NeutralFan's 12th Annual BLF Old Lumens Challenge - Hand Made

[NeutralFan]

I’ve often thought about entering in years past, but usually prefer to just tinker on my own. But, I have an idea for a light that I think could turn out pretty cool.

I’ve also slowed down this year with modifying flashlights so this would be a good excuse for me to have some more fun down in the basement on my workbench. I’ll be cranking some good music and sipping on a beer like I usually do with my mods.

I don’t expect to have any additional expenses with this project since I have so many extra parts that I’ve accumulated. So it’ll be more of what to choose from and making them work with what I have in mind for this.

I’m a little apprehensive officially posting this, but here we go.

[Ruckusmattster]

I like what I see so far, I’m excited to see how it turns out

[NeutralFan]

Well, it’s been a busy thinking week for me! I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to make this light work.

I feel like it’s like one of those ships in a bottle, and wondering how in the heck they put that in there. The more I thought about it, the more I’m trying to figure out how to get everything to fit.

AND, I’ve decided not to show or talk about the mistakes I’ve made along the way. Else this would be even more boring than it already is.

So I started off with the main body that will hold the battery and driver. I outlined the main dimensions with the container and Dremeled the battery space.

Then I used a miter saw to rough cut it, and a belt sander for the final dimensions.

Next was to make space for the driver. At first I thought about having it on the side of the body, then I decided to put it underneath. Same use of the Dremel router.

For the battery connectors, at first I was planning on using Convoy switches for the spring and contact sides, but decided against it due to limited space. Instead I salvaged a battery holder from something that I kept in the past. I needed to trim it a little to make it smaller.

And to Dremel some slots and holes for the contacts to fit.

Since the spring was pressed fit into place, I decided to add a spring bypass to eliminate any connection or current issues.

That’s it for now. Next I’ll be working on the bulb/diffuser.

[NeutralFan]

I have plenty of options for a bulb/diffuser for my light.

Initially I was thinking about using a smaller diffuser, but decided to use a bulb from an LED lightbulb that stopped working years ago. And just by chance, I found a good base from my plastics parts bin to attach it to.

!

I then cut down the base and Dremeled out the middle, which made quite the mess with the plastic.

And sanded down the bottom of the bulb so it would be more flush with the base.

I don’t want to see the text that is on top of the bulb, so I attached it to a drill and used sandpaper to remove it.

Next I needed to attach the base to the container. I plan on gluing the bulb to the base, so if I ever had to remove it, I decided to attach it using screws from the inside of the container.

I also needed to drill holes for the LED MCPCB and wires.

Then I made the hole for the LED wires bigger using (once again) a Dremel. And removed the sharp edges using a file.

I found 4 screws that would work and made the initial install.

Next I’ll be working on the ancillary light switch.

[worrub918]

Looking like an awesome build. I can’t wait to see the final product

[NeutralFan]

Thanks, I appreciate your encouragement!

[NeutralFan]

With this light I also wanted to install an ancillary light to help locate it in the middle of the night. I’m a huge fan of lighted switches, so it was a high priority to have something similar designed into this light.

So I thought to have a dedicated switch just for this ancillary light. Therefore I could choose to have it on or off. I’m sure most of the time it will be on, but there may be times when it’s not in use that I’ll want to turn it off.

I found a small switch in my supply of electronic parts and decided to install it next to the battery compartment. I used a Dremel to make a cavity for the switch and drilled a hole all the way thru for the wires.

Unfortunately the top of the hole got a little bigger than the switch, so I made a switch plate from a popsicle stick, again with the Dremel, but so much easier to control due to the thinness of the wood.

I’m not sure yet if I’m going to use it since I may instead make a plastic cover for the entire inside of the light.

Next I needed a way to keep the battery secure since it will be upside down. It would probably stay in place with the spring, but I wanted to be safe just in case. I thought about making some type of swing arm to put pressure on it, but decided to just tape a piece of foam onto the lid. I cut it small enough so it doesn’t interfere with the switch.

Next I’ll be working on securing the LED MCPCB to the container.

[NeutralFan]

I needed a way to screw down the LED MCPCB onto the aluminum container. The container is very thin so just screwing it onto it would not be that secure. So I made a wood base to put underneath.

Nothing that exciting with making this part. First just cutting off a small piece of wood that would fit then filing down the area where the wires will go thru. This will help with preventing the LED wires from being cut by the container.

I sanded the base flat by putting it on sandpaper on a mirror. Then placed it onto the container to mark where the holes need to be. Found 2 screws to hold the MCPCB in place and used an appropriate sized drill bit for the holes.

I drilled the holes and also needed to sand down the sides more so it would fit between the bulb base screws. In the end, it looked like a USB flash drive.

Next I wanted to remove the paint underneath the LED MCPCB in order to maximize the thermal contact. I tried several chemicals and found that lacquer thinner worked.

It took a long time and many cotton swabs to remove the green paint and white primer, and my fingers got pretty sore. But I thought that would be better than sanding it down since the container is very thin and I didn’t want to risk making it even more thinner.

Next I’ll be working on the driver.

[MtnDon (Don Miller)]

Looking good! I like non-typical lights. It can be difficult to come up with ideas and methods to make the unconventional work.

[NeutralFan]

Thanks and agreed, and I’m sure you know that wood is a great product for this type of work.

[NeutralFan]

Before I put the driver into place, I thought to design the light to be able to remove the diffuser bulb just in case there was ever an issue and needed to take it apart. Since I’m going to glue the bulb onto the base, it would necessary to removed it from the inside.

Therefore I needed to drill 4 holes thru the wood body in order to reach the bulb base screws. So I put the container on top of the body and marked and drilled the holes. And as you can see from the light shining thru the holes, it should be aligned well enough for a screwdriver.

For the driver, I decided to use a leftover Convoy 5A 4modes linear LED driver.

First I needed to remove the spring by heating it up with a soldering iron.

Then I swapped out the 0.02 ohm sense resistor with 2 in series 0.039 ohm resistors in order to reduce the max current from 5A to 1.25A.

And added the resistor to my collection of misfit resistors.

Next was to secure the driver in place. I previously Dremeled a spot in the body to position it close to where the LED will be in case the thermal protection was needed, but I doubt it will ever step down due the reduced current.

I used a “zip tie” to hold it into place. I cut off a section of the zip tie, pushed it together to make it concave, drilled holes on both sides, and then screwed it in place.

Next I’ll be working on the main switch and ancillary light.

[MtnDon (Don Miller)]

That is quite the bag of resistors.

It’s coming along good.

[NeutralFan]

For the ancillary light, I was able to use the circuit board that I salvaged the battery spring and contact from.

I removed the components using a soldering iron and a wire cutter to cut out the area that I needed.

I soldered a green 0805 SMD LED onto the board. Then experimented with different value resistors to get the brightness and current I wanted. I ended up using a 75K ohm resistor which draws 0.025mA at 4.1v. So with the older protected 14500 ZebraLight battery that will be using, it will last around 3 years.

Next I was trying to figure out how to attach the light to the container. I initially was going to tape it to the container using Kapton tape, but wanted something more secure. I also thought about drilling a hole into the circuit board and screwing it to the container.

Then I came up with a pretty clever idea (as least I think it was)! I squeezed the board into a plastic hose, drilled a hole into the hose, and attach it directly to the switch.

The hose will also act as a washer to keep the switch in place when attached to the container.

Next was attaching the main switch. I wasn’t sure where to place it at first and eventually decided to have it sticking out at around a 45 degree angle from the top of the container. I also found a black plastic washer which will match nicely with the bulb base.

I drilled the switch hole and the ancillary light hole right below it. For the ancillary light hole, I also used a round file to make it nice and circular.

I needed to go to the hardware store in order to get a nut that would fit the switch since none that I had would. The only nut they had, which I was thankful they had one, was pretty big. So I hammered it into a piece of wood and filed it down.

With the tubing and black plastic washer, the switch is very secure.

I had to file down the top of ancillary light PCB in order to position the green LED next to the hole. With the board in the plastic tubing, I’m able to slightly adjust it the up and down once the switch is screwed into place. And as you can see, I’m able to position it perfectly. Plus, the plastic tubing presses nicely against the hole.

Next up will be the main LED and more work on the wood body.

[Lumencraft-Matt (Formerly: vestureofblood)]

Using that little canister for the base was brilliant. It really looks like the base of a production lantern that would hold some kind of gas.

[NeutralFan]

Thanks!

“Canister” is a better term for it than “container”, which I was using. I will use that going forward.

[NeutralFan]

Since I reduced the current on the driver, the light shouldn’t get that hot. BUT, just in case, I decided to put an insulator between where the LED MCPCB attaches to the canister and the wood it attaches to.

I cut a piece of 1mm silicone out of an old dog toothbrush. Our previous dog tolerated it, but the current ones hate it, so it was no longer being used.

And now that the switch has a home, I had to make space for it next to the wood body. So once again I used a Dremel for that task.

Then I needed to secure this, now Swiss cheese looking, body to the canister. I used some card stock as spacers and centered it in place. (As a side note, when I was initially cutting and sanding the wood body into shape, I wasn’t able to have the length fit right up against the inside of the canister since it was then too long to put into place - blah, blah, blah.) And made a template to determine where the holes needed to be drilled.

Then drilled the 4 holes and screwed the body temporarily into place.

I wanted to use a lower CCT LED for this light since it will be used as a nightstand/accent light. I have a 4000K 519A that I removed from a flashlight, but didn’t think that would be warm enough. Luckily I had a spare 3000K 519A LED and MCPCB, so I just had to reflow (flow?) it.

I use an old, no longer used in the kitchen, electric skillet for my reflow device. I set it to 400F and when it starts to heat up it still smells like pancakes! Works wonderfully.

Then I always check for flatness of the MCPCB by lightly sanding it on some 400 grit sandpaper placed on a small mirror. As you can see after a few swipes, it needed some additional sanding to make it flatter. The red outline show the initial contact with the sandpaper.

Next up will be the wiring and starting to finally put it together.

[Ruckusmattster]

looks awesome. how do you do all the carving? your parts look so even/smoothly cut especially in the battery holder and cutout for the switch.

[gravelmonkey]

One of the most impressive aspects of this build is how organised your “parts bins” seem to be!

I really like the use of that tube to hold the LED PCB! Great stuff!

[NeutralFan]

Thanks!

Carving was all done with a Dremel. For the battery holder, I used a router bit and attachment. For the switch cutout, it was the attachment on the right.

[NeutralFan]

Oh, I have lots of parts bins!!!