[Closed] DIy 700 lumen batteries inside light

Nice one piker! Should be good for 3 hours on full.

If you find the pp3 clip or its thin wires prove to be a little lightweight, have a look on page 25 for a DIY version that really is robust.

Couple of old innertube "elastic bands" around the batteries in the holder and it'll be shake and bump proof.

Quick report for anyone experimenting with dynamo version of the Troutie/CK/Hammond light.

I increased the smoothing cap from 2200uF to 4700uF and can definitely see improved low speed lack of flicker. At first it looked like there was no difference, but that was just the initial charge up of the cap,(first couple of turns of the wheel). Once you are on the move, you can drop back down to a lower speed before you see the flicker with the 4700 than the 2200 (e.g creeping up to traffic lights when you suspect they are about to change from red to green!)

Also, to get a good compromise of where I place the main beam hot spot (20-30ft out) and the anti-dazzle effect of the little hoods I made (bottom page 29) I had to alter the angle of the hood from perpendicular to the front of the light to a slightly acute angle.

Fine tuning, but worth it.

i'm a bit behind lol. just ordered a hammond case from maplins, i was thinking of machining a case, but decided to keep it simple for the first one. might machine my own next time and have a bar/helmet combo

troutie- any chance of an update re. my missing parts? sorry to pester you, buts its been nearly two months now.

Bits arrived this morning. thanks troutie. time to crack out the soldering iron 🙂

That reminds me, BCT or anyone else, are there any of the 4 way 18650 holders left at all or where can I get one from please ?

Thanks

try looking at black cat tech's ebay page or getting in touch with him from here. I stuck two of the 2 holders together for a nice block.

Sorry Jammy I have been a bit slack . was hoping the first lot would arrive Bastard Post office .

where does all this lost mail end up

Finally got round to putting my mk2 together with 1 regina and 1 3up using the same case. Took it out tonight for a test and love it, compliments the standard one perfectly. Temps seem fine at 1.5 amps whilst moving although it was a bit nippy tonight. I'll try to take some beam shots over the weekend.

On to my next prob now, the second mk2 I built isn't turning on ha, multi meter at the ready.

Ok tried to get some pics tonight not quite sure if I had to right camera settings as they seem much darker then they were in person.

Anyway this is the standard Hammond by itself 2xregina @ 1amp:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mCGAq1iF6R6bHWXcN5edAij9yM0O5P77fEpJHLihDbI?feat=directlink

This is the 1xRegina & 3Up @ 1.5amps:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EMplO2FwDuCuI8ti-OTkFij9yM0O5P77fEpJHLihDbI?feat=directlink

And this is both lights together:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7S24uZhxCNLVy8qTcg2itCj9yM0O5P77fEpJHLihDbI?feat=directlink

ok... finished my build (first attempt) and i dont seem to have much of a different (if any) between high and low beam.

im putting this down to low power. its still pretty bright though.

so my next Q. im currently running an 8 pack of AA (only Duracell ultras at the mo as i wanted ot test the circuitry)

above its mentioned that the 2700Mah AA (8x) will be ideal...

can someone advise if this is the case? and if the high/low issue i have currently is indeed a low power thing?

low power doesnt seem to do much on mine either but there is a differance on the trails with throw etc. but its not massive

most of hte time mine is on half power as i forget to turn it up.

I noticed with my driver that when the voltage dropped to just above the level the LEDS where drawing (about 10 volts) that the high / low power stopped working.. so yes it is possibly a power issue!

I first noticed this when i managed to kill a cell in my 14.8 volt nimh battery which resulted in some odd behaviour and much lower than usual voltages...!

i dont think the difference between power levels is that different (to my eyes anyway..) even when using a 110k resistor..!

with a double LED the voltage level should be about 6.6 + a bit for the driver so around 7.5 / 8

an 8 Pack of AA's should give around 9.6 volts so there is plenty of headroom there..

managed to get my MK3 finished over the weekend and took it out for a ride on monday to test along with the MK2.1...

3000 lumens is *quite a lot of light* 😀

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5405306793_8d0d73ae8b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5405306793_8d0d73ae8b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

the 20mm Carclo triple optics lack the outright punchy throw of even a single XPG + Regina but the flood and general mid to long throw are amazing!

and to anyone wanting a bit more flood to a double / triple Regina setup the Ledil Laura Medium optics are pretty good (with a regina as a spot..) dont bother with the wide though... they're RUBBISH!

the Laura optics are a little shorter than the Reginas though... so to get the full benefits of the flood on either side youll need to put some sort of spacer (i used a square piece piece of aluminium the same sizeish as the LED that i arctic silver epoxied to the heatsink) underneath the LED.. 🙂

Spacehopper - That twin triple looks pretty impressive, can you give any more details on it?

joec1 .... if your 8 Duracells are fresh primaries than they'll give at least 12V and should be able to supply the approx 600mA draw to deliver 970mA to the LEDs with no problem. A simple multimeter should tell you if something is not right .... first measure your on-load voltage (should be not too much under 12V if the batteries are good'uns) and then set the multimeter for current and see if you're drawing around 600mA on full power. If all seems OK then I would suspect your switch/resistor wiring. What value resistance are you using for your "low" setting? Try leaving the resistance and dim switch out the circuit .... does the light get brighter?

I have two lights, one set up for 25%/50%/100% and one set up for 0%/33%/100%. It's very easy to see the differences at each setting on each light.

You can use any NiMH's (or even NiCd's) that can deliver up to 800mA (virtually all!) .... they'll settle down to about 1.2v each, or 9.6V for the pack after a few minutes use. NiMH rechargeables are lower voltage than the Duracell primaries, so the draw is a little higher .... about 750-800mA. The mAh rating of the cells (milli-Amp hour) will just determine how long they will last (run-time). Eneloops at 2000mAh last about 2.6 hours, Good-to-go's (2100mAh) about 2.8 hours, 2700mAh cells about 3.6 hours and 2900mAh about 3.8 hours (all approx at full power).

If accidently let my 8 Eneloop pack discharge as low as 7V on load (not recommended for long life) and didn't notice any strange effects regarding the dim settings not doing what they ought to!

I guess it's possible that exhausted Duracells might give some funny effects when pushing the driver around its low voltage limit.

I've mentioned this before ....... if in doubt about your power pack ..... test the lights using a car battery ... the 12 to 13.5 volts is fine for the driver (Teapot's) and you know that whacking big battery will deliver the amps even when virtually clapped out! Again, a multimeter is good to measure what the draw from the battery is and can help diagnose problems. Just make sure you get the + to the + and - to the - right :-))

Twin Triple..

same small hammond box as people have been using for the twin Regina builds.. but with an old cut down and shaped VGA heatsink on top to help cooling.. it got REALLY hot after about 5 minutes when i was testing it inside

but it didnt feel hot at all when i had it on full for about 45 minutes on monday night when out on the bike..

copper/aluminium Heatsink For the LED's

Lumicycle mount with an aluminium spacer added so it fits over the stem..

the LED's are triple XPG boards from Cutter with a 20mm carclo frosted medium optic on one and a 20mm carclo narrow optic on the other

and it uses 2 970ma teapot drivers so i can run it with my 14.8volt batteries and turn each triple on/off/low/high

hope that helps! 🙂

So I've finally gotten around to making a start on my light, after being messed around when buying a battery pack/charger/charging bag from HK. It took nigh on fifty days of waiting and arguing before finally getting a refund from the seller and acknowledgement that Customs had sent the item back to him for some unknown reason.

Anyway, I have now purchased 4x18650s along with a SoShine SC-S1 Max charger from the UK but I'm at a loss as to where I could get a battery holder from. I've emailed BCT to see if he has any left but I'd greatly appreciate it if anyone either a) has one to sell or b) knows where I could get one from.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks Spacehopper, now it's got me thinking... 🙂

had another ride last night with the MK3.. the flood is fantastic.. great for technical stuff.. but im not very impressed with the throw of the spot optic.. its not narrow enough and the light seems.. doesnt seem anything like 1000 lumens..

i think if you are using the smaller hammond case, a triple flood and a single XPG with regina reflector as a spot would work much better..

but I'm at a loss as to where I could get a battery holder from

Thanks for the recommendation, I have looked at their site before but was trying to find somewhere to get them from in the UK.

Thanks for the recommendation, I have looked at their site before but was trying to find somewhere to get them from in the UK.

Right, just when you all thought this thread was over I’ve finally soldered it all together (all work = no play time) 🙁

So, picture the scene. Gathered my family round the kitchen table to witness the illumination extravaganza ...after months of unnecessary faffing and deliberation 😀 😀 .....................................

....nothing 😳 😥

I would have settled for at least a flicker, fizz, bang or ‘chip toasting’ but a resounding void of inactivity?

So;
1) Anyone have 3 spare LED’s, I’m using a Lumi Li-ion pack (centre –ve)
2) A replacement (new) driver.
3) Do the maplin switches (little red ones) have a min-voltage?

[b]Pickies[/b]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

PS: I am gonna do this.....before next winter
😆

bobblehat - Yes ok will check all of the readings tonight.

when you say the resistor value? what do you mean by the %ages? i have the two kits (BCW and Trouts) wires as per the diagram on p25.

cheers

Buy tickets here : http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/win-trout-lights-for-5-support-team-bulheart

if you win you can then scratch them up a bit so they look home made and pretend they are yours

Hi Joec1 ..... Errrm ..... you may have the driver kit from BCT that has a built in resistor on the board to give a low power setting, as well as off and full ..... ignore my %age figures. Is it the diagram on page 26 from Mountain King you are referring to? Can't see anything on p25. You could check with BCT which version of the driver you got ...... it will make a difference to how you wire the dim setting.

You can still try my suggestion of eliminating any problems regarding the wiring of the dim/off/full switch, by temporarily leaving out the wiring of the switch while you try to see what's wrong. Assuming nowt's bu88ered, and you've wired the rest OK, the light should come on full with no switch connected and draw around 600mA if your voltage is around the 12V mark.

Love-Tubs ( 😉 ) ....... looks a tight squeeze in there .... what's the chance that something shorted? Is the small socket and 3.5mm jack your remote switch? Are you sure you bu99ered everything?

If you are using the Maplin/Farnell/Rapid miniature toggle switch for dimming/off then there is no problem ...... switches don't often have a min voltage but they usually have a max ampage and max voltage combo.

Somewhere I have 4 of [url= http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-LEDs-Cree/CREE-XP-Series/CREE-XP-G-R5-on-mini-PCB-LT-1598_120_138.html ]these[/url] that I can not solder ...... I pulled the tab off one of them trying to make a connection but it still works. I then chickened out on trying the other 3 and they are untouched and in my spares box until get desperate 😳 . Interested?

cheers, yes Mountain Kings' board. its identical to mine (layout) and i have wired exactly the same way....

so im a little stumped as to what i need to do to imporve the quality of light.

Joec have you tested the brightness outside in the dark or just by looking at it? I chose the lower dim mode and its still seriously bright and not too noticeably different inside. Failing that you might have shorted something so hi is still dim.

Hello trout are these kits still available ,dont need box?If so how much and i can put into your paypal account.Many thanks..

Hi Reg

I have run out of the XPGs on 20 mm stars but could do one with
xpgs on 10 mm square boards but that would make it a difficult build
as the reflector sits on the solder pads .

Thanks for reply,probably buy one of you 900 lumen kits then,please put me down for one,many thanks,Reg.

Troutie
You inspired my to make my own little cap-light in a [url= http://cgi.ebay.de/Aluminium-Gehause-Grose-4-33-2-01-1-50-L-B-H-1178-/230513846630?pt=Lager_Materialbeh%C3%A4lter&hash=item35abb22966#shId ]box[/url]. Here some pictures

[img] http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=601408&d=1299511253 [/img]
[img] http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=601409&d=1299511253 [/img]
[img] http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=601411&d=1299511253 [/img]
[img] http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=601413&d=1299511286 [/img]
[img] http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=601402&d=1299510104 [/img]

The Little One is Ready 🙂

Since last winter I’ve been chipping away at this project; typically 15 to 30 mins on a Sat morning whilst the lads watch The Octonauts on iplayer at 6:30 am. After some design re-thinks, 2 toasted drivers (boy have I learned about insulation)…it’s done.

Troutie, the SUGRU was/is absolutely FANTATIC… I used it extensively from insulating soldered wires, creating lead trunking, waterproofing the plug-lead junctions and ‘forging’ the mounting stubs….it’s totally awesome. What’s even better, it’s p1ss easy to remove; when dry, with a Stanley knife.

OT: Found a thread re the trout thinking of leaving the light market….shame.

Can’t wait for…..erm…..the evenings to draw in….. I’m running away, right now....

The Componets

[img] [/img]

The Bar Switch 'Moulding'

[img] [/img]

...the post went all pete-tong,,,stw told me the tread was too old to reply to and so I didn't bother finishing it and yet.....the initial slides are here??

I reposted on one of trouties but I can'f find that either? Must stop the late night STW sessions.

..wait...found it, with beam shots too. I hi-jacked Trouties Spider-Eyes thread. BTW, how amazing is that XML unit??

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/spider-eyes-helmet-light-bonkers-content/page/2

thought i'd revive the thread by asking if kits were still available, or do i need to go direct to Cutter's?

i want to build another light or 2

It's back, woo hoo 🙂

Errr, are the drivers for this still available? I was 'upgrading' the cable to a magicshine cable and when I removed the old wire from the -ve terminal on the driver, I pulled out the little metal pad around the hole, and there isn't anything for the solder to fix to now. DOH

I should probably email blackcat I guess!

What's the optic in this pic - [IMG] [/IMG]

??

puntopete - I've got one Troutie made up for me that I'm not using if you want to make me an offer