The 10th Annual Old Lumens challenge - has officially concluded! Winners have been announced!

This year is a good one for DIY builds. With the exception of the “chip shortage,” there are more component options than ever before. There are also more flashlights and hosts than ever before.

Convoy is now offering a lot of drivers and LEDs, and also a selection of optics. KaiDomain has lots of LEDs, drivers, reflectors, glass windows, and other optics. There are also lots of shared BLF projects on Osh Park, for your PCB needs. TaskLed new Ultraboost driver is a real powerhouse.

Creating your own PCBs is pretty easy to do with DipTrace, which is available for free. Their short PDF tutorial is easy to follow and you’ll be making boards in no time.

If you can’t get your raw materials locally at a metal or plastics distibutor, or hardware store, there are lots of places online to get these things. McMaster-Carr has a huge selection of hardware and materials, they are a prototype supply store! There are also a lot of online metal stores these days.

For electronic components, there’s always Digi-Key and Mouser, among others. Octopart is helpful for finding available stock of the components you need.

If you need help finding supplies, just ask! Myself or someone else will probably know where to get it.

Best wishes to the participants, and many thanks to everyone that has helped and is helping to organize this! I just made the thread sticky.

Hooray!!

I am in :)
Not yet decided if I want to build another aluminum hosing or to try enter the world of 3D printing.

Does it counts as "outside services" if I am using the 3D printer in my office?

PS: thanks for everyone involved

My feeling would be that using a tool/etc. that you have access to and permission to use is not an outside service. Otherwise it would exclude maker spaces and such.

This is of course not an official ruling, just my thoughts.

No. You can use it.

Glad to hear it! Your build for the 2019 / 7th O-L contest was awesome!

Building it under a bridge or where ever the heck that public property was… WOW!

I am in . Just gotta see if I can get the stuff to make it work .

Hey, glad to see the contest running this year again :wink:
Thanks Hoop for taking the lead and to the organizers in the previous years for keeping it alive as well!

I will still decide on entering or not, but if I do, it will probably be with something modded :person_facepalming:

Meanwhile, good luck to all the contestants and good work too :wink: :beer:

Need some ammo for your build?

No, you’ve got plenty already?

Then maybe you could spare a round and do like DB Custom did in the 1st annual Old Lumens challenge!

Now that’s a shiny bullet.

We have sponsors now, (Thank you sponsors!) but what we still need are participants!

I am still not exactly sure of my entry this year, I have a general concept idea. As in previous years, it will fit into the Hand-Made category and will make use of some Wooden components. Nothing new for me there.

My topic is located here, but there is nothing I have not already said there.

This year I will try to save a beloved headlamp

Thank you Hoop for making this to happen

Here is my only memory of Old Lumens…Hopefully we will meet some day…


Giveaway Prize: Sky Lumen XXI #033

User Programmable DriverVN4
Extra internal copper heatsink
LED to light engine solder bonded
Reverse switch with heavy duty boot
Sapphire lens
Sky Lumen Lanyard
Fitting holster
Charger
Secret sauce cell 21700 3000mAH for Max Output
Vapcell P50 5000mAh for max runtime and lower heat
Sky Lumen 2 year Extended Warranty
Free “V54” hand engraved if desired
SPEC included
No-Ox-ID electrical conductive lube included
Winner pick OP or Smooth reflector
Fixed deep carry pocket clip on tail cap if desired
Winner LED choice below:
NB90.16 6000K LED ~ 6000-9000Lumen, Intensity unknown
SBT90.2 5700K DL @2s 4800L, 70Kcd, 529m

OR

Mystery Light - You get to pick Dedicated Thrower or Dedicated Flooder

Hey Vinh, nice to see you around! Your store is an inspiration.

Thanks for being a sponsor.

Very cool and very generous, Vinh.

That’s cool that you have an Old-Lumens creation Vinh.

Many has come and go…Sometime when I slow down to reminisce it makes my heart a bit heavy.
Marshalls of goinggear used to send me gift lights with my name laser engraved…
I have a hard time building a collection of my own because $$$ always gets in the way….Yet I have never sold a single light gifted to me. They are all the most special…

Old Lumens was a wonderful man that I respected from the early days. I am glad there is this tradition in practice annually to honor him.

Hi, I’m thinking about joining the machine made category. Is making a drop-in acceptable, even though it isn’t a complete light?

Making a drop-in is an acceptable entry for the Modified Light category. To enter the Machine Made category, the entire light housing and drop-in would need to be made by you.