The big lights(8” 6xml’s) have always worked well. It’s the new triple round xml2 light that is the problem.
It is probably not cool, and it would be a lot of work but I have been thinking about this light bar a lot, and I have an idea about the lens issue. It all depends on if someone can drill and tap the top your bar or the opening that the reflectors shine through. For simplicity to drill and tap to take the lens, bezel and gasket of a Solarforce L2(whatever). Those would be easier to waterproof than a channel of lights and reflectors. But that might increase the mass that I think you were saying you wanted to keep down.
Any updates to this project?
I could really use some help from someone with AutoCAD experience. I have a friend with a CNC machine that tells me he can cut out all of my parts to complete this project if I can provide input files and material. Can someone with AutoCAD or similar please help me with the drawings/input files? There isnt a whole lot to it. I could provide some detailed specs if someone could please help me.
Another member helped me get this far with a rough draft to conceptualize the project, but he no longer has access to AutoCAD.
There need to be a few revisions to the basic drawing along with a few other simple parts milled out.
FP I can try to help you
Done, PM me for the DWG file.
I can try to help you: 01:50 (new)
Done: 02:02 (new)
DAGGUM!!!
Thank you for offering to help me Daniel, but its not all that simple.
The drawing is a reflector placement grid for visualization purposes only.
1) It needs to be revised to make the reflectors equidistant from the edges of the heat sink while maintaining equal spacing between each reflector.
2) The heat sink will use 40 x 20mm Noctigon boards, which will need to be tapped and threaded (2 screws each board) to the heat sink in the center locations of each hole in the drawing. So, the only holes that would be drilled in the heat sink at this time are 80 small threaded mounting holes to fix each Noctigon board (40 boards require 80 small threaded holes to mount them).
3) The reflectors will be retained by a front aluminum mounting plate with 40 holes for each reflector (with a ledge in each hole for an oring and reflector to press against). The mounting plate will be a bit larger than the actual heat sink. I still need to get precise measurements for you. I will probably need to come up with a drawing and post it here for you to get a better idea to CAD from. Each reflector OD is 1.6142”. The holes will need to be slightly larger for differences in reflector size and I still need to find out the ID, depth and width of each shelf in each reflector hole to hold the reflectors in the holes. Also need to measure the thick aluminum plate sitting in the shop.
4) The reflector mounting plate will be fixed to the heat sink with 4 rectangular pieces of aluminum plate to box it in.
Im sorry if I lost you. Its not so easy to explain. This is all preliminary and Im in no rush. Are you still able to help? Ive never attempted anything like this before and know nothing about CNC equipment, so Im not sure what questions to ask the owner. Have you done this type of work before?
Thanks again.
20mm Noctigon
To help visualize, check out comfychair’s reflector retaining plate with the ledges in each hole to hold an oring and reflector. Mine would be rectangular with 40 holes as described above.
- I’ve revised it a little, I think it need a little more work
- I would guess the threaded holes for the Noctigones’ screws are going to be done manually, not by a CNC. You would still need a template of some kind;
- Roger that with the ledges for the reflectors, you need to measure them;
- I haven’t done CNC work before but I suppose he needs some CAD files to tell the machine where to cut, basically a bunch of ones and zeroes
Sure I can help in my spare time.
Thank you so much for jumping in. My day has been overloaded, but hope to find some time tomorrow to get more information.
1) The second drawing looks terrific! (Bottom left - .1206 vertical spacing) should work well and leave enough material since each side will be increased by the width of the aluminum plates to box in the reflector mounting plate. I still need to measure and calculate overall dimensions (H x W) for the reflector mounting plate.
2) I’ll check again, but I think he told me the screw holes for the Noctigons can be done by the machine. That would sure be a huge benefit for precision alignment and save a good deal of tedious work. I’ll also ask if the machine can tap & thread and how that pertains to your drawings.
3) It all looks do-able.
4) More questions and answers that still need to come.
This is all starting to look like it might actually come together this time. Thanks again for your help! :bigsmile:
The sink and aluminum weren’t where I though I had stashed them so I had to go digging. I was happy to find them again! :bigsmile: When you get a chance, can you please see what you can do with the new revisions below?
Revisions:
Sink surface: 25.375” x 5.075”
Reflector opening: 1.639”
Width of reflector shelf to retain o-ring: 0.059”
Hole: 1.521”
Actual Measurements:
Sink surface: 25.375” x 5.075”
Reflector diameter: 1.634”
Width of reflector lip: 0.068”
Reflector ID: 1.498
I’ll take a look at it tomorrow FP, pretty swamped at work. On first glance something does not add up. Shouldn’t reflector interior diameter+reflector lip=reflector diameter? I think I’ll draw a reflector and have you fill out the dimensions of it and the oring/reflector retaining lip/shelf.
Thanks Daniel, Im in no rush. The measurements below are clearanced for reflector fitment and meant to be cut into the reflector retaining plate to secure the reflectors to the sink. The plate is 0.375” thick.
Reflector opening: 1.639”
Width of reflector shelf to retain o-ring: 0.059”
Hole: 1.521”
So…
The hole to be cut in the center of the plate: 1.521 - this will go through part of the plate and stop when it contacts the shelf. I will provide the cutting depth later for the 3D image.
1.521 + Shelf 0.059 + 0.059 (shelf is circular, so on each side)
= 1.639 outside diameter
Does this make sense?
My brain was on vacation I guess, of course it makes sense.
OK FP, take a look at this revision. I’ve marked in red the problem areas where there’s little material left between the two reflectors and at the edge. You could address this problem by replacing the leftmost and rightmost reflectors in the second row with smaller ones (RGB leds?).The first reflector on the left in the second row is not simmetrical to the second reflector because of space constraints. The dotted lines are the reflector openings (on the inside), the solid lines are the holes. Between them is the shelf for the oring. 0.0784 inch is almost 2mm which I think is a small distance.
Think about it and let me know.
Thanks Daniel, your presentation is excellent, well thought out and easy to interpret. Thanks for showing the potential problem areas in another drawing, because I’m not so sure that I would have picked up on them otherwise. I’ll have to spend some time mulling over the measurements in the constrained areas that you mentioned, but so far it looks terrific.
The o-rings are 1.5mm thick.
Since the reflectors have to fit within the confines of the heat sink surface, I wanted to concentrate on reflector placement first.
Two things will ultimately come from this template:
1) For the heat sink: We can later find the center of each reflector hole to position each emitter. Each emitter will have 2 holes drilled to fix it to the heat sink. I will later provide the distance and position from each center where the CNC can drill our holes for precision emitter placement.
2) For the reflector retaining plate: (which is what we are working on now). This will be cut from 3/8” aluminum plate (0.375”). Since it will ultimately have to be fashioned into a box to fix it to the heat sink, this reflector retaining plate will need to be enlarged 0.375” on each side.
Think of the reflector retaining plate as the floor to a box assembly without the lid (made of 0.375” aluminum), slipping over the heat sink to retain the reflectors. I hope that makes more sense.
I didnt realize that we were working with such tight tolerances, but it all looks doable with a few more revisions.
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! :bigsmile:
Any updates to this? I’m dying for an XM-L2 light bar. Cash in hand!
Ive been buried in other projects but need to get back to this. The tight clearance with some of the reflectors are problematic. Im going to meet up with a guy with a CNC to discuss options.
Hi Daniel,
I just wanted to thank you again for all the help you’ve given me. I couldn’t find anyone to fabricate a reflector holder at a reasonable price so the project has taken a new direction. There are other reasons that I’ll list below, and all for the better.
Again, thank you so much for trying to help a fellow BLF’er. 