# Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 Dive Light Tested 445ft - Finally Finished



## Amonra (May 12, 2006)

*Now on auction in aid of LifeNRA - Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 Dive Light Test445ft*

This is my first creation on my lathe. Being a diver myself and a flashaholic i always wanted to have a very powerful LED based dive light in a small package, so this is what i came up with.

It's 124mm long and 75mm wide at the head. all walls are at least 5mm thick, the glass is ultra clear and 10mm thick. It is machined out of a solid piece of aluminium ( not aluminium tube ) so there are only two water entry points i.e. the tailcap and the front glass thus removing an extra entry point behind the head. the tailcap is sealed by two 3mm thick o-rings and is held in place with 2 heavy duty stainless steel clips rather than thread. the front glass is sealed by one 4mm thick o-ring placed behind the glass i.e. the greater the pressure, the greater the seal. the glass is held in place by a flange with 8 stainless steel allen bolts. The switch will be a magnetic reed switch ( i still have to find a place for it )
as you might gather it is overengineered purposely to make sure that it will be very hard for it to physically fail.

It will be using 4 x U-bin Lux3's slightly overdriven and 4 IMS 20mm reflectors.
Approx 500 Lumens. It can use multiple types of batteries using different holders like 4x18650's ( protected or unprotected, aswell as smaller li-ion's), 1xC/D Li-ion, 4xAA/AAA ( Nimh, Primary or primary lithium ) and possibly some others. The actual space for the batteries is of 48mm diam. by about 70mm long so i guess one could even add an electronic and still have space left over. i think it will achieve over 2 hours runtime with 4x18650's ( i will be using 4x18650's in this one).

I will be testing the body ( no LED's or batteries ) physically in the sea tomorrow up to 200 meters hopefully with no problems.

Here are some pictures. they have been taken by my mobile phone as my camera is in Norway at the mom, so please bear with the low quality.










































It does have some imperfections ( though they may not be clear in these bad photos ) mainly due to me still learning how to use the lathe properly and some stupid mistakes i have made. But i guess it turned out ok.

Here are some comparison beamshots ( 3 meters from door ) with the Barbolight U-09. The steroid4 is only drawing 680mA ( 170mA per LED ) with two freshly charged 18650's ( in paralell ) for some reason which is yet to be determined while the Barbolight is drawing 1.5A ( 500mA per LED ) with a freshly charged battery pack.

Steroid4 on the left Barbolight U-09 on the right









Some better pics:
















U-09 Left Steroid4 Right











If anyone is interested in it PM me as it is not being used.

Thanks for looking


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## Long John (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Hello Amonra

This is a beautyful work:goodjob:.

I like it and I'm sure, your 200m test tomorrow will be succeed.


Best regards

_____
Tom


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## MikeyTheBull (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Nice Work. It's a very cool looking light, I really like the proportions of it and the latches.


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## Timson (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Nicely done  ...That's some chunk of aluminium you had there...Must have taken ages to bore out!.

You might even be able to fit in 4 x IMS27 reflectors in that head for a much tighter beam.

I'll be interested to see how you mount that reed switch.

Don't forget beam shots.....An underwater shot would be awesome too  


Tim.


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## Timson (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

How are you going to test at 200M :huh: .......Are you a commercial diver or do you intend to dangle it from a 200M line ?

200M is scary deep !!


Tim.


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## Amonra (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Long John: Thanks, I hope so too.

Mikey: Thanks it fits nicely in my hands, but my hands are a bit big. those latches need a bit of getting used to but they will act as a lanyard attachment point which will also act as a safety lock for the latches.

Timson: Thanks, about 4 hours of boring. the 27mm's might fit but some sidespill is also needed so i went for the 20's. i also happen to like the beam of the 20's alot. I still do not know exactly how the reed switch will be going on either. I will be dangling it off a fiching rod with some kind of reel that tells you how deep it is going. no beam shots for now as i do not want to risk flooding the LED's.


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## Timson (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*



Amonra said:


> Timson: Thanks, about 4 hours of boring. the 27mm's might fit but some sidespill is also needed so i went for the 20's. i also happen to like the beam of the 20's alot. I still do not know exactly how the reed switch will be going on either. I will be dangling it off a fiching rod with some kind of reel that tells you how deep it is going. no beam shots for now as i do not want to risk flooding the LED's.



Great stuff...Keep us posted.

You're so lucky living out there in Malta with all that lovely clear, warm water. Been there diving a couple of times myself...Some great dive sites.


How's that HID idea you've been mulling over coming along ?


Tim.


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## FlashInThePan (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

 :goodjob: :naughty:


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## cmacclel (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Make sure you rinse the light out very well after it's been in salt water as bare aluminum + Salt water are a bad combo. Corrosion happens very quickly.


Also this thread should be in the Custom / Modified light area. This is the Buy Sell Trade area  


Mac


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## HarryN (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Neat project. I do a little diving, but not even close to 200 meters - more like 10 meters most of the time.

This light kind of reminds me of my old IkeLite from the 1970s (except it is polycarbonate) The snap seals worked well for it, but for some reason, they used a quad ring instead of a normal o ring.


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## Kryosphinx (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

IIRC, IMS 27 reflectors have _more_ sidespill than IMS 20's.


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## Amonra (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Timson: I hope you had a nice time in Malta, it's good to know someone even knows where Malta is let alone knowing someone has actually been here ( actually, knowing that you're from England means that you should be well aquainted with our small island as many british old timers spend the winter here as it comes cheaper than staying at home. during summer there are many british too but most of them come for the tan ( looks more like a severe burn than a tan though )) unfortunately those clear waters become murky with all the ppl swimming in the sea in summer, so i prefer to dive in winter. P.S. i don't know which HID that is.

cmacclel: i know that and i has been bothering me a bit but unfortunately there is noone that does anodizing in Malta. i might try to do it myself but im kind of reluctant mainly due to the fear of ruining many hours of labour.

i thought this was the custom / modified area. i'm sorry but i did not realise it was B/S/T please move this thread if it breaks any rules. 

What do you guys think of "The Tank" for a name or maybe a Maltese name like should be used since it is made in Malta ?


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## Amonra (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

HarryN: I'm not planning on diving anywhere close to 200meters, the max i dive is 50meters but it gives me peace of mind knowing that it survived 200 or maybe more ?. basically im making sure that it will definately not flood at 50m besides, i like to overengineer, just to make sure. What's a quad ring ?

Kryosphinx: i thought it had less/weaker spill and more throw, well i have never tried the 27mm's so i can't really say but i still really like the 20mm's


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## Long John (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Hello Amonra

About the name:

What do you think about "Scubsun"?

Best regards

_____
Tom


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## slinco (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Waaay cool! Nice work....


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## McGizmo (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Amonra,
Very cool!! Nice job! :thumbsup: My only comment is that expecting 125 lumens from each of the U bin LED's is very likely wishful thinking, I don't care how hard you drive them. You might get 300 lumens out the front if you keep the LED's real cool.


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## mobile1 (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

excellent job - well done. Take some underwater beam shots


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## TranquillityBase (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

There's no such thing as _*stupid mistakes*_ or _*imperfections*_, just built in character.:goodjob:  :twothumbs It looks awesome. Not many people can produce such a nice piece on the first try. Keep it up.

I love your stainless, tailcap, clamp system.

TB


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## chesterqw (May 12, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

NICE!... how much did it cost you to make this light and how much time was spend?

i got a suggestion for a name: thick O dive


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## Timson (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*



chesterqw said:


> i got a suggestion for a name: thick O dive



    

I laughed out loud at that one....Nearly fell off my chair !!


OK - Time for you to get your own back....Here's my suggestion...

*Photon-Depthcharge* or just *Depthcharge*


Amonra : It wasn't you doing the HID....I just mentally linked you with the HID thread as I first read about your new light there.


Tim.


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## Amonra (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Longjohn: dunno about scubasun, maybe scubastar but dunno if that name has been taken

Slinco: Thanks

McGizmo: my mistake i thought U bin was speced at 120 Lum. ok so it's about 100 Lum avarage @ 700mA so if i drive them at around 800 - 850 mA i would at least expect 110 - 115 Lum ? so that's about 460 Lumens. about 10% - 15% optical losses leaves me with about 400 - 415 Lumens. Keeping it cool should not be a problem firstly due to the large mass of aluminum ( 750 Grams ). the heatsink is not a seperate part which has been glued to the body but it is the body itself as the entire light ( except for the tailcap and flange ) has been machined out of a solid aluminum rod. so heat should travel throughout the entire body with no bottlenecks except for the one between the LED itself and the body. Secondly it will be surrounded by moving water which should cool it down considerably. so i guess it should run nice and cool.
500 Lumens was very optimistic but i'm hoping output should come close to the UK Lightcannon which is my main aim, but smaller, sturdier, longer lasting and most importantly cheaper. When the K2's are available i guess 500 Lumens will not be out of reach though.

Mobile1: thanks, i will within a few weeks.

Tranquilitybase: Thanks a lot, it has a lot of character then hehe

Chesterqw: well aluminum cost me about $30, S/S fittings about $12, the glass about $13 and about 25 hours of work. dunno about thick O dive, it's kind of long.


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## Amonra (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

No dive testing today  unfortunately the sea is a bit too choppy for my friend's small boat. the P1 international powerboat championship will still be held though so i guess ill be watching in envy.


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## barnabe (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

It's a very nice work (Are you sure it is your first flashlight creation? ). I like the form factor.


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## chesterqw (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

25hours...OMG...

well anyway, thick o dive isn't a really good name, so i got another one: steriods. well, can't blame me, the glass lens is so thick, so is the metal. and it is HID!.


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## Amonra (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

barnabe: thanks. it is my first, so far.....

Chesterqw: what's OMG ? Steroid 4.....hmmm.....i kind of like that one. i think im gonna stick to that. Thanks for the suggestion chester. Btw it is not HID, it will use 4xUbin Lux3's


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## HarryN (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*



Amonra said:


> HarryN: I'm not planning on diving anywhere close to 200meters, the max i dive is 50meters but it gives me peace of mind knowing that it survived 200 or maybe more ?. basically im making sure that it will definately not flood at 50m besides, i like to overengineer, just to make sure. What's a quad ring ?
> 
> Kryosphinx: i thought it had less/weaker spill and more throw, well i have never tried the 27mm's so i can't really say but i still really like the 20mm's



Hi - now that I mentioned it, I cannot find it in a link. It is basically an o ring but the cross section looks more like a + sign - rounded out of course. I am not sure of the advantages or not. Your design looks pretty good to me.

Just for fun, I will try to get a pic of that old Ikelite and see if I can post it. Great project BTW.


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## KDOG3 (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

WOW! You made that? I'd love to be able to do something like that! AWESOME!


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## PEU (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

waaaay cool, keep the good work! underwater pics PLEASE!!!


Pablo


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## HarryN (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

Ok, so your project also gave me a geography lesson - now I know where Malta is.  Funny thing - I googled it, and the first listing up - the CIA info package on Malta. 

Looks like a neat place with lots of dive locations. I have a business trip to Europe planned for August, but I think the closest I will get is Berlin - not so much diving there.


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## Amonra (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

Kdog3: Thanks

PEU: That's an honour coming from the creator of the Neoca series

HarryN: im happy to be serving my country by letting people know of it's existance


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## chesterqw (May 13, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

OMG is an 'shortform' for oh my god 

dang...my minds was on sleep mode when i type that thing out... wonder what made me type HID down when i obviously knew it was a luxeon driven...


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## Amonra (May 14, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

now i just need to find a reasonably priced machinist to maybe start a small run of these if there is any interest ? .......after i have tested it that is.


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## Pila_Power (May 16, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

You got interest here My Maltese Magician!!



We're buying a nice boat due to be delivered in a few months and don't yet have any dive lights or any waterproof/resistant lights at all.

I'd be happy to own a CPF piece of art. 

PM me when you're close to taking orders please!!

Cheers,

Tim.


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## Amonra (May 17, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

That's too much praise Pila power  but thanks. 
a boat is nice, just make sure you do not drop the steroid in the boat or you might end up with a hole hehe.
ill inform you if it happens.

P.S. you don't have Maltese descendants do you ?


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## Pila_Power (May 17, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

No decendants I don't think... I hail from a few convicts... actually I wish I did. I thik I'm a decendant from Cornwall in Sunny England.

Naah, you made something from scratch - that's mega-cool man!! Take your kudos.



Tim.


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## OddBall (May 18, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

Hey Amon, it's Pila at home here.

I was thinking, dya reckon your dive light could be adapted with a couple of side fins to assist reducing the weight in the water...say if I was fishing and wanted to transmit a live image of what's going on down near my bait and needed a light to see by...

You get where I'm going with this?  

I think it'd be way cool if your light was able to fit in a miniature transmitter and was powered off the same batts as the lights...along with a tiny low light camera!

I sell all the transmission stuff and cameras etc, I'd just need a deep water light source - probably up to 100, 150 meters max.

Maybe more of a bullet shape on the ends...

mmmm deep sea-life footage...


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## Amonra (May 18, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

I dont know what exactly you mean with the fins but i guess you would want it to sink to be able to get down there. plus i think it should be heavy so that it would not be too effected by water currents. i guess that a flood type beam would be best for video ( so no reflector ) and some green light would attract fish too.

so here's what i think would be the best solution for this: a single white 5W Lux with no reflector ( or maybe a wide beam reflector matching the viewing angle of the camera) and another green one with a narrow beam reflector ( so it does not affect the tint too much ) and the camera instead of the other two LED's. The only problem i can see is the switch as it has to have at least two switches which makes kind of hard to do otherwise one switch that turns everything on at once.

as for fitting the transmittor and powering everything from the same batteries, it depends on the size of the transmitter and the voltages required by the camera and transmitter.

if not everything fits i guess i can custom make one in which everything will fit. What do you think ?


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## Long John (May 18, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

Hello Amonra

What's about the diving test? Did it works fine?

Best regards

____
Tom


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## Amonra (May 18, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

i did not test it yet due to rough seas. i will try again next sunday.


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## Pila_Power (May 18, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

Hey it sounds cool!! Expensive, but cool! 

With the fins, I was thinking of a fish or dolphin with two stabiliser fins on either side to prevent spiral rolls as the camera will need to kinda stay up the right way. There would need to be some sort of line feed, say a ring or tube that the line is fed through.

Hmm might be a bit over the top... I just thought of getting snagged and losing the light altogether... eek!

Back to the thinking stage for me.


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## Amonra (May 19, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light, Name Found : Steroid 4*

you could otherwise have the power/batteries on the boat and just have the camera and light in a smallish housing underwater connected by an umbilical.


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## Amonra (May 21, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 Dive light - Just been tested down to 445ft of water*

I just got back from a day at sea, luckily the sea was calm and the weather was sunny today so we went out on the boat and tested the Steroid4.

Aim: to test the water sealing capability of the Steroid4

Method: using a fishfinder the suitable depth of water to do the test is found by running around in the boat until a suitable spot is found. then the flashlight is hooked up to two fishing rods ( just in case the line breaks on one of them ) one of which has a depth counter by which the depth of the Steriod4 can be determined. Then the Steroid4 is lowered into the water and allowed to freefall down into the depths until it reaches the specified deprt of each test. After a few minutes the Steroid4 is pulled back up for inspection ( the inside of the Steriod4 has been filled with tissue paper which helps make any leak evident ).

Test 1: 50 meters ( 165ft )

Test 2: 100 meters ( 330ft )

Test 3: 200 meters ( 660ft ) *

Results: Test1 - upon inspection it was found that the steroid4 was structurally sound. No water had entered from under the glass and no water went beyond the first or second o-rings at the tailcap. No signs of near failure were found.
Test2 - upon inspection it was found that the steroid4 was structurally sound. No water had entered from under the glass and no water went beyond the first or second o-rings at the tailcap. No signs of near failure were found.
Test3 - upon inspection it was found that the steroid4 was structurally sound. No water had entered from under the glass and no water went beyond the first or second o-rings at the tailcap. No signs of near failure were found.

* Unfortunately we could not find water deep enough to do a 200m test without going far out at sea so for safety's sake ( boat is only 14ft with 25hp outboard and had 4 people in it ) we found the deepest patch in the area and did the test there. The tested depth was of 135 meters ( 445 ft )

Conclusion: The Steroid4 construction proved to be tough enough to withstand 13.5 Bar or 195psi or 13.5 Atmospheres or 135 meters or 445ft or 74 fathoms.... ( and God knows how much more it can handle ) of water pressure without failing or showing signs of near failure :rock: will do more tests in pressure chamber to determine point of failure :naughty: 

My state of being: Great !! the Steroid4 performed as expected and im very happy with the results, although i wish i had tested it down to 200m  

Upcoming: I will start putting in the LED's and reflectors, doing the wiring etc... etc... next week. The Steroid4 should be finished, blinding and ready for a photo shoot by the end of next week  

Thanks for looking


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## Long John (May 21, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

Hello Amonra

Great:goodjob: Congratulations, very good job.

This must be the result, because the light is very well build.

" will do more tests in pressure chamber to determine point of failure :naughty: "

Please, don't do that. The great light. I mean, it's not necessary.
So you can think 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, perhaps 700m? 

Let it be a surprise for the user of this light

Best regards

_____
Tom


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## Amonra (May 21, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

Thanks Tom.

Do not worry, it "shouldn't" be damaged by further pressure testing as the first point of failure "should" be the o-ring seal which is no big deal really. I very much doubt that the aluminum or glass will break before the o-rings fail.
Besides i would not want to break it so for safety i would stop at around 30 Bar ( or amybe more ? ) that is if it does not fail prior to that.

That would not be a pleasant surprise that's for sure. although i doubt anyone would dive beyond 135m ( or very few crazy people maybe )


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## HarryN (May 21, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

Maybe commercial divers - or navy.


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## Amonra (May 22, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*



HarryN said:


> Maybe commercial divers - or navy.



Yep they probably do.
Just for the record the deepest dive record using breathing apparatus to date is of 308 meters. ( so maybe ill test is down to that depth )


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## Amonra (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

I just finished assembling all the bits and pieces of the Steroid4  

I only have 2pcs of slightly discharged ( 3.8v ) 18650's at the moment but i decided to testfire it anyway and all i can say is WOW :rock: 

The voltage at the LED's dropped to 3.4V possibly due to the batts being discharged / loaded. I took a mA reading at the tailcap and it was drawing 680mA for all four led's so they are being very underdriven ( 170mA each ) it is therefore running at one sixth the power and still is very bright. 
I compared it to a barbolight U-09 running at half power ( drawing 1.1A, also had discharged batts. ) and the Steroid4 beats it easily. ( this is not a good comparison but i just wanted to compare it with what i had at hand )

Before checking how much power it was drawing i was already very excited about the output but now im over the moon. can't wait for the batteries to charge.

Once the batteries charge and i can get hold of a decent camera i will post some pics.


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## Long John (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

Hello Amonra

Nice news. I'm anxious for the pictures.

Best regards

_____
Tom


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## Amonra (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

The batteries have charged so i made another comparison with the barbolight and the Steroid4 has a slightly larger and brighter hotspot but dimmer corona than the barbolight ( the Steroid4 is slightly whiter too ) so ill call them equal in output which seems odd to me as the Steroid4 should be a lot brighter.

Comparison shots added in first post.

I did some measurments again as follows:
18650 batts fresh off the charger - 4.18V each
barbolight battery fresh off the charger - 4V 

Steroid4 current drawn - 680mA again !?
Barbolight current drawn - 1.5A

Steroid4 voltage at leds - 3.4V again !?
Barbolight voltage at leds - cannot check head sealed

I'm thinking that either tha batts cannot handle it or the reed switch is becoming a resistor as the rest of the circuit has no resistance.
Any ideas ?


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## Amonra (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 - A Dive Light - Now tested down to 445ft of water*

Ok part of the problem has been found. the reed switch was making some resistance so i bypassed it and it is now drawing 1.3A and the led's are getting 3.82V which is still too low. a possibility for this is that the led's i have are UX1L's and i guess their Vf is closer to 3.99 than to 3.75


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## andrewwynn (May 23, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

this thing is absolutely gorgeous! email me if you'd like some help solving the 'howsit' for the mag reed switch.. i've done several designs of lights using mag reed switches for level control on luxeon lights.. i can easily come up with a multi-level solution for you. 

In addition.. the tailcap holding mechanism is seemingly extreme overkill.. the water pressure will hold the cap on with tremendous force.. only if air leaked in under pressure could you hvae a problem with the tailcap being forced off.. a simple 1/16th twist with a locking pin would be plenty to hold the tailcap on (if you can turn it with that much o-ring). 

I would most certainly also be able to figure out what's going on with the current limitations. 

With 'water cooling' you can easily run your emitters at 1100mA.. maybe have 3 levels.. 1100/550/110.. 

email me: [email protected] rouse.com 

-awr


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## Pila_Power (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

....email him... doooooooo....iiiiiittttt............


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## Amonra (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

email sent


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## Amonra (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Ok i contacted awr and we might be able to do something when the fatflex is available but the body will have to be redesigned/modified... but until then im still trying to get this one working properly by using a resistor and changing the batts into a series/paralell rather than just parallel configuration. i managed to get it to pull 3.2A with a 1.5 ohm 5W resistor connected in series with the batteries but the resistor is getting too hot. do i need a larger wattage resistor ? or i am doing something wrong ?


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## OddBall (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

Are you using a ceramic resistor, looks like a block of white ceramic - dunno the technical term for it sorry. I think they can endure high heat.


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## Amonra (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

it says non ceramic on the invoice. it is green and has some ribs along the side.


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## Amonra (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

even if the resistors can withstand the heat the stuff around them may not so i cannot have the resistors heating up so much


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## chesterqw (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

water cooling... you meant sea water cooling! must be of the newest techonology 

anway, yes, the reed switch will act as a resistor, no reed switch can tolerate that much current.(of couse unless they are damn expensive or something) you would maybe need something that will just tell the circuit to switch on. something like a remote control but not a remote control.


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## HarryN (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Hi Amonra

The resistors are going to heat up no matter the rating if you they are dissipating 5 watts. The heat needs to be removed, and a simple way to do it is to thermally paste it to the wall. 

I would not get too concerned about driving your LEDs at 400 - 600ma - that is a VERY good place to run them for high efficiency. Regardless of the ratings, the gains get very small above 800ma in Lumens / watt.

You can gain a bit more by charging up the 18650s to 4.1 - 4.2 volts - not a huge deal, but there is a fair amount of power in the cells from 3.8 - 4.2 volts.

Nice beam shots. Not an expert at all, but normally you want the tighter beam you have underwater - it tends to give better penetration. I have been told that the best wavelength for sea water peneration is actually 485 - 490 nm, which is technically a bin 6 blue in the Lumileds line. Good luck getting them though.

I really enjoy this thread. Nice work.


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## Amonra (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

HarryN : I do not think they are supposed to start emitting smoke though. i cannot really thermally paste it to the wall because it will be attached to the battery carrier which will obviously need to come out of the flashlight. 
what am i going to do ???? ( just venting a bit of stress )
Yeah i know but the whole point of this flashlight is to get as much light as possible.
Thanks, the hotspot is only slightly larger so it would not make that much of a difference i guess. remember it is being very underdriven in those pics so when driven properly the hotspot will be much brighter and thus throw further.


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## wquiles (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*



chesterqw said:


> anway, yes, the reed switch will act as a resistor, no reed switch can tolerate that much current.(of couse unless they are damn expensive or something) you would maybe need something that will just tell the circuit to switch on. something like a remote control but not a remote control.


What about using the switch to turn on an FET? That way, the switch only needs a few miliamps at most, and you let the FET carry the high currents 

Will


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## andrewwynn (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: A Dive Light ( Yet Un-named )*

FET really usually draws nanoamps .. but yes.. that's the only way to go for a 'direct drive' mag-reed switch solution in this case. 

I replied to the latest email with some more ideas about the vOne proto ... i wouldn't worry about getting 1A from the emitters at this point.. for your purposes.. direct-drive 1:1 ratio is the way to go.. a fresh charge of cells will probably get you 800+ mA.. that'll be more light with your UX1L than with TWOK at 1000. 

-awr


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## andrewwynn (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

followup.. i forgot to post in the thread about the resistor.. my math showed 15W on the two 5W resistors.. so 50% over their design.. also.. 50% efficiency! you really can't use a resistored solution for this because the emitter demand is just higher than 1 cell.. 3.9V from 3.6V battery. 

You need the boost driver.. i would actually use a 1-level fatman for now 'til the fat flex is available.. i think they are in-stock now and a deal at $22 i think they cost. 

You will only need 1 and it should be able to run all 4 at 1A.. you can have a dial inside the light to set it to different levels and have the mag switch for on/off. 

-awr


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## HarryN (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

OK - some more crazy suggestions based on what I am doing with my BREEZE 2 xRCR2 light - also resistored.

Since you have 2 R cells, (larger of course) you could put them in series and obtain nominally 7 - 8 V. That puts you well into the range of a quality Lux V. I used 1 WWOS in mine with a 2 ohm resistor and it is at 650ma - quite bright. An alternative would be to get some J or H bin Lux IIIs and put them in parallel / series 2 x 2 for a similar effect.

One more idea that might help is to "burn in" the existing LEDs to get the Vf down. If you run them for 24 hours at 750 - 1000ma, you should see a substantial reduction in Vf - at least .3 and up to 0.5 volts. It might be enough to make your original "all parallel" setup work. You can get a driver like that from georges80, the sandwich shoppe, or leddynamics.

A pair of 18650s in parallel should be able to supply several amps no problem.

If you run out of room in your light, I have some special resistors which might help, but require the ability to solder 1206 SMT components. Send me a PM if you get in a bind.


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## andrewwynn (May 24, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

I think that Mike's working toward the end product having a boost driver (FatFlex).. also using 4x lux3.. though .. i think that 3x LuxV might be a very attractive possibility... that will run very nice from 2S2P 18650! you'd only need either some resistance or LDO (nano driver will handle that concept).

It's an interesting thought to burn in the LED to drop the VF a bit.. that'll net you some more lux from the UX1L solution you have now. 

Harry has some very special resistors.. I think they came from the space program or something.. the power level they are designed for is bewildering. 

-awr


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## Amonra (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Thanks for your suggestions HarryN , PM sent.

AWR good suggestion about 3xLuxV especially with X bins which seem to be becoming more common. will the fatflex be able to drive them ? The only problem i can forsee with luxV's is that i won't be able to get a good enough hotspot.


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## andrewwynn (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

i believe fatflex would work.. the beauty of multiple emitters... is that they fill in the holes .. betting that 3x LuxV you don't see a donuthoe.. anybody can confirm that? Fat flex i think can handle up to 24V vs 16V.. so no prolbemo if that's the case for 3-up LuxV. 

-awr


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## Long John (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Hello Amonra

My thoughts: 
I think you should stay at the U-bin solution. Specially underwater you need a good thrower. The more sidespill of the Lux V is imo waste energy and reduces the view (fog effect).
3xU-bins with McR 27 reflectors and a Fatman or N-flex is imo a very useful and efficient solution.

Best regards

_____
Tom


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## andrewwynn (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

oh.. another point.. when i was researching a dive-light.. i was looking into mixing in a royal blue emitter in the mix.. to get the color balance toward the colors that actually transmit through water. 

-awr


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## Amonra (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Ok it has been decided ( unless HarryN comes up with the prefect resistor/solution ) For this first prototype ( Steroid4V1 ) it will remain as is with 4 paralell 18650's and four paralell UX1L's DD no resistors as it is useless to try to fit something that does not, the high Vf of the leds will be allowed to go down with some usage ( it's already pulling about 2.5A now ). the magnetic reed switch will have an FET connected so there is no or very very little resistance. I might consider selling this unique piece to someone after it's finished but you are warned it does have a lot of character as someone wrote. A thanks goes to AWR for his help in the electronics as im totally ignorant.

The second prototype will largely depend on what will be available from the electronic side ( fatflex / UxxJ or Ubin K2's ) As for the body it will be pretty much similar except for the size ( will be a little longer ) and the tailcap lock as i will be using a different and much smaller locking mechanism ( practically invisible ).

I will start another thread ( in the proper forum ) when the machining is finished. so keep your eyes open for the Steroid4V2.


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## Amonra (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Oh .... there might be a possibility of having 27mm reflectors for better throw ( although some sidespill is still very useful ) and maybe a bluer/cooler tint led if available for the transmittion through water.

All suggestions will be considered.


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## HarryN (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Hi - I tried to send a PM, but it didnt' work, so if you do not mind, I will answer here.

For information on resistor sizes, go to www.newark.com. They sell everything and have a great paper and on line catalog.

A 1206 resistor is normally rated for approx. 0.125 watts and is approx 1mm x 3 mm long. The 0.125 watt ones are really cheap in modest qty, and a great place to practice your soldering skills. (I cannot do it - too much coffee)

The 1206 resistors I have can handle over 10 watts, BUT - heat is heat, and watts are watts - it still has to go somewhere. The smaller the resistor, the harder it is to remove heat. From a practical perspective, if the resistor is routinely burning more than 2 watts, you will not be happy with your light.

I would try to pick up some lower Vf LEDs (even T bins) Lux IIIs - such as J and stay in your full parallel setup.

The post above related to side spill from a Lux V is dead on - nice above water - a pain under water (and that is with just my limited 10 meter diving)

Nice project.

HarryN


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## andrewwynn (May 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

if you can fit 27mm rerflectors.. that is not a bad idea.. you get some useful spill from an IMS27.. and if you have 3 or 4 of them.. the overlapping beams will smooth out the weird center circle. 

-awr


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## Amonra (May 26, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

HarryN: Thanks for your input. so resistors are not a good idea unless they are dissipating a small amount. thus in my case, not the case.

awr: i can fit them no problem... just make the head bigger in the second proto the only problem is how much bigger it will get as i do have some limitations on how big i can machine


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## andrewwynn (May 26, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Mike if it helps i can generate models for you.. i have 3D models of Lux emitters and all IMS reflectors.

awr


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## Amonra (May 26, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Thanks That would be nice but just the dimensions including the total height with emitters and total height with stars will be fine too


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## Amonra (May 26, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Will they be good for K2 emitters too ( just in case i can get some ) ? would the total height be the same with K2 emitters ?


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## Amonra (Jun 19, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Does anyone know what happened to AWR as i'm still waiting for him to send me the required FET to finish my creation. i tried e-mailing him but recieved no reply so far.


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## andrewwynn (Jun 20, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

email sent.. FETs coming soon.. sorry about the delay i want to see this light operational! 

-awr


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## mpf (Jun 25, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*



Amonra said:


> Ok it has been decided ( unless HarryN comes up with the prefect resistor/solution ) For this first prototype ( Steroid4V1 ) it will remain as is with 4 paralell 18650's and four paralell UX1L's DD no resistors as it is useless to try to fit something that does not, the high Vf of the leds will be allowed to go down with some usage ( it's already pulling about 2.5A now ). the magnetic reed switch will have an FET connected so there is no or very very little resistance......



If you are using a FET for a switch you might be interested in the Current controlled linear buck regulator I have build using a 0.05 ohm current sense resistor and micro controller to control 2.45A and give 5 levels of brightness.
matthew


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## Amonra (Jun 26, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Thanks but i would like to have at least 850-900mA going to each LED


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## mpf (Jun 28, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*



Amonra said:


> Thanks but i would like to have at least 850-900mA going to each LED


A smaller resistor will give more max current. Eg 0.025 will give about 5 amps. The real limit is the power dissipation in the Fet, about 6W in free air (insided the torch) more if the the torch body is used as its heat sink.
matthew


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## andrewwynn (Jun 28, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

i routinely put as much as 10W on the model FETs that are headed to Malta... you will want to have them heat-sinked to the body if there is any appreciable vDrop on the FET but i think that this is a 'direct drive' situation where the vF is lower than vBat anyhow.

oh ps.. i sent a couple tiny FETs that are like 3A max you can play with as a bonus. 

-awr


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## mpf (Jun 28, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*



andrewwynn said:


> ....
> but i think that this is a 'direct drive' situation where the vF is lower than vBat anyhow.
> 
> -awr



What was I was suggesting was a 'regulated direct drive' where the FET holds back the initial high battery voltage and hence disapates power. This gives you the best of both worlds. A regulated brightness and the long tail of direct drive. No sudden cutoff as the batteries fade which I think would be important for a dive light.
matthew


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## andrewwynn (Jun 28, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

that's what i figured.. but he's already got vBat lower than VF. the next version will have a boost driver from what i understand. 

-awr


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## Amonra (Jun 28, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*



andrewwynn said:


> that's what i figured.. but he's already got vBat lower than VF. the next version will have a boost driver from what i understand.
> 
> -awr



Yep it will. that is if i finish this one and the electronics become available


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## Amonra (Jul 5, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Ok i recieved the FET and fitted it according to instructions but there is a small problem.
The led's do not turn completely off but emit a small amount of light as soon as the batteries are connected. when it is turned on and off again the light does not turn off immidiately but slowly diminishes but still not until completely off. when i touch the tracks of the board near the FET the lights diminish faster but still not completely off and when i take my finger off again it goes back to the level it was before i touched the tracks and continues to slowly diminish from then on. 

What is going on ? there must be some leak within the FET ? 

Help please. Thanks


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## mpf (Jul 5, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

Try putting a resistor (100K) between the gate and the drain of the fet.
I have not seen the circuit but I from what you describe it sounds like the charge stored on the FET's gate is keeping it turned on a little.


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## Amonra (Jul 7, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

thanks, ill try that


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## Amonra (Jul 7, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

here's the circuit diagram:


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## Amonra (Jul 10, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

The 100K resistor worked and everything is working fine now.

So it is now finally finished and it's Great!! it's only drawing 2.4A at the moment but as the LED's burn in it should start drawing more and become brighter but as it is it beats my Barbolight U-09 hands down. have a look:

Edited: see first post


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## andrewwynn (Jul 10, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

you can do like henry suggests.. 24 hr burn-in will drop Vf of LEDs.. do you have any drivers or a bench power supply that you can do that with? i'm not sure at 600mA is high enough.. you could however.. disconnect two of the emitters and run 4 bat to 2 emitters to hard-charge those LEDs to burn them in a bit. 

Did you hook the 100k resistor from gate to source or gate to drain (to drain should have the effect of keeping the light on always).. unless you short the reed to ground to turn it off. 

-awr


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## Amonra (Jul 10, 2006)

*Re: Mt First Creation: Steroid 4-A Dive Light-tested to 445ft-Comparison shots added*

I have no driver or power supply, so i guess ill let normal usage do the work. I hooked the 100k resistor from gate to drain and it worked great.


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## Long John (Jul 10, 2006)

Hello Amonra

Great light:goodjob:

Congratulations:twothumbs

Best regards

_____
Tom


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## Amonra (Jul 21, 2006)

Tomorrow is a big day for the Steroid4. The final test will be performed tomorrow.

I will be going diving twice tomorrow. 

The first dive will be in the morning in the most beautiful dive site in the Maltese Islands, it is full of caves so that will be the first test for the Steroid4, we will go down to about 45 meters and dive time should be about an hour.

The second dive will be a night dive, this will be the second test most important for the Steroid4. Location is yet unknown but we should be going down to about 15 meters and for about 1.5 hours.

I will take photos of everything including output before and output after the night dive.

Will most probably post everything on Sunday.


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## HarryN (Jul 22, 2006)

Man that thing is bright. Nice work.

AWR - just for fun here - my name is HARRY not Henry. :laughing:


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## Timson (Jul 22, 2006)

UNDERWATER BEAMSHOTS !!   

:goodjob: 

Tim.


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## andrewwynn (Jul 22, 2006)

whoops.. mea culpa .. yeah,. Harry.. not Henry.. must have been pretty late out when i posted that :-D


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## Amonra (Jul 24, 2006)

The test has been done and I have some good and bad news.

First with the bad news: My camera gave out so no underwater beam shots sorry  and the bare aluminum became a dull grey and there is a white powder on some parts after a whole day in contact with sea water.

Now for the good news: in the first dive the beam was still visible even in the light of day, probably reflecting from the particles in the water.
the night dive is when the Steroid4 really stands out. underwater it is about double the brightness of the U-09 and as seen fom a by stander standing outside the water ( kind of a sabre shot ) the throw is greater than the U-09 too. the side spill is great and lights up a wide area. after a 1.5 hour dive the output did not diminish at all. The switch worked perfectly with no problems. The light got a bit warm outside of the water but underwater it remained nice and cool. Needless to say that no water entered the light in both dives. 

All in all im extremely happy with the performance as it performed better than i expected. the only thing i disliked was the corrosion, but there is no anodizers in Malta, do you guys know of some kind of paint for aluminum ?


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## andrewwynn (Jul 24, 2006)

i think you can paint with clear enamel, or maybe lacquer? most of the brass door hardware i've worked with is treated that way and it keeps it nice and shiny w/o maintenance.. it would of course scratch off where it was bumped etc, but it would work ok. 

You might want to figure out what corrosion is going on there.. you had steel and aluminum.. dissimilar metals and salt water often make a battery.. so make sure you aren't dissolving your light by having an anode and cathode.

sounds nice, i knew it would perform well. 

-awr


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## Amonra (Sep 12, 2006)

I'm gonna be selling the Steroid 4 so that i can have the funds for the new prototype. if anyone is interested please PM me.


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## tino_ale (Sep 13, 2006)

Wow, very unique light you're selling!

Are you raising funds to build a new one in... Titanium ? :naughty: That would be a amazing dive light!


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## Amonra (Sep 13, 2006)

Yep quite unique....the only one in the world in fact........looking for a caring owner........at a good price too !

I wish i could make it out of titanium but the material cost alone would be close to $1000. i used a 12" x 3" solid rod of aluminum to build this one. a solid rod of titanium 8" x 2" costs $525. and the next one im building will be a bit larger.


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## Amonra (Sep 15, 2006)

*NOW FOR SALE: My First Creation: Steroid 4 Dive Light Tested 445ft*

The Price is $320 shipped anywhere via airmail, insurance extra.
Unfortunately i cannot recieve paypal payments so i guess it's gonna have to be Western Union Money Transfer or something similar.
PM me if interested.

Thanks

First post edited


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## Archangel (Sep 19, 2006)

So what was the final result? 2.4A to four U-bins in IMS 20s run off of four 18650s in parallel, so i'm assuming a solid three hours of high output?


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## Amonra (Sep 19, 2006)

it's actually pulling more now about 2.9A if i'm not mistaken, however i have noticed that the batts i have are reaching 5V after 1 hour of cooling so i guess it's actually pulling even more.

I did not test it for total runtime but i used it for 1.5 hours during a dive and it remained as bright as it started. but i guess 3 hours of high output should be about right.


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## Amonra (Sep 30, 2006)

*Re: Now on auction in aid of LifeNRA - Mt First Creation: Steroid 4 Dive Light Test445ft*

This unique piece is now on auction in aid of LifeNRA here https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1618546#post1618546

First post updated


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## chesterqw (Sep 30, 2006)

if you ever build a new one, how about one which has 5 k2, running at full spec of 1500ma each?

that will be at least 550 lumen with the led being able to handle the hottest temperature.


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## crampedson (Sep 30, 2006)

That's some sweet chunk of aluminium!
This is what CPF is all about...


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## Amonra (Sep 30, 2006)

chesterqw said:


> if you ever build a new one, how about one which has 5 k2, running at full spec of 1500ma each?
> 
> that will be at least 550 lumen with the led being able to handle the hottest temperature.



One ( actually 2 ) that's even better than 5 k2's at full specis in the works

crampedson: thanks a lot


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## Coffae (Jun 4, 2013)

Nice work, now you need to build a camera that can withstand 445 feet so you can show us some UW pics. Did you ever figure out what the white stuff is on the body? Is it dried salt, or some sort of erosion?


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