Light collimation with an LED flashlight

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
11

I’m at 4.63Mcd already, I need more.
Moooore :smiley:

12

Well, almost every one wants more actually, but my point is about the BLF GT specifically, not a light that looks like something like a shoulder-fired anti-craft missile launcher. :open_mouth:

13

At this point I’m willing to build a light that looks like a cake pan as long as it breaks records.
Someone else can mod the GT into a 2-3Mcd thrower, I just have slightly different personal interests :slight_smile:

14

Very well then, a record-breaking cake pan we go! :+1:

15

:+1:
You will see it hopefully soon, maybe christmas :slight_smile:
3d model is almost complete, will start buying parts soon.

16

Followed a link to this topic.
Excellent method for tuning a thrower. :+1:

17

Would this method work for centering the led to the reflector and to adjust the height of the led in the reflector?

18

Nice work Enderman!

bookmarking for later use :wink:

19

Thanks, I knew people would find it useful :slight_smile:

Only for the height. In order to center it you would need to make the reflector perfectly parallel to the wall, and then have the template on the wall lined up with the reflector on both axis.

Thank you :slight_smile:

20

Too bad I’m almost indifferent towards optics (I really don’t know why) and throwers. This kind of stuff is not for everyone nor for every day use. I’m convinced that even years from now people are going to consult your posts. I think these things cost time. Kudos! :+1: :beer:

21

Curiosity: in (castillian) spanish the word “led” is an acronym, and of course we pronounce it as a word in its own right. Odd it is to see a certain subset of english speakers pronouncing it as a sequence of independent character initials: http://www.wordreference.com/definition/led. I wholeheartedly support the ;-) “jamaican” way (listen to the speechs in wordreference).

Regarding this thread's title, thus saying “a led flashlight” is equally correct.

Cheers :-)

22

Thank you for this thread Enderman. I tried your method above with the 2 pieces of paper. It verified that the GT was, at a minimum, very close to focused. So much better approach then the way I have been doing it (i.e. eyeballing and repeatedly measuring throw).

23

My hat felt , by itself , in regard of your work , Enderman ! As always , science at the highest level ! Thanks , and my humble respects !...

24

Thanks great to hear!
The GT does look very well focused from the beamshots.


Thanks :slight_smile:
I wanted to find a way to make sure I was getting maximum throw without having to take lux measurements 1+km away while focusing the flashlight at the same time.
So I figured this out :smiley:

25

A few questions since I plan on trying this:

  • I should be able to just resize your image to whatever size I need right? No need to make my own, just keep the proportions and resize to whatever light I want?
  • The second sheet is just a copy right? Your photo is zoomed in so it almost appears like the remote paper is larger but I suspect it’s just an illusion and they are the same size since we want parallel lines.
  • In the below image you say it’s “overfocused”. In the case of a normal reflector would this image mean the LED is too far IN the reflector or vice versa? And just to be very explicit the solution would be to make the centering ring thicker or thinner?
26

I wonder why I’m just now seeing this thread. Thanks for linking back to it from the Osram “White Flat” thread, Enderman. And thanks for making this thread a while back.

contactcr, the second sheet is a copy, the same size as the first. You were right in thinking they need to be parallel. I don’t know the answer to your second question, but I would guess overfocused means the LED is too far IN. Let’s see if I’m right or wrong when somebody who knows comes back around.

27

Great article, thanks for the repost!

28

I’m also guessing the LED is too far_ in _[the reflector] as well, since if you reversed the square centers at the target, through the pinhole and reflector, they would converge closer to the lens side?

29

Yes, it can just be resized as needed.
You want both sheets to be the same, you’re exactly right we want parallel lines from the holes in one sheet to the center of the squares in the other sheet.

In a reflector, the LED would be too far forward.

30

Your threads are allways intresting,
thanks for doing the great work and explantations

Regards Xandre