What will a very narrow refector do to a beam pattern??

[IPSC_GUY]

Howdy all, I am trying to make a VERY Small Spot thrower (with an LED light source) to get as long a throw as is possible. I have tried aspheric lenses but alas they simply pattern the LED's emitter into the beam pattern and it is a mess.

What would making a very steep walled reflector due to the beam? Will it reduce the flood any appreciable amount? I was also wondering what would an inverse reflector do to the beam pattern?

I have a machinist that will do basically anything I want in this endeavor so the making it happen isn't the hard part.

So thoughts on this?

IPSC_GUY
SIERRA II ALPHA

 

[B0wz3r]

My understanding is that beam pattern (throw vs flood) is more a function of the depth of the reflector rather than its width. Of course, with a wider reflector you can made it deeper as well, so I'd hypothesize that, indirectly, a wider reflector will make for a throwier beam.

For example, the reflector on my Jet Pro ST is about 1" deep, and a good 75% of the length of the head, with about a 22 mm diameter and it gives usable throw of 100 yards, easy. On the other hand, my regular Quarks have a shorter reflector and a much larger beam pattern; the hotspot on my AA2 XPG NW is easily twice the diameter of the hotspot on my Jet ST. While part of this is the XPG vs the XRE, I'm sure the depth of the reflector also has a strong influence on it, though of course I could be wrong... :duh2:

 

[LukeA]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=278774

 

[Lighthouse one]

Try the solarforce skyline. Very deep reflector. Gives a tiny spot with a weak spill. Fairly strong and long distant throw. However, some of the high power lights will achieve as good a result by sheer force and volume of light. Catapult V2 for instance. Making your own reflector might be fun, but don't drop a lot of money re-inventing the wheel!

 

[IPSC_GUY]

Thank you all I am off to do some serious reading and reinventing the wheel seems to be my curse...


IPSC_GUY
SIERRA II ALPHA