Hello guys I am currently a dental student, and I would like to make a headlight for my dental work. The problem is the QUALITY models are very expensive and I am on a student budget. I am really hand-ons and would like to make my own set. I want you all to know that I did research here and on google and did find some similar projects however the information supplied was either: out of date, did not pertain to my project, or the information was too vague and I could not interpret the information. Therefore I am here today and would like the expertise of this forum. My friend was kind enough to let me dissemble his EXPENSIVE Orascoptic Headlight. I have attached the pictures of the internal design in this message. I would like to make a similar headlight system. I believe it is based on a Primary and Secondary Lens system. I have already chosen a Bulb for this project: Cree X-Lamp XR-E LED. I have assembled a battery pack already that can turn on the light. But what I am currently having trouble with is assembling a scope with a Primary and Secondary Lens in order to create a narrow beam angle. I am attaching a picture of the current lens system used by Orascoptic and would like to develop one that is similar. If someone can help me that it would be awesome, I would really appreciate it!
Here is the link of disassembled Orascoptic light system that I uploaded online:
I think any high CRI headlamp would work. This is an application where high CRI is absolutely necessary as you want to be able to see any anomalies in peoples mouth.
You could do a Boruit D10 with a Nichia 219c high cri behind a narrow TIR. The stock driver would be fine, just swap thr stock led and put im the tir. Would cost around $25 total.
If I were doing it again, I’d get a D25 and use a pair of high CRI LEDs behind TIRs with Quadrupel’s anduril driver. As it is, I have LH351D dogfarts behind a honeycomb TIR on the D10, and it is very nice.
I would use a more modern led than a XR-E because it is ancient history, a Luminus SST-20 in 4000K high CRI is superior in every aspect and is very suitable for use with optics.
It will be hard to make something as nice as the Orascoptic light system, it looks very compact and well-made and can be mounted on the frame of your glasses perfectly centered between your eyes, while a headlamp will illuminate a bit more from above leaving part of your view in shadows.
I would try a random cheap headlamp that is small, and directly compare that to the Orascopic lamp, see if it is any use at all or so much inferior that you want to invest in a proper dental lamp after all. If it does a decent job, then try to go further with this.
If I think of a headlamp that gives the nice even illumination that the Orascopic lamp gives, with a sharp cut-off so that you do not shine in people’s eyes, then you want one with a lens, just as the Orascopic lamp, and I have seen very very few headlamps using a lens over the years, exept a very cheap AA headlamp that has been sold out for at least 6 years.
Looking at cheap Boruit head lamps, I found this one that has a Ledlenser-type zoom optic that may prove suitable, and it has a XP-G2 led that has a standard footprint that can be swapped (if you can reflow leds) with many available leds (like the SST-20 that I mentioned). https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/32838180307.html
If you look around, this may not be the cheapest seller for this lamp.
Yes, I ordered one myself, thanks to my wife I’m not a headlamp guy (she promised to divorce me if she sees me with one), but I just want to fiddle with different leds in that optic.
I think I can help a little as I have built the exact thing you need.
I built it back in 2015 as a dental student and stopped using it as the pandemic came as I dont have enough space under my protective shield for a light+loupe. Until then it worked perfectly.
I used a Nichia 219c emitter. I also bought a 30€ light+loupe set off ebay to use the TIR reflector that its using. You can also take advantage of the small attachment base that the cheap light has.
This optic is ideal because of the narrow beam without a hotspot. You dont want to blind your patients I suppose with a wide beam
I am using an old 2 mode driver 30% and 100. 30 while you are modeling your fillings to prevent the composite from hardening prematurely and 100% for everything else. I took off all the 7135 chips but 1. So I am limiting the current at 380mah. Its a very comfortable brightness level and offers good runtimes while keeping the led cool.
As a host I just bought a cheap flashlight (around 16mm diameter) that I liked the looks of. You can then remove its lens and led and put yours. It will take some machining and epoxy to put everything together probably.
I cant provide any links of the flashlight and driver as its been years sience I made this. The light-loupe set can be easily found on ebay by searching “dental loupe”. You can even buy only the light-battery without the loupes this time around.
If you have any other questions feel free.
Irrelevant note: My loupes are Zeiss with Adidas frame. 2.7x magnification if I remember correctly.
1. I want the superior quality LED like the one you suggested. Thus since you modified the a flashlight body. Does the larger flashlight allow for better dissipation of heat?
2. I previously ordered a cheap dental headlight off of ebay. The components they had inside included a single lens, LED, and aluminum hosting tube. Was that single lens supposed to be the TIR reflector because it did not appear so? Where is the TIR, is it possible my cheap headlight did not have one?
The larger host will give you better heat management and I am pretty sure the original host wont fit a nichia 219c pcb. So you will need a new head.
The TIR optic is just a piece of transparent acrylic or some kind of plastic. If you didnt find this part in your light then you probably have bought smth else.
Try to use the light as is firstly. Its absolutely OK. You can upgrade the battery pack first. Build a small enclosure with 2 or 3 18650 and a driver with the modes you like. Then uphrade the led,lens, head.
A switch that you can operate with you elbow, smth like a smsll metal plate 3x3cm over a clicky switch will be very useful as you wont need to touch it with the “dirty” gloves that were in someones mouth…
