YuvalS's Modification Class, 8th Annual BLF/OL contest entry topic

Use both. I have done this on high drain lights I’ve made. :beer:

I’m a big fan of this! The clicky switch can serve as just a power-cut (my preference) or also turn the light on when first activated (Anduril’s two-switch mode does this). Then after it’s on you get normal e-switch functionality.


I (barley) have space for 1 switch :( the housing is designed for the original toggle switch and does not have extra apace for modification

:+1:

Today I drilled the housing to place the switch.
Unforunately, I forgot to calculate place for the nut
I will have to figure out how to solve this


From the inside some Dremeling was required


But despite all, it sits flat :)

After your last year’s entry I had high hopes…and the project looks good so far. :slight_smile:

:+1: Great job. I have moments like that too, when I ask myself, after the fact, “why did I do that?”

Glue? :beer:

it is probably the way to go unless I can think of another, less permanent, solution

Maybe hot melt glue… it can be picked apart to remove if necessary. Or a silicone sealant. ??? Both easier to remove than something like epoxy.



Hot glue is a good idea just have to make sure it will not melt when the light is on Turbo....

After the drilling for the switch it is now the time for the cable gland, since I don't need it to be accessible as the switch and want to keep it protected I decide to hide it inside the heatsink. drilling between the aluminum walls was a bit off a challenge since the drill bit was caught all the time. luckily i found some strange drill bit in my kit that solved this problem.


than I had to use my biggest drill bit and some sanding to make enough place for the gland and a wrench


And of course tap the drill


next step is fix the paint job before gluing everything....

Whats the vice your using? Looks like an oldy but goody one.


My father got it as a present when his sister (my aunt) got born, she is almost 70 now.
It has no brand but is is better than most of today's branded tools.

Today was coloring and gluing (and waiting for everything to dry) day....
First I had to scrub all adhesives residues, dirt etc. that came with the light


And wait till it dries....
Than I applied several layers of black matte color


But it was worth the wait. I am very happy with the result. the matte is lot nicer than the original color (although I have no idea why they use color instead of anodize)


And the last two steps for today were toe screw the cable gland (had to drill it to 5.5 mm to fit my cable) and glue the switch (as you guys advised) I used the heat sink plaster for this mission. It is strong enough (but not permanent) and will will defiantly withstand the heat


You have to love the old tools. Glad the vice is still being used.
Good to see more headway on the torch. :beer:

Today was "soldering and assembly" day:
I glued the pill, driver, LEDs and optics to the body using heat-sink plaster


Then drilled thru the PCB and body holes for wires and soldered


And finished with soldering LEDs and driver, it finally starts to look like a headlamp


I have already burnt a FW and tested it and it works great but I still have to modify the battery box before further tests, I have some interesting plans for the box :)


Cool. Looking forward to seeing what is planned.

As promised, Today I worked on the battery box.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with caving lights, the battery box is placed at the back of the helmet and connected to the front part with a cable. It enable carrying many cells while distributing the weight evenly between the front and the back of the helmet, preventing the helmet falling over your face.

The original battery box was design to perfectly fit a 3S1P 18650 pack - I don't like packs since: you can not use the proprietary pack in other lights, cannot borrow or lend batteries from/to your friends during long trips and have to carry 2 sets of spare batteries: one for your main light and one for you backup light (which is usually smaller and use single cell).



I also didn't like the fact that the cable went out of the box on same direction as the nuts for closing the box. That way, if you place the box so the cable going down, you will probably lose a loosen nut and if you place it upside-down the cable is placed vulnerably and may get cut in tight passages.

So first, I drilled a new hole for the cable and placed a cable gland at the bottom of the box


Second step was to replace the battery pack with a 18650 battery holder so I can use regular interchangeable cells. I had to use 2 cells holder instead of the original 3 cells pack but I think it is worth it. (it is also less wight on the head).


I used the extra space for adding a USB charging module so it is easier to charge the cells at home or using a power bank at the filed.
This circuit also have a low voltage protection and it is a nice bonus.


I secured all the wires using hot glue to prevent damage over time caused by motion of the helmet. It does not look so nice but it is hidden in the battery box.
Last step was to verify charging and protection is working as planned.
I placed the charging module at the top of the box so no need to take the holder out to charge it and the indication LED are visible


Nice progress. :+1:

Looking good YuvalS. :beer: