I've got a simple question (hopefully) for you GURU'S

I ordered 20 1W Luxeon Star LED's in Batwing pattern.

Clear optic holders; 30deg lenses.

My problem is, I should have ordered Lambertian pattern LED's.

This is a group build between myself and some buddies. I'm new to all of this too which doesn't help. I just got in a hurry ordering components and punched in the wrong part numbers.

Am I screwed or does a reflective optic holder exist that will work.

Oh man do I feel like an idiot! That's about $70+ in LED's. I'm doubting the place I ordered from will let me send them back unused for exchange.

any advise would be appreciated.

thanks

Chris

Should have ordered lambertian rather than batwings but then again you should have ordered Seoul P4s rather than Luxeons.

Thanks Captain Obvious!

Seriously, this first build is a huge stepping stone. I'll move onto bigger and better things later. Ordering all the parts for this group build kinda fell onto me. I went with the Luxeons because they were fairly cheap. I knew which ones to get, I just didn't get the ones I NEEDED!

So anyway, over the next few days I think I might stick a lens onto some blue painters tape to protect the front, stick a cotton swab in the lens hole, and spray some chrome finish paint onto the sides. It dries very thin but doesn't like to be handled too much. Might work, might not.

I'd much rather have the real fix, but hey I'm a fixer, even if I have to dream it up.

I've read this forum for quite a few years. Some of the things you guys come up with really amaze me. I have a lot of respect for thinkers/do'ers.

I never realized it but I might be a flashaholic too. I know I'm a knifeaholic already. I'm a knifemaker so I do have some experience in the problem-solving arena. When you work out all the problems you are left with a knife, folders anyway.

I have the milling machine but no lathe. It seems like you just have to get both.

Sorry if I jumped around too much. I went to the doctor today and received some medication that has kept me up all night, and the other medication is trying to put me to sleep. I'm having trouble focusing on proofreading.

later

Re: Thanks Captain Obvious!

Are you sure the batwing emitters won't work? It seems to me like they should be fine.

Re: Thanks Captain Obvious!

:welcome: Chris!

crguin said:

...I think I might stick a lens onto some blue painters tape to protect the front, stick a cotton swab in the lens hole, and spray some chrome finish paint onto the sides. It dries very thin but doesn't like to be handled too much. Might work, might not.

Click to expand...

From experience I can tell you it won't work (at least not in the way I think you're envisioning). Anything touching or coating the outside of the optic's surface ruins their optical properties.

Optics are designed for particular emitters and beam patterns. Those optics will "work" (in the sense that you'll get light out the right end) it's just that they aren't the ideal combination for those Luxes.

Yes the Batwing will work with my chosen optics, but

It won't give me the beam that I was hoping for. I'm loosing a lot of light out the sides. I was under the impression that the batwing was for use with a reflector. Using a reflector was never part of my design. Now I just don't know what to do except order the right LED's.

Thanks for the info on not using the paint. I knew it was a longshot.

Thanks Everybody.

Even a Lambertian LED with a Lambertian optic will glow quite bright. It can look like you are losing a load of light but I suspect you are not. Any finger prints/scratches on the cone of the optic will increase the amount of lost light.
Assuming the lens holder and slug height are the same for Bat and Lam then the dome sits in the same place in the optic, that means any light leaving the dome will hit the reflecting/refracting parts of the optic at the same angle i.e. it will work, the only thing that changes is that there is more light coming out of different parts of the beam.
I suspect that will mean you will get a lower quality beam that may have more/less spill/hotspot and probably wont be 30 degrees, maybe 25 maybe 35.

I would build the light with what you have, but use screws to mount the stars. You can get a working light now, sort out the other issues, driver, battery etc and if you really want to you can screw in any Seuol / Cree star in place of the Lux1s when you want more light.

A stroke of good luck!!!!!!

The vendor is going to let me send the Batwings back to them for exchange.
Whew. Very good break for me.

Thanks for listening to my mini breakdown.:twothumbs

Re: A stroke of good luck!!!!!!

crguin said:

The vendor is going to let me send the Batwings back to them for exchange.
Whew. Very good break for me.

Thanks for listening to my mini breakdown.:twothumbs

Click to expand...

Why did you make this thread? To ask for advice then do what you were planning to do anyway? What a waste of time. From both ends.

I created this thread because.....

I thought it might be as simple as using a different optical device that I didn't know about. I have only been dealing with Luxeon LED's and optic holders/lenses.

I wanted to ask the experts, you guys, for advice. I wasn't going to just sit on my hands, I had to come up with a solution. The easiest solution was to exchange the LED's if I could. That ended up being the best solution. I did not talk to the vendor until I had already started the thread.

LukeA:

Man I seemed to have offended you in some way, if I did, sorry about that.

Re: A stroke of good luck!!!!!!

LukeA said:

Why did you make this thread? To ask for advice then do what you were planning to do anyway? What a waste of time. From both ends.

Click to expand...

I wasn't going to say anything but my thoughts exactly.

Re: A stroke of good luck!!!!!!

LukeA said:

Why did you make this thread? To ask for advice then do what you were planning to do anyway? What a waste of time. From both ends.

Click to expand...

Give the guy a break.
He is new to the forum and was obviously a bit stressed due to his error.
If you feel you wasted your time why waste even more with that post?

In closing....

Yeah I was a bit stressed but it wasn't something that couldn't be handled. It probably won't be the last mistake I ever make either.

Re: In closing....

As long as you learn form the mistakes.

I'm still confused as to what you want to do with those LEDs.