Hi,
This is my first post but I've done some reading previously.
There's a bit of content on this forum about converting the Underwater Kinetics Sunlight D4 to an LED torch but not enough to satisfy or put me off the idea.
I've seen the "UK D4 LED Conversion" power point presentation and decided I don't want to do exactly that. 63 LEDs with no reflector to shape the beam doesn't seem the right path for a dive light.
I've also read several threads that mention heat problems when putting LEDs into a plastic body but nothing specific on the D4 - only the C6, which has a much smaller reflector / volume.
So, what's the recommended amount of lumens that I can safely put inside the D4 body without melting anything? I know this also depends on the heat sink but as I said, there's a bit of room to put one in as long as it doesn't involve buying a CNC machine to get the shape right. I might be able to do some 3D printing but only plastic, no metal.
To keep things simple I'd prefer to keep the D cell batteries. Could I then run either 2 LEDs in parallel or 2x2 batteries in parallel, providing a voltage of 3V per LED? Or is it recommended to run the batteries in series and get a voltage regulator?
Initially I was looking at getting a luxeon LED (or a few) because they come with reflectors that would actually fit inside the D4 body and a tiny heat sink. CREEs seem to put out much more light but the reflectors available on the website all start at 4" diameter - that's a bit much, unless I'm missing something.
So, fire away. Recommendations, opinions, tales from the past.. I'll read it all
This is my first post but I've done some reading previously.
There's a bit of content on this forum about converting the Underwater Kinetics Sunlight D4 to an LED torch but not enough to satisfy or put me off the idea.
I've seen the "UK D4 LED Conversion" power point presentation and decided I don't want to do exactly that. 63 LEDs with no reflector to shape the beam doesn't seem the right path for a dive light.
I've also read several threads that mention heat problems when putting LEDs into a plastic body but nothing specific on the D4 - only the C6, which has a much smaller reflector / volume.
So, what's the recommended amount of lumens that I can safely put inside the D4 body without melting anything? I know this also depends on the heat sink but as I said, there's a bit of room to put one in as long as it doesn't involve buying a CNC machine to get the shape right. I might be able to do some 3D printing but only plastic, no metal.
To keep things simple I'd prefer to keep the D cell batteries. Could I then run either 2 LEDs in parallel or 2x2 batteries in parallel, providing a voltage of 3V per LED? Or is it recommended to run the batteries in series and get a voltage regulator?
Initially I was looking at getting a luxeon LED (or a few) because they come with reflectors that would actually fit inside the D4 body and a tiny heat sink. CREEs seem to put out much more light but the reflectors available on the website all start at 4" diameter - that's a bit much, unless I'm missing something.
So, fire away. Recommendations, opinions, tales from the past.. I'll read it all
