Spike Light - V3
- Thread starter ahorton
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ahorton
Enlightened
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- Jul 22, 2008
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Indeed... and it's very close now.
I'm just sorting out some legal stuff but that's almost done. I decided to register the design.
I'm just sorting out some legal stuff but that's almost done. I decided to register the design.
Led Grow Lights
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- Jan 24, 2012
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- 2
Really That's just plain teasing guys.
ahorton
Enlightened
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- Jul 22, 2008
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- 715
I'd like to introduce my little friend. The V3.
My new lens! Part aspheric for throw and frosted elsewhere for a smooth flood.
Remove the 4x7075 aluminium screwsand the coverplate comes off.
Lift the lens out to service the 2.62mm o-ring or access the programming header.
Big switch. Very strong (7075 aluminium). Nice solid press. Non-mechanical (very hard to break).
No moving parts penetrate the sealed body so there's no gaskets or rubber boots to fail.
Also note the low profile and low weight which makes it very stable on the head.
Nice wide elastic for comfort and stability.
The battery pack at the back.
Focus on the 18650 holder. Uses one or two cells in parallel.
Big fat (3.53mm) o-ring makes an excellent waterproof seal every time.
All wires are embedded inside the plastic.
Focus on the battery case.
Very simple and reliable Velcro strap to keep the piston-like cell holder in place.
The velcro should be good for a few thousand actuations, but can easily be replaced.
No breakable clips or hinges. Nothing to fall off. No fiddly screws or latches.
Case mounts to bracket with 4 screws. Can mount to other things too!
Note the back of the bracket. Smoothly contoured to fit the head.
I really like the red. I've also got sky blue, deep purple and black. Only the aluminium parts are coloured. The plastic parts are all black.
Total mass for this little guy is 187g without 18650 cells (282g with the cells). Comfort is a whole new level compared to my previous offerings.
My new lens! Part aspheric for throw and frosted elsewhere for a smooth flood.
Remove the 4x7075 aluminium screwsand the coverplate comes off.
Lift the lens out to service the 2.62mm o-ring or access the programming header.
Big switch. Very strong (7075 aluminium). Nice solid press. Non-mechanical (very hard to break).
No moving parts penetrate the sealed body so there's no gaskets or rubber boots to fail.
Also note the low profile and low weight which makes it very stable on the head.
Nice wide elastic for comfort and stability.
The battery pack at the back.
Focus on the 18650 holder. Uses one or two cells in parallel.
Big fat (3.53mm) o-ring makes an excellent waterproof seal every time.
All wires are embedded inside the plastic.
Focus on the battery case.
Very simple and reliable Velcro strap to keep the piston-like cell holder in place.
The velcro should be good for a few thousand actuations, but can easily be replaced.
No breakable clips or hinges. Nothing to fall off. No fiddly screws or latches.
Case mounts to bracket with 4 screws. Can mount to other things too!
Note the back of the bracket. Smoothly contoured to fit the head.
I really like the red. I've also got sky blue, deep purple and black. Only the aluminium parts are coloured. The plastic parts are all black.
Total mass for this little guy is 187g without 18650 cells (282g with the cells). Comfort is a whole new level compared to my previous offerings.
Last edited:
ahorton
Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2008
- Messages
- 715
I'd like to introduce my little friend. The V3.
My new lens! Part aspheric for throw and frosted elsewhere for a smooth flood.
Remove the 4x7075 aluminium screwsand the coverplate comes off.
Lift the lens out to service the 2.62mm o-ring or access the programming header.
Big switch. Very strong (7075 aluminium). Nice solid press. Non-mechanical (very hard to break).
No moving parts penetrate the sealed body so there's no gaskets or rubber boots to fail.
Also note the low profile and low weight which makes it very stable on the head.
Nice wide elastic for comfort and stability.
The battery pack at the back.
Focus on the 18650 holder. Uses one or two cells in parallel.
Big fat (3.53mm) o-ring makes an excellent waterproof seal every time.
All wires are embedded inside the plastic.
Focus on the battery case.
Very simple and reliable Velcro strap to keep the piston-like cell holder in place.
The velcro should be good for a few thousand actuations, but can easily be replaced.
No breakable clips or hinges. Nothing to fall off. No fiddly screws or latches.
Case mounts to bracket with 4 screws. Can mount to other things too!
Note the back of the bracket. Smoothly contoured to fit the head.
I really like the red. I've also got sky blue, deep purple and black. Only the aluminium parts are coloured. The plastic parts are all black.
Total mass for this little guy is 187g without 18650 cells (282g with the cells).
My new lens! Part aspheric for throw and frosted elsewhere for a smooth flood.
Remove the 4x7075 aluminium screwsand the coverplate comes off.
Lift the lens out to service the 2.62mm o-ring or access the programming header.
Big switch. Very strong (7075 aluminium). Nice solid press. Non-mechanical (very hard to break).
No moving parts penetrate the sealed body so there's no gaskets or rubber boots to fail.
Also note the low profile and low weight which makes it very stable on the head.
Nice wide elastic for comfort and stability.
The battery pack at the back.
Focus on the 18650 holder. Uses one or two cells in parallel.
Big fat (3.53mm) o-ring makes an excellent waterproof seal every time.
All wires are embedded inside the plastic.
Focus on the battery case.
Very simple and reliable Velcro strap to keep the piston-like cell holder in place.
The velcro should be good for a few thousand actuations, but can easily be replaced.
No breakable clips or hinges. Nothing to fall off. No fiddly screws or latches.
Case mounts to bracket with 4 screws. Can mount to other things too!
Note the back of the bracket. Smoothly contoured to fit the head.
I really like the red. I've also got sky blue, deep purple and black. Only the aluminium parts are coloured. The plastic parts are all black.
Total mass for this little guy is 187g without 18650 cells (282g with the cells).
Last edited:
trout
Enlightened
That looks a little beauty Ash
and you said I would not want one well you are wrong
I want one very much
and you said I would not want one well you are wrong
I want one very much
analogguy
Enlightened
Ash-
In for a red as well.
In for a red as well.
How do I buy one?
Me too, how to buy one
maddog
Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2004
- Messages
- 200
all i can say is WOW!!! the wait was well worth it. Great Job!
ahorton
Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2008
- Messages
- 715
I'm glad you all like it.
I'm slowly making a batch up at the moment (rather than one at a time). As I do I'll post some more useful info and get the sales thread organised.
The price will be $300 including shipping but without 18650 cells or chargers.
I'm slowly making a batch up at the moment (rather than one at a time). As I do I'll post some more useful info and get the sales thread organised.
The price will be $300 including shipping but without 18650 cells or chargers.
ahorton
Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2008
- Messages
- 715
Not very well.
You'd need a spacer to make up the extra 35mm of length.
If you used two in series, you'd want them to have a total voltage under 5,5V, so you couldn't really use fresh ones.
You'd need a spacer to make up the extra 35mm of length.
If you used two in series, you'd want them to have a total voltage under 5,5V, so you couldn't really use fresh ones.
Thank you. I always have primaries as backups during extended trips, so it's good to know that it is possible to make it work with primaries, even if slight modification and caution is needed. Better yet, maybe it would be worthy to invest in a solar charger if they could be made to charge 18650 cells.
But anyway, I just read all of your previous build-threads. I admire your work, and thank you for making the V3 available!! I am really excited about the V3. It is exactly, in my mind, how a headlamp should be built. I love the aesthetics, and the neutral flood with white spot. It seems like a perfect all-around headlamp, which is so lacking by mainstream markets.
I eagerly await the sales thread. Count me in!
But anyway, I just read all of your previous build-threads. I admire your work, and thank you for making the V3 available!! I am really excited about the V3. It is exactly, in my mind, how a headlamp should be built. I love the aesthetics, and the neutral flood with white spot. It seems like a perfect all-around headlamp, which is so lacking by mainstream markets.
I eagerly await the sales thread. Count me in!
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REALLY nice job there Ash! I like the battery case a lot too; simple and elegant. It looks like a great backpacking/running light. Is that a custom glass lens?
You mentioned that it is purpose driven. What task did you have in mind?
You mentioned that it is purpose driven. What task did you have in mind?
Th232
Flashlight Enthusiast
You've mentioned accessing the programming header. What kind of support will we get if we want to reprogram it ourselves? I'm happy with just a pin-out of which I/O pins control what, although I suppose others might want some code as well.
ahorton
Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2008
- Messages
- 715
Yeah it's a very custom lens. It gave my manufacturer all sorts of headaches. The first mould was a failure. The lens kept breaking when being removed so a whole new mould was needed. Of course it was all worth the effort. I have them in frosted and plain. The plain gives a slightly brighter and narrower beam, but it comes with the usual artifacts. I much prefer the broader, smoother beam without artifacts.
The plan is to give heaps of support for making your own user-interfaces, but it won't come for a while. Right now my priority is to assemble them.
To start with, they'll come with one of three UIs (Simple, Competition and Competition+extras) and I'm happy to give out the software for each if people waht to try them out.
These three are all closed source. I'm very busy at the moment with work and family, so I promised a royalty to a friend if he would put together the UIs. So I can't give away the source for those. Further down the track I want to offer up some open source versions either that I or someone else has written. Once I have a few open source codes, it should be very easy for people to adapt them to their own likings.
The thing to note, is that it's very easy to make something that 'works', but a lot more involved to make something that's really good. That's why I got my friend to make an excellent one to get me started. It cost him a few weekends so he deserves the royalty. He spent hours agonising over little things like the battery indicator, low power modes, reliable switching, alternate pulsing (in the two flood LEDs) etc.
The plan is to give heaps of support for making your own user-interfaces, but it won't come for a while. Right now my priority is to assemble them.
To start with, they'll come with one of three UIs (Simple, Competition and Competition+extras) and I'm happy to give out the software for each if people waht to try them out.
These three are all closed source. I'm very busy at the moment with work and family, so I promised a royalty to a friend if he would put together the UIs. So I can't give away the source for those. Further down the track I want to offer up some open source versions either that I or someone else has written. Once I have a few open source codes, it should be very easy for people to adapt them to their own likings.
The thing to note, is that it's very easy to make something that 'works', but a lot more involved to make something that's really good. That's why I got my friend to make an excellent one to get me started. It cost him a few weekends so he deserves the royalty. He spent hours agonising over little things like the battery indicator, low power modes, reliable switching, alternate pulsing (in the two flood LEDs) etc.
Th232
Flashlight Enthusiast
No worries. Not sure what micro you're using, but if it's an AVR I've had some experience programming them, so I wouldn't mind a shot at writing my own code.
