Right Angle Mini-Lantern

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McGizmo

McGizmo

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Right Angle Mini Lantern with a Nichia 2W LED:

mini-lantern-belt.jpg


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Well, I must admit that I am real pleased with how this light functions. It seems to be a perfect task light that is naturally oriented in the right direction. On a belt or padded headband, on the ground or on a desk, it illuminates the area in front of it with a very useful flood fill.

It looks like a cross between R2D2 and the Master Cylinder (for those of you old enough to remember Felix the Cat) but it does work better than it looks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

It's waterproof and the battery is firmly under spring compression but not crushed when the light is turned on.

This Nichia had some objectionable artifacts in its normally projected beam but the radial epoxy lens that now encapsulates it has blended the light and color with very acceptable results.

The body has plenty of mass and surface area for thermal considerations. The BadBoy 400 was the perfect choice I think for the Nichia even though it has a max rating of 500 mA. There is plenty of light at hand.

- Don
 
McRight!


I want one that can screw onto my McLux body /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Saaby,

Give it time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

- Don
 
[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
Saaby,

Give it time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

- Don

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I like to hear. I'll call the bank and brace them now...
 
i hate you! :jealous:

that is so darn sexy... please tell me you are having it enplated /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

mind commenting on how you did the grooves on the tailcap?
 
Close Ryan. You may be looking at the pictures backwards though. It is actually the McLeft.

I want one that goes at right angles AND one that fires up to dispurse a 360 degree beam. You aren't done yet, Don.
 
Rothrandir,

Nope, it stays raw Al (too late now anyway). I milled the LED slot in the head with a funky drill/ mill I have. I also used the same drill/mill with a rotary table to put the grip grooves in the tail.

Ufokillerz,

Last I heard the Nichia 2W's are now slated for August release. Frankly, there is need for improvement over the samples I got. I have high expectations for Nichia and it wouldn't surprise me if they take what ever time is required to bring out a good product to start with.

Darell,

nevermind............ /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Graham,

Thanks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

- Don
 
It's like dual use pepper spray. Spray them AND blind them at the same time!
 
ufokillerz,

The heat is comparable to the Lumileds and in fact I think calling the Nichia a 2W is more marketing hype and misleading when compared to the Lumiled. I say this because the 2W refers to the power in and not out. The Nichia is rated at a max of 500 mA in and the typical Vf is 3.8 v.

So 3.8 X .500 = 1.9 (call it 2 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

So some of Mr.Bulk's mods have 7 X 1.2 = 8.4 .... Hey, Charlie is using some 8.5 watt luxeons!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So with this convention of rating the LED's, a very efficient and low Vf LED would be assigned a lower number. This says nothing of the luminous output either. I'm likely in over my head here but I would think a rating or name based on power out would have more relevance but what do I know.

- Don
 
Well this post is pretty much off topic (so shoot me) but it isn't worthy of its own post. Since I had to mix up some Ultra-Glo epoxy for this lantern, I decided to fill the head of a McLux at the same time. I have always wondered how the index of refraction of this epoxy compared to the lens material of the Luxeon. I was also curious about the effect of an integrated larger convex surface or ball lens with the low dome. After cure, I used a radius tool to turn the ball lens in place:

uni-ball.jpg


The result was a wide flood with exceptional uniformity of color and intensity of light. However, with the black interior of the McLux head and off axis light likely never getting out, the luminous output has no doubt dropped. I post cured the epoxy since I was impatient and this likely caused some exothermic bubbles to be trapped in the epoxy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif They look like little blue stars but the picture doesn't capture this:

uni-ball-beam.jpg


- Don

PS. Wayne's drivers don't vibrate so a certain *bright* idea won't fly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Theres a lightstick replacement LED type thing which is basically 3 LEDs in an epoxy cylinder called the Glo-Toob.
The website claims they put bubbles in the epoxy deliberately to help diffract and reflect the light, so maybe those bubbles are a good thing for a flood-type light?
Anyhow, yet another very nice piece of work, McGizmo. Slightly off topic, but are McLuxes still available?
 
Kakster,

I don't know if there will be any *extra* McLux TK's but there will be plenty McLux DIY parts arriving at Dat2zips and should be available on his store before the end of the month.

- Don
 
Shankus,

In the picture below, you can see a SF 123 sticking out of the power pak:

collection.jpg


The battery rests on a spring which allows for about 1/4" of compression and the battery is compressed about 3/16" when the light is shortened in the "ON" mode.
- Don
 
WOW!

Don, you have a secret, sealed underground government Men in Black lab in Berkeley or something?

It looks like R2D2 got taller! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Very "atomic age"d work, BTW...
 
[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
PS. Wayne's drivers don't vibrate so a certain *bright* idea won't fly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You're a wicked man, Don! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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