Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - 50 watt bike headlight DIY

after looking on this site and seeing how poor my el-hl300 compared to the mr16 that some have made, i decided to make my own. i got a 2" pipe coupler (joins 2 pieces together) the bulb fit perfectly, little silicone around the lip and some in the back, then a 3" piece of 2" pipe and then a cap with a small hole to run the wires out. this is sweet, my light is as bright as cars and with my 7ah battery from a scooter I have over 1 hour run time (i never rde more than that at night). at first the battery was in a book bag but I didn't want to be tethered to it so I got on of those blue electrical boxes from depot and the battery fit perfect, I drilled 2 holes and secured it where the bottle holder holes are, been a 3 rides and this is perfect for commuting to and from work before the sun comes up and after it goes down, all for under $20 (I already had the battery, had I not it would be $23 more), the black thing is take aroud where everything hooks together I had to notch it where the bolt was and the light was blinding
me

i will be returning mt el300 and getting my performance bright yellow jacket (safty first)

see attached pics, i even took a pics of my car head light for comparison, any questions or suggestions

thanks to all

Looks like it gets the job done. I would be concerned that the battery box and the heavy weight of that battery would stress those small threaded inserts in the frame. Hitting a pothole or an unplanned bump could cause a problem. At the very least the battery coming out is very distracting. I have had my water bottle battery come out before and drag along the ground and it's quite distracting.

the battery box was just me being impatient finding anything that works, maybe next weekend I'll get an old bag or something and attach it to the top bar and seat bar via velcro or conduit clamp. Make it look more professional and also paint the light black.

Nice job on the light. Can you show how you mounted it to the handlebars please.

http://www2.kenyon.edu/Bfec/boxes/pclamp.jpg

i used a conduit clamp from depot, 3/4" fits perfect. I bolted the one end to the pvc after I drilled a hole and the other end I used a small piece of rubber and screw tight, maybe tomm, I'll take some better pics.

Also I got rid of the battery box (looked ghetto anyway) and now have the battery in a black bag attached to the frame, it looks a lot better. Pics tommorow, after I ride.

Sweet... It's amazing how much light they put out isn't it?


So you're running a 12V 50 watt bulb at 12V? The light output looks a lot like what I get out of an overvolted 20 watt bulb. It feels so great to go riding and actually be able to see where you're going.

If I spend much more than about $50 on my bike I'll have more in my accessories than the bike would be worth. DIY stuff rules. :D

Sweet... It's amazing how much light they put out isn't it?


So you're running a 12V 50 watt bulb at 12V? The light output looks a lot like what I get out of an overvolted 20 watt bulb. It feels so great to go riding and actually be able to see where you're going.

If I spend much more than about $50 on my bike I'll have more in my accessories than the bike would be worth. DIY stuff rules. :D


that the truth, my bike cost $80 clearance at target 5 years ago and $50 in derailuer and crank upgrades.

what deg of a reflector is that? Looks like a flood from what i see.

38 degree flood