Trek 1900 * LED flashlight with 19 white LEDs :)

For those who have been asking, I put up some preliminary info on that Trek 1900.
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/tek1.htm



I have a LOT of flashlights to work on and a rather complex graphic I need to make for someone, so I'll be rather busy for the next week or two anyway.

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net

Very cool. So does anyone know who is going to be selling these Trek 1900's, and ballpark $'s

Craig, did you get one of the single LED ones that is focusable?

Brock

Wow, that`s one impressive light! Out of interest what does it look like viewed end-on (turned off of course ) is it like this? ->
Just curious. This is a plan of mine for a LED conversion I mentioned in my "Energiser 2-D-Cell light thread, using Toshiba TLYH180P leds.


by the way I preferred the old test target better, nothing to do with the cat **** remover though!
Is there a way of adding some sort of "proper" calibration onto that large screen or don`t you want to spoil it? I had a thought when producing my little clone of your original one, about making a large target with concentric rings calibrated in degrees, eg 5-10-15-etc. Measure the light from, say, 3 or 4 feet (keep this fixed to correspond with the measurements of the degrees rings) and you have an instant indication of the beam angle. Just an idea.

I have a large(ish) white board here so may give it a try sometime and see if it works...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Millinship:

Wow, that`s one impressive light! Out of interest what does it look like viewed end-on (turned off of course

) is it like this? -><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're close, but no cigarette.

Notice the "missing" LED that leaves an empty on the board?


That's what it fits. An alignment notch on the reflector/receiver assembly fits in this opening.

Sorry about not cropping... didn't have the time to do that right away.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
by the way I preferred the old test target better, nothing to do with the cat **** remover though!
Is there a way of adding some sort of "proper" calibration onto that large screen or don`t you want to spoil it?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry about that. A movie screen is difficult to write on with any degree of precision, not to mention that would ruin it for any other usage. If I had or knew where to get "official" test firing targets, I'd opt for that. But I have to make do with what I can get my hands on.
[/B][/QUOTE]

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brock:
Very cool. So does anyone know who is going to be selling these Trek 1900's, and ballpark $'s

Brock<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Tek-Tite is selling them, but the 1900 is not on the web yet. You'll have to call 800-540-2814 if you want one now. They take MC & Visa.

The 1900 (19 LEDs) is $149.95.
The 1400 (14 LEDs) is $119.95.
The 300 (7 LEDs) is $69.95.
The 50 (I dunno... forgot to ask), according to preliminary retail price projections (they're still building the price list ) will be under $40.

Craig,

What were you having for lunch there?

If you told me the size and layout you wanted, I could draw it up in CAD and (possibly) print it out large format on my school's plotter.

Is there a good pic of your homemade one that you like? I could just go off of that plus your preferred "paper size".

I'm not making any promises here, but I can try.

Interesting LED arrangement- what is the need for that alignment notch/tag then? Will the pcb only fit one way round due to the arrengement of the contacts, etc? Either way I can`t wait to get a hold of one of those things!!

A movie screen is difficult to write on with any degree of precision, not to mention that would ruin it for any other usage.

No need to apologise! I can see your point entirely. Perhaps if Gadget could produce that large CAD target design like he said, and print it on a sheet of clear plastic film you could overlay it on the screen? Plain old white paper would work just as well though probably.

I hope you`re not going to ditch the little calibrated target just yet though- after all that time I spent producing my clone of it?

(these Instant Gremlins are great aren`t they?!)

NICE COLLECTION CRAIG.... although most of us seem ready for everything short of nuclear winter.

On the 1900 thats 19 LED's and no resistor?
Its pretty cool the mileage that they get out of the same shell.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brock:
Craig, did you get one of the single LED ones that is focusable?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I got their single-LED model (I believe it is called the Trek Extreme) but it doesn't appear to be very focusable. Let me go grab it and check... Ok, ther is a slight change in beam width as the head is turned, but not much.
If the LED were ground out like the one in a Turtlelite, it would probably have a much greater range of focusability.

I'm testing the batteries now in a 12 hours on, 12 hours off cycle. I hung it from a hook on a door, turn it on around 9pm each night, and turn it off around 9am each morning.

So far it hasn't visibly decreased in brightness after 4 nights (48 hours total on-time).

I still have some changes to make to the new C.Crane / Tektite flashlight page (mostly in the new names Tektite has given some of these flashlights) but everything else will continue on as before.

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gadget:
Craig,

What were you having for lunch there?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That was a calzone of some kind I picked up on Capitol Hill the previous evening.
I haven't had a chance to replace all my busted dishes, so I eat a lot of ready-made stuff these days. If it can fit in the microwave on a paper plate, down it goes.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
If you told me the size and layout you wanted, I could draw it up in CAD and (possibly) print it out large format on my school's plotter.

Is there a good pic of your homemade one that you like? I could just go off of that plus your preferred "paper size".
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hmmmm... I'm not sure if there is a surviving picture of that or not. The target was calibrated so the dots were exactly 1" apart both horizontally and vertically, and a crosshair was added in the center. Blowing it up into a larger size would increase the distance between dots as well, and render the scale out of whack.
Unless you could somehow scale it so the dots are an even multiple of 1" apart (4" or 6" apart, for example).

I'll have to come back later with the measurements of my current screen though... looks like my measuring tape is still buried under the remains of my laboratory, or has fallen to an inaccessible location behind the experiment table or equipment bench.
It'll turn up sooner or later I'm sure.

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by K Horn:
NICE COLLECTION CRAIG.... although most of us seem ready for everything short of nuclear winter.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Looks like my collection is approaching 100 flashlights now.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
On the 1900 thats 19 LED's and no resistor?
Its pretty cool the mileage that they get out of the same shell.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There's no resistor that I am aware of.
It has 19 LEDs all connected in parallel.
I have yet to determine what kind of current the thing draws... seems I'll have to build a capacitor-style probe (two thin sheets of conductor seperated by a thin insulator) before I can measure.

I also got a very interesting little 18-LED flashlight in yesterday's mail. It's built out of an aluminum-body Energizer Double Barrel, and uses an unusual series-parallel battery arrangement. The LED board does have resistors on it, so it isn't quite as bright as the Trek 1900.
For a "homemade" light, this one is the most well-done, professional looking units I've ever seen or read about. It is also supposedly a very limited edition, with a production run of fewer than 18 units.

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Millinship:
Interesting LED arrangement- what is the need for that alignment notch/tag then<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think I finally figured out what that tab is for. It ain't for alignment at all - if you turn the reflector upside down and look up in there, that's where they're hiding the platinum catalyst pellet!

These flashlights are sealed up so well that they could pop (explode)if the batteries started outgassing for whatever reason (extended usage, hot weather, etc.) and nobody opened the light for weeks at a time.
So even the LED models of this flashlight body have a catalyst in there.

There. Another mystery put to rest.

Huh? What?? Platinum catalyst?


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by telephony:
I think I finally figured out what that tab is for. It ain't for alignment at all - if you turn the reflector upside down and look up in there, that's where they're hiding the platinum catalyst pellet!

These flashlights are sealed up so well that they could pop (explode)if the batteries started outgassing for whatever reason (extended usage, hot weather, etc.) and nobody opened the light for weeks at a time.
So even the LED models of this flashlight body have a catalyst in there.

There. Another mystery put to rest.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doug:
Huh? What?? Platinum catalyst?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The catalyst absorbs hydrogen gas given off by batteries. Without the catalyst, and under some admittedly extreme circumstances, the atmospheric pressure inside the flashlight could eventually become so high the flashlight would explode. And since hydrogen is flammable (remember the Hindenburg?) if any spark is generated as the flashlight blows the hydrogen could ignite, giving you a rather spectacular fireball. Not the thing you want to have happen inside the glovebox or in your backpack.

Now, this is much more likely to happen with incandescent lights because of the much greater power draw (batteries will/can outgas more as the power demand increases) but since the Trek flashlight bodies were originally based on incandescent, leaving the catalyst in place will certainly do no harm.

In my opinion, any flashlight that is totally watertight/airtight should have a catalyst pellet somewhere in there, or other fully automatic means of venting excess pressure.