# Possible 2nd run of the DStar Altair.



## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi gang,

I'm looking to do a 2nd run of my triple LED housing. It can take XR-E, MC-E and XP-E triple LED's on 20mm stars. Here a link to the main thread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=481325

If you'd be interested in one, please PM me.

Details of prices are on the link in my sig.

Cheers, Steve


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*2nd run will be a go-er!!*

Hi all,
I've had quite a bit of interest in doing a second run of the Altair housing.

As before, they will be available in either MCE or XRE versions. I will be able to supply the mounts and switches too. You'll need to provide your own LED's/optics/driver and battery but can provide suppliers if needed.

Here's the list of interested people, so, if you're interested and not on here please PM me or post on here. Don't panic. This is only those who have shown an interest, not commited to buy!!

Please could you give me a definate Y or N and let me know which version you want.

I'll be hoping to do the run by the end of April.

Oh, Hendo is sending me a Hope Stem mount to look at so hopefully this run will be Hope Stemplate compatible.

PanaBob
honeyman
mosport
konish
Ltrane
kas
mtboeder
jens kerkhamm
ftm1967
crank feen
quicksilverta
Hendo
gonzalo
luis

Cheers, Steve


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

Hey Stevie, stick me on the list ...MC-E version ta
plain body with no holes, so i can run a remote switch --and i plan on a DC trailing socket, easy/cheap
...stem plate is in the post :thumbsup:

.... clicky link .....Hope Vision Stem Plate,....... fits hope, thomson, fsa, stems


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hey Gray,
Thanks mate..I did get your message yesterday but forgot to reply :madman: sorry!!!

I'll stick you on the list...what kinda remote switchy thingy are you gonna use??I'm hoping to give that a go and was going to do some research later..

I'll look out for the postie :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

Mucho appreciato..

Steve


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## lucapelo (Mar 26, 2009)

Hi Steve,

Please add one too to _*Portugal:thumbsup: *_, please. The black one.

Regards

Luis


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## Whitedog1 (Feb 3, 2009)

hey deesta, the link in your sig doesn't work anymore!!  

just a short hint.... :eekster:


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Thanks Luis, I forgot to add you. Have done now. 

Cheers whitedog, I'll re-do the ad later on :thumbsup:


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## gbcircle (Jun 2, 2008)

*Anodized?*

deesta,

Are you having the housings anodized?


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi mate,
I'm going to look into it through work. We've got quite a lot of aluminium work going through at the mo so might be able to fit them in. It would probably be around £5 to have each one anodised. I would prefer to do it as the y look awesome in black.

Steve


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

I had a delivery off Hendo today containing the Hope Stem Plate. If you've not seen these before, it's a replacement front plate for your stem that has a mount built in for the Hope Lights. 
They make them for the Hope, Thompson and FSA stems (25.4mm and 31.8mm)
I will be able to modify the Altair housing to fit this. I'll do one of my old housings and put some pics up when I get chance.
I think it would make the light really low profile and discrete.

Here's a few pics:


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*2nd Run is GO!!!*

Hi gang,

I've had the go-ahead from work to do the 2nd run of the Altair housing 

I have lost some info on those who are interested so, could any of you who would like one, please send me a PM stating which option you would like, whether you would like a switch and/or mount. I'll be doing a Hope stem plate modification too for an extra £5. This is compatible with Thopson/Hope and FSA stems (25.4mm and 31.8mm)

The options are: MCE - £55.00, XRE - £45.00. Switch - £3.00. Mount £3.00. Hope Stem Plate Modification £5.00 (Stem Plate not included)

As with the original run, the optics are Ledil CMC SS for MCE, Ledil LC1 for XRE. Can be driven with either a max or bFlex.

Note to Mods: I'll do an add tomorrow

Cheers, Steve


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## dms1 (Apr 18, 2008)

Steve, you have a mp. Can you add me to your list ?


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

Hey Steve, new advert = new link, i`ll sort it 2moz 4 ya
so 4 the benefit of others i`ll post here , .....
.....ok, i would prefer to wire up a remote switch on mine, so no switch hole......
and have a trailing deans plug straight to my battery pack for the DC connection, so no DC socket hole either ....
Hope stemplate compatible ta :thumbsup: 
,hope stem link ....Hope/Thomson/FSA Stem mount
AND .... is there room for a nFlex driver? run 3 x MC-E, M bin [email protected] > 500ma per die on a 6s battery pack Blindin

........... connectors


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*New Advert now up..*

I've just done my advert so, if you're interested, have a look via the linky or PM me :thumbsup:

Steve

Gray: Unfortunately not


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

whaaaaaat? not even if i tilted it! .... i`ll get it in, bet you 10/- i do  
neat ad steve! jeez the black ano is so mmmmmm.. *cough*calm down Hendo!


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Hope Stem Plate Mod done.*

Hi gang,

I've had a chance to do them mod to one of my old housings to see how it looks:thumbsup:

I think it looks really neat and would make help make the light head really low profile. You can also adjust the angle of the light too.

What do you reckon?

Steve


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

Awesome Steve , just as i hoped it would look


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Going to do a helmet mount too...*

Hi Gang,
I've been thinking about a helmet mount for this light and have come up with a very simple idea that fits onto the bottom of the existing handlebar mount lug. I've not done one yet but will have by the time I get to do the run of casings.

They will probably cost around £10. Does that sound OK? Please let me know if you'd be interested...

I've made a rough mount for one of my previous casings and ran it using 3 Ledil LC1 RS optics and the throw is awesome. It goes really well with the MCE bar mounted one:thumbsup:

Steve


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Parts list*

Due to popular demand, here's a list of the parts required and places to get them from:

MCE Version
LED's: Cree MC-E on 20mm Star
Optics: Ledil CMC SS
Driver: maxFlex/bFlex
Switch: Non-latching pushbutton like this one: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=0224120
DC socket: I use 2.5mm Female Panel mount like this one: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=6287067
Wire: I use PTFE coated (not sure of gauge)

XRE Version
LED's: Cree XR-E 20mm on Star 
Optics: Ledil LC1 (Various angles available to suit beam required)
Driver: bFlex/maxFlex
Switch/Wire/DC socket: as above

Battery: I use a 15v 5400aH for MCE and 15v 3600aH for XR-E.

Suppliers:
LED's: www.cutter.com.au or http://forums.mtbr.com/member.php?u=254607
Optics: As Above
Driver: www.taskled.com or www.cutter.com.au
Switch: I can supply or RS, digikey etc
DC socket: RS, digikey,Maplin etc
Battery: www.batteryspace.com or http://forums.mtbr.com/member.php?u=391890

Just realised that the switches have gone up a bit....might need to put the price up to £3.50 

Hope that helps, those who need the info


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## dms1 (Apr 18, 2008)

I´d like to buy one helmet mount. Can you show us some photos ?


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi David,
I've not done one yet. I have it drawn up but nothing machined. Will do one asap and post some pics.

Steve


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## Nibrok (Apr 22, 2009)

*deesta*,

Put me down for one in black :thumbsup:

Thanks,


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi Nibrok,

Cool, thanks...will do. Which vrsion would you like? MCE or XRE? Would you need a switch and mount?

Cheers, Steve


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## Nibrok (Apr 22, 2009)

deesta said:


> Hi Nibrok,
> 
> Cool, thanks...will do. Which version would you like? MCE or XRE? Would you need a switch and mount?
> 
> Cheers, Steve


Steve,

I'll go with the MCE version with mount and switch. Also I'd be in interested seeing what you come up with for the helmet mount as I'd be interested in one of those as well


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

What is better solid or stranded wire? 20 or 22 gauge?

here are links

22ga- http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049745
20ga- http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049743

This is all really RS carried and i wanted to get different colors so I can just keep it more organized.


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## womble (Sep 8, 2006)

mroneeyedboh said:


> What is better solid or stranded wire? 20 or 22 gauge?
> 
> here are links
> 
> ...


mroneey, I know that you're new to building lights, but you should try looking up some of of this information first before asking. Just googling "solid vs stranded wire" comes up with the answer in the first hit, and explains why. As does "20 vs 22 gauge". Similarly, your bflex questions are all answered in the taskled instructions.

http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/WireCapacityChart.htm
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm (use the chassis wiring column)

Sure, people can answer, but its just _polite_ to do a cursory look for yourself, and you're likely to learn far more in the process. I didn't know any of this stuff about 3 months ago, but I've learnt a lot trying to figure it out myself.


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

.....what will you do with the leftover 73 feet of wire?
i`m sure you could buy a small amount locally
or recycle old wiring ...
i got some really nice, very flexible wire from out my mums old television set
well she hardly ever watched it anyway, so .....


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

I do other basic LED projects all the time. this is my first project with a driver. sO it will get used, im just looking to either get solid or stranded..


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## womble (Sep 8, 2006)

Answered in the first of the links I posted... complete with a really good reason of why one is better than the other.

Regarding wire, I've found that the best stuff is silicon coated- more flexible than usual and the covering doesn't melt. Thought the normal stuff is fine too. The teflon coated stuff is a right pain if you need to flex it after soldering as it's too stiff.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

Im not sure where I would be able to find anything inmy area. Wire related that is. I would have to only go to radio shack..


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

everyone has some scart leads lying around from the tv video leads that dont get used
strip one of those and there is loads of different dia wries inside.

it is what I used before Smudge pointed me at ptfe coated stuff and that is the dogs do-das for soldering to the drivers.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

so go through old electronics?


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## womble (Sep 8, 2006)

troutie-mtb said:


> everyone has some scart leads lying around from the tv video leads that dont get used
> strip one of those and there is loads of different dia wries inside.
> 
> it is what I used before Smudge pointed me at ptfe coated stuff and that is the dogs do-das for soldering to the drivers.


You don't have any problems with the ptfe's lack of flexibility? I just finished building an Achesalot tonight, and getting the wired-up driver back into the casing was a bit painful compared to what it would have been with silicon wiring.


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## diablo266 (May 1, 2006)

deesta, was just wondering if you had any kind of updated eta for when you might start on the 2nd run? Thanks!


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

womble said:


> You don't have any problems with the ptfe's lack of flexibility? I just finished building an Achesalot tonight, and getting the wired-up driver back into the casing was a bit painful compared to what it would have been with silicon wiring.


Depends on the thickness of the PTFE on the primaries (conductors) and on the jacket itself. If you use really thin PTFE (5 mil or less) it can stay fairly soft. Nothing like silicone rubber though. Using super high strandcount wire will also help a lot.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

he told me around 2 weeks he will start making them.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi all,
Yeah, I've had a set-back with the housings as we've had a major 'proper' job come in. I hate it when work gets in the way of my own work. All being well, I'll be doing them in 2 - 3 weeks. Sorry for the delay but, as I use work kit to make them, I have to do my normal job 1st :madman: 

Will keep you posted on progress.

Steve


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## abacojeff (Aug 17, 2008)

deesta said:


> Hi all,
> Yeah, I've had a set-back with the housings as we've had a major 'proper' job come in. I hate it when work gets in the way of my own work. All being well, I'll be doing them in 2 - 3 weeks. Sorry for the delay but, as I use work kit to make them, I have to do my normal job 1st :madman:


My condolences to those who have been patiently waiting...

But this gives me a chance to jump in with an order! 

(a) MCE 
(b) Anodized - if you are offering this option
(c) Milling for Hope mount
(d) Drilling for ITW (or APEM) switch 
(e) ITW (or APEM) switch - color button if you have it; center led if you have it
(f) No drilling for power leads
(g) Handlebar clamp/quick release (I know I said Hope milling above, I'll use the clamp in the interim - or for another project)
(h) A partridge in a pear tree...
(i) Whatever else I forgot to mention


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Thanks abacojeff,

I'll add you to the list :thumbsup: 

Hopefully be doing these next week, just need to sweet talk my boss into letting me have some time on the machine...will post up when I know for definate. 

Steve


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## dms1 (Apr 18, 2008)

Deesta, do you know something about helmet mount?


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi David,
I've not had a chance to make one yet but will do one and post some pics as soon as possible.

Steve


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## diablo266 (May 1, 2006)

deesta said:


> Thanks abacojeff,
> 
> I'll add you to the list :thumbsup:
> 
> ...


fantastic, i cant wait!


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Nearly ready!!!*

Hi all,

A small update...

The material is being ordered tomorrow and I've been provisionally given a slot on the machine next week :thumbsup: .

I've also sent some samples for anodising in various colours, black-gold-blue and red to see how good they come out. Should be fine though. I'm thinking of going with 2 colours as it will keep costs down slightly. Once I've got them back I'll post some pics and we can have a vote on the 2 best colours. You'll be ab;e to choose from one of the 2 or raw finish. How does that sound?
Price for the anodising option will be £5 per housing. Hope that sounds ok too.....

Cheers, Steve


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

Steve, ......... :thumbsup: sounds good to me!!!


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## BallisticBatteries (Oct 28, 2006)

Hi Steve,
Sent you a email through your web site. let me know if you got it .


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

Deesta,
Are you going to put put that FAQ or Instruction or Walk-thru manual on the housing? Also what kinda of compound do you use on the housing? A thermal paste, a thermal adhesive? Do I use on here and the other there? Thanks. And does it only go on the stars, or does it go somewhere else also?


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## flappytango (Apr 13, 2009)

can anyone tell me what the differences are between the housing for mce vs xpe?


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

no XP-E, ...... only XR-E or MC-E,
optics/led stack height differ, so only the internals are slightly different to take this into account
externally they are identical
i have the MC-E, 3 x M bin WH tint, not the cheapest of options but  flirkin bright!!
check the vid. in my sig line


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## flappytango (Apr 13, 2009)

HEY HEY ITS HENDO said:


> no XP-E, ...... only XR-E or MC-E,
> optics/led stack height differ, so only the internals are slightly different to take this into account
> externally they are identical
> i have the MC-E, 3 x M bin WH tint, not the cheapest of options but  flirkin bright!!
> check the vid. in my sig line


whoops i meant XR-E...

i will be going thexre route. I was curious if this housing could be reconfigured to mce at later on... sounds like it would be possible

seen your vids, crazy bright


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi guys,
Sorry for not replying to your questions earlier:madman: 

mroneeyedboh: I will do a proper build list, I did do a rough one a while ago but it will need re-doing.

flappytango: The main difference is, as Hendo says, stack height. Also because the optics are different, there are different 'seats' in the front housing for the different optics. XRE optics are 20mm round, MCE optics are 21mm square.

Re-configuring for MCE from XRE would be possible but would need a fair bit of work. I'll have spare housings left and would probably be able to supply an MCE 'front housing' no problems. The rear housings are identical.

Hope that helps,

Cheers, Steve


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

Steve - am I right in thinking that if I want to go the MC-E route, I will need:

your housing + handlebar mount
3x MC-E LEDs in 20mm stars
thermal paste to mount stars to housing
some sort of bolts to mount stars to housing? (what size?)
3x Ledil CMC lenses
whatever driving electronics I'm planning on

Do I also need some screws to connect the pieces of the housing together, or are you including those? Anything else I'm leaving out? Perhaps some sealant to seal the lenses to the housing? (RTV?)


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

Deesta what about thermal compound. Arctic silver takes 200 hours to set up, no thanks. I have been doing some research on them and someone did a shoot out of like 45 different brands or so and Tuniq, OCZ freeze and another one came out on top. they dont need set up times and are pretty easy to work with.

Question is, thermal paste or adhesive? I know adhesive is permanent..


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

> Arctic silver takes 200 hours to set up


lol  do you really believe that ??!!
i used paste under the star, and a tiny dab of adhesive on the edge to hold in position


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

No I do believe that. Especially when it is on the manufactures website and they use that when people say it does not do as it says. Arctic silver says that it needs a 200 hour cure time. Its because of the certain way its made or something. I'm not sure on the science, but Id rather go with the other ones that do not require a set in time, and have good reviews with the over clockers.


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

.....................


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

you mad? haha


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

uoficowboy said:


> Steve - am I right in thinking that if I want to go the MC-E route, I will need:
> 
> your housing + handlebar mount
> 3x MC-E LEDs in 20mm stars
> ...


Hi mate,
Nearly right 
Housing & mount - check
3 x MCE on 20mm star - check
thermal paste - check
bolts to mount stars to housing - Not needed if you use some thermal paste. (I've done a couple for myself and have now done away with the screws to mount the stars to the mounting plate. 
3 x Ledil CMC optics - check (they do need modifying slightly by putting a 5mm radius on the 4 corners to fit the seats properly. Some silicon sealant also to seal the optics)
Driver - I'm using a maxFlex for the MCE version.
Switch - I can supply this or the one I use is an Apem switch from RS
Screws to bolt housing together - I include these.

mroneeyedboh: I've used thermal paste as it doesn't set fully. Allows a bit of movement when setting it all up. Once the housing is bolted together, nothing moves anyway so no need to permanently fix the LED's.

Hope that helpg guys,

Cheers, Steve


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## smudgemtbuk (Jul 13, 2008)

have you had anything in the post yet deesta


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

smudgemtbuk said:


> have you had anything in the post yet deesta


Certainly have mate:thumbsup: What a quality piece of work it is too.....Just need to get my lights back from 'What Mountain Bike' product editor to try it out!!!!!


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Hope Stem Plate mod - now standard!*

Hi all,
I've been working on designing the helmet mount for the light, see attached piccy.

I've also made a few alterations to my programs that will enable the light to be used with the hope stem plate 'out of the box' without any need for a modification. So, those that are interested in this mod, you'll get it free anyway:thumbsup: 
The light will still work with the existing mount that I can supply too.

I probably won't get a chance to do a sample mount before I do the run of housings but it will be similar to the Hope Helmet mount. Price will be around £10 but I should be able to supply a velcro strap too, looking into prices now.

Steve


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## smudgemtbuk (Jul 13, 2008)

How did the 'what mtb' ride go? 
Are you going to mount some neoprene under the metal so it doesn't scratch the helmets?


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi mate,
Not had anything back off JL yet but they've been doing the 'bike of the year' testing recently.
All being well, I should hear something this week....I do hope he likes them 

With the helmet mount, I hadn't thought of that but, yeah it could be worth doing. I was just planning on running the strap under the mount so that the strap protected the helmet. Good thinking batman...


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## Stevo the Devo (Aug 26, 2006)

Deesta, I reckon when you are finished with the accessories, etc, you are going to have a light that will equal or better anything else on the market. Very keen to give one a run. Hats off!


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## dms1 (Apr 18, 2008)

Hi all, I have all the parts to build mce´s altair light when housing arrives and I have some questions for you, when I put optics over the leds all is ok but if I wired it then I can see that optics raises 1-2 mm for the size of the wires. How do you wired it ?, cut you the holder to pass wires ?

I put some photos because my english is very bad?


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

the answer is simple
take the optic out of the black holder
no need to use the black part ....:thumbsup: 
your english is excellent


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## dms1 (Apr 18, 2008)

OK, thanks. Then is more easy to mount it.


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

deesta said:


> Hi mate,
> Nearly right
> Housing & mount - check
> 3 x MCE on 20mm star - check
> ...


Steve - without bolts to screw down the MCEs - how do you make sure they're centered properly? I'd think that that would be very important for the optics. I'm hoping to make it so that I can swap out the LEDs for different ones as I'd like to play around with colors and tints and whatnot.

Also - as for mounting these to handlebars... has anybody tried making some sort of an attachment that would sit between the stem plate and the stem? At least on my bike, I have maybe 3mm there where a steel plate could sit and then I figure I could attach my light to that. The Hope stem plate isn't compatible with my size of handlebars so I'd have to change both my stem and my handlebars to be able to use the Hope plate - so that's out.


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## Village (Sep 8, 2008)

uoficowboy said:


> Steve - without bolts to screw down the MCEs - how do you make sure they're centered properly? I'd think that that would be very important for the optics. I'm hoping to make it so that I can swap out the LEDs for different ones as I'd like to play around with colors and tints and whatnot.


I'm not an authority on the MCE version but I do have Steve's light with the XR-E plate. The body halves won't go together unless the LED domes are aligned in the optics and the optics are in their sockets. I glued my XR-Es to the plate using AAA but if you're set on swapping out various MCE tints then you could probably use regular thermal paste and "squish" it all together in the enclosure. The LEDs won't have anywhere to go when the body is bolted together.


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

Yep, village, you are correct
uoficowboy see my earlier post, this is the first stage to set the optics
when it has set, you can then centre the leds by offering them together
troutie did a tutorial somewhere


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## PanaBob (Jan 17, 2009)

> Arctic silver takes 200 hours to set up, no thanks


that is to set optimally for heat transfer from metal > thermal compound > metal heat transfer, it does not dry or get hard like AAA. Once it has fully set you gain 1 -maybe- 2c better heat transfer. The MOST sticky thermal compound is shinsui, aside from crap thermal tape. Arctic silver 5 is kinda sticky too, and NOT electrically conductive : )

I've had my PC's watercooled for 5 years, as well as done subzero overclocking etc was my hobby for a long time.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

Thanks Bob.

deeasta whats the ETA on these now?


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Good news.....Production 'go ahead' given*

Hi all,

I've been given the go-ahead to do the housings now...woop-woop!!!!

I'll be starting them tomorrow and should be ready to ship by the end of the week.
If you'd like to make a payment, please do to [email protected] using paypal.

If you're not sure how much your order is, please PM me and I'll work it out for you.

Here's a breakdown on the price:

MCE £55.00
XRE £45.00
Switch £3.00
Standard mount £3.00
Helmet mount £10.00 (you'll need to provide some kind of strap, zip tie kind of thing)
Anodising £5.00 
Shipping £3.00 Europe/£5.00 Worldwide

These prices are per housing. Shipping will be slightly less if sending 2 or more housings in one package. And don't forget, if you've ordered 2 or more housings, there's a £5 per housing discount:thumbsup:

Cheers, STeve


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

deesta said:


> Gray: Unfortunately not





> whaaaaaat? not even if i tilted it! .... i`ll get it in, bet you 10/- i do


well would you look at this!!  .............. nFlex does fit in on the tilt :thumbsup: whoop whoop lol
ok i had to dremel part of the maxflex heatsink pad off .....
...... nFlex driver, run 3 x MC-E, M bin [email protected] > 500ma per die on a 6s battery pack!!


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

Steve - what color are you anodizing the housings?


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

Oh please, RED


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

OldMTBfreak said:


> Oh please, RED


I vote hot pink.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm still waiting to get my samples back, should have been ready last Friday :madman: 

OK, let's have a poll on here for now. The colours should be really good which ever they are so:

Options are: RED, BLUE, BLACK, GOLD

Post on here which you'd prefer and I'll have a count up at when the housings are ready to go.

Steve


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## ca_rider (Feb 3, 2008)

1. Black or 2. Red


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

oooooooh steve! ..........cherry red is neat, but black is more functional/colour match with stems, seat poles etc
1, Black
2, Red
............ wait a minute, of course,! i should get 1 in each colour :thumbsup:whoop whoop!


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## Stevo the Devo (Aug 26, 2006)

black is always good! Blue for second preference.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Quick update:*

Just a quick update for those interested....I've been machining today and have done the LED mounts and helmet mounts. The LED mounts now have LED alignment markings to help make it easier to get them in the right place.


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

letsee, colors. Hum, uh, um, yes RED. All that other crap on me bikey is black. Actually I don't care. I'll take what shows up. James


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## Giant-Lander (Feb 13, 2009)

If i hadn't bought one already, i'd opt for GOLD or RED!!!!!!!


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## PanaBob (Jan 17, 2009)

Black, Red


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## k4rma (Nov 30, 2008)

Its too bad the conversion to US currency just puts it out of my price range. I really like the looks of the light and all the detail you have put into it.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

Deesta have you started shipping out yet?


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

mroneeyedboh said:


> Deesta have you started shipping out yet?


................. have you paid ??
i know your keen
but they aren`t even machined yet !!!


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

who are you to even ask that? Yes Ive been paid on it.


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## womble (Sep 8, 2006)

mroneeyedboh said:


> who are you to even ask that? Yes Ive been paid on it.


If you actually followed these threads, you'd know that Deesta is really exceptionally good about updating people on his progress or even lack thereof. Give the man some respect and read his posts- everyone else does.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

As I did but he asked me if I even paid, and I did. And there was no need to make that remark towards me. And there wasnt no pun intended on my remark, maybe you took it that way. Sure its kinda stern, but I would go asking if someone paid and it isnt even him receiving the money.


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## bumphumper (Jan 8, 2009)

This sort of thing always happens on forums, thankyou all for making me chuckle after a cr*p day at work


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

no problem. People take the internetz seriously


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*Housings at the anodisers*

Hi all,
Quick update....the lights are now at the anodisers . Should be back by Thursday..

I do have one slight problem....I ordered the mounts last week, was told they would be 5 days. Had an email last night saying that they were out of stock and won't be getting any in until August:madman: :madman: :madman: 
Does anyone know where there might be some? I've tried most of the UK to no avail. Could someone do a bit of a search in the US? If there are some in the states, I can refund any difference if you guys could sort your own. I'm looking into alternatives as I write this so I may be able to find something else. The mount I use is for the Electron EHP300/310. There is room on the housing to drill for another sort of mount if anyone can think of an alternative.....

Sorry for the problem guys, I'm on the case!!!

Steve


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

Steve - are you anodizing all the lights? What color?

Also - can you tell me what I owe you? I'm just getting the MCE version with a standard mount shipped to the USA.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi mate,
I'm having them done in black and red. I'm getting a few spares anodised too. If you did want an anodised one, it would be an extra £5. The total for your light housing would be £63 inc shipping and mount but I'm not sure whats going to happen with the mounts as I can't find any in the UK:madman: 

Cheers, steve


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## psylence (May 29, 2009)

are these the ones you've been using?
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/217/ehps20/electron-bracket-kit-for-ehp-300--310---ehps20.html


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## Village (Sep 8, 2008)

psylence said:


> are these the ones you've been using?
> http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/217/ehps20/electron-bracket-kit-for-ehp-300--310---ehps20.html


Nice find! Yep, that's the one. Now if you all could hold off ordering so that Deesta could snag 'em for his build


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## smudgemtbuk (Jul 13, 2008)

How many do you need Deesta? and more importingly what size as I have a few somewhere kicking around you can have at cost with the battery and charger your ordering


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi guys,
I'm going to be able to start shipping this weekend, so, could those who have not paid yet please do so asap.
Anodised housings will be back tomorrow, so just have to box them up and ship out.
Did anyone manage to find any of the mounts anywhere?
Cheers,
Steve


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

Steve - payment sent!


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## BallisticBatteries (Oct 28, 2006)

Steve sent you a email. You get it?


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## Jano59 (Jun 8, 2009)

deesta

Your link does not seem to work...

http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct.php?product=33622


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## Stevo the Devo (Aug 26, 2006)

deesta said:


> Did anyone manage to find any of the mounts anywhere?


Hey Deesta,
Psylence found some at ukbikestore; check about 4 posts before the one I've quoted. Did you get my payment (sent it 2 days ago)? Cheers, Steve


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Stevo the Devo said:


> Hey Deesta,
> Psylence found some at ukbikestore; check about 4 posts before the one I've quoted. Did you get my payment (sent it 2 days ago)? Cheers, Steve


Hi Stevo,
Yeah, payment received - thanks:thumbsup: My bloody internet is down at homw so I only have limited access at work. Arrgghh!!

I've had the 4 from UK bike store and have a few more on order.

Jano: The ad has expired I'm afraid. If you'd like some info, please PM me.

Steve


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi guys,
If anyone is running standard sized bars, can they let me know asap as I have 4 standard specific bar mounts. I don't want to send anyone a standard size if they are running OS bars.

Cheers, Steve


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## Stevo the Devo (Aug 26, 2006)

deesta said:


> Hi guys,
> If anyone is running standard sized bars, can they let me know asap as I have 4 standard specific bar mounts. I don't want to send anyone a standard size if they are running OS bars.
> 
> Cheers, Steve


Sorry mate, mine are OS.


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## dms1 (Apr 18, 2008)

I´m not sure if I´m using standard or OS, it is bontrager race lite http://bontrager.com/model/06995 clamp size 31,8 mm.


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## Stevo the Devo (Aug 26, 2006)

dms1 said:


> I´m not sure if I´m using standard or OS, it is bontrager race lite http://bontrager.com/model/06995 clamp size 31,8 mm.


It is oversize, standard is 25.4mm (1").


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

in case anyone is wondering why the crazy metric measurements
associated with bars /stems etc...
....they are all imperial to start off with, eg
oversize mount is 11/4" (31.8mm)
standard mount 1" (25.4mm)
and the bit where your levers fit is 7/8" (22.2mm)


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## psylence (May 29, 2009)

Hey Guys,
So i am taking the plunge and having the Tag team of Deesta and Troutie, build me a light set. It will have triple MC-E's of awesome illumination lol.

Now i am a complete noob, although slowly learning about the DIY stuff. That said, i need a battery pack and charger for the coming lights. I need something light, but, able to burn on high for at least 2:30hrs. Can you guys recommend something to try?


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## PanaBob (Jan 17, 2009)

*my bars are oversized 31.8mm *

I'm going to be ordering from cutter a maxflex, MCEs and I really like the beamshots in trouties sticky from the ledil CMC- SS optics so will prob go that route as well.

Will be awesome to finnally get to put this together in the next few weeks


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## gbcircle (Jun 2, 2008)

Housings came in yesterday. Better than expected! Thanks, Deesta.


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

Oh man, my RED housing showed up; very nice. I only have 37 questions. Are you just AAA'ing the heatsink into the front of the case? Is that gonna be a sat solution to the heat flow? James


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

james, i put some Artic Silver paste where the heatsink touches the outer casings,
if you use adhesive you aint never gonna get it apart should a problem arise!!


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

Ah, good point. James


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Thanks Gra,
Yeah, a bit of AA paste is ideal to hold the mounting plate in plac e and help create a good thermal contact. It's worth putting a small amount around the sides of the mounting plate too to help transfer an extra bit of heat. 

AAA is good for fixing the maxflex to it's pad.


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## mroneeyedboh (Sep 24, 2006)

Hey,
What should I set the thermal settings on the bFlex? They are 50c,60c,70c,80c,90c or Disabled? Currently it comes disabled, but I'm sure it should be used since it is there for the protection. I'm not sure what the max temp is on the XR-E series LEDs, so any help is good. thanks.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

*A few new pics...*

Hi gang,
All of the housings that have been paid for are now shipped and on their way to you.

Just thought I'd add a few pics of the anodised housings for those who may be interested. I do have some spares going so please PM me if you're interested...

Cheers, Steve


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## gbcircle (Jun 2, 2008)

*Woopsy?*

I am going to be running my Dstar with a bflex and triple MCE, 14.8V battery. I accidentally ordered series-wired MCE stars. Is there any way to make this work?


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

too late to cancel or change your order??
............. no it won`t work


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

It would work if you switched to a hipFlex. Wire the series stars in parallel and set the current limit at 2100mA. You would also be better off with an 18.5V battery as the 14.8V will go out of regulation during the run.


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## uoficowboy (Apr 2, 2009)

Steve - I got mine today. Considering I'm in the USA - that was really freaking fast!! It looks awesome!

Question: is there a reason that there is sort of a tab sticking out inside of the electronics part of the enclosure? Do you see any problem with me milling that out? It's eating into my space for my electronics...


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hiya mate,
That was pretty quick:thumbsup: 
Glad you,like the look of it too. I'm really pleased with them. The small bit I think you're refering to is the maxflex pad. It's there to stick the maxflex too so there should be no problem at all removing it.
Make sure you let me see what you do electronics wise....It sounded very interesting!!!!

Steve


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## Village (Sep 8, 2008)

I got my enclosures yesterday. The black anodizing looks great, and love the D-Star logo! The extra milling around the handlebar mount works much better to interface with the Electron mount. 

This is kind of a stupid question, considering this is my second enclosure order now: should the bflex driver mount in any certain orientation on the upper shelf, and are you hot-gluing or AAA? Based on an early photo, I glued the bflex's coil in my first light to the MaxFlex mounting lug. Then,  I saw Troutie's photo with the bflex set in the shelf and coil oriented a different way so I pried off the driver and repositioned as the photo dictated. What's the best/safest way to mount it in there?


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi mate,
Glad you got them ok. I'm pleased with the logo, I wanted to put something permanent on them:thumbsup:. The extra milling around the mount hole also makes it easier to use with the hope stem plate mount. That's the way I'll be using mine once I get them back from What MTB product reviewing....
With the bFlex, I line mine up with the coiled part face down and positioned side on in the pocket. ie: inline with the holes for the switch and DC socket. This gives the best clearance. A bit of AAA will hold it in place nicely too. Good luck with the builds..

Steve


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

..................in a nutshell, its the gold thermal vias interface which needs bonding onto the "maxFlex pad"


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

..................... ahh  ok your on about the* bFlex* D`oh


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## AlisterG (Nov 14, 2008)

Hendo, Deesta or others in the know, got the same potential problem as gbcircle, I have 2 bflexes and 3 series MCE's and a 4s Li-Ion pack, (will probably upgrade to a 5s pack in the future if all goes well). Really like Deestas casing, but clearly a problem for me as there isn't room for a HipFlex.

Got thinking, and if 3 series MCE's draw from a bflex, I'm assuming each emitter will see 333ma at the driver's limit, giving a modest output (compared to the Maxflex version), more efficient but underdriven light. Is there another electrical problem that I haven't seen? 

The most likely problem I see is physically soldering three wires to each of the driver terminals. If so, my other option is to use only two MC-E's, drive them a little harder and leave one bay empty.

None of this is ideal, but if I splash out on a neat casing, I really have to try and work with what I've got or re-think my plans altogether, as I have wasted a fair bit on unsuccessful shoehorns into old torch bodies.


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

I had the same problem. Bflex will give 333mA on 4s3p. You will have to use 5 cells to get enough overhead. I went with 6s2p (individual wired stars) and a Maxflex. This puts 600mA on each LED; brighter. I'm very happy with it.


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## AlisterG (Nov 14, 2008)

I was wondering if there were other technical reasons for not using this bFlex configuration. For the time being, I'm hoping that running at a lower current means Vf will be sufficiently low (12v or less) to get some useful runtime from a 4S battery for now. I expect the light will not have a good throw, but it's intended to be a bar light.

To keep additional costs to a minimum, my other option appears to be 3 XP-G's at 1000ma, with Ledil CXP/LXP optics


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Alister,
I've now machined a new batch of housings that will take the XPE/G with the CXP optics, if you're interested? :thumbsup: 

I've also made a case for the 2.6aH battery that I use from smudge....will post some pics when I get it back off him (it's being tested for size and fit...)


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## AlisterG (Nov 14, 2008)

Deesta, you'll never be accused of not listening to your customers....

I wish you all the best in this venture and many congrats on the glowing WMB reviews.

Read back on old threads and (silly me) only just realised that all I need to do is get one addressable MC-E and stick in in the middle. Two unused bflexes may turn up in classifieds soon...


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## AlisterG (Nov 14, 2008)

BTW, any plans for an assembled light on its own? If so, how much? Lots of older Lumi batteries out there crying out for a great light.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Alister,

Thanks, I was really chuffed with the review too. Didn't think it would go quite so well!!!

I do now sell the complete lights with or without batteries...prices are on the website (on the order form).....

I does pay to listen to what people want, and what they say. I've had heaps of help on here for which I am eternally grateful :thumbsup:


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

Hi Alister, Bflex will work well at 4s3p. This is 333mA on each LED. With MCE's that'll be nice and bright. You will have to use 5 cells (21V) to get enough overhead.


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## AlisterG (Nov 14, 2008)

Thanks, I was sure it must be possible, though not necessarily desirable. I looked back at Troutie's quad MCE that he set up on an nFlex (pre HipFlex) and it seemed pretty bright even at a modest current.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Some pics of the new battery case and mounting....


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## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Very cool case and mount.


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## Village (Sep 8, 2008)

Hey Steve, nice mount and case!

My friends and I got to use your bar lights in a 24hr race this weekend. They were awesome! We built them up with XR-E R2s and a combo of Rectangle, Medium, and Diffusion lenses for a perfect blend of fill light.


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## gbcircle (Jun 2, 2008)

Ran my D-Star in a very muddy race this weekend. Note the leg hair I donated in a crash:


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Where's the light??? All I see is a lump of mud  
How did it perform?
Steve


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## peteoheat (Sep 29, 2008)

Has anyone mapped out upgrade options for the Altair? I'm currently running a 3 x XR-E light with a bflex and a 4S 18650 pack.

It would be great to see a representation of what upgrade options I have by changing LEDs, lenses, driver, battery on an individual basis.


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## peteoheat (Sep 29, 2008)

Has anyone mapped out upgrade options for the Altair? I'm currently running a 3 x XR-E light with a bflex and a 4S 18650 pack.

It would be great to see a representation of what upgrade options I have by changing LEDs, lenses, driver, battery on an individual basis.


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

I would try XPG's with suitable optics. If you want to put a hurtin' on your fellow bikes, three MCE's 6s2p, Maxflex, 16.8V battery. This will draw 1.7A with the battery fully charged, more as battery discharges. A 5200mAH battery will go over 2 1/2 hours.


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

peteoheat, different optic /. led combinations will have totally different stack heights and optic diameters / shapes
upgrades will be limited to higher binned leds of the same type or changing the optic from flood to spot ( same type again)
eg. the MC-E Altair version is specifically machined to accept only the Ledil cmc square optic
this trait is not limited to the altair, i dont know of any lights where different type of led / optic / reflector can be changed / swapped out


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (Feb 23, 2008)

gbcircle said:


> Ran my D-Star in a very muddy race this weekend. Note the leg hair I donated in a crash:


ewww thanks for the pic!
ever considered using a couple of layers of clear protective strip, eg frisk film or sellotape,
...to tear off when it is covered in crud?
i`ll give it a go this weekend!!


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## OldMTBfreak (Apr 8, 2006)

That's cool Hendo, "tear-offs" for our bike lights. The promoters will start putting in mud holes to keep the racers busy. lol


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## peteoheat (Sep 29, 2008)

Hendo,

Ah yes of course. I wasn't considering the stack height. I was rather hoping to be able to swap one XR-E for an MC-E. I guess this would mean replacing the front portion of the light.

Mark


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

You can use the XPG's in the old XRE housings but would need a spacer to make the stack height right. I don't have any 20mm XPG optics but someone may be able to measure it for you.
A round aluminium disc would do fine, about 18mm diameter. Just stick it down with a bit of AA grease.
Steve


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## EPDP99 (Jul 24, 2008)

ok so I am going to be starting my altair lights(finally!!)
Just making sure i got the right things:
How does this look?
http://www.cutter.com.au/cart.php?rp=proddetail.php?prod=cut789
and what size and kind of wire? How much total wire should I get? And where is a good place to locate the power connectors( I believe they are 2.5mm)? Then Ill do the battery pack. But want to atleast get the lights rolling. 
Thanks in advance,
Eric


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## EPDP99 (Jul 24, 2008)

well I was hoping the cart would stay up longer. I guess Ill have to repost the individual parts when I get home cause I have it all on the other computer.


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