Need help with making a light

[IlluminatingBikr]

FlashlightDR and I are planning to make a light from scratch (not a mod). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Here is our plan: we have a wooden box that opens up, and we would like to put two 1 watt luxeon stars on the top, with 3D batteries inside the box. We would like a nice flood beam and some decent heatsinking. We will probably get two of hotbeam's Q3j's. I was thinking about getting two heatsinks from Mr. Elektrolumens.

If my calculations are correct and we drive the lux's at 350mA we will need two 3 ohm resistors, if have the LED's in parallel, but a resistor for each LED. Is this correct?

Also, how will we mount each LED on it's heatsink and how will we mount the heatsink to the box? Should we epoxy the LS's to the heasink, and screw the heatsinks to the box? If we do that, where do the wires go through?

Now after we firgure out how we are connecting the luxeons to the heatsinks to the box.... we need to work on optics. For a flood beam, I think our best option is going with dat2zip's McFlood reflectors. Could we put the reflectors over the stars and epoxy around the outside?

I don't know about having all of this exposed on the outside of the box, especially the McFloods. Any ideas on ways we could avoid this? We probably do have space to sink the whole LED part down into the box, but what would it sit on?

I'm sorry if this is confusing and please ask questions if you need to. Thank you very much for your help.

Edit: We have two Q3JW's coming from hotty. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LED_ASAP]

If you plan to make a "light box" from the scratch, you parbably won't need to specially buy two heatsinks from Elektrolumens. Just use whatever copper/aluminum part with large surface area, at least 1mm thickness, and a flat surface to mount the LS on. You can probably find something in the nearby hardware stores (or better, junk yard /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif) for cheap.

From your description, the light will likely be used as a stationary areal lighting. In this case you probably won't need a reflector. Just use the bare emitter, or place a white plastic piece like a film case to difuse the light. McFlood will give a more directional flood beam. If you want to use it, you can epoxy the outside, but you may want to find a short piece of copper/plastic tubing as the holder instead of just glue it to the stars---a much steadier construction.

To mount the stars to the heatsink, it will be easier to use two screws each instead of epoxy them on. Then if you want to change something later, you still have a chance /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif But sure epoxy will work.

 

[IlluminatingBikr]

Great advice. Thanks!