Where to find help designing a custom LED flashlight-like device

[Andrew83]

Hi there,

I am new to flashlight design.

I am trying to develop a prototype for a medical LED headlamp-like device. It is a fairly simple device, but I have no idea how to get started, or where to find help. This forum seems like a very good place to start. I've recently read all of flashlightwiki.com

I have attached a picture of the type of device I am trying to create. The device in the picture is a DIY creation I made using off-the shelf parts.

The requirements of the device are:
- LED flashlight-like device powered by a generic 5V USB power bank
- The light field needs to be approximately 80-100 lux at 40-50cm and create a circular uniform light field that is 15-20cm diameter at a distance of 40-50cm. It's important that the light field is uniform (with no bright or dull regions).
- no on-off switch is required (it will be built into the power source)
- the character of the light needs to be close to natural light

I have a product designer that can create the housing for the final device. What I'm looking for is advice on the LED choice, driver design, reflector design, lens design, and diffusor.

I was wondering if there are people on here who can advise on these topics. Or if anyone knows if there is anyone (or any company) I can pay to help me design and choose these components.

Also, if there is a reccomendation about a manufacturer that could design and build such a device, that would also be super helpful.

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[leukos]

Sounds like a promising entrepreneurial opportunity, but doesn't quite sound like you have the background for designing something like this. For a product that will be possibly used during emergencies, surgery or other critical medical procedures, I would want this product to be extremely well engineered and reliable. Something cobbled together on a public forum seems a bit sketchy. I say this with respect to your aspirations and to the absolute quality that our health care community deserves. If you want a website where you can find some of the components you are looking for putting together a prototype, then browse around mtnelectronics.com. Maybe other members here know of electrical engineers for hire for a project like this.

 

[alpg88]

There are so many different medical lights on the market, I wonder if there is any point to that. also you seem to be missing one important aspect of medical lights, sterilization. Another factor is that hospitals buy only approved certified product, that is why surgeon lights go for several thousands, that is true about pretty much all medical equipment.

 

[scalpel_ninja]

@Andrew83 Maybe we can approach this question another way. What is dissatisfactory about the current lights on the market? What flaws do you want to change?

I'm not able to speak about the driver, but the type of beam makes two options come to mind:

Aspherical lens like the one in the Foursevens Atom, and I believe in the McGizmo Sundrop

Or a "mule" where the emitter has neither reflector nor optic, just a bare emitter behind a clear glass lens.

Many emitters are high CRI and will render colors correctly.

A rheostat controller on the power source can control brightness.

If it is for the OR, sterilization isn't always necessary. Last I remember, surgeons place the light on their head, hang the power source on the back of their scrub bottoms, wear their surgical loupes, and calibrate the beam location by looking at their hands. Afterward, they scrub in, and gown and glove up. If there is a need to adjust the light during surgery, a sterile cover can be slipped over the light.

 

[alpg88]

In OR sterilization is always necessary, they often adjust lights, optics with bloody gloves, and they do not slip any covers, there are thousands of videos/fotos from OR. you can see what and how they use it in real world.
Here is my medical light, it is more of a dental light, relatively simple compared to OR, almost all surgery lights are zoom lights. just like mine, at about 2 feet, the narrowest beam is about 7-10 mm widest about 20. The use it to illuminate precise spot they work on, that tiny spot they they either cut, or suture, they also have a huge light overhead that lights up everything else from all angles.

 

[scalpel_ninja]

In OR sterilization is always necessary, they often adjust lights, optics with bloody gloves, and they do not slip any covers, there are thousands of videos/fotos from OR. you can see what and how they use it in real world.
Here is my medical light, it is more of a dental light, relatively simple compared to OR, almost all surgery lights are zoom lights. just like mine, at about 2 feet, the narrowest beam is about 7-10 mm widest about 20. The use it to illuminate precise spot they work on, that tiny spot they they either cut, or suture, they also have a huge light overhead that lights up everything else from all angles.

View attachment 69588View attachment 69589View attachment 69590View attachment 69591

Thanks for sharing photos of your light. I think we might be referring to different things for "sterilization." I understood sterilization to be put through an autoclave or cycled through ethylene oxide. I don't think that light can be put in an autoclave?

I'm genuinely curious: what kinds of surgeries have you done before?

 

[desert.snake]

Great start!
You can study BLF carefully

BudgetLightForum.com

Where Frugal meets with Flashlight!

budgetlightforum.com

there are a lot of active modders there who are constantly experimenting with the latest LEDs and optics, and especially with drivers

Personally, I see the closest to natural lighting diodes - Nichia 519A 5700K and Seoul Sunlike, but the latter have a non-standard pin size and finding boards can be difficult

Although, I already see LED lamps with E27 base on sale that use these diodes, it would be possible to tear out the board from the bulb and fit it to the forehead. I had a lamp with these diodes, at one point the power supply died (the capacitor exploded), but the diodes themselves worked fine

they also do COB

Applications | Lighting | Seoul Semiconductor

LED 전문 제조, 조명, Display, 자동차 관련 LED 제품. WICOP, Sunlike, Acrich, MicroLED, UV 등 안내

www.seoulsemicon.com

if you place 2*COB on the sides of your head, there will be few shadows, + will be a directional emitter above your head

 

[desert.snake]

Oh, those 5000K diodes are really good

Seoul Semiconductor

LED 전문 제조, 조명, Display, 자동차 관련 LED 제품. WICOP, Sunlike, Acrich, MicroLED, UV 등 안내

www.seoulsemicon.com

very small blue peak, looks like they are using that new cyan phosphor that was in an article a couple of days ago somewhere here

It would be possible to connect these diodes with a driver on Anduril2, then it would be possible to set the minimum and maximum before starting the operation and by pressing 1 button smoothly change the brightness up and down as needed, maybe even put this button on a pedal on the floor or a button on the body, and press it with your elbow so as not to dirty your washed hands