Recommend low beam for headlamp...

i am nearly finished with my headlamp mod.
the headlamp will be used for general activity, camping, light hiking, home repairs, etc.

i am building it because i found that my aurora was too dim for work in my attic.
yet, some of my luxeon lights (BB400) on full blast were blinding when used close-up (like under the sink plumbing).

the headlamp is a 2aa Rayovac adventure light with the clicky switch. i added a lux3, micropuck and two position switch: low and high.

high is no resistance.

low...well, not sure how many lux to create.

i know on high with the NX05, i read 350 lux. with a 100 ohm resistor, it drops almost exactly to 100 lux.

i THINK this may be a good balance, since 350lux in close quarters can be blinding, but 100 lux might be just right.

but...i find even my little opalec (~50 lux) to often be sufficient for close in tasks.

so, i guess the question is: how "low" should i go?

Bob

On the Surefire L4 with the two stage tail cap the suggestion is to get about 10:1.

This would equate to a 35lux.

But it is entirely up to YOUR requirements.

wwglen

It may be more trouble than it is worth to you, but the ideal solution would be to have the optics removable. The best low beam is one where the Luxeon is unfocused and you have a complete field of vision. That is assuming your Luxeon is a high dome (lambertian), which it sounds like it is.

good idea, thanks!

i like the idea of flexibility.

Bob

And it is also my experience that you need a more flood beam for close up tasks like reading and camp work.