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Ultra-powerful headlamp using LEDs?

I am looking to make or buy an ultra-powerful head/helmet lamp for nighttime in-line skating. It requires lots of light for safety reasons and because skate wheels are small and tend to trip on unseen things while zipping along.

Please feel free to correct, but (if you can find them) I suppose three Cree XLamp XR-E 175 lumens LEDs would cost at least $50 by themselves (what I paid for the Coleman 530 lumens LED spotlight at Academy Sports and Outdoors). The spotlight includes all of the necessary components, and I might end up dissecting the thing. Hopefully the Sealed Lead Acid battery will work in a fanny pack, otherwise maybe I will use a spare 14.4 V cordless drill battery through a 12 V regulator. I suppose a NiCad battery is more expensive but generally better than SLA. Lots of possibilities for making a very high-powered helmet lamp. My first effort was using a Brinkmann dual xenon. I probably should have used both lights instead of cutting the dual reflector in half, but then there is the runtime issue. Lots of heat too, and then replacement bulbs.

The Coleman LED spotlight is supposed to be 530 lumens with a long run time. I am guessing that it does put out some bright light but that it will be bluish. Anybody care to guess how long those LEDs will last? From reading, I get the impression that good heat sinking is important to high-power LED lifetime.

FWIW. I was also considering maybe trying to find a dimmable compact fluorescent floodlight/spotlight and hook it up to my 36 V lithium ion battery. But besides being somewhat difficult to find, I do not know whether it would start up or how much light would be emitted at 36 V. I use compact florescent lights at home and they all look great to me.

Thanks.

Reply to
John Doe
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If you don't mind using compact fluorescent lights (I dunno... if you fall while skating and they're strapped to your head, I sure hope you have decent eye protection) would you consider using a 12V battery + a

75 watt inverter to generate 110V?

I've seen inverters like this for about $9 at Ross.

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Not dimmable though. Is that an absolute requirement?

Michael

Reply to
Michael

That inverter is certainly light enough, maybe efficient enough. I guess the question would be whether that adaptation would produce a high power spotlight for normal use.

No, I thought maybe the 36 V battery would be more likely to work with a dimmable CFL (and produce lots of light).

Reply to
John Doe

You might want to check out the headlamps that cavers use. (No, that's not "spelunkers"... spelunkers are the yahoos that use an old flashlight they "just found in the glove compartment". Cavers are the ones who rescue them.)

These tend to be pricey, since reliability is a life-or-death issue here... they need to be waterproof and grit-proof, as well as really rugged. And cavers typically go for less brightness and longer battery life for "normal" caving, and just use the high-brightness ranges as needed. But you might get some ideas.

Also check out the headlamps that sportsmen use. These will be much cheaper (hunters don't tend to crawl through as much mud, if they can help it!), and should be available at sporting goods stores like Cabela's.

Best regards,

Bob Masta DAQARTA v4.51 Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis

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Reply to
Bob Masta

How about a flare suspended from a parachute?

Realistically, how easy will it be to see small blemishes in the ground surface with a fast-moving light attached to a skater?

Bicycling at night, a 5W light is often enough; maybe two

3W headlamp gizmos, one strapped to each wrist, will do?
Reply to
whit3rd

I use 140 mm front wheels.

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Being able to see larger obstacles from a distance is important. Getting a general idea of the terrain from a distance is also very important. When in-line skating, familiarity with the terrain is everything.

Reply to
John Doe

Try over at

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The Fenix lights have embedded DC-DC converters. I keep one now as my toolbag light, one for general purpose around the house, and a smaller AAA on the keychain. Not cheap but I've been happy with them.

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Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA
Reply to
Rich Webb

Very bright, almost normal white to my eyes. Extremely concentrated/narrow beams with a very dim surrounding light.

The LED modules are surface mounted (looks like six contacts) on a T-shaped circuit board. That circuit board is screwed onto a large heatsink with white thermal paste/foam in between. The LED circuit board has only two inputs, plus and minus. The heatsink is 3 1/2" diameter x 3/8" thick.

To take the thing apart, just pop off the front and back parts of the handle and unscrew.

Reply to
John Doe

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