Help/advice needed for diy UV light for Amber searching

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
15

I know this sounds difficult, but it really isn’t that hard.
All you need is a drop in like this:

http://www.dx.com/p/26-5mm-aluminum-reflector-drop-in-module-set-without-emitter-5955

And a Driver, the cheapest suitable one would be this:

http://www.dx.com/p/700ma-1-mode-2-x-7135-1-x-4148-led-driver-circuit-board-for-flashlight-green-3-5v-351519#.VMMaUy6LJd0

The LED is installed into the brass part with thermal adhesive, the driver is installed into the other side of the brass part by soldering it in place (see link in my last post). Connect to two wires from driver to LED and you are basically done.

To Lithium batteries: yes, they will perform better in cold weather conditions, and have overall best energy densities.
However, they differ from the batteries in power tools insofar, that they lack the sophisticated safety circuits. This means, you can damage them more easily by deep discharging them as well as overcharging them.
Overcharging can be avoided by getting a good charger - doesn’t have to be a expensive one. This one for example works well and is safe:

http://intl-outdoor.com/ml102-v60-usb-charger-for-18650-26650-battery-p-243.html

Avoiding deep discharging is on you: when you see the light getting dimmer, change batteries. Don’t run them till they are dead.

A word of advice: If you decide on buying a multi cell Lithium battery flashlight, ALWAYS make sure you use batteries of the SAME charging state. Test this with a Digital Multimeter. Best practice would be to buy the needed amount of batteries of the same type, and always use those with your light.

If batteries of different charging state/age/capacity are mixed, or heavily discharged/overcharged, serious accidents can happen (read: explosions and fire).
However, Lithium batteries can be handled safely. Just be aware of their limitations, and you will be fine!

Can somebody provide a link to an introduction page into Lithium batteries? I think the OP may find this helpful.

16

djozz -that would be great!! -Ill send you a pm, to get your address.

Confusius - I’ll give it a try with a cheap non-uv led, dropin and driver as you suggested, for my surefire 6p.
But I’m afraid that I’ll screw up, so I’ll postpone the diy with the “expensive goods” :slight_smile:
Regarding the Lithium batteries. I had no idea they could be that difficult to manage. Could a setup with a NiMH rechargeable, give a runtime of 2-3 hours?

Jubeldum, those look awesome! It’s something like that I’m aiming for.

Well not necessary that small. I would rather have a larger flashlight, with longer run-time. Weight and size is not really a concern.

By the way. Would a setup with a tripple LEN ENGIN LZ1 365mn UV run hot if it was used continuously for 2-3 hours?

17

Imo, 1st thing is result of djozz’s findout about illumination of amber. He already tested and have some of 365nm led to compare with and currently that Nichia 365nm is consider one of the best 365nm UV led. So you’re in absolutely right hand.

Later on, if result is good, you can ask to build UV flashlight that more suitable for your need.
Some 365nm UV led “usually” set to draw current roughly 1A - 1.2A max. so single 18650 is enough for single UV led for 2 - 3 hours. If you need longer time can use host with parallel batteries.

18

Good to be in good hands :slight_smile:
Tanks for the info Calmaja. I’ll be sending the amber for djozz tomorrow.

Two 18650’s in parallel sounds grest. Three would be even better :wink: I have also been thinking of a setup with a bicykle lamp with 2-3 leds, with external batteries. And then make a cool looking pistol grip. :heart_eyes:

19

And of course with some amber embedded in the grip :-p

Build around a setup with external battery pack.

Either one of these, modded with uv led
http://www.lights-box.com/new-black-solarstorm-x2-2-cree-xp-l-v5-led-cycling-light-2200lm-4-mode-led-bike-light-black-head-lamp-only

Or a setup with two of these, connected to one battery pack, modded with uv led:
http://www.lights-box.com/single-1-cree-xm-l-u2-3-modes-led-bike-light-lamp-8-4v

8)

20

In case you don’t want to use lithium ion batteries, I just saw mention of a 3 x AA capable light Ultrafire F13 at $11.39 - with Coupon Code - Gearbest comment 27. I think he has a separately bought holder, but it looks like one comes with the light. If Ni metal hydride cells don’t work well enough in the cold, you could use Energizer 1.5 V non-rechargeable lithium cells (expensive).

21

They run cool at 1 amp and members here have run them at 1.4 amps on copper. 3 LZ1’s would be like a nice UV spotlight since I know what just one can do. As for a host, if I was to make a 3 LZ1 light for searching the beach for hours, I would use something like this.
http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=80&product_id=250

As for mounting a LZ1 on DTP copper, djozz is a master at modding a MCPCB. Doing something like this is like childs play to him.

22

Well, if you are up for a bit of DIY, and have an external battery pack like for a power drill, I would recommend this circuit to power your LEDs:

http://www.dx.com/p/mr16-1-3w-650-700ma-constant-current-regulated-led-driver-8-40v-input-13557#.VMWx6yzS5NE

With a standard 12V tool battery you can power 3 LEDs in series, with 24 V (maximum voltage for this circuit) 6 are possible. With a standard tool battery (12 V, 2,0 Ah) you should achieve 2-3 hours runtime.

Those bicycle lamps you postet are nice, but I’m not sure how good they are for modding.
Maybe you can find something like this in a hardware store for cheap:

Once you have decided on a power source, choose a driver circuit that accepts the respective voltage, slap your LEDs in place and you are done.

The pictures you posted are cool, but most old reflectors for incandescent lamps are nor well suited for LEDs. It’s best you stick with a lamp that is already built for LED technology, as the reflectors should work well enough even it’s not the right kind of LED. Also you won’t have to worry about a custom heat sink.
If you chose a rechargeable light, chances are good that you will be able to use the installed power source and charging circuit.

23

Amber selected for djozz :slight_smile:

I’ll have a look at the links on the two previous post later. Thanks :slight_smile:

24

How about this one by RBD

25

uh. It takes me some time to answer, cause i have to look up all the (to me) unknown flashlight lingo :slight_smile:

Calmaja that steam-punk flashlight/gun thing looks awesome! :heart_eyes:



Jubeldum, that Supfire looks nice. I like that the fact that each reflector is “whole”. I cant help but think that flashlights with triple reflector which have shared middle (don’t know what to call it) is going to have some spill.



whole reflector vs. reflector with “shared middle”:

vs




About the spill - I don’t know if that’s even true. Maybe someone could enlighten me. But anyway - I like the three “unbroken” reflectors look :-)


Yes, as I wrote earlier. I’ll give it a try modding my own surefire 6p with the chinese uv led. If i screw up, it’s no big deal. But for the more expensive setup with three Ledengin Z1 or three of the Nichia uv led’s I’ll need some help from one of the pro’s inhere. And of course I’ll pay for the work :slight_smile:




At work I actually have a Makita flashlight. Only with one reflector though (the below is not mine -but that’s the model).

But I think at my current DIY skill level that’s not an option :slight_smile:

I’ve done a lot of DIY on woodwork, but never really tried tinkering with electronics. But I like to learn, and I loooooove flashlights, so maybe I’ll give the more serious electronics DIY projects a try later on. For now my surefire 6p project is more than enough :slight_smile:

Some of my latest woodworks (click for larger versions):




I too have no idea if they are usable.

In fact I’m not sure if I should go with a flashlight or a bicycle light.
I don’t have enough knowledge about the different flashlights and battery types to make a qualified “pros and cons” list about what to choose to suit my purpose.

Maybe someone could help me make a qualified discussion whether to go with flashlight or bicycle light .

My requirements would be:

  • Powerful UV light at 365nm or less
  • The beam should be somewhere between spot and flood.
  • Must be able to illuminate a minimum of 5 meters
  • 2-3 hours battery-time, and then change the battery. 5-6 hours without battery change would be nice :slight_smile:
  • Doesn’t have to be lightweight. 1½-2 kg would be no problem.
  • External battery would be no problem as I always carry a backpack
  • Actually external battery would be nice, as it would give less weight in my hand.
  • If i have to change batteries it has to be quick and easy, as I will be walking in sand and sometimes shallow water (I would hate to have a setup with “difficult to change” batteries and drop the batteries into sand or water). If battery change is required I thought of having two external batteries in the backpack, with the wire for the spare one attached either to my wrist, the shoulder strap, or the sternum strap for easy access.


With my current knowledge a pros and cons list would be something like.

p60 based ( for example http://www.surefire.com/illumination/flashlights/6p-original.html )
Pro:

  • Lightweight
  • Portable
  • Easy to modify

Con:

  • Short battery-time
  • Single reflector


Larger handheld (for example http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=54#.VMbPu8mODDc )
Pro:

  • Still manageable weight
  • longer battery-time
  • more power
  • multiple led’s

Con:

  • Runs hot ?
  • Hard on the wrist?


External battery / bike light (for example http://www.fasttech.com/product/1527801-solarstorm-xt30-3-cree-xm-l-u2-4-mode-2400lm-led)

Pro:

  • Small weight in the hand
  • longest battery-time
  • Easy to change the batteries
  • more power
  • multiple led’s
  • Cooler than Larger handheld because the batteries are external?

Con:

  • Runs hot ?
  • Harder to modify ?
26

Bump! :slight_smile:

Any thoughts on my pro/con list for larger handheld vs bike-light? I’m still in doubt whether a bike-light with external power-pack would give any advantage over a handheld.

I ordered a p60 setup from customlites ( thread here ) - It’s for a gift -but I’ll use it myself until I get a setup of my own.

So the setup for myself will be either one NVSU233A
or a setup with three LED Engin LZ1




As for hosts for the two setups I’ve narrowed it down to either

Single led:
Uniquefire UF-1405 or Courui Big head or any other good host with lots of run-time. Haven’t been able to find single led hosts with 4x18650 or 4x26650

Tripple led:
DRY 3xCREE or FandyFire UV-S5

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated

I would loooove :heart_eyes: a host like the BTU Shocker but haven’t been able to find a bare host. I think buying a new one and then trash the led’s would be overkill.
Edit: Found a host kit!




I’ll wait and see the results of djozz’s tests before I make the final decision on a setup of one or three led’s.




Now I just need someone who can build it for me :wink:

27

Those flashlights you want to put the uv-led in are enormous and can handle lots of current. Depending on what led you are going to use the current will be 1.5A max, and although big head lights throw better these 'modest' uv-leds feels a bit out of place in such a big light. IMO, if throwing a beam far away is the goal, a C8 style flashlight suits this led better, or the Uniquefire 1407 if a narrow beam without spill is preferred. And go for the Nichia led because the die brightness is higher than the Ledengin uv led, so it will throw further.

28

Getting cross-eyed from browsing the forum 24-7 for the last week :-p

As for the enormous flashlights. Well I’m easily impressed, and those big chunks of metals really impress me. I can relate to those of you who cant stop buying flashlights without really having anything to use them for. Must resist!!!

Still totally n00b here -sorry

“C8 style” refers to the head of the flashlight?

Some spill would be OK. My main requirements would be a good illumination at 0-10 meters. So you are absolutely correct. Not really a need for a long throw :shy:

Edit:
But I like the idea of a zoomie as I would be able to regulate between searching nearby (flood) and at a distance of 10-15 meters.

29

For a zoomy, you have to consider whether the lens transmits ultraviolet light. I think glass usually transmits the wave length you want. Most clear plastic has ultraviolet absorbing dye added to it, as UV is often a nuisance.

30

I read about Polycarbonate a week ago, when searching for info on what protection glasses to buy for UV-protection. And it turns out my Oakley glasses are made of Polycarbonate which blocks all wavelengths of UV light.
I did not know that zoom lenses was made of that kind of plastic. Thanks!

31

Now this looks fun.

This!

Plus this!

32

Instant tan! :slight_smile:

33

I wouldn’t put it past Cereal Killer to build a UV abomination like that. He’s been known to build some monsters. J)

34

I got the amber samples in today. These are some quick pictures comparing three 365nm leds. I will have to think what further tests I can do. At least I have to build the Nichia led into a flashlight one of these days to get some more light out of it, this picture was made using the bare led connected to a led-tester at 50mA. And the exposures of the pictures should be comparable.

The left four pieces are brownish pebbles that were send together with the amber for comparison (good idea!), then a small scrap of copier paper to show how 'proper' bright fluorescence looks like, on the right are all pieces of amber (and there's a lot of dust on the black cloth, it appears ). The camera was on daylight setting. The amber shows only mild fluorescence (in reality the difference between pebbles and amber is even less than shows on the pictures) so for amber searching at sea I suspect that you need a good beam intensity. The faint whitish visible light that the Ledengin and the chinese led put out besides the UV I think are in the way of identifying the amber because it is in the same intensity range as the fluorescence. I think that the Nichia wins for amber searching, but that a 365nm UV-light will not be a miracle tool for this. (time and Hestbech will tell..)

White light (Nichia 219B 5000K 92CRI):

Ledengin LZ1 360-370nm:

Royalighting RY-3535P 365nm:

Nichia NCSU276A U365: