Wiring help for new build

[Eudaimonium]

I totally understand - and I appreciate your concern, I really do. And you're right - this is mostly bound for failure. But I've got money to spare - so why not try making something different? And maybe, just maybe if it actually works, we'll have come up with a cool system for having illuminated tailcaps that other people can reproduce.

I'm in all regards, an amateur here - but I like to put in a lot of thought in to what I do, and explore as many possibilities as I can. If this turns out to truely be impossible, or at least, impossible to do cleanly - I'll probably use your technique. I really like the illuminated button like on the first host here.

Oh!

Well if that's the case - you're aware of the situation and all, we'll try to push on ahead.

First: nice 3D renders.

Second: tailcap like that isn't impossible. The off-center hole can even easily be done by hand, rest of the switch by lathe.

Now, wiring the positive connection back through the cap is going to be a bit difficult, however... Perhaps may I advise salvaging some ribbon-cables found in pretty much all electronics?

Use that to connect the positive of the battery all the way back to the connection ring near the tailcap. Could work.

 

[yathern2]

Oh!

Well if that's the case - you're aware of the situation and all, we'll try to push on ahead.

First: nice 3D renders.

Second: tailcap like that isn't impossible. The off-center hole can even easily be done by hand, rest of the switch by lathe.

Now, wiring the positive connection back through the cap is going to be a bit difficult, however... Perhaps may I advise salvaging some ribbon-cables found in pretty much all electronics?

Use that to connect the positive of the battery all the way back to the connection ring near the tailcap. Could work.

Awesome - thanks for the help. Yeah, ribbon cables is a really good idea that I hadn't thought of. I guess they wouldn't have any problem handling 5V or anything, right? Also, how would I insulate the springs from the cap (the black face on the render) or the ring from the host walls?

 

[Eudaimonium]

Awesome - thanks for the help. Yeah, ribbon cables is a really good idea that I hadn't thought of. I guess they wouldn't have any problem handling 5V or anything, right? Also, how would I insulate the springs from the cap (the black face on the render) or the ring from the host walls?

Entire tailcap's filling can be plastic, and just have the springs protrude out from that, not too long.

Only the springs and the tailcap's outside case needs to be conductive for it to do it's job.

So basically your entire's black material in the render is an insulator.

The ring from the host walls could be tricky. I assume the ring would be two-component. Outter ring made from plastic that pressfits into the back of the host, and metal ring that pressfits into plastic one.

 

[yathern2]

Only the springs and the tailcap's outside case needs to be conductive for it to do it's job.

Oh I wasn't sure if that would be possible to get machined. So the inside could be plastic, while the outside metal?

Outter ring made from plastic that pressfits into the back of the host, and metal ring that pressfits into plastic one.

That's what I was thinking too. Or possible just get the ring made, just wrap plastic around it, doesn't even have to be specifically made for the ring.

Also what do you think about using tabs like this, instead of a spring? Probably would prevent the springs from scrunching onto each other.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Well machine one part out of metal, other out of plastic, in such a way that they assemble into one piece. Be it threading or pressfitting, whatever's easier.

Hm, tabs would be better, if you can do them.

 

[yathern2]

Okay I touched up my render - made things more accurately sized and proportional. The more I work on these renders, the more I feel like this is actually fairly possible. And is this what you mean with the plastic in the tailcap? I like that idea a lot actually.

Also, would machining that amount of threading, on the inside and the outside, be really hard - or accurate enough? I know next to nothing about machining.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Looks like an easy machining job to me.

Threads are most usually cut with tap&die sets, not actual lathe machine anyway, so that's not a problem. You just need to figure out which threads you need, that is their diameter.

Plastic isolation looks about right (maybe bit thicker?), glowing button too. That's how I'd go about it.

 

[yathern2]

Great - from that datasheet I linked to earlier - I got this info:

It is a SPDT with 5/8" threading. Overall length (including leads) is 1.5"
The diameter of the threading looks to be .6245in

Thanks a lot for the help Eudaimonium. I'm getting pretty excited for this build. I know that you do some machining - like for heatsinks and the Phobos line. Would you be interested in making a custom host for this? If not, who should I try to get in contact with? Also, I'm vaguely interested in getting it anodized too, so that would be another step that I have absolutely zero knowledge about.

 

[KRNAZNBOY]

IMO you should just ditch the LED back-switch, and replace with a key switch or something, and then have a status LED farther up the host (where the driver is in the host) so you can draw from GND and the + at the same time.

Kinda like the Laserbtb PL and HL models.

Would be SOOOOO much easier.....

Just my two cents

:beer:
-Matt

 

[yathern2]

IMO you should just ditch the LED back-switch, and replace with a key switch or something, and then have a status LED farther up the host (where the driver is in the host) so you can draw from GND and the + at the same time.

Kinda like the Laserbtb PL and HL models.

Would be SOOOOO much easier.....

Just my two cents

:beer:
-Matt

You're totally right, it would be a ton easier. But easy isn't what I'm going for. I'm not even really going for functional. I just want to have created a design that is unique, and see it come into fruition - and now I have my heart set on a button/LED tailcap. So regardless of the outcome, I'm going to try for it. Maybe it won't work, but maybe it will.