Hope it's very successful Roy, you've put so much work and development into it that it's great that they're now getting to market.

---

SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: THE TRIGON

Having used this lamp up at Nenthead I was very pleased with the performance, the Eco Power Mode was used continuously and I took great confidence from the fact that it was consuming little battery power.

However, I was far from pleased with the general user friendliness of the lamp, which fell far short of what I try to engineer into my lamps. The MagnumStar was used on another day and not withstanding the complexity of this lamp was very user friendly and pleasant to use.

The Trigons single Cree Q5 emitter has 5 different modes obtained by the usual flicking of the switch, of these 2 are completely unwanted, the strobe and SOS, the full power is a nonsense in that it consumes 3.8 watts of battery power yet provides less light than the Eco Power mode. It was commented on by someone I was with that many people will find that confusing.

Acting completely on a hunch, I assembled a lamp which ran the 2 series XP-Gs alone without the Q5 lamp. On Eco Power mode the difference was not discernable, and further more the binocular reflectors cast sufficient peripheral light to be able to clearly see where I was treading.

I have therefore decided to drop the Q5 driver in preference to one of my own hybrid drivers. The first switch position drives the Q5 at about 550 mA, this gives a good compromise level of light for walking passage were the Eco Power light is considered excessive, or for tight cave systems, or being in a group.

The second position gives the Eco Power mode plus the Turbo, on turbo the Q5 is on full power, therefore the maximum output remains unchanged.

I have contacted customers who have bought and offered the choice of keep what you have or take advantage of a free exchange.

I shall also be offering light 2 cell power packs for those who want, they however not support Turbo use or use on the MagnumStar and will be fitted with a cut out so as to protect the cells from excessive drain.

---

The Kirby Fellows (KF) Lamp

Hi gang, this is just to demonstrate that I can also do sensible lamps as well as ones that can burn paint off.
Stewart Kirby is a very well known name relative to mining and caving lamps. Years ago when there were misgivings about the size and weight of the Oldham lead acid cells, not to mention concerns about the effect of possible acid spillage on SRT ropes etc, he was producing the famous Kirby kidney pack containing military grade dry cells.
Later he produced the current model, “The Tube”.

He recently retired and the business was taken over by John “Mole” Hine of Coleford, Royal Forest of Dean. Mole is really concerned with giving support to those who already have Kirby lamps, however I am encouraging him to keep up production as I feel that these fill a gap in the market.

The main drawback of “The Tube” is its rather now outdated conventional bulb in the headset, so recently I was asked to work my LED magic on it. The result is the KF lamp.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-55067[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-55067[/linkphoto][/link]


Basically, the LED conversion is my WorkStar Pro which has 2 Cree Q5 XRE emitters, each working of one of the 2 pre-existing Oldham switch positions. One lamp has a fairly tight beam similar to the Fenix TK11 tactical torch, the other is a wider spread. Picture has Fenix beam at top.

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-55068[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-55068[/linkphoto][/link]


The main difference between this headset and my WorkStar Pro is the in the driver circuit which has a voltage boost of up to about 2 volts.
The tube has 2 X military grade Ni MH cells that can be run flat without damage; the boost circuit means that the lamp will deliver full power when the cells are down to 1.5 volts.

I have duration tested the lamp to 20 hours burn time.

This lamp will appeal to those who prefer a belt mount lamp and don’t like the Lithium Ion batters as I use in my own lamps, and as used by major lamp manufacturers.

The lamp will undergo extensive testing before being offered for sale.

---

That's an interesting battery case design Roy. The high end dive lamps often use a similar cylindrical design.

---

I think I prefer the KF beam pattern over the Fenix !!
Well done Roy - another one under the belt...... or attached to it at least :thumbsup:

---

From "Below" the journal of the Shropshire Caving and Mining Club.

I wonder whose lamps they had in mind?

🔗Personal-Album-128-Image-55396[linkphoto]Personal-Album-128-Image-55396[/linkphoto][/link]

---

:lol:

Nice one, not seen a lamp immortalized in cartoon before :thumbsup:

---

:lol: If you continue with your upgrades you will need counterthrust to overcome the recoil when you switch on! 😉

Bulbs are all well and good for crawls a small mine or tight spaces, but to light up a good sized chamber in a Slate properly, you need lotsa lumens.

That said, I'm doing the incandescent trip next month, with a petzl gloom... should be... interesting.

---

Hi Gang

Just an update.

I am trying to push 'sensible lighting' as I don’t want to become stereotyped as a producer of bat cookers and nothing else.

I am now offering my WorkStar Pro built on brand new Oldham headsets together with a 2 cell helmet pack for £75 plus postage.

SW1 is a tight spot similar to a Fenix TK11 on non turbo mode
SW2 is a broader beam
Both draw 700 mA, 2 cell power pack gives about 7 hours.
Can be swapped in less than a minute

Designed to charge of an existing Oldham charger I can supply a 2 pack twin charger if required for £20.
See www.ledcaplamps.com

Comment from a customer
"What a neat little package"

Update on the lamps.
To date over 40 sold, no returns or complaints
Out of about 45 power packs sold, 4 early power packs returned due to imperfect sealing, recently another returned due to faulty control circuit component. It wasn’t exactly wrong, but not exactly right either. The burn time was too short.

Roy

---