# if you could build an ideal headlamp...



## robostudent5000 (May 10, 2011)

if you had the resources to build an ideal headlamp, with current technological constraints, what would it look like? please list what features it would have, battery config, and use.

mine would be a Zebra style AA IP68 body with a H51 head and a H50 head stacked like a totem pole, neutral XM-L in both. want the H51 head to be semi floody like the Thrunite Neutrons. levels at 120 lm, 40 lm, 15 lm, 1 lm, current control on all levels. 8+ hours at 40 lm on an Eneloop. button on the side of the heads instead of the top. and a secure holder.

main uses are backpacking, night hiking, yardwork, home repair, and occasional auto repair.

Edit: searched and found some old threads from 2007 with the same topic. interesting to read them 4 years later.


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## offroadcmpr (May 10, 2011)

I would want it to run off of 4AA batteries, have a flood like the zebralights, but then also have a more spotty beam I could turn on to see things more in the distance. Levels at around 200+ lumens, 120 lumens, 60 lumens, and about 20 lumens. But I could also probably do without the 120 lumen level.


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## vtunderground (May 10, 2011)

Think Petzl Pixa 3 on crack.

Two neutral Cree XP-Gs, one for flood (either bare, or behind a 120-degree bubble optic - I want a WIDE flood!), and one behind a spot optic. Controlled by a rotary switch, with settings for a few different brightness of flood and spot. Maybe 300 lumens max. Totally waterproof head with ample heatsinking.

Waterproof hard plastic rear battery pack with 2x18650.

Must be easily bolted to a caving helmet.


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## Bolster (May 10, 2011)

Wish: 

A floody high-CRI zebralight style headlamp that's threaded, sort of like the front of a camera lens where the filter attaches. This would allow attachment of various filters on and off the light...various colors, various lenses, to focus, defocus, spread or narrow the beam as desired, add a little warm or cool, etc. This would also open a secondary market for some entrepreneur, or ZL, to create these customized filters. Or, could use small-lens filters already on the market. Basically a ZL type lamp that allows user configuration by a planned method for beam modification. 

Every flashololic wants to customize there light to suit their tastes...why not just design that into the light? Surefire, for instance, is putting out lights with lots of filter options. Say I filter a light for a 30 degree warm beam for this application, or a 120 degree beam but red for night adaptation for another, or a "telephoto" lens for a 5-degree spot for a third. By carrying just a few filters I could have a whole range of light options. 

Although I would settle for a 2xAA Zebralight.


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## Bolster (May 10, 2011)

Oops, double post removed.


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## gcbryan (May 10, 2011)

Waterproof (2) CR123 or (2) AA (including lithium) XP-G (with OP reflector or great quality TIR with diffused edges) with pop down diffuser (or separate, efficient flood emitters) and infinite brightness setting (or useful spacing of low/med/hi) via single button which should be easy to locate. Plastic for light weight and relatively cheap. High would be 100 lumens. Battery compartment would be part of light (not rear mounted).

Batteries should be easily replaced in the dark with cold fingers. Battery condition indicator, lockout, and red led are all nice to have as is regulation to 50% battery power.

Should either start on low or have light level and mode memory. Should have a red led mode as well. Case should not be translucent so there is no glare in the users eyes. Pop down diffuser should be designed for no glare as well.


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## CarpentryHero (May 11, 2011)

Something like the spy00 series but on the side of my head. 
It have three emitters, one behind an aspheric lens xpe probably 150 lumens, the second an XML for a nise floody beam with a high 400 lumens and low 15 lumens. The third a high cri with a high of 200ish lumens and a low of .1 lumens

Thatd be da bomb like tik tik. maybe USB rechargeable so I could car charge it off the same plug in as my iPhone by swapping cords


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## gcbryan (May 15, 2011)

deleted: my earlier post says it all


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## ringzero (May 17, 2011)

Waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

Buck-boost converter with constant current regulation.

Small, lightweight, well-padded head.

Switches on non-pivoting part of head.

Main pushbutton switch for simple low, medium, high sequence. Secondary pushbutton for momentary boost mode, similar to Petzl TikaXP.

Sliding diffuser lens similar to Petzl TikaXP.

Cord with waterproof connector running from head to removable 2AA battery pack on back of headband.

Additional optional waterproof battery packs including 1 meter cords with waterproof connectors, for belt or pocket carry. Optional belt battery packs should be available in 2AA and 4AA, and maybe even 2D and 4D.

.


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## gcbryan (Jun 11, 2011)

I'll modify my original post. I'm OK with 3 AAA batteries if it keeps the unit small and light weight as long as lithium batteries are one of the choices.

A spot beam with no artifacts and perhaps a little diffusion (whatever it takes to be pleasing). Max of 75 lumens is fine. Flood to 75 lumens as well with same efficiency (doable...just a little more money).

A beam that tilts rather than the whole headlamp therefore controls are fixed against the head. A knob on the left to control the tilt and a knob on the right to control most of the other functions.

Turn on and the red led comes on, there is a detent here and a 1 second delay so if you keep turning the red led doesn't come on. ..then you would get low to high brightness and another detent...after that a beacon (slow strobe).

There would be a small sliding switch on the headlamp as well. Up for spot and down for flood. You would probably leave it alone most of the time.

The flood lights would be as bright and as efficient as the spot so no penalty regarding your choice and the red LED would be just bright enough to hike under perfect conditions (about like the current XP2).

If it was too expensive for the efficient flood LEDs then a backup choice would be a sliding diffuser although a true flood beam is much more pleasant. 

This unit would be waterproof and regulated as well. The plastic housing would be totally opaque even with the light on.


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## JA(me)S (Jun 11, 2011)

Bolster said:


> Wish:
> 
> A floody high-CRI zebralight style headlamp that's threaded, sort of like the front of a camera lens where the filter attaches. ...
> 
> Although I would settle for a 2xAA Zebralight.



I'm with you Bolster; I'd love to see a 2xAA ZebraLight with the filter system you wish for...

- Jas.


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## carrot (Jun 11, 2011)

I suspect mine would be an awful lot like somewhere between the Spy 007 Tri-V and the Saint Minimus. Super quick access to several flood and spot output levels and mixes of both via a knob, the ability to take either a CR123 or an AA without a body swap, and weighing in under 5oz.


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## gcbryan (Jun 11, 2011)

carrot said:


> I suspect mine would be an awful lot like somewhere between the Spy 007 Tri-V and the Saint Minimus. Super quick access to several flood and spot output levels and mixes of both via a knob, the ability to take either a CR123 or an AA without a body swap, and weighing in under 5oz.


 
Good point. I guess if I really got what I wanted it would be separate knobs for flood and for spot that could be used at the same time. Custom lighting!

Another option I would settle for would simply be something like the Storm but that was programmable. It's done even in (some) cheap flashlights (Akoray) and in headlamps it's done in Petzls MYO RXP.

This would solve a lot of problems and let everyone choose their own levels and the order in which they come on.

I would even settle for the Storm without a separate flood emitter but with a pull-down diffuser like the XP2 has. That would solve most of the annoying aspects of the Storm.


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## B0wz3r (Jun 12, 2011)

For me it would be two lights, one on each side of my head... I get tunnel vision pretty bad with a regular headlamp, especially on high. Side mounted lights greatly reduce this tendency for me.

-Each would be mounted on a friction based ball and socket pivot, so they could be adjusted individually, not only for up-down and left-right, and you could also elevate or lower them slightly as well.

-Threaded bezels to take filters or diffusers, and each would be self contained, and run off 1xAA. An optional external battery pack would be available that would connect via a Y cable in place of the tail caps.

-Have an OP reflector, but with a threaded bezel, there'd be an adjustable TIR or aspheric style lens that would be focusable, so you could go from flood to throw. You could mount or unmount the focusable lens as you wish because it works on the threaded bezel.

-An infinitely variable UI, a-la a magnetic ring or the like, with a tail-switch for on-off so there'd be no parasitic drain. This would make adjusting the level while wearing them easier than doing the half-press button dance...

-Neutral white, about 4500K, and with a CRI of 90+.

-An adjustable headband, with a center strap that would go side to side instead of front to back.


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## srfreddy (Jun 12, 2011)

A Minimus, with nice high-CRI XML behind a medium frosted optic, and 18650.


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## ryguy24000 (Jun 13, 2011)

since headlamps are attached to the head I want one that uses brainwaves for power and UI. I think and it changes modes/on/off. It would also change color with a simple thought.


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## MikeAusC (Jun 15, 2011)

ryguy24000 said:


> . . . . . I want one that uses brainwaves for power . . . . . . .


 
Hmmm, you'll be spending a lot of time in the dark.


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## robostudent5000 (Jun 15, 2011)

ryguy24000 said:


> since headlamps are attached to the head I want one that uses brainwaves for power and UI. I think and it changes modes/on/off. It would also change color with a simple thought.


 
the key phrase in the original post was "current technology".


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## gcbryan (Jun 15, 2011)

Plus it's just overkill 

It reminds me of a book Bill Gates wrote 15 years ago I guess...I forgot the name. He is talking about features in a modern house. I guess his personal house may be as he described.

He talked about how the refrigerator would remember when you used the milk and would automatically reorder electronically. As a practical matter though you can imagine why it's not being currently produced. I don't want my refrigerator ordering food and I don't want to have to replace my refrigerator every few years like people seem to do with personal computers. It's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist 

How about just produce a headlamp with a nice beam that is appropriate for the task at hand


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## JCK (Jun 15, 2011)

JA(me)S said:


> I'm with you Bolster; I'd love to see a 2xAA ZebraLight with the filter system you wish for...
> 
> - Jas.



+2 That would be a very good headlamp setup for sure, I'd buy one.



gcbryan said:


> ...the refrigerator would remember when you used the milk and would automatically reorder electronically...


 
I'm pretty sure something similar to that exists, "internet fridges". You can order groceries and not even have to leave your house. I think some of them can even keep an inventory list of whats in the fridge and remind you when its low.


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## ryguy24000 (Jun 17, 2011)

Current technology? Dosen't that wheelchair scientist dude use brainwaves to talk? drive wheelchair?


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## gcbryan (Jun 17, 2011)

ryguy24000 said:


> Current technology? Dosen't that wheelchair scientist dude use brainwaves to talk? drive wheelchair?



The wheelchair isn't powered by his brain however. He actually has the use of one finger for speech but he can move the wheelchair by thinking "forward" or whatever but it required sensors to be on his body.


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## Photonrunner (Jun 17, 2011)

robostudent5000 said:


> if you had the resources to build an ideal headlamp, with current technological constraints, what would it look like? please list what features it would have, battery config, and use.
> 
> mine would be a Zebra style AA IP68 body with a H51 head and a H50 head stacked like a totem pole, neutral XM-L in both. want the H51 head to be semi floody like the Thrunite Neutrons. levels at 120 lm, 40 lm, 15 lm, 1 lm, current control on all levels. 8+ hours at 40 lm on an Eneloop. button on the side of the heads instead of the top. and a secure holder.
> 
> ...



Mine would be an H501 AAA Neutral flood XML optimised for Eneloop's but compatible with 10440's.


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## robostudent5000 (Jun 17, 2011)

Photonrunner said:


> Mine would be an H501 AAA Neutral flood XML optimised for Eneloop's but compatible with 10440's.


 
oohh... you're the first one wanting a 1xAAA format. that light would be tiny and ultra light. come to think of it, i would really like having an angle head version of a Fenix E05. i think that would be my ideal backup.


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## gcbryan (Jun 17, 2011)

robostudent5000 said:


> oohh... you're the first one wanting a 1xAAA format. that light would be tiny and ultra light. come to think of it, i would really like having an angle head version of a Fenix E05. i think that would be my ideal backup.



Didn't ITP make a headlamp version of the A3 like that?

I think it would be interesting if it had a 5 lumen low at a wide wide angle. Almost no weight and a personal moon following you around outside at night with a decent run time.


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## robostudent5000 (Jun 17, 2011)

gcbryan said:


> Didn't ITP make a headlamp version of the A3 like that?



yeah, the H01. but it had weird levels and a bad beam for a headlamp. the Fenix E05 really hits the sweet spot with the right amount of output for a trail and the floody beam.




gcbryan said:


> I think it would be interesting if it had a 5 lumen low at a wide wide angle. Almost on weight and a personal moon following you around outside at night with a decent run time.



"personal moon". i like that.


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## robostudent5000 (Jun 17, 2011)

double post.


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## Cypher_Aod (Jun 18, 2011)

My ideal headlamp would basically be a Zebralight H51w but with a side-by-side 2xAA body, and a Sunwayman/Jetbeam/nitecore style magnetic control ring with "infinite" brightness adjustment.

maybe instead of a button at the top/side like current zebralights have it could be a knob with press for on/off and twist for brightness?

Emitter of choice would be a 3000k 90-CRI XP-G or even better, a 3000k 90-CRI XM-L if/when they become available.


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## Ralph_S (Jul 8, 2011)

There are lots of good ideas above.

8-AA belt-mount battery case. 
4-AA headband-mount battery case. 
Easy to disable power so no parasitic battery drain, and no chance of accidentally turning on in pack. 
On/off and brightness controllable remotely, through a jack.

600+ lumens if 8-AA battery case used. Why? Because I said so, that's why!  Seriously, all of the reasons for which customers may want bright flashlights, also may apply to headlamps.
Thermally stable at full power. If not possible, then thermal sensing to throttle power when necessary.
Neutral color.

USB-2 jacks or telephone line cord jacks (without clips) near head and battery cases. Durable, easy to find and do-it-yourself, and unplug fairly easily if yanked by accident. Modular is good. 
Straight cables for battery case on headband and for battery case on belt, unless telephone line cord jacks used, in which case coiled cable would be easy enough to stretch. [To fit my head, I would like an extra inch (3 cm) in length of cable to headband battery pack, over length of Myo XP cable.]

Diffuser as on Petzl Myo RXP and MYO XP, or variable focus. A bit quicker to operate than Petzl Tikka XP diffuser.
No glare into eyes or glasses from diffuser or head.
All rigid plastic parts made of polycarbonate or comparable "unbreakable" material.
Optional thin strap over top of head, from front to back (where the weight is). Thin because the top strap would not have to bear much weight, and because it would pack smaller.
Headband circumference adequate to accommodate large heads or helmets.
Comfortable like Myo XP.
Head able to tilt down a full 90 degrees, and to stay at chosen angle.

Intermittent modes (strobe, SOS) separate from the regular brightness sequence; maybe with help of a second button.
Regulated, with ability to handle wide range of input voltages. Long moon mode.
"Continuous" brightness adjustment, or many intermediate levels. Low low.
Programmability nice but not required. Alternatively, ability to start on high or low. As an example, the Photon Freedom Micro gives a lot of control with just one button.

No more than $175. Put a lot of thought into the design so many will sell, and the price can come down.


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## Groundhog (Jul 8, 2011)

My complaint would be that for my main purpose every headlamp has one main flaw. It is a danger to my head.

For biking it is a no-no to even wear a headlamp. A helmet isn't safety tested for a light and adding one compromises your helmet and adds a dangerous metal object into a head first crash.

Now, I generally don't wear a helmet but it's no safer attaching a light to an unprotected head. I would prefer to wear my H51 as a headlight but I have it mounted on the bike now. Just a couple days ago I was rounding a turn at night and thought I saw a cat on the path. After I rounded the turn I saw it was a skunk. With a headlamp I could have ID'd the critter earlier. I didn't get sprayed but it was 10 feet away from me with it's tail high in the air. Another foot or two and I would have been taking a tomato juice bath.
:eeew:


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## DisrupTer911 (Jul 8, 2011)

I have a feeling most helmet mounted lights would break free on a head on collision with something.

I'd rather have high power on my head and 2 floods on my handlebars but that's just me.


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## ryguy24000 (Jul 8, 2011)

DisrupTer911 said:


> I have a feeling most helmet mounted lights would break free on a head on collision with something.
> 
> I'd rather have high power on my head and 2 floods on my handlebars but that's just me.




I have just the opposite on my mountain bike. 2 high power on my bars. Quark 123 2Turbo and Fenix TK15. I have used many options on my helmet. Streamlights, Lenser h7, Energiser, ect. Don't worry about the head on collisions. If that happens you won't be worried about your light, your riding buddies will be worried about your head trauma for you!!


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## Groundhog (Jul 9, 2011)

I usually don't even ride with a helmet but most of the helmets now are a one crash type of item. After you knock them good once, that's it. They aren't built for repeated collisions. They sure aren't tested with a piece of metal and glass mounted to them. Mounting anything to your helmet usually invalidates the warranty.

Granted it would take a significant crash and just the right landing to cause a serious problem but it seems nobody even makes an attempt to overcome the issue. Too much risk introduced I suppose. One person crashes wrong and the company gets sued into oblivion.

I read a bike mag back in the 90's about the headlamp/crash issue with some horror stories told that probably put an overly cautious safety precaution in my head. As much as I like having a light on my head I just can't do it.


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## robostudent5000 (Jul 9, 2011)

so getting back on topic. Groundhog, are you saying that your ideal headlamp would be one that's integrated with a helmet?


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## Groundhog (Jul 9, 2011)

Maybe a headlamp encased in a big Nerf ball.

I don't know if breakaway even works - if you land directly on it you might get drain bamage.

I've got a prototype I've been working on, just need to mount a 2 AA in the red foam light holder and I should be good to go.







Rig up a couple beer cans on the side and I might even market it!


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## robostudent5000 (Jul 9, 2011)

dude, the title of this thread is "if you could build an ideal headlamp..."
it's not "tell us why headlamps don't work for cycling helmets." 
if you have an idea for a solution that would make headlamps and helmets work together, that would be great; 
but if you're just going to complain about why it won't work, you should start a different thread for that.

Edit: FYI, only the first two lines of Groundhog's post above was up when i posted my reply. with the two lines and the pic that he added after my post was made, my comments just seem unnecessarily harsh. maybe they were unnecessarily harsh regardless. i apologize for that.


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## Groundhog (Jul 9, 2011)

Well my only real need for a headlamp is for cycling. I am fairly content with the current selection and product performance.

What nobody seems to have done is address headlamp and bike helmet/head safety while biking. Seems a legit discussion for this thread. That's the ideal headlamp I would build - one that doesn't present an imminent threat to my noggin. Perhaps it just took me saying it 3 times in a variety of ways for you to understand. Maybe you should start a thread where you whine about other posters?


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## B0wz3r (Jul 9, 2011)

Groundhog said:


> My complaint would be that for my main purpose every headlamp has one main flaw. It is a danger to my head.
> 
> For biking it is a no-no to even wear a headlamp. A helmet isn't safety tested for a light and adding one compromises your helmet and adds a dangerous metal object into a head first crash.
> 
> ...


 
When cycling I actually use three lights: a floody light mounted on my bars with a two-fish block, aimed about 10' or so (give or take a foot or two), so I always have illumination directly in front of my bike. I also use two helmet mounted lights; my H51w under the visor for off-bike use, and my Q123^2 with an 18650 body on top of my helmet also mounted with a two-fish block. The Quark is pretty throwy, and I always set it to max, so it gives me good downrange light so I can see things farther away, and can use it on oblivious drivers if necessary.

With respect to additional risk from helmet mounting, I don't think it's that big of a deal. If you end up eating it, it's not going to be much different than if you smack a rock with your head, and if you get hit by a car, you're probably going to have serious bodily injuries that could endanger your life more than a head injury. 

Besides, a good helmet is supposed to self destruct when it's doing its job; it's taking the energy from the impact instead of your noggin. Now if your helmet is one of those ultralight super-vented things, yeah, I can see that a helmet mounted light might be a danger in a crash, but I don't have the budget or the need for such helmets; they only give you more ventilation and less protection for more money, where's the logic in that? I find that mid-range helmets, about $50, are the best balance of protection and features and weight. I have no worries that my Bell Metro helmet is going to protect my noggin in a crash, even with my lights on it. It's thicker and better built than helmets that cost twice as much, and that's what I like.


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## B0wz3r (Jul 9, 2011)

So to get back on topic...

I still like my idea best, a dual beam system with side mounted emitters that self contained single cell units that are independently adjustable. It would balance out the weight, provide better depth perception and less tunnel vision because of the side mounting, and you could set them for a wide field of view, or a narrow more throwy beam pattern. There wouldn't be any extra added height either.


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## robostudent5000 (Jul 9, 2011)

Groundhog said:


> What nobody seems to have done is address headlamp and bike helmet/head safety while biking. Seems a legit discussion for this thread. That's the ideal headlamp I would build - one that doesn't present an imminent threat to my noggin. Perhaps it just took me saying it 3 times in a variety of ways for you to understand. Maybe you should start a thread where you whine about other posters?



just to be clear, your first two posts make no mention of what you would do to make an ideal headlamp or even that you want a headlamp that works with a helmet. maybe you meant to, but in fact you didn't. you just stated that headlamps don't work safely with helmets without progressing the idea any further. so i was confused why you were complaining about helmet safety in a thread about creating ideal headlamps and was trying to get you on topic.

but to repeat what i wrote in my edit of my previous post, i apologize for being unnecessarily harsh in my previous post. it was harsh and unnecessarily so, and i apologize.

Edit: also wanted to add, although i wish that you had framed it differently and been clearer, thanks for bringing up the issue of headlamp/ helmet incompatibility as it pertains to the safe function of helmets. it is definitely pertinent to the issue of building an ideal headlamp for your use, and hasn't been addressed before IIRC.


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## joanne (Jul 11, 2011)

If I had the know-how I would build a lamp similar to this one that a friend of mine in the UK builds for mine exploration.







This one was built for his friend Claire. I'll be purchasing one from him in the not-too-distant future. It has a 3 mode spot, 3 mode flood, and two emergency superbright LEDs. I currently use an Apex Pro for mine exploring, but having seen one like this in action I just have to have one.

Complete details can be found here: http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/bbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4179&start=1

_*Joanne*_


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## Dude Dudeson (Jul 14, 2011)

For my purposes the whole thing would be integrated into a hat, baseball cap style.

There'd be thin lithium ion cells packed into the fabric with some kind of charge receptacle that a separate charger/wire plugs into. These would be toward the rear for counterbalancing whatever emmiter package was up front.

No straps/bands.

Just turn it on and toss it on the head.


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## B0wz3r (Jul 15, 2011)

Dude Dudeson said:


> For my purposes the whole thing would be integrated into a hat, baseball cap style.
> 
> There'd be thin lithium ion cells packed into the fabric with some kind of charge receptacle that a separate charger/wire plugs into. These would be toward the rear for counterbalancing whatever emmiter package was up front.
> 
> ...


 
How about a lithium polymer rechargeable cell integrated into the bill? That way the fabric would still be flexible and comfortable. Then, cover the bill with thin flexible film solar arrays hooked directly into the battery for recharging? That way the battery would recharge during the day while you're wearing the hat. You could also integrate a mini-usb port into the side of the bill as a way to charge it externally as well.

I'd want to put the LED's in series around the edge of the bill. A small electronic soft press switch could be integrated there as well. You could set it up so that it will light up varying numbers of the LED's, so you could go from one to all of them, and position them at intervals all the way around the edge of the bill so you could have forward light or peripheral light as needed.


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## B0wz3r (Jul 15, 2011)

Dude Dudeson said:


> For my purposes the whole thing would be integrated into a hat, baseball cap style.
> 
> There'd be thin lithium ion cells packed into the fabric with some kind of charge receptacle that a separate charger/wire plugs into. These would be toward the rear for counterbalancing whatever emmiter package was up front.
> 
> ...


 
How about a lithium polymer rechargeable cell integrated into the bill? That way the fabric would still be flexible and comfortable. Then, cover the bill with thin flexible film solar arrays hooked directly into the battery for recharging? That way the battery would recharge during the day while you're wearing the hat. You could also integrate a mini-usb port into the side of the bill as a way to charge it externally as well.

I'd want to put the LED's in series around the edge of the bill. A small electronic soft press switch could be integrated there as well. You could set it up so that it will light up varying numbers of the LED's, so you could go from one to all of them, and position them at intervals all the way around the edge of the bill so you could have forward light or peripheral light as needed.


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## hoongern (Jul 16, 2011)

My ideal headlamp would be 2 LEDs side by side, one XML flood (80 degree beam) and one throw (XPG maybe). A continuously variable level would be nice, but more often these tend to be PWM which is less efficient, so I guess 5 current regulated levels (<1lm, ~7lm, ~25lm, ~80lm, ~200lm) would be provided. (Or, alternatively, a programmable Liteflux/HDS-like system so you can set your own levels) However, a separate switch on the headlamp toggles between flood only, throw only, and flood+throw. (If we're talking IDEAL, I guess, I would love a "balance" knob which when turned to the left would be flood only, to the right - throw only, and in between, mixes the two, if it can be kept waterproof and reliable).

Personally, I don't like lots of weight, and since 2 LEDs with control circuitry are already on the head, I would opt for a rubberized waist battery pack which has swappable battery 'modules', probably regulated from 0.9-4.2V, so you'll have a choice of 1xAA, 2xAA*, 1xCR123, or 1x18650*, etc.. Of course, you can parallel batteries for 4xAA (2s2p), 2xCR123*, 2x18650*, etc. They could also supply their own pack if they wanted to.

Of course, all waterproof.

*My favorite battery sources


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## gcbryan (Jul 16, 2011)

I think I'd like something like the Zebralight H51 and H51f so two heads side by side on one body. I'm not a big fan of memory but in this case I'd like memory for the settings on each head and a separate switch for spot/flood/both.

Before you go on your hike you would determine the best level for spot and set that and the best level for flood and set that. The unit would remember those settings as you move the switch to s/p/b.

I'm finding out that 7 lumens flood and 7 lumens spot is good with the occasional bump up in spot to 28 lumens.

I can do this same thing with two units...one on the head (spot) and one worn around the neck/chest (flood). It would be nice to have this all in one unit. It ddesn't have to necessarily use more battery power. In the above case it's only 14 lumens combined.

The big advantage in those two lights with that combo is that the H51 doesn't put a lot of spill near your feet and the H51f doesn't provide a lot of detail in the area that you are looking. The combination does that. The flood also makes the hard cuf-off from spill to darkness on the H51 not as noticeable.


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## degarb (Jul 21, 2011)

This is easy. The $50 Remington 4hl (4 aa) was near perfection, except for a few things: The 4 aa is easily convertable to a single $8-$20 6 volt agm belt source (easily bought at any homedepot, walmart, or radio shack); instead of second part for red/blue leds just add a second emitter to boost efficiency, power, and beam quality (maybe an xml+R3 for throw, with at least one of these warm or high cri); include a higher quality batter holder that is easier to shut with better battery separation to avoid shorts; add a workday 10 hour drive level to the 4.5 and 20 hour drive levels; 


I would pay $100 for this light, based on my cost of hacking together 2 lights to get home made versions of this setup. And expect to supply my own agm batteries (100-200 cycles is plenty and well worth the $20 for large jobs). While the 4 aa is better for daily toting around in a toolbox/bag and less constant usage.


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