My normal job requires me to use a flashlight on a regular basis so I have always had a thing for nice flashlights that were bright and of a good size to handle. When I got into machining as a hobby I figured I would see what I could do to make my own. With the help of http://www.candlepowerforums.com to educate me on the type of emitters and drivers needed for bright flashlights and this site for educating me on the principles of machining I have made a few lights and this is my latest and what I think is the nicest one to date.
The emitter is a P7 with a 3 mode driver that gives low, med, and high. The emitter creates lots of heat so I pressed a copper rod into the center of the head and machined down for the emitter to lay flat against. I grooved the body to act as a heatsink. The first P7 light I made will get so hot if left on it is uncomfortable to hold so I am hoping the grooving will help in disapating more heat and so far it seems to really have made a difference.
This light is so bright you can see the light coming from it as you shine it up in the night sky.
Now I just need to get on the ball with an anodizing setup.
Flashlight Version 4
Moderator: Harold_V
- 737mechanic
- Posts: 373
- Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:27 pm
- Location: Dallas
Flashlight Version 4
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- 737mechanic
- Posts: 373
- Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:27 pm
- Location: Dallas
Re: Flashlight Version 4
Couple more pics.
- coal miner
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:19 pm
- Location: Southern Illinios
Re: Flashlight Version 4
737machanic , A nice job on the torch . The copper heatsink , is it going to dissapate the heat better than Al ? I followed the discussion over on candle power until it got to intense for me Those guys are very hard core . The knurling on the body is good also . How did you put the serrations in the bezel ? That size light is very handy for a carry lite and the beam it puts out blows everything that you buy off the shelf away . I'm just a hack when it comes to making these lites up . Mostly plug-n- play w/ the the Q-5 drop in modules . One thing about it , nobody has one like the one you make yourself ! A good job .
Here's a pic of my carry lite that I ano'd . Sorry about the poor quality .
Here's a pic of my carry lite that I ano'd . Sorry about the poor quality .
The more I learn , The more I don't know !
- 737mechanic
- Posts: 373
- Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:27 pm
- Location: Dallas
Re: Flashlight Version 4
Thanks for the kind words Coal Miner. My way of thinking on the copper is if some of the best CPU heatsinks use copper for the surface contact area of the CPU and then aluminum for the body or fins of the heatsink then it must be tried and proven. This is what I believe happens. The heat from the emitter will be absorbed by the copper much faster than if it was aluminum and since aluminum dissipates heat faster than copper I believe the aluminum will absorb the heat from the copper and dissipate it into the air through the fins.
The serrations was done using my knurling tool with straight knurls instead of the common diamond knurls.
The next light you build you need to try the XPG-R5 drop in. Make sure it is able to deliver the full 1.4 amp that the R5 is capable of handling and you will be very impressed with the brightness.
Nice light you made. What batteries do you use.
The serrations was done using my knurling tool with straight knurls instead of the common diamond knurls.
The next light you build you need to try the XPG-R5 drop in. Make sure it is able to deliver the full 1.4 amp that the R5 is capable of handling and you will be very impressed with the brightness.
Nice light you made. What batteries do you use.