Endeavour
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hey Folks,
It's been far too long, but everything is set to go again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
About a week ago I was able to evaluate the final changes I wanted in the light, and I've hammered out the details with a new shop to get these made. The final specifications of the light are as follows:
CR2 Cell Based
Type III Hardcoat Anodizing
Fully Sealed w/O-Rings & Custom-made gaskets
Ultra Clear Lens (UCL) for 99% Light Transmittance
Cree Xlamp LED (about 60 Lumens output)
Fully Regulated 2-stage Convertor
Also, the light ends up being 2.1" [53.3mm] long when activated on high mode and 2.2" [55.9mm] long when off and 0.7" [17.8mm] in diameter.
A lot of the downtime has been spent making some enhancements to the design, equipping it to work with the Xlamp and new convertor, as well as me searching for another shop to finish up the run of parts. Finally I'm happy with both. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
About the features – the CR2 cell will yield about 1.5 hours worth of runtime with the new convertor, and some 25 hours on low mode. The new convertor is constant current regulated in both the high and the low mode, so you maintain efficient control of the power supply with constant brightness throughout, and none of the problems associated with resistor-forced direct drive. The Cree Xlamp is now being used instead of the Luxeon series of LEDs due to the higher lumen output – roughly 60 lumens at 350mA! The CR2 Ion is no dive light, but it is sealed from the elements by two O-Rings at the bezel and case junctions, and a custom made gasket between the lens and bezel. The UCL is used to pass as much light as possible out the front end of the light, and most of you are already familiar with the benefits of hard anodizing for general durability and scratch resistance.
The built-in reflector has been adjusted from parabolic to conical to provide a smooth flood of light that is, in my opinion, well suited for its purpose as a keychain light. A beamshot of this new portion of the design is included below.
Both natural and black hardcoat finishes will be available, as well as 75 pieces made in brass. The pricing of the light will end up being $145 each for the hardcoat versions, and $160 for the brass versions, when the run is completed. In addition to those, 45 units will be made from Titanium, at a yet to be determined price, ranging from $200-250 each. The Brass and Titanium versions will be sold via a web interface on a first-come, first-served basis when all parts are in hand.
60 Lumens output, super efficient electronics, and a small, built-for-use design, all for $145.
To help finance the move to the new shop, I'd like to take 50 preorders at $125 each for harcoated versions, inclusive of shipping anywhere in the world (international orders please add $5). Normally I'd prefer finance everything out of pocket, but circumstance has forced me to choose alternate means. Preorders will be the first to ship once the parts are all in hand. Right now I'm just taking a list of those pre-ordering, and I'll begin to accept payments within the next few weeks.
The old list has grown long and aged, and many people have sent me private messages since the last update of it requesting to get added, and a few to change quantities or get dropped off. Since this is not going to be a limited edition light in the sense of serial numbers or anything, I'd like to set up a new list for those interested in prepaying for a CR2 Ion, and I'll later set up a website for processing orders online more efficiently.
And, finally, a few pictures of the light, in case anyone has forgotten what it looked like:
Also, a beamshot of the new reflector.
I'm glad this is finally beginning to move again, and hope that these lights end up in everyone's hands in short order. It's been far too long a wait for all of us.
-Enrique
------------------------------
7/19/05:
Xochi,
Low is 30mA, I have no idea what an output in lumens would be, and a Lux meter will tell you how bright a hotspot is, and nothing more. You could have a beam that's entirely throw, and you'll get an outrageous lux reading, but the beam wouldn't be useful. In this case, using a lux meter will give you something low, since the light is distributed fairly evenly throughout the beam, and not focused exclusively in the center.
It would be very hard for me to give you a measurement with any meaning for the low mode.
Yep, it's twist on, twist off, going through low mode into high when turning it on, and vise versa when turning off. Off-Low-High-Low-Off
The reflector will be plated with Electroless Nickel.
As for the delivery date, unfortunately I can't box myself into any specific dates, but depending on when pre-orders are taken, probably within 10-12 weeks from that time would be realistic, barring any problems, and leaving the time open for any delays in machining.
About the Xlamp – yes, 45 lumens is the typical rating, but I'm not using their mid-range, unbinned LEDs, but rather, their 'N'-Flux parts, providing 51.7-67.2 lumens at 350mA.
Regarding the drive current, Xochi is absolutely right. The light is built for use and to last - the Xlamp is not being overdriven to provide its high output, which means less heat during use, and ultimately, longer lumen maintenance. Meaning, the LED will likely put out good, bright light longer than most of us will be around to enjoy it rather than peter out like an incandescent (or overdriven LED, as may be the case).
Now, in regards to pre-payments: Everyone now being aware of the estimated timeframe barring any problems, I can begin accepting payments from everyone on the preorder list.
I was unable to setup a cash PayPal account, so I'll eat all the associated transaction fees myself. International orders (outside the US) please make sure to add $5 to the cost, which ends up making it $125 for domestic (US-Based) orders, and $130 for international ones.
With your payment include the following:
CPF Name
Qty. & Color
Remember, this pre-order is only for the lights done in the hardcoat finish – HA Black, or HA Natural. Also remember that hard anodizing is a finish made for use, and not necessarily a cosmetic one – it remains yet to be seen how the new shop handles the anodizing, and it may be of somewhat different coloration than the pictures above. Please keep that in mind when choosing which color you'd like to go with.
All that being said, please send payment over to [email protected]
Thanks folks, hopefully this will get rolling along quickly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
At the suggestion of another member, and due to the recent mess with another vendor, here's some information in regards to the pre-payments.
Everything about this light is known and documented; all the specifications are released and they won't be changing. This is a pre-sale, and there will be some wait associated with it, as noted earlier. As far as refunds go, this is like any other normal transaction - the time from payment to delivery is just delayed. That being said, unless the project is cancelled, and God forbid that happen, no refunds will be issued.
I've already spent countless hours on this project, as well as several thousand dollars of my own money to start it off, and I have no intention defrauding anyone on it. I've wanted this light to get done for a while now, and more than anybody I'm looking forward for everything to be completed to my expectations.
There always have been two options to get in on this light, and no one has been forced into them. The pre-order will have some form of an extended wait time, and a $20 discount compensating those who were willing to put up with me for that much longer, and the rest of the lights will be sold at a standard $145 price, with little lag between time of payment and actual shipment.
I'll be accepting prepayments until 9:00PM Central Time Friday, July 22nd, before bumping up the next people on the prepay list.
Thanks everyone for your support. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
-Enrique
It's been far too long, but everything is set to go again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
About a week ago I was able to evaluate the final changes I wanted in the light, and I've hammered out the details with a new shop to get these made. The final specifications of the light are as follows:
CR2 Cell Based
Type III Hardcoat Anodizing
Fully Sealed w/O-Rings & Custom-made gaskets
Ultra Clear Lens (UCL) for 99% Light Transmittance
Cree Xlamp LED (about 60 Lumens output)
Fully Regulated 2-stage Convertor
Also, the light ends up being 2.1" [53.3mm] long when activated on high mode and 2.2" [55.9mm] long when off and 0.7" [17.8mm] in diameter.
A lot of the downtime has been spent making some enhancements to the design, equipping it to work with the Xlamp and new convertor, as well as me searching for another shop to finish up the run of parts. Finally I'm happy with both. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
About the features – the CR2 cell will yield about 1.5 hours worth of runtime with the new convertor, and some 25 hours on low mode. The new convertor is constant current regulated in both the high and the low mode, so you maintain efficient control of the power supply with constant brightness throughout, and none of the problems associated with resistor-forced direct drive. The Cree Xlamp is now being used instead of the Luxeon series of LEDs due to the higher lumen output – roughly 60 lumens at 350mA! The CR2 Ion is no dive light, but it is sealed from the elements by two O-Rings at the bezel and case junctions, and a custom made gasket between the lens and bezel. The UCL is used to pass as much light as possible out the front end of the light, and most of you are already familiar with the benefits of hard anodizing for general durability and scratch resistance.
The built-in reflector has been adjusted from parabolic to conical to provide a smooth flood of light that is, in my opinion, well suited for its purpose as a keychain light. A beamshot of this new portion of the design is included below.
Both natural and black hardcoat finishes will be available, as well as 75 pieces made in brass. The pricing of the light will end up being $145 each for the hardcoat versions, and $160 for the brass versions, when the run is completed. In addition to those, 45 units will be made from Titanium, at a yet to be determined price, ranging from $200-250 each. The Brass and Titanium versions will be sold via a web interface on a first-come, first-served basis when all parts are in hand.
60 Lumens output, super efficient electronics, and a small, built-for-use design, all for $145.
To help finance the move to the new shop, I'd like to take 50 preorders at $125 each for harcoated versions, inclusive of shipping anywhere in the world (international orders please add $5). Normally I'd prefer finance everything out of pocket, but circumstance has forced me to choose alternate means. Preorders will be the first to ship once the parts are all in hand. Right now I'm just taking a list of those pre-ordering, and I'll begin to accept payments within the next few weeks.
The old list has grown long and aged, and many people have sent me private messages since the last update of it requesting to get added, and a few to change quantities or get dropped off. Since this is not going to be a limited edition light in the sense of serial numbers or anything, I'd like to set up a new list for those interested in prepaying for a CR2 Ion, and I'll later set up a website for processing orders online more efficiently.
And, finally, a few pictures of the light, in case anyone has forgotten what it looked like:
Also, a beamshot of the new reflector.
I'm glad this is finally beginning to move again, and hope that these lights end up in everyone's hands in short order. It's been far too long a wait for all of us.
-Enrique
------------------------------
7/19/05:
Xochi,
Low is 30mA, I have no idea what an output in lumens would be, and a Lux meter will tell you how bright a hotspot is, and nothing more. You could have a beam that's entirely throw, and you'll get an outrageous lux reading, but the beam wouldn't be useful. In this case, using a lux meter will give you something low, since the light is distributed fairly evenly throughout the beam, and not focused exclusively in the center.
It would be very hard for me to give you a measurement with any meaning for the low mode.
Yep, it's twist on, twist off, going through low mode into high when turning it on, and vise versa when turning off. Off-Low-High-Low-Off
The reflector will be plated with Electroless Nickel.
As for the delivery date, unfortunately I can't box myself into any specific dates, but depending on when pre-orders are taken, probably within 10-12 weeks from that time would be realistic, barring any problems, and leaving the time open for any delays in machining.
About the Xlamp – yes, 45 lumens is the typical rating, but I'm not using their mid-range, unbinned LEDs, but rather, their 'N'-Flux parts, providing 51.7-67.2 lumens at 350mA.
Regarding the drive current, Xochi is absolutely right. The light is built for use and to last - the Xlamp is not being overdriven to provide its high output, which means less heat during use, and ultimately, longer lumen maintenance. Meaning, the LED will likely put out good, bright light longer than most of us will be around to enjoy it rather than peter out like an incandescent (or overdriven LED, as may be the case).
Now, in regards to pre-payments: Everyone now being aware of the estimated timeframe barring any problems, I can begin accepting payments from everyone on the preorder list.
I was unable to setup a cash PayPal account, so I'll eat all the associated transaction fees myself. International orders (outside the US) please make sure to add $5 to the cost, which ends up making it $125 for domestic (US-Based) orders, and $130 for international ones.
With your payment include the following:
CPF Name
Qty. & Color
Remember, this pre-order is only for the lights done in the hardcoat finish – HA Black, or HA Natural. Also remember that hard anodizing is a finish made for use, and not necessarily a cosmetic one – it remains yet to be seen how the new shop handles the anodizing, and it may be of somewhat different coloration than the pictures above. Please keep that in mind when choosing which color you'd like to go with.
All that being said, please send payment over to [email protected]
Thanks folks, hopefully this will get rolling along quickly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
At the suggestion of another member, and due to the recent mess with another vendor, here's some information in regards to the pre-payments.
Everything about this light is known and documented; all the specifications are released and they won't be changing. This is a pre-sale, and there will be some wait associated with it, as noted earlier. As far as refunds go, this is like any other normal transaction - the time from payment to delivery is just delayed. That being said, unless the project is cancelled, and God forbid that happen, no refunds will be issued.
I've already spent countless hours on this project, as well as several thousand dollars of my own money to start it off, and I have no intention defrauding anyone on it. I've wanted this light to get done for a while now, and more than anybody I'm looking forward for everything to be completed to my expectations.
There always have been two options to get in on this light, and no one has been forced into them. The pre-order will have some form of an extended wait time, and a $20 discount compensating those who were willing to put up with me for that much longer, and the rest of the lights will be sold at a standard $145 price, with little lag between time of payment and actual shipment.
I'll be accepting prepayments until 9:00PM Central Time Friday, July 22nd, before bumping up the next people on the prepay list.
Thanks everyone for your support. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
-Enrique
