Aluminium Headlamp

[ahorton]

I thought I'd post up a few pics of the headlamp I'm making.

Cree R2, aspheric (adjustable 1mm-15mm from LED dome to give 5-70 degree beam options), clicky switch under silicon cap, 2 modes: High = 1A, low = 0.1A.

The strap and battery pack will be from http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8400. I just hope the plastic mount at the front is strong enough. If not, I'll make it out of aluminium too.

The red parts will have thread cut into them up to 2mm deep to allow focusing.

And a shot of what it will be like when it's together.

It's much longer than I wanted, but I'm not sure how to make it shorter while still keeping the switch on top (or sides, no difference), flood-spot adjustability and a minimum of 15mm of thread contact when in spot mode.

I suspect the outer part will also get either some knurling or 1mm deep fins cut into it but I'm not sure yet.

I haven't decided what colour to anodise it yet. Probably black.

Let me know what you think.

 

[clg0159]

I have been waiting to see someone make a custom headlamp and can't wait to see your finished product. Is that bezel for self defense? You could lay a mean headbutt with that sucker What are you using to achieve the 1A/0.1A drive levels?

 

[ahorton]

Ha! I spent hours looking at the design and I never once considered head butting someone with it! I wanted a lip to protect the lens but it look a bit boring so I cut some chunks out of it.

I'll be sending it off to be CNC machined in a month so I'll post some real pictures after that. I might even start a sales thread since my Aussie dollar isn't worth much at the moment.

On Low mode I plan to drive it with a 10 ohm resistor (to give 2.88-2.97Vf at 0.07-0.12A over the battery range of 3.6-4.2V).

The high will be a simple 3*AMC7135 board. I realise that there are more sophisticated boards out there, but I don't think they are much more efficient over the voltage range I'm interested in. I don't mind a little dimming as the board goes into direct drive. What I really don't like is too many modes. I do a lot of night running and navigating in the bush and I hate having to cycle through modes when my fingers are frozen and my brain is dead from 20 or so hours of racing. The worst is half-clicks or having to click it again within 0.8 seconds.

 

[Sgt. LED]

A headlamp is really nice when it has some spill so the lens protecting lip might hurt you a bit in actual use.

An assault headlamp is ...........:shakehead

 

[kuksul08]

That sure looks nice. Are you using solidworks? I just made a mock up of the light I am making. I'll also be using a 3x AMC7135 board. I can't think of a way to drive it at two modes though (350 and 1050).

Definitely update when you get it back from machining How much does something like that cost to have done anyway?

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m267/kuksul08/pbvision.jpg

 

[ahorton]

A headlamp is really nice when it has some spill so the lens protecting lip might hurt you a bit in actual use.

An assault headlamp is ...........:shakehead

The lip is not very large, just big enough so that you can put it upside down on a table without touch the lens. I've been using an optically identical (but much uglier) one for a few months now and it seems to be fine. Being adjustable means I can always get more spill.



kuksul08,

It's actually just Google Sketchup. These drawings were done by me so that my brother (professional drafty) can put it into AutoCad and some CNC language that I don't know anything about. If I didn't use these simple drawings I'd have to stand over his shoulder saying "make that bit bigger", "no I mean wider not longer", "no that hole has to go over there." and he'd hit me.

I haven't go a proper quote yet but it'll be several hundred dollars to get it all set up. It'll be worth it for me since I have about 20 orders from mates who want one already. So I'll get a heap made up and try to sell them to local camping shops.

 

[clg0159]

Well, I guess my assault bezel joke was poorly timed. Anyways, I like your drive setup because I too hate cycling through modes I will never use! I'm sure you could sell a few in the MP although I can't afford a pot to p!$$ in at the moment:laughing:

 

[ifor powell]

Looks very nice!!!

I think you are right being worried about the length. Having weight too far forward from your head means that it has a tendancy to bounce when running. The other factor is of course what the headband is like. The bigger and better shaped it is the less trouble you will have.

I have made a number of multi emiter headlamps for running and biking each iteration I have reduced the length so I can pull it closer back to the head to try and reduce the bounce. The last one was Ugly as hell with 3 Q5 and a bflex aranged as a two by two grid so not symetrical for the leds and switch but only 20mm deep so everything back close to the head. No pictures unfortunatly as it went to my brother for Xmas and I was in a rush to finish it...

Ifor

 

[ahorton]

This design is a bit shorter. 43mm when screwed out to focus for maximun throw. I can trim another 10mm off if I decide that 10mm is enough thread depth to hold the lens steady and not rattle. A bit of teflon tape will probably help out.

Having JELED 55K 5mm LEDs for looking at nearby stuff means I won't need the flood from the cree and that saves a lot of length.



This is the 'safety' version and will not kill anyone you headbutt.

I haven't decided which one I find sexier yet. What do you think? The solid or the finned? I suspect the difference in heat exchange would be small so it's really just for looks and weight. Cutting the fins out would drop 14grams. I think the whole thing will be between 100 and 150grams.

 

[nzbazza]

Looks really promising!!!! Good luck putting it all together.

 

[gillestugan]

Kaidomain has a 3x AMC7135 driver with with only two modes. 150mA on low and 1050mA on high. It's my favourite 7135 circuit as I often accidentally go into modes I don't want when using drivers with more modes.

 

[ifor powell]

I prefer this one, the reduction in length is good my advice would be to go for the extra 10mm as well. (I don't know anything about the mechanicals though) Anything that reduces the overall weight and pulls it back closer to the head will be good for comfort and reducing bounce. I would go for the finns, less weight again and a lot more surface area which is the critical thing for cooling. Althgough out of doors and moving around with just one R2 cooloing should be no problem.

Ifor

 

[clg0159]

:twothumbs For the new design. I also vote for the finned version as it will be lighter, and it looks cool!

 

[Sgt. LED]

Finned!

 

[LukeA]

The finned version will be much more effective thermally.