Update 08-18-2016
Okay, here it is, for all the world to see. :person_facepalming: PLEASE tell me any every thing I’ve done wrong so I can fix it! Mostly, I have no clue about the layout/positioning of the driver components. Please tell me what needs to be optimized there, and if anything needs to be added to it. Also, I think those are supposed to be XP pads, but they look big to me. Is everything the right size here? That unmarked circle under the resistors is a solder pad for Vin, by the way. I tried to remember to label stuff, but that one was forgotten. And that diode under the MCU is for reverse polarity protection. I’m planning on using a Tiny13 for this driver. Only three of the AMC7135’s will be populated for my contest light, but I figured I might as well fill up the board, in case my next light needs to be a scorcher! Looks like I need to fix the silk screen on the bottom to make it readable around all those vias.
Update 08-09-2016
I decided last night to mess around with this some more. I still haven’t exactly decided what I’m going to do for a driver. So, instead, I worked on other things. I split a piece of 1” copper water pipe and tried to flatten it out. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but I heard someone say anneal it first, so I heated it a little with the torch then banged it out mostly flat, then stuck it under a heavy load to sit and hopefully flatten out the rest of the way. These square chunks of iron plate are about 4 pounds each. There is one on the bottom, then the copper, then 9 more plates on top. I also used my cheap Harbor Freight spring clamps to help put even more pressure.
While that sits, I’m moving on, so the next thing I decided to do was drill for magnets. I’m going to have some Neodymium magnets installed on the side opposite the LEDs so the light can be stuck to metal for a good area lighting. I measured to space three magnets approximately equally across the side of the tube. Next, I drilled some pilot holes, and then drilled out the holes to a somewhat ‘standard’ depth by taping a piece of tubing around my drill bit. The end of the drill bit kept collecting bits of aluminum chips, so I had to stop and clean it out often.
I got the holes drilled out, then I cleaned up a little with some sandpaper and polish and then test fit the little 8mm round magnets. Later on, I’ll epoxy those magnets in place and hope they never move.
Update 08-08-2016:
Well, I got a little bit done this weekend. I made it to another hanging place where I need to figure out what to do. Help would be greatly appreciated. Here’s what happened:
So, I took the plastic barrel from an old AirSoft rifle, and cut out a section of it, then cut out of that a piece for a lens/cover for the LEDs. This way, the profile will (hopefully) still be round and look nice when it’s finished. I plan to run the LEDs down the center of the trench and them epoxy the lens/cover over it. The plastic is a little bit diffuse, but not too much. You can see here an LED on aluminum MCPCB under it. This isn’t the one I’m going to use, just a model for the pic:
After I finished playing around with that, I decided to look at how the driver would go in. That’s where I got stuck. You can see here that the driver fits easily, loosely, in the bore of the tube. I need to figure out how to put it where I want it and keep it there. I tried a couple things to use as shims, but it all looked so trashy to me. I’m going to have to use something. The least ugly possible solution I could think of is a short section of 1/2” Copper pipe swedged out to make a tight fit in the tube. If I do that, I’ll have to make two - one for top and one for bottom of the driver. I’m just not really sure how well it will hold, even if it’s a tight fit. Maybe I’d also have to solder the two rings onto the driver, and run a set-screw through the body of the Aluminum after it’s pressed in, to make sure it never moves. Ah, I don’t know. Any suggestions? Here are pics of a 17mm driver and the short pipe section, alternately in the end of the tube:
Update 08-04-2016:
Another incremental update. Good thing the contest period is so long this year. Anyway, all I did was clean up the mess I made last time with the aluminum piece. I don’t know how I’m going to make this work now. I meant to make only a narrow groove/slot to put the emitters in, and cover them with epoxy. Now I’ve got this wide trench I’ll have to figure out. Anyway, pics:
Update 07-27-2016:
Uhh, this isn’t what I was going for. :person_facepalming:
Update 07-25-2016:
Well, not much, but got the sides cut off the tube. Took almost an hour of cutting and hacking. I drew the lines on with a Sharpie marker, then scored with my rotary tool, and cut through with my hacksaw. Next will be to cut the grooves.
Update 07-23-2016:
Tell me if these pictures don’t load:
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I was obviously remembering very wrongly about the dimensions of the tubes I have. In case you can’t see the pics (Google Photos makes it nigh impossible to embed photos to sites nowadays) The dimensions are - length: 65.92mm outside diameter: 37.70mm inside diameter: 17.27mm. Nevertheless, this is what I will be using to make my contest light this year. So, it looks like I won’t need to bore anything out if I use a ~17mm standard (or smaller) driver and of course, also small cells such as a 16340. One idea I had for 16340 size, was that a primary CR123A could also be used. I’ll probably be using XP-E2 R3 emitters, since I have plenty of them. They can put out a decent amount of light with a source of ~3V, which means the CR123A will be plenty sufficient. So, for now, I’ll assume that’s what I’ll do.
My inspiration for this build comes from a friend of mine. He is a HVAC tech, and he and his colleagues use a stick light with LEDs running down the side, called a Larry Light. My light won’t look anything like that one. My light will be brighter, but it will also be bulkier, and less elegant looking. I may embed some Neodymium magnets on the side opposite the LEDs so the light can be hung up on metal objects for great compact area lighting.
Update 07-21-2016:
I have an idea now of what I might do. Like my unfinished build from last year, this one will include cutting up a chunk of Aluminum by hand, using my hacksaw and/or rotary tool. I have some pieces of ‘tube’ I got from the recycle bin at work. They are a few inches long, something like 1.5 - 2.0 inches diameter, and have a small diameter bore. They would have been used as stand-off bushings, or similar, which is why they have such a huge difference between inside and outside diameters.
Anyway, I’m thinking of cutting off two sides to make the piece oval. I’ll drill out the hole in the middle to a large enough size to fit the battery and the driver. I haven’t decided yet whether it will have a side-switch or tail-switch. There will be multiple LEDs, and they will be run down one side of the oval, which will have a groove cut out for them to lay in. Once they are in place, they will be sealed in with clear epoxy. More to follow when I have the time…
Day One, 07-19-2016:
Here’s my contest build thread. I’m hoping to fill it with interesting stuff. Right now, I haven’t even come up with a build idea yet. I’m probably NOT going to use any wood!
