Luxeon in PR Bulb for 3D Cell Mag Lite - Works!!!

lambda

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 6, 2002
Messages
1,795
Location
Iowa
Well, after looking at Ledcorp's Luxeon bulb, I went ahead and made mine own, and it works great! Cleaned out the glass from the bulb base, used 4 - 10 Ohm resitors twisted together with heatsrink on them, shoved and epoxy into base. Soldered three copper washers to resistor leads for small heatsink, file top flat, epoxy Luxeon to washers, made connections - it works. Can focus beam and everything. Bright as $%#%!
bulbbulb2Regular Mag Lite vs Luxeon Mag
 
Looks like the stick up Tripod's butt has a stick up its butt too.
The links you gave are quickly and destructively redirected to an administrative URL with the "Image hosted by Tripod" graphic on it.
mad.gif
 
Yea. I noticed that - you can right click and save the image to hard drive for viewing - sorry
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lambda:
Well, after looking at Ledcorp's Luxeon bulb, I went ahead and made mine own, and it works great! Cleaned out the glass from the bulb base, used 4 - 10 Ohm resitors twisted together with heatsrink on them, shoved and epoxy into base. Soldered three copper washers to resistor leads for small heatsink, file top flat, epoxy Luxeon to washers, made connections - it works. Can focus beam and everything. Bright as $%#%!
bulbbulb2Regular Mag Lite vs Luxeon Mag
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lambda,

Thanks for posting this. I have four Luxeon emitters that I've been wondering how to use them. I went right out in my garage workshop and started working on my own PR bulb luxeon emitter. I'll have it ready hopefully tonight.

I am using a solid aluminum shaft, which I am putting in the bulb base, for heat sinking. I will drill a hole through the middle of it for the positive wire. (Now if the heat sink gets hot enough to melt the plastic, I'm in trouble.) I have made a very small PCB board to mount the Luxeon on, and in the middle of the board I drilled a hole, which the aluminum rod comes through and connects to the emitter, to be epoxied. I'll run the positive wire from the side into the center to go to the PR base bulb. This will not be resistored, as I have a 'D' cell dummy voltage regulator, which I will set at 3.25 volts. On 2 'D' cells, this will really last a very long time. Focusable, yes!

A fellow CPFer did lend me the PR base Luxeon for me to review it. I thought it was resistored down too much, even in a 4 'D' cell flashlight, it didn't seem bright enough, as compared with the Luxeons I've seen.

I suppose when the lambertian white Luxeon comes out, it will be even better for such a mod as this.

Wayne
 
Your method was one I had kicked around, but elected to go with the copper washers and original bulb base, cause I needed some place to stash the resitors. By the way, four 10 Ohm resistors (2.5Ohm) isn't enough, as it's drawing about 400ma and getting real hot. After a few minutes it gets ouchy hot. But it's a nice 'concept' toy to play with, and I'll use it to see just how much abuse a Luxeon can take for future reference. Let us know how your mod works out, because I'm sure I'll make some more in the future.......
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lambda:
Your method was one I had kicked around, but elected to go with the copper washers and original bulb base, cause I needed some place to stash the resitors. By the way, four 10 Ohm resistors (2.5Ohm) isn't enough, as it's drawing about 400ma and getting real hot. After a few minutes it gets ouchy hot. But it's a nice 'concept' toy to play with, and I'll use it to see just how much abuse a Luxeon can take for future reference. Let us know how your mod works out, because I'm sure I'll make some more in the future.......<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lamda,

You're correct about the Luxeon getting hot at 400mA. With adequate heat sink, it can withstand this current. But with just a few washers, or even a little bit of aluminum that I'm using, the Luxeon can only be run a few minutes.

By the way, the aluminum plug I'm using as heat sink, it goes inside the PR base bulb base.

Perhaps a mod using the Luxeon with optics, and mounting it on an aluminum disc, which is solidly connected to the MAG LITE head or body would be a better way to go. This is what I have done in my mod of a 3 'D' cell MAG LITE. I made an aluminum disc which I epoxied (heat conductive epoxy) to and this is solidly pressed up to the flashlight body and head, and the heat is adequately dissipated. I run the luxeon at 390mA (3.3 volts), with no overheating problems at all. Heat sink, heat sink.

Wayne
 
Could you provide photo, drawing or better details on the Mag mod; I've thought about if flashlights were designed for LEDs, it would be as you describe; heatsink disk to flashlight body...... you're ahead of your time..
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lambda:
Could you provide photo, drawing or better details on the Mag mod; I've thought about if flashlights were designed for LEDs, it would be as you describe; heatsink disk to flashlight body...... you're ahead of your time..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lamda,

I have the MAG LITE Luxeon mod out on loan at the moment, so I cannot take pictures of it. It is very simple, however.

Remove the flashlight head, and measure the flashlight diameter. Make a aluminum disc this size. I mix the 2 part epoxy with aluminum powder to make a heat conductive epoxy, and epoxy the Luxeon to the disc. Either grind the side of the disc for the wires from the Luxeon to pass through, or drill holes for the wires. Put the wires through the drilled holes and put the wires throgh the retainer Mag uses to hold in the bulb. Solder the wires to the PR base.

Now you can put the PR base in the socket, and screw down the holder, and you have a perfect solid power source for the Luxeon.

Now you can do one of several things to hold in the Luxeon/heat sink. You can epoxy it to the flashlight, or you can use the reflector to hold it down. I chose to use the reflector, so I cut it down just enough to go around the Luxeon optics holder. I put the reflector in the head, and screw the head on, until it touches the Luxeon/heat sink and presses it down to hold it tight. (The reflector around the Luxeon looks very nice. )This allows the heat from the disc to transfer to the body and head of the flashlight.

I use a 3 'D' cell flashlight, and I put one of my MAX757 step up regulators in a 'D' cell dummy I made and slide this inside the flashlight. I had to make a ground wire that goes to the back of the negative end of the batteries where the spring touches the batteries. I soldered a copper disc to the wire and it goes between the spring and the battery to provide solid negative grounding. Screw on the cap, and I have 3.3 volts regulated power to the Luxeon.

This is a very nice and clean mod. When I get it back I'll take some photos of it and perhaps if someone wants to they can post them for me. (I really need to learn to post this stuff myself I guess.)

If you don't want to use a regulator, I suppose resistors could be used, and use 3 'D' cells. This is not a bad idea either. Just make a thin disc with resistors in it, and place it in the battery housing between the batteries and the positive contact, and put in the 3 'D' cells. However, if you ever forget to put in the resistors, the Luxeon is history!

Hope this helps.
Wayne Johnson
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Daniel Ramsey:
Here is a Luxeon project, I just bought 4 from Peter and 10 from Lumileds (my Visa card is still smoldering!) and a Brinkman Legend 2AA which is the best looking mini flashlight I have seen with the push on and lock tailcap i trimmed the plastic and cut down the whole diamater to fit in the head, with notches on both sides of the heat sink I soldered some leads (positive is insulated) bent them to fit in the bipin socket, removed the stock reflector and used the clear lensed of thr Luxeon and the clear front lense, using 3 N batteries a short spacer of air brake line with a 2.2 onm resister inside of it, I used high heat hot glue for that and its pretty amazing what it puts out! Cant feel any heat from it but if my meter was right its drawing 298 mA at 3.3 v. Next guess is how long those "N" cells last.Personally I think the Brinkman is better looking than the Minimag. Next is putting 2 (just 2) Luxeons in a 3D maglite because thats easier than installing 20 LEDs. Had a mechanic from Northwest Airlines look at my Brinkman/Luxeon and he says it looks like what they need for inspecting the bottom of the wings on the 747"s.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Daniel,

I have the Brinkman 3 AA flashlight. It cost too much, but at least three AA batteries could be used insted of the very low capacity 'N' cells. I have not modified it, but if and when I do, your ideas here will probably be used.

Wayne
 
hello folks
greetings from Christchurch England.
COME SEE 75 Nichia LEDS !!!!!!!!!!
was fun to solder them in. and had to trim the flanges too to get them to fit.
I have been experimenting with DC-DC convertors for LED Headlamps and have made various circuits which are in use at this moment in various Headlamps which my freinds and myself use while we night fish on the beach. in current sense mode.
The ones I am using at the moment are LM2954-adj for stepping down from 12volt Gel batterys to series parrallel arrays of up to 18 Nichia white LEDs (180ma) or my own Headlamp which uses 18 LumiLed LEDs each one 75ma but the array runs at 410ma, and the latest one I have made is a 75 White Nichia LED Headlamp which runs off a 6volt NMHI battery pack and uses a LM2585-adj to provided aprox 6.25 volt at 1Amp.
I have photos and circuits on my website for people who want to try them out.
regards malcolm
www.geocities.com/malc_hurn/index1.html
 
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