# Another Cute Tripple XML



## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

I've got all the bits and after some thought come up with the following design for a round tripple xml using a cute optic and a H6flex..
Thinking it looks a bit basic at the moment...


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## Khrystyan27 (Jul 3, 2011)

Cool, i will be watching this topic... 

Estimated lm output?

What tipe of optics?


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Leds are XML U2 bins...Cree quote @3amps 975 per led
Optic Ledil Cute 3-SS-XM

Made a start on the mill today
Here's how i will seal the rear cover









Rear driver compartment milled out with the lip for the oring


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Very Nice GD. 

As far as being basic I think that's the only problem using rond bar. There's only so many things that can be done with it


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

This is really cool, you are really going to give the rotary table a work out with this one :thumbsup:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

HuffyPuffy said:


> This is really cool, you are really going to give the rotary table a work out with this one :thumbsup:


Your not wrong there...I i need to motorize the rotary table, I have been using a drill and spining it with that


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

GD the design looks good and I'm sure you can pull it off. But you are going to wish that you had a lathe to compliment your mill at some point.

Keep up the good work.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

yetibetty said:


> GD the design looks good and I'm sure you can pull it off. But you are going to wish that you had a lathe to compliment your mill at some point.
> 
> Keep up the good work.


If i only want to turn anything up to 32mm i can put some round bar into the appropriate sized collet in a ER32 chuck, like shown in this video..
If i need to go a bit larger id have to mill a stub on one end of the bar to fit into a collet..


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

I have seen that video a few times and it will work for the small stuff. Unfortunately the largest you can fit in an ER32 collet is 20mm (16mm for ER25) as the ER number is the outside diameter of the collet not the inside.

You're doing fine as you are and the results are the same with a lathe , the lathe is just faster.

You could always get a screw on chuck, screw it to an MT3 taper and stick it in your spindle! But what's the rush?

Look forward to the finished housing.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Dam I was wrong on the collet sizes..just looked on rdg and they do a ER40 which goes up to 25mm.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Just do what this guy has done 




I'm impressed in how excited his wife is with his efforts. Mine just says that's nice in that tone we all know


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

that's awesome! Now if I could only I could get my wife to build me one, she'd have all the adulation she could ever want


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

oh, and looking forward to the light GD


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

brad72 said:


> Just do what this guy has done
> 
> 
> 
> ...


brad, I'm going to get my wife to watch that vid, just so that she knows how she is meant to react when I cut through metal.

Mine just says "as long as you clear up arter yourself, I don't mind what you do".

Not very inspiring:sad:


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

I agree with her, "frigging amazing", both your new light GD and that video.

Now if only I could find the time to get mine cleaned and set up


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

brad72 said:


> Just do what this guy has done
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great video, makes me want a lathe now, will have to wait though.


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

emu26 said:


> Now if only I could find the time to get mine cleaned and set up


What, your wife???

Perhaps you could let us know how to do that as well.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

yetibetty said:


> brad, I'm going to get my wife to watch that vid, just so that she knows how she is meant to react when I cut through metal.
> 
> Mine just says "as long as you clear up arter yourself, I don't mind what you do".
> 
> Not very inspiring:sad:


Here you are Yeti...hapf the kit to add the 4th axis to your mill...:thumbsup:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270696993188


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Bout time for an update..

Rear and front cover...working on the rear cover here..I machined the front and rear cover from one piece of round ali bar. Once i've machined the two sides, one side of the front and one side of the rear. I then saw them in two and machine the remaining face for each cover.









Front cover-after i parted the two.









Main body and rear cover in the 4 jaw chuck mounted vertically


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

GD, check your PMs. 
Your parting tool is ready.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

yetibetty said:


> GD, check your PMs.
> Your parting tool is ready.


YB..check your pm's sent you PM 30 mins ago in reply
Also check your paypal:thumbsup:


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Goldigger said:


> YB..check your pm's sent you PM 30 mins ago in reply
> Also check your paypal:thumbsup:


Got the paypal (thanks) will post in the morning. No PM though.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Opinion guys..
ok i've crudley manipulated this image and added in some extra slots that are present but not got a photo..should i mill a grove around the body through the middle of the horizontal slots as indicated by the black line?









Idea being that the hot air in the fins will be able to clear better...


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## uncle_bob (Jul 26, 2010)

How about a circumference groove at each end of the horizontal slots if possible it may look a bit better than one in the middle. My two bobs worth


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

uncle_bob said:


> How about a circumference groove at each end of the horizontal slots if possible it may look a bit better than one in the middle. My two bobs worth


I see where your coming from..good idea..:thumbsup:


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

I'm with uncle bob.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

yetibetty said:


> I'm with uncle bob.


How does your wife feel about that?


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## uncle_bob (Jul 26, 2010)

Or you could do multiple grooves, but it may end up looking like a porcupine. Though it will give you more surface area and good air flow.


> How does your wife feel about that?


I know nuthing!!


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

uncle_bob said:


> Or you could do multiple grooves, but it may end up looking like a porcupine. Though it will give you more surface area and good air flow.
> 
> I know nuthing!!


I gotta be carefull noy to remove to much material, it weighed around 175grams before i started trying to make it look pretty..
This has to cope with 3 xmls running at 3amps


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## uncle_bob (Jul 26, 2010)

Goldigger said:


> I gotta be carefull noy to remove to much material, it weighed around 175grams before i started trying to make it look pretty..
> This has to cope with 3 xmls running at 3amps


Ok, however, when standing still it will probably be smokin at 3amps anyway, so you may as well make the walls thinner to get the heat out quickly when you are at full amps and moving? yes. Im no thermal engineery guy though

Maybe the grooves at each end are the go anyway.


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

For years there has been the debate about which direction the fins should point. In the end I decided both directions is best ( in other words I couldn't make my mind up ).

This light still works today after lots of use over a couple of years and it runs cool. Not 3 XML's and I had to do it on a drill press with router bits.

GD, I'm sure you can do a similar thing only better with your mill.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Yeti i really like that light...not sure mine will look as good to be honest..
Anyway here is the updated pic of the grooves..no time to do anything tonight but will get some done tomorrow after work hopefully


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Here's an update on a little bit of tonights works..had to make dinner so i didnt get to finish it..
Still need to finish the part from the front bezel to the start of the horizontal grooves..
Had a lumicycle mount in the draw so used that rather than buggering around maching a mount for it.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Looking good GD. Certainly a good testiment of what can be acheived just with a rotary table and some skill.

Make dinner...... life's hard for us blokes these days with all the extra things required from us eating into play time like cooking, vacuuming etc etc etc . Hope my wife doesn't read that sentence.


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Looking good GD. Looks like this light will be quite light weight by the time it's finished it's rotations.

P.S I do all the cooking as my wife can't/won't cook.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Cheers for the comments guys..

At least i didnt have to wash up last night...If i cook the mrs washes up visa versa (or she gets a slap)


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Nearly finished, just need to sort out the switch and cable gland...which will be a hirchmann M8 connector
Oring in place for the led end...









Oring in place for the driver end, which needs to be redone as i cut the oring chord to short 









All put together..









What do people think on using one of my little mom switches? to small? If i used one of them i would put the switch on the right, M8 connector on the left and a status led above in the middle..
Or use one of the usual ITW switches with led in the middle as seen on the tripple P7?









And just to add, this light was machined entirely on the rotary table...wasn't as bad as it used to be now i have the 4 jaw chuck


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

That's rather nice GD, well done.

I would go with the big switch if you have the space for it. I only use the tiny switch in my lights now due to lack of space, both work just as well but if you have created enough space then you may as well use it.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks yeti...
Thats the problem i dont have any spare ITW switches..like a nob i ordered a load of bits from RS and forgot to get some ITW switches...

Oh and thanks for the parting tool...havent used it yet as i've been busy doing this one:thumbsup:


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

GD, I like the finish on this one. Did you have a go with the 00 grade wire wool?( no not brillo pad  ) and how much does it wiegh? I bet it's one of your lightest yet.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

I gave it a quick go over in the sink with some 1200 wet and dry...just to make it look nice for some photo's

I was quiet surprised when it tipped tha scales at 200g, I though it was going to be less..(includes the lumicycle mount etc)


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

200 grams :yikes:

You probably want that much for 3 XMLs though.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Tis a good looking light there Jay and a quick thanks for the thread as watching it progress has bumped me into starting another CUTIE a couple of days ago .
and hope to have it working today as it is piddling down up here in Yorkshire.

Can I borrow your thread to put up a few pics later today as it doesn't really merit a thread of its own


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Tis a good looking light there Jay and a quick thanks for the thread as watching it progress has bumped me into starting another CUTIE a couple of days ago .
> and hope to have it working today as it is piddling down up here in Yorkshire.
> 
> Can I borrow your thread to put up a few pics later today as it doesn't really merit a thread of its own


Thanks Chris..
Of course you can..I always like seeing what you create..as they seem to get better and better.

My rear cover is sitting on the mill waiting for the postman who never came came to deliver a m12x1 tap for the switch..I hate that 13.5mm little lip on the back of the switch that you need to mill a recess for the switch to sit flush.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Thanks Jay 
well it started out with in idea on how I wanted it to go using square stock but didnt really go as planned round and square are not the most easy shapes to marry up.
so it morphed as the build went on not to mention the cockup that nearly ruined it but meant I had to change design to machine out the scars .
The damn camera battery ran out so I just carried on shaving metal off so no pics I am afraid.




























I know what you mean about the switches I am using some clip in ones but using glue to fix it in . 
will have a pic of it assembled soon when the switch glue has set enough to move it from the vise.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Finished and assembled


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Nice work there Chris... I like the hood idea over the front of the optics:thumbsup:
Do you think this will handle the full 3 amps? If i remember correctly your helmet light got hot quickly..
If you were to sell this with a hirschmann cable, but without a battery and charger what would you ask?
You can PM me the answer to that question if you prefer


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

It is a strange lovechild of the Liberator and 7UP which have been mating for a while now 
but the baby was a long time coming .

Re heat I am not yet sure how it will cope but think it will be OK when moving 
I have it set up for the full 3 amps of course but when on the middle setting it handles the heat well inside the house but does warm up fast on full .

Money wise I have no idea at the moment will have a think .

what tints have you used this one is 1B which is strange as I ordered 1D I have also a 1C to try sometime


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Just had to look at my cutter account to check the tints..I've got a load of 1C.
I've just finished milling the holes for the switch and cable connector..all that's left is to tap the hole for the switch. 
Which will wait until Monday when hopefully the postman delivers the taps and switches.
No pics as I have to rush out for my birthday dinner now...

I wasn't going to bother with a beamshot, but I'd like to compare it with my Tripple XML..


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Happy Birthday Goldigger,

and nice looking light Troutie, you do turn them out incredibly quickly once you get strated


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Yep Happy Birthday Jay not too far from mine which was the 9th 
another Leo .
Thanks Stu had a long layoff with light building mojo gone but had some spare time and it was good to get making swarfe again even though it turned out not as I had in my mind 
.
going to start another one but take some time to think how to blend round front to oval back and want it to look small .
Sorry I know what i want it to be like but dont know yet how to machine it on my stuff.
got the weight to 160 grams built and working :thumbsup:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks guys...
My birthday isnt until the 16th...but thats a school night so to speak..

I wired mine up using a temporary switch that doesn't have a led in the middle for the stat function.
It's quiet funny something so small chucks out this much light..(44.5x68.5)

I also bought some electronic scales, all asembled mine is 223g. I'm happy with that to be honest, Id prefere to have an extra 50grams to shed some of the heat..
I'm also happy with the design, apart from the wiring it up! That took me bloody ages with my fat fingers:madman:

I've got enough round bar to knock up a couple more of these...but no space on my handle bars.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

So i was curious how this would compare to my tripple XML that used T6 bins, This cute tripple has U2bins..
Sorry the beamshot is a little blurred, didnt notice when i took it. But to be honest there isn't a lot between the two..
Tripple Cute








Tripple XML









Yes thats the back of my car at the bottom of the path..


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Does anybody know what the 5 sub levels are on the H6flex for 3000mah?


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Has anyone tested to see what the pull off their battery is with a h6flex and 3 xml's?
I dont have a multimeter to hand so just wondering what sort of runtimes i can get out of my 14.8v 5800mah lipo..
Straight maths id expect around 2.5hours on max..


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

If it helps I can give you the draw from a benchtop power supply with the light on 3 amps setting and the power supply set at 14.8 volts 

level------- draw------------ watts
1------------0.03 amps------- 0.444
2------------0.12 ----------------1.776
3------------0.40 --------------- 5.92
4------------1.14 ---------------16.87
5------------2.14 -------------- 31.67


HTH


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> If it helps I can give you the draw from a benchtop power supply with the light on 3 amps setting and the power supply set at 14.8 volts
> 
> level draw watts
> 1------------0.03 amps 0.444
> ...


Thats brilliant Chris:thumbsup:
Just to clarify first column amps and second watts?

Thanks..


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Edited it seems to not like spaces 
Yes you are correct


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

I think both of those look very tidy - GD's is a bit more "stylish" for what that's worth, although Troutie's looks like it has more surface area.

Interesting about the current draw. Going from the Cree spec sheet posted in the "XM-L - let's discuss" thread, those roughly work out to:

L1 - always 50mA
L2 - 0.22A
L3 - 0.69A
L4 - 1.75A
L5 - 3A

The real L2-L4 levels are probably ~50mA either side of those values as I used the T6 voltages, which may affect things a bit plus losses etc, but they're good enough. I'm personally amazed at how little difference there is between L4 and L5 with 2 XM-Ls. I can tell it's there, but functionally they're pretty much the same.

Oh, and the U2s do look a little brighter (mostly the tree near your car), though that might be down to other things.


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## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

mattthemuppet said:


> Going from the Cree spec sheet posted in the "XM-L - let's discuss" thread, those roughly work out to:
> 
> L1 - always 50mA
> L2 - 0.22A
> ...


This review shows XM-L lumen output all the way up to 5 amps. Results: Testing XM-L, MC-E, and SST-50 emitters up to (and over) 5 amps. | BudgetLightForum.com

At 1.75amps it's around 650 lumens and at 3 amps it's 880. Around 2.4 amps seems to be the sweet spot.

Tim


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Good find Wombat.

Lots of info, thanks for posting. 
I'm not surprised though the same happens every time there is a new LED, the max it can receive is a safety net and not the most it *should* receive to produce light and not just heat.


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

Gotta love BLF, eh?

There's some really interesting stuff there and Match's posts are always worth reading.

It's very torch oreintated of course, but there's plenty that can be transferred over to bike lighting, so it's worth having a trawl through there from time to time to see what they're up to.


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

troutie-mtb said:


> Yep Happy Birthday Jay not too far from mine which was the 9th
> another Leo .
> Thanks Stu had a long layoff with light building mojo gone but had some spare time and it was good to get making swarfe again even though it turned out not as I had in my mind
> .
> ...


That is a great looking light Troutie, really like the hood on the front too. It is cool to see several different takes at a triple cute xml light in one place. The next one sounds challenging on a manual mill. I would not have a clue how to mill an oval on a manual mill, let alone blend ovals with circles, that is getting into 3D milling.

And one more thing... happy birthday GD!


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Has anyone drilled extra holes in the PCB on the cutter tripple XML boards?
Assuming it's ok as long as you keep away from the tracks?


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## Khrystyan27 (Jul 3, 2011)

Goldigger said:


> So i was curious how this would compare to my tripple XML that used T6 bins, This cute tripple has U2bins..
> Sorry the beamshot is a little blurred, didnt notice when i took it. But to be honest there isn't a lot between the two..
> Tripple Cute
> 
> ...


WOW !!!

Powerful that light !

Did you get some flashes from other drivers?


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

HuffyPuffy said:


> That is a great looking light Troutie, really like the hood on the front too. It is cool to see several different takes at a triple cute xml light in one place. The next one sounds challenging on a manual mill. I would not have a clue how to mill an oval on a manual mill, let alone blend ovals with circles, that is getting into 3D milling.
> 
> And one more thing... happy birthday GD!


Manual Mill not a chance time to call in a favour or two .
first draft today



















YEAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY :band:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Put the new switch in today and tapped the hole for it...all finished now.
All my other lights are redundant now, i prefer this one over all of them as its so compact.



























I also had an audience while soldering the new switch in..


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Been busy making two more..not finished but getting all the work completed while the rotary table is mounted horizontal..
Still got to knock up a bigger mini cuboid, while the rotary table is in place.
Then i can mount it verticaly and finish these two with all the slots and grooves..mini shouldn't take long as the led hole is tiny in comparison.


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Goldigger, you must have some muscles in your arms.

I used my rotary table(the same one you have) for the first real time yesterday and my arm never wants to rotate another thing. I thought it was due to it being new and would loosen with use but after the 20,000000th rotation it never got easier.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Yetibetty 
I think you will find that Jay is spinning it with a battery drill .

That is what I do Use a straight allen key in the wheel bolt on the RT


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

troutie-mtb said:


> Yetibetty
> I think you will find that Jay is spinning it with a battery drill .
> 
> That is what I do Use a straight allen key in the wheel bolt on the RT


That's almost CNC sounds good to me:thumbsup:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Yeti sounds like you need to adjust the grub screws on the bottom...if there adjusted wrong the table will be to tight when you turn the handle..

Troutie your kinda right...I use a bosch 650watt, which i have to grip ther chuck so it doesnt spin to fast.
But i only use it on the finishing passes....

I turn it by hand when im ploughing out round holes...that driver hole is 17.5mm deep....thats some turns!
I do have muscles in my arms...the gym 4 times a week 

This takes my fancy
The Division Master CNC Indexer
DivisionMaster - Home


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

Goldigger said:


> Been busy making two more..not finished but getting all the work completed while the rotary table is mounted horizontal..
> Still got to knock up a bigger mini cuboid, while the rotary table is in place.
> Then i can mount it verticaly and finish these two with all the slots and grooves..mini shouldn't take long as the led hole is tiny in comparison.


Just bought a 4S LiPo balance cable on ebay, so when the h6flex arrives I will have everything on the shopping list.

Except for for one thing, of course..............


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Road_Runner said:


> Just bought a 4S LiPo balance cable on ebay, so when the h6flex arrives I will have everything on the shopping list.
> 
> Except for for one thing, of course..............


I think that will change during next week mate :thumbsup:


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Goldigger said:


> Yeti sounds like you need to adjust the grub screws on the bottom...if there adjusted wrong the table will be to tight when you turn the handle..
> 
> Troutie your kinda right...I use a bosch 650watt, which i have to grip ther chuck so it doesnt spin to fast.
> But i only use it on the finishing passes....
> ...


Just checked the grubs screws and it was fine, just my lazy, feeble arms doing two 17mm deep holes on it's first use. I do have muscles now though that I never had before:thumbsup:


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## Magnum9 (Jun 8, 2011)

What is the OD and length of the finished light?


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## ruscle (Jun 19, 2011)

Those measurements can be found at the start of this thread. I believe its 45mm and 70mm.


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## Magnum9 (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks, I missed those.

Troutie, I like your design, mind if I use the idea to do something similar? I'm trying to figure out if I can make a similar shape work out of 50mm round bar. I am thinking three pieces, one which is the hood integrated into a front cover to seal the optic, a middle housing to house the triple optic with XML PCB and then driver at the rear, and then a rear cap. This way I should be able to machine each part in one operation off the bar in our small five axis lathe.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Two more housings finally complete after cocking two bodies up!!
These two got some slight changes for the best...sure you can see it from the pic.
ebay seller sent me the wrong bolts, and was meant to replace them! Still haven't shown up, so ordered some more from a different seller..
Negative feedback looming on the horizon.
Road Runner and Russell your Housings are ready, just waiting on the silver bolts to turn up..
Plus need to finsh Russells V2 mini tripple (cute) which is nearly done


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

More grooves at the back and less at the front?

Nice work. What cock ups did you do? we have all done them.... or will do them.


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

Oh goody, I think I can spot my own personal photon cannon housing in that picture.

Those look flipping gorgeous mate, can't wait to fix it to the bike and get blasting. :devil:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

yetibetty said:


> More grooves at the back and less at the front?
> 
> Nice work. What cock ups did you do? we have all done them.... or will do them.


Yes more grooves to put the horizontal grooves in the middle of the heat sink part of the body..(the meat between the leds and driver)
Reason being cock no 1 drilled the hole for the mount in the middle of the horizontal groove and fowled the flat surface for the driver:madman:
Cock up no 2...snapped a tap in one of the holes:madman::madman:
I've read that alum in the correct temp water 134º will corrode a tap..and also a aluminium sauce pan


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

Goldigger said:


> need to finsh Russells V2 mini tripple (cute) which is nearly done


That must be some sort of groovy baby.

And very cute as well.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Mark 2 all wired up...and off to another home:cryin:


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## ruscle (Jun 19, 2011)

These look fantastic GD, I'm so excited that I can't get too sleep!! Really looking forward to testing this and the V2 mini tripple out in the week.


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## reff (Sep 2, 2011)

nice work men! I read and learn about to make my light!


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Those turned out great!

And what is that furry creature in the pics above (your audience) - are you keeping a mogwai?


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

HuffyPuffy said:


> Those turned out great!
> 
> And what is that furry creature in the pics above (your audience) - are you keeping a mogwai?


Thanks Huffy..

The audience is Willow the house rabbit (french lop)


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

Collected my housing from the Post Office this morning and it is _gorgeous_, a true work of art and a thing of rare beauty indeed. Thanks for that Jay. 

Will have a go at assembling it tomorrow night, so keep watching this space for more updates.......


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks RR
Glad your happy with it
Just one note, you'll need to file the square corners off the cutter tripple XM-L board..


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

OK, I did that. And I built the light. And it works! 

Just a few quick pics for you:




























Now to RTFM for the h6flex and find out how to set the light up exactly the way I want it to operate on my bike.

But it works, and I'm just basking in the glow right now, in more ways than one, and feeling very happy with the whole thing.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Glad its all working for you RR..
Digging the oxo boxes...:thumbsup:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Made another but decided to polish this one, thought it looked rather bling


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Looks very sexy that Jay :thumbsup:


You need to polish and get it anodised sharpish 

Why 

I took some time to polish one of mine not quite as well as yours 
then lent it to my cousin in the dales after a month of cow and sheep **** which must be very corrosive it looks like its been dug up by the time team


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Looks very sexy that Jay :thumbsup:
> 
> You need to polish and get it anodised sharpish
> 
> ...


Thanks Chris,
I keep thinking about getting an anodising kit and trying it myself.
Gateros Plating, Zinc plating kits, Nickle plating kits, Chrome plating kits, Cleaning kits, Aluminium plating and all your plating supplies. 
When you anodise do you ano the surfaces that the lesd and driver sit on, or keep them bare?


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## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Shiny, me likey.......


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## Road_Runner (Mar 31, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Looks very sexy that Jay :thumbsup:
> 
> You need to polish and get it anodised sharpish
> 
> ...


My slightly less well polished example (sob, sob, sniffle) has been doing OK so far, but that might be because I usually avoid contact with cow and sheep poop wherever possible. Gritting and salting of the roads during winter is more likely to be an issue with my light so I'll need to either get it anodised, spray painted, or perhaps some other way of getting a protective coating over the naked aluminium to protect it from corrosion.

I'm open to suggestions, please.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Easiest way to polish is get some wire wool from home base, i use the fine grade..Then finish of with some autosol polish. It should only take 30mins tops..

I'm seriously considering some home anodising, especially as a local bike shop has asked me to make him one of these as a demo light to keep in his shop, which will then hopefully generate some customers 

If i do go down the ano route, you can always send it to me and ill do it for you..


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

I have had some acid for a while now just not got round to setting up the anodising yet

had no problems getting battery acid from here ReAgent Chemical Suppliers : UK Chemical Suppliers, Buy Chemicals Online and not too pricey

yes do it all far easier than trying to mask off bits

and adhesives stick a whole lot better to anodise than bare ali .


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> I have had some acid for a while now just not got round to setting up the anodising yet
> 
> had no problems getting battery acid from here ReAgent Chemical Suppliers : UK Chemical Suppliers, Buy Chemicals Online and not too pricey
> 
> ...


Have you got the full kit ready to do everything?
I was thinking of getting this kit Gateros Plating, Zinc plating kits, Nickle plating kits, Chrome plating kits, Cleaning kits, Aluminium plating and all your plating supplies. also available on ebay.

Just curious if there is a better way of buying all the parts?

What are you using for a power supply, cathodes, tank?

Cheers
J


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

Looks very nice Goldigger! Anodised would set it off very well indeed, but it is a thing of beauty right now.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

mfj197 said:


> Looks very nice Goldigger! Anodised would set it off very well indeed, but it is a thing of beauty right now.


Dont know why..but i think Gold would look cool..


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

You bling merchant, you ...


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

That would look great anodized with a polished finish.

A home anodizing setup has always been on my list of things to do, though having to store the chemicals and expensive dyes for periods of time where they go unused has me hesitant to mess with it for a small run.

Here are some links I have in my bookmarks from a while ago, some were no doubt pulled from other threads on anodizing:

720 Rule Anodizing Calculator
Anodizing Aluminum
This one has a disclaimer that they have never anodized, but seems to have a good deal of info on it from their research:
DIY Home Anodizing
Home Aluminum Anodizing

It sounds like the dyes are where it can get expensive for a good result, especially for black which apparently is the most difficult to get looking right. Caswell's is one black dye that I have read works pretty well:

I put the wrong link in, this is for the very expensive kit which I would not buy - but it does have a list of things needed (and some not):
Caswell Inc. - LCD Aluminum Anodizing Kit
Dyes here - not cheap:
Caswell Inc. - Anodizing Dyes


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Cheers for the links Huffy,
Its funny you should paste the links to caswell, I've been reading their forum today..
Caswell Inc. Metal Finishing Forums

Your not wrong their dyes arn't cheap.

I thought £12 was bad enough, but not many colurs available
Gateros Plating, Zinc plating kits, Nickle plating kits, Chrome plating kits, Cleaning kits, Aluminium plating and all your plating supplies.

Look how much the caswel kits are in the uk excluding dye
Aluminum Anodizing Kit - LCD Aluminum Anodizing Kit

I could always cheat.. I didnt think this was available in the UK..
DUPLICOLOR METALCAST ANODIZED COLOR

_edit _found the caswel dyes £16
Anodising Dyes


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

looks very pretty, but I agree with Troutie - bare polished ali looks crappy pretty quickly. My Dame Edna light looks pretty tatty (she deserves better, poor old girl) partly from mud, but mostly from sweat dripping onto it. I'm not particularly fussed as it's a light only a mother could love, but I think you'd be pretty sad if something that looks this good gets tarnished.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

I now use these tool bottles for my battery bottle, much better at keeping it water tight than the lupine £20 bottle!! Not as nice looking i admit, but water and batteries dont mix 
This one uses the lumberg cables...


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

geez, that looks like such a hack job


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

mattthemuppet said:


> geez, that looks like such a hack job


Tell me about it, I'm really dissapointed with it


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

Goldigger said:


> Tell me about it, I'm really dissapointed with it


I was going to point out that you could have bought a couple of carbon road bikes for the money you've spent on that, but I thought that might be a bit rude..

I'm just hoping you haven't gone out and bought a $500 battery for it


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

mattthemuppet said:


> I was going to point out that you could have bought a couple of carbon road bikes for the money you've spent on that, but I thought that might be a bit rude..
> 
> I'm just hoping you haven't gone out and bought a $500 battery for it


I dont need 2700lumens on a road bike does anyone?
Unless of course im so worried about getting hit by something, youd have to be blind to not see 2700 lumens lighting the road up
This one is off to a new home next week..so its only cost me my time....

The battery was $1000 its a prototype from nasa...thermal nuclear something or other..
lasts a life time and only needs one charge

Right im to shop to pick up my copy of Battlefield 3 for my xbox...with my earnings..:thumbsup:


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## simplec6 (Oct 29, 2011)

Hey man, found you over here from your thread on CPF about this bad boy. This is an excellent creation. I plan on doing a triple XML in a Mag 4D with a Triple XML U2 board from cutter and the SS 10 deg. optics from cutter as well. I am curious how you Mountain bikers are wiring up your H6flex drivers and the common switches you use on your lights? I am going to replace the mag switch with something as small as possible to use that space for a heatsink and would love to hear your secrets. 

Magnificent machining by the way, you and the other guy that posted photos, man that is awesome!


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Just a quick update, for those of you not following the anodise thread..


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## PScal (Apr 29, 2010)

Can you give me a link for that water bottle tool holder? Did you use a special cable gland?

Also, what handlebar mount are you using? It looks great.

Thanks!


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

PScal said:


> Can you give me a link for that water bottle tool holder? Did you use a special cable gland?
> 
> Also, what handlebar mount are you using? It looks great.
> 
> Thanks!


Tool bottle, if your using a lipo you'll need the 700ml bottle
Trivio Tool Bottle

Lumicycle mount for 27-33mm bars
Q/R Large Camlock Bracket


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## borrower (Feb 26, 2011)

That's an awfully clean bike, Goldigger. Is there anything you'd like to admit to us?

Kidding aside, those are beautiful units.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

borrower said:


> That's an awfully clean bike, Goldigger. Is there anything you'd like to admit to us?
> 
> Kidding aside, those are beautiful units.


It's my pride and joy..so I like to keep it clean
plus we have a house rabbit so we worry about him catching some nasty illness if he nibbles any horse Crap or mud off my tyres.. And the bikes kept in the flat so cant leave it all muddy

And I've got OCD

Thanks..


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Goldigger said:


> plus we have a house rabbit


Dare I ask what is a house rabbit? Perhaps a photo is in order.

Rabbit's aside the lights look fantastic Jay. The Blue has a nice colour tone when the flash hits it.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

brad72 said:


> Dare I ask what is a house rabbit? Perhaps a photo is in order.
> 
> Rabbit's aside the lights look fantastic Jay. The Blue has a nice colour tone when the flash hits it.


A rabbit that lives in a house..he has freedom off the house and is never locked in a cage..
hes also litter trained..
Here he is modelling a 97 XT rear mech on my retro Orange C16



























Cheers i like the blue...although it was meant to be close to my hope hubs..


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Mate without sounding like a girl that is the cutest thing I have ever seen.


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## ThinkBike (Jun 16, 2010)

Absolutely beautiful light. The blue/black is one of my favorite colors. 

Can you help me with any part numbers for the Lumberg cables? 

I'd never heard of them before and they look like they are very high quality.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

ThinkBike said:


> Absolutely beautiful light. The blue/black is one of my favorite colors.
> 
> Can you help me with any part numbers for the Lumberg cables?
> 
> I'd never heard of them before and they look like they are very high quality.


Hi.. I have uses similar connector from RS Components, part # 's 2906382 & 282962. These are a 4 pin connector so you can wire the power supply and momentary switch independently.

Hope that helps


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Hey GD, the blue is great, it matches Bunny's eyes (who's the girl now Brad?  )

Jeeze you boys have certainly stepped things up a notch with the home anodizing and everything, well done. Just be careful boiling things up in the kitchen with bunny in the house, I seem to recall a movie in the 80's where that combination became a "fatal attraction"


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

I really like the blue color, and the tool bottle is a great idea. I am gonna see if there is something similar around here. 

Also your house rabbit is awesome! My dog does that Superman pose from time to time and it cracks me up seeing your rabbit do it too.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Cheers guys..
He is like a dog sometimes...follows us around and understands some english...like
Din dins
come here
No!
He knows when its breakfast and dinner time!

Not sure how big the tacx bottle is but you should be able to pick one up in the states..
Amazon have them for starters..
Amazon.com: Tacx tool tube for water bottle cage: Sports & Outdoors

Bikeman Tacx Tool Tube for Water Bottle Cage

Bikeman Soma Stash Bottle, Large - silver/black


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## jet601 (Mar 9, 2011)

goldigger, love your lights they look so much better than the lights i've been comming across in different stores here in Belgium;
question, what would be a correct price for an operational light (excl batterypack)


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## random walk (Jan 12, 2010)

Goldigger said:


> Cheers guys..
> He is like a dog sometimes...follows us around and understands some english...like
> Din dins
> come here
> ...


Looks kind of like a Were-rabbit.

Our dog does the superman pose too, sometimes with his back legs still on the couch.

Beautiful lights BTW.


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## ldt593 (Nov 17, 2011)

That looks like a bomber lamp.


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Thanks for the links on the bottles, the prices are good too.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

ThinkBike said:


> Absolutely beautiful light. The blue/black is one of my favorite colors.
> 
> Can you help me with any part numbers for the Lumberg cables?
> 
> I'd never heard of them before and they look like they are very high quality.


Sorry forgot to reply..
Lumberg Mfr Part No. RKMWV 3-224/2 M

Lumberg Mfr Part No.
RKMWV 4-07/2 M

Lumberg 
RKMWV 3-06/2 M

M8 Panel Mount

The lumberg M8 cables also fit the Hirschmann M8 panel mounts..


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

Goldigger said:


> Cheers guys..
> He is like a dog sometimes...follows us around and understands some english...like
> Din dins
> come here
> ...


Goldigger, he seems to be about the size of a dog too! He's absolutely enormous! How long is he??


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

mfj197 said:


> Goldigger, he seems to be about the size of a dog too! He's absolutely enormous! How long is he??


I've never measured him, but i can tell you he weighs 1 stone...


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## boboxx (Nov 15, 2011)

Wow very nice lamps!


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## marv2097 (May 19, 2011)

The bottle holder is a great idea, will have to get one of those. I think the blue looks amazing! great work Goldigger!


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## ecthelion (May 6, 2007)

Recieved my lighthead mid last week, and just have to say what an excellent piece it is. Immaculate workmanship, and very easy to finish out with my own the battery and bottle. Great work Goldigger!

First ride was Sunday night, & WOW 3 XMLs are bright @ 3A. Bet I end up using medium a lot especially if I pair this up with a lightweight helmet light. Just gonna have to figure out what to put on the lid that won't get overwhelmed by this thing.

Pics of finished setup below. Cable glands are PG7, connectors are EC3s that do just fit 12 AWG wire, and the "bottle" is a Dry pod, which is nice in that the cable pass-through isn't in a threaded lid. It did just barely clear the frame at that angle, though. 

Also, watch for a thread later where I try to get a plug and play pcb incorporated into my battery using kLite's bare pcbs . . .


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Very nice setup mate and GD's light certainly looks good:thumbsup:

Happy trails


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## ThinkBike (Jun 16, 2010)

Does the Dry Pod go under your seat or in the water bottle holder?

Goldigger, you've really set the bar high for the rest of us. Beautiful work.

Ecthelion, what battery are you using and what kind of run times are you getting? 

Also, regarding helmet light, you might want to consider a 3 UP XPE. I bought one (L333) from Quazzle (lux-rc.com) and it was the best thrower I've seen yet. Used Carclo clear narrow optics. I was running the XPE at 1.5 A, which is beyond the official 1 Amp max on Cree's site. As long as I was moving, the housing stayed warm to the touch on high. If I stopped I had to turn it down as it would reach 80C in 7 minutes on high without any air movement.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Cheers for the kind words Kipp, Brad and Thinkbike..
Glad your happy with it Kipp..

I've got some helmet lights in the pipeline that will be based on a single XM-L and probably an LC1 optic to keep the size down.
Not to mention i've always been impressed with the beam they produce..
If i can get my mits on some of the 26mm emilySS XM optics i might even try them..


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## ecthelion (May 6, 2007)

Dry pod fits in the bottle cage, but only in certain cage designs. Might be able to strap it under the saddle with a tool strap. 

Battery is a 14.8 V 5000 mAh 20C Sky lipo. I got it for ~$35 from Hobbypartz. Haven't tested the runtime yet, too busy with Christmas prep for a ride that long. 

I kinda liked a housing that allport posted for L333 boards, so thanks for the tip that the XPE variety might be of interest. The single XML also sounds nice, but not sure I like the sled or Easy2LED housings enough to go that route . . . More time on the cute tripple ought to help me decide what I need.


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## C-Far (Oct 31, 2011)

good work. Whats the miller you got?


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