# Yet another Triple and cute light



## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Here it is fresh from the machine shop . the first protos .
A bit of a retro look


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Chris....O-ring groove??
I like the bolt pillars that slot in to the body on the cover..nice touch :thumbsup:

I reckon about 4 grooves inbetween the two bolts on the side would look nice and save a couple of grams..and take away that flat look on the side...
Other than that very nice


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Nice, I wish I had a friendly neighborhood CNC shop  If it were stretched out a bit, it may make a nice all-in-one light.


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## Toaster79 (Apr 5, 2010)

7up Mark II?


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## kwarwick (Jun 12, 2004)

Very nice indeed. :thumbsup: Any chance of an o-ring for the front to avoid futzing around with silicone seal? Love to hear if you're planning on making these available for us DIY'ers as I've got H6flex, 3XML boards and Cute optics just waiting for a nice host like this.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

kwarwick said:


> Very nice indeed. :thumbsup: Any chance of an o-ring for the front to avoid futzing around with silicone seal? Love to hear if you're planning on making these available for us DIY'ers as I've got H6flex, 3XML boards and Cute optics just waiting for a nice host like this.


Afraid to keep the size as small as possible there is no oring provision at the front










but as you can see in the pic there is this time a small recess which is designed for a tiny bead of sillycone or as I use the super clear serious glue .
which I will also use in the oring groove

Yes they will be available to diyers as soon as they come out of the machine shop but dont have a price yet


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Chris i think there is room for an oring. Look at the underside of the cute optic, there is a 1mm lip around the edge. The legs and domes of the optics hold it where it needs to be.
All you need is a small 1.4mm ledge for the oring to sit on, that's how lumicycle do it..


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Cheers Jay will look in to it 
where do you get the orings from 

Me I would still use PU adhesive for that truly sealed job but if paul can get a ring in then thats fine by me .


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Cheers Jay will look in to it
> where do you get the orings from
> 
> Me I would still use PU adhesive for that truly sealed job but if paul can get a ring in then thats fine by me .


Personally i just use the 1mm o-ring chord from ebay, cut it to the right length and glue the two ends together with some flexible super glue.

Polymax sell orings (minimum order £10) but they dont have a 33mm inside diameter in 1mm cross section.
If you can squeeze the extra .5m then you can get a 33mm x 1.5mm cross section
O Rings Metric Size 1.5mm Diameters
http://budgetbearings.co.uk/shop/index.php?cPath=19_4501_4598


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## xyz-saft (Sep 23, 2010)

I really love the retro look! Looks like a great housing to me.


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Nice clean looking light Chris. I wonder how long before someone calls this one "industrial". I call it clean, solid, functional. Nice work :thumbsup:


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

What an elegant, well executed little light.

Congratulations & enjoy!


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## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Got another winning design there.

Nicely done.:thumbsup:


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## nuttymtbr (Apr 7, 2006)

I look forward to the release of this beautifully designed housing!


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## locolife (Oct 15, 2009)

Looks really rugged.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

first one out of the machine shop and built for my bike the rest have gone for anodising .


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Great work, it looks like you even have some room for fins on the side if you wanted.


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## kwarwick (Jun 12, 2004)

troutie-mtb said:


> first one out of the machine shop and built for my bike the rest have gone for anodising .


Looks excellent. Is that a Marwi handlebar mount you're using meaning you can release the light and leave the clamp on the bar?


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

it is the Marwi mount but we have ditched all the gubbins and it is still quick release with the lever .more pics when they come back from the anodisers as to how it all fits together .

I couldnt see the need for all the extra plastic bits and it will never be a helmet light a bit too big for the noggin .


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

looks really neat. I like the modified Marwi mount as I always thought they made lights sit too high (looks ungainly, more likely to be damaged in a crash) - this one looks just right.


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Looks good Chris.

Glad to see you up and about again after your holiday illness.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Thanks Stu

just in from the anodisers


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

Very smart! The anodised finish makes it look much more modern.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Here`s a breakdown set of pics to show what my ace machinist came up with for some weight reduction




























and I must give PAul the credit for taking my rough hewn proto and making this beauty .


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

Beautiful housing for sure!


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## kadikater (Oct 26, 2008)

nice!


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## El34 (Jan 11, 2009)

Man Chris,
That is the nicest housing I have seen posted here.
I like the anodized one way better than the naked one.

I see that you removed the top of the Marwi mount and integrated it into the bottom of the housing
Brilliant!

I am afraid to ask what that housing cost to make?
That looks like some serious CNC time and design time.


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## ddbros (Mar 24, 2011)

That is the nicest DYI light I have ever seen. Better than some production units.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Thanks guys I will pass on the nice comments to the machinist .:thumbsup:

Yes Doug looks good with the marwi mount like that .
yes cost each inc anodising £50


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## jmitchell13 (Nov 20, 2005)

I'm a little late on this, but am I correct in thinking the bosses on the top cover are machined from a solid block of material? If so that's a lot of machining time and material wasted.

You might want to think about using press in bosses. I've used these PEM fasteners on a previous DIY project. I pressed them into a plate of aluminum to achieve the same thing. I'll see if I can find some pics of it. They are designed for pressing into PCB's but they worked very well pressing into aluminum.
Standoffs, Broaching


troutie-mtb said:


> Here it is fresh from the machine shop . the first protos .
> A bit of a retro look


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## larsan (Jan 15, 2010)

Just got my hands on one of these beasts. Man it's bright.
It even hurt my eyes when I turned it on yesterday.

Will post a few beamshots shortly in the appropriate thread.
I believe it's plenty brighter than my Volvo V70's low beam (maybe even high beam).

No one has yelled at me yet. (Sure they will though...)

Thanks Chris.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

*Darkness Dominator with some extra lumens*

The light now got a new name The Darkness Dominator 
so as inspiration taken from Huffy Puffy`s thread on the triple plus some sort of throw 
heres what is happening in the Trouts shed.

2 side pods bolted on to the main light bit like the mickey mouse DX light










I am now dithering on what to put into the pods do I go with XPGs run in parallel and series with the 3 xmls so on max they would get 1.5 amps .

or do I go with 2 XMLs and go bigger battery .

Optic in either case is going to be Reginas .



















they may also be the first foray into anodising tomorrow 
Got the acid got some clothes dye to try 
so by tomorrow night I could look like freddy kruger or have some anodised bits


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

Chris are you going to use your bench top power supply? Any links to the power supply please? I need one..
Cheers


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## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Trout, I wish I'd act on my ideas when I get them! Been thinking of using hex for ages!

Anyhow, GD, I use a battery charger from Amazon with a simple DIY circuit instead of the charge circuit. It's good for 12 / 24v at 9A. Voltage is adjustable. MUCH cheaper than a bench ps. Will give you the details if ya like.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

piesoup said:


> Trout, I wish I'd act on my ideas when I get them! Been thinking of using hex for ages!
> 
> Anyhow, GD, I use a battery charger from Amazon with a simple DIY circuit instead of the charge circuit. It's good for 12 / 24v at 9A. Voltage is adjustable. MUCH cheaper than a bench ps. Will give you the details if ya like.


Yes please mate :thumbsup:
I wsa wondering if my lipo charger would do the trick??


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## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Haha, unfortunately not! Ano needs constant voltage and the chargers will sense the change of resistance in the tank as a charged battery and will cut off before the ano is done. 
I'll dig out the circuit diagram and put it on here. Charger was about £20 and the other bits about £10.


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## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Here is the diagram. 
One rectifier (get one rated for 10A)
two 1n4007 Diodes 
one LM338T voltage regulator
Two 220 ohm 1/4W resistors
Two 1000uf 50V Electrolytic Caps (don't need to be too rigid with these values, just make sure the voltage is over 35V)
One board to mount it all on.
5K linear Potentiometer

One transformer. ( I used the battery charger) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline...NI/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1319973524&sr=8-13
Seems to have gone up in price! I like this one as it has enough output with out straining it and it has a built in Ampmeter. And it saves you from making a case and adding leads and plugs etc. As long as the charger gives out over 5A I think you will be alright.

You might want to get a 2n3055 transistor while you are at it. That will pump it up to 9A if your transformer will handle it.

It doesnt take long to build, I made mine on a piece of wood and shoved it into the case. I will tell you how to add the 2n3055 and the diodes. Need to pop out now...


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## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Sorry for hijacking your thread Troutie!


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

troutie-mtb said:


> I could look like freddy kruger or have some anodised bits


May be a win-win with Halloween right around the corner 

Really want to see how it turns out, and what your setup looks like.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Well the anodising was a fail well the dye was 
I guess the real stuff is the best 

the anodise worked though I think I over cooked them a tad as it looks more like galvanise 


anyways assembled it with the manky silver heads and will get a beam shot or two tonight .


lots of info on the web about anodise but not quite all of it without paying .
or it could be my search skills are lacking .


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

I've heard rit fabric dyes work but still not as good as caswel dyes..


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Goldigger said:


> I've heard rit fabric dyes work but still not as good as caswel dyes..


Yes I had heard the rit works I can confirm that Dylon doesnt ,

Jay you started a home anodise thread can we all put anodise info in there for easy finding 
and can I requestt you bods who have done some anodising post up some info on how you did it 
and any tips :thumbsup:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

troutie-mtb said:


> Yes I had heard the rit works I can confirm that Dylon doesnt ,
> 
> Jay you started a home anodise thread can we all put anodise info in there for easy finding
> and can I requestt you bods who have done some anodising post up some info on how you did it
> and any tips :thumbsup:


Yeah that's a good idea Chris, but let's keep it to practical help from people that have done it..so step by step guides that people have done..with lots of pictures.
Let's try to keep all the links to websites on how to anodise, at a minimum..we all know how to use Google 

I've got the cash burning a hole in my pocket for all the anodising gear..so let's get this started:thumbsup:


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

piesoup said:


> Here is the diagram.
> One rectifier (get one rated for 10A)
> two 1n4007 Diodes
> one LM338T voltage regulator
> ...


Thanks for the circuit:thumbsup:
Could i apply this to a PC PSU?
I have a 580w PSU doing nothing..here's the output on each rail:
+3.3v 30A
+5v 36A
+12V1 20A
+12V2 18A

Cheers


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## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Yeah I'm sure it'll work. I'd use the 18A output, most power! You can also get a digi ampmeter from virtual village and then you can monitor the amps. 
I'm seeing how to make a variable current supply. Will let you know what I find.


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## Foliveira_pt (Oct 30, 2009)

Impressive as always.


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## Goldigger (Nov 6, 2009)

piesoup said:


> Yeah I'm sure it'll work. I'd use the 18A output, most power! You can also get a digi ampmeter from virtual village and then you can monitor the amps.
> I'm seeing how to make a variable current supply. Will let you know what I find.


I'll be interested in what you find as all I can find is how to convert a ATX PSU into a variable voltage power supply..we need to be able to control the amps..


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## piesoup (Feb 9, 2009)

Right, I've found the variable voltage and current one I was going to build before I made my simple hack job! It may be easier to buy the one you linked to but then we are a DIY crowd!
I'll post it in the anodising thread to keep everything in one place.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

any thoughts on the beam pattern of the double triple trouble? Even though I'm not a huge fan of the Regina beam pattern, it's hard to beat for throw. I compared my LXP-RS+Regina (2x XM-L @1.5A) vs. the single LXP-RS (1x XM-L @3A) I built for a friend last night and my light way out threw his, even though his had a much nicer beam pattern.

did you think about turning down a couple of Laura RS so they'd fit into the round housing? That might be my next experiment..


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

To be honest I'm not a massive fan on the Regina for throw with an XM-L - that emitter needs a bigger reflector for real punch at range. I haven't tried it with an XP-G though. What LEDs did you go for in the sidepods Troutie? I'd probably go for a couple of XP-Gs, or even overdriven XP-Es?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

The XP-G gives a similar throw to an XM-L with a Regina, just a smaller hotspot. I'd guess around 2/3 smaller area. Both give me more than enough throw at the speeds and on the trails I ride. I just don't like the sharp transition from bright spot to dim spill.


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

That makes sense. The XM-L die is twice the surface area of the XP-G, although the dome of the XM-L makes it appear even bigger.


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

mfj197 said:


> To be honest I'm not a massive fan on the Regina for throw with an XM-L - that emitter needs a bigger reflector for real punch at range. I haven't tried it with an XP-G though. What LEDs did you go for in the sidepods Troutie? I'd probably go for a couple of XP-Gs, or even overdriven XP-Es?
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk


Yep that what i went for 2 xpgs paralleled you dont want to see the beam its a monster 
I need to find a longer beamshot location 175 metres to the far trees is not enough .

Yes you do want to see the beam

OK then here it is










and another one for good measure


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

Now that's what I call a beamshot!


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## chelboed (Jul 29, 2005)

Daggum, Trout!!!

I haven't been around in a while. This is like a whole new place.


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