OK to keep up I started to update the initial interst list, initial,not final we understand, yet having all those people on it now (wauw 2 already and I was very strict only those who wrote “interested or I’m in) helps a great dal in finding a manufacturer.
hmm a battery operated penetrator? somehow this doesnt sound right
Very cool all those names, we need a name and the basic way we want it (plunger, aluminium box or maybe something else out of the box ) before we can go into more details on specs and find a manufacturer to actually build it, rest assure we are talking about options here, but having the three things going we are building now (basic form, name and people interested) are a great start
There are lots of lights with big output and decent throw (mostly XHP70 lights, some XHP50) already.
There are just a few light with really impressive throw and most of them are quite expensive (i.e. Thrunite TN42 or big Nitecore lights).
What I (so just my 2 cents) would be looking for is an affordable thrower, that outthrows the TN42. And by a fair margin.
That leaves only a few options for the emitter:
XP-L HI - estimated 1Mcd and 1400 lumens (not that much more then the TN42 but still decent)
XP G2 (which ever version, dedomed or sliced) - in the 1,2 - 1.4Mcd range and 900 lumens output (estimates)
Oslon Black Flat - Probably same range as XP G2, maybe a bit higher, but factury flat dome so guaranteed good colour rendition.
—> In the German forum I read this Led has been tested to procude 230cd per square mm, at just 3,5A. I really like those numbers because just two cells would suffice to have this led perform at peak.
The XP G2 and Oslon version would mean the light will produc a pencil beam but with throw well above and beyond 1Mcd you would be able to light things up at huge distances and the pencil beam would be quite sufficient so………yes, please.
Performance fiures like that and no need for more then two cells would also mean the light could be significant smaller and lighter (remember, the Oslon needs only 3,5A) then a XHP35 HI version and that’s not bad either.
In essence, it would be a huge reflector with only a smll space needed for two cells, electronics and switch(es).
We then even could go for the design that Djozz already posted, an extremely compact build.
There is a German modder-constructor,who makes lights with collimator lenses,at over 600000cd,but they are aspherics.You can see one of these lights,in CPF.
But they are pretty expensive.
I made a simple dedomed XM-L2 + 35cm fresnel lens thrower that does more than 5 million cd (it is a fun device), costs were 50 dollar in parts mainly because the fresnel lens (a cheap plastic device that was sold for ‘solar cooking’) was bought expensive on ebay, a cheaper source would bring that build back to less than $30.
The point is that achieving the 1 Mcd is easy, it is not rocket science neither is it expensive, but doing 1+ Mcd in an attractive convenient package that is as compact and lightweight as possible is the challenge. The fresnel lens thing is a big ugly wooden box, we do not want that in this project.
Well for me (and it seems not picked up by any1 ) this would be the light Old Lumens wrote about he wanted to see made.
He said:
Big reflector
Long srk style tube for 2*4 cells
The 120mm is much bigger then the 86mm he used in a build
This is where 4S2P comes from
And because of the massive heat sinking XHP could be driven hard
And well pencil beam, I’d like marker beam (you know sharpies being thicker then pencils )
Also kicking it back in I’d like to round up the sale price to the next x0 or x5 to get at least $5 so $5-$10 per light sold for Justin and Valerie.
A smaller lens based light would be another project (shame MEM zoned out) and yeah would like to see it and even do it but not until the Q8 is in the hands of all that want one and this giga thrower is at the stage the Q8 is in right now. So if people want that faster I’d day, go for it and put me on the interest list
Then we have two extreme directions in this discussion:
1) The ‘OL way’: big reflector big output led (think XHP70), with consequently a fair number of batteries and large capacity heatsinking
The OL way is heavy and will not have massive throw, you will stay well under 1 Mcd. But the big bright hotspot will be very impressive.
2) The maximum throw way: big reflector small die led (think XP-L HI), can be driven with two or even one battery, heatsinking is very modest.
This can be made very compact, the size is the reflector and not much more, and be featherweight. The throw with a 120mm reflector can be up to 1.5 Mcd. It is an extreme pencil beam!
Depending on pricing, at least one and if possible one as host (I would one with XP-L HI IF over 1Mcd - but I still would want one with Oslon Black Flat for max throw, minimal usabilty and max fun)
) this would be the light Old Lumens wrote about he wanted to see made.