Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 'C' Cells. (CopperLux)

[ElektroLumens]

Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

I made another copper flashlight, which I call the 'CopperLux'. This flashlight is made of common one inch copper pipe, cap, and connector. It has 3 'C' cell batteries with one ohm resistance. No voltage regulator is used.

The flashlight has a high brightness and low brightness setting. Low brightness setting uses more resistance to dim the light. I put this low brightness setting in this flashlight because often times low brightness is preferable.

The Luxeon Star LED heat sink plate is trimmed, and epoxied onto a aluminum heat sink, which is pressed into the head, and wired to the switch.

Here's a photo:

Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[JollyRoger]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Nice-looking light, Wayne! Looks very elegant and simple. I like it!

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JollyRoger:
Nice-looking light, Wayne! Looks very elegant and simple. I like it!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hell Roger,

Thanks. It is simple, and very bright. I forgot to mention it is up for auction on eBay.

CopperLux on eBay

 

[lemlux]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Well: I just chased it from $20.51 to $36.51 unsuccessfully. I'll watch what happens for a while.

Electrolumens: Is this what you plan on selling for $45 or so in volume?

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lemlux:
Well: I just chased it from $20.51 to $36.51 unsuccessfully. I'll watch what happens for a while.

Electrolumens: Is this what you plan on selling for $45 or so in volume?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Hello Lemlux,

I'm not sure I'd sell in volume this particular design. I would want to make something that is made with aluminum, and is at least water resistant, and have a screw on tail cap.

This is just an interesting homemade flashlight. I doubt I'd do a large volume. These will be rarer than rare, as only a few will ever really be made. Perhaps I should put a serial # on them. Maybe they'll becom collectors items?

I do want to make a flashlight that is made with the Luxeon Star, and is reasonably priced. Perhaps the $40 - $50 range?

I'm sure eventually a lot of flashlight makers will be doing something with the Luxeon Star, and also the new Nichia equivalent, in the future?

Did you see the Flashlight roundup done by Daniel Rutter. He has a post on CPF put up this morning. He did a little write up on some of my Luxeon Star modified flashlights.

Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[hotfoot]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Elektrolumens,

Wonderful handiwork as usual! Will you be making any water-resistant flashlights soon? The maglite mods are really nice, but a touch too big for edc. A multi-LS version would change my mind though

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hotfoot:
Elektrolumens,

Wonderful handiwork as usual! Will you be making any water-resistant flashlights soon? The maglite mods are really nice, but a touch too big for edc. A multi-LS version would change my mind though

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


The CopperLux flashlights are, obviously not water proof. These are, however, just prototypes. When I actually have the flashlights made in aluminum, they will be atleast water resistant, probably not water submersable, though.

I realize that not everybody wants a head basher size flashlight. I do the 3 'D' size because they're available and easy to do, and also a lot of people do want big flashlights.

I am considering a smaller flashlight. Not sure what the doner body will be?

I am working on a 2 Lithium 123 design for the Luxeon Star. It would be a lot smaller than the 'D' cell flashlights. It would fit in a big pocket or in a holder on a belt, etc. It would just use a little resistance to cut the voltage/current down. I don't know how long two Lithium 123's would last, and this will be an expensive test. It will first be a kind of CopperLux design, jusing 3/4 inch pipe, etc. Photos will come later, and maybe a web page for it?

Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[Larry R. Pace]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

I have the one which doesn't have the high/low settings and I really do like mine as it is very bright and very well made.

 

[remuen]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Hi Wayne

Thank you very much for giving me the first possibility to make a complaint

: With a smaller picture of this cupper pipe (or is it a flashlight?

) the page would still fit on the screen ......

But it is again a nice thing. Recently I had also some cupper pipes in my hands and thought about buying them. (I still remember that this is an idea you mentioned to me a couple of months ago) But I'm not as well equiped as you and it would cost me a lot of time to make a homemade cupper pipe flashlight. Therefore I decided first to solve some other mechanical problems with a Minimag mod.

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by remuen:
Hi Wayne

Thank you very much for giving me the first possibility to make a complaint

: With a smaller picture of this cupper pipe (or is it a flashlight?

) the page would still fit on the screen ......

But it is again a nice thing. Recently I had also some cupper pipes in my hands and thought about buying them. (I still remember that this is an idea you mentioned to me a couple of months ago) But I'm not as well equiped as you and it would cost me a lot of time to make a homemade cupper pipe flashlight. Therefore I decided first to solve some other mechanical problems with a Minimag mod.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Hello remuen,

I was surprised to see the photo show up so huge. In HTML, I can and do reduce the size of the photo. Anyway, When I get a chance I'll resize the picture smaller.

I use a hack saw, pipe cutter, vise, grinder, file, to make the CopperLux. Typical plumbers tools. It is litterally a 'hack' job! Oh, I also polish it with Mag wheel polish.

Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[Chris M.]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

In HTML, I can and do reduce the size of the photo

Please don`t do that, it`s very bad form. It increases loading times hugely- think about it. The browser will still have to download that large photo even though on the page it displays smaller. If you made it smaller to begin with, the file would take significantly less time to download, and also will reduce your upload time (and site`s bandwidth consumption if you pay for it or is limited by your host).


This is one of my pet hates. Pages of thumbnails that are nothing but the large-format photos they link to, resized using HTML to make them appear smaller. For the amount of time it takes to load them (ie, forever!), they might as well all be in large format to begin with.


Sorry to get all narcky, I`m just trying to make the Web a nicer place for all. Please think of us poor unfortunate dial-up users.


BTW that is a smart looking torch! Great, simple design.

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
In HTML, I can and do reduce the size of the photo

Please don`t do that, it`s very bad form. It increases loading times hugely- think about it. The browser will still have to download that large photo even though on the page it displays smaller. If you made it smaller to begin with, the file would take significantly less time to download, and also will reduce your upload time (and site`s bandwidth consumption if you pay for it or is limited by your host).


This is one of my pet hates. Pages of thumbnails that are nothing but the large-format photos they link to, resized using HTML to make them appear smaller. For the amount of time it takes to load them (ie, forever!), they might as well all be in large format to begin with.


Sorry to get all narcky, I`m just trying to make the Web a nicer place for all. Please think of us poor unfortunate dial-up users.


BTW that is a smart looking torch! Great, simple design.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Well, thanks for the tip. I didn't realize that. I just didn't think about it. Okay, I will remember that in future web page designs. I have a T1 connection at work, and DSL at home, so when I load a page, it's very fast, and I don't usually realize that people with a modem get irritated at large photo files.

I've been a computer progrmammer for about 17 years, but I'm new to HTML. When I started working on computers, the Internet didn't even exist. As a matter of fact, back then, well, um ... let's skip that topic.

Thanks.
Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[txwest]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Wayne,
Did you ever program with Fortran? I bet most of the folks reading this have never even heard of Fortran.
TX

 

[Darell]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Yo. My first program was stored on punched tape. Fortran, Pascal... brings back memories.

 

[axolotls]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by txwest:
Wayne,
Did you ever program with Fortran? I bet most of the folks reading this have never even heard of Fortran.
TX<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Just don't drop the box of cards on your way out.

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by txwest:
Wayne,
Did you ever program with Fortran? I bet most of the folks reading this have never even heard of Fortran.
TX<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

NO, I avoided Fortran like the plague. It was still offered as a class at Orange Coast College at the time. I did take 3 cemesters of Cobol. Phew! I never did have to get a job with that one.

The card readers were still there when I was in college, but they got rid of them a little later. PC's were quite a new thing. Whoah! I think they were fast at 6mHz!

Wayne www.elektrolumens.com

 

[Luff]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Just don't drop the box of cards on your way out.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Been there. Done that.

Also forgot to check for hanging chad once and jammed the reader.

Pencil, paper and a slide rule was faster for single calcs!

The Cooperlux would've been nice to have when cleaning out the keypunch machines!

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Well, if we're comparing obscure computer languages... The first one I learned (in '77) was APL -- on a mainframe, of course. From there I went to the exact opposite, assembly language, on the same mainframe. I even wrote some machine language routines to run under APL, which remains one of the weirder things I've done.

APL = A Programming Language, designed primarily for scientific or mathematical programming. A typical APL program is very small (part of a workspace of related routines), consists primarily of greek letters, and is very difficult to read. Very powerful language though...

 

[txwest]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

It's good to learn there are other "seasoned" vetrans out there. Youth is good, but experience has a lot going for it too. Sorry to get so far off topic. TX

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: Luxeon Star, Homemad Copper Flashlight, 3 \'C\' Cells. (CopperLux)

Yeah, I remember APL. I never used it, but I remember people using it. They used to have terminals that used paper. Sheesh! I use to work as a Lab Assistant, and have to help people with those dinosaurs.

Wayne (Way off topic here, aren't we?)
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