It's going to undergo some major changes. Of course, it will be a "1D" when I am through, but it will be sporting a unique switch (that I have never tried before) and it will be powered by 4AA NiMHs in a hand made holder. Those NiMHs will power a V2 NANJG 8x7135 3040ma driver, driving tan XM-L T6 (or U2) LED. The LED will be soldered on a copper pedestal attached to an aluminum heat sink. (I'm too cheap to buy 1-3/8" copper round stock). The reflector will be either a deep or shallow aluminum one from CNQG. A glass lens will complete the stack up. The beam will be adjustable, as the reflector will fit around the LED pedestal, so the head can be screwed up and down.
Naturally, you can expect some cosmetic mods somewhere. I do love shiny trim on black!
I hope this will be an interesting build for y'all, as it should prove to be interesting for me. I have never tried this type of switch actuation before, but I like the idea of it, so I am going to see if it will work (and if I can make it with hand tools and a dremel).
Here's a simple drawing showing the "possible switch", or maybe impossible switch. This is just an idea and I do not know where it will take me yet. I would guess the final assembly will be different when I go about trying to implement this. It's just a "Teaser" so y'all can see where my deranged mind is going at the moment.
I figure at least two weeks on this build, but that is an optimistic time frame. More like three+ weeks would be realistic.
That’s an option. I will be looking at a lot of options. The bad part about anything like a detent, is the thickness of the ring (piece of body). I don’t think I could get more than a couple threads in that, where I can use a brass pin driven in, with a brass piece to back it, soldered on.
How would I use a detent the way you are thinking? Still use a pin, but have it rub over the switch, to push it in? Explain please?
I am hoping y'all will have lots of thoughts on this, since it's all just a thought at this stage right now. I do need to remember to apply the KISS principle here. I tend to overdo it.
Second, I like the switch idea! Not sure about how the execution will look but you have certainly stirred my creative processes. Best of luck with this bad boy! I can't wait to see the finished product (and of course the progress pics!).
what about having the switch face outward towards an external ring that has a ramp on it. The ramp will then have a slightly recessed flat spot at the top to hold the switch down, with a tall back after that to prevent over rotation. So, as you turn the ring it progressively presses down on the switch plunger until it depresses it fully, yet the small amount of "end bounce" (ie. the plunger movement after the switch is closed) in the judco switch should allow the plunger to depress over that small lip. I'm thinking a bit like a skateboard ramp, with the bit for the dudes to stand on at the top and a board at the back so they don't fall off, a bit like:
Fewer moving parts, potentially easier to fabricate and you should still be able to access the modes on the driver.
edit: you can also keep the ramp centred over the switch by extending the back stop further around the ring to butt up against the other side of the switch when the light is off.
A ramp would have to make the switch, but also would have to de-ramp, to actuate the switch again. The switch, like most, has to depress then let off, before depressing again. So I would think it would have to be spring loaded, so that it returned every time, or you would have to do that manually. I imagine the ramp could be fabricated fairly easily, but attachment might be harder unless it were done with screws. The spring loading might be hard as well. I would need something to look at, to figure it out.
All this is with hand tools and a dremel, not a lot to work with. I don't even know if I can cut out the aluminum stock, to put a switch in, without butchering it. A "flat press" is best with these judco switches. That's one reason for a push instead of a sliding type of side pressure.
ah, I see what you mean (just had a fiddle with one of my judco switched lights as well). So, with a ramp, you'd essentially need a double sided ramp and then turn it one way for on and the opposite for off. It might not be that hard to make, if you can solder copper to copper. Or even find a spare piece of delrin and 5min epoxy it into a slot cut into a copper ring. I just keep thinking about how relatively inaccurate I am with a dremel and how precise one would need to be for all your bits to line up properly, let alone the relatively high torque the end of that pin will experience.
I'm not trying to rubbish your idea at all, I think it's really cool :)
Well since you have a Judco, what would you think was the pressure needed to push it to it’s click point? I have one, but now with me right now.
I think there would be some pressure on the pin, but I don't know how much. The pin could also just entend all the way across and through both sides of the ring. I think that would be about the easiest way. That should be solid enough and simple enough.
How about using one of those momentary switches that you press the lever to activate and release to deactivate. You then set up the ring to press the lever and a detent to hold it there for "on". Most switches of this type allow you to do the opposite, depending on how you wire it and you can have it turn off when the lever is pressed.
The momentary switches do tend to have a very light activation. I wish I could find a 3A or higher spst on/off switch with such a light activation. Here’s the concern I have with a detent and some type of ball plunger to sit in the detent. Most of the ones I have seen need a good machined fit, to work properly. Tight with little tolerance. I don’t feel I can do that with hand tools, hence the on/off switch instead of a momentary. That said, it’s yet another possibility and needs to be looked at.
if ur planning 2 turn it on/off with a twisty type sw, a raised portion on the twisty ring would be the simplest way 2 activate the sw, just thinking of the "kiss" principal.
hmm, it's a little tricky to quantify :) but I'd say approximately the force needed to squeeze your thumb and forefinger together, to the point where your fingertips start to squish flat. There's approximately 0.5-1mm of free travel at the start of the plunger (v. little resistance), ~1.5mm to click (high resistance) and ~0.5mm of extra travel after the click (higher resistance).
with a lever (bic pen that went flying across the room several times) about an inch long, pivoting at the same height as the switch, with the switch about 1/2 way along, it took ~8mm of movement at the end of the lever to click the switch and (v. roughly) half the effort as a plain finger press. You'd need some way of retaining the lever on the switch plunger, like a recessed area, or limit it's lateral movement without binding on the body somehow, as the plunger isn't very wide. Then again, you probably won't be using Bic pens, so that might be moot :)
Well, I've decided that I need to take a break for a while and think about this switch deal and other things as well, so I will put this on hold indefinitely, till I figure it out.
it's still a really interesting idea/ problem though. I always find that those ones bubble to the surface eventually, whether you want them too or not :)
