milkyspit
Flashlight Enthusiast
There's a $4 kids lantern in WalMart that I've always liked, but never knew exactly what to put into it. After much fiddling around, the answer came to me. This would be the perfect host for an Opalec NewBeam module! And hence, the RAYOBEAM was born. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif
(Overhead view with Opalec lit.)
Unscrewing the lid reveals the Opalec NewBeam drop-in regulator module mounted on the PR bulb post. By a stroke of good fortune, the plastic pins on the NewBeam just fit into the PR socket, and grip the sides a little for a good friction fit. I soldered wires onto the metal fingers that normally cradle the PR bulb, then wirewrapped the same wires onto the NewBeam pins.
Wire wrapping seems to have become a lost art. I got into the habit as a kid, and still find it especially convenient for prototyping circuits in a semi-permanent manner. For the uninitiated, it works just like it sounds: using a special tool, you wrap narrow gauge wire tightly around the pins of components about a dozen times, making a secure contact which generally speaking won't come off under normal circumstances. The beauty of wire wrapping is that it's easily reversible; put another way, once you grow tired of your circuit, or want to substitute a different component, you spin the special tool the other way and the wire is unwrapped, with no damage at all to the component. It's fun and easy! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
(Head with the lid unscrewed.)
The reversible aspect of this mod was important to me. I wanted to be able to remove my NewBeam module if I decide to put it into something else later, which meant epoxy was out of the question and even soldering to the NewBeam module was to be avoided if at all possible. Wire wrapping helped me meet this goal.
At this point, the mod was electrically complete. I could activate the light and make everything work just fine. But I still wasn't satisfied that the friction fit into the PR bulb post would hold, especially not if the light were dropped. What to do? Heatshrink to the rescue!
(Closeup of heatshrink holding the NewBeam module onto the bulb post.)
I had just the right size of heatshrink tubing for the task. Once it was shrunken, it seemed to grip the module tightly and hold it on the post. The mod's still reversible, too! Just slice through the heatshrink and the module could be removed with no damage to either NewBeam or flashlight.
The other fortunate thing about the heatshrink tubing was that it fit through the existing reflector hole, just barely. Take a look!
(Overhead view with the reflector back in place.)
This is a 4AA light, so it's putting out 6 volts or even a bit more using lithium AA cells.Just so happens, though, that the NewBeam is capable of handling 6 volts and beyond. Caution is advised, though, because not all NewBeam modules are capable of these higher voltages! The Opalec website explains exactly how to check your drop-in to see which type you've got. Let me repeat just to be perfectly clear: YOU NEED THE 6V CAPABLE NEWBEAM MODULE TO DO THIS MOD. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Time to start the engines! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
(Looking into the reflector while the light's running.)
The Opalec drop-in runs great using the 4AA configuration. I measured a miserly 80mA current draw from fresh alkalines. Very roughly speaking, this probably translates into an estimated runtime of 30 hours, give or take a few, with most of that runtime in regulation. In practice it'll no doubt run DAYS longer once it falls out of regulation, but at some point well before that you'll probably replace the cells anyway. No problem, though, as 30 hours is certainly nothing to sneeze at! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif
The Opalec's little red "low battery" LED is still functional, too, which makes a good thing even better. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Needless to say, you could run lithium AA's, NiMH or NiCd rechargeables or carbon zinc "heavy duty" batteries in this flashlight as well. You could put a dummy cell or two in the battery holder and run using 3AA or even 2AA, though the runtime would decrease proportionally. And I've modded the holder in one of these lights to accept 2x123 cells, though details on that are for another time. Overall, this is one very flexible flashlight.
(The Rayobeam in front of the toaster.)
Surprise! The flexibility carries into what you can do with the host, too. The red plastic piece can be rotated completely around the light and can act as a handle. But tucked neatly beneath one edge of the red handle, there's ANOTHER handle! This one is made of some sturdy metal. Normally it rotates around with the red handle, but once you pull the metal one out you can position both legs independently of one another. As shown, this can be a very handy capability!
Even the bulb post has something special to reveal. The on-off switch is a dial mounted on the side of the light. Just twist it clockwise a bit to activate the flashlight, then twist counterclockwise to turn it off. "But wait, there's more!" as they say on the late night television infomercials. Once the light is on, you can keep twisting clockwise to raise the bulb farther and farther into the reflector. With the Opalec, the light doesn't really focus in the conventional sense, but this height adjustment does somewhat control the amount of light released into the surroundings, and controls the breadth of the spill light produced.
(Shedding some light on the subject, er, toaster.)
All in all, this is a lot of functionality to be had with a $4 host. Even comes in multiple kid-friendly color combinations! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Including the Opalec NewBeam regulator module, this entire mod probably cost me less than $30. It's such a nice all purpose light for so many purposes, that it feels like a steal. It's not the brightest or the smallest or the longest running or anything else, really, but what it is... is a terrific all-around package! This is definitely one mod where the result is greater than the sum of the parts. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
(Overhead view with Opalec lit.)
Unscrewing the lid reveals the Opalec NewBeam drop-in regulator module mounted on the PR bulb post. By a stroke of good fortune, the plastic pins on the NewBeam just fit into the PR socket, and grip the sides a little for a good friction fit. I soldered wires onto the metal fingers that normally cradle the PR bulb, then wirewrapped the same wires onto the NewBeam pins.
Wire wrapping seems to have become a lost art. I got into the habit as a kid, and still find it especially convenient for prototyping circuits in a semi-permanent manner. For the uninitiated, it works just like it sounds: using a special tool, you wrap narrow gauge wire tightly around the pins of components about a dozen times, making a secure contact which generally speaking won't come off under normal circumstances. The beauty of wire wrapping is that it's easily reversible; put another way, once you grow tired of your circuit, or want to substitute a different component, you spin the special tool the other way and the wire is unwrapped, with no damage at all to the component. It's fun and easy! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
(Head with the lid unscrewed.)
The reversible aspect of this mod was important to me. I wanted to be able to remove my NewBeam module if I decide to put it into something else later, which meant epoxy was out of the question and even soldering to the NewBeam module was to be avoided if at all possible. Wire wrapping helped me meet this goal.
At this point, the mod was electrically complete. I could activate the light and make everything work just fine. But I still wasn't satisfied that the friction fit into the PR bulb post would hold, especially not if the light were dropped. What to do? Heatshrink to the rescue!
(Closeup of heatshrink holding the NewBeam module onto the bulb post.)
I had just the right size of heatshrink tubing for the task. Once it was shrunken, it seemed to grip the module tightly and hold it on the post. The mod's still reversible, too! Just slice through the heatshrink and the module could be removed with no damage to either NewBeam or flashlight.
The other fortunate thing about the heatshrink tubing was that it fit through the existing reflector hole, just barely. Take a look!
(Overhead view with the reflector back in place.)
This is a 4AA light, so it's putting out 6 volts or even a bit more using lithium AA cells.Just so happens, though, that the NewBeam is capable of handling 6 volts and beyond. Caution is advised, though, because not all NewBeam modules are capable of these higher voltages! The Opalec website explains exactly how to check your drop-in to see which type you've got. Let me repeat just to be perfectly clear: YOU NEED THE 6V CAPABLE NEWBEAM MODULE TO DO THIS MOD. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Time to start the engines! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
(Looking into the reflector while the light's running.)
The Opalec drop-in runs great using the 4AA configuration. I measured a miserly 80mA current draw from fresh alkalines. Very roughly speaking, this probably translates into an estimated runtime of 30 hours, give or take a few, with most of that runtime in regulation. In practice it'll no doubt run DAYS longer once it falls out of regulation, but at some point well before that you'll probably replace the cells anyway. No problem, though, as 30 hours is certainly nothing to sneeze at! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif
The Opalec's little red "low battery" LED is still functional, too, which makes a good thing even better. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Needless to say, you could run lithium AA's, NiMH or NiCd rechargeables or carbon zinc "heavy duty" batteries in this flashlight as well. You could put a dummy cell or two in the battery holder and run using 3AA or even 2AA, though the runtime would decrease proportionally. And I've modded the holder in one of these lights to accept 2x123 cells, though details on that are for another time. Overall, this is one very flexible flashlight.
(The Rayobeam in front of the toaster.)
Surprise! The flexibility carries into what you can do with the host, too. The red plastic piece can be rotated completely around the light and can act as a handle. But tucked neatly beneath one edge of the red handle, there's ANOTHER handle! This one is made of some sturdy metal. Normally it rotates around with the red handle, but once you pull the metal one out you can position both legs independently of one another. As shown, this can be a very handy capability!
Even the bulb post has something special to reveal. The on-off switch is a dial mounted on the side of the light. Just twist it clockwise a bit to activate the flashlight, then twist counterclockwise to turn it off. "But wait, there's more!" as they say on the late night television infomercials. Once the light is on, you can keep twisting clockwise to raise the bulb farther and farther into the reflector. With the Opalec, the light doesn't really focus in the conventional sense, but this height adjustment does somewhat control the amount of light released into the surroundings, and controls the breadth of the spill light produced.
(Shedding some light on the subject, er, toaster.)
All in all, this is a lot of functionality to be had with a $4 host. Even comes in multiple kid-friendly color combinations! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Including the Opalec NewBeam regulator module, this entire mod probably cost me less than $30. It's such a nice all purpose light for so many purposes, that it feels like a steal. It's not the brightest or the smallest or the longest running or anything else, really, but what it is... is a terrific all-around package! This is definitely one mod where the result is greater than the sum of the parts. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
