Light Bar Build 2.0

I may have 2 or 3 more times to go. Come this time of year I start slacking on it

If you have a bunch of amc7135's laying around, you could rig up parallel banks of 3 to 4 in series. The number of banks would depend on how much juice you want to feed.

A easier to construct CC regulator would use the LM1084IT-ADJ. It's like a 7135, but bigger and has no internal voltage sense resistor. That is all you need to build it, 2 components. Here is an Instructable on it. Here's a few posts I have on it. I talk about 3 emitters, but 4 would be better (less voltage differential between supply and demand).

Just an FYI - WF502b's at Amazon for $8.15 & free shipping (3 mode H-M-Strobe). Happened to notice.

-Garry

I ordered the 10 pack for 12.99, I like the idea of 1 driver per emitter and having an extra 6 left over when I’m done. Too bad I didn’t notice that 5 of the small heat sinks were available for 1.15 when I pressed the final button. That’s OK I will cut some up from an old video card heat sink. Now the wait. I just lost 2 days cleaning up the shop and garage, boy I’ve got a lot of stuff - all good too :wink:
As it is, I plan to move a wire on each original 5 mode drivers to convert to DD, then power each head from it’s own buck driver. That means mounting 2 of those circuit boards in each enclosure, I think there should be plenty of room.

I would like to keep modes, but i figure if the stock drivers are left intact and powered as is from the buck convertor that they are bound to get out of sync. Can you imagine one head on high and another in SOS mode? I’ll be using the 502b’s, and probably drive them at 2A for a margin of safety. Besides the mowing environment can be tough and I want them to live. The headlight on my mover have a separate switch, so they will not be on all the time like some riding mowers. As far as mowing goes, we are winding down. The HARDEST part of the season is coming up, Leaves!

Thats awesome, very creative!!

I got this far a couple of weeks ago. Very tight fit and the modules get really hot. I ordered 4 - 25mm, 12V fans from TMart http://www.tmart.com/2510-Computer-Chassis-Fan-Black_p186231.html
These are small and cheap. Hopefully they will be enough to keep things cool.
A working module, with driver boards installed inside.

Here is a pic inside. There are 2 boards stacked on top of each other. I used the vinyl pickup tube from a spray bottle of Windex for the standoffs. For clearance I had to remove the “nuts” that I had created in the OP and use glue. Oh the commitment!

A closeup of the boards.

The 25mm fans will fit perfectly. The 25mm is the measurement of the outside fan case, not the mounting holes. So there is just enough room in both directions.


I believe I could have built this whole thing in 2 hours if I had all the parts I needed on hand. The trouble it takes 3 weeks for delivery every time I realize I need something else! Hopefully the fans will arrive shortly and I can finish this up.

Very nice! I know exactly how you feel about waiting for more parts! No I have parts, but am waiting for available time to work!

-Garry

Some would question my decision to go with the fans, i.e. the talk on your thread.
I understand that it might be possible to get by with out it, but being able to say one has active cooling in a build just reeks performance!
My Dad used to always say “Sell the sizzle, not the steak”, well in this case, the lack of sizzle. Hopefully :bigsmile:

Actually, I am absolutely convinced knowing how brutal an environment it is, that this build must be way “over engineered”. We are not building flashlights here, that is a whole lot less demanding on the electronics.

Active cooling does make is sound like something serious is going on. Of course, being plunged into darkness while driving a machine with spinning blades and with tree branches about at face level would be a serious matter.

Looks real good.

Why don’t you be the first?
So far as I know, no one here has ever put a fan in a flashlight here on BLF. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be fun. How about a 25mm fan in the tail cap area of a DST with an MT-G2? The DST already has a switch up at the head, so that would make it easier. I would blow the air first past the cells, then up into the head. You wouldn’t want to bring the hot air from the LED down past the cells.
I just realized the tube on the DST would be too small for a 25mm fan, need a lite with a D cell sized tailcap.

I remember when the original IBM PC came out. It had an 8088 processor on the motherboard. As clock speeds increaded, heat sinks were added to the cpu’s. They kept increasing in size until the fans appeared. The natural progression of it all.

LED flashlights have so far traveled the same path. Next fork in the road? active cooling for high performance lights?
Especially in a lawnmower where this is an “unlimited” amount of electricity available, i.e. the charging circuit, the little extra current to drive a fan is not a big deal.

Nope, been done already. See this mod.

-Garry

Nah. Active cooling fans may sound cool, but I'm going to be green and opt for geothermal cooling on all my flashlights. Since I will have coolant lines already connected to the lights, I will also run a power line to a battery bank connected to solar panels.

Once you see me using that, you're gonna feel kind of silly about installing a self contained lighting system on your mower that can't be carried around by hand. You'll be like, "Wow, now that is something".

50 days I waited for those 25mm fans from TMart. THEY NEVER CAME. |( Now all the yard work is done and it’s time to put the machines away. Before I did though, I thought I would install the finished lights, less the fans. Heck it’s freezing out now, who needs fans, right?
So as I started to install them it starts to snow! Had to hurry as I was getting wet, but here it is. No beam shots yet, but it’s freak’n bright. Each of the 4 XM-L’s is running at 2.5A so I guess about 750 lumens each equals another 3000 for the setup. In total now, there is 1200 lumen on top with the 32 nichia 119’s plus the 3000.
This spring I will install the fans and do some adjusting. I now realize I could probably fit 4 more XM-L’s in there. :bigsmile:
Here is a pic before the final install.

Here it is all tucked away, ready to be wired in.

As I write this, it stopped snowing and it had turned to a drizzle. Maybe I get to do some beam shots tonight.

Cool! My mower is still sitting in my garage waiting for me to get back to the headlights. However, now it is in the way for getting the snow blower out! (My mower is usually kept in another shed.)

-Garry

Congrats Dchomak. You win the biggest multi-emitter flashlight contest.

Seriously though, that looks real good. Me likey.

I almost forgot, a week ago Lowes got their new line of snow blowers out. It seems LED headlights are the new fad this year. I think you have a new project coming on.

I am going to get to work on mine…………starting right now!

Thanks, I like it too, to bad I can’t use it now until Spring. Timing is everything.

I can’t even go out and test it in the dark………it’s raining :frowning:

This is all I could do tonight. The beam on the right is a FandyFire Warrior triple XM-L from FastTech for comparison. I think the only way to get a feel for the output is to compare the 2 at the same time. At one point I switch thru the modes on the Warrior. Actually the lightbar could be pointed higher for better throw, but it’s probably set right for it’s intended use. Like I said, this thing is freak’n bright.

Wow. I don't have a Warrior, but I have heard good things about them. If I remember, Warriors throw better than SRK's. Your giant flashlight on wheels really spanks that Warrior in all departments (Throw, flood, brightness, and maybe slightly better tint too). Actually, it's more of a kicking situation.

Not to mention run time too, heck with it’s 5.5 gallon gas tank, I can run those lights for hours and hours! :smiley: :wink:

I contacted TMart about the fans I never got and they now say they are out of stock! I opted for them to reship when they are restocked. I figure I may get them by next spring.