I’ve decided to make use of an optic I have had sitting around for a year. I like building stuff and I figure I can start and hopefully finish it during my break between quarters in school. Masters program sucks. I’ve ordered all the parts and I’m just waiting on them to arrive on the slow boat. I’m starting this thread now and plan to add to it once I start. So here is the plan:
Put a Ledil Seanna
In this ammo can
I plan on using a XHP35 HI LED on a Noctigon MPCB
No driver for the LED. I plan on using this buck voltage reducer and current regulator to control the LED. After all, I’m using the Seanna so why worry about anything but high power. I don’t need any stinking modes lol. I may have to buy two LED’s because I may turn up the first one until she blows then turn it down a notch
So this is going to generate a lot of heat in that box. Well, I plan on keeping it cool. I will run a water cooling system. Water pump with a tank to keep the water moving. I will solder the LED somehow to a copper water block. I will then solder the water block to a heatsink with a fan. This should help keep the temps cool at the LED. A lot of mass to disperse the heat as well as the water.
But, that water will get hot quick. No fear, I also bought this radiator with twin fans to cool the water. I may use it as a way to force air out of the ammo can but then it’ll pull hot air over the radiator so I’m not sure how I’m going to do this yet.
Oh yeah. I have to power the fans and pump. For that I got this buck voltage regulator. It has a constant 2A output so it should be ok.
And all of this will be powered by a Ryobi 18v lithium battery. Hopefully I’ll have enough room for everything. If not I’ll build a damn box!
Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions. The project will start when I get everything in to plan the inside of the ammo can.
Not up on all the benefits of water cooling in a portable lighting application, but it seems like it would be a lot simpler design if you just went with a single forced air heat-sink for the LED. If you are planing to overdrive so far why not go with a bigger XHP50 or 70. Do you think that optic will get a noticeably tighter beam from the smaller dies of the 35?
Looks like a fun project, excited to see how it goes.
Should be a tighter beam with the 35. I dunno though. I could use the xhp70. I could use anything. I’m doing the active cooling so I can push whatever LED I use pretty hard.
This really isn’t gonna be that special. Several have used the Seanna lens. Just not that many people have used water cooling in their flashlights. Dare to be different or conform to the norm.
Well, it’s been a little bit since I updated this. I’ve pretty much got everything that I need, other than figuring out what LED I want to use. Look at the size of that radiator!!! It’s huge with twin 120mm fans. I don’t think I’ll have a problem keeping the LED cool lol. Do I really need all that crap to make it work……nope. But who ever said we can’t overbuild something!
