FireFly~3 Prototype FLuPIC + Heatsink Pics!

Hi All,

I am very very happy with what Doug has managed to come up with. He truely listens to all your precious input. Rest assured, the new head components will feature a metal heatsink that is made for the FLuPIC board and also, a counter sink (as seen in the following pictures) to allow the placement of any sandwhich sized converter board. It doesn't end there as there is provision to not use the new heatsink and plug in a standard sandwhich with a screw on retaining ring.

I know pictures are worth more than a thousand words so without further adieu, here are the pictures:


1: Solid metal heatsink allowing for maximum heat transfer


2: Inner counter sink for standard sized converter boards


3: FLuPIC board screwed in place so everything is very very strong


4: Another shot of the board screwed in place


5: The whole thing allows for very good thermal contact with the body and board


6: Emitter potted with thermal compound and wire from FLuPIC connected to luxeon


7: Whole assembly screwed in place with luxeon nicely centered


8: Final image of luxeon and reflector

All in all, I am very very happy as the machining that Doug has done allows me to operate the FLuPIC firmware with one hand (very smooth), allowing me access to low, high, burst easily.

Cheers!

Hi Kevin,

I haven't followed much FF3 development but will the hex screw be too tall to block connections to some cells with a shorter positive contact? How about rising the positive contact on the circuit board?

vince.

The picture doesn't show it but I do have a solder buldge on it. A tab will be soldered on in production.

So how much additional weight has this added? I hear "solid metal", plus the addition of (2) screws and I think of something approaching the weight that will cause uncomfortable front-pocket carry.

I'm carrying it right now and I don't feel it at all. Infact, I have two in my pockets right now. The heatsink is not a block on metal as there are bore holes. Still, a metal heatsink is a must as seen from the recent PCB vs Heatsink thread.

OK, let me ask it a different way. If you take the current FF-II bezel (including optic, aluminum collar, sammie, retainer and lens) and compare it to the proposed FF-III bezel setup, which is lighter? I'm trying to assertain if the FF-III will be heavier than the litest FF-II 1x123 setup.

The heatsink/head looks like it's made of copper in the pics, if so, will there be an aluminum heatsink/head available also? And if so, can we order the light with the aluminum one or will we have to buy it separately?

The screw retaining method for the FLuPIC looks great, nice job.

If we want to use a NG or Wiz2 driver on the heatsink, will it be held in place by the 2 screws also?

The screws in production will be button-heads (like in the bottom of the body as a contact), rather than cap-heads, so they'll be lower profile. I just supplied those, as that's what I had on hand. They're still short enough to use with most 123 cells.

The head setup on the prototype is 29-30 grams or so, so it's not really heavy. It's copper, not aluminum, so the weight is comparable to the copper head on the FF2.

I wasn't planning on an aluminum heatsink or head, but I may end up converting some of the aluminum heads, so I'd get some Al heatsinks done too. I'll see if there is a cost difference when I get a quote from the machinist.

The NG or Wiz2 drivers will have to be epoxied in place, as the screws are too far in to allow it. You may be able to find a place where you can file a notch to let a screw pass through, though... I don't have a sample of either board to check.

I'm having trouble picturing the setup. On the FF2, the head was also a heatsink, so I called it a head/heatsink in the post above. Are there now two separate pieces, ie a spearate head and a separate heatsink with board and emitter, in addition to the body, bezel, reflector and window? Or, does the heatsink above screw directly into the body and bezel?

Yes, the heatsink is now seperate, and will be comprised of a heatsink, emitter, and board. It will be installed and removed like you would a sandwich in other lights. It screws into the head, which looks just like the old versions.

Could you include a sloped groove (like on the current heads) for an o-ring or snap ring to hold the standard sized converter boards in place inside the counter bore of the heatsink so that we don't have to epoxy them in and therefore can change them out as desired.

Or better yet, could you include threads inside the counterbore of the heatsink for a screw in retaining ring to hold the standard sized converter boards in place, just like you did in the head for the retaining ring to hold the sandwich in place and for the heatsink to screw into. That would address all three scenarios and truly make this design rock solid and yet totally versatile in all three modes.

1-FLuPIC w/heatsink and button screws
2-standard sized converter w/heatsink and retaining ring
3-standard sammie with retaining ring

stringray,

As I've mentioned, all your three wishes have been addressed. Yoyu will be able to fit a standard sized sandwhich and there will be a screw retaining ring to hold everything in place.

I imagine that better than the original clip design.

goldserve,

Thanks, I read your post about the retaining ring for the sandwiches and that sounds great, definitely much better than the clip design. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

But you misunderstood my question.

What I was referrring to above was the method for holding the standard sized converter boards in the counterbore of the heatsink, for those times we might want to go that route as well, now that you've emphasized the importance of better heatsinking. You said in the Fire~Fly discussion thread:

[ QUOTE ]
goldserve said:

"My rationale is that I DO NOT want to put my best emitter in a sandwhich and epoxy it together. With the CAN approach, we just need to change the converter board and keep the emitter."

[/ QUOTE ]

But when I asked Doug what would hold a standard sized converter board in the counterbore of the heatsink, he said we would have to epoxy it in, and therefore we would not be able to change it, contrary to your statement above.

So, I am asking if you can include threads and a screw in retaining ring to hold the standard sized converter boards inside the counterbore of the heatsink, so we don't have to epoxy it in and render it unswappable, and can change it at our leisure and as new ones are developed and released.

Stringray,

Now I see what you are getting at. It seems like have a good grasp of the design without seeing it!

Good question. Doug will be away for a week so we'll have to wait for him to answer that one.