jeff-o

Wait for the Luxeon K2 emitter to become available. More output than the Luxeon V, but at the same power as the Luxeon III.

So, what are you going to use as a heatsink? Reflector? Constant current power supply?

rat_factory

where do you buy these? i also heard they have 7w emmiters now.

i am very interested in reflector and heatsink options.

Paul L.

They didn't mention a minimum value in the email they sent me. I guess I could review their battery now that I think about it, I seem to remember they said you could review 2 items.

jeff-o

There are no 7W emitters. Only 1W, 3W, 5W, and the new K2 emitters, which are not available yet.

As for heat sinks and reflectors... that all depends on what you intend to mount the LED into.

edzo

peel an old heatsink off a busted PC and use the fins


you can buy them from lumileds.com

rat_factory

i found this sites that has 7w emitters:

https://www.americanbrightled.com/5w_7w.html

and i think the k2's are out : https://www.lumiledsfuture.com/produc....cfm?lineId=18

i was going to strap on a cpu cooler and i am hoping to figure out a mr16 setup or similar, although the LED looks massive.

ken cummings

Anyone know where I can get a headlamp where turning a know can move the bulb in and out of the focal point of the reflector. Like the old mining headlamps. Wide focus for added visibility on better lit roads and a tight beam for darker roads where you need more light at a distance. Some sealed bulbs have two filaments, one at the focus and one offset a bit.

Paul L.

I have a Petzl headlamp that does that. It is the one that has both the normal light and the LEDs.

jeff-o

Ah, but those aren't Luxeon emitters. it looks like they took seven lower power emitters, and arranged them on a single (large) heatsink. Luxeon emitters are capable of the same output, with lower current requirements, in a smaller package.

As for the K2s, see how all the prices say $call? That's because they're not available yet. I confirmed this by calling them myself a few days ago. They said they already have quite a few backorders for these things.

LittleBigMan

Hi, all.

I finally mounted a pair of Optronics driving lights with a 3-way switch. My first setting lights my 20W (35W equivalent energy-saver bulb,) the second setting lights my 35W (50W equivalent energy-saver,) the third setting lights both together (fourth setting "off.") I use both together for dark downhills, but I couldn't keep them both on too long, it would put a major drain on my battery.

The rear "blinkie" is still my 100K candlepower amber xenon strobe and my battery is a 5 amp/hr sealed lead-acid.

I'm thinking of upgrading again, which is the beauty of homemade lights. I might switch to NiMh, because I can get more amp/hrs with less weight. Saw a set of 10 "D" cells for about $65, but I'd need a new charger, too, so it might be a while before I make the switch.

Anyway, I'm happy with what I've got now. My low beam really lights up the road, and a coworker said he could see my rear flasher from a very long way off. Good to go!

DCCommuter

Tell us more about the switch. How is it mounted, how do you keep it weatherproof? What type?

LittleBigMan

This 3-way switch is actually rated 3A 250V or 6A 125V. It's called a "rotary switch." I just picked it up at my neighborhood hardware store for $5.95. I haven't weatherproofed it yet.

I had one just like it before, it never malfunctioned until one of the wire leads broke. After that, it became a 2-way switch. Maybe some Liquid Tape around where the wire leads attach would help keep water out.

Google a bit, you might find something mo-betta. For example, here's a waterproof cover for a toggle switch--

https://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...=2348&doy=10m6

A rotary switch works by twisting the metal cap clockwise, like on a table lamp.

GlowBoy

Sorry for the delay in replying ... guess I haven't visited this thread in the last month. Here's the link:
https://www.solux.net/solux_spec_page.htm

Claimed candlepower for 17 degree beams (for comparison's sake) is 4303 CP for the 3500K, 2782 CP for the 4100K (the bulb I have) and 2105 CP for the 4700K. So the 4100K loses quite a bit of efficiency versus the 3500K, but still significantly better than the 4700K.

I did also buy a 10 degree 4700K bulb for comparison, and it puts out noticeably less overall light than the 3500K. Being that narrow, it is of course quite a bit brighter in the center -- as its 5796 CP rating would indicate.

--

What's really interesting to me is the comparison of the 4100K bulb with the Philips MasterLine EnergyAdvantage, the supposed efficiency champ for MR16s. I have the 24 degree, 35W version of this bulb, which is rated for 4400 CP -- in other words, with a much brighter AND wider beam, this 800 lumen monster should blow the SoLux away.

And yet to the naked eye it doesn't seem that way. In the proverbial darkened living room test the SoLux appeared brighter. I'd been staring at light bulbs long enought to question my own judgment, so I had my wife come and ask which one she thought was brighter. After the inevitable eye-rolling was over she said, "well, isn't it obvious?", indicating the SoLux. And out on the street, there is no question in my mind that the SoLux is more noticeable to motorists.

robtown

I picked up a couple more sets of optronics on ebay to house my stable of test bulbs. I currently have the Phillips Masterline 35w 17 degree and the Solux 3500K 35w 10 degree mounted. They're running at 13.2v with a lightbrain controller. A 18.5v Li-ion 6150mah battery pack powers them. I usually have the Solux running at 100% and sometimes add the Phillips at 66%. The trouble is I'm running out of dark time to test them out. Even getting up at 5:30am puts me outside at 6:05am and it's bright out. I do get 5-10 minutes of twilight at 6:30pm. This will change Apr 3rd after daylight savings time. I have noticed that cars will wait 5 or more seconds at intersections for me to passs.

Daily Commute

You have a convert. I'm looking at the 13w HID, plus a water bottle Li-ion battery and with either this mount or this one. But the problem comes with the switch, cable and battery case. Which leaves me with 4 questions:

1. Can you get a switch that can deal with heavy rain that also tells me when the battery is low?
2. What cable would I need to connect the battery to the switch to the light?
3. If I wanted to change to a 4000mah battery (maybe 2, one as a backup), where do I find battery covers?
4. What am I missing?

Thanks for all of your help.

LittleBigMan

Maybe a ballast?

DC, let us know what you find out. I'm very interested. I've shyed away from HID do-it-yourself projects in the past.

alwier

I haven't found a dual purpose switch, but post #1115 has a link to a good switch.

As for a 12v battery meter, check out this link
https://www.helihobby.com/html/measurement_tools.html
The LED indicators for 12v batteries are pretty cheap and easily mounted. PART#HCAP0331 might work well for you. I don't know about waterproofness, but if you used a clear battery box, you could mount it on the inside and put the button some place protected like on the top tube under your seat or something.

Lock & lock clear food storage containers made by Heritage Mercantile are pretty cool battery boxes. They are VERY tight because of a silicone ring on the inside of the lid, but very easy to use because of four locking hinged tabs. I found them at grocery stores, Target, Walmart...for $5 or less. The 1.5-5 cup containers seem to be perfect. Might have to use some flexible poly tubing to make a "snorkel" for ventilation.
https://www.organize-everything.com/lolofostco-all.html
Would probably work with those adjustible PVC-pipe wall hangers. Any home improvement store carries them.

18ga cable would be sufficient, but you'll get less resistance from 16ga. Quality-cased speaker wire would be just about right.

Thought about a rear light? (strobe vs multi-LED)

Daily Commute

I'm still working on it, but I'm not optimistic. I really appreciate the comments, but it seems like the switch/low battery power indicator might make the project more trouble than it's worth. I'd think a low battery indicator would be essential when dealing with expensive batteries and lights.

One thing I read says that manufacturers intentionally make it hard to get switches because they want to discourage DIY. It may work with me.

ken cummings

Has anyone tired one of the MR16 color-changing LED bulbs from www.SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM ? Sounds like fun .

Daily Commute

For my DIY HID Li-Ion, the real problem has become the switch. I wouldn't want to run an expensive light off an expensive battery without something to tell me that the voltage has dropped so low that it will damage both.

Am I wrong to insist on a switch with a low-battery indicator? If not, have any of you seen one available?

Adding a voltage meter seems awkward. Alwier suggested PART#HCAP0331
from this site, but it just gows from 11V to 13V. If I used it, would I just turn the loght off when there were only 11V? When there is less than 11V?

Thanks to all.

ItsJustMe

I just hooked that HID up to my bottle battery with a regular old switch.
I used a 14.4v battery - that was a mistake. I had to put a voltage regulator in line because a 14.4v battery puts out in the neighborhood of 15.7v for a while, and it killed my first HID (trailtech fixed it for me).
I set the regulator at 12.6v and it's been running all winter just fine. I think if I'd started with a 12v battery instead I'd have been fine and a little richer.

ItsJustMe

BTW a cutoff at 11v would be fine.
Here is my test of voltage vs time. The battery was a 14.4v 4500 mAH NiMH, and the load was a 13W TrailTech HID and a small amber strobe (about 250 mA drain I think).

https://www.hauntedfrog.com/HID%20light%20voltage.pdf

As you can see, with a 14.4v battery, once you hit 13v, you're heading south fast. If you multiply by 10/12 (for 10 batteries instead of 12), your drop point will be around 10.8v. Really you're about to start tanking by that time and have very little life left.

bkrownd

These are a steal.

Paul L.

supposedly the switch they sell starts blinking when the battery gets low. If you go with the Batteryspace lithium batteries they have electronics on them that prevent overcharging and draining so you get a double protection if you go that route (I did and it has worked great for me in rain and dry).

TexasGuy

what is this thread about?