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Welcome to Technical Lighting Specialties. Technical Lighting specialties was started by me, Hector Ortiz in order to develop lighting systems with a focus on the diving industry. While my passion lies in dive lighting, I also modify Maglites and sell DIY parts to those interested in taking on the challenge of building their own light. Like most people, I started building dive light systems by hacking up parts in the garage, using JB Weld to seal things up hoping that the system didn’t leak.
Light building took a turn a few years back with the purchase of my first lathe, a 1990’s vintage Harbor Freight Tools unit. This little lathe served me well for about a year when I finally sold it to make room for a bigger lathe. I currently own an older San Yuen 12”x36” lathe which I picked up about six months ago. This one will soon be replaced with my first true American lathe - a 13”x50” 1940’s vintage Leblond that I have painstakingly restored and added some modern controls to. By using a lathe in light building, closer tolerances as well as much better quality control can be achieved.
Better fitment of parts and improved accuracy both lead to a light that is very durable and reliable. All complete lighting systems are tested to 265’ for at least 2 hours in a pressure pot. As a result, you can be confident that your system will not flood on the first dive.
Our lighting systems utilize the latest in LED technology from Soul Semiconductors, Cree and Luminus. At a minimum, these systems can produce brighter light than a 10W HID system. The Luminus LEDs used are manufacturer rated to 2000 lumens- this is equivalent to about a 21W+ HID.
LiIon Battery technology is use on all of our systems. These have proven to be the most reliable for long term storage. Our batteries are assembled by a professional battery builder who uses capacitive discharge (CD) welding of cells to assemble all packs. Also proper protection circuitry is added to prevent over and under voltage and over-current conditions. A smart universal charger is also supplied with all of the Technical Lighting System’s lighting kits.
The main components of the system consist of a modified 660’- rated OMS canister and a Maglite-based head. These are off-the-shelf items that can be purchased by anyone for a reasonable price. Due to the recent discontinuation of the OMS canister, I was forced to contract with a machine shop to make my own. All lights are now made with a TLS Custom Canister.
Should you decide to purchase a lighting system from TLS, I can assure you that for the price, you will not get a better system. I have taken these systems in cave dives and open water dives and I am extremely proud of how these lights have performed. I have received nothing but complements from fellow divers that have seen these in action. From the diver with a 10W HID system to the diver with a 21W LED system, I can assure you that a TLS lighting system will keep up with any of them.
The Lathe
