tylerdurden
Flashlight Enthusiast
Fantastic! Now I've just got to find some makita batteries. I may go ahead and get the whole drill kit, since my old drill has about had it anyway.
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CreeBar: 12V proto/ idea
- Thread starter McGizmo
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All right! 
:thumbsup:
Tyler, I have a number of the LXT tools now and they have the butt to get the job done! You won't be disappointed. I mentioned to Wayne that the one tool I wish Makita would make would be an equivalent to the Bosch Jig Saw which I really like but cordless would be that much better. Wayne alerted me to the fact that a jig saw as introduced in the line and I picked one up. It has all the features of the Bosch and even uses the same blades which was what cinched the purchase for me. I have a bunch of the batteries now and couldn't be happier. I just need to build some more lights of various intended use and configurations.
:thumbsup:Tyler, I have a number of the LXT tools now and they have the butt to get the job done! You won't be disappointed. I mentioned to Wayne that the one tool I wish Makita would make would be an equivalent to the Bosch Jig Saw which I really like but cordless would be that much better. Wayne alerted me to the fact that a jig saw as introduced in the line and I picked one up. It has all the features of the Bosch and even uses the same blades which was what cinched the purchase for me. I have a bunch of the batteries now and couldn't be happier. I just need to build some more lights of various intended use and configurations.
Hi guys,
I wanted to update this thread with yet another CreeBar/ Makita light. I think the Makita Docks that Wayne had made are just too cool not to play with. I am still holding off until I have access to some additional drivers before I really go crazy but there was one idea and test light I wanted to get done. This light consists of 5 ea. Nichia 083 LED's which are really special in their own right but that will be a subject of another thread down the road a bit. These LED's are not up to par in terms of flux and they are only 1 watt LED's. I tested this particular string ( 5 in series) for Vf and found that it is quite well suited for the linear driver I used.
The driver is a LED-TECH.DE LT-1151 which is a linear 350 mA constant current driver. The Vf of the string of Nichias at 350 mA is 18.4 volts so I suspect that once the battery settles in after charging that the driver may be idling away and not really doing anything. At 18 volts (Vin), the If of the string is 325 mA. The driver will dissipate the initial excess voltage and insure that the LED's are never driven beyond spec. The current to the LED's on this particular LED was measured at 375 mA and with a bench supply set at 22 volts (presumed max off the charger) the driver pulled 390 mA from the bench supply while providing 375 mA to the LED's. Unfortunately I did not measure the Vf of the string at 375 mA but would guess it to be near 19 volts. Worse case, it looks like 8 watts of power in are providing 7 watts to the LED's. This would put the driver at 88% efficient and it just gets better as the battery drops down to its 18V rating.
Well enough on the driver but it seems that there are some applications with matching Vf and Vin where these linear drivers can provide viable solutions.
The CreeBar is overkill for this light and it barely exceeds ambient temperature to the touch. The LED's should have great lumen maintenance here.
In the photo above, you can see the LT driver clamped to the bulkhead using two #4 screws (only one screw visible amidships).
In the photo below, I have left out the frosted window and you can see the LED's sticking through the crude MCPET reflector I made. The LED's are mounted on .750" MCPCB's which are clamped to the CreeBar bulkhead with #4 screws.
This light probably puts out around 200 lumens of a very clean flood. More on the quality of the flood later.......
I wanted to update this thread with yet another CreeBar/ Makita light. I think the Makita Docks that Wayne had made are just too cool not to play with. I am still holding off until I have access to some additional drivers before I really go crazy but there was one idea and test light I wanted to get done. This light consists of 5 ea. Nichia 083 LED's which are really special in their own right but that will be a subject of another thread down the road a bit. These LED's are not up to par in terms of flux and they are only 1 watt LED's. I tested this particular string ( 5 in series) for Vf and found that it is quite well suited for the linear driver I used.
The driver is a LED-TECH.DE LT-1151 which is a linear 350 mA constant current driver. The Vf of the string of Nichias at 350 mA is 18.4 volts so I suspect that once the battery settles in after charging that the driver may be idling away and not really doing anything. At 18 volts (Vin), the If of the string is 325 mA. The driver will dissipate the initial excess voltage and insure that the LED's are never driven beyond spec. The current to the LED's on this particular LED was measured at 375 mA and with a bench supply set at 22 volts (presumed max off the charger) the driver pulled 390 mA from the bench supply while providing 375 mA to the LED's. Unfortunately I did not measure the Vf of the string at 375 mA but would guess it to be near 19 volts. Worse case, it looks like 8 watts of power in are providing 7 watts to the LED's. This would put the driver at 88% efficient and it just gets better as the battery drops down to its 18V rating.
Well enough on the driver but it seems that there are some applications with matching Vf and Vin where these linear drivers can provide viable solutions.
The CreeBar is overkill for this light and it barely exceeds ambient temperature to the touch. The LED's should have great lumen maintenance here.
In the photo above, you can see the LT driver clamped to the bulkhead using two #4 screws (only one screw visible amidships).
In the photo below, I have left out the frosted window and you can see the LED's sticking through the crude MCPET reflector I made. The LED's are mounted on .750" MCPCB's which are clamped to the CreeBar bulkhead with #4 screws.
This light probably puts out around 200 lumens of a very clean flood. More on the quality of the flood later.......
Jurphaas
Newly Enlightened
Woooow! Don I wanna be your neighbour, come over to your workshop all the time and learn from you!
Oh, don't worry I'll feed the birds too.....
Put the key under the mat...
See Ya!
Great stuff!
Jurphaas
Oh, don't worry I'll feed the birds too.....
Put the key under the mat...
See Ya!
Great stuff!
Jurphaas
kenster
Flashlight Enthusiast
Don, the LED Tech linear driver worked out great with the Nichia string because of the voltage match LED`s/Makita so the driver is cruisin and not making tons of heat which is a waste battery juice as well. Hmmm :thinking: .... Plenty of flood light with 5 Nichia at 350ma, good runtime and stays cool enough to handle so..... I need a Makita adapter and another CreeBar. :twothumbs Is that a Tripod attachment? oo: If so, where??? 
PLEASE? 
oo: If so, where??? PLEASE? Kenster,
Yes, the LT driver seems to be fine with the Makita Battery and 5 LED's in series. I wouldn't be surprised if the Makita battery doesn't consist of 5 ea. 18650's or something similar in series. I figure one LED per battery and the closer the Vf of the LED is to the 3.6 V of the battery, the better for the linear driver.
With these Nichia's the CreeBar is certainly overkill! However, when I get some more P7's I am going to do a similar rig for fun with 5 of them and a LED-TECH 2800 mA driver. In that build, I figure heat will be a real noticeable situation and it will be interesting to see just how hot the light gets and if the MCPCB based driver is up to the task.
The CreeBar has three 1/4"x20 tapped holes and I just mounted a small pocket tripod in the one that is closest to the CG of the Makita/CreeBar. I love the Makita Dock and the CreeBar is a handy foundation for some quick builds and experiments. There is a "T"slot in the CreeBar that I have yet to use but now with the aluminum end plates on the CreeBar, I think I can come up with some sliders for the T slot and play with some different means of mounting and hanging the CreeBar. I want to fabricate a hanging bale/handle for this one here and I will use the T slots for attachment points.
I also want to do a high power lantern using the Makita dock but I want to wait until there are more driver options available.
Yes, the LT driver seems to be fine with the Makita Battery and 5 LED's in series. I wouldn't be surprised if the Makita battery doesn't consist of 5 ea. 18650's or something similar in series. I figure one LED per battery and the closer the Vf of the LED is to the 3.6 V of the battery, the better for the linear driver.
With these Nichia's the CreeBar is certainly overkill! However, when I get some more P7's I am going to do a similar rig for fun with 5 of them and a LED-TECH 2800 mA driver. In that build, I figure heat will be a real noticeable situation and it will be interesting to see just how hot the light gets and if the MCPCB based driver is up to the task.
The CreeBar has three 1/4"x20 tapped holes and I just mounted a small pocket tripod in the one that is closest to the CG of the Makita/CreeBar. I love the Makita Dock and the CreeBar is a handy foundation for some quick builds and experiments. There is a "T"slot in the CreeBar that I have yet to use but now with the aluminum end plates on the CreeBar, I think I can come up with some sliders for the T slot and play with some different means of mounting and hanging the CreeBar. I want to fabricate a hanging bale/handle for this one here and I will use the T slots for attachment points.
I also want to do a high power lantern using the Makita dock but I want to wait until there are more driver options available.
kenster
Flashlight Enthusiast
Don, the above opens up a whole bunch of threads worth of blah, BLAH, BLAH! :hairpull: So, in short like me
and IIRC .....Makita Battery Pack:
> 18650 Cells - Yes
> So called "Safe Chemistry" - Nickel/Manganese - 3.6volt nominal
> Brand of Cell????? Not sure???? Emoli - Sony "V" - Konion
I could be WRONG on all the above!
But I am not! Oh, I LOVE the CreeBar! :thumbsup: So........
> P7 I will be trying as well
> Driver choices are growing fast. Why? LED`s are now IN!
And from here on will just be getting BETTER! As well as emitters like the P7 making a larger variety of drivers neccesary. Folks, hang it or tripod it or make a desk lamp. Just CreeBar it because with your imagination to guide you, what you come up with will :rock:
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Kenster,
Yes, the LT driver seems to be fine with the Makita Battery and 5 LED's in series. I wouldn't be surprised if the Makita battery doesn't consist of 5 ea. 18650's or something similar in series. I figure one LED per battery and the closer the Vf of the LED is to the 3.6 V of the battery, the better for the linear driver.
With these Nichia's the CreeBar is certainly overkill! However, when I get some more P7's I am going to do a similar rig for fun with 5 of them and a LED-TECH 2800 mA driver. In that build, I figure heat will be a real noticeable situation and it will be interesting to see just how hot the light gets and if the MCPCB based driver is up to the task.
The CreeBar has three 1/4"x20 tapped holes and I just mounted a small pocket tripod in the one that is closest to the CG of the Makita/CreeBar. I love the Makita Dock and the CreeBar is a handy foundation for some quick builds and experiments. There is a "T"slot in the CreeBar that I have yet to use but now with the aluminum end plates on the CreeBar, I think I can come up with some sliders for the T slot and play with some different means of mounting and hanging the CreeBar. I want to fabricate a hanging bale/handle for this one here and I will use the T slots for attachment points.
I also want to do a high power lantern using the Makita dock but I want to wait until there are more driver options available.
Got any more information on the driver. Is there adjustment control or other inputs. If so, you might be able to hook up a thermister or temperature dependant device to throttle back the power if it gets to hot.
Then the 5 P7 would run full blast for a while at least and then lower the output when it got hot. I took a quick glance at the driver web page and I didn't find much info.
Matching the LED combination to the battery voltage is the highest efficient level driver and more simplier than any buck/boost converter you can get.
Wayne
Wayne,
The only information I have on the driver is that which is on the site and I don't pretend to even understand that. This is your area of expertise!! I think these drivers are pretty bare bones and certainly being one speed is a consideration and short coming; especially for high power and high flux builds. In the case of the Nichia example, I don't feel it is so bright as to necessitate a volume control but it still could benefit from one. It looks like there is a sense resistor on the board and perhaps this could be replaced somehow with a circuit that provided a variable resistance?!? To my untrained eye, the difference between the 350 mA and 2800 mA driver is one component which I believe is a beefy resistor?!?
On a different but somewhat related front, I have a Vespa scooter that now has LED's everywhere but in the headlamp. I bought a spare headlamp assembly (expensive) and hope to eventually come up with a LED array to replace the halogen lamp and reflector presently there. I think I can use 4 LED's in series if I get the right VF's to match up with one of the linear drivers and a presumed 13.6 Vin. What I appreciate about these drivers even though they have a very narrow band of efficiency is the fact or what I believe to be fact, that they can be managed thermally due to their MCPCB nature and as long as I mount the board to some additional sinking I won't have to be concerned about the health of the board or driver, itself.
If I have 4 of the P7's with Vf of 3.4 for instance that would be a string Vf of 13.6 which is right on target. With the scooter, I am not concerned about dimming and a highbeam would ideally involve some additional LED's with their own beam pattern in addition to the normal beam.
Enough digression........
Back to the CreeBar. It is a big heavy hunk of aluminum but it may serve well as the backbone and foundation for some LED lights using high power clusters. If need be, one could fasten additional sheets or "wings" of aluminum to increase surface area for heat dissipation.
The only information I have on the driver is that which is on the site and I don't pretend to even understand that. This is your area of expertise!! I think these drivers are pretty bare bones and certainly being one speed is a consideration and short coming; especially for high power and high flux builds. In the case of the Nichia example, I don't feel it is so bright as to necessitate a volume control but it still could benefit from one. It looks like there is a sense resistor on the board and perhaps this could be replaced somehow with a circuit that provided a variable resistance?!? To my untrained eye, the difference between the 350 mA and 2800 mA driver is one component which I believe is a beefy resistor?!?
On a different but somewhat related front, I have a Vespa scooter that now has LED's everywhere but in the headlamp. I bought a spare headlamp assembly (expensive) and hope to eventually come up with a LED array to replace the halogen lamp and reflector presently there. I think I can use 4 LED's in series if I get the right VF's to match up with one of the linear drivers and a presumed 13.6 Vin. What I appreciate about these drivers even though they have a very narrow band of efficiency is the fact or what I believe to be fact, that they can be managed thermally due to their MCPCB nature and as long as I mount the board to some additional sinking I won't have to be concerned about the health of the board or driver, itself.
If I have 4 of the P7's with Vf of 3.4 for instance that would be a string Vf of 13.6 which is right on target. With the scooter, I am not concerned about dimming and a highbeam would ideally involve some additional LED's with their own beam pattern in addition to the normal beam.
Enough digression........
Back to the CreeBar. It is a big heavy hunk of aluminum but it may serve well as the backbone and foundation for some LED lights using high power clusters. If need be, one could fasten additional sheets or "wings" of aluminum to increase surface area for heat dissipation.
All right!
Tyler, I have a number of the LXT tools now and they have the butt to get the job done! You won't be disappointed. I mentioned to Wayne that the one tool I wish Makita would make would be an equivalent to the Bosch Jig Saw which I really like but cordless would be that much better. Wayne alerted me to the fact that a jig saw as introduced in the line and I picked one up. It has all the features of the Bosch and even uses the same blades which was what cinched the purchase for me. I have a bunch of the batteries now and couldn't be happier. I just need to build some more lights of various intended use and configurations.
I love my LXT tools. I picked up a pair of the compact batteries as well, just to lighten the load every once in a while. I also wish they made a bosch equivalent jig-saw for this series, the one they have is nice but not quite as nice as my 1590EVSK.
I am very interested in picking up a creebar with makita dock but I think I might wait until there is a dimmable P7 package.
