richpalm
Banned
You're gonna love this! It's a new pride & joy specifically designed for good color rendering in outdoor use, and for lighting up whole neighborhoods: 
The more and more I play with neutrals, the better I like them. Much easier on the eyes and more pleasant to go on night walks with the dogs, and now with the XM-L's, enough brightness.
The specs: Mag 4C host, PTS-2 heatsink, AMC 8X 7135 drivers X3 with extra stacked 7135's to make each XML 3.5A on max. Modded original Mag switch so there isn't any mode skipping. Wired per Techjunkie's Everyman's Mag thread. XML's are 4500K. Draws ~10.8A on max.
3X high CRI XPG's (3000K) driven with another independent 7135 driver stacked to 4.2A, parallel wired to a second switch so these can be used separately (or simultaneously) as a light source. Draws exactly 4.2A on max.
Ledil Booms on the XML's, both these and the 10mm spot optics on the XPG's came from Digikey. Heatsink from the Sandwich Shoppe. XML's from LED Supply. Best tint I found. Drivers, extra 7135's and hi-CRI XP-G's from Illumination Supply.
All done with hand tools. No lathe access.
The business end. The bezel is the original Mag bezel filed and sanded by hand and clearcoated. Ultra-clear lens.
Here's the reactor core: (I used to work in defense electronics so wiring was easy for me)
The second switch from a Solarforce donor:
The other business end!
The glass breaker is some piece from an old lamp that I had in the junk box. This clamps to a copper braid which is soldered to the spring to fix resistance. (I since modded it to a large stainless hex screw-I didn't like the steampunk look)
Custom tailcaps are too expensive, a PIA to get, or turned out to be vaporware/promiseware. Never materialized. So the nice stainless hex screws are my antiroll solution... the grippy on the tailcap is nonskid tape from the hardware store. (with carpal tunnel it gets old fast twisting it off without the nonskid) I added SOLAS tape to the rear so I can be seen from the side at night, plus it looks great! Had to pimp it out... Color of the largest width tape denotes tint.
The whole setup is powered by Tenergy C NIMH cells X4. To put it bluntly, this thing rocks! It wipes out our whole yard and all of the hillside on the other side of our street... the beam is beautiful with those Ledils with a huge hotspot that is not distracting. (I don't like laser spots) The XPG's deliver a nice flood that lights up the yard. When the XML's are lit and I kick on the XPG's colors really spring alive dramatically.
Let me know what you think! I'm crazy about the thing and I love the C size-my wrists don't get numb with this size. (carpal tunnel) Took 3-4 nights to build. I'm not set up to do beamshots though.
Now to do one that'll fit in a 2C.
More pics, I've since done a 2C.
Detail of the driver stack, photoshop salvage job but you get the point:
Core for the 2C (neutral XML's, cool XPG's)
Yep, that's how I wire 'em... through the switch hole!
Otherwise the wires would get all hung up on the second switch if I screwed the core in as normally done. One yellow wire from the 2nd switch goes to the green, (XPG driver) other yellow goes to battery + wire from modded switch, reds go to main switch +, blacks to ground.
The 2C is powered by one 26650 which will deliver ~6A. Really needs to be 4.8V but it's still damn bright!
Enjoy!
Rich
The more and more I play with neutrals, the better I like them. Much easier on the eyes and more pleasant to go on night walks with the dogs, and now with the XM-L's, enough brightness.
The specs: Mag 4C host, PTS-2 heatsink, AMC 8X 7135 drivers X3 with extra stacked 7135's to make each XML 3.5A on max. Modded original Mag switch so there isn't any mode skipping. Wired per Techjunkie's Everyman's Mag thread. XML's are 4500K. Draws ~10.8A on max.
3X high CRI XPG's (3000K) driven with another independent 7135 driver stacked to 4.2A, parallel wired to a second switch so these can be used separately (or simultaneously) as a light source. Draws exactly 4.2A on max.
Ledil Booms on the XML's, both these and the 10mm spot optics on the XPG's came from Digikey. Heatsink from the Sandwich Shoppe. XML's from LED Supply. Best tint I found. Drivers, extra 7135's and hi-CRI XP-G's from Illumination Supply.
All done with hand tools. No lathe access.
The business end. The bezel is the original Mag bezel filed and sanded by hand and clearcoated. Ultra-clear lens.
Here's the reactor core: (I used to work in defense electronics so wiring was easy for me)
The second switch from a Solarforce donor:
The other business end!
The glass breaker is some piece from an old lamp that I had in the junk box. This clamps to a copper braid which is soldered to the spring to fix resistance. (I since modded it to a large stainless hex screw-I didn't like the steampunk look)
Custom tailcaps are too expensive, a PIA to get, or turned out to be vaporware/promiseware. Never materialized. So the nice stainless hex screws are my antiroll solution... the grippy on the tailcap is nonskid tape from the hardware store. (with carpal tunnel it gets old fast twisting it off without the nonskid) I added SOLAS tape to the rear so I can be seen from the side at night, plus it looks great! Had to pimp it out...
Color of the largest width tape denotes tint.The whole setup is powered by Tenergy C NIMH cells X4. To put it bluntly, this thing rocks! It wipes out our whole yard and all of the hillside on the other side of our street... the beam is beautiful with those Ledils with a huge hotspot that is not distracting. (I don't like laser spots) The XPG's deliver a nice flood that lights up the yard. When the XML's are lit and I kick on the XPG's colors really spring alive dramatically.
Let me know what you think! I'm crazy about the thing and I love the C size-my wrists don't get numb with this size. (carpal tunnel) Took 3-4 nights to build. I'm not set up to do beamshots though.
Now to do one that'll fit in a 2C.
More pics, I've since done a 2C.
Detail of the driver stack, photoshop salvage job but you get the point:
Core for the 2C (neutral XML's, cool XPG's)
Yep, that's how I wire 'em... through the switch hole!
Otherwise the wires would get all hung up on the second switch if I screwed the core in as normally done. One yellow wire from the 2nd switch goes to the green, (XPG driver) other yellow goes to battery + wire from modded switch, reds go to main switch +, blacks to ground.
The 2C is powered by one 26650 which will deliver ~6A. Really needs to be 4.8V but it's still damn bright!
Enjoy!
Rich
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