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Does anyone order from farnell?
BCT/Trout/Smudge - are these trimmers any good as a replacement for the resistors to allow control of the light levels?
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct.jsp?sku=9353461&CMP=e-2072-00001000
No Good for controling a light as they are limited to 25 sweeps so will wear out fast if used constantly .
you could go all posh and use the Maxflex and Bflex drivers but they are $35 plus shipping from the USA.
Troutie said .... Good stuff fellas hopefully be a few more working ones along soon .Thanks for updating the list too .
Just been making a jig to drill the stars so they may come predrilled for the reflector depending on spare time available.
Bl00dy brilliant Troutie .... pre-drilled stars ... absolutely outstanding! I was ummming and arring over drilling or cutting off the reflector pins .... if you can do that I'll be doing cartwheels (not a pretty sight ... probably!)
Also, Chris, I've got a 300mm+ length of 20mm x 10mm x 1.5mm U channel going spare, if you'd like it FOC to distribute ... could get 6 Led plates out of it. Let me know ... if not, I'll cut and donate it UK builders.
Pots - you really need a log potentiometer to get the best dimming results. Most presets are only available as linear track. You also need the biggest value you can get as it limits the maximum output - unless you use a switch to cut it out of the circuit.
Jazid - Just placed a Farnell order today and am likely to be placing another in the next week or so. I seem to recall Farnell did an IP65 potentiometer when I was looking for one a few years back but they were fairly expensive. Would avoid the need for a switch though.
These parts from Farnell may be of interest, either as an additional external heatsink (first one) or as alternatives to the angle, although some machining will still be needed:
1773307
1773372
4621323
By the way, Farnell also stock the Regina - I've just bought 10 at 92p each plus VAT - they only had 25 left when I last checked though! They were awaiting delivery last time I checked so either they didn't get many in or they have flown off the shelves...
By the way Troutie, please put me down for two XPGs if you are doing another order - I will be ordering myself from Cutters sometime soon for the Lumicycle project but if you are ordering before then I'll just take two of yours.
Bct, thanks for the reply. I was after a preset pot so I could adjust it internally and then screw the light back together, which gives me a way of setting the 2 positions <100pct on my 3 way switch beforehand to suit the ride and desired runtime. Any suggestion on the type and rating of a suitable pot?
Thanks for the offer Bob and if it will do the job the chop it and donate it to the ones on here .
My first lot of leds have now become the second due to delays in OZ.
what happened is I have a large order coming in for my Liberators so added on 50 leds for the interest on this thread .
but suspected there would be a delay due to the lack of comms from over there.
so ordered 50 leds from Ledtech.de so as not to keep you all waiting
they came in very quick and that is history .
the first lot and my others have now made it to china and are in transit hopefully to me this week .
so I was gambleing on some more folks jumping on the ship to buy these leds too but wasnt too worried as they would come in handy for doing the Ayup-grades which seem to be a goer
Ledtech.de so as not to keep you all waiting
they came in very quick and that is history
Does that mean they are slow to deliver? I am so impatient and missed the boat last time that's where I got my stuff from to do the build, fairly expensive too due to the small amount of stuff I got.
Are [url= http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-LEDs-Cree/CREE-MC-E-Series/CREE-MC-E-on-Star-PCB--seriell--LT-1700_120_133.html ]these[/url] any good more lumen's for less current?
This appears to be a really interesting thread that i would love to read but i think it will take about 3 weeks.
Any chance of a condensed post of what the general gist of making one is etc etc?
Chris, did you get my email yesterday?
No all my dealing with LT have ben swift
Cutters have also been impecable but have seemed a little slack just lately .
and it seems they have been going through ISO accreditation and it has been taking up their time so future stuff should be quicker.
Will do Steven , have you got stock of the other resistor on board drivers or are you upgrading those too .
Jason yes just read it nothing in there to supprise but if you want to send it back I will have a look into it .
may be the non waterproof switch or connector .
Bland .condensed version .
its a killer light you can build yourself .
most of the detail is on the first pages and lots of helpfull folks on here to help out if you get stuck .
😆
CK, where did you get the 18650 holders from, home made ?
Are you charging them indidually as opposed to in series ?
Trout, just let me know when you want the money for the LEDs and I will paypal you. Could I update it to 2 kits though. Updated list below:
Another Update:
Jazid - xpg LED Kit (incl. lexan + angle) + Driver Kit (3way + 2way)
runswithscissors LED kit + Driver kit
bobblehat 4 * 20mm xp-g + 2 pieces of lexan please!
john_walker74 2* LEDs and bits & 2 * Driver
bigjim LED kit + driver kit
mau00149 led kit + driver kit
norcbot led kit + driver kit
landy813 - driver
Clobber, 4xLED kit + 4xDriver kit + 2*20mm xp-g (these are for friends so I'll make sure there is a profit for you Troutie!)
Damo2576 - LED & Driver Kit)
Yet Another Update:
Jazid - xpg LED Kit (incl. lexan + angle) + Driver Kit (3way + 2way)
runswithscissors LED kit + Driver kit
bobblehat 4 * 20mm xp-g + 2 pieces of lexan please!
john_walker74 2* LEDs and bits & 2 * Driver
bigjim LED kit + driver kit
mau00149 led kit + driver kit
norcbot led kit + driver kit
landy813 - driver
Clobber, 4xLED kit + 4xDriver kit + 2*20mm xp-g (these are for friends so I'll make sure there is a profit for you Troutie!)
Damo2576 - LED & Driver Kit)
Steelrider - LED kit + driver kit
fozzy
CK, where did you get the 18650 holders from, home made ?Are you charging them indidually as opposed to in series ?
I was thinking of buying some of the 18650 holders from digikey. They are designed to be PCB mounted but they are a lot cheaper than getting the pnes from Luminousdiy in the US and I don't have the tools to make my own. Looks like you can wire them up fairly easily though.
I think I'll run this light from 4x18650, just because I already have the 18650 charger and so its a cheaper route than one of smudge's batteries & charger (sorry smudge!). I'm also converting two MTE P7 torches to run off a 2x18650 battery pack so I was going to get some holders for that anyway. Might try and bodge 2 of the 2xholders into a series 4 or might just get the flat x4 one.
I guess in the spirit of things I should see if anyone else wants any of the digikey 18650 holders, digikey's postage is £12 so its a pain when just getting a few quids worth of stuff. I don't want to offer to order anything other than the battery holders as I can't be *rsed posting anything like Hammond boxes or anything. Unless anyone knows any better alternatives?
Just been out for a blast in the woods to tryout my "Hamfist" light. it's really really good, quite a narrow beam but was awesome as a helmet light and need to update my order as my buddie wants me to build him one now! Thanks for all the help from everyone on here esp. the parts suppliers.... 😆
so next update
Jazid - xpg LED Kit (incl. lexan + angle) + Driver Kit (3way + 2way)
runswithscissors 2x LED kit + Driver kit
bobblehat 4 * 20mm xp-g + 2 pieces of lexan please!
john_walker74 2* LEDs and bits & 2 * Driver
bigjim LED kit + driver kit
mau00149 led kit + driver kit
norcbot led kit + driver kit
landy813 - driver
Clobber, 4xLED kit + 4xDriver kit + 2*20mm xp-g (these are for friends so I'll make sure there is a profit for you Troutie!)
Damo2576 - LED & Driver Kit)
Steelrider - LED kit + driver kit
**** I get the 601 post too bugger missed out .
So is my maths here good I get 32 leds/reginas and assorted bits from troutie.
You mean these ?
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=BK-18650-PC8-ND
I think I'd be interested.
Doesn’t say if they are parallel or serial, or if you solder each cell, doesn’t really make it clear from the data sheet
Cheers chris, will get one of the electronics guys at work to have a look, if he can't see anything i'll be in touch. Cheers fella.
I have just found [url= http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.32751 ]this[/url] as a viable power lead option for around £2 delivered. I think this is the same connectors as used on the bastid lights.
[img] 
[/img]
[s]Link jazid please[/s]
Sorry just seen it.
Hi folks .... hope I get this right .... just trying to help everyone get what they want ... so don't shoot me down in flames!
In post #601 Troutie mentions that 32 LEDs/Reginas are required ... and being the kind of guy that I am .... I just had to check!
I used post #600 from runswithscissors' update as a basis and did a quick spreadsheet ... (Huh! how do you post a spreadsheet on here?) ...OK I'll post an image of it instead and I get these figures .....
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
If each kit has two LEDs and two Reginas, it looks like 34 of each to me?
Also, runswithscissors ...if you are ordering 2 LED kits, don't you want 2 driver kits too? Just asking for Troutie's/Teapot's sake!
Feel free to call me a buffoon if I got this wrong!
OK .... I'm a buffoon .... any one spot the mistake ...
Yup! 34 Leds and 28 Reginas ....
Check twice ... post once! Doh!
If anyone wants some of the 18650 holders from Digikey I'll be placing an order with them probably Friday for some parts for the reef aquarium system I'm also working on. The holders look like they have connections for each cell available separately so you can wire parallel or serial. I may get a few myself to play with - I'm wondering if I can devise something where the driver is integrated with the battery pack.
Kits: Rapid have the double-pole version of the switch in stock, not that much more expensive and you can just ignore the pole you don't use so I can order a batch of those while I wait for the single pole switches to arrive.
Jazid - Looks OK but I'd be wary of DealExtreme. I've ordered from them twice, both times the items took ages to arrive and the second time they sent me 30 gas lighters rather than 30 Seoul P4s. They will only refund if I return them at my expense! Last time I looked it was illegal to send flammable liquids through the post anyway... Still no resolution and it's a year since I placed the order...
Trout - you've lost me slightly, do you mean the drivers with built in half-power mode? I've only got two built up but can do a load more no problem.
DISASTER...
Making up second light tonight, decided to make it as small as possible, electrics running nicely out of the box, insert into box and after 10 secs, only one LED operative and it is dim... Position of switch does nothing, no off or dimming....
Take electrics out of box, still knackered... WTF have I done, blown driver, blown LED??? Could I have shorted something in the box? It all looks wired correctly still...
Please help... I've no idea what has happened...
How small Clobber it sounds like something has shorted or you have a faulty solder connection somr where .
can you post up some pics as close up as poss .
Yes thems the ones Steven could do with half a dozen at the moment.
Clobber it could be a blown led if the other one is lighting up .
but dim
If you want post it to me the whole light and I will test the leds and replace it if dead.
Steven I will have a few (6) of those double poles and boots if you are ordering please
went out for a wee tester ride last night. tight beam. very very bright.
im not sure if you get the best out of it bar mounted. will try it head mounted and see if i actually need a bar light at all. im not sure how im going to strap the bugger to my hat but im sure i`ve some gaffa tape somewhere for a temporary mount!
ideally i would like it a bit more floody but thats just me and the general mega brightness might mean its fine - i`ve not been in the trees yet - thats tonight weather permitting.
not sure on the bar mount - ok for 'wheels on the ground' xc but for my usual 'woodsy jumpy fun' rides i think it will move - we shall see.
one thing i did find out is the mount is for oversized bars and being a luddite (25.4 bars, gripshift and 8 speed no less!) i had to add a few wraps of innertube to get it to sit nicely.
overall very chuffed.
if you have 2 of these (one on bars one on hat) i think the term 'night riding' will be totally wrong as it might as well be daytime with the amount of light you'll have.
bobblehat, thanks for checking up on me but I do only need one more driver from BCT as I got a spare one off him a few days ago.
Trout is it £20 per kit this time that we owe you? Does that include some profit for you this time?
Trout, in the cold light of day I can see where one LED has shorted on the case... Do you think the dim one will be ok?
We've all put our requirements on a list expecting you to be able to supply, is it possible for you to supply this list? if so I'll add the cost of another LED to my next batch and get it all paid in one. Is that OK or would you rather me buy one seperately?
Lightbuilding lesson 01 for me, "Don't build lights at midnight with too much Stella within easy reach..."
BlackCatTech - it would be fantastic if you could order me some of the 18650 holders ontop of your order. I'll just figure out exactly what I want and get back shortly. reef aquarium sounds amazing, would love one one day.
Re connectors, I was thinking of having the longer length of cable coming out of the light unit through a grommit, and housing the connection in with the battery pack to make sure it is waterproof. Learnt to use a sewing machine to make a power kite a few years ago so might fire that up and turn some cheapo waterproof trousers into a battery bag.
I will know what I can supply hopefully soon .
tracking the leds from OZ they had a stopover in GUANGZHOU China yesterday and have landed in ALMATY Khazakstan .be interesting to see where they visit next.
Light built; check 🙂
Wired & soldered; check 🙂
Connected to battery; check 🙂
Strobing like a rubberducker; check 😯
Now wait a minute, thats not right. What have I done wrong ❓
stayhigh how come you get a flashing mode on yours.. 😆
I honestly have no idea at all. When I turn it on the beam is constant for around and second and then its full blown strobe tastic. Maybe a loose connection? I think I must have wired something the wrong way round as the switch works off-on-on.
My switch works off(bottom)/on high(middle)/on lowish(top), you might have a dry joint? 8)
BCT Yes please on the 4 way digikey holder, 2 please !
Let me know my cost + postage and I'll paypal that + your postage cost.
Reef project eh, something else I fancy trying quite soon 🙂
Hmmm my off is top and not sure if its high middle or top as it just goes mental. I just had it on in all switch positions which was interesting. Whats a dry joint?
A joint thats not quite enough solder on it. Sure you haven't got a short?
Dis connect the switch and see if works just on hi .
could be a faulty something on the driver .
Stayhigh - a dry joint is one where the solder hasn't 'taken' properly and the connection is only intermittent. The centre position is on full - in this position the switch isn't connected to anything which is the full power mode of the driver. The center terminal of the switch should be connected to the 'A' terminal on the driver, the resistor is wired across the outer terminals and one of these is connected to PWR-.
Check there aren't any shorts, especially between PWR+ and LED+ as this basically bypasses the control circuity and pumps as much current though the LED as your batteries can supply!
Should add that dry joints aren't always obvious and I'm afraid Lipseal is wrong - it isn't the amount of solder, it is how well the joint has 'wetted' and the solder adhered to the wire and PCB. A good joint doesn't need much solder.
Off will be the switch position where the toggle is point away from the side of the switch you have connected to PWR-.
Thats what I ment just worded it wong 😕
Put me down for 3 led's and 3 relectors so I can upgrade some old lights. No idea what I'm going to do with them but can stop myself.
I shall get checking tomorrow and see what I can see. I'm guessing I've bodged something somewhere as this is my first attempt at soldering since I was at school 😳
Trout, is it too late to put myself down for a kit?