Who\'s Made the Smallest Luxeon Mod?
Inspired by Lambda's Ill Pills and his recent Pocket Copper, this very amateur wanna-be modder came up with this...
Lambda Illuminator is on top, Arc SLS in the middle, and my mod on the bottom. Actual measurements are 0.75" O.D. diameter, and 1.42" long (I believe that Lambda used standard 3/4" I.D. copper, so that makes mine ever so slightly smaller). It's driven by a 3V 123 Surefire battery, which just barely fits inside the tube.
The collimator lense had to be sanded to a smaller diameter to fit, and is protected by a very cheap plastic lense from another keychain light which just happened to be the right size. The Luxeon is non other than one of Lambda's Ill Pills which also has a small strip of bent shim stock which connects the negative contact of the "Pill" to the inner surface of the copper tube. I may solder it to the "Pill" for a much better connection if I decide to keep this mod as it is. I haven't made any improvements yet, as I'm still amazed that it actually works!
The momentary/constant-ON tailswitch (Yes, it actually functions as a constant ON switch... Well, it works most of the time... OK, but it really does work SOMETIMES) is nothing more than a plastic protective cover off of some special fittings that we have laying around the shop where I work. A penny actually fits inside the cap, which provides negative current flow from the battery to the copper tube when the cap is pushed-in. A small spring connecting the penny to the negative battery terminal also helps keep everything from moving around, and also ensures good contact with the battery. The spring also makes the momentary switch function (which IS very reliable) to work. The constant-ON function is solely dependent upon the friction fit of the plastic cap to the copper tube.
The above beam shots are taken with the lights only about 6" from a white background. The Cu Mod is on the left, Arc SLS in the middle, and the Lambda Illuminator on the right. I really believe that the brightness of my mod could be greatly improved if I would solder the negative contact to the "Pill". I say this because the shim stock just barely touches the contact surface. I've also noticed that if I shake the mod when it is lit, sometimes I get some really bright flashes of light. I think this means that I still have a poor connection.
None-the-less, I'm still very happy (and still in shock
) that this amateurish attempt actually works!
Has anyone else made a smaller Luxeon light, yet?
(Hint: I don't know for how long or how well, but I do know that the "Pill" can be driven by the tiny 6V and 12V batteries that are used in garage door openers, etc.)
-bucken-
Inspired by Lambda's Ill Pills and his recent Pocket Copper, this very amateur wanna-be modder came up with this...
Lambda Illuminator is on top, Arc SLS in the middle, and my mod on the bottom. Actual measurements are 0.75" O.D. diameter, and 1.42" long (I believe that Lambda used standard 3/4" I.D. copper, so that makes mine ever so slightly smaller). It's driven by a 3V 123 Surefire battery, which just barely fits inside the tube.
The collimator lense had to be sanded to a smaller diameter to fit, and is protected by a very cheap plastic lense from another keychain light which just happened to be the right size. The Luxeon is non other than one of Lambda's Ill Pills which also has a small strip of bent shim stock which connects the negative contact of the "Pill" to the inner surface of the copper tube. I may solder it to the "Pill" for a much better connection if I decide to keep this mod as it is. I haven't made any improvements yet, as I'm still amazed that it actually works!
The momentary/constant-ON tailswitch (Yes, it actually functions as a constant ON switch... Well, it works most of the time... OK, but it really does work SOMETIMES) is nothing more than a plastic protective cover off of some special fittings that we have laying around the shop where I work. A penny actually fits inside the cap, which provides negative current flow from the battery to the copper tube when the cap is pushed-in. A small spring connecting the penny to the negative battery terminal also helps keep everything from moving around, and also ensures good contact with the battery. The spring also makes the momentary switch function (which IS very reliable) to work. The constant-ON function is solely dependent upon the friction fit of the plastic cap to the copper tube.
The above beam shots are taken with the lights only about 6" from a white background. The Cu Mod is on the left, Arc SLS in the middle, and the Lambda Illuminator on the right. I really believe that the brightness of my mod could be greatly improved if I would solder the negative contact to the "Pill". I say this because the shim stock just barely touches the contact surface. I've also noticed that if I shake the mod when it is lit, sometimes I get some really bright flashes of light. I think this means that I still have a poor connection.
None-the-less, I'm still very happy (and still in shock
Has anyone else made a smaller Luxeon light, yet?
(Hint: I don't know for how long or how well, but I do know that the "Pill" can be driven by the tiny 6V and 12V batteries that are used in garage door openers, etc.)
-bucken-
