Geek!

---

I have just done some duration tests which are rather exciting, it went for over 12 hours on Standard which is over 200 lumens, and over 6 hours on middle mode which is over 500 lumens, from 2 cell power packs. There was however some falling off in output noticeable on the middle beam towards the end of discharge time. It is designed to switch down on low voltage so what else should I expect?

Whats good to me is the middle which means on a lot of solo trips I can blast out over 500L for my whole trip without changing the battery.

Smaller and lighter is my new direction, the battery for this weighs less than an Oldham cable, never mind the rest of it!
:lol:

---

Roy,
A little question.

You say that your lights that work at a low voltage (single battery or multiples in parallel) will just get dimmer as the battery runs out whereas one working at a high voltage (2 or more in series) will just go out.

Is this because the lower voltage lamps don't have a voltage regulator to drop the voltage to the LED? So as the battery voltage drops the unregulated LED will get correspondingly dimmer whereas a regulated LED will stay at the same brightness until the battery voltage drops below the regulator limit and it effectively switches off.

---

Roy,
A little question.

You say that your lights that work at a low voltage (single battery or multiples in parallel) will just get dimmer as the battery runs out whereas one working at a high voltage (2 or more in series) will just go out.

Is this because the lower voltage lamps don't have a voltage regulator to drop the voltage to the LED? So as the battery voltage drops the unregulated LED will get correspondingly dimmer whereas a regulated LED will stay at the same brightness until the battery voltage drops below the regulator limit and it effectively switches off.

Your are correct in your first part.

To answer the second, its all to do with the forward voltage of the LEDs and power packs inbuilt protection circuits.

A single LED, Cree X type, will glow at 2.4V and my lab power supply indicates no measurable current, jacking it up to 2.6 its a bit brighter but still no current showing, ( OK, Roy should get a more expensive power supply!), turning it up more to 2.7V its showing 170 mA. So there is quite a range just above the point where the protection electronics disconnect, this explains the 'slow death'.

Connect two LEDs in series and you double the Vf, there is a 'dimer' phase' on my higher voltage lamps, but its of relatively short duration. The lower voltage lamps will eventually go out but I once tried one and got bored after two days.
I do think that lower voltage lamps are more intrinsically reliable and are quite capable of respectable outputs with decent cells.
My low voltage use linear drivers, high use switch mode.

---

Lynx X2000

I thought I had better put this up.
Max output 2200 lumens, combines beam with low output foot light.

Weight 200 grams

Price £175

Basically a Trigon inside an aluminium headset with a nice weight reduction, use of copper in minimalised unfortunately full output is only sustainable for about 10 minutes. Many will consider this long enough.
I note that Scurion offer a rear heat sink. This lamp only conducts heat to the rear, the more powerful Lynx models have a two heat track system.

Its 2 series XML 2s behind deep reflectors, these give a very crisp beam with a concentrated centre area which will please many, supplemented by the floods, 2 series Cree XPGs, at 60 mA. Enough to light up where your feet are.
Switch position 2 gives the XPGs on thir own at a set 1200 mA. Tried 2 XMLs on a multi mode driver but could not do it, so reverted to the XPGs and a low form factor simple switcher that fits into the bottom of the lamp. Same setup as Trigon.

The extra battery drain makes little difference, its over 200 lumens walk mode for about 26 hrs on a 4 cell battery pack. I tried it with a 2 cell from the D1200 but max output was not sustainable from the point of battery half depletion.

The Trigons low battery warning and emergency light are gone in favour of the blue 'Nightrider' voltage indicator strip. LEDS indicate 100%, 75%,50%, and 25% with automatic switch down on low battery.
Its operated by a gravity switch, just turn it upside down to read the battery state.
The value of the old emergency light is questionable as all my lamps have a back up circuit in the beams in event of main driver failure, but the new design pilot on the heavier lamps is very good and useful as a low output lamp in company.

Anyway, here is a picture.
🔗100682[linkphoto]100682[/linkphoto][/link]

The LED module is rather neat.
🔗100683[linkphoto]100683[/linkphoto][/link]

Single switch at the back
🔗100684[linkphoto]100684[/linkphoto][/link]

My general trend now is towards lighter lamps, I expect to be turning my attention to the power packs now. Problem is that the cells need to to be properly protected against water and impact, and this obviously adds weight. I struggle to see an answer here, the 2 cell packs not a problem, but the 4 cell packs are heavy and bulky. I want to stay with sealed units that can be easily changed underground though, without having to open anything up.

---

...but the 4 cell packs are heavy and bulky

I wonder what you would make of my 9 and 12 cell packs... :confused:

---

...but the 4 cell packs are heavy and bulky

I wonder what you would make of my 9 and 12 cell packs... :confused:

I do a 12 cell belt pack for the X6000, its the blue one I have been building for a few years.
Pretty unbreakable

Remember the MagnumStar with the broken switch, "had to do the whole 7 hour trip with 1500 lumens coming out of my head"

"...but the battery lasted, didn't it"

---

I do remember your blue packs. Got to love some "excess" capacity, just in case something goes horribly wrong.

---

X1000 now has blue 'Nightrider' battery indicator same as the X2000 you turn upside down to actuate.

I follow the practice of incorporating into other lamps whenever possible useful features developed in another.

Dragons selling like hot cakes, looks like I designed a winner. It just shows that not everyone wants bat cookers, lightweight, sensible, robust and reliable lamps will always be in demand.

---

Dragons selling like hot cakes, looks like I designed a winner. It just shows that not everyone wants bat cookers, lightweight, sensible, robust and reliable lamps will always be in demand.

Took delivery of my new Dragon this afternoon - thanks Roy! Looks to be a great piece of kit - will be fitting it to helmet at the weekend and hopefully try it out next week.

Let us know what you think.
I only have one of the first batch left in stock, I have sold one to a 'name', I daresay we will get a review.

---

Hello Roy, I hope all is well. I am still a newbie underground but I would really like one of your ecostar lamps if you have one left. I have seen on the website you would like a cheque sent out but was wondering if I could transfer the money to you online or you have a paypal so I could perhaps get it in time for the North Wales Thurs night group this week? Thanks , all thebest:thumbup:

Hello Roy, I hope all is well. I am still a newbie underground but I would really like one of your ecostar lamps if you have one left. I have seen on the website you would like a cheque sent out but was wondering if I could transfer the money to you online or you have a paypal so I could perhaps get it in time for the North Wales Thurs night group this week? Thanks , all thebest:thumbup:

About 4 left, one in stock now.
Contact [email protected]
web www.ledcaplamps.com

Easy payment is BACS, no fees
Please email me.

---

LAST THREE ECOs
Nothing out there like them for the price!

---

The beam on the X1000 is very good. Can easily see at least 200ft with it- or 600ft if you count the reflection off the water at the bottom of the shaft I was looking down.

Yes, its a good lamp.
As I have said before its now quality of light I am looking at, and this is not just a matter of a good reflector is the enhancement of ones perspective by combining a good well defined beam with foot level peripheral light.
I have to say hats off to Scurrion for being the first to engineer this into a lamp.
The Dragon D1200 achieves this in a rather unconventional design. I now feel that this is the best lamp I have ever produced and is now my own lamp of preference, mainly due to the fact that most of my underground time is now spent working.
I must try to quit the habit.

The X1000 is the best choice in the low voltage range for this effect if you dont mind a bigger lamp although D800s are outselling it

---

Last remaining stock of EcoStars all sold to same buyer.

Lamp now discontinued.

This is just to advise.

---

I am announcing a new version of the Lynx X6000. I have redesigned the lamp so as to use 2 of the centre spot reflectors used in the X2000, together with the small wide beam reflector as used previously.

The effect is to move the light circle slightly forward, but peripheral foot level light is actually better as the reflectors are now close to the glass. Obviously a user can supplement the beams with a low flood setting if wanted.

Main advantage is as the spot reflectors are narrower this creates extra room inside the lamp. This has been used to fit twin pilot or emergency lights running on half of the current of the previous one. On the 10 AH 12V battery this gives seven days!
Also the old 2 X blue LED battery indicator has gone in favour of the 4 LED 'Nightrider' strip use in the other Lynx lamps.

I have experimented with these reflectors in the X3000 but its roundabouts and swings, so these lamps will retain the bigger diameter reflectors used all along.

Below, the new lamp
🔗101450[linkphoto]101450[/linkphoto][/link]

Comparative beam shots, old is top, new is bottom.
As can be seen, the new lamp has even more throw.

🔗101451[linkphoto]101451[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗101452[linkphoto]101452[/linkphoto][/link]

---

Hi folks

This is just a heads up on the fact that I am again producing (by popular demand) the much loved and super reliable EcoStar, albeit on good condition Oldham headsets supplied by the customer.

see
http://www.ledcaplamps.com/oldham.htm 

Battered ex colliery relics will be rejected!

Price with headset supplied but as complete package with power pack, charger and fitting kit plus manual is a mere £75 plus the postage.

---

‘Red Band’ power pack technology

I am very pleased to be able to announce a very significant advance in my battery technology for which my new generation of lamps were designed and may be regarded as a new standard of lighting technology.

The first candidate for the new technology are the 2 cell 8V series power packs, these new technology packs are identifiable by a red band round the cable. The lamp initially tested with this new power pack is the Dragon D1200 which utilises 4 X Cree XPG2s simultaneously.

On the earlier pack the lamp on standard mode would output 250 lumens for over 12 hours, a good performance as it was. On the new it does the same but then continues to burn on a reducing output for a full 24 hours. This is not BS but actual test.

The bugbear of my superlamps all along has been the fact that a depleted power pack would suddenly switch off leaving the user in complete darkness. The same has also been true of some other lamps, a fact that Mr Biff made a point about when he first introduced his low voltage Rude Nora.
This is now a thing of the past.

The big attraction of low voltage lamps has been the ‘slow death’ of a depleting battery, however it has been impossible to produce lamps outputting over a 1000 lumens utilising this low voltage technology.

The Dragon 1200 on maximum will output 1250 lumens for a full two hours before taking a sudden dive and then going into a slow death and then continue to burn on a low reducing rate but with enough light to get you out of anywhere.
One of the features of the XPG emitter is its remarkable output at very low current, the 2 X 2 series and parallel of the D1200 utilizes this to remarkable effect.
After 20 hours the input current was 50 mA with an unloaded battery voltage of 6.45 volts, well above the loaded disconnection level of 5 volts. It was also still possible to switch to higher modes with 400 mA drive being possible to output about 450 lumens. I say again after 20 hours!

The new power pack is included at same price as before of £125
Stand alone battery packs will be available for £30 or £25 to existing customers.

🔗102094[linkphoto]102094[/linkphoto][/link]

Lynx X2000
I am also offering the X2000 with the new 2 cell red band pack, however the maximum supported output is down to 1600 lumens.
Standard mode performance is similar to D1200. Full power is limited to 1 hour but with the same kind of sudden nose dive followed by reducing output ‘slow death’ as the Dragon D1200.
The price with the new power pack is reduced to £160 plus the postage. A lamp with a 4 cell pack remains at £175 and is necessary if you want the full 2K.

Over the next few weeks I will be experimenting with this new technology in low voltage packs and expect to be able to offer lightweight lamps suitable for anyone considering staying underground for days or a weeks caving without a recharge. Duration testing is expected to be a soul destroying task.

Eventually I shall be looking at the 4 cell packs for bat fryers based on a new external design.

Geeky Stuff
Power pack is sealed waterproof, shockproof and explosion proof ABS plastic internally potted.
IP67 waterproof, 1 metre submersion for up to 30 minutes.
Shockproof, dropping, roof contact etc.
Explosion proof, chemistry breakdown causing cell venting, case lid forces off and vents to atmosphere.
Max safe discharge limit of cells 10 amps
Max continuous discharge electronic control 4.3 amps, over current test delay: 10ma; auto recovery after over current protection
Max charge voltage 8.55V (Dedicated charger cut off is 8.4) Overcharge test delay: 100ms; Overcharge resume voltage: 8.16 ±0.05V
Min voltage on discharge 5V. Over discharge test voltage: 4.80V±0.1V; over discharge test delay: 25ma; over discharge recover voltage: 6.0V±0.10V
Short circuit protection. Short circuit protection test delay: <=500us; auto recovery after short circuit protection

---