In pursuit of a really good headlamp, without the need of paying a pile of money large enough to fill my apartment for it, I stumbled on dan´s idea for a headlamp and I liked it from beginning.
so I sketched my plans, invested and cashed in some friend-checks, and now it it is built.
This is what I use today when traveling down to the really big caves with the heighest ceilings :) and it works perfectly!
on request I made my own small instructable to take interested people through the process.
looking back on the costs of making this lamp, I managed (hand on heart) to get it down to:
LED´s - 25$
Buckpuck driver - 30$ (shipping included)
Battery case - 3$
Some new batteries, 4 of them - 28$
The casing was for free - YES! YES! YES! - thx Robin!!!
which bring the cost down to 86$. I would say a GIGANTIC leap from the 300-400$ pricerange of a more serious headlamp from for example Petzl, Silva or Black Diamond.
And it really really REALLY does deliver the same amount of light as they do.
The only drawback might be that the batterylife for the expensive ones is longer, but if you switch up from standard AA to LIthium batteries ( as I will do ) you should get even more for the small amount of money you put into it.
so I sketched my plans, invested and cashed in some friend-checks, and now it it is built.
This is what I use today when traveling down to the really big caves with the heighest ceilings :) and it works perfectly!
on request I made my own small instructable to take interested people through the process.
looking back on the costs of making this lamp, I managed (hand on heart) to get it down to:
LED´s - 25$
Buckpuck driver - 30$ (shipping included)
Battery case - 3$
Some new batteries, 4 of them - 28$
The casing was for free - YES! YES! YES! - thx Robin!!!
which bring the cost down to 86$. I would say a GIGANTIC leap from the 300-400$ pricerange of a more serious headlamp from for example Petzl, Silva or Black Diamond.
And it really really REALLY does deliver the same amount of light as they do.
The only drawback might be that the batterylife for the expensive ones is longer, but if you switch up from standard AA to LIthium batteries ( as I will do ) you should get even more for the small amount of money you put into it.
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Signing UpStep 1: Design
Bored close to unconsciousness, a day in class, I sketched on a piece of paper and came up with the design shown below. You can tell I am not an engineer because I write my mesurements in centimeters :)
The picture of how to draw the wires is just a copy from that of dan´s. but it was a good idea to repeat it to myself.
my thoughts on the design was that it should be as small as possible, but with enough aluminium around the LED´d to take away the heat. And to get a design that is not already on the market is not too bad either. :D
By a crazy coincidance, i found when sketching, that a danish "1 krone" coin has if traced around with a pen, almost the exact same diameter of an luxeon 1w LED. So I used it for my drawings. :)
Working with CAD software ( the working part is done by my friend Robin ), my idea of an aluminium casing came one step closer to the real world, with a 3D model.
My thought was to leave room for a plexiglas sheet to protect the lenses from scratches, it would be held in place by 4 screws, or bolts or whatever. the plexiglas sits on a lowered ledge to not stick out and take the beating of rocks and dirt in my way, when crawling underground.
The smaller sketch of a lamp with only 2 LED´s is in the making today. :)
The picture of how to draw the wires is just a copy from that of dan´s. but it was a good idea to repeat it to myself.
my thoughts on the design was that it should be as small as possible, but with enough aluminium around the LED´d to take away the heat. And to get a design that is not already on the market is not too bad either. :D
By a crazy coincidance, i found when sketching, that a danish "1 krone" coin has if traced around with a pen, almost the exact same diameter of an luxeon 1w LED. So I used it for my drawings. :)
Working with CAD software ( the working part is done by my friend Robin ), my idea of an aluminium casing came one step closer to the real world, with a 3D model.
My thought was to leave room for a plexiglas sheet to protect the lenses from scratches, it would be held in place by 4 screws, or bolts or whatever. the plexiglas sits on a lowered ledge to not stick out and take the beating of rocks and dirt in my way, when crawling underground.
The smaller sketch of a lamp with only 2 LED´s is in the making today. :)
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Also, I plan to use 18650 batteries (two per LED). Do you use any protection circuits? Someone mentioned using these: http://www.all-battery.com/protectivepcbsforli-ionandli-polymerbatterypacks.aspx
not sure which one to use though. I could always use CR123 batteries (4 batteries total to make 12volts) worked perfect on my previous lamp using one Rebel Tri-Star.
Let me know how to order one of your casings! Love it!
It should not be aproblem if you want to buy one from us.
will check then for a cad drawing.... its solidworks, just so you know. :)
we will have to specify some thing about it, like holes in it, the backside etc.
see you later then!
http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/The_Torch-74-41.html
enjoy.. lol
HA HA HA
but a bonus for having a lamp with 4 leds instead of one, is that I can have multiple lenses and therefore if I choose, a wider beam of light or a comnbination of wide´s and spot´s. generally you get a larger, wider and (not always, sure) better beam.
Bad battery, will die. Isn't water proof.
Beam isn't adjustable
hard to find in stock
Pros
bright for 1 led
great mount.
Hi/low/flash option
Yes that would be good for people that don't want to spend time building there own
Pros of doing it yourself
Different led options
Different beam patterns
Upgrade leds when you want. Or as prices drop
Different colors for each led
Cons
more expensive then above suggestion
Time consuming
Okay notes to add to your next version.
Maybe add some fins to keep weight/heat under control.
Add a signal coiled wire at the end, instead of 2 wires so its easier to glue.
Or maybe a 3mm or 5mm female end so you can be sure nothing gets in, and incase you drop it wires won't be pulled from led. It will just get unplugged if you use a female to maie plug.
You can think about some 18650 tab rechargeable (3.6v or 3.7v)
place them in parallel to extend time. Plus have 2 or so in series to meet the voltage requirements. This is perfect for you as a head lamp but I am seeing it as a bike light. Especially the smaller one you have in the picture. I think for what your using it for a blue or cyan color would be brighter. Not sure
Thanks for posting it to give me a better idea. Most of the money should and will always go to batteries.
a good thing is that the tri-stars have about half the height of normal luxeons with their lensholders and lenses, which gives extra room for heatsinks without compromising too much, the size and functionality...
thx for helping me out with the lithiums btw :)
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-24.htm
http://www.batteryspace.com/
These could be good also for the smaller unit, that way you can figure out a heatsink for it since there only 10mm
http://www.luxeonstar.com/premounted-rebel-cool-white-led-on-a-10mm-square-base-180-lm-p-575.php
I just found your lamp and I am just amazed by your skill and use of technology!
I need 2 lamps: one for ski mountaineering racing and second for downhill biking.
Basically I am looking for as much light but for little weight and price. Can I fit 2 http://www.luxeonstar.com/Neutral-White-4100K-20mm-Tri-Star-Rebel-660-lm-p/mr-wn120-20t.htm on it? If so what type of battery do I need? Would the buckpuck http://www.luxeonstar.com/700mA-Ext-Dimmable-BuckPuck-Driver-PCB-Mount-p/3021-d-e-700.htm work?
Do you sell these Al casings?
Thanks in advance
Meydom
for the buckpuck driver I would recommend the 1000 mA http://www.luxeonstar.com/1000mA-Int-Dimmable-BuckPuck-Driver-PCB-Mount-p/3021-d-i-1000.htm
this one have the same specs as the one you mention, but the output current is higher. the tri-star-rebel LED that you want to use is actually the same that I am currently using in my new headlamp, and it really shines :) although I use one with a bit more natural lighting in it, the "warm white".
it works in the same way as with less powerful LEDs, but it of course needs more power to work on absolute full. thats why i choose the 1000 mA one...
as for two of the stars?, havnent tried it but i see no reason why it should not work, as long as you have sufficient heatsinks, and battery power.
for batteries i use 18650 lithium batteries, 3 or 5 of them depending on what activity i am in. they do the job very good, and deliver a constant current very efficiently. it feels nice to light up areas of a footballcourt with a headlamp :P
if there is anything else you are wondering about, im happy to try to answer any questions. almost forgot, yes, we do manufacture these casings among others. have had a few qustomers already :)
have a nice one!
thanks and incredable build by the way
the info on what buckpuck are good for what and so on, ive gathered partly from DAN, from luxeonstar and various forums on the subject.... i basically just googled it in the beginning. then experiments on my own.
nice to hear people have interest :)
but the design is partly up to you also. how would you like the design on the back to be? a flat back with a simple hole through it? think about that also :)
i know what you mean with having the most badass lamp around :) that was what i had in mind when i started this.
the driver is very good, and it should be able to deliver even more than what I take from it. The power source might take some more thinking about if it is to power 4 high power LED for a long time.