# 1800 lumen Regina batteries inc



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Spurred on by Zakattak s light below and Golddigger making chips 
I have had the ali box section for a while so thought it time to start .










1 inch and .3/4 -10 swg box section , the 4 18650 pack is a snug fit and it will have 4 XPGs and Reginas 
running from a B2flex so the possibility to have high @ 1.5 amps OK it will be a drastically reduced run time but who cares . can always turn it down .

more to follow as it happens .


----------



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Making Chips???


chips of the mill?


----------



## Itess (Feb 22, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Spurred on by Zakattak s light below and Golddigger making chips
> I have had the ali box section for a while so thought it time to start .
> 
> 
> ...


I was thinking about such a construction but decided not to go that way. The main question was how to make rear cover to pull accus out of the case or how to charge them inside. Your solution would be very interesting.


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Itess said:


> I was thinking about such a construction but decided not to go that way. The main question was how to make rear cover to pull accus out of the case or how to charge them inside. Your solution would be very interesting.


Been in touch with George and he says it is OK to leave the Battery connected to the Bflex and also to charge with it connected so no worries there .

finding a small charge socket and plug may be a challenge did wonder about a usb type of thing


----------



## JezV (Oct 31, 2009)

As a matter of interest, what's the beam like with 4 x reginas as a bar light? The beamshots for 2 x reginas look like they have a bright central hotspot and I wondered if four of the little buggers would actually be too bright in the centre, especially at 1.5A?


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

JezV said:


> As a matter of interest, what's the beam like with 4 x reginas as a bar light? The beamshots for 2 x reginas look like they have a bright central hotspot and I wondered if four of the little buggers would actually be too bright in the centre, especially at 1.5A?


dont know yet but do know what 5 looks like an its pretty good 
might get all arty and angle them a bit but that will most likely happen by accident


----------



## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Let the mayhem begin...:thumbsup:


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Little bit more progress

Heat sink slug made and Xpgs gouled on and wired up this will come back and bite me later










Didnt have any 20 mm stars so had to use the square 10 mm ones which makes it a bit harder 
as I needed to cutaway the bit over the solder pads but did find an easy way carefully stroking with a soldering iron worked a treat










Not really much work to do seems too easy at the moment mill a shoulder for the lexan cover and just rounded the sharp edges wit a Joinery router bit .



















Right thats me warmed up again back into the freezing garage for a bit more


----------



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Little bit more progress
> 
> Heat sink slug made and Xpgs gouled on and wired up this will come back and bite me later
> 
> ...


Deja Vu...
I was having a discussion at work yesterday about using router bits in the mill for ali..
And trouties gone and done it..
:thumbsup:

Looking good..


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

*Well that was an easy one*

Job done










I said the leds would bite me later and they did I made the heatsink just a smidge too tight and having the leds on it before installing proved the most difficult bit of the build as had to be very carefull not to destroy the leds while pressing it in the case























































No real problems though the 4 cell 18650 is a very nice fit in the tubing with no machining needed apart from the little notch for where the Protection circuit is on the pack .

I have just got the Lexan to cut and glue in to finish .

Parts list is huge .

4 XPG R5 leds 
4 Regina reflectors 
1 B2flex ( Ace to use with the heatsink pad to glue it in place )
power in / charger socket  
will need a cable for the charger 
switch is one that I saw linked on here cant remember where but it is a IP67 Mom Switch

Battery is a 14.8 V 2.6 AH pack from Mtbbatteries 

Clamp is one of my own from the Liberators

I have the Bflex set at the Maximum 1500 MA on Three mode with level 3 being med and 2 being low Thermal set at 60 degrees

No thermal paste was used between the sink and the case as it was a right Barsteward to hammer it in it is a near perfect metal to metal fit .

Beam shots to follow but early thoughts are it might benifit from a couple of wider optics in there for some spill

Weight as you see is 419 grams


----------



## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Looks really good. 
I didn't know that aluminum adhesive set up below freezing. 
Now I understand the need for the hat from the other picture. 

The beam shots should be spectacular.:thumbsup:


----------



## klynk (Apr 18, 2010)

Wow, Troutie, u r really fast!! 
We want beamshots, though


----------



## Ola (May 25, 2004)

Troutie, how much clearance to you have between battery pack and inner surfaces? I'm building exactly same light and has some discussion about battery swelling with a battery expert at work (I work with mobile phones). He recommended around 1mm to be on the safe side. Round batteries swell less than square phone battaeries but they do swell a bit during usage.


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Ola said:


> Troutie, how much clearance to you have between battery pack and inner surfaces? I'm building exactly same light and has some discussion about battery swelling with a battery expert at work (I work with mobile phones). He recommended around 1mm to be on the safe side. Round batteries swell less than square phone battaeries but they do swell a bit during usage.


it is a sliding fit with 1 layer of shrink on the pack with probably .25mm rattle room 
so I put a couple of small blobs of sillycone to stop the movement

with out the shrink it is a rattly fit .with 1.5 mm clearanse

klynk 
not too fast. it is a real easy build. and could be done with standard tools and a dermal
in about 8hours

OT. had to take it inside and warm it up to speed the set
the het is required safety equipment in my garage at the moment

have thought about a wood burner in there


----------



## ZacAttack! (Jun 21, 2009)

Very nice, +1 for the beams shots though  . I would love to see what 4 reginas would be like on the bars.


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

ZacAttack! said:


> Very nice, +1 for the beams shots though  . I would love to see what 4 reginas would be like on the bars.


beamshots may have to wait. as we are covered in snow but may try later


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

*Beam shot attempt*

OK out with the faithfull Lumen hound for a beam shot attempt










4 XPgs at full 1.5 amps with the Regina optic .

Starting with low










Med










Hi


----------



## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Did anyone else start hearing the Jeff Wayne sound track to War of the Worlds as they scrolled down through that first beam shot pic?










All in one lights have come a long way since my first (and only) all in one although I suspect that probably has more to do with the skill of the builder than anything else.

Nice work Chris. Does it stay pretty balanced on the bar or is there a bit of movement with the extra weight of the batteries loading the mount?


----------



## JezV (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks for the beamshots troutie, but a bit difficult to judge how well they're working with so few reference points. Looks like more spread than I'd expected but less depth. I suspect the pics are a bit misleading - any chance you could do some of your regular woodland shots, once you've thawed out a bit? 

Once you've ridden with them more I'd be interested in your subjective views. I have a design for a 4xXPG bar light in my head but haven't even ordered the LEDs yet. Keep thinking I could cram a few triples in the same space but Regina's seem more efficient.

Thanks for posting another fantastic build. It's people like you that motivate people like me to DIY rather than go the magicshine route and it's great to hear about mistakes as well as what worked because hopefully others following in your footsteps will learn. Same goes for all you DIY builders posting here.

Cheers

Jez


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

JezV said:


> Thanks for the beamshots troutie, but a bit difficult to judge how well they're working with so few reference points. Looks like more spread than I'd expected but less depth. I suspect the pics are a bit misleading - any chance you could do some of your regular woodland shots, once you've thawed out a bit?
> 
> Once you've ridden with them more I'd be interested in your subjective views. I have a design for a 4xXPG bar light in my head but haven't even ordered the LEDs yet. Keep thinking I could cram a few triples in the same space but Regina's seem more efficient.
> 
> ...


Yes not my best location but it is on my regular dog walk the woods is a drive and the motor was frozen up .will go to the woods tonight Lumen hound likes it there too

distance to the Barn and scary sheep is 160 metres so does give an indication how far it will throw .

though for a good bar light I think it could do with a couple of wider optics to smooth the sharp cut off ath the egde of the beam


----------



## ZacAttack! (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks for the shots Troutie, the hot spot isn't as pronounced as I thought it may have been. 160m :eekster:


----------



## MrLee (May 28, 2010)

troutie-mtb said:


> OK out with the faithfull Lumen hound for a beam shot attempt


Check out that sky!


----------



## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Exactly what I was referring to Mr Lee. That is spectacular


----------



## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Great light! 

Like you, I need a heater in my shed, -1.3 in there at the mo!

How is your bFlex coping with 4 cells driving 4 XPGs? Reason I ask is I have 3 cells driving 3 XPGs and it doesn't like it one bit. George reckons there isn't enough headroom and says I should use 4 cells. My light gives me a low voltage warning no matter where I set the Vmed or Vlow. 

I'd be interested to hear how your light is. I'll also change the driver for another bFlex. I found a load of them in one of my drawers. Result!

Andrew


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

piesoup said:


> Great light!
> 
> Like you, I need a heater in my shed, -1.3 in there at the mo!
> 
> ...


I did think about that so tested the 4 XPG array before hammering it in the housing 
and the VF was 12.5 @ 1 amp 
and only 12.7 at 1.5 amps .

so I may have got some fantastically low VF leds in this last batch from cutters .:thumbsup:

so at the moment it is coping fine but have not yet run it right down 
I doubt whether i would be run at max much and would probably throttle the B2flex back to 1200 ma


----------



## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Really nice build. I also thought a UFO streak in that red sky pic would not be a surprise.

Love the return off the scary sheep faces when turned to the light! A bit heavy for EL34's head strap mount, but it would take a pistol grip for dog walking and other uses.


----------



## ZacAttack! (Jun 21, 2009)

BrianMc said:


> Really nice build. I also thought a UFO streak in that red sky pic would not be a surprise.
> 
> Love the return off the scary sheep faces when turned to the light! A bit heavy for EL34's head strap mount, *but it would take a pistol grip for dog walking and other uses*.


Fantastic Idea!


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

JezV said:


> Thanks for the beamshots troutie, but a bit difficult to judge how well they're working with so few reference points. Looks like more spread than I'd expected but less depth. I suspect the pics are a bit misleading - any chance you could do some of your regular woodland shots, once you've thawed out a bit?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Jez


Not done any riding with it yet as too much snow and now its melting too much freezing cold mud .

but here is a shot in the usual place with the Cuboid on high










and for a comparison here is a shot of a Liberator which has a measured output of 1750 lumens


----------



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

I think the liberator gives a more usefull beam for me personally


----------



## klynk (Apr 18, 2010)

IMO, four Reginas in one line would give much more useful beam, than 2x2 square.


----------



## JezV (Oct 31, 2009)

klynk said:


> IMO, four Reginas in one line would give much more useful beam, than 2x2 square.


I'm not sure it would make any appreciable difference over that distance.

OK, it hasn't got the spread of a liberator but its still pretty impressive for just four LEDs, even if they are driven at 1.5A. Critically, it doesn't have the overwhelming hotspot I feared it might. I guess replacing one regina with a medium optic might be just the ticket, which I think Troutie suggested before. Gives me an outline plan for my next bar light (unless the XML changes the game in the meantime).


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

OK no beamshots but have been out for a long walk in the darkness with the pooch and did a comparison with the quad regina @ 1.5 amps versus a 7 up at 1300 ma drive and the quad regina comfortably beat the 7 up on range and could spot rabbits way further than the 7 up with the kathod narrow optic .

and even whopped my 7 up with the small aspherics and that is a pretty good thrower . 

Didnt have the wide spill of the 7 ups but was certainly still very usable as either a bar light or one made without the battery inside a great hemet light . 

now if we could get this level of performance from the XM-L then a couple would be fantastic .


----------



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

7 up with small aspherics? I don't believe I've seen that. Any link or pics Chris?


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Goldigger said:


> 7 up with small aspherics? I don't believe I've seen that. Any link or pics Chris?


Good question Jay cant seem to find where I posted it


----------



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Good question Jay cant seem to find where I posted it


Interesting, where did you get the aspherics from? DX?
How did you place each one over the led? looks like a right fiddly job..


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

These are the aspherics http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/l10017.html

yes it was a faff I had to make little acrylic spacers to get the focal height somewhere near .

ace light untill I compared it to the quad Regina and then got a bit disheartened at it being outclassed by a 4 led lamp .

so now going to do a 6 regina helmet light whilst waiting for the XM-L`s 
but will only be running them at 1300 ma from a maxflex though


----------



## klynk (Apr 18, 2010)

troutie-mtb said:


> so now going to do a 6 regina helmet light whilst waiting for the XM-L`s
> but will only be running them at 1300 ma from a maxflex though


OMG. That will be killer-light


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

*very blond moment*

Well I dont know what happened here measured = check lined up 6 reginas = check

measured bit of ali = check .
mark out bit of ali = check .

set up mill and make a start = check .

nearly freeze to death and take part inside to wash and have a good look at for working out the next process then notice there is some thing amiss .

can you see whats wrong


----------



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Well I dont know what happened here measured = check lined up 6 reginas = check
> 
> measured bit of ali = check .
> mark out bit of ali = check .
> ...


I've head rumours that the regina's can grow while your milling out a nice home for them..

6x20= 120mm you cut the wrong piece of ali?


----------



## bwack (Oct 11, 2009)

Hello Troutie. Want to thank you for the build log of the Cubic light (the one in here with batteries inside) and for the links provided. It looks very neat. No cabling to worry about..
I like the way you conduct the heat. Its much more space efficient than using L-profiles.

Have you experienced wigling/shaking of the beam when riding? So I guess I'm asking if your holder is heavy-duty enough for the "load on top". 
My build (hammond box) is ~100g heavier (5cell pack) than yours.The beam shakes alot on bumpy dirt-roads, but I'm sure I can optimize my barmount


----------



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi Bwack 

Thanks , You have certainly packed alot of stuff in there Nice one I did think of using those square optics but with them being nearly 22 mm square they wouldnt fit in the stock metal .

no problems with it shaking its pretty well balanced and the Liberator mounts are a tad over engineered so hold up very well .
I like the concept and have found some other stock metal that is a near perfect fit inside the square tube just needs a light sanding to make it an interference fit so minimal machining..




Back to the major cock up I could understand getting it wrong by a MM or so but not 40 mm . no idea what went wrong maybe I needed some alcohol antifreeze in the blood .

but have now got a cunning plan it will mean a fair bit of machine work but will be worth the effort .

The plan is to make a couple of small pods one for each end and hang them under the case also to make them moveable so I can swivel them to widen or concentrate the beam .


----------



## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

These sort of things are "prototypes" not "mistakes". 

I have a box full of prototypes.


----------



## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

cold numbs the brains (and other bits). I spent a good few minutes doing side cuts on a little commuter light I've just finished (to give a bit of "side light" at junctions), tidied it all up and then realised I did the wrong end. Looks kinda funky though.


----------

