I need to see the light!

[Gavin Yates]

Nae chance of Tim getting a pass!

We'd be better off forming an escape committee. Somebody draw up false papers, another to provide a disguise. Tim you better start digging the tunnel and don't forget to hide the soil somewhere safe.

[Scuba1]

You can take 5l at a time in that new pony you got.


:confined:

[Mr T.]

Hey Tim mate,

Get yourself a Kowalski 620 Speed - they're the Nads.

[Scuba1]

Hey Ben
If you have a few quid more to invest get a 1250 Speed and you can fry bacon on the beach in front of one of those as well.
Regards Michael

[Mdemon]

FWIW, I've just completed and tested a DIY torch - anyone tell me how I can upload pictures to this site?

I went for robustness and redundancy (i.e. it doesn't look pretty but you could take out a small frigate with it...)

Body - 7.62 ball ammo box, Army Surplus (£2.99)
Batteries - two independent 12v 7ah Yuasas (~£38 from farm shop)
Connectors - bronze bits from the Plumbing shop (~£3)
Switches - three screw-down speaker posts (~£2)
Cable - Braided oil line from Plumbing shop (£3.99)
Head - "Ring Arbor tree light" (£12.20 from Trago Mills)
Bulb - 50w Dichroic halogen bulb (59p from Trago)
Odds and sods - epoxy resin, terminal clips, silicone sealant, bits of inner tube for washers, PFTE tape for thread sealing, terminal block and electrical cable.

I suppose it has cost about £60.  This gives me 1.5hrs + 1.5hrs @ 50watts. The set is recharged by undoing the cable at the body end and swapping the recharge leads for the light head leads - the body remains a sealed unit even when in this state.  Theoretically, you could swap light heads underwater.  The batteries are on separate circuits so recharging isn't affected by any variance in battery performance. If the switch lead breaks, the light can be switched on using the back of a knife etc.  The light head is cast aluminium with tempered glass.

And it weighs a f*cking ton! 8.2Kg to be precise - which means I can dump most of my lead.  The body is fixed a la DIR on the left hand side under the wing.  Switching is easy even with gloves - On, Bat1 or Bat2 - it does make your fingers tingle when you switch over though!

I am not that impressed with HID at the moment, but when I find one on a tip somewhere, I will be able to use it with the existing body. The braided oil line is a sealed, re-enforced sheath for the electric cable, in case you were wondering.

One bonus of using the ammo box is that there is a small space left above the second battery.  It might be a good place to stash a survival kit for those "where's the boat gone???" moments - flares/strobe/chocolate/mobile phone etc.

I might paint it with Hammerite to stop rust, if I can be bothered.  The terminal posts need vaseline every now and then to stop rust + electrolytic action.

HTH!

John

[Mdemon]

Post script:

Through my own dopeyness, got a leak in the lamp head and flooded it AND the bulb on the last dive - and it still worked/works!  Very robust!