Getting closer to my perfect light, what do you think?

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

I've built big lights with lots of lumens, even a HID, so I'm starting to look more for what I really want. I do not want a thrower. I like flood. I guess in a way, I want a light that is more of a household lamp. No real hot spot, just a soft flood of light that is even across the flood area.

I also don't want it to be heavy or have a bunch of bumps all over it. I want it more sleek looking and big enough around to hold well. I also want it to be the type of light where if you have a power outage, you can turn it on, tail stand it on the end table and the whole room gets a nice soft flood of light from the ceiling bounce.

I also have to do it with a budget in mind, so I have been playing with ideas. I have gotten closer to my perfect light and I am testing out a design with an old Q5 emitter I had. Now this emitter is not what I want. I want a more warm emitter or on the edge of neutral/warm. I also don't need so many lumens as this puts out, but this is just for testing, so I have it and I use it.

I'm not going to go into much more detail than that, yet... I feel the light will be used for lighting any room during a power outage, walking along the sidewalk, getting up at night to check on things or make that bathroom break.

I took a few photos last night at work, to give you an idea of what I am going to do. The light is too white/blue for me and some of my camera angles are wrong, but you should get the idea. There will be a control shot for each followed by the shot with the light on, to give you an idea of the conditions before turning on the light and then what it looked like to my eyes.

1

In the warehouse - 7' to the product in front

2

Same shot as above with the light on

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3

Looking down an aisle

4

Same shot with me walking towards the camera

5

Same shot with me walking away from the camera

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6

Facing the guard shack - 6' away

7

Same shot with the light on

8

Again, the same shot

9

Same except with me closer to the shack to see the flood area better. I'm only about 3-4 feet away from the shack.

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91

Shot of the drive straight down at about 3'

92

Same shot with the light on

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The reason for all of this? Well with prices as they are and with discounts for multiples, I thought if others would want a light like this, I might make 10-20 of them.

I am a long way away from showing you a finished light. I have to complete my SAiK build first and then I have to buy at least 1 emitter of the flavor I want. Then I have to design it, make it and use it for a while, so I do not look to have the first one before the first of the year. I just wanted to see what people thought of the whole idea of the beam of this light. I don't know that I will produce more than one, but if it comes out well, people might like it enough to make me want to make up a few for others.

Anyhow, take a look. It's all just an idea right now. Tell me what you think.

2

I might not have gotten the point - but this looks like a C78 or SK68 on flood or UF H2 or H3.

KD has a nice XP-G R4 4B neutral white emitter (link).

3

Couldn’t you take most any light and diffuse it and put a light amber filter in there as well to knock the edge off the blue portion of the spectrum and have your perfect light?



That’s what I do for many of my lights as well.

4

I didn't specify home made light, sorry about that...Frown

Using parts that are not intended for lights, but just hardware and hobby parts. The only part that would be purchased out of town would be the emitter.

5

My flooder is my most used light.

This is an example-setup. Diffuser is used with XM-L @ 2,8A and in L2m extended. Diff itself inside heads glass.

Notice, that zebralight SC51w itself has a rather wide spill. Spill with diffuser is about 170 degrees and it fades really gently without specific border.

Picture does not do the right justice as in-use -picture. Looks pretty much like Old-lumens picture number 2.

Great in indoor use, great in outdoor use. "Throws" in complete darkness only about 50m but the point in this light is, you never need to actually point it anywhere, you see it all...

For example, keeping the light in my fist, arm straight down, bezel to front, it lights everything starting from my toes...

Honestly can´t really see, why there´s so little diffused lights in market. Zebra has some with frosted lens, also a couple of others.

When diffused, light seems to lose it´s output and people tend to keep high-lux lights as more effective ones over lumens. Maybe thats the cause, it´s useful but it won´t sell.

6

I think I'd just stick with my UF-H2/H3

7

It sounds like you are developing what's called a "mule."

Looks interesting !!!! Thanks for sharing !!!

8

No reflector, no special lens. These pics were with no lens at all and no reflector at all. A lens would be used, but just a stock lens for protection, nothing dispersive, diffusive or tinted.