optics for bikelight
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trout
Enlightened
I have used the ledil square for ease of build
the smooth spot and the oval makes a good light as you are not wasting light up in the air - imho.
here you can get optics and now Q5 leds
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=175502
i live in germany so ill buy it somewhere here
should i cover the optics with a glass to protect them from dirt and rain?
and how are the ledils compared to the cree optics:
http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-Supply/CREE-Optics-c_106_115.html
should i cover the optics with a glass to protect them from dirt and rain?
and how are the ledils compared to the cree optics:
http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-Supply/CREE-Optics-c_106_115.html
Steve K
Flashlight Enthusiast
I just finished putting together a light with Cree leds and two Ledil Smooth Spot optics. For road riding, I wouldn't want a wider beam. In fact, I was thinking that I'd like to swap out one of the Smooth Spot optics for something a bit narrower.
My preference is to protect the optics from the dirt and gunk that is part of bike commuting, so I use a plexiglass cover. The Ledil Smooth Spot definitely benefits from this, since it uses a lot of tiny bumps on its front surface. These could fill up with dust, and be difficult to clean off.
good luck,
Steve K.
ifor powell
Enlightened
It's hard to compare the various optics too well without good equipment... I have tested the cree and the Ledil square SS. the SS has a slightly higer maximum lux reading 1900 as opposed to 1700 on my meter. I could not realy tell if the Cree is a wider than the SS by eye. The RS comes out higher with a max of 2500 but is fairly ugly but I use them for my Orientearing headlight. The circular rocket SS has a very nice tight spot with the same max lux as the RS but its fairly large and the squares are a lot easier for diy construction.
Ifor
Ifor
Steve K
Flashlight Enthusiast
No pictures yet, other than one where the light is shining against a wall. I only use that to compare the Cree light to the one I built four years ago with a Luxeon 5W led. The Cree light produces quite a bit more light!
The trick with bike lights (and maybe some others) is that you don't want a lot of light right in front of you. This just causes your eyes to be less sensitive, and then you can't see what's further down the road. With a symetric beam pattern, you can compensate somewhat by aiming the light higher, so the center of the beam is aimed at the horizon. Unfortunately, then you might be blinding oncoming traffic.
The ideal is to have a beam pattern similar to the best dynamo incandescent lights, where just a little light is put close to the bike, and most is aimed in a narrow pattern at the road far away. The Bisy or Schmidt E6 are good examples. The only improvement that I would want is to have some spill so you can see around turns.
For a two led light, I'd consider using a Smooth Spot near and mid ranges. The second led would have a tighter beam pattern that is aimed a bit higher, so it is only lighting up the road further away. I may eventually do this, but need to find a suitable optic first. Any ideas?? About half the beam width of the Smooth Spot would be good, I suspect.
Steve K.
n4zou
Newly Enlightened
Fraen Focusing Lenses work perfectly with Cree Lambertian LEDs such as the XR-E Q5. Here is where you can purchase Fraen lenses.
http://www.luxeonstar.com/category.php?id=121&link_str=121
I use this lens and holder with a Seoul Z-power LED and a dynamo for battery free night riding. My light is better than a friends night rider 5 watt battery powered halogen bike light.
http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=462&link_str=121::125&partno=FHS-HEB1-LL01-H
The above lens and holder will also work fine with the cree Q5.
Here is the link to the narrow 10 degree lens and holder that will work with the Cree Q5.
http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=459&link_str=121::122&partno=FHS-HNB1-LL01-H
These holders are designed to be heat staked to the heat sink if you follow the directions given. I've found just putting a little hot glue around each leg and heat sink holds everything together fine and allows you to easily dissemble the holder, heat sink, and LED for upgrade when the next generation of brighter LED's become available. I've done one upgrade already without inflicting damage as the hot glue pulls right off.
Here is where you may purchase Cree Q5 LED's.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394
Here is an instructables that will show you how to build your headlight with these holders and lenses.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-headlight-for-Velomobile/
http://www.luxeonstar.com/category.php?id=121&link_str=121
I use this lens and holder with a Seoul Z-power LED and a dynamo for battery free night riding. My light is better than a friends night rider 5 watt battery powered halogen bike light.
http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=462&link_str=121::125&partno=FHS-HEB1-LL01-H
The above lens and holder will also work fine with the cree Q5.
Here is the link to the narrow 10 degree lens and holder that will work with the Cree Q5.
http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=459&link_str=121::122&partno=FHS-HNB1-LL01-H
These holders are designed to be heat staked to the heat sink if you follow the directions given. I've found just putting a little hot glue around each leg and heat sink holds everything together fine and allows you to easily dissemble the holder, heat sink, and LED for upgrade when the next generation of brighter LED's become available. I've done one upgrade already without inflicting damage as the hot glue pulls right off.
Here is where you may purchase Cree Q5 LED's.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394
Here is an instructables that will show you how to build your headlight with these holders and lenses.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-headlight-for-Velomobile/
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