Skilhunt H03 Headlamp Mods for Waist Light

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Headlamp Mods for Waist Light

THANKS Lexel.

Ordered lenses and tubes.

JB

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Battery options for the double H03 waist light

So I've got my lights ordered (2 Skilhunt H03 nw) and I've ordered up a couple short tubes and lenses to have to play with per Lexel. If those tubes work out it will save me a bunch of machining (Thanks Lexel). I also have a Nitecore D4 on order (hopefully a genuine model).

My thoughts turn to batteries. I have time to research this separately since each H03 comes with a battery so I'll have two when they arrive.

So remember that I'm powering these two H03s *externally* now so the battery options are limitless. I'm pretty much a battery dumbass so I'm hoping I can mooch off the local knowledge.

Here's the generic question: The specs say these lights will run from 2.7v to 8.4v. This means in my external packs I have the option of parallel 18650s (3.7v option) as well as serial (7.4v option). The battery packs will also be waist mounted with no more than 24" of cable (most likely less). There will be of course less wiring losses at the higher voltage (haven't calculated those) but the serial option comes with it's own (minor) complications ... must have even number of cells, etc.

(As an aside, I plan to make up at least a couple size packs if I like the way the light works (packaging ideas to come). A small set (4 or so cells) for short training runs and a larger set for all night races.)

Are there significant reasons to go 7.4v on the packs since I can?

Thanks
JB

 

[Lexel]

Re: Battery options for the double H03 waist light

The light switches on higher voltage to a buck converter

on a single cell it uses a linear converter on low voltage and switches to buck as soon as it can save current drawn from the battery

I tested the light on Turbo 2 500 lumens mode
single cell it draws 1.25A at 3.3V below that the current and brightness decreases as the light is in linear regulation which gets limited by the LED voltage getting bigger than supply voltage

if the voltage gets higher the current starts to drop as it switches to buck converter

for Turbo 1 the linear voltage is higher

so you got a smart driver and can go for a 7.4V battery pack

I am not sure if the light provides low voltage protection for 2 3.7V batteries so protected batteries are a good option

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Battery options for the double H03 waist light

...so you got a smart driver and can go for a 7.4V battery pack

Thanks Lexel. Would you recommend that I do serial up and go to 7.4v on the packs? Is there some reason within the light that this would be better or is the only difference the small transmission losses in the short cable from battery to light?

I am not sure if the light provides low voltage protection for 2 3.7V batteries so protected batteries are a good option

Yes ... I'm planning on protected batteries in the pack.

Thanks
JB

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Nitecore D4 arrived

Nitecore D4 charger arrived from Zapals.com ($17.99). Quite happy it's genuine.

Thanks to Lexel for making it possible to tell a real from fake.

Looking forward to my H03s arriving.

JB

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Skilhunt H03nw arrived

So my 2 Skilhunt H03nw headlamps arrived today. Purchased from Gearbest on sale. Prompt shipping. No issues and currently they function just as advertised out of the box.

They are currently both equipped with the TIR lens (these are not the R or F versions). Originally I had thought I would want one TIR and one reflector equipped (R version) for my 'twin' waist-light application, but the forum knowledge-base here convinced me that I wouldn't want too much throw because it would be annoyingly bouncy. Thus the two TIR lights are going to be used either as is (with one aimed higher than the other), or the lower aimed light will be 'muled' out with a clear lens (ordered but not arrived).

In simple 'out of the box' headlamp mode I went running with one of the units tonight and also have done some testing in and outside the house. I also taped the two units together in the planned 'offset angle' configuration and toyed with that just in handheld mode on the trail (no waist-belt made yet).

I am playing with the lights in two different battery configurations. an NCR18650GA 3500mah (unprotected) and two Nitecore 650mah RCR123s (also unprotected). I've chosen these two configurations intentionally as a way to compare performance/heat/etc. in the 3.7v and the 7.4v regimes. I will be using an external battery pack, so with the H03 allowing both voltages I want to know if anything jumps out (good or bad) in the comparisons.

Initial impressions:

I'm super glad I didn't order one of the lights in an "R" version. For my purposes the TIR has *plenty* of throw and yet no 'hot spot' in the application I'm using it for. Thanks to the folks here who educated me and made the suggestion that I not go "R". It will be interesting to see what a clear lens will do for the low angle unit, but if I had to live with the two TIRs, I would probably be a pretty happy camper.

The unit with the 2 RCR123s (7.4v config) is *noticeably* brighter than the 3.7 config -- especially in T1, T2 and H1. This surprised me (perhaps it shouldn't have) as I expected the circuitry to adapt to the voltage difference and not just throw the extra power at the LED. Since I'm no EE, I can't say what's happening other than it is a *striking* difference. It's enough of a difference that I'm a tad worried about the heat produced in Turbo 2 mode (it's T2 and H1 that I hope to use long term).

To test my heat concerns, I set the 2 cell unit on T2 and let it run. Every 10 minutes I both picked the unit up and felt the case (I have no IR thermometer) and took a picture to compare brightness. The heat was such that I could handle the unit with no issues, however if I were to grip it *very* tight, right on the cooling fins it would eventually become a bit uncomfortable (though no danger of melting or burning anything touching it). The unit ran for 50 minutes with no discernible drop in brightness (by comparing pictures). At 53 minutes it just shut down totally all at once - no slow dimming at all. I thought perhaps this might be some sort of thermal shutdown, however dropping in a fresh NCR18650GA immediately showed the light to be in perfect working order. Dropping the 2 RCR123s back into my D4 charger showed them to be totally empty. It appears that the H03 unit either has no thermal shutdown in T2 mode, or else heatwise it can run OK (at least for 50 minutes) in T2 at the 2 cell voltage.

The single cell config (3.7v) is not only significantly less bright than the 7.4v, but there isn't a great difference visually between T1 and T2 whereas with the 7.4 you sort of go "Wow" when you click up into T1. The heat produced in T2 is noticeably less (still very warm, but never reaching uncomfortable even when gripping tightly).

From the above (admittedly short term) testing, it appears that the unit handles the higher voltage just fine (as they promised) and that it give me a nice boost in lumens over the 3.7v while not exceeding any safety heat threshold. My current thoughts is that my battery packs will be in the 7.4v config.

More as I learn more.

JB

 

[YahFargo]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

If you power both lights with rcr that's 4 batteries every 50 minutes. If you need the light for say 8 hours that's 32 rcrs! Might need to push a wheelbarrow with all your batteries :thumbsup:

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

If you power both lights with rcr that's 4 batteries every 50 minutes. If you need the light for say 8 hours that's 32 rcrs! Might need to push a wheelbarrow with all your batteries :thumbsup:

Might want to read the thread (or even just look at the pictures).

JB

 

[Lexel]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

He uses an external battery pack with at least 2 18650.
the lights step down from turbo, so he gets about 3 hours from 2 18650 both running at high.

for the down light he wont need a big output

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

He uses an external battery pack with at least 2 18650.
the lights step down from turbo, so he gets about 3 hours from 2 18650 both running at high.

for the down light he wont need a big output

Yep -- my '2 pack' will be for shorter night training runs. I will also have 4 or 6 packs (again 18650) for the longer night races. 4 will almost always work fine as I can pick up a new one along the way, but I have one event that I must run the entire night without resupply and I will need decide whether to carry a spare pack or build a bigger pack. Spare is almost assuredly the better choice (as it provides redundancy).

JB

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to come up with a different way to grab onto the light itself other than the silicone holder provided with the light.

If you route the strap through the silicone holder like it's designed to be done (see below), there is so much stretch/flex in the holder (primarily at the red arrow) that the light bounces like crazy on rough terrain:

Reading on this forum somewhere, someone suggested routing the webbing actually *through* the loops where the light goes. I tried this and what a difference. If I were using these as headlamps for running I would certainly do that as it made the light both more comfortable and totally stable on the head (see below). It was also way more comfortable as those sharp corners (red arrow above) are no longer digging into the forehead.

The problem I see with this arrangement for my waist light is that it's insulates part of the aluminum case and I wonder if it might contribute to heat failures. After all, I have two heat producing heads that will be mounted on only one (shortened) case. Insulating some of that case seems like it could be a bad idea.

Still thinking.

JB

 

[Lexel]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

I am sure you will be fine running one head in High 2

I got a Nitecore P12 which gets a lot hotter than the H03 does on Turbo
I measured 60dC on my P12 head before the temperature stabilizes

the skilhunt keeps a lot cooler and most heat is radiated by the fins on the head

the tube of the light is the thinnest I have seen so far it will not transfer much heat at all

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

I am sure you will be fine running one head in High 2

I suspect that is correct. I haven't yet received my clear lenses so I don't yet know what the 'muled' out downward angled light will look like on the different settings. I'm hoping it can run turned down a bit.

the skilhunt keeps a lot cooler and most heat is radiated by the fins on the head

Good to know. I have nothing to compare it to. Thanks

the tube of the light is the thinnest I have seen so far it will not transfer much heat at all

They also have not arrived, but I won't be using the stock tube but rather the short tube (BLF-A6). Hope it is also thin.

JB

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

I received the short tubes today so I went to work pulling the Skilhunts apart. Even though the tube/head interface was sealed with red Loctite, the combo of a heatgun and a tape covered crescent wrench had them separated in no time.

I have not rearranged the O rings yet (per Lexel's excellent suggestions) and I still haven't received the clear lens, but I did want to see how the dual set fit into the silicone holder in the short tube configuration.

Now working on the best way to hook up external battery packs to the dual light.

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

Pulled the TIR lens out of the H03 to preview what a 'mule' version would look like (still haven't received clear lenses).

Two issues:

1: The LED board is held in place near the rear of the cavity via the TIR lens. The clear lens is of course not going to hold it in place at all so that would have to be solved.

2: The shadow cast by the metal case (in large circle) is far more stark than the softer circle cast by the TIR lens. This crisp edge is going to make bouncing motion *more* noticeable rather than less - counter to my goal.

I'm thinking currently I won't be using my clear lenses.

JB

 

[Lexel]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

I did an emitter swap to eliminate the yellow green tint my light came
now an U3-3D in there and I love it
the star in the light has a DTP which is nice to know, so the LED keeps cooler than on a regular copper star

for a mule I would suggest a copper spacer and spacer around the LED to push the star to the body

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: Skilhunt H03nw arrived

Yeah -- I was trying to figure out how heat transfer would work if I moved the LED forwards.

JB

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

18650 battery pack assistance needed.

(I posted this over in the 'Batteries Included' forum and got zero response to these questions. I'm posting here just in case someone here has the answers - thanks)
____________________________________________

Hi folks, I could use some basic 18650 battery pack / charger assistance. Thanks in advance.

For background, I am no EE (not close) but have a basic working knowledge of simpler electronics, can read a simple diagram and have excellent soldering skills.

I'm going to be building a custom 7.4v pack(s) and using it to simultaneously power 2 Shilhunt H03 lights.

Though not identical (smaller bottle), the packaging of the battery pack will be something like the picture below.

I will be using these belt worn packs / lights for long technical trail runs (ultra-marathons) through the night where there is no chance for resupply and stopping to change out batteries regularly is not an acceptable option for me.

Speed charging is not needed. If the pack charges in 10 - 12 hours I'm happy.

For the purpose of my questions, assume from 6 to 10 cells in 2s config (at least 3,000mah cells)

My questions relate mostly to safety -- I understand the basic 'whats' and whys' of lithium battery safety in a single cell configuration, but I'm not nearly as clear/certain once I start stacking cells into a pack. I see larger packs with BMS circuitry (balancing leads, etc.) and I understand why that is done. I also see smaller packs from lighting companies such as Lupine, Gloworm, etc. where there are no balancing leads (like the pack pictured above).

I don't want unneeded complications, but neither do I want a pack lighting my belt on fire because I was a dumbass during design and construction. So ... I've come to the experts.


Questions:

1: What sort of circuit protection should be included in the pack? I understand where/how to purchase and install a small PCB between the batteries and the port - is this enough?

2: Protected cells? Unprotected cells?

3: If one goes with pack level PCB protection rather than cell level protection, does cell balance become a capacity / safety issue without balancing taps and a BMS?

4: Does the option of pack level vs cell level protection alter the sort of charger recommended?

5: With a relatively small pack like this, will a simple charger such as this one from Magicshine do the trick safely?

Thanks.

JB

 

[Lexel]

Re: 18650 battery pack assistance needed.

I would go with protected cells and a small balance charger like this
http://www.banggood.com/Charsoon-DC...ith-Power-Adapter-p-1081892.html?rmmds=search

 

[ThinAirDesigns]

Re: 18650 battery pack assistance needed.

Thanks for that recommendation Lexel.

JB