The 'Red Star'

[ElektroLumens]

The \'Red Star\'

Maybe a number of others have tried using the red Luxeon Star, but this is my first flashlight with one. I used one of my 2 'C' cell Oracle flashlights, and mounted a low dome red LS, rated at 25 lumens. I am using optics. It is very bright, and very red. I measure 450 lux from 1 meter. I suppose this one could be overdriven a bit, but anyway, it is at 3.0 volts, and is still very bright.

Here's a ling to a little web page about it, with some beam shot photos.

The Red Star

Wayne J.

 

[Deleted member 684]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

It isn't for sale isn't it.

 

[x-ray]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Nerd,

It's already up on ebay, take a look here

 

[Deleted member 684]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Nice... but maybe I should have looked at the Amber 1 watter. 55 lumens was it?

Thanks for the link X-ray.

 

[Lux Luthor]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Have you tried using the red/orange? It should be much brighter, but still pretty red, and a little better of a color for illuminating objects.

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Originally posted by Lux Luthor:
Have you tried using the red/orange? It should be much brighter, but still pretty red, and a little better of a color for illuminating objects.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I thought I had ordered the lambertian red LS, which is 44 lumens. I guess I typed in the wrong part number, and got the 25 lumen batwing. Anyway, it is pretty bright. I have 6 of them, so after I use them up, I'll try another shot at the 44 lumen lambertians.

I saw the red/orange is brighter. I really like the pure red, though. If I want something to illuminate objects, I would just use white or cyan.

I might try overdriving one with 3 batteries, and a little resistance. This is nice at 3 volts, but I'm sure I can pump it up a bit. I have a few Minimags slated for these red emitters.

Wayne J.

 

[Slick]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

I've already built a handful of the red/orange lambertians, but had never built a red HD until this order. I finished it up yesterday, and my first impression is that it's every bit as intense as the red/orange. The only reason that it might not register as high flux is that the red is much more "rich" and deep..

Let us know how testing goes with the 3 cell over drive. I tested this configuration only for a short while, and never tried resistors before dropping down to a 2AA body.. I didn't seem to notice enough improvement in light output to justify pushing them too hard.

 

[EMPOWERTORCH]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

I like that torch! Any plans for a yellow Luxeon torch?

 

[Hemingray]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

I modded a couple of Ray-o-vac 2D "industrial"
flashlites, one with a red 1W Luxeon, the other with a yellow. used the bases from a couple of
dead PR-2 bulbs, a heatsink from a 1 1/2 in dia washer, and a little hot glue and Arctic Silver,
and direct drive the LEDs. Had to hack the reflectors to let the 1" dia Luxeon optics poke through. Nice, bright and simple. These "drop-in
bulbs" make swaps and changes real easy. One of these days I'll figure out how to post pictures here and show the fruits of my labor.

Make sure the flashlite is the type that has a separate battery compartment, and not the cheapo ones that press the battery + nipple directly against the bulb base.

Likewise, a Ray-O-Vac 2D "swivel head" can be modded. The folks at the local Wal-Mart wonder what it is with me and flashlights ;-)

Yeah, I had 5 days off, the weather was crappy and I had no travel plans. Lots of time to make
and mod LED lights... heh heh heh heh

/ed brown in LED-brightened but still frozen NH

 

[Bushman]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Thanks slick for the information comparing red/org to the red. i have always wanted the red but the output of the red/org. actually sounds like they are alot the same!

 

[EMPOWERTORCH]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Hemingray,
I have one of those swivelhead Ray-O-Vac's!
How do you stop the thing from getting too hot, as my swivelhead is plastic?
The faceted reflector in these torches should work well with SE luxeons as well! The great thing about this torch is that the bulb is loaded in from the front and the PR flange does not play a part in the torch's structure, so therefore you could theoretically install any size lamp aasembly into the head termnated with a PR bulb base.
The main limitation to lamp assembly power still remains that the torch head is plastic which doesn't conduct heat. It would be interesting to see some pictures of your modded torches though!

 

[Hemingray]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

I find that the red or amber Luxeons don't get all that hot (barely warm) in this application.
You could use a metal disk (copper, aluminum or steel) as a heatsink, I used a 1 1/2 in dia washer that had a small (about 3/16") hole in the center. The white, cyan, royal blue, do get hotter as there is more of a voltage drop thusy the total power dissipated in the device is proportionally higher.
My original test was with 3D cells and a 4.7 Ohm
resistor in series, the voltage across the LED showed 2.99V, so I decided to go 3V direct in a 2D light and that worked very well.

If you don't like to mess with using a PR bulb base, the wires can be soldered (with care) directly to the contacts in the light's head.

If you direct-drive a white 1W luxeon with 4.5V,
a heatsink is necessary, I managed to "kill" one
with 3D direct drive, the aluminum heatsink disk
I used wasn't quite big enough. The LED showed
that "strobing" effect as it was in its final death throes.

/ed brown in NH

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

 

[ElektroLumens]

Re: The \'Red Star\'

Hemmingray,

If you have some digital pics, I'll post them for you.

Your mod sounds interesting.

EMPOWERTORCH

Yellow, well, I suppose I could. I like the red because it looks strange. It also preserves night vision. Well, I think red normally does, unless it is as bright as this red LS is. My wife asks me "That's supposed to preserve night vision?"

Wayne J.