a closeup of the reed switch at the head end of the battery holder. Held in place with lucky blue tape.
Beamshots to come!
Right now the body is roughed out and I'll go back and do some fancy stuff when I have time.
This is the DX P7 drop in. The reflector is probably the best part. Nice even and small spot with a mild but huge spill. The lens (for now) is a 1/4" piece of polycarbonate that is grooved along the outer rim for an o-ring. At the moment it's just a press fit but I'll be making a bezel to hold everything together.
I went with another reed activated MOSFET switch. Rotate the ring to turn on. I also need to make a ball plunger and make a groove so I can get an nice positive click in the "on" position.
I'm also using unprotected cells so I needed to make a battery holder to have space for the PCB and the MOSFET. I also needed to take up some diameter since the inside of the bore is about 1" and the batteries about about 3/4". I was at the hardware store and found some PVC pipe that perfectly fits and 18650 battery. I had to turn down the two white end caps to fit inside the body.
This is the front end of the battery holder where it touches the drop in spring. The little brass bit is a contact for the MOSFET and the PCB. I cut a disk out of brass shim stock and dimpled it with a pin punch to contact the top of the battery. The little slots were milled to run the wires.
The tail end. Not a lot of glamor here
The little bit of reduced diameter PVC holds the actual PCB and the MOSFET. I soldered wire to the little brass disk on the right. This is the negative body contact for the MOSFET switch. When the tail cap is screwed on the disc is captured between the end of the PVC and the bottom of the tailcap. Since the battery tube is "floating" inside the body I rely on the spring pressure from the drop in to hold everything tight.
Just a shot of all the parts. When I'm done it "should" be waterproof as well.
This shows the battery tube relative to the assembled light...in case that wasn't self explanatory
Here is a closeup of the reed switch at the head end of the battery holder. Held in place with lucky blue tape.
Beamshots to come!
