Vegeta
Newly Enlightened
It's been a year and a half since the last notebook mod and the insanity required for a second attempt started to set in. This time around, I wanted to add in some new bells and whistles. I already had current regulation and infinite brightness levels so the next thing was controlling the beam pattern. Should I focus on extreme throw or should I go for flood? Then it hit me, "Why not both?" so that was put into the design requirements. I also wanted to pump up the output a little so I used up my spare parts to put 3 LTC3490 drivers in parallel on one board.
The hacked up notebook cover:
Bent into shape
The maximum output of the circuit was measured at 1100 mA. All components, except for the LEDs remain cool to the touch during operation.
Back side of the circuit
Front of the completed light. The light uses two Cree Q5 LEDs where one is using an orange peel reflector and the other uses a bare LED for maximum flood.
Another view to show the two additional push buttons that control each LED. The light can focus all 1100 mA on one LED or it can divide the output between the two. At 550 mA, each LED is still putting out a good amount of light. In all of the following pictures, the light is only turned on to about 10% of its output or less so the pictures don't get washed out.
Optional "strap on" aspheric lense.
Retrofitted for more throw.
Both LEDs turned on about 50 mA each. Balance of throw and flood.
Single LED for throw.
Single LED for flood.
Beam from aspheric attachment.
Beam from orange peel reflector.
Beam from bare LED.
Side profile of beam from bare LED
Side profile of beam from reflector
Side profile of combined beam
The original light was used primarily while changing diapers several times a night for the past year and a half and has worked flawlessly. It was always left flat on the nightstand while the beam bounced off the white ceiling. The ability to turn on only as much light as needed is easier on the eyes when you don't have enough sleep
. The new light gives that extra kick when more light is needed since the original one could only go up to 585 mA on a P4 binned XRE.
The hacked up notebook cover:
Bent into shape
The maximum output of the circuit was measured at 1100 mA. All components, except for the LEDs remain cool to the touch during operation.
Back side of the circuit
Front of the completed light. The light uses two Cree Q5 LEDs where one is using an orange peel reflector and the other uses a bare LED for maximum flood.
Another view to show the two additional push buttons that control each LED. The light can focus all 1100 mA on one LED or it can divide the output between the two. At 550 mA, each LED is still putting out a good amount of light. In all of the following pictures, the light is only turned on to about 10% of its output or less so the pictures don't get washed out.
Optional "strap on" aspheric lense.
Retrofitted for more throw.
Both LEDs turned on about 50 mA each. Balance of throw and flood.
Single LED for throw.
Single LED for flood.
Beam from aspheric attachment.
Beam from orange peel reflector.
Beam from bare LED.
Side profile of beam from bare LED
Side profile of beam from reflector
Side profile of combined beam
The original light was used primarily while changing diapers several times a night for the past year and a half and has worked flawlessly. It was always left flat on the nightstand while the beam bounced off the white ceiling. The ability to turn on only as much light as needed is easier on the eyes when you don't have enough sleep
. The new light gives that extra kick when more light is needed since the original one could only go up to 585 mA on a P4 binned XRE.
