I’m new to the forum, bounced from a dashcams forum where I was advised to look for help here with a couple of doubts I have.
I recently created a DIY NVG with an action camera, a Gitup Git1 as the people at dashcamtalk told me it had the best sensor for this use, a Sony IMX322.
I have tested with a flashlight with an infrared filter but the lighting is very poor, so I am looking for a flashlight to wear mounted in the same place as the NVG (the helmet) that allow me to have a good angle of illumination at short distances (rooms) but being usefull enough at least up to 30m. The sensor of the camera is twice as sensitive to the 850nm as the 940nm but I understand that depending on the quality of the emitter, the 850nm led are more likely to emit visible red light so I would need a 940nm with enough power to compensate the lack of sensitivity of the sensor. Also, I understand that 940nm is less visible to genuine NVGs.
As it will be mounted permanently in my head I need the less visible lightprint as possible.
Also, I need it to be 1 mode only.
I have been looking at this and other forums and it seems that the T20 is a good candidate but it appears under various brands (Uniquefire, Evolva) and I could use a recommendation of a reliable site where to buy it and that the 940nm are 940nm. I’ve seen it on Amazon but I do not trust …
Also, if you know of any 850nm good enough that emits very little visible light it would work too.
Secondly, I have a copy of a DBAL with visible light and laser and IR laser. This is the one that I put the infrared filter and as I say, doesn’t give much light and leaves a quite visible red light.
Therefore I am thinking of changing the visible LED module for powerful IR LED.
In this case it wouldn’t matter so much it were 850nm since I would use it on specific occasions enhance the illumination over the objectives along with the IR laser (has dual mode).
There is some module drop in that you recommend me to adapt it with something of brico to DBAL. The device feeds on a Cr123A. Take in mind that sometimes it will feed both, the ir laser and the led emitter at the same time.
I think that’s it, I hope it’s not too much to ask.
Good IR LEDs have a very small bandwith
They cost only about 5-7$
At 850 or 860nm you will get very few light below 800nm which is visible
The best solution is a IR filter additional to the LED eliminatng the few visible spectrum if you dont want to be seen
There are nice 6W IR LEDs like
Osram Oslon Black LED SFH4715AS
They emit about 2W IR
In a light with a short orange peel reflector it should throw good and light a lot in the spill
Or build it as mule without reflector
This LED can be used on any light with 1A and 3535 footprint with thermal middle pad like Cree XPL
I would reflow it on a noctigon DTP star and drive it with an AMC7135*5 driver at 1.75A as the cooling is a lot better than stock aluminium boards
Easy to reflow em on a stove or with a gas burner
The other solution are Osram LED 3W dropins that are ready to replace t20 or P60
This solution you wrote would be for the head IR flashlight or the DBAL IR? The build seems interesting and I would consider for the DBAL. Though I would need a 1 mode drive instead of 5.
Those osram 3Ws dropins are genuine?
I forgot to say I don’t have too much time lately or skill/experience to get into very complex modding/building so the least I have to do tech work, the better.
First a I would need a good T20 with a true osram led to start with and having something to compare different pills on it.
Is there any trustworthy delaer to purchase the flashlights, leds and pills or do I have to order at aliexpress and alibaba and pray?
On my head I will have another IR flashlight, that’s where I need flood to see around but still a decent range up to 30-40m. So, would the T20 be good for these or any other of the ones you posted?
As the LED emitter is very small the light will have a good throw in a medium reflector
The lit hotspot should be 2 times smaller than an XML2 LED so 4 times the intensity
A lens light has no spill so you need a flood light as well, but the loose a lot light on throw as not much of the emitted light gets caught by the lens
In a reflector light you get a flood spill from lght not hitting the reflector
A Convoy C8 with this 1x1mm Osram LED should light only a few degees angle in the hotspot
This is the angle you can expect from the Osram LED in a Convoy C8
The advantage on a reflector light is you can put some tape milky on parts of the lens to adjust to get more flood on close objects or block the middle of the lens to reduce spill
Ok, so this would be the DBAL inside. This is the thing I want to convert into IR. For now one of the problems is I need a second pair of hands to measure voltaje and current before and after the driver and I need some device other than the one I have to measure it.
Maybe the pictures trigger you any idea of what I’ll need/find.
will it work on DTP star ? if i remember correct the older version of those in DTP were burned since the center pad was not neutral.
any cheap sources for this led ?
