# Just started a dental flashlight project



## constantine_a_f (Apr 12, 2011)

After reading several threads

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?234910-Headlamp-for-dental-student
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?91130-Any-decent-headlamps-for-DENTAL-use
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?147982-Dental-headlamp

I decided to give it a try and manufacture my own dental headlamp. I made a rough sketch using acad of what parts I plan on using/manufacturing.

I will use a Rebel White or Warm White LED mounted on a pcb star, 8 degree angle carclo optics and an 1 inch aluminum tube body + possibly a 19mm round X 20 mm high heatsink (the parallel lines, you will see as soon as I upload the drawing). Do you believe I might need a heatsink that big, or I could use something more compact. I was aiming at a 70-80 sqmm aluminium 6060 surface (12sqin). I will power the led with 8 AA NiMH batteries through a 700mA constant current regulator, connected with a dimmer. I am a dental student so please excuse any mistakes I make with the electronics or acad. I will post the acad sketch as soon as I am allowed by the forum administrator.


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## hellokitty[hk] (Apr 12, 2011)

I would use a high CRI XP-G.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 12, 2011)

Why would you use a XP-G? Could you please inform about the benefits? Thanks

You can download the sketch from here

http://www.2shared.com/document/H_zM2kxT/Drawing1-Model.html


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## MikeAusC (Apr 12, 2011)

Unlike others here, who have received extensive help and advice with building specialised lamps, you will hopefully give feedback on your final result, rather than just disappearing.

If you promise to give someone a sample of your lamp in return for providing detailed help, you will hopefully do so.


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## Harold_B (Apr 12, 2011)

Is this for personal use or are looking to market the design as a product? Design parameters would be very different for the two I would think.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 12, 2011)

I am a dental student at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. I do plan on using the lamp for my clinical and lab work. I will also make it sure is relatively water safe so that I can use surface dissinfectors. I wanted to use a Rebel because the angle when it is combined with a Carclo lens is 8-9 degrees. I will post images of the whole project online (I hope I will be able to post shots by then, or else I will use 2shared.com). As I live in Greece and I will buy the parts from US it will take some initial time to start posting pictures but I will do so. I also plan on giving detailed feedback (with beamshots and reports on the led efficiency and usability) from time to time. I cannot give someone my lamp as I am on tight budget and cannot make 2 of them (though I will buy twice some of the parts). If I make more of them I plan to sent them to anyone who asks for them (classmates, forum members) for the parts cost (around 70 USD). I will use a CNC lathe to make the aluminum body out of a 1" al.6060 or 6061 tube with 2mm thick wall. Could you please share your ideas with me and I will not dissapear. I would also like to say that providing me detailed help could make this project easier for me, but I will make it happen easy or not, with help or not, because it is something I need for my job. 

Thanks for all the replies. I will be checking the thread many times daily, answering questions and reading all the valuable info you send me,

Constantine


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## Harold_B (Apr 12, 2011)

Sounds like a great project Constantine. I have been involved with the design of a few dental/medical illuminators and each has its own requirements. The suggestion to use a high CRI LED is a good one no matter which one you choose. Judging the health of tissue under LED lighting is difficult if the CRI is low. You have stated the Carlco Lens is 8 - 9 degrees. Is that half angle or full and is that at half max? What color temperature are you looking for? The color separation on the Rebel is excellent and would work well with a TIR optic but there might be other choices for higher CRI.

Let me know the part number of the Carlco optic you are looking at using. I might have it in the component library within my software and would be able to run a quick simulation with a Rebel in a day or two (if you are interested).

Harold


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## hellokitty[hk] (Apr 12, 2011)

I'd think that the high CRI would be beneficial, that way things won't look washed out blue. Also a warmish tint too.
Also, AFAIK, XP-G's are going to be in a smaller package with higher efficiency than a rebel. Illumination supply has high CRI XP-G's available for $7.00.
XR-E's have a bit of a tighter beam pattern and come in warm, but not high CRI's.

I'd love to hear results (preferably with a pictorial review/build log) if possible .


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## ledpwr (Apr 12, 2011)

Have you looked at the lxm3-pw51 rebel LED? It has a relatively high CRI of 85 and has a very nice neutral white tint of 4000k, it will work with the optic to produce an 8 degree beam and can be used on the same pcb board, its only slight downside is it is slightly less efficiant than the best current LED but you will still get over 180 lumens at 1 amp drive current.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 12, 2011)

First of all I want to thank you all for the support. As I try to keep the budget down and the quality up, I will buy all the parts from one place (shipping is around 10 USD for every time I don't combine). I want a close to daylight cool white 6500K led. The reason I chose this one is because I currently work with this temperature and I find it very good as a mean of distinguishing pathological conditions. I will not do any color matching for restorative procedures under any type of artificial illumination. I use broad daylight for that (sometimes I even call my patients twice or three times in one day for that). I came down to this list from this shop because I find their drivers small, neat and uncomplicated. I think that 120-200 lumens is very high but again the standard of care is that I protect the patients eyes with protective glasses and I don't plan on powering the led that high. This is the list of the parts:

http://www.luxeonstar.com/Cool-White-6500K-20mm-Star-Rebel-220-lm-p/mr-wc120-20s.htm?CartID=1
http://www.luxeonstar.com/Carclo-8-7-Deg-20mm-Lens-No-Holder-p/10193.htm?CartID=2
http://www.luxeonstar.com/Harness-for-E-or-I-Drivers-6-Wire-With-Pot-p/3021hep.htm?CartID=3
http://www.luxeonstar.com/19mm-Square-Alpha-Heat-Sink-p/lpd19-20b.htm?CartID=5
http://www.luxeonstar.com/Pre-Cut-Thermal-Tape-for-20mm-hex-Bases-12-p/lxt-s-12.htm?CartID=4
http://www.luxeonstar.com/Carclo-20mm-Round-Lens-Holder-Black-p/10235.htm?CartID=9
http://www.luxeonstar.com/700mA-Ext-Dimmable-BuckPuck-Driver-PCB-Mount-p/3021-d-e-700.htm?CartID=10

I calculated that I need a heat sink with around 20 C/W thermal resistance if I power the led at 700 mA (which is not the target as I said before). I am thinking of either incorporating a heat sink as the above or actually mounting a solid copper base at the end of the tubing. Harold, I would greatly appreciate if you run the simulation. Again thank you all.

PS I will post pictures in a DIY build log way. If you have some counter suggestions about the shop, led, driver,etc they are all welcome


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## srfreddy (Apr 12, 2011)

6500k will wash all the colors out. You want a high CRI light.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 12, 2011)

srfreddy said:


> 6500k will wash all the colors out. You want a high CRI light.



http://www.heine.com/eng_US/PRODUCT...ights/Binocular-Loupes/HEINE-LED-LoupeLight-R

this is the current market leader at least here in Greece (6250 K)

and some others

http://store.orascoptic.com/apollo-light-cable-p159.aspx

http://www.designsforvision.com/DentHtml/D-LEDDay.htm

(5500-6000K)

I thought that temperature describes the color appearance of the light source and the light emitted from it while color rendering describes how well the light renders colors in various objects. I understand they are connected but the rebel light has a cri of over 70 (I thing it is good, not excellent but good).

Again I will not use it for color matching but rather for illumination of the surgical field.


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## MikeAusC (Apr 12, 2011)

Constantine, have you considered a Heatpipe - you may be the first to use this technology for a Dental Lamp !

It seems the ideal solution where you need to keep the heatsink both light and small, yet the metal parts need to be kept cool enough to avoid injury. A hollow copper tube can provide the conductivity of solid copper with many times the weight of a heatpipe.

You want to keep the lighthead small, but that makes it poor as a heat dissipator. You can bend heat pipes easily, as they are annealed copper, but the minimum radius is limited. 

I'm suggesting using the Heatpipe itself as the main heatsink because of your low power - conventionally the Heatpipe takes the power to a bigger heatsink with minimal temperature drop. You could run the tube along the harness, or you could form it into a circle near the Lamp.

You must select a Heatpipe that has a braided wick inside, as this is the only type that will work well at any angle.

Heatpipes are available from RS Components or Element14 (Farnell).

I'm currently building a 25 watt Headlamp that uses a Heatpipe to provide lightweight fanless cooling.


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## MikeAusC (Apr 12, 2011)

srfreddy said:


> 6500k will wash all the colors out. You want a high CRI light.


 
Colour Temp and CRI are separate measures.

6500 is sunlight and no-one complains that sunlight has a low CRI.

LEDs don't have the smooth spectral response of sunlight and generally the cooler LEDs have a worse spectrum, so people associate a high CT with poor CRI.

High-CRI LEDs generally have a mid-range CT


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 12, 2011)

Mike I did consider heat pipe as a way to cool the led, but I didn't find anything small enough. From what I understand you cannot overbend or cut a heat pipe. I cannot fit the minimum 100mm long heatpipe anywhere, nor can I bend it so much. If you have a solution for that I will give it a try. The design I posted above has enough heatsinking abilities even without a heatsink, just with the aluminum body (not that it would be cold or something).


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## hellokitty[hk] (Apr 12, 2011)

Here are some beamshots of a high CRI vs cool white.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...romised-RA-Clicky-Beamshots-High-Cri-and-170T
I would chose ≈5400Kish high CRI, but if you think cool tints will do well...


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 13, 2011)

hellokitty[hk] said:


> Here are some beamshots of a high CRI vs cool white.
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...romised-RA-Clicky-Beamshots-High-Cri-and-170T
> I would chose ≈5400Kish high CRI, but if you think cool tints will do well...


 

I will as I said buy two leds, in order to have some error margin. I will buy one 70 CRI 6500 K and one 85 CRI 4200 K. I will post some intraoral photographs as soon as I assemble the leds (before soldering). Hopefully I will not damage one of them, so that we can compare.

Meanwhile,I just received this email

Dear Constantine,
Thank you for your email. 
We have more heat pipes that are not displayed on our website.

Pls let us know your detailed requirements,then our engineers can study and give some advice.

We can make 2pcs samples for you.We will ask for the sample free based on your requirements.


Best Regards,
Cary Kang 

I will probably make the hole thing out of a heat pipe. 

I will post the new draft as soon as I have time to draw it at acad.


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## MikeAusC (Apr 13, 2011)

I would just run the Heatpipe horizontally, across the top of the lens frames, with the LED housing clamped on at the centre.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 13, 2011)

Another draft incorporating a heat pipe

http://www.2shared.com/document/SrAP31ND/drawing.html


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## Harold_B (Apr 14, 2011)

I have a study complete Constantine. Please send me an email with an email address where you'd like me to send the pdf.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 15, 2011)

Over the last days I communicated with several companies capable of making a heat pipe on demand. Two of them told me that it is impossible to make it that slim and light and one said that it could do it for 700usd but thought the heat pipe wouldn't work very well as a heat dissipater. Therefore I am back to my aluminum tube+heat sink design which was meticulously tested by forum member Harold B and worked fine. I ordered the parts mentioned above with only one difference. I got a 6500 K and a 4100 K rebel. I expect them in 6-10 days (probably 10 because of the orthodox easter vacation, here in Greece). I will know how to solder by then and I will also find the aluminum tube or rod (I have not yet decided whether to make it out of a rod or a pipe/tube). 

Thank you all for supporting my project.


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## kosPap (Apr 15, 2011)

why don;t you combine both?

make the light out of a cylindrical auminum section then take a CPU heatsink, drill a hole the size of the cilidrical section and the mill the heatsink round around this...in effect you will make a cooling sleeve..it will not be the same but press fitted and tehrmally epoxy bonder will offer considerable gain....

now in Greek....
kane ena kylidriko maniki apo mia psiktra epe3ergasti


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 15, 2011)

I found this

http://www.allerc.com/hyperion-20-mm-heatsink-p-1887.html 
Do you think it is possible to use the carclo lens without a holder, or cut the base of the holder and use only the base? Will this provide the needed heat dissipation? The diameter of the holder is 21.5 mm. I could mount the lens without the holder, use epoxy glue to fix it (or make a fastener, then glue the star on a 20mmX1cm high aluminum rod and insert it from the other side of the heatsink. This way the heat transfer would be 

led->star base->aluminum base->heatsink body.

Can this work??


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## srfreddy (Apr 15, 2011)

MikeAusC said:


> Colour Temp and CRI are separate measures.
> 
> 6500 is sunlight and no-one complains that sunlight has a low CRI.
> 
> ...


 
What I'm saying is that cool white leds don't have good CRI-and plus, CRI is based off a blackbody radiator under a certain color temperature.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 15, 2011)

I have a final design. I decided to make the heat sink and the body out of aluminum. I will use a solid rod for the heat sink (see draft) and a tube for the body. I will glue them with thermal epoxy. My gf is a civil engineering student and helped me calculate how much heat dissipation is needed. The final design made by aluminium 6060/1/3 will be more than enough for the 2.1 watt rebel (at 700mA). 

http://www.2shared.com/document/gn2QToiR/Drawing2-Layout3.html


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## ledpwr (Apr 15, 2011)

I have just noticed that luxeon has brought out a new rebel ES (LXW8-PW50), it has a colour temperature of 5000k, it has a cri of 85 and an efficiency 110 lumens/watt. 
But since it has a larger die (same size as an xp-g) it will have produce slightly wider beam (1.4 times wider). You will have to wait a few weeks for shops to get it in stock though as it is new.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 15, 2011)

ledpwr said:


> I have just noticed that luxeon has brought out a new rebel ES (LXW8-PW50), it has a colour temperature of 5000k, it has a cri of 85 and an efficiency 110 lumens/watt.
> But since it has a larger die (same size as an xp-g) it will have produce slightly wider beam (1.4 times wider). You will have to wait a few weeks for shops to get it in stock though as it is new.


 
That's the good with this design. I will be able to upgrade it. I already ordered some leds. I will start with them and then upgrade from there. In order for the design to be upgradable, I will attach the lens and the holder mechanically and I will not glue them with epoxy. 

Thanks Ledpwr


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## srfreddy (Apr 15, 2011)

The LXW8-PW40 are what Zebralight is going to use for their High-CRI line of lights-warmer than the 5000k, but I think I would prefer the 50 over 40, but I have no experience with anything other than incans and cool LED's.


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## MikeAusC (Apr 15, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> . . . . I decided to make the heat sink and the body out of aluminum. I will use a solid rod for the heat sink (see draft) and a tube for the body. I will glue them with thermal epoxy.


 
Keep in mind that the best Thermal Epoxy has a Thermal Resistance 30 TIMES higher than aluminium, so make sure there is a large metal-to-metal contact.

Epoxy should only be used in the thinnest possible layer to fill in surface irregularities.


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## kosPap (Apr 17, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> I found this
> Do you think it is possible to use the carclo lens without a holder, or cut the base of the holder and use only the base?


 
probably only the latter..usually the holders alingn the LEd to teh optic and take care of the proper focusing distance

also, did you see thsi?

http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut955 - 9.9mm

http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut962 - 16.1mm

since you will mounting them on the glasses?


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 17, 2011)

kosPap said:


> probably only the latter..usually the holders alingn the LEd to teh optic and take care of the proper focusing distance
> 
> also, did you see thsi?
> 
> ...


 


Thanks for the link. I already ordered some parts. I will start with them and then try other stuff. I think the angle of the lens I chose was right. I will buy some xpg probably during the summer. The total diameter of the flashlight is going to be 25mm and the weight under 40 gr. I will post some pictures when they arrive.


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 19, 2011)

The cnc job is done, courtesy of Mr. Michael N. I post some pictures bellow:

http://www.2shared.com/photo/56ouBCIg/IMG086.html
http://www.2shared.com/photo/_iC0VJQ7/IMG087.html
http://www.2shared.com/photo/X0USAKyg/IMG084.html


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## constantine_a_f (Apr 19, 2011)

I am waiting for the electronics to arrive. I also started practicing soldering and bought some 23 ga wire. I thinking of annodizing the body. The heat sink was pressed inside the tube, so no glue or paste was used. There are no obvious gaps. Also, what do you think about this

http://www.all-battery.com/li-ion18...rypackwithpcbprotectionandhitecconnector.aspx

Are they safe or should I stick to the original 8 AA pack plan?


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## constantine_a_f (May 2, 2011)

Hello,

I hope somebody is still following. I might need advice soon. 
This is the build

I will post pictures as soon as I am allowed. Until then, download them.
(*Thanks to WalterK you can actually view the pictures now)



















































































Pic.1 20 AWG wire (only pink colour found, I coloured the edge with a pen in order to distinguish - from +), 0.10 Euro (5 meters)
Pic.2 Thermal shrinking tubes, two sizes, 0.20 Euro 
Pic.3,4,5 The aluminum body. Made from 7075 aluminium alloy, weighs 18 gramms ?? Euro (I guess around 40)
Pic.6 Thermal paste. I will use it to hold the led star in place (not glue it, just hold it), 1 Euro
Pic.7 I bought a 8 battery holder and 8 rechargeable energizers batteries (2000 mAH) for 25 Euro
Pic. 8 Luxeon drive buckpuck 700mA with external pot, 20 Euro, the leads were already tinned (it helped a lot)
Pic.9 I mounted the led on a heatsink (from an old laptop) to test it. I realized the paste actually held it to place even if I turned it up side down and hit it with my hand (NICE!!)
Pic.10 The led worked fine, as expected
Pic.11 Now for the difficult part. I cut two pieces of 1.5 m wire, I passed it through the holes at the bottom of the body and I soldered the into place. Then I put some paste on the back of the star, I pulled the wires back, I pushed the star to remove excess paste, I used a q-tip to remove the excess. Finally, i threaded the wire through the heat shrinking tube and pushed the edge of the tube so that it would hold the star in place. I used a bunschen burner to shrink the tube. 
Pic. 12 The led star in place
Pic. 13ab I check it before putting the lens in
Pic. 14 The carclo 8.9 degree optic with round 20mm holder, 1 Euro
Pic. 15 Fraen 9 degree optic with holder, 1 Euro
Pic. 16 I placed the Carclo optic in place, beam from 500mm (not the best shot, I know)
Pic. 17 Fraen optic
I used Pattafix (2 Euro) to secure the optic in the body. There was a tiny margin so I just used pattafix around the holder and then pushed the optic until it got into position. This secured the star as well. It was so good I could not get it out easily. 
Pic. 18 I bought this external battery (13 Euro) (5v usb supply, 1800 mA, charge indicator). The white card is credit card size. I will use a luxeon minipuck (2009) to power the led via usb (I will strip the usb wire and solder it on a switch). I will check this option before finalizing any connection (I have not soldered any wires, except from the ones on the led). 
Pic. 19 A quick connection for the wire. 

There is more to come. 
Please post your opinion. 
Thanks


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## ergotelis (May 2, 2011)

Constantine it is better use other batteries rather than energizers, these are only good for recycling! 
Buy some eneloops and you are done 

One question, where did you mounted the driver?behind the led on the body of the headlight? If so, it is ok!

Very nice project, are you happy with the result?


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## constantine_a_f (May 2, 2011)

Hello ergotelis,

I used 20 awg wire to feed the led. The driver is 1.2 m away. I emailed luxeonstar about this and they said that under 2m it is ok. I am happy with the result. I powered the led for 24 hours at 30% (where I am going to use it) and the batteries still held strong. I will probably use the usb battery though (it weighs 100 gr). The led works better I think with the Fraen. Even at full power after an hour or so the flashlight is cold (not mildly warm, it is cold). I did not mount it on the glasses yet, but it weighs 28 gr. totally so it is really nothing. Some fellow students asked me to build them one. They will pay only the expenses ofcourse.


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## ergotelis (May 2, 2011)

If you want to have less weight, a good way might be to use some quality 18650 batteries, though you will need another battery holder and charger!
1,2m for only ~3,2V and 0,7amp is quite high i think, hope you are sure you have made the connections just fine. I would rather add the driver into the body,though it might difficult in your present configuration! It is better to have ~9,6V and 0,3amp on the wires rather than what you have right now. You just waste less power!

30% for a rebel led working at 700ma might be about 30-40 OTF which is, as we said ,good enough for you job!


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## constantine_a_f (May 2, 2011)

I thought of connecting the driver beneath the body, but it was to bulky. I understand I am wasting power but it is ok. I also received a 350 mA, 100 Lumens 90 CRI rebel today and I will connect it as well to see what happens. I just want to use the usb battery as a trial (the micropuck will work as a boost/buck drive, buck from 5V to 3V and boost from 3 to 1). I might end up using 8 AA eneloops (the new black ones). It is easy to try right now, so why not.


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## Walterk (May 3, 2011)

Nice to such fast progress.

There is a way to post photo's though:



.
You can see the link when you ask for the properties of the image in the links you posted.


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## danboy (Aug 27, 2011)

Hello *constantine!:wave:
When i first saw the Heine headlight, i was amazed by the focused high intensity beam. I was looking alot for some information about loupe light DIY construction/mod but found v*ery old posts, pretty much satisfied with neat optics, broad beamlight, until i saw your work. problem is i can't see any photos of what you got at the end of it, could you please repost the links or the photos?

Im now in a middle of constructing a headlight for my Heine loupes, but got stuck with the optics.. i dont know which lens i have to use for that matter.

thank you!


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## constantine_a_f (Aug 29, 2011)

Hello,

I will try to repost my photos (I will give you a picassa link) and also add more information. Can you give me a description of what you used so far? Also, what is the working distance for your loupes?

I am now upgrading my light with a new led, new power source and driver.
I will use a micro buck/boost configuration without dimming and a 5 volt usb rechargeable battery pack. I will order the parts soon. I will also make my own loupes (or try to).

If you have any more questions please post them.


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## constantine_a_f (Aug 29, 2011)

Here you go

https://picasaweb.google.com/103324404812037100600/DentalHeadlamp?authuser=0&feat=directlink


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## kosPap (Aug 29, 2011)

VERY good work "synwnomate"...

Pattafix! hahaha! amazing!
one suggestion..please try different connectors....something like these. the shops you baught the materials from have something similar (milky white material)

http://www.andersonpower.com/products/multipole-connectors.html


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## constantine_a_f (Aug 29, 2011)

kosPap said:


> VERY good work "synwnomate"...
> 
> Pattafix! hahaha! amazing!
> one suggestion..please try different connectors....something like these. the shops you baught the materials from have something similar (milky white material)
> ...



I will use a standard usb cable with the Kensington battery pack so there is no need for a connector. But I like them so maybe I will go and ask for something like that as a b option. Thanks for the comment (euxaristw poly!!!)


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## danboy (Aug 30, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> Hello,
> 
> I will try to repost my photos (I will give you a picassa link) and also add more information. Can you give me a description of what you used so far? Also, what is the working distance for your loupes?
> 
> ...




Actually at the beginning i have bought this torch from an ebay seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170663654616?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Then I took out of it the cree led, the driver, the aluminium heatsink and the plastic lens, just to make it all smaller. Then, i managed to find an old broken fiber optic headlight system in some sort of technical garbage of a hospital. i took it apart, and took out the lens and the diaphragm out of it to play with all parts i got from those 2 systems to make the best possible headlight out of it

The red arrows indicate the parts i have used for the torch seen on the 3rd photo.
it's battery pack (just a plastic box i found to hold 2 AA batteries), Silver heatsink, black part of a tube, smaller lens with the diaphragm, large lens (both Glass), and the cree on the aluminium plate, connected to the black cable which leads to the driver which is hidden in the battery pack.



























As you can see, it's very primitive and alot of work is still ahead... I have fixed all parts including the lens with this white tape, The long size of it is because of the optical needs, i had to move the lens to a certain distance to maintain the focused beam. now if i could find better optics for that matter, i'm sure it can be alot shorter and lighter. (there are 2 lens in the system right now, unfortunately i can't tell its parameters because i simply don't know. i just got it out of the headlight i found)



I am using Heine HR loupes x2.5 420mm. and the beam i somehow got is exactly the size of the area seen in the loupes while in working distance (420mm).


Tough project :duh2:, as Theodore Herzl said: If you will it, it ain't no dream 

i have bought some 23mm glass lens in www.dealextreme.com but i don't know if it's the right angle i need. i just hope to test try it instead of the smaller lens,and i hope it will shorten it's size... i will definately continue updating the progress, come on it has to be done somehow  ! no way Heine light cost 1200Euros and is made of diamonds. it's the same cree, pretty much the same optics, only different sizes.


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## constantine_a_f (Aug 31, 2011)

Very nice indeed. I suppose you are going to use a headband for your system (I would If I had the parts you managed to find). I used a carclo 9 degrees TIR because of the led I chose. I wanted a high cri, high lumens led, so I designed from inside to outside. Led first, then optics, then the housing which acted as a heatsink as well (aluminum housing). The final make was small enough for me to mount it on the frame. I considered using lenses (less spill and a more concentrated beam) but it would make it harder to put together and also heavier. But you made it work ok so you should be happy. Great work!!!

ps heine as well as everybody else is extremely over the real price.


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## danboy (Aug 31, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> Very nice indeed. I suppose you are going to use a headband for your system (I would If I had the parts you managed to find). I used a carclo 9 degrees TIR because of the led I chose. I wanted a high cri, high lumens led, so I designed from inside to outside. Led first, then optics, then the housing which acted as a heatsink as well (aluminum housing). The final make was small enough for me to mount it on the frame. I considered using lenses (less spill and a more concentrated beam) but it would make it harder to put together and also heavier. But you made it work ok so you should be happy. Great work!!!
> 
> ps heine as well as everybody else is extremely over the real price.



Thanx! alot of work is still ahead, this is only the beginning...
I do want it to be mounted on the loupes, so now i will start looking for ways to shorten it alittle, first by finding another better suitable lens instead of the "small lens".. if I only knew what lens parameters to look for.... because now, the long distance between the "small lens" and the "bigger lens" is critical for the good focus. i suppose if i will change the smaller lens to something more suitable- i might be able to bring the "bigger lens" back closer to the led.

any ideas?

I am using a 200lm cree, and just ordered some 700lm led in Dealextreme (can't be sure it is true with dealextreme, but anyway)
-how did you came to the Carclo 9 deg. lens?


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## constantine_a_f (Aug 31, 2011)

I guess (I am not an expert by any means) that a smaller f lens would allow you to put your objective lens closer (inside the focal length of the small lens). I am not sure if this is how it works. Maybe something form edmund scientific or a less expensive one from ebay. 

I chose the luxeon rebel because of its high cri (90) that would allow me to do color matching. I opted for a 90-120 lm because I (correctly) thought that over 200 would actually annoy my patients if by mistake while working on the 12 o'clock position, I looked at their eyes. Also, there was the problem of heat dissipation and energy consumption (the final make never heats up to more than 30 degrees Celsius and can run for over 30 hr without recharging the battery pack-if I stay near 100 lm). I actually ended up using the led at 2/3 that around 80 lm via my dimmer. If you cannot tolerate the light heating you indirectly at your mouth with your eyes opened, then don't use a high lm led or give your patients protective eyeware (I guess that is the standard of care anyway-but not everyone will like it).

Please make sure that the heatsink you use is enough, so that you have a long lived led and a less burned forhead (remember you are wearing this on your head for more than 4h per day). You can find a heatsink calculator here along with other precious information http://www.luxeonstar.com/kb_results.asp. I also got my driver from there. 

I also chose a luxeon rebel because I wanted a low degree optic / tir in front of it. I found out via this site http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-Supply-c_106_0.html , all the available tir to led configurations and I opted that the carclo+luxeon was the best because of the 9 degrees total angle (be careful some of the angles mentioned are half, i.e. 10-->20-->doctor please you are hurting my eyes).

So that's how I chose the carclo. I have a nice round beam with pretty much no spill and the same field as my loupes (zeiss g 2.5 TTL, extented field of view).

I will make an upgrade with a 95 cri, 90-100 lm led when they have it in stock and I also started designing my own loupes. 

You have a nice thing going there. I like a lot the spot size you achieved. 

Get a local shop to machine you a housing when you finish. I could help you design it in autocad if you like. It will cost you some more money but you will have a very comfortable (temperature wise and size wise) light at the end.

PS. Have a look at these sites for more info on lenses (amateur info-but info nonetheless)
http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/lens/lens.htm#5
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/u14l5a.cfm

You can also use this to do some rudimentary ray tracing (and have some fun understanding the nature of the problem you faced) 

http://www.arachnoid.com/OpticalRayTracer/index.html#The_Applet go to configure and put more beams in the beam count (20-30) and also change source y start to 0 (that is your led). 

Hope I helped


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## Walterk (Sep 2, 2011)

Very nice ! Good work there, very nice beam.
I like the diaphragm a lot, it's a 'first' on cpf I think.
Did you notice a big difference in spot diameter?
Did you notice a more clean edge of the beam?


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## danboy (Sep 2, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> I guess ...
> 
> ...Hope I helped


 
Thank you very much Constantine! I will s study this info and try to figure everything out!


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## constantine_a_f (Sep 2, 2011)

danboy said:


> Thank you very much Constantine! I will s study this info and try to figure everything out!


 
Ok and please post everything here. You've done an amazing job so far and I would really like to see it come together!


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## danboy (Sep 3, 2011)

Walterk said:


> Very nice ! Good work there, very nice beam.
> I like the diaphragm a lot, it's a 'first' on cpf I think.
> Did you notice a big difference in spot diameter?
> Did you notice a more clean edge of the beam?


 
thanx Walterk!
The difference in spot diameter is proportional to the aperture of the dia-gm.
the previous photos were taken with it fully opened, so the beautiful focused spot is not because of the diaphragm but because of the smaller lens.
i took few photos of the diaphragm changes, so you can see the difference.








the next is pretty much the same distance from the wall, but smaller aperture:









anyway, it's a good option for those who need to be in control of the beam size, i need it fixed - same as the area i can see through the loupes, so I used the diaphragm only because it can hold the smaller lens in place )))


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## Walterk (Sep 3, 2011)

Thx for the pictures. Its a good way to have a sharp cut-off as it stops stray-light.


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## MikeAusC (Sep 3, 2011)

In tests I've done with dual-lens systems, the brightest spot is obtained when the projected spot is essentially an image of the first lens, focussed by the second lens.


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## danboy (Sep 3, 2011)

MikeAusC said:


> In tests I've done with dual-lens systems, the brightest spot is obtained when the projected spot is essentially an image of the first lens, focussed by the second lens.


 
Actually in this case, the image seen without the second lens is the square led, and even if i play with it back and forth while changing the square to rounder spot, the second lens would make it round and focused no matter what was the first projection. i mean it wouldn't make the cree led projection look more focused, it just makes it round and sharp, as i posted...


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## MikeAusC (Sep 3, 2011)

danboy said:


> Actually in this case, the image seen without the second lens is the square led, and even if i play with it back and forth while changing the square to rounder spot, the second lens would make it round and focused no matter what was the first projection. ...


 
Actually . . . . that's what I wrote ?


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## danboy (Sep 3, 2011)

MikeAusC said:


> Actually . . . . that's what I wrote ?


 
I just wanted to add that the 2nd lens would make the spot round and relatively focused no matter what was the spot "shape" after the 1st lens.

On the other hand, 
when i used the two lens together on a constant distance, moving the LED closer and away from the 1st smaller lens- only changed the (final)spot diameter alittle and affected the light intensity on the center/peripheral areas of the spot.

Sorry if i didnt understand u correctly at the beginning


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## pgjohnson2244 (Sep 18, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> Here you go
> 
> https://picasaweb.google.com/103324404812037100600/DentalHeadlamp?authuser=0&feat=directlink


 

Hey Constantine - I'm a dental student in the U.S. and just designed my own headlight. It was received well by my classmates so I decided to manufacture them myself. I went through a very similar process that you've been describing. Here is my website - www.johnsondentallabs.com


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## billyjones454 (Sep 22, 2011)

pgjohnson2244 said:


> Hey Constantine - I'm a dental student in the U.S. and just designed my own headlight. It was received well by my classmates so I decided to manufacture them myself. I went through a very similar process that you've been describing. Here is my website - www.johnsondentallabs.com


 
Cool light! When I made mine, I used, neodymium magnet to mount them. its the best mounting system. 

I'm not even remotely satisfied with 120 lumens however. I'll take a larger light for more lumens.


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## pgjohnson2244 (Sep 23, 2011)

billyjones454 said:


> Cool light! When I made mine, I used, neodymium magnet to mount them. its the best mounting system.
> 
> I'm not even remotely satisfied with 120 lumens however. I'll take a larger light for more lumens.



Thanks. It has been a big undertaking, especially during dental school. I played with a several other LEDs and different drivers; it was kind of a balance in keeping the weight down and keeping the LED bright enough. Great minds must think alike with the magnets


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## dahleryan (Oct 10, 2011)

Constantine, how has did the project turn out. I am trying to decide if I should tackle something like this. I too am a dental student looking for a cheaper solution. Are you taking any orders???


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## constantine_a_f (Oct 11, 2011)

dahleryan said:


> Constantine, how has did the project turn out. I am trying to decide if I should tackle something like this. I too am a dental student looking for a cheaper solution. Are you taking any orders???



Hi,

Sorry I 've not answered earlier. I am in the middst of a delayed final examination period. I use the light every day now. I have not had the time to upgrade it with a new lower consuption led and a new power source as mentioned. I made some of them last year for 8 students here at my school. I believe its easy to make them if you find someone to fabricate the body for you. I can email you the design for it. Just send me a pm. Have you seen a previous post of another dental student that sells them?


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## constantine_a_f (Oct 11, 2011)

billyjones454 said:


> Cool light! When I made mine, I used, neodymium magnet to mount them. its the best mounting system.
> 
> I'm not even remotely satisfied with 120 lumens however. I'll take a larger light for more lumens.



Isn't 120 Lumens a bit too much? I mean, I use a lower lumens led and when I accidentaly flash it on someone (thankfully not my patients, as they wear protective glasses) the are extremely annoyed by it. I can see everything with it, without burning out the detail or making it unconfortable after 4+ hours of work. I believe that a more luminous led would hurt my eyes or give me a headache after a while. There is also the power consumption thing.


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## dahleryan (Oct 15, 2011)

constantine_a_f said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry I 've not answered earlier. I am in the middst of a delayed final examination period. I use the light every day now. I have not had the time to upgrade it with a new lower consuption led and a new power source as mentioned. I made some of them last year for 8 students here at my school. I believe its easy to make them if you find someone to fabricate the body for you. I can email you the design for it. Just send me a pm. Have you seen a previous post of another dental student that sells them?




Unfortunately, I can't pm until I have more posts. I would appreciate it if you would email me the plans. I don't really want to put my email up here so could you PM me? It might work that way. Thanks for your help.


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## darkcurrent (May 10, 2012)

dahleryan said:


> Unfortunately, I can't pm until I have more posts. I would appreciate it if you would email me the plans. I don't really want to put my email up here so could you PM me? It might work that way. Thanks for your help.



can you send this to [email protected]?


I'm thinking of building this myself


thanks


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## Zenbaas (Jun 4, 2012)

Great work Constantine! Seems these threads have a knack for popping up every now and then. It seems the incredibly high prices of commercial dental lights have driven quite a few people to investigate building their own. I will be adding myself to that list soon as this seems like the only way that some of us will have the means to use an light without strapping a. Fenix TK70 to our foreheads 

Have you made any more changes to your design..?


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## constantine_a_f (Aug 18, 2012)

Hello everyone. I am going to update the plans in the following month. I am aiming at a 60usd cost including batteries.

I will post the plans online and I can also probably manufacture some for anyone on base cost (60 usd) if I have some time.


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## Rimbaldo (Jan 25, 2013)

Hi Constantine!

I´m a dentist like yourself, and a couple of years ago I had the same idea as yours, but gave up the dental-led project in the beginning. I ended up building my own 4.5x TTL loupes, with adjustable working distance which I use till today. I didn´t build it all, the oculars I bought already built from med-lite, but I did all the adaptations and set-up. I can show you pictures if you´re interested, and explain how I did it. After reading all of your posts, it gave me will again to build the led!

I have a lot of questions! eeheh.. May I ask some for you? 

Thanks!


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## slcrugby (Mar 15, 2013)

Constatine thanks for the great build information it is fantastic to see the progress of the light. 

I too am a dental student and would love to replicate your success. It would be great to hear about the outcome of the upgrades you made at the end of 2012. 

Also out of interest how did you end up mounting the light to the loupes?
Did you ever look at putting a composite filter on your light?

Would be great if you had the time to share these new experiences with us.


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## Zenbaas (Apr 11, 2013)

constantine_a_f said:


> Hello everyone. I am going to update the plans in the following month. I am aiming at a 60usd cost including batteries.
> 
> I will post the plans online and I can also probably manufacture some for anyone on base cost (60 usd) if I have some time.



So I'm guessing this never happened?


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## MikeAusC (Apr 11, 2013)

Wow, what a surprise.

Someone promises generous rewards if members help them develop a product, so we help, then wait . . . . and wait . . . . and wait . . . . and wait


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## Harold_B (Apr 19, 2013)

So what exactly would a person want in a Dental Illuminator? An intensely focused beam or a uniformly lit area? Is an adjustable aperture necessary or just nice to have? What other requirements would there be as far as performance?


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## slcrugby (Apr 19, 2013)

Hi Harold good questions. 

Personal preference for me would be a uniformly let area within a certain size to avoid light in the patients eyes. Adjustable aperture may be of great benefit as the working distance of the loupes is a set working length. I would even say dimming is of limited benefit but some people might like that. The ability to add a filter to filter out light wavelength of 470nm would possibly be the most important addition. A unit that didn't create too much heat with extended use but was light weight. High cri would also be important for tissue diagnosis.

I was at a tradeshow the other day asking reps a few questions about their products and was a little disappointed in their knowledge of their $2000+ items they had for sale.

Would be great to hear any advice I am planning to pit a few together after the middle of the year exams when I actually get some spare time. 

Rather than promise all these things to people and neglect to follow up as I am abut of a noob when it comes to this and it will be my first project. Rather I should be able to manage to get back to those of you who help contribute I'd be happy to share any feedback, designs or plans that work after an initial trial period...


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## Harold_B (Apr 20, 2013)

OK. There's a couple things on the list I where might be able to have something to contribute. I'll need more information on the specs though. Spot size needs to be defined by the beam angle, preferably a half angle half max specification. How much "huzz" light around the main spot (beyond the cut off) is acceptable? Spec this in percent. Uniformity of the output should be defined as percent change over a specific area at a distance. I assume the 470nm filter is for use while applying UV adhesives? Overall size of the package would be nice to know also. 

We recently designed a series of optics for Dow Corning that will be on display in their booth at LightFair for demonstrating their injection moldible silicone. The optics were designed as demo kits using retrofits for the Maglite XL-50 and there may be an option to use one of those systems. The one that comes to mind is a collimator that uses three aspheric lenses. Adding the proper diffusor would get the uniform spot and it would be bright. We've done in this our lab so I know it works but we'd have to get the right diffusor spec'd for this application. 

I'll be at LightFair all next week so I can keep my eyes open for high CRI LEDs in the 100-200lm range.


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## slcrugby (Apr 20, 2013)

Excellent. Thanks for the questions. If anyone else has anything to contribute in relation to answering the questions or offering a different opinion then please post. 

- The filter is only used during use of composite filling materials as they are a light curing material so the filter helps us increase working time. 
- Overall size of the package can be adjusted as I am planning to get the components and then design the body and go to a CNC mill to cut the aluminium to my specs. Ideally the smaller and lighter the unit the better as the more weight we have placed on the loupes the less comfortable they are to wear and the more they move out of position. I am currently aiming to get it down below 15mm external diameter.
- The huzz light outside of the cut off I am not sure what a realistic value it here but the lower or close to 0% the better (0-15% might be acceptable).
- Now the half angle half max value I am guessing that full width half max is similiar? I used that to work out that the beam angle should be somewhere between 5-8 degrees to give an appropriate sized spot
- Uniformity of output the closer to 100% the better and I am not sure as to what an acceptable value is but >80%.

Hopefully this is what you were after Harold if not let me know and I can go back out there and do some more research to answer the questions put forward.

Thanks again.


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## Zenbaas (Apr 21, 2013)

One thing which is also worth mentioning is long runtime of course. So not generating a massive amount of heat in the unit is also something worth considering. A large battery pack would probably solve runtime issues though.


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## slcrugby (Apr 23, 2013)

Thank Zenbaas,

Yeah I will need a battery that will give me at least 10 hours. Idea behind this is that it will give you a full day working time and some to spare so that you can charge over night. I am looking at incorporating the driver and a potentiometer into the battery pack. I am struggling to find an external battery pack which offers this options as premade at a reasonable price. So will initially start to look around at modifying an existing pack to meet the requirements. Possibly a powerbank designed for mobiles but regulate the power before the USB output. Looking to drive the LED at about 350mA to keep the heat down. 

Anyone know where a battery pack can be sourced easily? I have looked at numerous places but short of designing my own and going to a Mill or Moulder I am out of luck...

Cheers rugby


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## Harold_B (Apr 30, 2013)

Another question (I might have missed it) but how many do you plan to build?


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## Zenbaas (Jul 13, 2013)

Guys any updates on this.? I'm really keen to try and build one for my daily use as I really want to increase the quality of my work and this can only help in that regard.


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## Zenbaas (Jul 15, 2013)

Ok nie have ordered some high CRI leds as well as the luxeon 700mA driver and a few other odds and ends. 

What I am wondering about now is what batteries to use. I think 18650s is something I would like to try out first. 

Other than the link to the tenergy battery carrier seen earlier in this thread had anyone seen anything else that looks worth investigating?

Something like this maybe...? http://dx.com/p/14-8v-4-x-18650-battery-holder-case-box-with-leads-103855

I also found this battery carrier which seems to be a much better bet and If I could Mod it then it should work quite nicely..! ( http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/user.php?act=affiliate&goodsid=1499 )


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## bshanahan14rulz (Jul 15, 2013)

http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1499
http://dx.com/p/4-x-18650-batteries...n-light-usb-port-for-iphone-ipad-black-128889 < similar to your cnqg link, but at DX and slightly different. 

There seem to be a few of these sorts of boxes available, and I do think it would be awesome for your project. You can charge from USB, already has a mostly enclosed box, don't have to deal with individual cells. I don't know about what the internals are, but would be neat to actually put a nice charging circuit in there for balanced charging or cell monitoring. Or, get in the good habit of checking your batteries.


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## Zenbaas (Jul 23, 2013)

So just a quick update. Ended up ordering some batteries and battery holders from fast tech which has quite a nice selection. Now have to wait for everything to arrive!


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## Zenbaas (Jul 26, 2013)

Guys I need some recommendations. I have ordered the driver with the dimmer as per the original post below and will test that out but does anyone know of smaller drivers with smaller controllers(dimmers) perhaps that in could also consider using that will work..? 




constantine_a_f said:


> First of all I want to thank you all for the support. As I try to keep the budget down and the quality up, I will buy all the parts from one place (shipping is around 10 USD for every time I don't combine). I want a close to daylight cool white 6500K led. The reason I chose this one is because I currently work with this temperature and I find it very good as a mean of distinguishing pathological conditions. I will not do any color matching for restorative procedures under any type of artificial illumination. I use broad daylight for that (sometimes I even call my patients twice or three times in one day for that). I came down to this list from this shop because I find their drivers small, neat and uncomplicated. I think that 120-200 lumens is very high but again the standard of care is that I protect the patients eyes with protective glasses and I don't plan on powering the led that high. This is the list of the parts:
> 
> http://www.luxeonstar.com/Cool-White-6500K-20mm-Star-Rebel-220-lm-p/mr-wc120-20s.htm?CartID=1
> http://www.luxeonstar.com/Carclo-8-7-Deg-20mm-Lens-No-Holder-p/10193.htm?CartID=2
> ...


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## slcrugby (Aug 4, 2013)

Sorry for not being on here sooner my email must have junked the addition to the thread and I have been to busy with Uni to really give this anytime unfortunately. What I have found is that those 9 degree Carclo lenses just didn't give a narrow enough beam for my liking and had too much spill (I am thinking patient comfort here). I have moved on to looking at trying to use an aspheric lens setup but am having real troubles with trialing the lens to light source distance and the effect of the different diffusers (or if they are eben necessary) at the moment. I did end up opting for a similar style battery pack with the 4 x 18650s as a starting point but need to modify it still to put in the driver and dimmer. Once I work out a way to have a look at the light sources and what they 'look like' I may move onto talking with someone about the bezel but don't have any idea how to mount the lenses inside of the bezel. Finally I wanted to adopt a mount rather than design one for getting them to attach the loupes but that is going to be my final issue in the design process which I can't really see myself getting the time for until around the end of the year...

If anyone has any pointers in relation to the above points please feel free to share some insight it as always would be greatly appreciated!


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## buffalolume (Feb 13, 2014)

Great thread wow!

I do have a few questions though, since I will be starting a project like this soon. One of my most important priorities is a focused beam with very minimal side scatter at the edges of the beam. Where can I order glass lenses to place in the aluminum housing to focus the light? Are there any other techniques for minimizing this fuzziness on the edge. I will sit down and do the optics calculations for the lens to light distance and working distance I desire, but until that, any advice on where to actually purchase some small diameter lenses? Thanks!


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## Zenbaas (Feb 21, 2014)

buffalolume said:


> Great thread wow!
> 
> I do have a few questions though, since I will be starting a project like this soon. One of my most important priorities is a focused beam with very minimal side scatter at the edges of the beam. Where can I order glass lenses to place in the aluminum housing to focus the light? Are there any other techniques for minimizing this fuzziness on the edge. I will sit down and do the optics calculations for the lens to light distance and working distance I desire, but until that, any advice on where to actually purchase some small diameter lenses? Thanks!



No idea unfortunately. I haven't been able to progress any further either as I am having difficulty finding someone who can cnc the body for me. So it's a dead end at the moment until I figure that out.


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## christophernguyendds (May 25, 2014)

How did it turn out? Your LED light is in use?


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## mcnair55 (May 25, 2014)

constantine_a_f said:


> After reading several threads
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?234910-Headlamp-for-dental-student
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?91130-Any-decent-headlamps-for-DENTAL-use
> ...




As i am not up to speed with dental lights,could you explain the advantage to you as a student and say myself as your patient.


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## DIWdiver (May 26, 2014)

Zenbaas said:


> No idea unfortunately. I haven't been able to progress any further either as I am having difficulty finding someone who can cnc the body for me. So it's a dead end at the moment until I figure that out.



Are you familiar with any of these guys?

http://www.emachineshop.com/
http://www.protolabs.com/
http://www.internetmachineshop.com/

I bet you could find someone to ship to RSA, and if you googled from that location, you might even find one more local. I didn't, but I'm in USA, and google has gotten very aware of locations.


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## Zenbaas (May 27, 2014)

mcnair55 said:


> As i am not up to speed with dental lights,could you explain the advantage to you as a student and say myself as your patient.


Better visibility when working. The better I see the better my work can be. Simple as that. 


DIWdiver said:


> Are you familiar with any of these guys?
> 
> http://www.emachineshop.com/
> http://www.protolabs.com/
> ...



Thanks will have a look again.


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## bshanahan14rulz (May 28, 2014)

Those old halogen lights are pretty cool, though. High power halogen, dichroic (IR-pass) reflector, nice cutoff edges. One thing from a patient perspective is how bright does the light appear. The answer should be, "Not bright at all, I can barely see it, or I'm not bothered at all by it."

Saw this thread and thought I'd share my recent info. Curing lights. THey are now portable, rechargable, and have high energy 18650-based power cell, kind of like the fenix ARB-L1T style cell. ~450nm, by eye. Couldn't find wavelength spec in writing on the outside of device. LED in most is a high power Nichia LED. Their older light had what looked like a luxeon 3.

They were hesitant when I started talking about LEDs, I guess the higher CRI LEDs haven't trickled into products just yet.

Also noticed that newer dentists are switching to electric heads, and often they have light fed to them via a light guide from an LED in the handle. The older, water powered ones often have a large halogen bulb in the source box, fed via flexible light guide up to the handpiece. Seems a prime candidate for LED retrofit!!! "What if you never had to change out your expensive, specialty dental implement halogen light sources again?"


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## Zenbaas (May 29, 2014)

There are cheaper dynamo driven led turbine handpieces out now for ages which work pretty well. Also having a light in the handpiece does not negate the need for more light from another source. The issue with the brightness is that there should be no spill and the patient should be given protective eyewear in any case.


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## Daneland (Jan 21, 2018)

Hello Guys and gals.
Instead of creating another dental loupe thread unnecessarily, I will try to explain my DIY project on this thread. I am a dentist (my wife is a dentist too and she is the one wants to have the light on her loupes) who hates to be ripped off and refusing to pay £300 (at least) for a 3w LED, an aluminium case and a battery pack.I have no electronic knowledge and skills but I am good at finding.
I have looked for DIY project or a simple conversion of a decent torch in to a LED headlight but I cant find a completed guide including this forum. All I can find here is half way projects and ideas. 
I initially bought a cheap dental LED from e-bay. It was claiming it was that it was a 3W LED but it was not. However it gave me a chance to try different optics I harvested from different cheap torches and jeweller loupes. Even the LED is not powerful enough, I managed to get a bright focus but this was not really homogeneous and there was some considerable spill around it. I thought, if I could have changed the LED with 3W power LED, possibly I could have had a better light. So, I have decided to find a decent torch to harvest parts and try to assemble them. I have purchased a couple of LED Lenser TTs( they have not arrived yet).I am hoping to get a bright and homogenous light in the end. I am planning to use an aluminum round shape apertura (made from iphone's back cover, widely available, cheap or even free) to let the light shine through a small hole to create a small area. If TT's flood light is powerful enough on short distance, I am hopping w/o any more adjustment I will get something good enough. If not I will try to create improve it's focus light with some other optics. 
If you dont mind me asking I have some basic question.The dental loupe I purchased has a battery unit. I opened it up and they are a couple of AA size batteries connected with a small electronic unit which makes possible to adjust the light intensity.Do you think I can use this pack to power up TT's LED(TT originally uses 3 X AAA battery) ?Will the potentiometer ( I guess this is the name of the part of the device to adjust brightness) work on TT's LED.a

As soon as I have TTs I will send pictures of the project.


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## DrafterDan (Jan 22, 2018)

I'd like to see some photos. But you really should consider making a new thread. 
A good friend of mine is a dentist, and helped me understand the specific color temperatures your profession needs to spot damage on teeth. It's an interesting subject. 

~D


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## archimedes (Jan 22, 2018)

DrafterDan said:


> I'd like to see some photos. *But you really should consider making a new thread*....



Agree, especially as this is an entirely new project and this thread is so old.

Please feel free, @Daneland , to "copy-paste" your post above when opening that new thread.


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