Off-the-shelf head for Fraen 3x 3W bike light?

I'm building a bike light from 3x 3W Luxeons and a Fraen triple lens. My prototype is a bit heavy (you can see a photo here) and not very well mounted. It is very well heat sunk, though!

It's a bit of a custom job anyway, since it's going on the headset of my recumbent bike:

but I'd like to find a holder of some sort that can provide good heat sinking and a sealed case for the optics.

The Fraen makes a unit that is 50mm in diameter at the front, maybe 46mm where the Luxeons are mounted, and is 26mm from front to the LED mounting surface. I'd like to be able to screw the LEDs down (I'm using Star units right now).

The 50mm diameter is the same as an MR-16 lamp.

Does anyone know of a good head for such a light? It also should be water-resistant or waterproof; however, I know how to use epoxy and silicone sealant if it's not.

Sounds like you're describing a Mag-Lite D cell.
Look around here, I think you'll find what you have in mind already build by a number of people.

Theepdinker

Re: Off-the-shelf head for Fraen 3x 3W bike light?

Or an Electrolumens Tristar Phazer

http://elektrolumens.com/Tri_Star_Phazer/Tri-Star-Phazer.html

LeoW

Re: Off-the-shelf head for Fraen 3x 3W bike light

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I'm building a bike light from 3x 3W Luxeons and a Fraen triple lens.


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You'd probably need a bit more heatsinking than the head assembly provides, but the Futailite web site (they make the famous "Costco 2xAA Luxeon twinpack" lights) shows a triple Fraen optic light using 1W Luxeons. It's water under the bridge, but searching for a head unit before putting your electronics together would have been a bit cheaper, since both the Phaser and Futai solutions would have saved the need to buy a separate optic (comes with the light, although if the Futai uses batwings you'd still need to get your own optic, since that pattern is only available in 1W), and the Phaser comes with 3 3W Luxeons.

What power source and driver circuit are you using? I'm looking at a similar project (actually 2, but the "business end" of both would be 3 Luxeons and a triple Fraen) within the next couple years, and I was tentatively considering a 12V SLA, series-connected Luxeons (for lower current drain and longer battery life), and a homebrew constant current source. On one of the projects, the battery (voltage and technology) is "fixed" (100% solid state trouble lamp that charges whenever the car's engine is running - 12V SLA means the charging circuit is a single diode), while the other (surprisingly enough, the headlight for a recumbent bike) is flexible (although using the same circuit would simplify things).

Also, is that a Bentech LWB USS, and if not what plans (commercial or homebrew) did you use? I'm leaning toward the Bentech SWB USS for the bike.

ETA:
Are you using the narrow, medium, or wide triple Fraen, and where did you get it? While the Future Electronics site has the specs, they don't appear to have any place to buy one.

Re: Off-the-shelf head for Fraen 3x 3W bike light

I have a TriStar (not Phazer) head that's set up as a bike headlight.

It seems pretty weatherproof, but not waterproof.

I'll post more information in a few days, or maybe next weekend if you're still looking.

Re: Off-the-shelf head for Fraen 3x 3W bike light

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rwolff said:
You'd probably need a bit more heatsinking than the head assembly provides, but the Futailite web site (they make the famous "Costco 2xAA Luxeon twinpack" lights) shows a triple Fraen optic light using 1W Luxeons. It's water under the bridge, but searching for a head unit before putting your electronics together would have been a bit cheaper, since both the Phaser and Futai solutions would have saved the need to buy a separate optic (comes with the light, although if the Futai uses batwings you'd still need to get your own optic, since that pattern is only available in 1W), and the Phaser comes with 3 3W Luxeons.

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Thanks for the pointer. Luckily, I haven't built the electronics yet, though I do have the optics and LEDs. One advantage on the bike is that you're often moving while using it.
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What power source and driver circuit are you using? I'm looking at a similar project (actually 2, but the "business end" of both would be 3 Luxeons and a triple Fraen) within the next couple years, and I was tentatively considering a 12V SLA, series-connected Luxeons (for lower current drain and longer battery life), and a homebrew constant current source. On one of the projects, the battery (voltage and technology) is "fixed" (100% solid state trouble lamp that charges whenever the car's engine is running - 12V SLA means the charging circuit is a single diode), while the other (surprisingly enough, the headlight for a recumbent bike) is flexible (although using the same circuit would simplify things).

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I have a Schmidt SON dynamo front hub (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/Schmidt-Lumotec.asp) that's capable of putting out over 10W at high speeds. I'm going to build a microcontroller-based regulator/charger unit for it. See http://nedkonz.dhs.org:8080/Ned/50 for the circuit. And I'm going to use a 2-Li cell pack for battery backup. I have a modified Vistalite rear taillamp (with Jonathan Edelson's boost mod http://www.borealis.com/~winnie/LED_BOOST_VISTA/ ) that I'll also be running.
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Also, is that a Bentech LWB USS, and if not what plans (commercial or homebrew) did you use? I'm leaning toward the Bentech SWB USS for the bike.

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That's a 14-year-old Ryan frame with a RANS seat. It's a great touring bike, though heavy (see http://bike-nomad.com/1999trip.html for trip pictures and text).
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ETA:
Are you using the narrow, medium, or wide triple Fraen, and where did you get it? While the Future Electronics site has the specs, they don't appear to have any place to buy one.

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I have the narrow triple Fraen, and I bought it from Future by number. Just do a search (I think they may also have a typo in the part number; double check it first).

Re: Off-the-shelf head for Fraen 3x 3W bike light

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like we've got different "mission objectives" (mine is for recreational daytripping, where there's always the opportunity to recharge), so your circuit is a bit more complex than I'd need. Also, my other application pretty much dictates 12V SLA (automotive trouble light), and it would be a timesaver to use the same circuitry for both applications.

I'll probably go with an LM317 constant-current source feeding the base current of a power transistior in common-emitter setup (not enough "headroom" to use the 317 on its own), and efficiency is less of a concern to me (trouble lamp will probably have 7.5 AH available, and I'd probably underdrive the bike light for better runtime on a smaller pack).

By the time I get around to building it the TW0H (over 2 volts "headroom" with SLA drained to 10%, vs. a bit under 1.5 for T**J) will probably be relatively common (although the UW0H or VW0H would be the "hot" bin by then).

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Luckily, I haven't built the electronics yet, though I do have the optics and LEDs.


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By "electronics", I meant everything including optics and LEDs - it would be a bit of a waste to buy a Phaser for the head assembly, since you'd be re-purchasing stuff you already have (3x LuxIII and triple Fraen). Someone who didn't already have those would probably find it easier to justify buying a $120 flashlight for its head, since the price would include stuff they'd have to get from elsewhere if they "rolled their own" head assembly.