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01-26-03, 10:41 AM
I nominate myself for this distinction, but the rest of you are welcome to try to top me ;)
The good news is that it works very well. I used a dual timer to flash the ultra-brite LEDs (30000mcd worth) in a "compound" pattern so it blinks on and off at about 1 hz like a turn signal or emergency flasher on a car, but when it's "on" it strobes at ten hertz, shouting, "pay attention you idiot!"
The new ultra-brite LEDs are nice. This thing is almost painful to look at at less than about ten feet and shows up very well at night for well over a block, even when under a street light. I'm waiting for a sunny day to see how it shows up then. It should at least be as attention getting as the average automobile turn signal.
Using the bike reflector was a mistake. It was a royal pain in the sitting device getting the LEDs in without cracking the lens. I fogged two of the LEDs trying to get them mounted. The copper tape was the only thing I had handy that would hold it's shape while I "potted" the light in hot-melt glue (lighter than epoxy, but still kind of heavy for something this large and clunky). With the mounting bracket it weighs 3 ounces, over an ounce of that is the glue it's potted in.
This was mostly a test anyway to see how much forward voltage the LEDs really dropped at maximum rated current. I'm going to use thin sheet brass to make a convex "box" for the next one and use ten LEDs instead of six, since the MOSFET I'm using for a driver will easily handle the current. The result should be thinner and lighter and, once covered with 3M reflective tape, not quite as ugly.
I'm also going to make one for the front using yellow LEDs, though they aren't as bright.
The neat thing is that, with the compound flashing the duty cycle is only about 25% so this should run about 40 hours on four 1200mah AA NiMh rechargeable batteries. Well, when I go to ten LEDs it will cut that back to about 30 hours, fifteen if you're running two lights. Of course, 1600mah NiMh AA batteries are available now... Next project, a solar recharger to mount on a trunk!
And, speaking of trunks, I may have found the world's ugliest trunk, too. But it's lightweight, waterproof, has a hinged lid and can even be padlocked. Saw one in the housewares section at wally world last night. Ihould have picked it up, as there was only one left.
The good news is that it works very well. I used a dual timer to flash the ultra-brite LEDs (30000mcd worth) in a "compound" pattern so it blinks on and off at about 1 hz like a turn signal or emergency flasher on a car, but when it's "on" it strobes at ten hertz, shouting, "pay attention you idiot!"
The new ultra-brite LEDs are nice. This thing is almost painful to look at at less than about ten feet and shows up very well at night for well over a block, even when under a street light. I'm waiting for a sunny day to see how it shows up then. It should at least be as attention getting as the average automobile turn signal.
Using the bike reflector was a mistake. It was a royal pain in the sitting device getting the LEDs in without cracking the lens. I fogged two of the LEDs trying to get them mounted. The copper tape was the only thing I had handy that would hold it's shape while I "potted" the light in hot-melt glue (lighter than epoxy, but still kind of heavy for something this large and clunky). With the mounting bracket it weighs 3 ounces, over an ounce of that is the glue it's potted in.
This was mostly a test anyway to see how much forward voltage the LEDs really dropped at maximum rated current. I'm going to use thin sheet brass to make a convex "box" for the next one and use ten LEDs instead of six, since the MOSFET I'm using for a driver will easily handle the current. The result should be thinner and lighter and, once covered with 3M reflective tape, not quite as ugly.
I'm also going to make one for the front using yellow LEDs, though they aren't as bright.
The neat thing is that, with the compound flashing the duty cycle is only about 25% so this should run about 40 hours on four 1200mah AA NiMh rechargeable batteries. Well, when I go to ten LEDs it will cut that back to about 30 hours, fifteen if you're running two lights. Of course, 1600mah NiMh AA batteries are available now... Next project, a solar recharger to mount on a trunk!
And, speaking of trunks, I may have found the world's ugliest trunk, too. But it's lightweight, waterproof, has a hinged lid and can even be padlocked. Saw one in the housewares section at wally world last night. Ihould have picked it up, as there was only one left.