CANOE Lighting Help

InitialImage

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
41
Greetings,

I'll be paddling in June in the Texas Water Safari which is a 260 mile canoe race. Paddling through the night will take place over several nights.

I'm working on a custom setup specifically for this race which I'll go into more detail later but wanted to get a discussion going for help since I'm not an electrical guy. I can build/make about anything, but I'm an idiot when it comes to electronics.

The platform will use 20mm optics. One for throw that will stay on, and one flood that will be switched so I can turn it on and off as needed from my seat.

I'll add pics when I figure that out.

The electronics, etc were purchased quite awhile ago so I'm not sure what upgrades I might benefit from today. Here is what I want to use and maybe you can advise leds and drivers.

I plan to run off 6 volts, and currently have packs made up that use 12 AA batteries. I'll train using regular AA's but during the race will use the energizer lithium AA's.

One pack needs to last for a whole night of paddling so the spot would stay on all night (medium output) and the flood that is switched needs to be high output. Figure about 2 hours of runtime on high.

Suggestions and help welcomed.

Thanks





 

InitialImage

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
41
One of my goals has been to complete the Safari in a boat that I made, so this is the year to see if that's possible. I've completed the race before but it was 17 years ago. I've thought about purchasing a light, but since I constructed the boat, I also want to build my own light setup.

Thank you very much for your help with this as it's the only major task left other than training for me to complete. My backup is the Maglite conversion, but I'd prefer my current build option. I'll have a bungee chord holding the arm up so that if I hit something it will go backwards and then pop back up.

I should have stated at the beginning of this thread what I know I want to use and then a list of questions for suggestions.

What I do plan on using:
1. 20mm optics- 15 degree to be on most of the time (not overpowering for efficiency) 30 degree to be switched on when more light is needed (very bright-intermittent use)
2. AA batteries-can be any voltage configuration, but I prefer to run both lights off the same pack (one pack per night)
3. I would need to get about 8-9 hours constant burn from the lower powered light and 1-2 hours bright during that 8-9 hours with the second light.

Questions:
1. What driver and led do you recommend for the 15 degree optic?
2. What driver and led do you recommend for the 30 degree optic?
3. What voltage do you recommend I run?
4. Is it possible to get 8-9 hours of burn with what I suggest?
 

DIWdiver

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 27, 2010
Messages
2,725
Location
Connecticut, USA
If you planned for a 10-hour burn, the Energizer Lithium cells should give you about 350 mA for that period, at an average of something like 1.3V, so 0.455 watts or 4.55 W-H per cell. Multiplied by 12 cells, that's a total of about 55 W-H you have to play with. That would give you 5W for 9H for the spot, plus 5W for 2 hours for the flood.

I would suggest a highly efficient configuration would be to run all the cells in series, a buck-type driver, and a Cree XHP35 LED, for both spot and flood.

That LED is characterized at typically 11.3V, 350 mA or just under 4W, but it's max rating is 13W, so you are not straining at it's limits. Given driver efficiency, you are probably looking at 4 to 4.5W at the LED, so this one is perfect. You could use a larger die, like the XHP50, and this would give you slightly more light for a given input power, but would be harder to focus well using the fairly small 20mm optic. On the other hand, 15 degrees isn't super tight, so it might work.

At 4.5W, the XHP35 should give you 500 - 750 lumens depending on which bin you end up with and how cool you keep it. For comparison, a standard incandescent 60W bulb is around 800 lm. But that bulb is nearly omnidirectional. A spot that's 15 degrees either side of the central axis is about 1/60th the area, so the spot should be (with ideal optics) about 60 times brighter. If it's 15 degrees total width (7.5 either side of axis), then it would be 240 times instead of 60.

Taskled makes some drivers that would work. H6CC is kind of overkill (it's capable of 6.7A output!), but it's adjustable. The CC1A is smaller and cheaper, but fixed at 350 mA. The LuxDrive BuckPuck line would be another good choice. They make both fixed and adjustable versions. I think the 3021-D-I-500 would be a good choice for you. It is completely sealed, has attached wires, an onboard trimpot, and 200-550 mA range.

By the way, you're not the first one to ask for flashlight advice for this particular race. Check this thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?384594-Help-building-a-LED-flashlight

There's another, newer one, but I don't have it bookmarked.
 

Crazyeddiethefirst

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
2,005
Location
Southern California
I love kayaking on the ocean, but have not got any experience for the run you are preparing for. My only two cents to contribute is to that as part of a back up plan, to suggest that a headlamp be part of the package. Easy to put on quickly and keeps you hands free for ingress & egress. If you wish to stay with a single size energy source, there are
AA size headlamps available. Good luck!
 
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