Done! - Started making my first P60

[Old-Lumens]

@Itinifni

And if I succeed without destroying my extra drivers I’ll need to get more LEDs, in which case I will again need more hosts. I see this becoming a problem.

Yep, you've been sucked in now, no turning back or stopping. Got the fever and there's no cure. Just buy more, build more, buy more...

Nice looking builds!

[jacktheclipper]

Great job !

[Ledsmoke]

Those are really beautiful! Drool!

About the drivers. I've fkuc'ed up a few in much the same manner. Wish I had an easy way to test those amc chips so I could tell the bad from good but no easy way to do it so far.

[NightCrawl]

Nice build, thats gotta be a lot of light!

Whats the height of the outer copper pipe?

[MRsDNF]

Love it. Very nice job. + 1 on what Old-Lumens said. There is no turning back.

[E1320]

Very very impressive great job and thanks for sharing. I am sure you will motivate some of us to try this build as well.

[MattSPL]

Great work

[garrybunk]

Thanks for sharing! Nice use of the copper rod and pipe. Where'd you get the copper rod? One of these days I'll do something like this!

@Itinifni

Hit the switch and…it’s a single mode! Took it apard and found my lame attempt at soldering shorted the LED - to the ground. No time to fix but I found a thread here on BLF where someone else had just done the same thing.

Am I the “someone else”? Those drivers are tough to solder on! (And I’m not old either! Well at least I don’t think I am.)

-Garry

[Itinifni]

@NightCrawl,

I cut the rod at 12mm, the pipe is 15.5mm. I measured a standard P60 from the top of the reflector to the bottom of the brass pill, subtracted the height of the optic, star and brass pill (from the bottom to the LED mounting surface, not the top of the lip). The rod length could be a little shorter because the spring will take up the difference, I wanted as much copper as possible.
The pipe length is even less critical. I left a small lip at the top the height of the star and measured down to the point on the pill where I thought the top of the spring should sit. 3/4 pipe fits nicely over the brass pill.

@Garrybunk,

Funny story on the copper rod. I was working around the house when I noticed this 3/4” copper rod sticking in the ground near my foundation. It had some 4 or 6 awg wire clamped on to it, I pulled the clamp and wire off, pulled it out of the ground and…
No, I bought it here http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=88&step=2&top_cat=87 I choose the C145 Tellurium Copper because their product guide said it was preferred when machining is required.
I don’t think it was your thread on the shorted driver but same idea.

[jacktheclipper]

I pulled the clamp and wire off, pulled it out of the ground and…

HAAAAAAAAAAAA

[TexasLumens]

Danged nice work! You’re off to the nuthouse now!!! 8)

Dan.

[Ledsmoke]

@ Itinifni : Good one LOL!

[NightCrawl]

@Itinifni

@NightCrawl,

I cut the rod at 12mm, the pipe is 15.5mm. I measured a standard P60 from the top of the reflector to the bottom of the brass pill, subtracted the height of the optic, star and brass pill (from the bottom to the LED mounting surface, not the top of the lip). The rod length could be a little shorter because the spring will take up the difference, I wanted as much copper as possible.

The pipe length is even less critical. I left a small lip at the top the height of the star and measured down to the point on the pill where I thought the top of the spring should sit. 3/4 pipe fits nicely over the brass pill.

Thank you. :)

[scaru]

Itifini, nice story but that is actually my go to supply for copper rod currently. :D I bought a 10 foot long copper ground rod and use it. :)

[TexasLumens]

@Itinifni

@NightCrawl,

I choose the C145 Tellurium Copper because their product guide said it was preferred when machining is required.
I don’t think it was your thread on the shorted driver but same idea.

Man is that true! A lot of the other copper is like milling bubble gum. AND… worse than that the chips an end mill makes are sharper than those you get when machining stainless steel or even Titanium!! Stay with the C145TC… !!! I could build 3 lights in the time it took me to dig the other out of my fingers!!! fucked ….OK… But it AIN’T because I don’t want to!! |( Dan.

[Itinifni]

Sounds like I dogged a bullet (or at least a splinter).

[TexasLumens]

I just erased the way I typed this question the first time. From my welcome here, I remember I have to be careful!! Ha!

So here it is again…… What did you mean when you said you glued it with AA??? :quest:

Thanks. Dan.

[scaru]

Artic Alumina, it is a thermal glue.

[NightCrawl]

Arctic Alumina, a thermal adhesive.

[scaru]

@NightCrawl

Arctic Alumina, a thermal adhesive.

Beat ya to it! :P