Building a cannister light

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by bwollard
It seems by the lack of usefull reponses, you will be the first. Good Luck!!!

Read for comprehension....

1. Be careful you don't end up spending more making 1~2~3 than you would have buying one with a warranty.

2. Make the switch guard big enough to get a gloved finger in but not so short that the light can be accidentally turned off.

3. Lights are not just for night diving... they are excellent communication tools and HIDs are the best.

 

[jobowker]

For those who want to buy an HID light but don't want to spend the big bucks for a canister, look into something like the UK Light Cannon, a 10 watt HID for under $200. For the adventuresome person (I'm with you on this one, and I'm in the middle of building a wood & fiberglass dighy for my boat) there was a web site of a guy who made one, complete with part numbers and prices. Search for do it yourself homemade dive gear and you should be able to find it. He mentioned what happened when he turned it on while not submerged, and other pitfalls.
While I like DIY stuff for boating, all of my scuba gear is strictly stock.

 

[detroit diver]

Well, all the parts are in (except for the cord gland which I ordered too large). We should start next week. I think it will take 6-8 hours to comlete 2 units.

I'll let you know the outcome....

 

[scubaturek]

If you're going to use 4" tube (I assume PVC, wanna try ABS?), Yuasa and others make a 6v, 5ah battery that will fit. Put two of them together for a 12v package and the can will be about 10" tall. I haven't tried it yet, but I've sure thought about it. Should give you a long burn time with HID (5, 6 hrs?). The battery I'm talking about is 2.6"W, 2.6"D, and 3.8"H.

Uncle Pug, I build all kinds of dive gear because I can, and if it breaks, I fix it *right now* because I can.

Go ahead, be sarcastic.

Joe

 

[detroit diver]

Originally posted by scubaturek
If you're going to use 4" tube (I assume PVC, wanna try ABS?), Yuasa and others make a 6v, 5ah battery that will fit. Put two of them together for a 12v package and the can will be about 10" tall. I haven't tried it yet, but I've sure thought about it. Should give you a long burn time with HID (5, 6 hrs?). The battery I'm talking about is 2.6"W, 2.6"D, and 3.8"H.

Joe

Joe,

We're using the PVC (electrical conduit, sched 40). We were looking at using the 6V 3.4ah batteries, but your suggestion makes a lot more sense. I want to put as much into the tube as I can fit. 5-6 hours? That would be great!

I'm even more excited now, thanks!

Jack

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by scubaturek
Uncle Pug, I build all kinds of dive gear because I can, and if it breaks, I fix it *right now* because I can.

Good Joe.... some can and some can't....
You can.... and you give useful tips to others...

Go ahead, be sarcastic.

Thanks Joe....it's tempting at times....
But I'm trying to be helpful ....
Giving tips to those who might not be able to do what you can do....

BTW can you focus your light into a beam for signaling???

 

[bwollard]

How is the cannister light project going?

 

[detroit diver]

Slowly!! We started making the bottom cap, and it didn't turn out as well as expected. Tough to get this thing perfectly round. The next step is to make a template out of wood as a guide for the router. Should've thought of this in the first place!

I'll keep you posted.

 

[scubaturek]

Uncle Pug, the light head I'm currently using is an MR16, which is nice and compact, but not focusable. With a narrow (10 degree) spot, it is definitely capable of signalling. However, the larger the reflector, the more "usable" light you have. The 3" diameter focusable test-tube light heads are more efficient, and can narrow the beam down to about 6 degrees. That is going to be my next light project, and is definitely easier to build than an MR16 or MR11.

Detroit Diver:
Jack, if you don't have a lathe, you really have your work cut out for you (no pun). Make the bottom cap as close a fit as you possibly can (the top is sealed with an o-ring, so it doesn't need to be perfect). Use lots of adhesive. I mean, be absolutely messy about it. You can clean it up later. After the cap is glued on and cured, push the can down into water most of the way (don't let any water get inside) and hold it there for a minute or two. See if any water weeps in. If it does, use aquarium sealer, or marine Goop, to seal the cap/tube joint inside and out. That will fix small leaks, but big leaks mean start over. Good luck.

Joe

 

[detroit diver]

Joe,

I've got a small lathe, but it's not a precision piece, if you know what I mean! We're going to use that as last resort.

We had planned on doing the bottom and top without putting in the switch and gland, and taking it to 130 feet. That should test it!

Thanks,

Jack