Phlatlight PT-54 - Red - Lamp mod, driver tests, etc.

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

EDIT 3/7/12: I'm updating this thread so that I don't spread whatever info I have through several threads...I'll leave the first post original so that everybody's responses still make sense:)

OK, this little number arrived in the mail today. There doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in this sort of stuff here, but I'm just looking for whatever you think....to get my mind rolling. And if you don't have any...well, enjoy the pictures!

This is a powerful red emitter (ebay seller said 12W, but also said 8A) with peltier cooler and optic - originally intended for some kind of projector, I think. (xeno is just there for scale...)

I think I've found specs

http://led.svmmarcom.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/0/475358118eae0708853a4e91bccaddbc/misc/pds_001051_pt54_rev03.pdf

Here's what someone else did with one (9 amps!)

But I'm not sure what to do with mine (don't need throw).

For quite awhile I've wanted a red floodlight for camping - mostly so that you can do what you need to do but still enjoy the stars. I'd also like a powerful red light in my boat, so that I can see while night fishing but not ruin my night vision for navigating. The problem there has been where to put it (ie, overhead would be great, but tough to do).

EDIT: some more info. 2 x AA Energizer, weak (1.3V ea.) will make this thing light up. So will 2 x AA Panasonic NiMh 1600mah. Both too bright for anything but a glance. 3 x AA Duracell 2650 NiMH fully charged give 2.9A to this emitter. 1 x 14500 TF gray feeds 4 amps (at least for the 1 second I held the contacts in place!). This thing is wild - I can't imagine the light it pumps out at 9A. The spec sheet says use 8A, absolute max is 16A!

So, any suggestions? A 3xAA headlamp would do what I need - but it seems like I'd be wasting its potential...

My first two ideas for a host

I have this lamp. Good body, interesting emitter that I'll use elsewhere if I go this way.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/10w-750lm-6500k-high-power-flood-light-projection-lamp-12v-44176

Saw one of these at wal mart on clearance, looked it over, fairly well made but I passed because I have 3 sizes of gas lanterns. Now I finally have a reason to use electricity - RED!

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Family-Size-LED-Lantern/dp/B00168QAGS

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that is a sweet little emitter. first thing that comes to my mind is a 2c mag, a greenie LED and an aspheric lens. but that lantern would make a cool mod too, and more along the lines of what you want.

... was this the same led that someone here made a couple bright a$$ colored light mods out of? i think they were from a TV though...

3

maybe the light unit separate from the battery , idea being camping or boat placing the light high to have a wide flood ...

4

I have had plenty of play time with this powerhouse and one of it's big brothers a green pt120. If you disassemble the lens gizmo into parts and set either lense on top of the emitter and power it with 4 AAs 2sx2p (it may work with 2 AAs?) and place black Styrofoam 1/2" thick about 1/4" (6mm) it will burn a hole in about 15 seconds more or less. There is a video on Youtube. Be safe and eye safe as these and ALL LEDS (IR included) can cause serious eye damage or blindness. Have read about several people driving then with over 3.0 volts but have kept mine under 2.8 volts and have pushed mine as hard as 14A for short bursts. My Direct drive Maglite uses two nimh Tenergy D cells and pushes about 2.4v @ 8A+ with copper heat sink.

5

eventually I'll probably do a green thrower, as willie has, for a gun light.

I'm not sure which one you're referring to, but these are popular on laserpointerforum, so probably yes

I'd love to do the lantern, but don't have one and I'm pretty short on cash so I've already started modding the lamp.

The spec sheet says max 3.5 volts, and others have used standard drivers, but it is wise to be cautious w/ voltage - AND your eyes, this thing is incredibly bright

It certainly will run on AA in 2p.

I've removed the 12V emitter/driver from the lamp, found a proper reflector on DX, started resizing the heatsink to fit inside the lamp (the whole body acts as a heatsink, too). I've got to order the reflector and some 10xAA holders. I will run it direct drive 2p5s, and I might add the ability to run off 12V (with a driver) from a separate lead.

The lenses are very nice (there's a precollimator behind the one you can see in the picture, about half the size). They have very short focal length and will definitely get used in other mods. So will the peltier cooler. A damn good deal at $20 shipped for everything.

This should be a great host. As mentioned, having the batteries are separate should make it handy, and it is a big hunk of aluminum that handled 10W to the last emitter w/o getting hot. I have magnets on the base now but I'll probably fashion some kind of clamp and attach it to the planer mast in the boat.

Pics coming, in ~ a week w/ temporary reflector...

6

Ok, update. I tried to pot the DX sst-90 w/ fujik. When it was done, it worked for about 2 seconds and is not a useless brick of fujik.

Today I potted this driver (# kaidomain sst-50 driver) with devcon 2 ton and alumina.

http://kaidomain.com/product/details.S009442

I connected a 5AH 12V sla and an xm-l to the driver and the driver pulled 1.6A from the battery on high! Didn't hold that test lead on there very long

so, I tested a little more thoroughly w/ the pt-54.

pretest battery voltage 12.8V

battery voltage under load 12.5V

current from battery to driver (on high) 1.47A

current to pt-54 on high 4.93A

voltage across leads to emitter on high 2.2V

edit: hopefully someone can explain to me why I shouldn't buy another driver, since my math says this is ~50% efficient?!

Obviously I could driver the thing much harder, but how much red light do I really need, and this should be relatively worry free. Plus, I don't have another use for this driver....and DX sst-90 is out of stock for the past month.

I'll post a couple pics of the potted driver. I've got to rethink my lamp mod a bit - I had screwed/epoxied a big copper pipe cap inside the lamp because it fit the sst-90 driver perfect - but that driver was HUGE compared to this driver.

Right now the plan is to sacrifice the head of a rayovac flex360 - remove everything but the bottom piece of plastic, jb weld this lamp in place (perpendicular to the original beam direction) - wire a 12V lead w/ switch to this driver and send a separate set of leads to a nanjg 105c inside the host for use with 3xAA.

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scroll down for link to album.

Ok, as briefly as I can

I removed the original 12V emitter, polished the inside of the host to serve as reflector, taped off the emitter mounting surface, blasted it w/ stainless screws (for OP like texture), then BBs to smooth some of that out.

flattened the inside of the mounting surface (razor, 800 grit), filed a penny flat, and lapped them together

drilled thru holes in host, penny, and emitter

reinforced surface of emitter w/ jb weld

tapped the pipe cap, lapped it to the back side of emitter mounting surface,

screwed the emitter/penny through host to pipe cap w/ arctic epoxy on threads and mating surface of pipe cap

the host has a big aluminum cover that will screw over that pipe cap - it just barely fits.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150714853666798.452874.581641797&type=3&l=42fcc2aeaf