"Zero D" Mag 3xP7 Bike light using a HipFlex Driver...

Hello Bike light people...

Over the last few days i have been building a "Zero D" Mag 3xP7 Bike light using a HipFlex Driver... thought i would upload some pics of the build incase anyone else is thinking of building something similar. ie: relatively compact and light wieght for the amount of lumens...with 3 stage voltage sensing, temp sensing and constant current output....
Yes i am a fan of the HipFlex driver

The main issue i had trouble with was fitting the HipFlex into the Mag D tube so i used a different approach i have not seen before and just ditched the tube... hence the "Zero D" name... I have used the no tube approach for a couple of bike lights i have made, all i do is simply drill and tap an M5 about 90% of the way into the mag head to attach the handle bar clamp salvaged from a reflector. cut the threads off (like a butcher with a hacksaw) the mag tail cap. and glue the sawn off tail cap inside the mag head with 2 part epoxy "Selley's 90 second Araldite"

The pics are pretty Self explanatory, but one thing to watch out for with all the wiring inside this compact enclosure is the HipFlex connections need a layer of fiberglass tape around them to ensure once inside the enclosure they do not inadvertatly touch the casing/wiring/etc.

1 HipFlex was sacrificed for the greater good in this build thankfully no leds were harmed (as yet)

Any how let me know what you think !

OK.. tried to upload the pics.. there is no manage attachement button...??
if any one can help i am a total newbie with uploading images on here

you need to host the picks at photobucket or some other hosting site and then link the pick to this thread. It's easy, resize your picks according to the rules of this forum(medium maybe), you can do this while uploading in photobucket, then copy paste the img link that photobucket provides into a post. Preview your post to make sure it works and you got the right link and size and formatting for easy reading.

You cannot attach photos, you must use a host site like photobucket.

Now were talking ... sounds very similar to what I'm looking to do.
Can't wait to see pics.
Jon

pix! pix! pix!

Just working out the image hosting will have pics soon.
Ps: a little blinded right now from the light lol

Ok Guys, Thanks fot the advice !

Here goes.....











Enjoy...

beamshot to follow when the weather is not so bad over here in Adelaide !!!


-Dan

Sick! Nice work! :twothumbs :twothumbs

I haven't modded anything. Where do you guys get parts anyways?
And is that a pressure switch I see?

Thanks CGD08,

Here is the rough "parts list" and somewhere to get it from:

D Maglite:
online or just from supermarket

Connectors / Heatshrink / wiring / blue "status" led (1k dropper resistor) / IP68 cable gland / momentary tactile switch / battery fuse / fuseholder / 3M Fiberglass tape or Silicon insulating material/ cable ties / 2.5 mm self tapping screws:
(Jaycar/Aztronics/**** Smith etc etc)

"UCL" Glass Lens:
CPF marketplace

"Der Wichtel" 3xP7 heatsink: CPF thread:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2919842

"HipFlex" programmable led driver:
Taskled.com(US) / Cutter electronics(Aus.)

Thermal Epoxy to glue the leds:
I mix 30% Unick silicon heatsink grease with 70% "Araldite"
Silicon grease from local electronics shop
Araldite from hardware store (bunnings / Mitre 10 etc)

Seoul Semiconductor P7 leds x 3
Easiest way to get them is online from
Various CPF members ie photonfanatic etc:
or DX (dealextreme.com) KD (Kaidoman.com)
or other online distributor.

The Seoul P7 bin code i used is DSWOK

LiPo Battery:
Turnigy LiPo 5s 18.5 Vnom, 21 Vmax, 3000 mAh, 20 C max discharce rate with balance connector.
from "Hobby King" online

Charger:
Turnigy Accucel 6 - excellent charger available at
"Hobby King" online

Charger power supply
Available at
"Hobby King" online

Water bottle:
JT cycles (Australian store over the counter)

A few little tips if you want to build one....
Place fiberglass insulation tape around the edge of the Hipflex driver
To protect the solder connections and obviosuly isolate the thermal conduction area on the underside of it with thermally conductive insulator (thin) of your choice.

Tools which came in handy...
Drill press, various drill bits
Temp controlled solder station
"Helping hands" soldering clamp/stand
Various pliers/screwdrivers
Heat gun

This build is quite pricey be warned !!!

Dont look into the light - it is blinding with your eyes closed.

The measured Vf of the DSWOK Seoul P7 i used is 3.971 (each P7)
at turn on @ 2.8A

This drops to approx 3.794 (each P7) @ 2.8A fairly rapidly.

Depending on if you are riding fast or if the light is sitting still rising temperature will affect Vf of the leds and hence the output which falls slightly as the light heats up - not enough to notice by eye.

in terms of the drivers efficiency

I measured the following:

Input to Hipflex measured at input connector:
18.5V, 1.75A = 32.375 W

Output from Hipflex measured at Led terminals:
3.79V*3*2.8A = 31.836 W

Efficiency of Hipflex in this setup ***note this is when the setup has only been running for approx. 30 seconds: (31.836/32.375)*100 = ~98.3%

Once the light heats up the Vf of the led drops a bit and you end up with: (30.1896/32.375)*100 = ~93.2% *(Vf 3.594)

So obviosuly with this one it pays to ride faster to keep it cool

any how I am impressed alot by the Hipflex made by "Taskled", CPF member "Georges80" george or task led has really made an excellent product i would recommend it for sure.

-Dan

Hello People.

Finally - Beamshots.




Note is was not totally dark for these as you will notice in the control shot.

-Dan

this looks amazing.
do you have a picture of the end of the head?
I wanted to build that as well but did't now how to "fill up" the big hole.

Hi Yitao,

Here is a pic of the back, the hole is covered with the tail cap of the mag which has the threaded section removed, i drilled holes for the (blue) status led and the cable gland and i used a continuous bead of two part epoxy (Selley's Araldite) to fix the cap in place so far it has survived a downpour of rain when i was riding



-Dan

Great job...

nice. Now all I need is a spare mag...

How well does it take care of the heat on that little head? Looks like it could get pretty hot. Nice light, by the way. If I was big into the night biking, I'd make one of these little guys. :thumbsup:

Hi, great job!!

I have done something very similar recently. I used amc 7135 boards to make a low (700ma) and a high (2800ma) and a toggle switch in between. Can you coment on the hipflex driver. I was looking at the manual and it seems a bit difficult to program or use. I saw that it has a dualmode for cycling. I like that, one push low, one push high, one push low and so on. It is more or less what I have now but with a push switch instead a toggle one. It is for road cycling and what I found more problematic is when I do a descent on the handle bar drops and a car is coming ahead, then I have to change my position to switch the light to the low mode (so I don't annoy the drivers), then my safety can be compromise since I cannot reach the brake levers. With the hipflex, I could put two remote push switches. One on the usual place, and another one at the drops of the handle bars. I can hyde the cables under the tape. Is the hipflex easy to program and to work out?

cheers

The hipflex is most awesome. Once you learn how to program it, it becomes even more amazing at what it has to offer. The one thing I like best is the thermal sensing protection. If the thing starts to get to hot you can enter different temp points at which it will turn itself down then once you feel it's cool enough just hit the button and it will jump back up to a higher level. It has flashing which I find best for day-time road riding. But to answer your question, all you have to do is play with the one click / one press control and soon you're navigating through the menu and programming.

mofiki, thanks for the reply. I've already bought one although I haven't installed it yet. Looking forward to it!!

cheers