# Easy2LED XM-L build



## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Here's a build with the EasyLED housing, XM-L, LEDnLIGHT LLC01N narrow optic and L-flex.
I had all the parts but the housing lying around.

It went together in just over an hour, but I spent a fair bit of time thinking out setup.
The little optic fits in the housing perfectly. I'll need to seal the front threads using thread sealer.

The waterproof switch is fairly bulky, so I needed to use the deeper side of the housing for switch and driver. Good thing about this is lots of room for wires.

Here's the XML LED and optic









Housing, cable and gland









All wired up, with the switch in the back plate. By using an O-ring between housing and back cap, there's only about 1.5 turns of the thread, so the flexible silicone switch wire should be fine.









Finished light assembly









Helmet mount/heatsink added, 


















Mounted as headband light for running- makes a good headlamp. I may make a 1-cell battery for ultralight headband use.









Here's what's inside the battery pack:








Bottom line- simple, tidy build.

I'm still not overly fond of the LLC optic and its wider beam. I don't think a Regina or Laura RS will fit in the small end of this housing, and the switch won't work if I reverse it and use the deeper end of the housing for the LED and optic.

I may change it to an L334 and XR-E when the 139 lumen/watt version comes out.


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## BKruahnndon (Jul 17, 2009)

Nicely done. What is that gland you used???


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

It's a little rubber fitting I got from Troutie I think. I traded a few screw-type glands for some of these, but this is my last one.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

I had a thought about the optic- if Zemike could offer a front lens with threads a few mm longer, there would be room for a Regina or a Laura deeper round optic. Right now there's just not enough height in there.


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## zemike (Sep 3, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> I had a thought about the optic- if Zemike could offer a front lens with threads a few mm longer, there would be room for a Regina or a Laura deeper round optic. Right now there's just not enough height in there.


Well, can you tell me exactly how many mm longer? I will check if it is feasible.

The switch looks compact, do you remember the model?


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

zemike said:


> Well, can you tell me exactly how many mm longer? I will check if it is feasible.
> 
> The switch looks compact, do you remember the model?


Mike, I would love it if the lens cover was 3-4mm deeper. That would allow me to modify a Laura optic for the existing build.
Alternatively, if the back cap was a few mm deeper the light could be reversed and there might be enough room in the smaller compartment for the switch wiring and the L-flex. Hard to tell without actually fitting the pieces. If you do get this worked out I'll be glad to test it for you.

The switch is this one:
1pc Waterproof Momentary OFF-(ON) N/O BOAT Switch,BK33B | eBay

I got the o-rings from Dealextreme. One of those fits nicely on the back cap between the housing and the outer flange, sealing it well.

I know there's enough space for the originally intended L333 build. Perhaps you could sell the longer threaded caps as an option for builds requiring a separate driver?


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## JezV (Oct 31, 2009)

Neat build Offroad'Bent. I have been trying to work out how to do a similar build for a simple commuter light using a single XML, regina, lflex, integrated switch and easy2led housing and had concluded it wasn't feasible. My homebrew helmet light has 16mm for the driver side and i can just fit the switch and grommet.

I wondered about drilling out the tail cap and bolting a 5mm extension to the outside, giving more space and getting over the twisted wire problem, but if Mike can CNC a deeper tailcap that would be a better solution.:thumbsup:


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

JezV said:


> Neat build Offroad'Bent. I have been trying to work out how to do a similar build for a simple commuter light using a single XML, regina, lflex, integrated switch and easy2led housing and had concluded it wasn't feasible. My homebrew helmet light has 16mm for the driver side and i can just fit the switch and grommet.
> 
> I wondered about drilling out the tail cap and bolting a 5mm extension to the outside, giving more space and getting over the twisted wire problem, but if Mike can CNC a deeper tailcap that would be a better solution.:thumbsup:


A deeper tailcap would give enough space for the driver and switch in the shallow end, leaving lots of room for the LED and Regina in the deeper end.

I was also thinking that if Mike can CNC a deeper front lens cover with a ring or flange that can screw down, an O-ring could be used between the ring and housing to get a good seal there, like I did with the back cap.


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## zemike (Sep 3, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> I was also thinking that if Mike can CNC a deeper front lens cover with a ring or flange that can screw down, an O-ring could be used between the ring and housing to get a good seal there, like I did with the back cap.


Well, that can be an optional product. What should be the front lens cover thread height? 10mm or more ?


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Correction- The LLC01N optic is from LEDnLIGHT not Leidl.
LednLight by Gaggione


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

zemike said:


> Well, that can be an optional product. What should be the front lens cover thread height? 10mm or more ?


The existing front cover has 4mm of threads. I reversed it to fit the LEDNlight optic.

8mm would accommodate a bigger optic, 10mm would allow a Regina, and perhaps have room for an outer flange and o-ring. Hard to say for sure without having it in my hands to play with, but I think everyone would be happy with that. Then they can use the bigger back compartment for driver, switch and cable gland.

You may want to consider buying a batch of 50 of those little rubber cable glands, and a bag of O-rings too, to offer on your website.


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

Nice build. Did you consider using an in-line switch so you could mount the driver in the short end of the housing, leaving the long end free for an XM-L and suitable optic / reflector? I like the length of the housing as is, as the short end fits triple boards and optics so well.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

This would work very well with an L333 build and inline switch. You'd just use a small cable gland in the back cap.

I prefer the 2-switch option on the L333 though, with the one switch for 100%-eco. The inline switch alone goes 100%-off-20%-off-2%-off, which is a bit of a pain. For the 2switch option you'd need another switch on the light anyway.

I'm not sure if you can do an inline switch with the L-flex and XM-L, unless you could find a fairly narrow gauge 4-core wire.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

The recent comments illustrate what I see as the major hurdle in trying to produce a "stock" housing for the DIY market. Everyone wants a different LED and optic combination to suit their preference, let alone drivers, switches, cable entry and mount. The variety of stack heights and space requirements are endless.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Vancbiker said:


> The recent comments illustrate what I see as the major hurdle in trying to produce a "stock" housing for the DIY market. Everyone wants a different LED and optic combination to suit their preference, let alone drivers, switches, cable entry and mount. The variety of stack heights and space requirements are endless.


Actually, this housing has a lot of potential. With the deeper caps discussed, most of the popular options would work.


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## jbflyfshr (Jul 24, 2006)

Vancbiker said:


> The recent comments illustrate what I see as the major hurdle in trying to produce a "stock" housing for the DIY market. Everyone wants a different LED and optic combination to suit their preference, let alone drivers, switches, cable entry and mount. The variety of stack heights and space requirements are endless.


Yeah that is a bugger in the DIY world I have seen but...

what if like there were different size rings that could screw into the orig. housing and that would add depth as needed?

Might make a perfect all around housing.


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## zemike (Sep 3, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> I'm not sure if you can do an inline switch with the L-flex and XM-L, unless you could find a fairly narrow gauge 4-core wire.


Actually it is possible with the remote switch housing which I am also selling - there's a Y-cable included.

Regarding the taller glass ring - I think there is a simpler possibility - an extension tube.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

jbflyfshr said:


> what if like there were different size rings that could screw into the orig. housing and that would add depth as needed?


That would certainly be a solution. It adds some complexity and additional risk for the seller. How many housings to order from a manufacturer is one thing, but then add how many 4mm rings versus 6mm rings versus 10mm rings for that order. The seller will no doubt end up with some rings selling better than others and not likely matching what was ordered. Seller ends up with no stock of the more popular sizes and surplus of the less popular.

Then comes cost. Ordering 100 identical rings is cheaper than 4 orders of 25 pieces of different dimensioned rings. The fact that only the length changes will help that cost difference, but it will still be there.

I'm not saying Zemike should not pursue the idea. I think it is great that there are some people out there willing to take a bit of risk to supply a product to a small niche market. If I did not have the ability to make my own housings, I'd probably be here asking for something to suit my specific wants too


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

zemike said:


> Actually it is possible with the remote switch housing which I am also selling - there's a Y-cable included.
> 
> Regarding the taller glass ring - I think there is a simpler possibility - an extension tube.


Does the Y-cable have 4-core wire, with 2 to the switch and 2 to the battery?

I think a threaded extension tube could work here, but it's not as simple as a 10mm threaded cover with lens and a lock ring.


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## zemike (Sep 3, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Does the Y-cable have 4-core wire, with 2 to the switch and 2 to the battery?
> 
> I think a threaded extension tube could work here, but it's not as simple as a 10mm threaded cover with lens and a lock ring.


Yes, the Y-cable has 2 wire at the power input side, 4 cores at the switch and lighthead ends.

Actually the longer cover with lens can't be done on a small scale. A metal extension tube can be made in small quantity.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

zemike said:


> Yes, the Y-cable has 2 wire at the power input side, 4 cores at the switch and lighthead ends.
> 
> Actually the longer cover with lens can't be done on a small scale. A metal extension tube can be made in small quantity.


Wish I knew that about the wire before I started the build! 
What is the diameter of the 4-core wire at the lighthead end? I have some nice threaded cable glands that might work for a future build with remote switch. That way the optic can go in the deep end, and the switch/power wire can go through the gland which can be tightened up once the back is screwed in.

I would be interested in an extension tube too.


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## jbflyfshr (Jul 24, 2006)

Vanc & zemike,

Most of the time when you buy spacers for a stem to get the right height you get a set and use what you need and that removes the issue of overstock of one type of ring.

May be cost prohibitive but solves the issue for point of sale source...

I wish I could work out housings like you Vanc and I would be working every extra minute...maybe a bad thing. 

JB


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

jbflyfshr said:


> I wish I could work out housings like you Vanc and I would be working every extra minute...maybe a bad thing.


I have gotten so lazy on builds. I have a 3/4 finished 6 up XPG barlight housing for that I have not touched for 6+ months. Machinery is ready, all parts are on hand, I'll get on it...next week.


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## db_Is_Me (Sep 14, 2011)

Nice build. XM-Ls shed so much light!


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## Calina (Apr 8, 2008)

zemike said:


> CNC LED light bodies for sale


The link doesn't work anymore.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Calina said:


> The link doesn't work anymore.


Here's Zemike's web page where I got the housing: Easy2LED.com, The store for LED DIY


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## zemike (Sep 3, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Wish I knew that about the wire before I started the build!
> What is the diameter of the 4-core wire at the lighthead end?


3.5mm, the power conductors are too small for 3A currents though.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

zemike said:


> 3.5mm, the power conductors are too small for 3A currents though.


Oh oh, that won't work for the XM-L build then. 
I guess it's optimized for the L333 and 7.4v 1.5A?

I'll wait and see if you can get an extension tube set up.


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## zemike (Sep 3, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Oh oh, that won't work for the XM-L build then.
> I guess it's optimized for the L333 and 7.4v 1.5A?


Well, this cable can work with a buck driver and XM-L.
BTW, is there a cheap multimode buck driver for XM-L ?


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Sorry, all I've used is the L-flex and XM-L. I set them up for 3A on max.


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

zemike said:


> Well, this cable can work with a buck driver and XM-L.
> BTW, is there a cheap multimode buck driver for XM-L ?


I've heard good things about this one, although I haven't used it myself. The daughter board is purely for mode control as well, so can be reprogrammed or modified as desired leaving the buck board and inductor to deal with the voltage reduction and current control. It's 22mm diameter which would just fit inside your housing.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

zemike said:


> Yes, the Y-cable has 2 wire at the power input side, 4 cores at the switch and lighthead ends.
> 
> Actually the longer cover with lens can't be done on a small scale. A metal extension tube can be made in small quantity.


I have some friends interested in a light like this one, but they'd like a narrower beam, so I'd need to use the deeper end for the LED and optic/reflector.

Has anyone found a way to mount a switch through the back cap so it and the driver fit in the narrow end of the light? I'm thinking some sort of extension there for the switch, or some way to extend the front cap?

Zemike was talking about an extension tube that fits the threads- anyone able to machine some of those? One end would fit in the housing threads, the other would be wider and have the same internal threads as the housing.

Alternatively, anyone know of some 3.5mm 4-core wire with 2 of the leads able to carry 3A?


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## mfj197 (Jan 28, 2011)

Ofroad'bent, if your friends would like a narrower beam couldn't you use a triple XP-E and carclo optic in the shallow end? I noted from a previous post of yours that you said this combo out-throws an XM-L / Regina combo. It could be a quazzle unit or separate triple and driver as you'd have the deep end free. Or you could use the deeper end for an XM-L plus optic and use a flashlight driver that changes modes via power interruption, so an in-line momentary-open switch would work with only two conductors.

A third option is to mount the driver outboard of the lighthead. I bought a few aluminium lip balm containers recently to look at just such a possibility. It does detract from the aesthetic appeal of a light though.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

or you could just mount the switch in a remote via a wire coming into the side of the housing. That's what I'm going to do (when I get off my arse and do it, that is).


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

mfj197 said:


> Ofroad'bent, if your friends would like a narrower beam couldn't you use a triple XP-E and carclo optic in the shallow end? I noted from a previous post of yours that you said this combo out-throws an XM-L / Regina combo. It could be a quazzle unit or separate triple and driver as you'd have the deep end free. Or you could use the deeper end for an XM-L plus optic and use a flashlight driver that changes modes via power interruption, so an in-line momentary-open switch would work with only two conductors.
> 
> A third option is to mount the driver outboard of the lighthead. I bought a few aluminium lip balm containers recently to look at just such a possibility. It does detract from the aesthetic appeal of a light though.


Thanks for the good suggestions, folks. 
I'd consider a triple XP-E, but I am rather fond of the L-flex as a driver, so I was hoping to find a solution using this one. The other *flex boards won't fit in the housing.

An external switch is a definite possibility if I can't sort the rest out, but for helmet or headband mounted lights it's not optimum. It's just so tidy with the switch on the back.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

*Parts list for EasyDIY light*

I've been asked for a parts list for this build.

Housing: Easy2LED.com, The store for LED DIY

LED- XM-L U-bin Cree XM-L Single-Die LED Emitter U2 w/ 16mm Round Base | eBay

LEDnLIGHT LLC01N narrow optic LednLight by Gaggione

Driver- L-flex: LFlex Product Information
Switch :1pc Waterproof Momentary OFF-(ON) N/O BOAT Switch,BK33B | eBay
Cable and connectors: 5.4mm Male to Female Extension Cable for SKU 29489/30864 (100cm) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

Protected battery holder:
<meta name="keywords" content="18650 7.4V 2.5AH Li-ion Battery W/PCM+US 8.4

3M Dual Lock velcro:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/180680606924?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

20 mm O-rings from Dealextreme : O-ring - Free Shipping - DealExtreme


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Heat-shrink tubing to waterproof battery:
1M Black Heat Shrink Tubing (45mm) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme
Also on eBay in different sizes.

The cable gland I got from Troutie

Sorry, for some reason the links to the pre-made battery pack and thermal adhesive just won't show up here.

The battery pack and charger is item 320541322570 on eBay, but you need to specify 3.7v.
Seem to be good quality Sanyo cells with PCM.

The thermal adhesive is item 160576416503


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Battery and charger: You can specify 3.7v. Seem to be good quality Sanyo cells:
> <meta name="keywords" content="18650 7.4V 2.5AH Li-ion Battery W/PCM+US 8.4
> 
> Heat-shrink tubing to waterproof battery:
> ...


Just mailed you some more yesterday :thumbsup:


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Still can't post the link to the battery packs. :madman:

Here's the Dealextreme magicshine headband, which isn't bad and is dirt cheap:
Head Strap for SKU 29489/30864 (25cm) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

This one's better but pricier:
NiteRider Headband Mount at Price Point

Here's the Velcro One-wrap I use to secure the mount and batteries:
Black VELCRO (R) brand ONE-WRAP(R) Straps 3/4"X36" 90302 | eBay


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## forgiven_nick (Nov 7, 2006)

Can I get some glands too Troutie?  I only need one so far actually.

On the o rings, are you using 25mm for the diameter?
Same size for a handlebar mount too from easy 2 led?


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## maitolasi (Feb 12, 2009)

Iam looking good efficiency so.. Single XM-L or triple XP-G ? which one gives more lumens/watt. Ihave lflex driver and small battery bag with 2x18650 .Current will be max 2,5A. Is T2 good tint, if I don`t want blue or geen colour?


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

forgiven_nick said:


> Can I get some glands too Troutie?  I only need one so far actually.
> 
> On the o rings, are you using 25mm for the diameter?
> Same size for a handlebar mount too from easy 2 led?


No, fairly thin 20mm O-rings. They stretch a little over the tail cap.


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## forgiven_nick (Nov 7, 2006)

Sweet, thanks offroad bent. Do you have any idea if that's the same size o ring as I'd need for the easy2led bar mount?

One more question, how do you purchase the optic at lednlight and the lflex at task led?
Thanks!


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## kwarwick (Jun 12, 2004)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Thanks for the good suggestions, folks.
> I'd consider a triple XP-E, but I am rather fond of the L-flex as a driver, so I was hoping to find a solution using this one. The other *flex boards won't fit in the housing.


I built mine up with a 3up xpg board in the short section and a Maxflex in the longer section... tight fit, but the Maxflex definitely does fit.


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## find_bruce (May 8, 2011)

forgiven_nick said:


> Sweet, thanks offroad bent. Do you have any idea if that's the same size o ring as I'd need for the easy2led bar mount?


Sorry Nick, you are going to need a bigger o-ring for the bar mount - it is doubled over and goes about 3/4 of the way around the bar. For a 22mm bar, the o-ring should be about 30 mm diameter, for a 32 mm bar, around 42 mm.

I suspect as well as a bigger diameter, you will also want a chunkier o-ring

Cheers

Bruce


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

forgiven_nick said:


> Sweet, thanks offroad bent. Do you have any idea if that's the same size o ring as I'd need for the easy2led bar mount?
> 
> One more question, how do you purchase the optic at lednlight and the lflex at task led?
> Thanks!


L-flex: White LED lighting

For the optic, I couldn't find a place to buy it on the website, so I contacted John-Michel Ermel, who sent me some samples. 
[email protected], or here's the contact on the website :http://www.lednlight.com/index.php?page=contact 
I've given away all the narrow ones I can spare.

I am wondering if the switch might *just* fit in the narrow end if you used some washers or O-rings to shim it out, and if you and bent the tabs outwards. This way you could use a Regina reflector or trimmed Lara RS optic in the deep end.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

kwarwick said:


> I built mine up with a 3up xpg board in the short section and a Maxflex in the longer section... tight fit, but the Maxflex definitely does fit.


Now you know I have to ask the following questions:

Which 3x LED board are you using?
What voltage are you running your setup at?
Also, how did you heatsink the Maxflex?

I have a collection of 7.4v batteries, so I could probably set up an XP-E thrower if I can drive it with the Maxflex.


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## mntn-biker (Sep 12, 2010)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Cable and connectors: 5.4mm Male to Female Extension Cable for SKU 29489/30864 (100cm) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme


I wonder if those cable ends are compatible with Marwi???


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## kwarwick (Jun 12, 2004)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Now you know I have to ask the following questions:
> 
> Which 3x LED board are you using?
> What voltage are you running your setup at?
> ...


For my build, I used a 20mm 3xXPG board from LED Supply: (R5) Cool-White 3-Up Indus Star LED - LED Supply.com. You can get essentially the same item from Cutter also: Cutter Electronics There are also 3xXPE using the same 20mm boards.

To mount the Maxflex, I cut a pedestal out of aluminum (from an old chainring) just the size of the Maxflex heatsink pad and bonded this it the pad with thermal adhesive. After getting all my wiring in place I bonded the other side of the aluminum pedestal to the inside face of the housing.

I'm running it at 7.2V using 2 x 18650 pack and have also used 2S Lipo packs.

If you need further details, feel free to ask!


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## who_is_john_galt (Jan 9, 2010)

Ofroad'bent said:


> Cable and connectors:5-4mm-male-to-female-extension-cable-for-sku-29489-30864-100cm-32751]5.4mm Male to Female Extension Cable for SKU 29489/30864 (100cm) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme





Ofroad'bent said:


> The battery pack and charger is item 320541322570 on eBay, but you need to specify 3.7v.
> Seem to be good quality Sanyo cells with PCM.


I was curious if the connectors from the battery pack and charger were compatible with the DX extension cable? Or did you have to splice in new cables for the battery pack and charger?


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

who_is_john_galt said:


> I was curious if the connectors from the battery pack and charger were compatible with the DX extension cable? Or did you have to splice in new cables for the battery pack and charger?


They work electrically. I was able to mate them up with 2 layers of heat-shrink tubing to make a tight seal too.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

I have another housing and L-flex in stock now. It looks like I may be able to fit the L-flex and switch in the shallow end of the housing, if I bend the tabs and add a washer to move the switch outboard as far as possible. 
If that works, there would be tons of room for the optic or reflector in the deeper front compartment. the threaded lens would hold the optic in place, allowing for pretty quick change of optic or reflector if needed. 
The power cable and gland will have to enter in the same space as the optic/ lens though.
I'm still waiting for an XM-L, then I'll see if it all fits. 

I should probably just be patient and wait for Zemike to come out with his extension tube, but you know... DIY fever.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

I still haven't gotten round to posting up my build thread, but I was easily able to put the Lflex plus a shortened cable gland in the short end. The cable gland just protruded above the threads on the cap by a mm at most and I left some slack in the power cables. That plus the o-ring you gave me fitted perfectly. 

The switch goes in the side of the LED end and the wires thread through with the LED wires into the driver section. I put in an LXP-RS which my friend really likes, but I'll be getting a Laura RS at some point to trim down and put in, see if he likes that better.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Did the switch mess up the fins on the side of the LED end? It looked a bit awkward to mount one there.

I mounted a switch in the back cap with 2 thick o-rings outside the cap, so there should be plenty of room.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

it's a remote switch on a piece of 3.5mm MS Y-adapter cable, so I just had to carefully drill a hole between the fins. It's retained on the inside with a piece of metal wire coiled around the cable with some silicone and it's sealed on the outside with a blob of sugru. looks pretty decent imo. The remote switch has a piece of that dual lock you sent me glued to the back, so he can stick it to his handlebar or helmet.

Currently waiting for one of us to get paid so I can get a couple of decent batteries in. Then I can use those for a 2P pack and make his current 2x 2P packs into 1x 4P pack, plus set his max drive back up to 3A (cells can't supply more than 2A without sagging at the mo'). When I get it back in my hands to do that, I'll finish taking pics and post it up here. Interesting build - the housing was obviously easier but wiring it up was a pain in the butt compared to the sleds I'm used to  Looks very pro though..


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## Gloworm Manufacture (Nov 29, 2011)

*lednlight*

How do you find the throw of the narrow optic from LEDnLight?


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Gloworm Manufacture said:


> How do you find the throw of the narrow optic from LEDnLight?


Not that great a throw. Excellent for a bar light or running headlamp, but I prefer a tighter beam for my helmet.

I'm working on a solution for that with a modified Laura RS optic.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

OK, my XM-L finally arrived after 4 weeks, for my second Easy2DIY build.

It turns out that by spacing the switch back a bit with O-rings and bending the tabs, I can fit switch and driver in the back chamber.

The power cable and gland enter through the front chamber where the XM-L and reflector sit.

Here's the L-flex ready to go in the back









Here's the modified switch, with the tabs insulated and bent. 1 O-ring on the back cap threads, 2 more on the switch.



Here it is all assembled.









Set up with my standard ultralight mount using Dual Lock and One Wrap Velcro



Best thing about this setup- I used a Regina, but it's easy to unscrew the front cover and swap to an optic. I have a Laura RS I removed from the holder and rounded off which fits well too.
I think I'll use silicone lube on the threads for water resistance until I'm decided on the best solution.

This one was fast and easy to build, even thought it's fairly tight quarters in the back compartment.

The tilting mount acts as a bit more heat sink, and snaps on to corresponding Dual Lock on my helmet, handlebar mount and headband.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Got to try the light out last night with different optics and reflectors. Interestingly, the Laura RS I removed from the holder and cut down does not give the same tight hotspot as the same optic in my sled lights, where I use them in the holder.

I find myself preferring the Regina reflector for this light, but the sled with Laura RS is still my favourite with a tighter hotspot and a fairly wide periphery. Both are good helmet lights though, much better than the small optic I used for the first build.


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## bardynt (Oct 11, 2011)

Hey

can someone help me out

i was looking at this but do you have driver board then the led separate or how does it work

i know if might sounds stupid but cant figure out how it all put together


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

nice job, I knew you could do it  Interesting info about the Laura out of its holder, I was planning on trying that for a friend. I'm also going to get an LC1 optic from Digikey to try that out - let me know if you want one and I'll add one to my order, most likely in January.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

bardynt said:


> Hey
> 
> can someone help me out
> 
> ...


If you do it this way, the XM-L LED, switch and L-flex board are all separate elements.

You connect the LED wires, the switch wires and the power wires to the L-flex board. There are contacts on the L-flex for Switch A & Switch B, LED + & LED-, and Power + & Power -. It's a bit fiddly but not too bad.

The board goes in the back chamber, so you have to pass the wires from the front through the small hole in the divider in the housing.

You then mount the LED in the front chamber, and the L-flex in the back chamber.

They have to be thermally attached, either with thermal epoxy, thermal tape or possibly thermal grease behind the XM-L with the reflector pressing it into place.

Is this clear enough?

There is a simpler way with the L333 board, which has the LED emitters and driver all on the same board, which I may use in future, but that's not the build I've described here.


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## gticlay (Dec 13, 2007)

I just finished up an L332 build. What a fantastic little light! It's smaller than a magicshine yet brighter, lower cost, and I think better quality.


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

Just did up another one for my budddy Hansel (Zoolander reference) , another elite adventure racer.

I made him up 2 XM-L L-flex lights, 1 helmet mount, 1 headband, 1 bar mount, 1 cheapo charger, 1 Turnigy uber-charger with car adapter, 2 1S2P helmet/headband batteries and 2 1S4P pocket batteries. Parts for the whole set were under $300. 

Take that, Ay-up!


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