DIY Headtorch

[Dynamo Dan]

I'm happy enough with my Alpkit Gamma, but I was wondering if anyone on the forum had attempted anything like this 500 lumen bad boy:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ulti...-lumens-with-/

If only I had a shed...

[haworth hobbler]

500 lumens is only moderately powerful these days, there are many double or triple with that output. the guff says that the blue/green light is the most sensitive wavelength our eyes see. BUT it's a shite colour to use, a kind of sickly colour you may see on a friday night late on in town. stuff that, the new gen of head light is white, much more user friendly.

[ifor]

This is what I have been using for training runs for about a year. 500+ Lumens avalible at 100g. I am useing it for the smaller Night Orientearing events this year as well as I have decided running with my big light makes my navigation worse so it's only for big races and the MTB now.
Here are some build pictures.

And here is the big light 2000+ Lumens avalible.....

[Baggins]

I have decided running with my big light makes my navigation worse so it's only for big races and the MTB now.

Interesting Ifor, why's that? Is it from an Orienteering point of view ie light bounce back off trees/vegitation or ruining your night vision for getting a sense of where you are ( the brightness of the torch blacks out anything outside its beam)

[ifor]

Interesting Ifor, why's that? Is it from an Orienteering point of view ie light bounce back off trees/vegitation or ruining your night vision for getting a sense of where you are ( the brightness of the torch blacks out anything outside its beam)

I think that on easyer terain which is used for most of the Night O events I do the big light made me lazy I could get slopy on the aproach to the controll and get close and still spot the flag. Once I was in realy technical terain and I did 2 events like that last year I was still slopy and the big light was no help I ended up very lost and had a realy hard time relocating. 2 easy terain Night events this year I have been perfectly good with the small light (with a bigger battery than this used for training). It's still far brighter than an old style 20W halogen.

[Baggins]

It's still far brighter than an old style 20W halogen.

yes 500 Lumens is still pretty bright

[wheezing donkey]

I knew that Ifor would be along sooner or later to sort out this thread. Must admit that this is something that I should get into - maybe in 12 months or so, when I retire.
Problem is, it's the sort of hobby for dark winter nights in the workshop - when you want to be out on the fell with the lamp. PLUS, it seems to be somewhat inappropriate to be tinkering in the workshop on a fine summer evening, when you could be out on a sunny ( or not so sunny ) fell side!!

[cofi_Mynydd]

@ifor: can you post a schematic of that?

Thanks,

Mei

[ifor]

Driver was based off this thread some of the component values have changed a bit for my version but it's the same sort of scheme. I have it coded up in C rather than the assembeler showen in the thread and my own UI.