Nobody in their right mind would try to turn an S2 into a long range thrower so I’ll give it a go.
Firstly, with condenser lenses, a long focal length and small point source are key for a tight beam so increasing the length is a must. I figger the overall length will have to grow about 20mm longer for a 35mm focal length which I feel is acceptable. Diameter won’t change unless I add a zoom function.
By applying a combination of RLT™ and an old technique I believe was used in projectors, Reduced Aperture Technology, I should get a round beam angle of 0.6 degrees and high LED surface brightness. The tricky part is getting the right combination of dome size, LED, aperture, focal length and lens diameter. With RAT, the lens is focused on the aperture rather than the LED so an XPL HI or dedomed XML2 is needed to work with the smallest hole I can drill (0.345mm) and lens. Consequently, the math says I need a 7/16” dome for a .345mm aperture so a 7/16” ball end mill fits the bill perfectly. I also have a 20mm lens with 50mm focal length which should work with a dedomed XPG2 using this same setup and give an even tighter beam but that will add 35mm to the S2’s length.
“Reduced Aperture Technology” sounds like it’ll be throwing away a lot of useful light. You may get a very nice, well focussed, round spot but I don’t think the brightness will be great. Prove me wrong!
I made a quick and dirty zoomie sleeve to start off with so I could get the exact focal length before I make a permanent extension but collapsed, it’s only 5mm longer and 4mm wider at the head so I might just leave it alone. The wide angle beam is dim and not very wide but zoomed in (extended), it’s very laser like. From less than a foot, the spot is about 2mm diameter. Useless but fun.
I think the reflective dome is a little high as I machined it tall and planned to file it down as needed so some more tweaking needs to done before I get a lux reading and some outdoor beamshots.
Overall, this was a relatively easy mod and only cost me my time. The aluminum I used was from a bent handlebar and the Delrin, from a discarded frame slider. The only part I had to modify was the pill. I cut the ridge off and moved the holes out to accept a 20mm star.
The original reflector is replaced by the dome/aperture and spacer (painted black).
I’d like to but this is a first as far as I know so the results are unknown. No light gets thrown away because the aperture is always directly inline between some part of the LED’s surface and some part of the lens. Any waste should be because the reflective dome isn’t doing it’s job.
If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just open the aperture up just enough to allow the full surface of the LED fill the lens and move the focal point back to the LED just like a standard Wavien setup. In that case, I’ll use a dedomed XPE2 torch. }
After more polishing and fine tuning, I’m only getting a paltry 16686 lux. It does make an excellent hand warmer so I think a lot of that recycled light is getting converted into heat. It was worth a try in the interest of science but it’s time to trim the dome and execute plan B…
I made the following measurements and calculations for using a dedomed XPE2 Torch. Compared to my 1255500 lux light, the beam angles should be roughly identical if I use the 50mm FL lens:
Dedomed XPE2 w/ 35 mm focal length:
0.96 mm side to side = 1.55 degrees
1.36 mm corner to corner = 2.20 degrees
Dedomed XPE2 w/ 50 mm focal length:
0.96 mm side to side = 1.07 degrees
1.36 mm corner to corner = 1.54 degrees
Dedomed XPG2 w/ 75 mm focal length:
1.39 mm side to side = 1.05 degrees
1.97 mm corner to corner = 1.50 degrees
It’ll be interesting to see if the advantages of the thinner, higher quality, AR coated, 20mm spherical lens and the higher surface brightness of the XPE2 Torch can get the S2’s output in range of the bigger (60mm diameter usable) aspheric lens.
When has this forum ever been a safe place for anyone in their right mind? I’m enjoying being along for the ride for your outside the box thinking. Curious to see how it works out. Love the Wavien collar light BTW.
I used a 7/16” ball end mill, sanded out the ridges and polished with Mothers. Before I make any more, I’m going to hone the edge of the mill so it’ll leave a smoother finish. It’s a real pain getting those ridges out.
I use a light meter to focus the dome/collar and adjust the lens by matching distances between two points across the lens with the projected images.
Thanks for all the useful info. Could you elaborate on your second paragraph? this part “just the lens by matching distances between two points across the lens with the projected images.”? I don’t understand.
I’m enjoying being along for the ride for your outside the box thinking. Curious to see how it works out. Love the Wavien collar light BTW. 