Tiny high powered led for lighting sculpture - any ideas?

If it helps anyone: this reflector-less kind of light is commonly called a “mule”. I’d have my C8 like that, but without the reflector there’s nothing holding up the lens, and I’m not a fan of such blatantly-vulnerable hardware :confounded:

quick test

dedomed XPG2

15cm from LED to 10mm hexagon plate
Beam distance to my ceiling 1.7m

XPG2

20cm from LED to 10mm hexagon plate
Beam distance to my ceiling 1.7m

Test with XPL HI

20cm from LED to 10mm hexagon plate
Beam distance to my ceiling 1.7m

Test with XPL HD

20cm from LED to 10mm hexagon plate
Beam distance to my ceiling 1.7m
with reflector only the spill is useable

Test with XHP35 HI

20cm from LED to 10mm hexagon plate
Beam distance to my ceiling 1.7m

XPG2 dedomed and XHP35 HI
the XPL and XPL HI are in the middle of that sizes

I would just buy a BLF A6 for $27 and unscrew the head like this:

It has 7 brightness-es to choose from up to about 1600 lumen.

Thanks Lexel, I really appreciate your help. That sounds good.
Is that easy enough for a novice to put together do you think, or should I find someone experienced to put it together for me?

Edit…

I’ve just noticed the other posts and the photos. Thanks for all the effort, that’s fantastic.

Cheers everyone else too. Lots of stuff to consider.

I’m not weird… Honestly, I’m not. :cowboy_hat_face:
Have some lights here in various form and after reading the posts I was curious of the how or why shadows were blurry or crisp edges.
I always want to know why.

Also the light I have at the moment without lens or reflector is using a Cree XP-L HI emitter.

You are trying to accomplish what I would not necessarily want from a flashlight. Too white causes reflection back in your eyes and washes out the color. Also harsh shadows make it hard to see more. Warmer colored light or what we call high CRI emitters will offer better visual effects to bright flashlights by blending the shadows and reducing reflection back at you. The Sun in your pocket.

so according to my tests the XPG2 dedomed does get the best results folowed by the XPL HI

I added a few more results a few post above this one

but you see the 10mm Heyagons from the metal plate even with a larger LED like XHP35 HI

The dome on the XPL LED affects the sharp edges a lot

finally the XHP70 fails on showing the shape of the 10mm hexagons

Test with XHP70 sliced dome

20cm from LED to 10mm hexagon plate
Beam distance to my ceiling 1.7m

So Lexel… I’ve just looked in to dedoming and read that there can be a serious impact on lifespan, which might be a big problem. I think that the xpl Hi might be the best compromise.
I’ll start looking for someone local who can build what I need unless anyone on the forum feels like taking on the job?

Cheers

Andy

The flashlight I recommended has an XPL Hi, fyi…

You could make changes like replacing the battery with a set of wires, or using the threads at the front to mount it. I think it’s an excellent beginning to your art project.

Cheers Joshk. I suppose that could be the quick fix if, as mentioned above, I can saw the back off, fill it with glue and connect the right power to it.
Could I run in to problems with it cycling through the different modes when powered on/off?

Don’t saw the back off, drill a hole in the side and attach wires instead of the battery. Then you toggle modes just like always with the tailswitch.

I suspect that the length of the torch would be too much for this situation. The led would most likely be way too close to the metal design to cast sufficient shadows.

I agree with djozz, the Osram Black Flat “kills” all the other LEDs in this regard. 700 Lumen from a 1mm^2 DIE and it also produces a “crisp” coll-white tint which should add to the effect.
Good heatsinking is a must though at these currents!

I guess my photo editing skills are slow. So just use the head then. You can use any switch to toggle the modes. And it has mode memory, so it should stay put between power cycles.

Or just buy a heat sink and MCPCB. I will look for it.

Here you go:
CREE XP-L HI V3 3C LED on Noctigon 16mm MCPCB

Now you need a heat-sink though since you don’t have a flashlight tube…

Thanks for the comment.

That or the XPL - HI seem like 2 pretty good options to look in to. 700 lumen from such a small size sounds phenomenal.
When this thing is made on has good heatsinking, is there anything that you think might cause problems if I put it into an IP67 enclosure? Could it overheat and cause me problems?

I am from Germany I could do it for you.

I would go away from flashlight and build the star on a heatsink and seal the solder joints with acryl or epoxy, then it is IP68, no need to add a case with AR glass and heat problems.

Pretty much the star mounted on a heatsink,
cables to the PSU and buck driver that are in a case.

It is easy to get 700-1000 lumens from a XPL HI on DTP star.

Cheers Lexel. Have sent PM.

I’m off for now.

Cheers all. What an amazing forum! :slight_smile:

Ok a lot was going on by PMs and Emails

I will compress it a little bit

concept pictures

http://www.metronixlaser.de/bilder/flashlight/Kenfig%20doodles.pdf
hes quite an very interesting artist
check here: https://goo.gl/photos/Bbi8jZ3ba6XALyCFA
I suck on concepts pictures!

parts for his custom light sculpture:
12V 1.25A power supply

5A buck converters

waterproof boxes for powering the LEDs
!https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1NqKlOVXXXXbVXFXXq6xXFXXXa/Kunststoff-Wasserdichte-Klar-Abdeckung-Elektronische-Project-Box-Gehäuse-Fall-100x68x50mm.jpg_640x640.jpg !
nylon starin relief for cables

heat sinks 100x60x11mm

tunable resistors for brightness regulation

XPL HI V3-3C on noctigon DTP Star
28mm AR coated glass
5m cable for conection LED to power box
small heatsings for buck regulator
arctic silver ceramique 2 heatpaste

first tests with the buck converter
to get the brightness adjustment realized





test with different LEDs
result of XPL-Hi

first parts arrived today.

sent him also some pics of my bengal cats