Nice of you to ask.
All is very well, the UniStar is looking good on test.
As its a fixed battery, I want to fit a charge level indicator. Although it runs for ever, its a peace of mind thing, if I fancy it I am sure that my customers will like it.
Funny thing, I tried Farnell and RS, and ended up back in China for them.

I can get some headsets converted ready for the circuit boards though. The last week I have been up at Nenthead.

I am knocking the old 3 lens unit on the head as its pointless. It does have a bit more throw but the UniStar is better for lighting up big stopes. In other words, a better compromise between throw and spill.

The powerful MagnumStar is awaiting more components. Its up to 1200 lumen with 5 Crees now on line, but I need to incorporate some intermediate settings. So SW 1 = Single Cree with mode settings. SW2 = 2 or 5 emitters set by flicking on and off as with the other switch position. Thats the target anyway.

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Good to hear about it again!

Is it the emitter that's enabling the better balance between throw and spill, or is it the reflector?

I can quite understand the logic in using twin emitters, with different optics - am I right in thinking your 460 lumen creation uses just the two emitters?

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Good to hear about it again!

Is it the emitter that's enabling the better balance between throw and spill, or is it the reflector?

I can quite understand the logic in using twin emitters, with different optics - am I right in thinking your 460 lumen creation uses just the two emitters?

It is the reflector, I was originally disappointed that it didn't have the throw of the 3 lens reflector, (remember that on max one emitter was off in that design) but now I think differently as I am sure others will. It’s probably due to comparisons underground; see my postings "Nenthead etc" on mine-explorer.
There has to be a balance between throw and spill and it’s easy to become ‘throw’ obsessed.

Yes Mr Vanoord you are correct in thinking this uses just 2 emitters, this and the change in design is what has enabled me to dump the front extension. My mission was to create a compact lamp at a price that anyone could reasonably afford; I feel that I have achieved this. The price will be £125 maximum, probably lower.
I have to assess the time in producing these in lots.

The secret of my lamps lies in the thermodynamics, as if everyone had not gathered that.

I shall have to get some kind of demo set up.

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Here is the latest update.

First, I am currently doing a production run of UniStars for sale.

The maximum output of this lamp is about 500 lumens and must represent remarkable value for money.

Switch position #1 Gives Low (75 lumen), Medium (150 lumen), Maximum (250 lumen), plus strobe and SOS.
Switch position #2 Gives second emitter at 250 lumens plus the first at any of the above settings.
Battery is 10 ampere hours at a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts.

Built on unused ex military (expired shelf life) Oldham headsets. Most look like brand new.
2 fully independent lighting circuits.
In emergency 'low battery' second switch position powers second LED only to save power.
Battery is very light and both the cells and the circuitry are solidly 'potted' in silicone, this makes it both extremely strong and watertight. There is nowhere for water to leak to!
Battery has 'failsafe' heat detect/over current disconnect protection in the event that accidental damage causes a short. Not that this is likely, the battery pack could stand a hammer blow!
Recharges through any standard Oldham 'through the headset' charger. A dedicated charger is available at £25
This incorporates a 'traditional' Oldham ammeter plus a modern mains power and on charge/charged LED display. It has the through the headset clip, plus a second connection lead for helmet mount.
The approximate burn times are about 4.5 hours at full power, 9.5 hours at single emitter maximum, or 14 to 16 hours at single emitter medium. This is the best and most popular mode for general use.

I have just duration tested the first to go out and on single emitter maximum it went for over 10 hours!

I have reduced the heatsink size from the original, so now it looks a bit neater.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-40867[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-40867[/linkphoto][/link]

Some spects compared to standard Oldham
Oldham headset is just under 200 grams, UniStar is just under 300, so it’s half as heavy again.
Oldham battery is over 2000 grams, UniStar battery is 300 grams
£100 plus post and packing wich should be about £7.

PLEASE SEND NO MONEY!
Just PM me with your indication of willingness to purchase and I will advise when your lamp is ready and invite payment. If no sale, it will go to next in the queue.

Next week I shall be looking at helmet mount batteries for this lamp and the WorkStar.


The MagnumStar has now been assembled, I have finally got my circuit right.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-40865[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-40865[/linkphoto][/link]

I have changed the way that the LED module attached to the leg of the thermal conductor. It is now by way of an M4 screw passing through a copper tube that conducts the heat.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-40866[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-40866[/linkphoto][/link]

The screw is by way of one of the 5 lens apertures of the 5 lens reflector unit, so the emitter sits on top of this with a secondary lens screwed in on top. This is the same lens as used in the UniStar and the emitter is the one that works on its own, with the usual range of settings for general use from SW1.

Switch position 2 will give all 5 on full, slightly overdriven the output is about 1250 lumens, or flicking it on and off gives a range of ‘power’ settings.

All 5 on full
4 on full and One on half power
2 on full and one on low power.

You also get the strobe and SOS that comes with the drivers, however there is a use to this as it indicates where you are on the mode range, full power is always after the slow on and off.

I also expect to get a working model of the Super MagnumStar on test. This should be interesting. The only thing here is that I have some reservations about what I am producing, as there is scope for misuse in a certain direction by virtue of the fact that so much light is available in a small package. I am thinking about a particular piece of equipment that I will not name on this public website, this would be possible to manufacture in a pocket size package. If anyone wants to know what I am talking about, PM me.

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I tested the MagnumStar underground in 3 mines this weekend, a slate mine, Ystrad Einion, and Goginan 26 fathom level; the upper adit. (Please note that the last is currently padlocked as I have one of my digging ops on the go in there and it’s a bit dodgy at the working end)

On single emitter mode, (SW1) the throw and spill were just right; it’s the same reflector as used in the UniStar.
On the power settings, (SW2) full power was totally amazing; this lamp is very much a ‘thrower’ and just the job for mines with high or big stopes. The mid power position gives 2 emitters at full, plus the first on low and proved a useful setting.

The intention is to fit it to a 8 volt 10 or 12.5 ampere hour battery made from a chopped down Oldham MF plastic case. It will have a built in voltmeter.

I shall be hopefully getting a 3 X D BIN P7 unit ready later this week.

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Look forward to seeing these in action Roy :thumbsup:

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I am aware of the interest and feel that it would be a good idea, when I have all of the models rounded out, to arrange a demonstration at say Cwmorthin, which is fairly convenient to most people.

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Here is the MagnumStar as finished.

Duplicate copies to ME and aditnow.

HEADSET

This has 5 X Cree Q5 emitters. The one that is in use most as a single lamp for normal use is driven at a comfortable 980 mA, the other 4 are in 2 series arrays and are overdriven at about 1060 mA each to give a maximum calculated light output of 1190 lumens

First switch position operates the single emitter by a lens that gives slightly more spill than the other 4, and has the usual low, medium and full mode settings plus stobe and SOS.

Switch position 2 will by flicking it on and off gives a range of ‘power’ settings.

All 5 on full
4 on full and one on half power
2 on full and one on low power.

You also get the strobe and SOS that comes with the drivers on just 2 of the other emitters; however there is a use to this as it indicates where you are on the mode range, full power is always after the slow on and off.

The lamp has 3 totally independent lighting circuits from 2 switch positions.

The weight of the headset is about 400 grams which is double that of the standard unmodified Oldham; however it is not really noticeable, at least not to me.

The power beam is a definite beam and has enormous throw, but also a reasonable amount of spill.

I have tested the lamp and its output is sustainable, after about 5 minutes large amounts of heat are being pumped out by the thermal conductor.

The front extension is made up from high pressure PVC pipe couplings designed for operation up to 15 psi. The original Oldham bezel is solvent welded to the extension, and the hexagon nut is likewise solvent welded to the headset. The only entry is by the high pressure joint which is sealed with silicone. The seal can be broken but takes some force, it then being necessary to clean away the old silicone and make a new seal. The thermal conductor is 12mm diameter and passes down inside the lamp for a distance of 20mm where there is a flat machined into it where the LED module is firmly seated with a 4mm screw. The thermal unit is secured by a nut and silicone waterproof seal.

BATTERY

The battery is made from a recycled Oldham MF battery case, cut down to about 40% of its original height and the bottom closed by a solvent welded piece of the same blue PVC material. It delivers 12.5 ampere hours at a nominal voltage of 7.4 volts (8.4 volts off the charger), and is made up of 10 18650 Lithium Ion cells in 2 parallel arrays connected together in series by way of a self resetting fuse. The cells are solidly potted in silicone, the whole being both waterproof and shock proof.

There is a digital battery voltage meter in the lid that gives readings for each parallel array and then the total voltage, typical example; No 1, 3.94, No2, 3.97, ALL, 7.91 in 6 separate short duration displays. It draws 0.23 watts at a current that varies with the state of the battery, average being about 0.02 amps. This actuated by a non rusting button on the end.
The meter is LCD illuminated display and shows accurate voltage to 2 decimal. I feel that this far superior to led displays as used by other manufacturers. It’s especially useful after taking off charge to ensure everything has done what it’s supposed to.

In the picture can be seen a brass screw protruding from the lid. This is the connection for a charging balance lead, in conjunction with through the headset clip. The charging is each parallel array alternatively with each being measured and charge disconnected when the appropriate voltage is reached.

The battery is slightly less than half the height of the standard Oldham and weighs just less than 1000 grams including the lid; the standard Oldham weighs more than double that.

I appreciate that some battery lid accessories such as the voltmeter or switch may become unserviceable in time, they are however very easily replaced and do not affect the performance of the lamp.

The only nuisance with the battery is that the belt mounts are not large enough to take a Caving Supplies belay belt which is my preference.

Looking at the specification, it can be appreciated that the main emitter in its full power setting giving more than 220 lumens would burn for more than 24 hours. The usual ‘walk mode’ as I call it for a Cree Q5 based lamp is the single emitter on medium setting which drives it at about 70%. On this setting the lamp would burn for about 32 hours.
My experience with the other lamps has shown that total amount of time spent on full power is a mere fraction of the total time spent underground on any one trip, with the time spent on the medium setting part way balancing the time spent on full power. The implications of this are that this lamp would probably last you for a week’s holiday away from charging facilities.

Its actually a lot more efficient on full power than I have posted before, its 20.88 watts out against 23.1 in. The lamps that I have built so far are very efficient; I think that this may be down to my matching the battery voltage to the design of my emitter circuit in the headset.

Final word about the battery, if the lid wiring was ‘crossed’ to put all in parallel it would deliver average of 4 volts and run a standard bulb Oldham for 24 hours with a half the weight to carry.

I expect that it will be some time before I start construction any to sell, I want to do a lot of kicking it about first. I expect that the price of these lamps will be no more than £200 however.

I set out to build a super lamp, and that is what I will deliver.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-41250[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-41250[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-41251[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-41251[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-41252[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-41252[/linkphoto][/link]

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I am aware of the interest and feel that it would be a good idea, when I have all of the models rounded out, to arrange a demonstration at say Cwmorthin, which is fairly convenient to most people.

I wonder if (not trying to hijack the idea of a demo day) it would be worth considering side by side test of various lamps?

Your beam shot photo of an earlier RF lamp against a car headlight almost prompted a 'show us your beam shots' thread, but it's meaningless unless all done using the same camera settings.

As well as seeing the various RF lamps, it would be interesting to side by side compare say, the Oldham DL16, Raptor, Sten, Viper, Scurion etc.

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I am game for this and suggested it on ME.

Are you going to take bets Simon?

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Not at all!

I know which lamps are going to be brighter! I think it would just be interesting to compare the beam patterns of all sorts of lamps 🙂

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Not at all!

I know which lamps are going to be brighter! I think it would just be interesting to compare the beam patterns of all sorts of lamps :)

OK, you hold the money.

I have £20 that says MagnumStar beat Scurion K, looser pays Friends of Cwmorthin.

£20 no big deal, just a bit of fun.

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Cheers for the update!

That battery power meter is impressive! :thumbup:

I'm a little flummoxed by the way the Viper has its charge meter in the middle of the main LED array: it seems much more obvious to put it on the battery box, as this is. Although it's obviously an expense to put a digital readout on a battery pack, it's a remarkably sensible thing to have - it's as (if nor more) important to know you're 50% through a battery as it is that you've only got, say, 10% remaining.

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Cheers for the update!

I'm a little flummoxed by the way the Viper has its charge meter in the middle of the main LED array:

I was thinking that, with the lamp on, you will dazzle yourself looking at the bat state? - unless they have thought of this? What really would be more clever is to have a meter that gave a percentage of charge left, rather then voltage - as that is fine for the techie boys, but maybe not for all.

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The Scurion now projects it's battery level onto the wall I think? That sounds a bit over-engineered to me, but makes more sense than looking into the beam! A simple readout on the battery pack makes more sense to me, and an advantage there with a belt mounted battery is you can look down and read your own.

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I can’t leave aditnow out of the frame; we don’t want people complaining, so here is the latest update on the lamp building.

3 D BIN P7s in an Oldham conversion, YES its real, I have done it and it works. And my thermal conductor heatsinking system eats the heat generated for breakfast. In actual fact early indications are that it develops no more heat than the Q5 MagnumStar.

I take this in itself as an indication of why the commercial lamp builders tend to have avoided Cree Q5s even though they output up to 50% more light at any given wattage than a SSC P4, they probably generate 50% more heat in the process.

It has not been an easy job getting all of my circuitry into the lamp, although I have to say that I am getting a good feel for the job, I worked from start to finish, turned it on with some trepidation, and it just worked.

It has 2 X SSC D BIN P7s wired in series, plus a third that operates on its own from the first switch position, Low Medium and full.

SW 2 turns on the other 2 at full power, plus the first at any of the above settings, basically same as the UniStar does with its 2 Crees.

So what’s it like?

Well, I would say after trying it out outside that it is generating more light than the MagnumStar with 5 X Q5s, but as I expected, it’s more of a flood than a thrower. Early indications are that the Q5 model has a lot more throw. Also early indications of the P7 model are of a damn good lamp which I will definitely be producing to sell. The only thing is that I have some reservations about a P7 as a ‘walk’ mode lamp and will certainly give consideration to building one with a Cree Q5 as a general use light, with the other 2 borings having 2 P7s. It would not generate so much light but would be a better all rounder with the single Cree giving some throw.
This would be easy as I now know that a 2X series array of 18650s will do the job, we don’t need 12 volts.

I have built the test bed model into the old lamp that I was using initially, my first successful lamp using the thermal conductor system. This uses the positive terminal block to secure the LED module, you can see this in the picture. The 3 drivers for the series array of 2 P7s are tucked into the bottom of the lamp housing, (inside the lamp, top of the picture) and are separate to the LED module, there just wasn’t enough room!
The rest of the drive electronics are inside the copper housing.
Inside the lamp over on the left you can see the copper ‘pad’ that seats the copper LED back plate.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-41570[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-41570[/linkphoto][/link]


I shall try tomorrow to do the test of the lamps against car headlamps.

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Dedicated Charger for the UniStar

Although these lamps are capable and wired for recharging through any standard Oldham charger, there will be many who do not possess this. I have therefore developed a dedicated charger that has both a traditional Oldham ammeter as well as modern mains power and charge/charged LED display.

The charger has 2 charge circuits, one through a headset charging clip, the other through a socket on the side that takes an adaptor so that helmet mount battery packs can be charged as well. It will do both at the same time. The small LEDs on the top are red meaning on charge, going to green when fully charged.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-41668[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-41668[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-41667[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-41667[/linkphoto][/link]

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Slightly random question Roy, but how many prototypes of the MagnumStar have there been?!

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Slightly random question Roy, but how many prototypes of the MagnumStar have there been?!

Only one, the first was same as now but only brought 4 Crees on line as maximum setting.
Current model brings all 5 with intermediate power settings, plus I modified the way that the LED module attaches to the thermal conductor.

The P7 model is going to be an alternative, not a replacement. At this time it uses the old attachment method, I can’t do the new and seat a P7.

The best thing though to come out of it all is the UniStar, is enough light for most occasions and it’s a price everyone can afford.

Funny thing, its all of the most eminent people who are buying these, first sale was to a professor of geology!

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I am game for this and suggested it on ME.

Are you going to take bets Simon?

If this goes ahead and I'm around, would be happy to bring along:

(all to be outshone no doubt!)

R70 Sten
R100 Sten
WiseLED 2000
Fenixes as required

Could be an interesting session to see how all the lamps stack up against each other.

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