dive light questions....sort of, haha.

[Doglyte]

the reason i say "sort of" is because the light i want to build is essentially the same concept that you guys have. that is, to have a head on one end, and a battery housing on the other, with the wiring in between.

this light will be for coon hunting, and pretty much modeled after the belt lights they sell for that purpose. but i want to use the head of a D mag light, cut it behind the switch, cap it with the existing tail cap, throw away the remaining tube, then run wire to a battery housing that would hold 4 ~2600mah Li-on batteries, pushing a P7, with a DW driver with a 100/70/25/5 mode.

i started this thread, and the guys really helped me a ton, and they seen that what i needed was what you guys do, except without all the water proofing... but the wiring would/could be the same.

so here is my question, im having trouble with the terminology on the parts of the light that i need to learn how to wire. like the tail cap that will go on the head, those bladder connectors, what type of wire and ect.... i tried a search and found a few threads with pics of the lights already built, but not the individual components. im not sure if i want to house the driver with the batt pack or not, at first i did, but with the extra room in the head, im not sure if that would be just as good of a spot for it in that extra space between the switch and the relocated tailcap.

can anyone tell me some terms to search for, so i can find some threads that show how the wiring and tailcap build is done? and also, what kind of wire im looking for, with that reinforced rubber on the ends, that prevent kinking and bending that breaks the wire over time.

-thanks guys.

 

[350xfire]

the reason i say "sort of" is because the light i want to build is essentially the same concept that you guys have. that is, to have a head on one end, and a battery housing on the other, with the wiring in between.

this light will be for coon hunting, and pretty much modeled after the belt lights they sell for that purpose. but i want to use the head of a D mag light, cut it behind the switch, cap it with the existing tail cap, throw away the remaining tube, then run wire to a battery housing that would hold 4 ~2600mah Li-on batteries, pushing a P7, with a DW driver with a 100/70/25/5 mode.

i started this thread, and the guys really helped me a ton, and they seen that what i needed was what you guys do, except without all the water proofing... but the wiring would/could be the same.

so here is my question, im having trouble with the terminology on the parts of the light that i need to learn how to wire. like the tail cap that will go on the head, those bladder connectors, what type of wire and ect.... i tried a search and found a few threads with pics of the lights already built, but not the individual components. im not sure if i want to house the driver with the batt pack or not, at first i did, but with the extra room in the head, im not sure if that would be just as good of a spot for it in that extra space between the switch and the relocated tailcap.

can anyone tell me some terms to search for, so i can find some threads that show how the wiring and tailcap build is done? and also, what kind of wire im looking for, with that reinforced rubber on the ends, that prevent kinking and bending that breaks the wire over time.

-thanks guys.

You want cable glands to seal the cables at the head and canister. You can get the really nice Agros for about $12 each but for your purpose since you don't need 300' water resistance, I would get some cheap plastic ones from McMaster Carr or some electrical supply house. Get the ones with "strain relief".

Cable- go to Home Depo get Caroll 16/2 SJWOO (whatever) cable.

Once you cut the tube, you will need to rethread the end to get the tail cap on.

The best way to mount the driver is probably as close to LED as possible. Oh, and mount it on a piece of aluminum for heatsinking.

 

[Klem]

Are you planning to attach it to the gun (so you can use the sights and hunt on your own), or hold it in your hand while your mate shoots.

 

[Doglyte]

You want cable glands to seal the cables at the head and canister. You can get the really nice Agros for about $12 each but for your purpose since you don't need 300' water resistance, I would get some cheap plastic ones from McMaster Carr or some electrical supply house. Get the ones with "strain relief".

Cable- go to Home Depo get Caroll 16/2 SJWOO (whatever) cable.

Once you cut the tube, you will need to rethread the end to get the tail cap on.

The best way to mount the driver is probably as close to LED as possible. Oh, and mount it on a piece of aluminum for heatsinking.

awesome! thanks i will round up the parts, we have an account with an electrical supply where i can look for the glands, thanks for all the info!

 

[Doglyte]

Are you planning to attach it to the gun (so you can use the sights and hunt on your own), or hold it in your hand while your mate shoots.

nah i just wear the batt canister on a belt, usually inside a pouch that sewn to a belt, and the light part is either draped over one shoulder or in the winter, i run it up the back side of my jacket, and out the collar, and let it hang.... some folks wear the bump caps, but i cant really stand them and its hard to move the light exactly where you want it sometimes when its attached to your head....

i shoot a pistol, so its really easier to hold the light with one hand, and shoot with the other. even with a rifle, its not that bad. it will be easier with this mag lite since its a tube, instead of those wheat style lamps people take off the hats and try to hold.

 

[Doglyte]

You want cable glands to seal the cables at the head and canister. You can get the really nice Agros for about $12 each but for your purpose since you don't need 300' water resistance, I would get some cheap plastic ones from McMaster Carr or some electrical supply house. Get the ones with "strain relief".

Cable- go to Home Depo get Caroll 16/2 SJWOO (whatever) cable.

Once you cut the tube, you will need to rethread the end to get the tail cap on.

The best way to mount the driver is probably as close to LED as possible. Oh, and mount it on a piece of aluminum for heatsinking.

if i went with a battery holder like the 4 cell holders here , is there any way to stack two of these, to get 8 cells? would they have to be wired in series or the like, or even possible because of the fV going to the LED?

i just want the MAXIMUM amount of run time possible, and if that means more batteries then so be it, its all gonna be worn on a belt, and just 4 little 18650's is a walk in the park compared against most coon belt lights like this, notice the battery bag next to the switch. i mean i know the LED i want is gonna be way brighter than what they have in those new heads, but they arent using any special drivers or fancy LED's either.

 

[jspeybro]

I think I've seen a post somewhere of someone making such battery holders, but can't find it at the moment. only one I could find was this one, but they are similar to those on batteryspace.
He has some that go with 4 in a square if that could work.

Johan

 

[Doglyte]

I think I've seen a post somewhere of someone making such battery holders, but can't find it at the moment. only one I could find was this one, but they are similar to those on batteryspace.
He has some that go with 4 in a square if that could work.

Johan

hey yeah i remember seeing that thread before, i think the 6x setup would fit inside a 3inch pvc real nice. but i dont know how the extra voltage would alter the outcome between the LED and driver.