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Aleph Light Engine Build

kj

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Messages
793
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Hi all,

I finished building my first Aleph Light Engine. The build process was far from perfect but I think the result is OK.

Aleph_Light_Engine_Build_Finish.jpg


In parallel, I took pictures and drafted a web page regarding the Aleph LE build. I basically followed the instruction from Don so I'm happy if you guys feel it useful as the complement to his instruction.

In addition to the build instruction, my page has some pictures of the Aleph components. I'm planning to add some descriptions later. Please let me know if you have any suggestion to my page.
 
wow

nice write up and lots of picture too. good explanations on the process /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Outstanding job, kj. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Britt
 
kj, you RULE ! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
this is one of the best if not the best site out in the net!
bernhard
 
KJ,

Nice writeup as usual. I will be reading it and Don's as I build my first LE tonight.

Is there a reason you chose to run the ground wire through the bottom of the downboy instead of up through the top? I've considered this in the past but it seems risky. Also, I like having the ground wire inside the can where it can be protected by the potting epoxy.
 
kj,

What they all said! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Tyler, I am not sure which method of ground lead is best. Your comments about the protection provided by having the lead inside the can are sound. On the other hand, having the ground lead external and in the rear means that it is exposed which is maybe better for inspection?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif I have been gravitating to this method as well but I am using a longer lead of teflon insulated wire. I need to take a picture of the finished assembly as a picture is probably worth more than a thousand words; at least in my choice of words. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

The way I have the teflon lead laying down on the PCB, I believe it affords a "bumper" against the battery's anode intrusion into the rear cavity of the LE. I have been making my solder ball on anode contact as tall as the rear lip of the can. Should the battery's terminal invert and and start to fold over the solder ball, I believe the insulated ground wire might serve as a guard from allowing entry. This is not likely but in the case of the contact on some of the Li-Ion cells I have that have been abused in various mods and protos, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
 
Thank you all /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Tyler, I just wanted to try it because Don mentioned this method /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Even though I tried, I'm still not sure which is better. I will try wiring the ground inside next time.

Like you, I also feel a risk of short circuit in the external ground wiring. We can mitigate this risk by lowering the height of the ground wire and insulating the wire and making the big solder blob, but there is still a risk because the insulation can be broken and the solder blob will be compressed.

I guess the difficulty of the build is more or less the same. It's probably easy to cut a groove in the rear lip and also it's easy to glue the E-Screw if the ground is outside of the can. But wiring itself is a little bit difficult because the wire is short and the wire path is critical.
 
tyler,
I use some round nose pliers and some care and haven't messed one up yet. (knock on wood). If I knew that the heads would be used in a build, I would not have snugged the bezel ring down but since some of these might go directly into service, I didn't want to take any chances. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
 
<font color="blue"> </font> Hey Tylerdurden,
May I recommend using a "Grip Wrench" that's one of those rubber band gripper wrenches. They are the ones that are advertised on TV and look cheap, but they do grip very well maybe you could find it at Wal-mart or a similar store.
Or Maybe you could take a piece of rubber and wrap it around the bezel and then put an aircraft clamp on it and then grip the clamp with a plier and turn the bezel off.
Good luck and keep-em bright in the night,
Jeff
 
[ QUOTE ]
Barefootone said:
<font color="blue"> </font> Hey Tylerdurden,
May I recommend using a "Grip Wrench" that's one of those rubber band gripper wrenches. They are the ones that are advertised on TV and look cheap, but they do grip very well maybe you could find it at Wal-mart or a similar store.
Or Maybe you could take a piece of rubber and wrap it around the bezel and then put an aircraft clamp on it and then grip the clamp with a plier and turn the bezel off.
Good luck and keep-em bright in the night,
Jeff

[/ QUOTE ]
The Aleph is different, it has a internal threaded ring that hold the lens and reflector in. Like a Arc4+. That's what Tyler is having a problem with.

Harbor Freight sells a watch cover wrench with interchangable size tips which works pretty good but you better have a store local to you, there shipping takes two weeks!
 
Yeah, I was trying to use a snap-ring plier that has nubs that are just a bit too big. I found some good needle-nose pliers that are small enough to fit in the gaps and still open wide enough to engage both gaps simultaneously. Came right out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Oh, BTW, I think it may be easier to run the ground wire out the bottom. The problem with running it out of the top of the circuit through the inside of the can is that it will bump up against the bottom of the escrew. If you plan it well enough in advance, you can position the ground wire such that it will fall in the milled slot on the back of the escrew, but I didn't think about that and I had to go back and grind part of the back of the escrew down to make room for the ground wire.

Just something to be aware of.
 
Yeah, I also found Don mentioned that possible problem in his page and that is why I wrote it would be easy to glue the E-Screw if the ground was outside of the can. (Sorry my words were not clear...) As you wrote, we need to orient the milled channel of the E-Screw to the ground wire and also we need to cut a groove deep enough so that the wire doesn't touch the E-Screw. To do this, I guess it's better to cut a groove at a slant because the front lip of the E-Screw is relatively thin. How do you think?
 
Tyler,

Yeah, I tried to make that point in my build page but I guess I didn't get it across. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif The ES-can is also shallower so it is a little more of a challenge bringing the wire into play from the inside. Wayne and I have discussed some othe solutions for the "future" but they are not an option at present. There are a number of aspects in keeping the E-series modularity which preclude some simplier and more straight forward solutions.

EDIT: Oops, kj slipped in there! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Yes, if you cut the groove at an angle going deeper towards the interior of the can, the wire can actually exit below the level of the E-screw slug and orientation is not so critical.

I think I need to take a shot of a finished LE with the insulated wire I mentioned above. Be back.....
 
OK,
Here's a marginal picture of a BadBoy build that has the external ground wire. I pre tinned the wire and left a long stripped portion that feeds through the PCB after it is installed in the can. The long section of tinned wire allows for easier soldering as you can touch it with the soldering iron and then feed solder down at the via for the joint. I then use cutters to nip off the excess.

bb-groundwire.jpg
 
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