Seeing spots

[Wylie]

I am looking for a cop out so I think you guys hooked me on this thing with the leds.

I was up again early into the morning this morning toying with some 6000 mcd white leds I had hanging around. I took a little file and filed off the bases on three of them, then I took an o-ring and used it like a rubber band and wrapped them together nice and neat. Next I used a sewing needle and very carefully dropped some 6000 psi fast curing epoxy in the middle of them and around the outer edges to hold them together. Keeping the cathodes to the inner area of my cluster I bent them inward and soldered a 1/4 watt 10 ohm resistor in the middle of the cathodes after they were cut to the right length. Okay it may be a little over driven.

I added a little ball of solder for a conductor after cutting the lead on the resistor and this slipped through the little plastic conductor holder I made a larger hole in just like it was a factor application. I took a small scrap of wire and made ring around the anodes and left a tag end for grounding. This is were things got a little tricky as the cluster of leds was too large to fit into the battery cylinder of the two AAA knock offs I had pressed together into a brass cylinder to make a three cell AAA battery cylinder. The cluster was just small enough I got the lens housing to fit over it after removing the lens and reflector but I had to install it very carefully.

After a little tricky fitting and a little more epoxy to keep the conductors separated I had a three led three AAA cell flashlight that rocks. I think I should stop pointing my new toys directly into my eyes.

I don’t know why I do it but I am dotting my eyes with my new toys all the time now. This is the brightest little flashlight I have made yet and I am only using old batteries at this time. If any of you would be interested, I will set up some pictures for you but the best I can do at this point would be exterior pictures as I do not want to take this one apart because I may not sure I would be able to get it back together. Six more leds and enough parts to make two more and I think I am going for it.

Mag Instruments has got nothing on this little number.

Keeping it real, bright

,
Wylie

 

[B@rt]

I'm glad there is at least one more person who thinks a MiniM*G can be improved...

Keep up the good work!

 

[Rothrandir]

sounds nice! please, post some pictures when you get a chance.

 

[Deleted member 684]

Congrats! Soon you will move on to LS 1 watters... and eventually 5 watters...

 

[Wylie]

Hi Nerd,
It may happen but with the expense of the those leds it doesn't look like something I would think of taking into production. Honestly I cannot figure why there has not been more led flashlights out on the market. I know that there are plenty of patented ideas with led flashlights but that number is far from what has been brought to market.
So what is the total cost of an L/S 1 or5 watt rig with all the bells and whistels, just out of curiosity?
My WTKP's only cost about $3.00 and that is at retail for the parts. I figure if I end up taking them overseas for production they will wholesale here in the states for about $.25 to $.50. This last three lamp gig was about $10.00 if I were to guess. I am not sure I am really into going into a flashlight that would cost $50 just for the parts. I like to toy with stuff that I may be able to put into production, it makes it a little more interesting for me make things as simple as possible and use the cheapest materials but have a good product. With the expense of the L/S's I just don't think they would be something that would be a big hit because of the expense of the electronics and the labor involved in the assembly. The battery life from what I have read is not all that great with the L/S's either unless a guy was to hook one up to the large nine volt batteries and I think those type of lights are pretty bright already. Do the 5 watt L/S's compete with that type of lumen power?

Thanks guys,

 

[Deleted member 684]

Any 5 watt LS would average around 120 Lumens (if that means anything to you). Wayne did make a post back den that someone had a 5 watter cyan running for 1000 hours and the light was still brighter than an ARC AAA. That's around 1 month continous. I don't know about you, but I would call that a long long life.

 

[Wylie]

Hi Nerd,
I am not really educated on all of the lumen output, mcd, candle power and other calcs that really mean something but that does seem as though it is pretty bright from what I do know. I was just in Sears and I looked at a light that uses the large nine volt batteries and they are not all that bright after all. If I were to guess I don't think they put out 120 lumens. My reference to the short battery life with the L/S lamps was not clarified very well please excuse me. I was looking at smaller configurations then a large nine volt battery if that is what Wayne had used to keep his going for a month. That is a very long battery life with good illuminationas well. I may have to look into the L/S configurations a little further. So the Arc AAA uses a 10,000 mcd (something I have seen first hand, over and under driven) but I do not know how bright they are if a dc/dc converter brings the cycles up enough that it changes the output of the led all that much. As far as I know the human eye cannot even recognize anything near 20,000 cycles a second but it could do something for the intensity of the light. Different batteries can make a difference on the cycles as far as I have read at this point as well and this was part of the reason I tried the silver zinc oxide batteries in my WTKP. They are pretty cheap batteries if you get them online at Wholesale For Everyone. I bought a bunch of them, they were $2 for 10 batteries and at the retail stores here they cost $2 for one battery. I couldn't pass that by but I still have to see what the difference is between the different manufacturers of these batteries.
Well I have a couple more of 3 cell AAA three lampers to build so I am going to goof with them for a while and then I have a AA Mag housing I have been thinking of doing something with. It looks as though I may be able to pull off the 3/4 inch copper tubing trick for an L/S but then again I may just stuff it full of white 15,000 mcd 5mm leds too. I might be able to fit as many as seven to nine of the 5mm's in there if I am lucky. I may have to step up to a 123 battery configuration or something I am not sure of yet but I am going to try and keep it simple anyway.
Keep it really, bright Nerd,

Wylie

 

[Wylie]

You know Nerd,
I think if I do go to the L/S's I am going straight to the 5 watt. I have been looking at some pictures of the 1 watt mods of better quality and I think they just do not have the Wow factor I would be looking for. See what you guys have done, Bahahahah. I wonder how many of the 5 watts I could stuff into a big old nine volt flashlight. Just kidding I may find a nice mod and work with. I am thinking it will have to be a five watt job though because from the pictures I have seen I can get that much light ut of five or six 5mm leds at less then half the expense.
We'll see,
Wylie

 

[Wylie]

Here is a link to the composite picture I made up. It is too bright outside to block all of the light coming in so, (stupid blinds) I just took a shot under the cieling fan with the fans light on. These are used batteries so I don't think it is as bright as it could be.

http://147.208.133.90/pixami/ImageServer.psp?Cmd=GetEditedImage&ID=sess:ARVUI6605B3P&width=-1&height=-1&fmt=jpeg&tm=1040073037220

 

[Deleted member 684]

5 watt needs heatsink. 1 watt needs heatsink. For any case... any LS needs heatsink. You wanna make sure you sink em good and sink em well. Sink em good and sink em well so they won't swell and release smells.....

 

[Wylie]

I hear you Nerd,
From what I have read I should be most concerned with the bond between the heat sink and the L/S not to mention the other electrical bonds as they can generate heat as well. It sound as the heat sink bond is where most of the heat is generated. There will be convection, conduction and radiation to think of but that is still down the road. I know a little about resistance and what we called derating that seem to fit suit with the L/S leds. Also a little about the conductive properties of metals and heat displacement. From what I have seen Doug has a pretty interesting post going about these subjects now and he is making it pretty easy to follow. I am going to try to keep up with them as they sound like good stuff.
I did spend three years in a trade school for electrical but low volt was not friendly to me. I had to take that final twice but did well the second time out. That was many years ago but some of my learnings have enabled me to get a pretty good grasp of what is going on here. I know heat=bad and cool=good with any electrical.
Thanks Nerd,
Wylie