Modified LED lamping torches.

[Rosebank22]

that video looks great Dave - G.

 

Is the kit you used available anywhere as a package? or did you have to do it all separate?

[Dave-G]

It's a home brew rig me old beauty - details here:

 

http://####.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=2323

 

If the link don't work then I'll pm it to you.

[Dave-G]

For anyone thinking about getting an IR drop-in module for their P60 torch - I am developing "one piece" modules out of aluminium before making copper ones available.

 

Copper transfers heat better than brass or aluminium, and being made from one solid piece of copper rod stock, it avoids the little insulating gaps between the threads of the brass pill and aluminium reflector. The outer lip of the module will be pressed to the torch body when the torch head is screwed on to provide the currently missing heat path to cool air. Heat build up is the enemy of LED's. The uprated cooling path should allow the Oslon Black IR LED to be driven harder and therefore brighter,

 

I am doing this as a part time cottage industry and can not predict the life of the harder driven LED's, but it should be considered that brighter might equal a shorter life than the usual thousands of hours that they are otherwise capable of. For this reason there will be a choice between a standard 1050 MAH driver - or a higher current driver at 1400 MAH.

 

 

These are being specifically made to suit the back focal length of the ahorton lenses that many of you will have read about in this thread. I will be stocking and supplying those lenses. The modules are not suited to the cheaper Dx lens - nor the standard flat glass lens. If you already have an ahorton lens then the drop-in will be available as a stand alone item.

 

I have not finalised the price yet but it will be in the region of £30~£35 for the built module and about £10~£12 for the ahorton lens if you need one.

 

For those of you who currently use a Cree red LED module with a DX lens, I will turn down standard "reflector/spacers" to simplify swapping between visible red and infra red modules, you will need to blacken them with paint or black marker pen. Anticipated cost for that will be about £10.

 

Some of you will recognise the brass pill and aluminium ahorton lens on the left:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/Dave-G/Drop-inpractice_zpsa4bd55b5.jpg

[mrikirkby]

Hi Dave I have just ordered the bits for a nv setup except the ir part. I am thinking of using a 501b/p60 as its only for air rifle ranges but would like maybe a bit of extra range to spot with so max would be 100 yard at the most.

So what would you recommend and where can I get it from ? I have read through this thread but I am a bit lost as to who is selling and making what ?? Its the same setup as evo but I am not sure I want the larger torch that he has on his setup.

 

Regards Ian

Edited June 10, 2013 by mrikirkby

[evo]

hi mate if your shooting to 100-120 yrds then get the 501b torch and order the droppin from dave, this will be more than adequate for what you need, it will show eye shine to a lot further, hope this helps,mate cheers Evo

[Dave-G]

I'd second that emotion.

 

PCP's are heavy enough as they are without a few more pounds of NV kit and huge illuminators. Fair play to those going out for foxes with bigger heavier further reaching torches but they are simply not needed for your purposes.

[nicholiath]

I just tried to order an ahorton Aspheric lense and spacer for my 501b off the candlepower forum but it won't work!! Where can i get them from?

[evo]

pm dave G on here,he will make you a droppin for your 501b and if I,m right will also sell you an AHorton lens also, once you get these off dave you wont look back

[mick miller]

I just tried to order an ahorton Aspheric lense and spacer for my 501b off the candlepower forum but it won't work!! Where can i get them from?

 

 

I've got one set left here. But it works out £30 posted (original cost, plus customs charge, plus post 2nd Class RM).

[nicholiath]

Ok thanks for the replies guys

[mick miller]

You may be better buying one from ash direct, I got totally done by customs and royal mail on my last purchase.

[Dave-G]

I am expecting a delivery of ahorton lenses within a few days.

 

Pending what the final cost is including customs, bearing in mind I won't be buying huge amounts at a time, I anticipate making them available at £12-ish each.

 

I have also agreed to take a few slight seconds with flaws in the outer lip that locates them - so there is no conflict with performance. Again pending the total cost, I imagine these will be about £7-ish.

[nicholiath]

When fitting the ahorton lense doyou have to use the spacer or can it be done without?

[mick miller]

If you're not going to use Dave's kit really you need the whole Ash Horton kit, that is spacer, lens & anodised black short reflector.

 

Not a bad price on the lenses Dave, I may want to but one or two, it depends whether I can master my bodgit and scarpa technique for shortening and opening up a standard reflector, which does rather depend on managing to sneak a pillar drill past the other half.

[Dave-G]

When fitting the ahorton lense doyou have to use the spacer or can it be done without?

The ahorton lens 'sees' more of the led light cone than any of the cheaper aspheric lenses because it is much thicker with a much closer focus point. I'm not into graphics but here is a photo of the difference I'm not very good at describing:

 

 

Thus the ahorton lens will only be good (very much better in fact) with a much shorter reflector/spacer. I can machine a standard reflector/spacer and blacken with black spray paint - or possibly a black permanent marker. Posted price about £12.

 

You would only need one ahorton lens to use with both the visible red and the Infra red LEDs - a true very compact night shooters torch that's small and light enough to leave on the rifle permanently- ideally below the barrel to avoid any reflections off sound mods etc..

[nicholiath]

The ahorton lens 'sees' more of the led light cone than any of the cheaper aspheric lenses because it is much thicker with a much closer focus point. I'm not into graphics but here is a photo of the difference I'm not very good at describing:

 

 

Thus the ahorton lens will only be good (very much better in fact) with a much shorter reflector/spacer. I can machine a standard reflector/spacer and blacken with black spray paint - or possibly a black permanent marker. Posted price about £12.

 

You would only need one ahorton lens to use with both the visible red and the Infra red LEDs - a true very compact night shooters torch that's small and light enough to leave on the rifle permanently- ideally below the barrel to avoid any reflections off sound mods etc..

many thanks. please let us know when you get the lenses so i can arrange for a shortened reflector and lense .

[sandgrounder]

Hello Dave,

 

brilliant mod. I'll take some lens' from you please. 5 if thats ok?

[Dave-G]

I'll post up on here when they arrive lads - I don't know how many of you have ploughed through this whole thread but please be aware they are only suitable for use with shorter than than standard reflectors so you WILL need to reduce the length of standard ones and make the outer edges wafer thin by machining out the inner to allow the widest beam collection possible. Note how the black reflector spacer bells out at the end so it views more of the light cone outer area than a shortened standard reflector - unless you can shorten the lower threaded area and re-tap the thread.

 

I am also planning to make replacement copper screw on reflector/spacers that will retain as much copper as possible to soak up the heat better - and provide a bulkier thermal path to the torch body. Whilst not quite as efficient a cooling path as a one piece drop-in, this should allow those who DIY brass pill mods to run their LED's at a higher rate too.

 

A modified standard reflector/spacer with the wide end removed should pick up more of the LED beam than a standard length one - but not as much as a wide neck one.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Dave-G

[Dave-G]

The ahorton lenses are here lads - will cost £13 each posted, buyer to pay the paypal costs please. Note: I recycle packaging. I have some with chips around the retaining edge at £8 each - this has no effect on the lens performance. Your choice chaps.

 

It's a good job the short nights are here because it's taking longer than I anticipated to get the first copper components ready.

First I have an ongoing issue with a foreign LED supplier messing me around then running out of stock, and I naively thought standard copper rod 'machines' well. It actually behaves like you might expect a wet tree trunk to turn down on a lathe. Check out the finish on the ends of the copper rod Vs the aluminium rod. Seriously expensive Machining grade copper has been ordered.

 

Bear with me lads - I've put a little progress photo below so you can see I'm not just waffling about it. Aluminium one's have turned out fine enough... but we can't solder driver boards to ally.

 

 

[mick miller]

Are the LEDs reflowed direct to copper Dave? Looks like they're still soldered to a standard aluminium mcpcb star. If that's the case you may have heat issues when they're over driven.

[mrikirkby]

Put me down for a lens Dave please.

[nicholiath]

Dave you have pm

[Dave-G]

Are the LEDs reflowed direct to copper Dave? Looks like they're still soldered to a standard aluminium mcpcb star. If that's the case you may have heat issues when they're over driven.

No mate, although the copper plug you use for the visible red cree LED is OK because the heat pad is isolated from the anode. The standard brass pill won't pass the heat as well - nor conduct it to the usual aluminium reflector because of gaps in the threads, nor does any part of the standard module contact the torch body. The large centre contact on the Oslon Black is connected to the anode (positive) and would not be a good idea.

 

The star is only 1mm thick ally and the all one piece copper module will soon suck the heat away from it and pass it to cool air outside the torch body.

[mick miller]

Okay, the LEDs I use are reflow soldered straight to copper, this in turn is held on the brass pill with thermal paste. I use thermal paste adhesive to bridge the gaps in the threads. The entire reflector and pill are then wound with aluminium foil to bridge the gap between pill, reflector and body. A final layer of thermal adhesive and the whole lot is pressed into the torch body.

 

This makes a good thermal path, the body of the torch heats up quite quickly in use.

 

The thermal paste I use is fujik Dave, you can get it from dx.com.

Edited June 20, 2013 by mick miller

[Dave-G]

Mick, you are referring to a different application and type of LED, and different mounting methods. Your aluminium foil wrapping and gluing has made it not suitable for swapping drop-in modules between visible red for lamping and Infra Red for NV devices. What I'm on about is one torch for a night shooters rifle, and possibly one for his top pocket too. B)

 

The quite substantial visible light LED you used with your copper slug has 3 contacts, the central heat dissipating one is on a different plane to the + and - terminals. Only that large central 'pad' is soldered to your copper slug whilst separate wires are soldered to the out reaching + and - spider legs of it.

 

The three itsy bitsy terminals on the bottom of the tiny Oslon Black SMT IR LED would all short together if simply reflow soldered to a metal component because they are all on the same plane.