Help Me Build a single 18650 Driven light

[jal34c]

Please Help,

I want to build a light using a single 18650 battery. I'd like to use either the seoul w42180 U bin LED or the Cree P4 LED (it doesn't matter to me), but am really struggling with what I need to put between the LED and the battery.

Here is an example of a flashlight that has a regulator that does the job:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1340

I'm guessing that since the 18650 meets the voltage reqs for the above LEDS, that I don't need a voltage regulator, only a current driver....am I correct on that assumption?

Can any of you recomend to me a driver or regulator that I could use that would allow me to run the above LED at about 700mah? Now, to make this even harder on you, can you reccomend a driver that has a dimmer or PWM to control the beam strength? Preferrable a PWM, because of it's battery saving properties.

 

[Lighthouse one]

You should be able to run either direct drive- with maybe a half ohm 1 watt resistor if the current draw runs over 1 amp. I'm drawing 800 ma with a seoul p4 with an 18650, a half ohm resistor. It is really strong.

 

[Long John]

jal, a great driver is the Flupic-board, works perfect with your configuration.

Best regards

____
Tom

 

[cy]

easiest/good quality way to go is take a surfire 6P for a host. then bore out body to accept 18650.

then buy a P60 cree dropin. optional is to install McE2S for two stages.

then you have a super long runtime/bright light with to quality construction. use a surefire M2 for HA in same config.

I've got a surefire 6P available, bored for $65 shipped conus. Please PM if interested...

 

[jal34c]

You should be able to run either direct drive- with maybe a half ohm 1 watt resistor if the current draw runs over 1 amp. I'm drawing 800 ma with a seoul p4 with an 18650, a half ohm resistor. It is really strong.

When you say Direct Drive, what do you mean? Do you mean no driver, just a battery, a resistor and an LED?

 

[jal34c]

jal, a great driver is the Flupic-board, works perfect with your configuration.

Best regards

____
Tom

Tom,

Thanks for the info, now let me quiz you a little more. I'm trying to build a personal headlight. All the circuitry will be in a battery pack on my belt. I'd like the Dimming feature through the PWM to be done with a multi-way switch (a rotation switch that gives the user the power to turn a knob and increase brightness). The flupic board doesn't give me this ability. Any other recomendations?

Other parts I'm also looking for are:
1. good aluminum headlamp body if anyone knows where I could buy one, with a lense that focuses the beam and attaches to the aluminum body.

 

[Long John]

jal, take a look to the shark:

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_49_61&products_id=721

U can use it with an external trim pot.

As head for your light you can use a head of a Mini-Mag. A 20mm McR or IMS will fit after sanding the inside of the head.
I created a very simpel one with one RCR123 LiIon and DD:

I named it handgrenade headlight:lolsign:.

As heatsink I used the copper endcap of a water-pipe, works great.

Good luck and best regards

_____
Tom

 

[yellow]

what do You want?
A powerful flashlight?
A headlamp?
Why the batt pack on belt for a "single 18650" light?
why the poti brightness change while fixed outputs will give You the ability to really evaluate runtime remaining?
imho the flupic is the best option (if not the only one besides of direct drive)

powerful flashlight:
the 6P mentionned, body bored for 18650, flupic board (have it set to the max You want, I have use for ~700 and one for 850-900), Sandwich Shoppe McR-19Xr Reflector (17 and 16 are much easier to mount), heatsink as thick as possible (I have 1 cm) press fit into the body. And finally a FORWARD clicky, anything other is not good with a Flupic (unfortunately the only option here is a SF tailcap and whatever the SF-guys type in here, the mechanical quality of this cap, costing MORE than a complete Fenix light f.e., is CRAPPY as hell!!! )

headlamp: get a Streamlight Argo and mod it
read infos here: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=144418&highlight=streamlight+argo

I have now changed the led to Cree --> simple emitter swap.
Needed some modding frm the backside of the original reflector but still very ringy beam. Maybe I'll mod to another reflector/optic in the future, but in use I dont really notice it.

 

[cy]

sorry gotta disagree about quality of surefire 6P LOTC cap. surefire lockout tailcaps are bullet proof as they come.

I've NEVER heard of one failing ever!

sure... clickies have failed on surefires. some contact spring not making contact and/or rarely mfg defects internal to clickie.

I've owned easily 50+ surefire lights. had 1 clickie failure (hard to press but still worked) and bent contact tabs on 1 clicker switch to fix.

whereas out of 10+ fenix lights I've owned. Had clickie problems with at least half of them. 2-3 clickie internal failures, rest had contact issues. I would automatically disassemble fenix clickies and re-tighten to make proper contact.

kroll clickies have failed too... alone with just about every type clickie available have failed. that's part of reason I don't like clickies. personal preference but I like mechanical interface (twisty) the best.

I've sold off almost all my clickies except surefire U2 and have converted to LOTC. mostly with mcgizmo two stage installed.

personally don't care for Argo HP mod using 18650. much better with 17670 li-ion. thin plastic case has to be reamed out with almost no room for error with 18650.

Surefire 6P and M2 body has lots of metal to work with. I've got a lathe, so it's an easy operation. but you can do the same with large drill bits. clamp light carefully and dill in small steps.

seems someone was offering P60 cree drop-in for $30.

all these lights can be bored for 18650, U2 takes 18650 stock

powerful flashlight:
the 6P mentionned, body bored for 18650, ~

(unfortunately the only option here is a SF tailcap and whatever the SF-guys type in here, the mechanical quality of this cap, costing MORE than a complete Fenix light f.e., is CRAPPY as hell!!! )

.

 

[yellow]

personally don't care for Argo HP mod using 18650. much better with 17670 li-ion. thin plastic case has to be reamed out with almost no room for error with 18650.

right, about no room for errors. Its just if You absolutely must have to use the 18650.

Till now I do not know about any metal/alu headlamp, not even to be used as a host.
I tend to use just the head of some Flashlight for this. Like the Minimag head shown (but I would suggest a larger head if You plan to drive the emitter hard + a massive Alum-sheet to mount the emitter onto. Like one of these 20+ 5mm led lights from E-Bay or the larger head lights from dealextreme, or ..., + at least 5 mm, better 1 cm alum.plate press fit into the head. Especially if this light is used for walking --> less moving air cooling than my bike light applications)

 

[Danbo]

The Surefire L5 is a good place to start. Doesn't take much boreing out, to allow the 18650 to fit the body, and that large reflector is a great match with a Seoul. Milkyspit recently upgraded one of my L5s to this configuration, and I couldn't be happier. Pumping out 200 lumens, with lots of throw and very useful spill.

 

[Long John]

There is no question, the thicker the heatsink the better but here isn't to forget, in case of a headlight ( that's the light we are speaking about), the more weight the more uncomfortable to wear.

Speaking about my light at the picture, the heatsink works perfect. It's a LuxIII TX0H-binning and the ermitter sees (secured by a resistor) a little more than 700mA with a fresh LiIon out of the charger.

The heattransfer works great, no dimming due to heat, and the head of the light gets good warm.
Runtime is about one hour.

This kind of configuration is in view of heatsink and heattransfer much better than many stock lights, so I see no need for a thicker and heavier heatsink with a similar setup, specially by using the cooler running SSC's at the same current.

Best regards

____
Tom