Building an Aleph19... Few questions on LE

[Raggasonic]

Hi all :wave:

First, I'd like to thank Wayne for the great service he offers.

Well, that being said, lets talk about my lil' questions about my Aleph 19.

- I'd like to drive a Q5 or R2 led at 1000mA, but as a newbie, I really don't know which driver I must/can use, so if you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to read them...;

- About the led itself, I want it to be on the neutral/warm side, I'm fed up with blueish tint, so what bin should I get ?

- Finally, I was wondering how to build the LE itself...
I read this page http://dmcleish.com/CPF/Aleph-LE-Build-Notes/index.html but since I ordered an XRCan (not Ecan + EScrew) I'm not sure about the way to do it. From what I can imagine, I put the driver on the bottom of the can, pot it with epoxy, and then just put the MPCB on it, resting on the lip of the can. Am I right

Thanks by advance, and sorry if my English is far from perfect

 

[maxspeeds]

Raggasonic,

Good choice on the McR-19XR reflector. You will love it! It is one of my favorite reflectors for EDC.

Your decision on which converter to use will be determined by the battery combination you are going to use. If you are using 1x123 cell, I would recommend the GD1000 converter as you can use both primaries and rechargeables with it (since it's a buck/boost converter). If you are going to use 2x123 or 3x123 cells, I would recommend a DB1000 as it is strictly a buck converter and can tolerate a larger voltage input.

For your LED choice, if you must have Q5 or R2 bins, your choices for neutral/warm tinted crees will be limited to something in the cool whites (WH). If you want a truely neutral-tinted Cree, you will have to lower your brightness expectations to Q3. 5A is very popular currently as it is neutral white. However, the brightest you will be able to currently obtain it is Q3. If you want a warm cree, I recommend 7A as they look more like an incan. I personally use a 7A in a mule, and love it.

Regarding the assembly of the Light Engine, you will have to keep in mind the positive and negative inputs of the converter. Make sure the negative input is grounded to the XR can. The positive input will be in the center of the converter (so that it can touch the positive terminal of the battery). It is advised to either create a solder blob or solder a small copper/silver ball to the positive input to aid in contacting the positive terminal of the battery.

Have fun, and keep in mind that since this is your first time assembling a light engine, the likelyhood of you making an error is great. But don't worry. It happens to all of us.

Cheers!
Joel

 

[Raggasonic]

Thanks Joel.

Yeah, you're right, I forgot to mention that I'll be running it on a single cell

For the LED, I'm not sure sure to want an "incan" tint, but the Q5 WC of my NDI is definitely too blue for me. So, where could I see beamshots of WH and Q3 5A bins ?


For the LE, I was worrying more about the "mechanical" way to assemble it, I'm not sure about that...

 

[maxspeeds]

Check this thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/211911 for some great neutral/warm & high cri leds.

Regarding mechanical connections, I use 2-part arctic alumina epoxy to pot the converter in the XR-can. Depending on the board, you may also be able to reflow solder the converter to the bottom lip of the can. But, you will need either an oven, or hot plate to do this.

After potting the converter with 2-part AA epoxy, I place the mcpcb on the top rim of the XR-can with Arctic Alumina paste. Finish the soldering to the led, and you're done

 

[maxspeeds]

Oops, I made a mistake in the previous post regarding the linked thread. Those are great emitters, but none of them are Crees . Check this thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/204649&page=9 . Saabluster shows you the WH, 5A & 6A all in one thread

 

[Raggasonic]

Well, a Q3 5A will definitively suits me.

Thanks again for your help.


PS : Do you know where I could order one ?

 

[maxspeeds]

These are very hard to find. And, I think you may have just missed the boat on this groupbuy: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=188726. You may want to post a WTB ad in the BST thread. That's probably your best bet.

 

[Raggasonic]

Thanks for the thread link, I think I'll start with an R2 I have in stock and wait for the next wave of Q3 to swap it.

GD1000 ordered

 

[MarNav1]

I would highly recommend the Cree GduP pill for this. Works just fine with the XR reflector, mine has a very nice tint as well. You'll have 3 levels with memory, it makes it a very versatile light.

 

[Raggasonic]

Well, a bit late for now, I just ordered the board, but I was planning to build several LEs in the future, just to see the differences we can get with an A19 host

Am I normal ?

 

[MarNav1]

Never too late. You can figure out what you like and trade/sell the rest. Your as normal as anybody else around here.

 

[lumafist]

Well, a bit late for now, I just ordered the board, but I was planning to build several LEs in the future, just to see the differences we can get with an A19 host

Am I normal ?

:welcome:

I don`t know HOW I missed this thread....!?

Welcome to the exqusit world of the A19...:thumbsup:
You are very normal IMO..:tinfoil:

 

[nein166]

What board did you ORDER?

Connecting the driver to the lip in the bottom of the XR-Can is best done by reflow soldering it on there.
Look here for a homebrewed reflow soldering method (8th picture).

On certain drivers there is a Neg. Ring on the bottom of the board GD and MadMax IIRC, pre-tin this lightly.

I put the XR-Can in the toaster 300F take it out with pliers about 5 min later.
Put some flux on the bottom lip of the XR-Can.
Drop in the driver and Push it down with a toothpick or like tool.
Don't push on any SMD components ust the PCB.
Put the XR-Can on a cold metal surface quickly to cool it down.

If there is no Neg Contact ring on the bottom of the driver you will need to run a wire from the driver to the XR-Can. Carving a notch is nessescary. I have thought of drilling a hole through the side of the can (1/16 bit) so the ground wire can be inside. Since there is no contact ring on the bottom super glue the PCB to the bottom XR-Can lip.

I believe the GD1000 Driver will work for you as long as you plan to use a Li-Ion. A 17650 will work better than a RCR123.

A Madmax will work too but the regulation will not be as constant. It depends on the current supplied by the cell IIRC. As capacity in the cell drops the output will derate, but on a CR123A the runtime with useful light at the end will be hours.

Runtime will be less at 1000ma and output won't be much more than 700ma as the heat builds up and derates the output. 1000ma is good for momentary use but not small EDC lights. My own opinion from experience.

 

[lumafist]

Runtime will be less at 1000ma and output won't be much more than 700ma as the heat builds up and derates the output. 1000ma is good for momentary use but not small EDC lights. My own opinion from experience.

WOW...!

Best DIY in text I`ve ever seen....!
AND good advice on "How to"....

The one and only thing I don`t agree with is that HO couldn`t be a good EDC though...
I have a VERY high output for an EDC in my pocket 24/7, I guess it`s a matter of opinion...


Anyway, thanks a bunch for a few clarifications that I needed aswell...:wave:

 

[Raggasonic]

Never too late. You can figure out what you like and trade/sell the rest. Your as normal as anybody else around here.

:welcome:

I don`t know HOW I missed this thread....!?

Welcome to the exqusit world of the A19...:thumbsup:
You are very normal IMO..:tinfoil:

Well, I'm not sure I must be reassured by your answers

Thanks for the kind words

What board did you ORDER?

Connecting the driver to the lip in the bottom of the XR-Can is best done by reflow soldering it on there.
Look here for a homebrewed reflow soldering method (8th picture).

On certain drivers there is a Neg. Ring on the bottom of the board GD and MadMax IIRC, pre-tin this lightly.

I put the XR-Can in the toaster 300F take it out with pliers about 5 min later.
Put some flux on the bottom lip of the XR-Can.
Drop in the driver and Push it down with a toothpick or like tool.
Don't push on any SMD components ust the PCB.
Put the XR-Can on a cold metal surface quickly to cool it down.

If there is no Neg Contact ring on the bottom of the driver you will need to run a wire from the driver to the XR-Can. Carving a notch is nessescary. I have thought of drilling a hole through the side of the can (1/16 bit) so the ground wire can be inside. Since there is no contact ring on the bottom super glue the PCB to the bottom XR-Can lip.

I believe the GD1000 Driver will work for you as long as you plan to use a Li-Ion. A 17650 will work better than a RCR123.

A Madmax will work too but the regulation will not be as constant. It depends on the current supplied by the cell IIRC. As capacity in the cell drops the output will derate, but on a CR123A the runtime with useful light at the end will be hours.

Runtime will be less at 1000ma and output won't be much more than 700ma as the heat builds up and derates the output. 1000ma is good for momentary use but not small EDC lights. My own opinion from experience.

I ordered a GD1000, so I can solder it by reflow on the can. And I have all what I need at work (heater for the can, flux, tin...)

I planned to run it on a single 16340, I don't really care about the runtime, as I always carry spare cells on me.

Regarding the heat, I didn't plan to use the Aleph for constant use on a long period, I have a 6P + R2 drop-in ran on a 19650 for that. BTW, I'll maybe order a McE2s within few weeks, if I find the runtime too short and/or if the light gets too hot.

Thanks for all.

 

[nein166]

WOW...!

Best DIY in text I`ve ever seen....!
AND good advice on "How to"....

The one and only thing I don`t agree with is that HO couldn`t be a good EDC though...
I have a VERY high output for an EDC in my pocket 24/7, I guess it`s a matter of opinion...


Anyway, thanks a bunch for a few clarifications that I needed aswell...:wave:

WOW I Just learned how to multi-quote oo:
Thanks Lumafist its just fun to pass along my experience in this hobby.

And I like to have a good long runtime in case I get stuck in a NYC Subway tunnel for hours without power, so I guess its preference.

Well, I'm not sure I must be reassured by your answers

Thanks for the kind words

I ordered a GD1000, so I can solder it by reflow on the can. And I have all what I need at work (heater for the can, flux, tin...)

I planned to run it on a single 16340, I don't really care about the runtime, as I always carry spare cells on me.

Regarding the heat, I didn't plan to use the Aleph for constant use on a long period, I have a 6P + R2 drop-in ran on a 19650 for that. BTW, I'll maybe order a McE2s within few weeks, if I find the runtime too short and/or if the light gets too hot.

Thanks for all.

Great idea to use the McE2S.
As a reference I have a SSC P4 DB917 and a 60ohm McE2S on low is about ~30lm, HI ~170lm
I carried my A19 for 2 years running a XR-E Flupic.
Now I've been using a Aleph 1 on a McClickie Pak with a SSC GDuP