I call it the Riegel.CP (to follow the naming scheme for the light's I've built: Riegel and Riegel.LR):
http://marokero.com/Riegel.CP/
This time around I wanted to attain a very small form factor, utilizing a ready made enclosure, in this case, Bescor's MPL-12V. It's a very small light, and after modifications it's barely 3/8" wider and 1/8" longer than the original. Plus it has separate controls for the dual white and single red Endorstars. That way I can adjust the warmth of the light for use in doing portraits in dim light. The battery I employed is a LiFePO4 type with 84Wh capacity, and theoretically it could feed the light for 3-9 hours. I say theoretically because there's a problem with heat build up. Because I used a ready made enclosure and wanted to maintain the small form factor, I was limited on the heatsink size, and also no fan. I may need to add a fan as the light can reach 80C+ in just five minutes at 100% output! That's not good for the leds, and definitely not good for the other components. Not shown in the photos is a small fiberglass circuit board (thermal insulation) I cut to size and inserted in between the heatsink and the components. Hope that will help in the time being.
I have a few weddings coming up this weekend, and I want to see how this works both for me and my videographer friends. They absolutely loved my previous light, but wished there could be a dimming feature. Once I get the heat issue under control in the next version, I just might sell a few to my friends.
Output wise, this is what I've measured using my Sekonic L-358:
white leds & r/o at 100% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, f/1.4, @ 1.2m (4ft) distance
white leds & r/o at 100% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, f/1, @ 1.8m (6ft) distance
white leds at 50% & r/o at 25% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, f/1.3, @ 1.2m distance
white leds at 50% & r/o at 25% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, ERR*, @ 1.8m distance
The error in the last test is due to my light meter not registering below f/1 I suppose. That should work out fine at ISOs 1600-6400 and f/1.4 with my camera. I hope to get some good shot this weekend to post here later next week.
http://marokero.com/Riegel.CP/
This time around I wanted to attain a very small form factor, utilizing a ready made enclosure, in this case, Bescor's MPL-12V. It's a very small light, and after modifications it's barely 3/8" wider and 1/8" longer than the original. Plus it has separate controls for the dual white and single red Endorstars. That way I can adjust the warmth of the light for use in doing portraits in dim light. The battery I employed is a LiFePO4 type with 84Wh capacity, and theoretically it could feed the light for 3-9 hours. I say theoretically because there's a problem with heat build up. Because I used a ready made enclosure and wanted to maintain the small form factor, I was limited on the heatsink size, and also no fan. I may need to add a fan as the light can reach 80C+ in just five minutes at 100% output! That's not good for the leds, and definitely not good for the other components. Not shown in the photos is a small fiberglass circuit board (thermal insulation) I cut to size and inserted in between the heatsink and the components. Hope that will help in the time being.
I have a few weddings coming up this weekend, and I want to see how this works both for me and my videographer friends. They absolutely loved my previous light, but wished there could be a dimming feature. Once I get the heat issue under control in the next version, I just might sell a few to my friends.
Output wise, this is what I've measured using my Sekonic L-358:
white leds & r/o at 100% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, f/1.4, @ 1.2m (4ft) distance
white leds & r/o at 100% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, f/1, @ 1.8m (6ft) distance
white leds at 50% & r/o at 25% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, f/1.3, @ 1.2m distance
white leds at 50% & r/o at 25% -> ISO 200, 1/60s, ERR*, @ 1.8m distance
The error in the last test is due to my light meter not registering below f/1 I suppose. That should work out fine at ISOs 1600-6400 and f/1.4 with my camera. I hope to get some good shot this weekend to post here later next week.
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The 50mm fan sounds just right to cool it down. Did you get a 50mm finger guard, too? Also, are your whites the cool whites? We all want to see some 'beam shots', of course. Very nice light you have built! Jeff
