Easy way to add red LED capability to any headlamp :)

OK, nothing earth shaking here but I just ordered a few different Photon Freedom keychain lights to experiment with and I ordered one of them with a red LED.

Some good headlamps come with a red LED and some don't and without debating their usefulness in preserving night vision I like them and they can come in handy. Since I always have my keys with me even when hiking/camping/backpacking I can always have a red LED with me even if the headlamp I happen to be using doesn't have one.

The good thing about this approach is that you don't have to worry about turning the light on incorrectly and getting a blast of white light by mistake

I also ordered one in cyan, UV, and infrared. I think it's kind of a unique approach to have a plastic button style keychain light and offer it in those different configurations.

or better yet get a princeton tec pilot. It mounts to the headband, it pivots and is removable for handheld use

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/princetontec_pilot.htm

dd61999 said:

or better yet get a princeton tec pilot. It mounts to the headband, it pivots and is removable for handheld use

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i used to have a PT Pilot. it's a little bulky for what it is and is a little limited in that it only mounts securely on 1 inch wide straps. i saw somewhere a guy turning a fauxton into a headlamp by gluing a velcro dot on it. it was pretty much a lighter version of a Pilot.

robostudent5000 said:

...... fauxton into a headlamp by gluing a velcro dot on it. it was pretty much a lighter version of a Pilot.

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I like that idea

I'm not sure how it works but I see from the pictures and description that these lights (Photon Freedom) come with some kind of holder and cord that can be worn as a necklace or mounted on a hat.

I also ordered the version of all these lights with a "covert cover" which eliminates side light (spill). It is removable I think as well.

not to hijack this thread or anything, but i just wanted to share this.

here's a really crappy mock up of a Zebra-red Photon-velcro combo.

first, you need a Zebralight, a red Photon, and a set of adhesive backed velcro dots. i have none of those right now (not even a fauxton as my stash has all been given away) so i subbed in a HL20, a busted PT Pulsar, and some velcro strips with sticky tape on the back. bear with me.
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apply the "velcro dots" to the "ZL"'s battery cap and the bottom of the "Photon".
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then join the velcro. bam! now your "ZL" has a detachable red light option.
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i know it looks pretty crude, but with some refinement, i think it could actually be useful.

gcbryan said:

I'm not sure how it works but I see from the pictures and description that these lights (Photon Freedom) come with some kind of holder and cord that can be worn as a necklace or mounted on a hat.

I also ordered the version of all these lights with a "covert cover" which eliminates side light (spill). It is removable I think as well.

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The covert nose isn't removable, it's a molded part of the body of the light.

They do come with a handy little clip that you can put on the bill of a hat, or any kind of strap on a pack, a shirt pocket, etc. The clips also have little magnetic 'feet' on the bottom of them, so you can stick them onto anything magnetic as well. My wife and I use them all the time when we go to star parties and the like. She prefers the red, I prefer the NVG ones. I typically keep one clipped on my hat, and another on a neck cord. My wife uses one on a neck cord, and another on the clip of her clipboard that she uses for logging her DSO finds.

I use the Petzl Signal myself. It runs on 2 CR2032 cells and is 40h constant light and 120h Strobe. It is a great little light for road safety which had a small lanyard headband or you can attach it to an existing headband with the small in built clip on the back.

B0wz3r said:

The covert nose isn't removable, it's a molded part of the body of the light.

They do come with a handy little clip that you can put on the bill of a hat, or any kind of strap on a pack, a shirt pocket, etc. The clips also have little magnetic 'feet' on the bottom of them, so you can stick them onto anything magnetic as well. My wife and I use them all the time when we go to star parties and the like. She prefers the red, I prefer the NVG ones. I typically keep one clipped on my hat, and another on a neck cord. My wife uses one on a neck cord, and another on the clip of her clipboard that she uses for logging her DSO finds.

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Thanks for the clarification on the covert cover. I plan on using the red and nvg ones on a neck cord as well.

I like the fact that you can set them for momentary or on/off. I will set the red and nvg ones for on/off (with ramping) and the IR and UV ones for momentary (since I can't tell whether they are on or off).

How do you have your set for astronomy...simple on/off or ramping low to high or simply momentary?

gcbryan said:

Thanks for the clarification on the covert cover. I plan on using the red and nvg ones on a neck cord as well.

I like the fact that you can set them for momentary or on/off. I will set the red and nvg ones for on/off (with ramping) and the IR and UV ones for momentary (since I can't tell whether they are on or off).

How do you have your set for astronomy...simple on/off or ramping low to high or simply momentary?

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Bryan, no problem, happy to help.

We both use the stock UI setup with the ramping function, as it's very easy to control the brightness that way and not get them up too high. We alway use them from low to high. (The last time I started one up on high, she threw a rock at me. She takes her observing very seriously... oo: )

I pulled the 2016's out of the one I use on my hat and put in a single 2032 instead, which lowers the max brightness, gives a lower low, and gives a much longer run time. The one I keep on my neck cord still has the 2016's in it so I can have a high output if I need it. (My wife has forbidden me from carrying anything other than the Photons when we go to star parties, though I still do keep one of my ZL's or small Quarks stashed away in a pocket so I've got one if I need it. My night vision isn't quite as good as hers.)