Need some help?

[Dive junkie]

Who has the brightest flashlight that is available for diving without going to HID.
Bulbs? Reflectors? Any help would be appriciated. I'm planning on using 4 18650 LI- Ion batteries and I have a design made but need some help. Is there any stock units that I may be able to piece together.

 

[DM51]

Take a look at the Solus SH-500 - click on the link in my sigline to see a review of it. It's the best dive-light I have come across so far.

 

[Gunner12]

I know nothing about dive-lights but I do know that Babrolights(spelling?) are pretty good.

 

[ACMarina]

I haven't seen a Solus yet, but I'd have to go Barbolight if you're not willing to step into a canister light or something..

 

[Dive junkie]

Thanks for the info. I just bought a new K-2 led flashlight and I'm impressed with the output for 1 led 120 lm If I could only harness three of them together I might have a light bright enough to use for my project. One of the problems with led is that the beam gets lost in daylight, where Halogen/zenon doesn't. I not worried abut making it waterproof as I already have a housing that I should be able to adapt. I need the best combo of reflectors and bulbs. I know about welch allyn is there any others I should consider?

 

[ACMarina]

Well, depending on the light you have you may or may not lose the beam. It sounds like the light you purchased is more of a flood light, which you do tend to lose in daylight, where as a light that throws more of a spot would do better. That's all in the reflector, and I have incandescent lights that flood and LEDs that throw. It sounds like you're after a good reflector..

 

[Dive junkie]

The reflector is a very critical portion of the equation. I'm using 10-12 deg reflectors but need a bright bulb to go along with it.

 

[ACMarina]

I'm not a hotwire guy, nor very good at making things, so I'm not the one to help here, but it sounds like a good project.. I'd be very interested to see what you come up with

 

[Gunner12]

If you can swap the K2 for Seoul P4s, you should get a brighter light. Seouls put out between 200 and 240 lumen at 1 amp.

It's probably hard since divelights are waterproof and hard to dissamble. That is just a guess, since i have never handled a dive-light before

Welcome to CPF!

 

[ACMarina]

This is very much the case, gunner.. The more waterproof the light is, the harder it would be to disassemble

 

[DM51]

Is this the Palmblaze K2 you're talking about? I don't know it but from the specs it is 1 in x 4.8 ins, 130 lm, ~$40. I think one of the problems you're going to have is putting 3 of them together in a housing, which you say you're planning to do. You will get heat problems, as the heat won't be able to dissipate in that confined space unless the housing is made of metal and you have some way to heatsink the light bodies to the housing. A metal housing itself would obviously be a good heatsink if you are using it underwater.

You may be able to mod the K2s to take more powerful Cree XR-E or SSC P4 emitters, but you say you are going to use a different power source so you won't need the K2 bodies. Your 4 x 18650 would presumably be in a 2S2P pack. That really just leaves the K2 heads, and if you are going to use different relectors anyway, you might as well build custom heads with the XR-E or SSC emitters.

I'm intrigued by this! What is it for? An underwater video light?

 

[Dive junkie]

Ok so I just ordered 3 k-2 led p14's and a 157 optics to go with my new project. I couldn't find anyone with the p-4's. I do however need a board to regulate my output and discharge any help with that would be helpful. The dive light I am attempting to make should be able to do video as well as cave diving and other special functions I have in mind, I hope. That solus is sweet but way out of the range.

 

[yellow]

Sorry to say, but having bought K2s NOW was not a good idea.
Actual technology is DOUBLE !!! efficient!

Means You could have gotten twice the runtime with same output, or more output with more runtime (cree/SSC needs just 1 A to be brighter as the K2 at their 1.5 A), or could use a much smaller batt pack instead.
... just by reading in here (more than a few posts).
Only thing not to critic the K2 for, is heatsinking, as this is not very critical with a light working submerged.

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/index.php?osCsid=da1a4e1af4b3938c58a11a10f05715c0 = Sandwich Shoppe f.e. usually offers ready made heatsinks together with Cree emitters (or together with McR-XR reflectors for cree leds).

Good luck with Your light, but next time wait a few days more for better info.

PS: Sandwich Shoppe offers everything and most parts with enough info to find what to need --> drivers as well
(imho the best way would be a Shark and one cell less than emitters used --> makes some 1 hour of light at 1 A)

PPS. are these the # 157 optics You mentionned?
http://www.polymer-optics.co.uk/Luxeon Colour Mixer Range.pdf
please, for Your application get whatever, but not such things (best were the largest reflectors from Sandwich Shoppe (--> focused most), that fit into Your housing ).
Sure, expensive at 1st sight, but You also dont use cheap air supply parts for diving, or?
Except for the focusing, how did You plan to plant the emitters? Is there a three-pieces-heatsink offered?

Im bot sure if this idea can stand the abuse or can be made tight enough for diving (but think with silicone no problem): Maglite head, heatsink for three or four Cree emitters, Cree P4 + largest reflis fitting into (except Maglite everything available at Shoppe).
I am totally sure someone able to built himself a dive light is capable of keeping the water out of such a setup.

 

[DM51]

Yellow is right. I think you should have done a bit more research. Maybe you should return those units, as long as you haven't dismantled them yet, and do a bit of looking around and reading on this forum. I don't build lights, but that's what I would do if I wanted to start.

 

[Dive junkie]

Thank for all the help, I'm building several prototypes so I'll order the P4's as well.