S
steveofshrops3478
Guest
Here is my first ever build. Just thought I'd show it off!
It's a single MC-E M-bin running at 670mA giving out around 600 lumens after optical inefficiency, I'd guess.
Custom, PIC16F1826 based driver running the MC-E in a series setup packing a measured 96% efficiency!! I completely optimised it as much as I possibly could for my nominal battery voltage and running current/voltage, hence the high efficiency.
Custom housing. Face seal for lens, piston seal for tail cap and epoxy potted cable, so good for a few meters of hydrostatic pressure, most probably.
Ledil rectangular beam optic (I forget which exactly but it cost about £1.30 from Farnell)
Custom 14 cell, 2.8Ah NiMH battery (yet to be built)
El-cheapo rubber mount with two velcro straps from eBay for a helmet mount. Just so happens that it mounts perfectly and provides the ideal angle when used on my Giro Havoc (I think) helmet!
The beam is great for me - Plenty of spread and depth. The rectangular nature of the beam is superb! Runtime is going to be great too, about 4.75 hours. I'm never out riding more than about 3 hours, but this stop me worrying, and provides plenty of backup if I need it. Reasonably heavy, but I'm not too fussed – night rides for me are training rides, so the more ballast in my backpack the better!!
Pictures:
Beam shots to follow.
Already got Mk2 mocked up in solidworks. It's going to be a 4 x XP-G in series with a new custom driver (this time a synchronous boost) for a 6 Ni-MH Sub-C 5Ah pack. The boost driver has a theoretical 92% efficiency, but expecting it to be more around the 90% mark. The batteries are going to be integrated into the light, so it will be not dissimilar to the Exposure Maxx-D. I am also going to be implementing a couple of brightness levels, and am toying with the idea of having a bar mounted RF switch for toggling between them... but need to look into this a bit more.
Steve.
It's a single MC-E M-bin running at 670mA giving out around 600 lumens after optical inefficiency, I'd guess.
Custom, PIC16F1826 based driver running the MC-E in a series setup packing a measured 96% efficiency!! I completely optimised it as much as I possibly could for my nominal battery voltage and running current/voltage, hence the high efficiency.
Custom housing. Face seal for lens, piston seal for tail cap and epoxy potted cable, so good for a few meters of hydrostatic pressure, most probably.
Ledil rectangular beam optic (I forget which exactly but it cost about £1.30 from Farnell)
Custom 14 cell, 2.8Ah NiMH battery (yet to be built)
El-cheapo rubber mount with two velcro straps from eBay for a helmet mount. Just so happens that it mounts perfectly and provides the ideal angle when used on my Giro Havoc (I think) helmet!
The beam is great for me - Plenty of spread and depth. The rectangular nature of the beam is superb! Runtime is going to be great too, about 4.75 hours. I'm never out riding more than about 3 hours, but this stop me worrying, and provides plenty of backup if I need it. Reasonably heavy, but I'm not too fussed – night rides for me are training rides, so the more ballast in my backpack the better!!
Pictures:
Beam shots to follow.
Already got Mk2 mocked up in solidworks. It's going to be a 4 x XP-G in series with a new custom driver (this time a synchronous boost) for a 6 Ni-MH Sub-C 5Ah pack. The boost driver has a theoretical 92% efficiency, but expecting it to be more around the 90% mark. The batteries are going to be integrated into the light, so it will be not dissimilar to the Exposure Maxx-D. I am also going to be implementing a couple of brightness levels, and am toying with the idea of having a bar mounted RF switch for toggling between them... but need to look into this a bit more.
Steve.
