Diving Gecko
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 24
Hey all,
I have been reading a lot lately but with that comes questions so I a, hoping some of you will chip in.
Basically, I am setting out to build a dive torch almost from scratch.
I will have access to lathes, milling machines and that part of it, I will have help in.
The problem is in the electronics departments so I would be grateful for your thoughts.
What I need it to do
I wont need it to be able to run for long at all and most of the time, I think it will only need to run at 50-75% of its full output. If it can run for 30-45 mins at 75%, it should def suffice.
I don't need a hard, narrow hotspot or a lot of throw. A nice even beam at a tight to medium angle is probably ideal.
Lenses
Starting at the front end, I would like a 3up XM-L lens/optics on it, but I have not been able to find much. The only ones I have found are LEDIL in 35mm diameter with 19/25/42 degrees of half angle. (Strangely enough the LEDIL series is called "cute"...)
Do you guys know of other options for triple XM-Ls?
Or is it just as easy as just getting three single lenses?
I know for XP-G the triple options are more and it would be good to have a 3up lens for XM-L that was a bit tighter than the minimum 19 degrees in the LEDIL Cute series.
Also, is there much of a difference (other than physical size) to 35mm vs. 50mm lenses (or even smaller)?
I do like the idea of the 3up combined lenses though, as then there would be a possibility to change the lenses easily for another type of beam.
LEDs
After the lenses, we get to the emitters.
What is the norm in color for underwater torches? High white, neutral or warm?
Is there any scientific reason for either or is it just down to personal preference?
I'll likely try to make the heat sink part of the head. Should be pretty doable when machining from scratch.
I read an estimate somewhere that a single(?) SST-90 would likely not need more than a few square inches of material in contact with water and that wings aren't really needed on UW lights. Do you guys agree?
Driver and Batteries
Well, the standard seems to be Taskled, so I think I'll go with that. But which one?
And now, a completely silly question: Say I run the 3 XM-Ls at 3A is that then still just a total of 3A that the driver has to be able to handle or is it 9A?
According to my rough calculations, I would need 13 watt hours to run 3 x XM-Ls @ 75% for 30 mins. That should be covered by two OK quality 18650 cells. But since the handle part of the torch will be lathed and thus circular I might as well go with three cells as there wont be an increase in width. (I would like to keep the torch compact and def only the length of one cell + head).
So, what driver would you recommend for 3 x XM-Ls and 3 x 18650s?
And how would you run those 18650s?
I would also like the driver to be as user programmable as possible.
I know this is a lot of questions but I would really love your input.
All best,
David
I have been reading a lot lately but with that comes questions so I a, hoping some of you will chip in.
Basically, I am setting out to build a dive torch almost from scratch.
I will have access to lathes, milling machines and that part of it, I will have help in.
The problem is in the electronics departments so I would be grateful for your thoughts.
What I need it to do
I wont need it to be able to run for long at all and most of the time, I think it will only need to run at 50-75% of its full output. If it can run for 30-45 mins at 75%, it should def suffice.
I don't need a hard, narrow hotspot or a lot of throw. A nice even beam at a tight to medium angle is probably ideal.
Lenses
Starting at the front end, I would like a 3up XM-L lens/optics on it, but I have not been able to find much. The only ones I have found are LEDIL in 35mm diameter with 19/25/42 degrees of half angle. (Strangely enough the LEDIL series is called "cute"...)
Do you guys know of other options for triple XM-Ls?
Or is it just as easy as just getting three single lenses?
I know for XP-G the triple options are more and it would be good to have a 3up lens for XM-L that was a bit tighter than the minimum 19 degrees in the LEDIL Cute series.
Also, is there much of a difference (other than physical size) to 35mm vs. 50mm lenses (or even smaller)?
I do like the idea of the 3up combined lenses though, as then there would be a possibility to change the lenses easily for another type of beam.
LEDs
After the lenses, we get to the emitters.
What is the norm in color for underwater torches? High white, neutral or warm?
Is there any scientific reason for either or is it just down to personal preference?
I'll likely try to make the heat sink part of the head. Should be pretty doable when machining from scratch.
I read an estimate somewhere that a single(?) SST-90 would likely not need more than a few square inches of material in contact with water and that wings aren't really needed on UW lights. Do you guys agree?
Driver and Batteries
Well, the standard seems to be Taskled, so I think I'll go with that. But which one?
And now, a completely silly question: Say I run the 3 XM-Ls at 3A is that then still just a total of 3A that the driver has to be able to handle or is it 9A?
According to my rough calculations, I would need 13 watt hours to run 3 x XM-Ls @ 75% for 30 mins. That should be covered by two OK quality 18650 cells. But since the handle part of the torch will be lathed and thus circular I might as well go with three cells as there wont be an increase in width. (I would like to keep the torch compact and def only the length of one cell + head).
So, what driver would you recommend for 3 x XM-Ls and 3 x 18650s?
And how would you run those 18650s?
I would also like the driver to be as user programmable as possible.
I know this is a lot of questions but I would really love your input.
All best,
David
Last edited: