help with odd mods to PT Apex

ArisaemaDracontium

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Feb 1, 2007
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52
Location
Madison, WI
I have two mods to do to two PT Apex lamps and I am not sure how to go about them.

My old Apex broke at the hing between the lamp and the plastic bit that the strap goes through. I would like to return this light to service somehow attaching it to... something. Maybe a bike handlebar, maybe a bike helmet. Any thoughts how I could attach it to something/anything without the mounting plate and straps. Right now the little plastic guard over the heat sinks is also missing. Perhaps I could drill and tap threads into the heat sink... and then what?

Thanks to the great customer support at Princeton Tech, I also have a new Apex, but I want a longer cord so I can take the weight of the battery pack off of my head. I do not want to crack open the lamp and risk damaging it, so I was thinking of maybe splicing in an "extension cord" with some decent quality connectors.... any thoughts.

Sorry for the vague descriptions, I very much an armature at electrical work, but so far the results have been promising.

Thanks,
 

Yucca Patrol

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Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
954
Use Anderson powerpole connectors to splice a longer wire. You can swap the cords depending on how you want it for the task at hand

Send the busted one back and use the wait time to come up with a mounting solution. I'm thinking strong epoxy and magnets attached to the helmet or drill a couple holes in your helmet and use zip ties through the slots on the bracket. But keep the hinged bracket so you don't lose the ability toadjust where the beam shines
 
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ArisaemaDracontium

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Feb 1, 2007
Messages
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Madison, WI
Are those Anderson powerpoles water resistant/water proof? I guess I was imagining a sort of standard DC plug with male on one side and female on the other. But I need something easy to put together, durable and water resistant. Perhaps this should be posted on the bike lighting forum since that is my primary application for these lights?
 

Yucca Patrol

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Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
954
These are the connectors that cavers have suggested to be the best and I used them when I built my power supply for a custom caving lamp. You could always wrap some electrical tape around them just to be sure. I have gotten mine wet with no problems, but I would use waterproof cable glands if I were to plan on submerging it for extended periods of time. However, I don't think that a bit of splashed rain on a rainy night will be a problem for these connectors.
 
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