Characterization of optic and LED combinations (S2+WF1, S21A+WF1)

[Hoop]

Yes, good point.

Testing at longer distances (and installed in an actual light, if applicable) will be necessary to make a final determination about where the best focus is achieved and how thick a gasket should really be.

I am limited in the vertical distance at which I can test. I need to build a horizontal setup on an angle plate in order to test at long distances.

The S2 + WF1 test was conducted at 1.33 meters.

[Correllux]

@Hoop

I like the idea of micarta and what not but have not worked with it or tried to find specs. The specs will vary depending on what is used to construct it, both the cloth / fiber and the type of resin. Fabric cloth would make for less tool wear and better operator acceptability than fiberglass, I’m pretty sure. G10 is very abrasive to carbide tools and also to my sinuses. It contaminates the machine sump (coolant) a bit as well but doesn’t ruin it. The 10 in G10 means 10% glass content, I have read. There are grades of Nylon and other plastics that are 30% glass filled. The GF Nylon 66 has a higher working temperature than regular Nylon 66. Notice the “heat deflection at 264 psi” value. I have not worked with the stuff but it would be interesting to see how it machines and irritates compared to G10. G10 completely powderizes when machined. If the Nylon 30% GF made actual chips it would be nicer to machine.

I have not put much time into comparing gasket material properties but am starting to do so now.

Edit: Looking into material properties more, FR4/G10 is far superior to even 30% glass filled nylon 66 in its mechanical properties. It’s also much cheaper. FR4/G10 is what I will use to make gaskets going forward. I actually have a lot of experience machining G10, having made parts for the electrical industry. The downsides to working with the material can be reduced with certain machining strategies.

I think for most applications the G10 is the sweet spot. G12 and G15…seems like they only added long term resistance to moisture absorption, and the fire retardant grades seem the same but much more expensive. I lucked out and got some scrap pieces of several to toy with (abrasives, though, not milling). I worked a bit with various soft plastics and three grades of GF nylon (I think 6, 11 and 30% if I remember right). Certainly nicer to work with although static cling is a major feature…all do make chips but those chips travel further than I would have expected while using a router and the cling was…amazing. I think the 30% is what’s usually used in power tool housings, or thereabouts. There is some carbon-infused polypropylene that’s neat materal, too…much stiffer and more dense than any of the GF nylons. With the G10…yeah, all powder and it can be really irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, super bad news for the lungs, too (same for phenolic there). I’m not sure exactly why, but out of everything I toyed with it was the linen phenolic that was most impressive to me. Don’t see the linen version very much but it’s really a different animal than the usual canvas, and both are quite different than the micarta/paper grades. The linen was (maybe still is) used as some kind of washer in oil drilling rigs, which I thought was interesting…not sure where exactly it was used.

[Hoop]

Added S21A + WF1 test. Added spill angle models.