Replacement MC-E LED head for Canister Divelight ...

[lucca brassi]

One thing that worries me a little is how to prevent the reed switch from activating while in storage/transit.

To keep magnet in position use these nuts (don't know right name) with ball and spring
nuts

How can you keep external magnets (like speakers in the trunk of a car) from activating the reed switch?

Don't worry will not

For IP68 toggle switch and right boot read canister-switch

Is it as simple as disconnecting the battery while in transport?

You should do this anyway

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I have seen on yours pictures putting AGRO glands in the plastic lid. The gland have only 4 screw turns ! I have wondered to put myself AGRO gland in to the reduce fitting nut from brass to get better stronger contact on plastic ?

 

[wquiles]

To keep magnet in position use these nuts (don't know right name) with ball and spring
nuts

Don't worry will not

Never say never. I know of one case in Spain in which the car of a diver caught on fire due to a magnetic switch that went ON while in the trunk - the car was a total loss, but no-one got hurt. I don't know what type of magnetic switch it was, and I don't know if the light lacked a physical mechanism like the one you linked to, but as you said, disconnecting the battery is the simple answer.

For IP68 toggle switch and right boot read canister-switch

Thank you for the link on the switch/boot - great reading. I have a copy of Steve's "Divelight Companion", so I ended up ordering the same part number from McMaster-Carr that Steve recommended - might as well stick with that works.

I have seen on yours pictures putting AGRO glands in the plastic lid. The gland have only 4 screw turns ! I have wondered to put myself AGRO gland in to the reduce fitting nut from brass to get better stronger contact on plastic ?

Although I really like the AGRO cable gland, that was also my own observation as something "weak" about their design, unless of course it was originally designed for threading into metal. To compensate for this, I drill/bored the hole before threading a little bit smaller, to get 75% engagement threads, as compared to the normal 60% engagement threads, plus I will apply silicone sealant to the hole and threads to give the gland a more sturdy seal (also another reason why I counter-sunk the cable glands).

I know these glands are used by other divers and diving-equipment vendors, so I wonder if they also apply sealant to the threads or not

 

[lucca brassi]

How can you keep external magnets (like speakers in the trunk of a car) from activating the reed switch? Don't worry will not

I have made a littele experiment with several industrial reed switches ( which are put on pneumatics cylinders and very powerfull small magnet (8mm x 4mm could hold 1.5kg). Switch was activated only in special positions where it is magnet field paralell with reed switch contacts . From distance more than 10 mm no switch have made contact!
Summary
It is very important placing magnet or switch to made contact reliable.

It have some gray fields where a switch it is not connected/closed
More literature is here REED SWITCH CONTACT AREA other interesting literature for example current REED LITERATURE

unless of course it was originally designed for threading into metal....
silicone sealant to the hole and threads to give the gland a more sturdy seal

I think in the same way ! Silicone dont't glue to delrin , it is only way to fill air gap between threads of plastic and gland. I think that producer of Aquasure McMaster-Carr
have some ''cement glue'' to solve that problems.

 

[wquiles]

I have made a littele experiment with several industrial reed switches ( which are put on pneumatics cylinders and very powerfull small magnet (8mm x 4mm could hold 1.5kg). Switch was activated only in special positions where it is magnet field paralell with reed switch contacts . From distance more than 10 mm no switch have made contact!
Summary
It is very important placing magnet or switch to made contact reliable.

It have some gray fields where a switch it is not connected/closed
More literature is here REED SWITCH CONTACT AREA other interesting literature for example current REED LITERATURE

Thank you much for the information. I have not used magnetic switches yet, so this helps me out a lot. I will definitely order some parts from Digikey and "play" with them on my bench to get familiarised with them

I think in the same way ! Silicone dont't glue to delrin , it is only way to fill air gap between threads of plastic and gland. I think that producer of Aquasure McMaster-Carr
have some ''cement glue'' to solve that problems.

Gotcha. I will not use plain silicone for this application. I did not realise that it would be more of a gasket material when used with Delrin - thank you very much for the heads up

I went and did a quick search and found this site has some good recommendations as to what to use with Delrin for underwater conditions:
Marine sealant sailboat repair

The site above has some recommendations (Polysulfide and Polyurethane), so I might try to find some to use for this specific application with Delrin.


Again, much appretiated with the tips/advice

Will

 

[wquiles]

The new switch boot from McMaster-Carr arrived today!

Here is the original switch boot:

Here is the one I bought first, but that it seemed too "thin" to me:

Here on the left is the new one I received today - it feels as tough and thick as the original one:

 

[wquiles]

Grant,

Since you told me that activating the switch through the switch guard was hard, specially when wearing gloves, I did a small mod to facilitate access to the switch without compromising the guard:

now your fingers (even with gloves) will have a little bit more room to active the switch:

Will

 

[wquiles]

I started work on the LED side a couple of days ago, and the head is almost done now ...

Warm White MC-E:

paper guide to line up the holes for the hipCC driver:

align MC-E driver and mark approximate locations for wire and holes:

line up head in mill:

mill cuts for wires:

 

[wquiles]

Start with the ring to center the reflector in the head:

check for fit:

cut it (or part it, as some call this operation):

 

[wquiles]

Slightly bend the wires up, as I will be soldering the wires from underneath. That is why I cut those groves in the copper heatsink - this will prevent a short circuit with the metal reflector:

Apply a thin coat of epoxy to the bottom of each wire groove - to provide electrical isolation:

Using two-part thermal glue, center the emiter using the reflector:

While it dries, test the hipCC (George from TaskLED tests 100% of his drivers prior to shipping, but I always test them before soldering in case I damage them by handling them, even though I use a grounded static wristband):

 

[wquiles]

Using 10mil thermal tape, set the hipCC in position, and wire the LED emiter:

A quick test:

apply epoxy to the wires and electrical connections to seal them from humidity, and also the holes going to the driver underneath: