Project Log: DIY Canister light

[nwbrewer]

Send me a PM with an e-mail address and I'll send you the BOM for my light. I'm learning the EE stuff as I go here. I thought the same as you, but I was really not very happy with my halogen light, both in terms of light output and battery life.

Using AA Ni-Mh batteries and a regular Terralux TLE-6EX makes it so you need very little electronics experience. The Reed switch is dead simple, just goes in line with the power supply. Magnet is close -> on, magnet moves away -> off.

LED just blows away halogen. It's a closer race to HID, and I'm not getting into that, but halogen there's no contest.

Jake

 

[BNow0707]

PM Sent. Thanks

 

[ucfdiver]

Almost forgot, here is a link to the 3W LED's. They have a built in driver that allows an input voltage anywhere between 3V-18V.

What would be th lumen rating if I had 3 of those in a light? What about 4?

Also would I have to worry about a heat sink with this setup?

 

[ucfdiver]

Another LED combo option, not sure what reflectors to use with them.
DealExtreme: $6.44 3.6V~9V 800mA Regulated IC Circuit Board for Cree and SSC LEDs (4-pack)
DealExtreme: $8.09 Cree XR-E Q5 Emitter on Premium Star (228LM at 1A)

 

[marchand]

If you get this you can put them in the reflector in the second link. If you go to my first post the first link will take you to directions.

I have no idea about the first emitter you linked to.

 

[marchand]

I believe that the 3W emitters produce 220ish lumens each. The guy who made the 3x3W light says that three combined output 660lm.

Yes, you will probably need a heat sink.

 

[marchand]

Got the LED's yesterday and I have been playing around with them. Man are they bright. A single one is as bright as my UK HID.

Thats what they look like. They are just over an inch wide at their widest point and about 1.5" long. Did I say they are bright?

 

[Plumb bob]

LED just blows away halogen. It's a closer race to HID, and I'm not getting into that, but halogen there's no contest.

Jake

How do you figure that? The pic on the previous page can only be of a halo being driven at 12v on a battery that is close to being spent.. I have made a halo torch with a 35watt IR being driven by 14.4volts that is putting out 1800+ lumens and a colour of about 6000K with 8 deg divergence.

Maybe your referring to the numerous other benefits of LEDS but for lumen output they are still way behind a good halo. Oh and you can boil fish whilst they´re still swimming! now that´s fresh!

 

[nwbrewer]

I guess I was looking at Lumens/watt as far as blowing away the halogens. My original light was running almost the same as you, a 30watt IR MR16 at 14.4 volts, 8deg beam. As far as power consumption, dealing with the heat, being able to get a tighter beam, cutting through the murky waters of the US Pacific Northwest, my LED seems to work much better than the Halogen ever did.

How do you figure that? The pic on the previous page can only be of a halo being driven at 12v on a battery that is close to being spent.. I have made a halo torch with a 35watt IR being driven by 14.4volts that is putting out 1800+ lumens and a colour of about 6000K with 8 deg divergence.

Maybe your referring to the numerous other benefits of LEDS but for lumen output they are still way behind a good halo. Oh and you can boil fish whilst they´re still swimming! now that´s fresh!

 

[marchand]

How do you figure that? The pic on the previous page can only be of a halo being driven at 12v on a battery that is close to being spent.. I have made a halo torch with a 35watt IR being driven by 14.4volts that is putting out 1800+ lumens and a colour of about 6000K with 8 deg divergence.

Maybe your referring to the numerous other benefits of LEDS but for lumen output they are still way behind a good halo. Oh and you can boil fish whilst they´re still swimming! now that´s fresh!

Um, my 3W led blows away my 8W halogen light. Its brighter, has whiter light, same beam, runs cooler, will last forever, and doesn't eat batteries. How are they behind Halogen?