Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 78 total)
  • Bike light……XP-Gs arrived today…
  • Luminous
    Free Member

    For anyone who may be interested in how the "other light" is coming on.

    Today I received some XP-G R3s and so could finally fit and finish my prototype light.

    Beam shots, etc will follow tonight.

    🙂

    L.

    kingkongsfinger
    Free Member

    I like it! 8)

    wombat
    Full Member

    Looks excellent 8), what sort of power is it?

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    Luminous
    Free Member

    Hi.

    KKF, thanks.

    As these are the XP-G R3 I should be seeing in excess of 1800 lumens tonight.

    Got to go out for a bit now. Back later. 🙂

    Ta

    L.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Hi.

    Just been to an area I've not visited before, but I managed to get some shots. The main Tree in the light is approximately 40 metres from the light.

    Used my currently road-bound MTB.

    From an approximation of eye position.

    Away from the bike.

    Illumination just forward of the front wheel.

    The Ring.

    Camera was set to:
    F4
    6 seconds
    WB; DAY

    Phew !.

    L.

    Dimmadan
    Free Member

    Really good work there mate.

    I never ever thought I would say this about a bike light, but here goes……… That is miles too bright.

    How long can it run for on full like that with a single battery charge?

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Dimmadan.

    The light is configurable to produce lower outputs, if required. I prefer to set my lights to have just a hi and low setting. But even these can be adjusted for lower brightness levels.

    I've not done a full run with these LEDs as they only arrived this morning. I'm using a 14v 4.4Ah Battery from Smudge. I'm out tomorrow night starting from Brandon Country Park, so will see how long I get from the light then, hopefully. But expect 2.5 hours + on hi (conservative estimate)

    Were I to use one of Smudge's latest batteries, which I believe pack a few more Ah, then I'd expect an even longer run time.

    Cheers.

    L.

    Dimmadan
    Free Member

    Top marks mate, wish i had the time and knowledge to do the same as would love to give it a go.

    Well done as I looks and sounds like it may perform perfectly.

    Next test is the rain test 😆

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Dimmadan.

    Yes, preventing water ingress has been a major pre-occupation for me with this light.

    What you see here is a prototype. A one-off produced by Mr Hunt, master of metal. A great guy with a beaver mill and a bridgeport lathe amongst the other items in his Garage !.

    So, when I designed this one light. I did so with the type of machinery available, in mind. Hence the simpler clamping ring, for this light only.

    I intend to make a small run of these lights for me and some friends. The new version will have a different lens assembly incorporating waterproofing measures.

    The rear of the light uses nut-fixed, IP rated switches and other hardware which will resist complete submersion.

    So I am expecting total water proof performance. That is one of my main goals.

    I am also working on a complete water proofing of the battery too, amongst other things…

    🙂

    L.

    lowey
    Full Member

    Holy Shit. Good work mate.

    Dimmadan
    Free Member

    Sounds good, I will stay in touch as I fancy one :mrgreen:

    The light looks fantastic…..

    However – either your photography skills are a little lacking, or it's a tad too bright.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Dimmadan.

    I'm grateful for your remarks. I've still got to finalize the new version. Everything is in place, parts are ordered, etc. I'm almost there. I mau be able to squeeze a few more in, but it wouldn't be available as soon as another light being shown on this forum.

    I'm hoping to have my light on my bars during November.

    Lowey.

    Thanks. Its taken around two months to get this far, loads of hours on the CAD and dealing with suppliers. Its been a major effort.

    🙂

    L.

    racing_ralph
    Free Member

    what is your price?

    Luminous
    Free Member

    TAFKAS.

    Yeah, I was thinking that myself tonight. I set the camera to the settings I've seen posted on here in another thread, which I believe to be the "unwritten" standard between us light builders for night shots.

    However, in mitigation, I must point out that these LEDs are like nothing I've photographed before.

    Using Canon PowerShot S80, set to the figures mentioned above.

    Oh, except for "The Ring" shot. I had to change settings to get a side/birds eye view of the light-head, which didn't just show a bright white blur.

    L.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    RH.

    This was originally a project for me a few friends.

    I have yet to finish and reveal the latest and improved version. But wanted to post my progress so far.

    My presence in the sitting room has just been requested, so I'll have to go now.

    Mail me if you wish.

    Thanks.

    Luminous.

    montylikesbeer
    Full Member

    erm……………wow

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Where will the LED light wars end? My set up of home mede lights with a trifling 1850 lumens between them ( theoretical) is really not going to cut the mustard no more.

    I think 6x MCEs must be the future – thats 5400 lumen thoretical 🙂 Mind you need half a power station to power them

    kingkongsfinger
    Free Member

    Imagine having two, one either side of the stem FFS !!!!!!!!!!!! 😆 😆 😯

    jimster
    Free Member

    Can I see the leaves frying? 😯

    firestarter
    Free Member

    madness lol looks good. I find riding with my hope vision four on setting three like riding in daylight. If you can somehow fully waterproof it you will make some money in the diving crowd good luck

    Luminous
    Free Member

    TJ.

    Yeah, I don't suppose we'll ever gain a consensus on what is sufficient to ride with. But its interesting making lights.

    I Suppose as we see those such as the clever bods at cree design LEDs with ever greater outputs, that we may just use fewer LEDs per light in the future.

    KKF.
    Yeah, that would be insane, I hadn't considered running two on one bike. I might find no one wanted to ride with me then 😆

    Mick.

    Thanks. Yes, pressure waterproofing is a distant goal. But as my neighbour is a diver, I've got a tester on my door step. So thats a start. But got to get this one finished first.
    🙂

    L.

    skiprat
    Free Member

    Thats just awsome!! Great work L. Glad to see it up and running, and lets be honest, giving out more light than is really needed!!

    Liked the look of the housing when you'd just done that. Hope the water testing goes well and keep us posted as to how you go on.

    Well done. Skippy

    wors
    Full Member

    We make stuff that monitors stuff at the bottom of the sea, if you need any help sealing it, give me a shout.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Skiprat.

    Thanks. Yeah, it'll be on-trail testing tonight, with perhaps the odd stop for a quick pic.

    When the final version housings are available, then water testing will commence.

    I will certainly be happy to post updates.

    Cheers

    L.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Wors.

    Thats a very useful offer and one I may well be interested in at a later date.

    Many Thanks.

    🙂

    L.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    I completed my first ride with the light last night.

    The light performed faultlessly. After 90 mins of riding, switching the output between hi and low, the medium voltage warning light still hadn't come on, so I've still no idea how long I can get out of the light using a 4.4Ah battery, other than to say that its going to be usefully longer than 2.5 hours.

    Think I may have to order a smaller battery, just to get an idea of run time from one of those.

    Also, I will have to do some rides on hi only to ascertain the full power run times.

    Incidentally, one of our party was using, only for the second time, his DX magicshine light. However, it failed and so I had to lend him my helmet light. An old single LED XR-E giving about 230 lumens at 1A. I was quite impressed with this little light. Using an optic I have modified, it pushed out onto the trail, every one of those 230 lumens and he did the whole ride with that one light on his bars.

    Anyway, thats the first ride results and they are very encouraging.

    Cheers

    🙂

    L.

    Dimmadan
    Free Member

    Sounds promising. If you want a tester that rides 3 nights a week for 2 hours + each ride then let me know.

    kinda666
    Free Member

    Do you know what the Vf of the triple xpg is luminous??

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Dimmadan.

    Thanks. All offers of help are gratefuly received and not forgotten.
    🙂

    Kinda666.

    Not sure what you're asking there, are you referring to a cutter item ?.
    If so, then I would have thought that cutter would provide that info.
    I believe they sell a triple LED on a 20mm round MCPCB.

    All I know is that the data released by Cree indicates a Vf of around 3.4v PER LED.
    Why do you ask ?.

    Ta

    😀

    L.

    EDIT: Really grateful to all for the posts and the interest. Perhaps I should make a few more available

    😉

    L.

    kinda666
    Free Member

    Hi luminous, can't see pics on my work pc and couldn't remember what set up you had, thought it was triple xpgs! I'm pretty sure my Xpe's were pushing out around 9.6Vf and need some headroom for the bflex to work, as i'm using an 11.1v li-ion pack its quite tight! (have a 14.8v pack too but obviously heavier than the 3 cell pack) Thought you may have measuerd the forward voltage thats all!

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Kinda666.

    Ok, no worries. I've seen a cree document displaying a graph showing an XP-G LED to have around 3.4v Vf at 1A.

    I feel the layout of the LEDs as I have them in my light is useful, as from the pics earlier in this thread (which unfortunately you can't view), I still get light thrown down right in front of the wheel, without any need for a "liberator" type feature. Which is a good thing as it would be diificult to include a second, downward aperture for light, in a housing design such as mine.

    L.

    kinda666
    Free Member

    Just got home and now i remember the light! 😳

    What diameter are your housings?? Quite fancy the 7up cutter kit!

    Luminous
    Free Member

    Kinda666.

    Thanks for the interest.

    I think I can see where you're going with this.

    If I'm correct, then I've already been there… 😀

    Mail me if you wish.

    Cheers.

    L.

    kinda666
    Free Member

    At work till 6pm so i'll mail you when i get in! 😀

    singletrackmind
    Full Member

    Having seen the pics, and the scorched earth, why not make a smaller lightweight double ?
    We already have the landing light on offer from the other LED developer . Why not go down a slightly different route. I think many riders like having a bar mount and a lid mount, you get redundancy if one fails, you can see where you look , as opposed to where you bars are pointing . This will help to spot the axeman in the treeline quicker .
    Then you could run 600 lumen 's from the bars and 600 lumens from your helmet. 1200 lumen is enough , you get exteneded run times, less heat produced , and therefore less heat to loose, less weight, less cost (4 LED units , not 6 and less Ah's rqd)
    I appreciate that you have not intended to sell to the mass market, but ifthe market is there for a sexy D cell sized light , then why not make a few ££ , pays for holidays .
    HAving typed all that, then why not use 2 x MTE p7's , although they are a little large and weighty , 2 P7 without teh internal battery and proper mounts , and without having to scroll throughthe flash flash modes would be a superb set up.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    STM.

    Thats an interesting post. Thanks.

    I am an Engineer by profession, I did approach Chris with an offer to work with him. I had already given him some useful advice, some of which he used to produce the Trout light, as it is today. So in some small way, the Trout light people are buying from Chris at the moment, has some of my input in it.
    Anyway, Chris wanted to continue working on his own and that was fair enough. Although there seems to be one or two more bods helping him now.

    Anyway, I still felt I had something to give, so I have worked to produce a bar light, as I feel it offers something that one does not get from the Trout light.
    Myself and the people I am building this for, wanted something different to the Trout light.

    So here I am with a bar light that I believe to be postively different to the Trout light, a light that I think ticks alot of the correct boxes. Quick release, excellent connector tech, battery status light, waterproof (yet to be tested), stored easily and neatly in your pocket or backpack, no awkward clamps or cables dangling from the light and adjustable for both pitch and yaw.

    If money and resource were no object, then the light would be even better, but I have to keep my feet, and the budget, on the ground 🙂

    The final design does look better than this light and it has potential.

    Perhaps we need an agreement on new camera settings for night pics of these LEDs.

    As I sit here, I am progressing my design of my all-in-one light, on the CAD. The AI1. It should be both bar or helmet mount.

    Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

    🙂

    L.

    richardjeb
    Free Member

    Hi, saw your light in the car park at brandon when you returned from a ride thursday night, it was very impressive and i have now been inspired into looking into making my own design. I have a toolmaking / manufacturing background so, making the caseing and soldering operations are simple…….but I am lacking in knowledge of what electronics are required to drive LED's. Could you give me any advice as to what electronics I would require to power 4 of the XPG led's please? Hopefully I will see you again at Brandon so we can chat more about lighting.

    Luminous
    Free Member

    RJ.

    Hi. Welcome, and thanks for joining "the fray" here on STW. Good luck 🙂

    Good to meet you and the rest of your party , the other night.

    Theres loads of info around on homemade lights, but if you wish to mail me, then perhaps I can help you.

    Cheers.

    😉

    In the meanwhile, I have received a quote for a larger run of machined housings and I could make more of the new version available, should enough interest materialize.

    This light has features such as connector tech from the Aerospace and Marine sector, the lens is supplied from a world leading company specializing is display plastics and plastic treatments. The lens has an optical efficency into the 90s%.

    The design of this light is compact, quick release, with no awkward bar-clamps or cables dangling from it.

    It is adjustable for both up-down AND Left-Right positioning and doesn't clutter the stem area, which is useful if you run something like a Garmin Edge on the stem, as I do.

    RJ.
    You are the first person here, on STW, to actually see this light.

    🙂

    L.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Luminous – Member

    TJ.

    Yeah, I don't suppose we'll ever gain a consensus on what is sufficient to ride with. But its interesting making lights

    Yup – I have 7 diffent led lamps I have made. From long run time 150 l ones to 900 l ones.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 78 total)

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