Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Total Geekiness

Sounds like gem-sorting. Are those quality issues then? If so, as a shopper, how can you know what you're actually getting?

When you go to buy Luxeons (though FutureActive, the only approved vendor AFAIK), the LEDs will already be sorted. Simply fill in the quantity you want of a certain part number, and all of those LEDs SHOULD be the same colour.

Sounds like gem-sorting. Are those quality issues then? If so, as a shopper, how can you know what you're actually getting?

You download the datasheet from Lumileds that has the binning chart, and then choose the bin codes that are acceptable to you. You can buy them all over the place, and at many online places that sell other LEDs, but you don't want to buy Luxeons without knowing the bin code.

The battery is about 9 lbs. For me personally, that's not a lot. I probably is to some. I think that with LEDs you will get by with less battery wt but then mounting and heat sinking will be more. Hopefully I can take some pics soon and post them. I went for a ride tonight, and my wife said that I looked like a motorcycle from over 1/4 mile away.

The heatsinking of the Luxeons on a bike is less of an issue; the wind cools it good, I have not ever been able to feel my 3W led warm up even.

The battery is about 9 lbs. For me personally, that's not a lot. I probably is to some. I think that with LEDs you will get by with less battery wt but then mounting and heat sinking will be more. Hopefully I can take some pics soon and post them. I went for a ride tonight, and my wife said that I looked like a motorcycle from over 1/4 mile away.

9lbs! Gads be careful on windy days and on steep hills.

Gee, I was complaining about my SLA battery weighing four pounds!

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

@ vrkelley (or anyone using a dewalt charger)

This is a cool little link that shows how to mod a dewalt charger to be used with almost any battery pack.
Charger mod (http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/charger2.html) .

The Luxeon datasheets recommend at LEAST 1 square inch per watt, which would be at least 5 square inches for a 5W Luxeon. This is assuming the Luxeon is properly connected to the heatsink with thermal paste or whatever you decide to use. However, for more reliable operation I'd recommend more than 5 square inches, just to be safe.

Okay, how about this tailpiece (http://plumbing.hardwarestore.com/51-284-drain-metal-tailpieces/chrome-sink-tailpiece-612559.aspx)? Then I used thermal cement to attach three turns of 3/16" copper tubing to the Luxeon's metal substrate. The tubing then interfaces to the tailpiece to dump the heat. I got a lens designed for a Luxeon, plus a version of a buck puck. I took pictures before I assembled the light; I'll post them soon. Oh, to seal up the end I have a PVC cap that fitted. Drill a hole for the electrical wires, put some silicone sealant on it, and the light is done!

Yup, that tailpiece should be enough to sink pretty much any luxeon you put in there. Just be sure not to rely completely on thermal cement to conduct the heat away, it's mostly there to fill in the tiny gaps between two metals. It's always best to make sure that the Luxeon sits as closely and as flush to the heatsink as possible.

Also note that the metal substrate on the Luxeon must be electrically isolated from both the negative and positive power connections.

BTW, how will you attach the tailpipe to your bike? Is 0.22 lbs a little hefty for a headlight body?

Yup, that tailpiece should be enough to sink pretty much any luxeon you put in there. Just be sure not to rely completely on thermal cement to conduct the heat away, it's mostly there to fill in the tiny gaps between two metals. It's always best to make sure that the Luxeon sits as closely and as flush to the heatsink as possible.

Also note that the metal substrate on the Luxeon must be electrically isolated from both the negative and positive power connections.

BTW, how will you attach the tailpipe to your bike? Is 0.22 lbs a little hefty for a headlight body?

How do I isolate the substrate? I don't have any wires soldered to it. Is it connected electrically to either pole? I haven't seen any of the documentation that says much about that.

I'm using two clamps similar to this (http://wwww.electrogalaxy.com/index.html?object=bra6204) to attach. They'll be looped through each other, one attached to the tailpiece aka headlight and the other to the handlebar.

I'm using two clamps similar to this (http://wwww.electrogalaxy.com/index.html?object=bra6204) to attach. They'll be looped through each other, one attached to the tailpiece aka headlight and the other to the handlebar.

No, don't use those. They won't hold anything in place very well, and they will scratch your paint. Go to www.mcmaster.com and seach for "P clamp". You will find a wide assortment of cushioned clamps that will hold on much more tightly, and won't damage your bike's finish. They'll look more professional, too.


As for isolation of the substrate (actually just called a Slug), just make sure that it isn't connected to the +ve or -ve poles on the LED in any way. It's best to use an electrically isolating thermal pad (like what you'd put between a big transistor and a heatsink), but if you just connect it to the heatsink directly it should be ok...

Here are a few pictures I have from my completed DIY headlight. The hardest part of the job for me was finding a clean mounting system for the light that had a quick release. The second picture (bottom of light show) shows the method used. The only thing I would change in moving to an overall smaller package. Well its all done and I wanted to say thanks to everyone here. This thread helped me out a ton.

Wow, that's geeky. And I mean that as a compliment. Can you tell us a little bit about what the pieces are and how you put them together? I'm particularly interested in the quick release.

OK you guys... [slightly off topic] I bought one of these
128MB MP3 Player/Digital FM/PEN Drive/Voice Recorder
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73839&item=5785679562

I recorded a truck honking [Mp3] but I could not find a 3X2 small waterproof speaker to do the job. Any hints on how to get a small waterproof speaker that'll "do the job?"

Radio Shack sells, or at least they used to, a pair of water proof AMPLIFIED speakers. Perfect! Peace, Ritz.


WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

@ vrkelley (or anyone using a dewalt charger)
This is a cool little link that shows how to mod a dewalt charger to be used with almost any battery pack.
Charger mod (http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/charger2.html) .

No I just use the FireStorm recharger. Cool idea! Awesome setup for your light. Is that bag waterproof?

Jeff-O that's an awesome setup on the 2 headlights on the forks. Couldn't find your orginal post with link to pictures...What sort of clamps did you use for that?

Took the plunge - ordered a Trail-Tech HID light (chassis mount version, not helmet mount; I'm a commuter not a trail rider) and NiMH bottle battery from batteryspace.com yesterday. Also I ordered a 56-LED truck brake light from superbrightleds.com

I have a Planet Bike 1W Luxeon Super Spot, a 1W luxeon flashlight, a Cateye 3-LED head lamp and a 20W halogen light; when I get them all together I'll see about posting comparison photos. They're coming ground so they won't be here until next week. This should be enough time for me to do all my DIY before I SERIOUSLY need lighting (I have been in the dark in the morning, but dawn is cracking by the time I get to the busier streets).

I'm thinking I'm going to set up the truck light to run in "tail light" mode constantly, and use the high power 'brake" light in a strobed configuration (driving it with a 555 or microcontroller, depending on if I want fancy flash patterns).

No I just use the FireStorm recharger. Cool idea! Awesome setup for your light. Is that bag waterproof?

Jeff-O that's an awesome setup on the 2 headlights on the forks. Couldn't find your orginal post with link to pictures...What sort of clamps did you use for that?

Here you go! (http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/digitalfalcon@rogers.com/album?.dir=/9f56&.src=ph&.tok=phbI1ZDBgZf8CUJz)

I used P-clamps to hold the flashlights, I bought them from www.mcmaster.com They have both bare metal and cushioned versions (say, if you want to clamp the lights to your handle bars instead). Just search for P-clamp.

At first I used a piece of aluminum plate for the bracket, but it has since broken (metal fatigue) so I replaced it with a steel L-bracket from a hardware store. Usually you find these in the cabinetry/shelving section. It was a beast to drill the holes in it that I needed, I had to buy a cobalt drill bit especially for this application...

I bought some 350 ma. and 1000 ma. Buck Pucks

Multibiker...where did you get that buck puck?
The spouse is rolling his eyes, I came home with supplies to start work on a 12V lighting system that'll replace the back blinky, and do more side vis. The Rope light idea would have been cool but 10' of that stuff made the Wattage too high. There's no amperage on these 12V drill batteries...


go! (http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/digitalfalcon@rogers.com/album?.dir=/9f56&.src=ph&.tok=phbI1ZDBgZf8CUJz)
I used P-clamps to hold the flashlights,


Jeff-O the P clamps work great, no slippage for my front headlight. Next time I'll use those cushioned ones instead of making the cushion from padded electrical tape. What's the make and voltage on that battery?

Jeff-O the P clamps work great, no slippage for my front headlight. Next time I'll use those cushioned ones instead of making the cushion from padded electrical tape. What's the make and voltage on that battery?

The battery is branded with the name "esq" but I've seen it sold under other names as well. It's a rectangular silver brick about the size of two decks of cards set side-by-side. The voltage is 9V, and the current is 5400mAh.

Multibiker...where did you get that buck puck?

I got them from LED Supply http://www.ledsupply.com/led-drivers-buckpuck.html. Good service.

Okay, as promised: here is a couple of photos of my new light setup using a Luxeon V star emitter:

Parts is parts: these parts are from my light! (http://www.llantup.com/bicycle-light-parts.jpg)

The above image shows (on top, l-r) the tailpiece screw-on connector, the tailpiece itself, and a PVC endcap. Below it is the Luxeon star installed in a lens with the heatsink in place and the buckpuck attached. All this will be inside the tailpiece. The switch for the light will be on a small box attached to the handlebar.

I have turned this on for just a few seconds to see how it will work. It seems to be MUCH brighter than my 6v NiteHawk light!

Took the plunge - ordered a Trail-Tech HID light
...
I have a Planet Bike 1W Luxeon Super Spot, a 1W luxeon flashlight, a Cateye 3-LED head lamp and a 20W halogen light; when I get them all together I'll see about posting comparison photos.

OK, I got everything together. You can check out my photos of the setup here:
2005 light setup photos (http://www.hauntedfrog.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=2701&g2_page=1&g2_navId=x5aae88d9)
Drill in one more album to see comparisons of the various lights. It's interesting to note the true color of the grass in the photos with the HID.

A little discussion on my site here. (http://www.hauntedfrog.com/cycling/bikelights.html)

The HID from batteryspace.com cost $105 (you get a 5% discount code for your next purchase whenever you buy from them), the 4500 mAH NiMH bottle battery was about $60. I went with NiMH instead of LiIon because of better cold weather performance.

The rear flasher is the venerable amber xenon from all electronics that's been mentioned here so many times.

John that is such a cool setup. The bike does not look overloaded with equipment at all!

Yep, It's pretty nifty!

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

Well, I just thought I'd drop a note about the latest developments with my dual-3W Luxeon array that I've been posting about for a while now. Just yesterday I finally assembled all the hardware I needed to swap the old aluminum bracket for a steel one. The aluminum bracket had broken at the bend due to metal fatigue (bumpy roads!!) so I replaced it with a much stronger steel bracket. The bracket itself was from the cabinet section at the home depot.

Unfortunately, my titanium coated drill bits weren't enough to drill through that steel, so I had to buy a cobalt bit. Then I needed new hardened steel hardware to hold it all together, since the old screws were garbage.

Anyway, everything got put together last night, and I took my newly-illuminated bike for a spin after dark. I can't say that I'm blown away by the performance:

The dual 3W luxeons do indeed light up the road, but are still drowned out by the street lights. Their blue-white light makes it harder to see contrast and holes, compared to the orangish light of the street lights. However, these lights can illuminate street signs over 200 feet away, and are quite bright to oncoming driver's eyes. Great for being seen, which IMO is more important than being able to see, at least on a bike.

So, I would consider these adequate for night time riding on streets, but would not take them on trails and such where the danger of obstacles and stuff is greater.

My next project will probably put quad Luxeons on a trike, though I haven't ruled out other illumination technologies yet. Well, and I need a trike first too. ;)

Hello again!

Couldn't find the time to make the MR 11 or MR16 mounts like I wanted so dug around in the spare farm parts pile and came up with this.

Steel 4" farm style light housing, Haligen trapazoid pattern worklight= 18 oz, I think I can mount it and keep it under 20 oz. There are 25 and 40 watt bulbs out there and flood style too.

Gotta 5 amp/hour SLA battery from napa for 20 bucks, its supposed to be for emergancy brakes on trailers=3 and 3/4 lbs. Too heavy and too big for a waterbottle cage.

10 AA NiMH batterys weigh 11 oz and a 12v pack would have 2.3 amp/hours.

Tried to find red beehives local but no luck, ebay is my next choice, I really like the idea of a 3D tail lite.

The dual 3W luxeons do indeed light up the road, but are still drowned out by the street lights
Such statements puzzle me. Of course they are going to be drowned by street lights, but there you don't need them, see?

Such statements puzzle me. Of course they are going to be drowned by street lights, but there you don't need them, see?

Well, I find that street lights are only barely enough to drive/ride by. Sure you can see peds and cars and large obstacles in the road, but it's harder to see potholes and cracks. Potholes aren't usually dangerous for a car, but they could mean disaster on a bike.

Will this (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1957) is 12V, 4500 ma, work on my 12V Cygolite HID (http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/1zForceNiMH.htm). I'm thinking about getting a backup battery for the one that came with it. Thanks.

Will this (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1957) is 12V, 4500 ma, work on my 12V Cygolite HID (http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/1zForceNiMH.htm). I'm thinking about getting a backup battery for the one that came with it. Thanks.

It looks like it'll do the trick and only 1.5 lbs!

Thanks.

Will this (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1957) is 12V, 4500 ma, work on my 12V Cygolite HID (http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/1zForceNiMH.htm). I'm thinking about getting a backup battery for the one that came with it. Thanks.

I got the 19V one for my laptop. Give it a good workout in the first month to test it, because I had to get my first one replaced because it blew a bad cell in the pack. Also, be careful not to let it overheat while charging - it gets pretty hot charging off that cheapie charger. I'm thinking of rigging up a heatsink and fan for charging it.

In regard to the Rural Lighting. Has anyone tried using a standard floodlight from an autoparts store with a wetcell battery for a lawntractor or small motorcycle? There are some advantages with power and illumination - the main disadvantage is the weight and the possible acid spill.. The life for a wetcell should be considerable and can be recharged repeatedly.. Dave

In regard to the Rural Lighting. Has anyone tried using a standard floodlight from an autoparts store with a wetcell battery for a lawntractor or small motorcycle? There are some advantages with power and illumination - the main disadvantage is the weight and the possible acid spill.. The life for a wetcell should be considerable and can be recharged repeatedly.. Dave

Thats more or less what I am doing, cept the battery is a spillproof/sealed type.
There seems to be no econimic reason not to use the SLA type battery.

In regard to the Rural Lighting. Has anyone tried using a standard floodlight from an autoparts store with a wetcell battery for a lawntractor or small motorcycle? There are some advantages with power and illumination - the main disadvantage is the weight and the possible acid spill.. The life for a wetcell should be considerable and can be recharged repeatedly.. Dave

See my post #771 in this thread, that's pretty much what I have, just a sealed cell instead of a wet cell.

Anybody ever adapt the battery from a 12V cordless tool to use for lighting? My Makita came with a smart charger, and I've vowed to try it if I ever come across a broken Makita with a usable battery connector.

Just wondering if anyone's rigged their own, since I'm not an EE, nor do I play one on TV.

I looked into using a 12V Black and Decker battery but there didn't seem to be enough amperage on those. I suppose a 12V could run a couple of LED 12V trailer markers though.

Hooray, I've brought up an old thread.

Would it be a good idea to make a headlight from leds? I came across 10 white leds, 20000mcd each, and I should recieve them from mail tonite. I currently have Cateye opticube headlight, with one led. This leaves a lot to be desired. If anyone has any information about building a led headlight, I'd appreciate your advice.

Hooray, I've brought up an old thread.

Would it be a good idea to make a headlight from leds? I came across 10 white leds, 20000mcd each, and I should recieve them from mail tonite. I currently have Cateye opticube headlight, with one led. This leaves a lot to be desired. If anyone has any information about building a led headlight, I'd appreciate your advice.

You should have bought a single Luxeon 3W or 5W LED. The 20cd LED will probably be brighter than the one in the Cateye right now, but it probably won't be suitable for illuminating the path in front of you.

Now, if you rigged up all 10 of those LEDs, well, you'd still only be very visible to oncoming traffic. ;)

Thanks jeff-o, I presumed that. I haven't had a chance to order a Luxeon led yet, but maybe that time will come. I tried 20k led, and it's good enough in my opinion. I'll try and see, how it works out. Few busy evenings soldering ain't gonna hurt either.

Here's my contribution:

I replaced my server's UPS batteries every year. This year I saved the batteries for use on the bike. They are 9ah 12V. (I think they are 9ah) I am using one of them with a 55W halogen driving light and a tail/stop signal light wired to the brighter stop lamp. The battery and automatic charger are located in the "cooler" on the back rack. I'm getting around 30 minutes run time before I get a hint of dimming. I'm going to make some changes to get longer run time. My commute is only 6 miles one way so the 30 minute run time works fine for that, but if I have to run errands after work, then I may be pushing against the run time before I can make it home.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Commuter/2005-09-01004.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Commuter/2005-09-01002.jpg

Here's my contribution:

I replaced my server's UPS batteries every year. This year I saved the batteries for use on the bike. They are 9ah 12V. (I think they are 9ah) I am using one of them with a 55W halogen driving light and a tail/stop signal light wired to the brighter stop lamp. The battery and automatic charger are located in the "cooler" on the back rack. I'm getting around 30 minutes run time before I get a hint of dimming. I'm going to make some changes to get longer run time. My commute is only 6 miles one way so the 30 minute run time works fine for that, but if I have to run errands after work, then I may be pushing against the run time before I can make it home.
Good job Zin. That's a pretty heavy load for the battery and may reduce its longevity. Also be careful not to overdischarge the battery since this will permanently damage it. Here are some (no load) voltages for a 12V lead-acid battery and the approximate corresponding remaining capacity:

12.65V = 100%
12.45 = 75%
12.24 = 50%
12.06 = 25
11.89 = 0%

A 20W headlight would reduce the current draw and would still be very bright. You didn't indicate whether your tail light is tungsten or LED, but either way you could have the tail light on all the time, and connect the stop light filament to a switch on your brake. I did that and the drivers keep their distance.

Hi Multibiker,
Thanks for the reply and info. The tail light is tungsten. I re-wired the tail light today and now run the tail light constant. On the brake light I wired it to a signal stat and have it flashing. Run time test gave me around 45 minutes. The head and tail lights were still bright. However, the signal stat stopped functioning at this point. I'm going to run another run-time test making note of the voltage at which the signal stat fails to switch. Thanks for the voltage capacity info. It will prove to be useful.

I'll have to look around for the 20W lamps. This was my first pass as a low cost solution to keep me on the road during the dark days of winter. Now the fun comes playing with making it better. :)

Hey Zin, where there's a will, there's a way! Have fun my friend. I have some photos of the lights I made on my site. (20 watt) Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

Thanks Ritz,
Hey, how about a link to those photos on your web site. You have a TON of information there and its going to be rather time consuming to track down those photos. Thanks

Here Ya go Zin: http://www.tourdepants.com/page_11.htm This is the only one I have up on the site right now. I'll add more Photos of the set-up when I get another digital camera. Peace, Ritz.

Here's my contribution:

I replaced my server's UPS batteries every year. This year I saved the batteries for use on the bike. They are 9ah 12V. (I think they are 9ah) I am using one of them with a 55W halogen driving light and a tail/stop signal light wired to the brighter stop lamp. The battery and automatic charger are located in the "cooler" on the back rack. I'm getting around 30 minutes run time before I get a hint of dimming. I'm going to make some changes to get longer run time. My commute is only 6 miles one way so the 30 minute run time works fine for that, but if I have to run errands after work, then I may be pushing against the run time before I can make it home.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Commuter/2005-09-01004.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Commuter/2005-09-01002.jpg
:eek: WOW that's bright! What sort of reaction do you get in traffic....:beer:

I'll bet they think he's a motorcycle! :D

Now, if you rigged up all 10 of those LEDs, well, you'd still only be very visible to oncoming traffic. ;)

Adding to Jeff-o's comment. With that you'll want to try for a good silver colored reflector in the housing to amplify the light. Perhaps you can make one from a thin foil like tape that they use for heating and ventilation ducts.