Build Log: The 1.5V Project

[calipsoii]

Instruction Manual (or: How Do I Work This Thing?!)

The light needs an instruction manual, that much is pretty clear.

I originally had the idea of a 2-sided business card but it got busy pretty quick and no one I showed it to could make heads or tails of the thing:

My coworker suggested a small document with some basic "How To" steps on it. After thinking on this for a bit I spent a weekend whipping up the first revision of the manual. I think it turned out much better! I tried to keep it as simple as possible, but even so, the later pages get a bit hairy when you're programming the firmware. Here there be dragons.

This is also the first document with the lights name on it, so I find that nerve-wracking. Many months ago my wife commented "it looks like a spyglass. You should call it that". The name just kind of clicked with me and we've been calling it that ever since. It's kind of fun and whimsical and goes well with my theme of things from eras past.

That's all fine and dandy around the house but here on CPF you may have heard of a little line-up called SPY. Dave's lights are no joke - in my opinion the man has set the bar for custom light perfection. I think every CPF'er here has likely drooled over the shots of the business end of a Tri-V. You can probably understand why I was hesitant to use those letters anywhere when talking about my little light - I do not want to step on his toes even a little bit. Dave's amazing though: he replied back and said he didn't have a problem with it. I could hug him if he was standing here!

As far as I can tell the name is up for grabs right now. Outside of an unnamed concept sketch on behance there are no references to a spyglass flashlight that I can find anywhere. It feels like only a matter of time until Thrunite/Olight/Klarus/Sunwayman announce their G25XLV-2 "Spyglass" Limited Edition brass light and then I'll certainly be kicking myself for waiting and losing the name I love.

So now that we've covered all my thought processes, let's have a look at the instruction manual.

The manual won't be easy to read on an iPad or phone, but if you have a printer nearby and feel like printing it out, I'd love your feedback! Print it double-sided and fold it twice into a little booklet: if the above image is on the cover you've done it right!

Like it? Hate it? Have suggestions? Leave a comment or send me a PM!

Posted Date	Firmware Version	Download
2014-10-29	1.2	.pdf (624kb)

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[tobrien]

I printed the manual with a double sided printer and it looks like it's a great one! I can't find any fault with it personally

 

[calipsoii]

I printed the manual with a double sided printer and it looks like it's a great one! I can't find any fault with it personally

Mighty kind of ya, thanks tobrien! I'm glad to hear it works on a printer other than my work and home one. Any thoughts on the name of the light? Is it ok the way it is? Should I name it something else?

-----

Spent a few hours doing some milling today - finished all the cuts for the next prototype:

This is also the first light where I'm experimenting with a new way to secure the clip. The body of the light doesn't look very happy about the whole thing.

The clip was modified slightly with a 90-degree bend at the very end.

Then the bent ends were dropped in the hole and the whole assembly secured as before with the folded washer.

From the front things look very much the same but from an angle you can see a bit of difference between the old and new.

Securing the ends of the clip into the body works wonders for preventing twisting. Because it doesn't twist as much, the screw also doesn't back out over time, so the whole assembly just stays a lot more stable. Unless testing turns up something wrong with the idea, I think future lights will have the clip secured in this way.

 

[tobrien]

@cal: the name is very clever IMO. I think the only possible downside is the fact that if someone didn't know it was a flashlight (they would, however, know if they see it of course) then the name might be potentially confusing, but I like "Spyglass" and it works well IMO

edit: no problem (RE: manual)

 

[DrafterDan]

I like the name. Spyglass to me speaks of old-world craftsmanship. the manual looks very straight forward, just what it needs to be.
I can't help feeling that the bolt/washer for the clip can be refined. Is there room enough to fit a skinny socket head bolt and change the washer to a contoured bar? If the bar were shaped kind of like a W, it would allow the top of the bolt to be much closer to the body.

 

[calipsoii]

That's a great suggestion DrafterDan. The original Strong-Tie clip had tiny socket-head screws so maybe I can re-use them. I'll have to give some thought to a more minimalist design that's still as secure as the current one.

 

[calipsoii]

Figured I'd share a couple quick glamor shots of proto #004 with everyone. It didn't turn out quite like I hoped - the deep red LED is a bit too dim to be really useful. I also apparently used way too much blue Loctite on the head because I cannot get it open again, so it's now complete whether I like it or not. My wife saved it from being chucked out into the street in frustration so it's hers now.

Other than that it's a really nice light. Best knurling of any so far, nice surface finish, new clip and a really beautiful and well-focused SSL150. The beam really has to be seen to be believed: side-by-side with a Strion A2 it's hard to tell the two apart.

New (brighter) 3mm LED's are coming: ultraviolet, blue, cyan, green, yellow-green, amber, orange and deep-red. Should be able to post my impressions soon.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

That is beautiful work. I'm doing some longer-term electrical tests of a project I've mulled over. Similar to Lamplighter, but less keychain-friendly.

 

[DrafterDan]

I did a super-quick AutoCAD drawing. I'm pretty sure you see what I'm thinkin' but I had a few spare moments this morning:

You see the whole idea is to get the screwhead a lot closer to the body. It might be too much trouble to fab this small winged part, but you did say you were working on your hammering technique!

 

[gunga]

That is pretty sweet. Love the name too.

 

[nein166]

Oh yeah that knurling looks sharp, but not sharp feeling well done

Ever see the wire clip on spyderco knives? Theres a milled slot to recess the wire and sometimes 1 small screw on each side
Much more machining and tapping but super secure no twisting wire

DrafterDan your winged washer looks like it could lower the profile looks like a square splice washer with an extra bend maybe thats an off the shelf piece to start with
I've seen something like this on electircal wire screw down terminals

 

[calipsoii]

Ever see the wire clip on spyderco knives? Theres a milled slot to recess the wire and sometimes 1 small screw on each side
Much more machining and tapping but super secure no twisting wire

There's no room in the tail for Spyderco grooves, the metal is too thin. Cutting even a little slot will put me into the threads for the clicky switch. Making the tail fatter isn't really something I want to do since it adds needless weight and I'd have to make the head larger to keep the diameters the same. The light is quite slim in the hand/pocket right now and I hope to try and maintain that.

The 3 hole solution worked wonders though - the clip doesn't budge at all. Just need to look at something like DrafterDan's idea to make the clip attachment a little less bulky and a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

-----

Guess what arrived?

From left-right, wavelength in nm: 390,465,505,525,579,590,605,660

Some are brighter than others (the Y/G being notably dim)

The new deep reds are also quite a brighter than the previous ones I was using. Time will tell if they work well once installed in a light.

I do of course still have the really nice warm-whites, as well as cool and neutral.

 

[archimedes]

Great photos ... very good at demonstrating the colors, brightness, and beamshapes of those LEDs !

 

[tobrien]

yeah those color comparisons were great

 

[calipsoii]

Thanks guys, they're really nice LEDs - I'm excited to try them in a reflector. The deep reds in particular are quite stunning and I believe they'll be a lot more usable at this brightness.

 

[Zandar]

I'm really excited to see the progress you have made with each prototype. Your on the path to producing a really unique light.

 

[calipsoii]

I think it's probably time for a little project update!

Well for starters I spent some time working on a body that didn't turn out. For some reason (despite everything being set correctly) the threads just don't work. It's -20 here with snow so working in the garage takes a lot out of a guy. It was pretty painful to have a workpiece not work for unknown reasons after freezing for 2.5 hours so I haven't been back out there since.

That was actually a pretty good impetus to talk to some machine shops and see what it'd cost to get someone else to do this work for me. I've been putting it off forever, but finally sat down and re-did all the CAD models to reflect the new v2 styling. I had previously been writing all my revisions in ballpoint pen on the v1 schematics so it was time to get them digitized. I now have a nice batch of up-to-date schematics that I hope to take to a few places around town and get quotes on.

Spent a little time soldering some drivers together with great success; they just need hosts to go in.

Also sourced some very nice velvet pouches to fancy the lights up a bit. They fit perfectly and are a nice way to present and store the torches.

That's all for now. Next up is seeing if there is any way to have someone make me the metal parts of the light without breaking the bank. I'll be sure to update you guys either way.

Cheers!

 

[tobrien]

perfect

 

[calipsoii]

Thanks tobrien, the little velvet pouches turned out much better than I was hoping. I really like them.

Not much progress on the project to show you guys. I need to do some work on the lathe but the weather isn't cooperating.

-33 is a bit cold to be working the metal handwheels on the lathe.

 

[calipsoii]

A Dazzling Display of Color

A while ago I received an order of 3mm LED's in all kinds of colors for those people who want something other than white to go with their white.

Wavelength in nm (left to right): 390,465,505,525,579,590,605,660

It can be hard to tell from those photos what the beams look like in use though, so tonight I found some time to snap shots of each. Colored light can be tricky to photograph so most pictures are accurate to what my eyes see, but there may be some slight differences.

Camera settings are locked at:
- ISO 200
- 2.0s exposure
- automatic white balance

Let's get started!

1) Ultraviolet 390nm @ 18ma

2) Blue 470nm @ 20ma

3) Cyan 505nm @ 20ma

4) Green 525nm @ 23ma

5) Yellow-Green 570nm @ 25ma

6) Amber 590nm @ 23ma

7) Orange 605nm @ 24ma

8) Deep Red 660nm @ 25ma

9) Warm White 3300k @ 19ma

10) Neutral White 5000k @ 20ma

11) Cool White 6500k @ 25ma

Most of the tints are accurate to what my eyes saw and the relative outputs definitely were. So there you have it!

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