RC-Lights - a history of my custom-lights so far

hi everybody,

in this thread i want to show my custom flashlights, give a plattform to discuss about it and introduce myself a bit more. so lets start.

my story startet 12 years ago, i was 15 years old and played soccer in the neighbour village. so i went by bicycle to the tranings and back again. In summertime no issue, but in the winter i rode most the time in the dark. For that reason i wanted to have a light on my bike. i always was interessed in technique and my father and grandfather have a small workshop, also with a small selfbuild lathe in it.

so i bought some led and reflector stuff, on ebay i found a 18650 battery. i put everything together and it worked. Maybe around 80-100 lumens, but a lot brighter than the maglites, we had so far:

so this was my first light and it was very easy. direct drive, no driver ( i guess only a resistant ). the switch was a screw, which i had to screw onto the battery to connect it with the housing. but it worked. After that i was infected by the flashlight virus. i had a lot of fun and there was a need to improve myself.

so the next light was a 2x18650 thrower with 50mm reflector, 3 mode driver and side switch. That was really a beast at that time:

you have to imagine: At that time, i used a selfbuild lathe of my grandfather. the threads are also made on that lathe. it used a bicycle chain for changing the pitch. but it worked. one or two years later i bought my own lathe, a small optimum machine, but it works fine for me until now.

my third light was also the last light i did on the selfmade lathe, the next were made on the new machine. That was a rebuild of the first light. A Cree XP-G in it, 1,4A driver, 18650 battery and a tail clicky switch. around 250 lumens, great for that time.

so that was my start in the flashlight world, more than 10 years ago. i can promise you, that there will be a big step to the current time, so please stay patient, i will continue soon.

see you,

Michael

Nice build! Whoever has a lathe or CNC becomes my friend instantly.

Wow! Started making lights at 15 years old :open_mouth:

thanks guys.

lets continue with my older builds: i had the wish to have a modular flashlight, so i built a body with changeable heads with reflektor, TIR Lens or aspherical Lens for max Throw: as an special: i messed up with the thread, so the complete light has left handed threads :D

after that light, there came a big step into my flashlight design, because i baught a milling machine with rotary table.

the next light was also special in some ways. its a working light with a tailstand function, clip for clipping it your jacket, and so on:

Battery was 18650, CREE XM-L LED, around 900 lumens.

i designed also a very solid working light for AA Batteries, step-up driver, standard components for an easy service and water sealed:

another highlight in that time was my first flashlight with 20mm Tripple LED Module from Lux-RC, a gamechanger in that time. remember, we are in 2012 right now:

see you later,

Michael

I’m loving this thread :heart_eyes:

Nice to hear that, than lets go on.

I would like to present my most complex project so far.

i mod two Led Lenser X21 from 7x Cree XR-E Led to 7x Cree XM-L LEDs to reach 6000 Lumen.

therefor i needed a complete new Heatsink:

from the backside: to protect the heatsink from overheating, i added a temperature sensor.

but one of the big issues at that project was the transfer of power and sensor information from the Head to the driver. For the power i used a rotatable connector and for the sensor i built 3 sliding contacts:

the carrier for dimmer and driver was also a challange, but i made it:

and the beamshot compare before:

and after:

i have tons of pictures, so if you have questions or want to see more details, so you´re welcome

cheers

Michael

great photos,

thats a very nice looking light

thanks for sharing your history and design evolution

Please keep posting. This is amazing. :beer:

Function and form. Love the way you are transforming from functional to functional art. Fit and finish looks flawless.

Fantastic looking lights, looking forward to seeing more.

This is the kind of topic thread that I like to see in the forum. Thank you for sharing your life's love of custom flashlights!

thank you for the nice comments. so i will go on.

in 2013 i built my second Bike-Lamp. unfortunaly i dont have some pictures from the first one.

this one is with 3x XM-L LEDs with around 2500 lumens. a big battery storage ( 8x18650 in parallel arrangement ) and an illuminated external switch. everything made on conventional machines, no CNC:

here a Beamshot:

regards

Michael

the next light was a mule flashlight without a reflector. 26650 battery with some tritium slots:

Very nice machining. I love the sleek lines.

You guys with lathes are in the right hobby. :heart_eyes:

Nice thread, keep going! Apart from how well everything is executed, I really like your goodlooking designs

hi all, thanks for your words.

lets go on with on of my favorite design so far. i call it "Knubby", a real compact and for that time (2013) bright flashlight.

32650 Battery, 6x Nichia 219AT LEDs with CRI 90+, really great beam.

cheers

Michael

What drivers were you using back then?

hi Pinkpanda,

in the most lights i used modified nanjg 105c drivers. i added 7135 modules and reflashed the firmware with my own code - but i will introduce you in that later. the possibilities were very limited, no compare to the FET Drivers and so on, which are available now.

Some nice lights you have made. Knubby is very well done.