Hi everyone,
I have three lights I want to mod with reasonable LEDs:
-Princeton Tec 40 (4AA, currently with a 2.4W HMP20 incandescent bulb, inside diameter in the head is 1.25")
-DiveRite MLS (12V SLA, currently with a E7 50W bulb, limited space inside...maybe .75")
-Ikelite Mini C Lite (4C, currently with no light head whatsoever, inside diameter in the head is just over 1.5")
The challenge of doing dive lights is that with the exception of the MLS these all need to have no switch (turn on by twisting all the way in); I'm not necessarily against a situation where they just get turned on and sealed shut ten minutes before the dive starts. The advantage is that they will not need much heat-sinking, as 40-70 degree water carries heat away quite nicely. Also, narrow beams are better for diving (to cut through the suspended particulates).
Questions:
-Is there a drop-in replacement for the HMP20? If so, that would be the easiest way to mod the Tec 40. Something like a 1W or 3W Cree would be enough light for that.
-It looks like NiMH C cells are 1.2V, 5Ah or so. That makes running a 12W LED for two hours possible, right? I'd almost rather run a 5W for a few hours, given that this is still a handheld light.
-I am thinking that the most I can fit in the MLS is the LED unit itself. Can I drive a SSC P7 without a controller chip? I only need one mode (on or off), and extracting the maximum brightness for as long as possible is less important to me. I don't want to dramatically shorten the LED's life, however.
Thoughts:
-For the Tec40, I'm thinking either DX#11836 or 11621. The R2's cheaper and higher binned, so I assume that's what I should go with....
-For the Ikelite, a 2x5W drop-in would be fine as long as it had a narrowish beam. The diameter seems to be too small to fit the standard ones (e.g. DX#9358).
Thanks for any guidance you can give.
I have three lights I want to mod with reasonable LEDs:
-Princeton Tec 40 (4AA, currently with a 2.4W HMP20 incandescent bulb, inside diameter in the head is 1.25")
-DiveRite MLS (12V SLA, currently with a E7 50W bulb, limited space inside...maybe .75")
-Ikelite Mini C Lite (4C, currently with no light head whatsoever, inside diameter in the head is just over 1.5")
The challenge of doing dive lights is that with the exception of the MLS these all need to have no switch (turn on by twisting all the way in); I'm not necessarily against a situation where they just get turned on and sealed shut ten minutes before the dive starts. The advantage is that they will not need much heat-sinking, as 40-70 degree water carries heat away quite nicely. Also, narrow beams are better for diving (to cut through the suspended particulates).
Questions:
-Is there a drop-in replacement for the HMP20? If so, that would be the easiest way to mod the Tec 40. Something like a 1W or 3W Cree would be enough light for that.
-It looks like NiMH C cells are 1.2V, 5Ah or so. That makes running a 12W LED for two hours possible, right? I'd almost rather run a 5W for a few hours, given that this is still a handheld light.
-I am thinking that the most I can fit in the MLS is the LED unit itself. Can I drive a SSC P7 without a controller chip? I only need one mode (on or off), and extracting the maximum brightness for as long as possible is less important to me. I don't want to dramatically shorten the LED's life, however.
Thoughts:
-For the Tec40, I'm thinking either DX#11836 or 11621. The R2's cheaper and higher binned, so I assume that's what I should go with....
-For the Ikelite, a 2x5W drop-in would be fine as long as it had a narrowish beam. The diameter seems to be too small to fit the standard ones (e.g. DX#9358).
Thanks for any guidance you can give.
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