I want to put together a good LED flashlight that will be very bright i'm thinking 400 lumen or better and of course have a decent runtime. I would like to have it run on AA or AAA rechargeable batteries so i can pick new ones up at anytime without ordering. I am willing to make, buy or mod anything within reason.
Any ideas or starting points are appreciated.. I am new and dont know much about drivers and so on but can solder.
Does anyone have any ideas of a cheap DIY setup?
What LED dropin should I use to get the best bang for my buck?
Like how2 said, it will most likely be cheaper just buying the light.
However, it feels good to build one from "scratch" so to speak. But can you provide a bit more info? Like how many cells (nimh) you want to be using? Because there are no 400 lumen lights that run off single AA or AAA's (and be cheaply priced). You can with li-ions, but that's another thing.
I am open to up to 6 AA cells .. I am willing to make or buy a case for it to fit into. I am not set on a drop in unit. The only reason I mentioned that was that I don't know anything about the drivers, and heat sink (always willing to learn though). I was hoping to find an idea that would take me some work but end up with a high powered quality light. I would spend up to $60.00 more or less.. I always like to get the best I can for the money so I am flexible.
This Youtube video is what got me to thinking I could build a good light at a reasonable price... The brighter the better..
C-88 and mod it .if you want to stay AA then this is a nice light begging to be modded ..it's also a nice light unmodded i put a neutral xpg in mine .With a 1.4 or a 1.7 amp driver it will be plenty bright like 400 lumens brite
xm-l emitters are currently the most efficient in terms of lumens per amp, as I understand.
I have a project in the making in which I am modding a Dorcy 3AAA light to run an XM-L emitter with a 1.4 amp driver. It'll run on eneloops; should be 400-ish lumens. Will post thread later