Cheap Custom Lights

[F73ME]

Guy's I've got an easy, cheap light system on my bike I want to share. All you need is some LED's (5mm), which can be gotten for cheap in bulk (partsexpress.com), a drill and 3/16" bit, a saw, some wire, a 9v battery clip (also cheap), wire connectors, solder and soldering gun, random small bolts/studs and nuts, 4 2-1/2" wood screws, some plastic wire ties, a saw, and some cutting board. All of this can be had for pretty cheap, is readily available and all can be used on other bike projects. Most of all, many of us already have all these things (Or you should =P)

you can see how i made my lights in the attached pictures. I run one light unit on either side of my tire, using 4 LEDS on each. I run 4 series circuits, each one connecting 2 leds. this means the 9v battery is running each LED at a theoretical 4.5volts, which is why it's so bright. They're rated for only 3.2 volts. The material is cut from kitchen cutting board using a saw, which is a great fabrication material, by the way... The two halves of each light are held together by the wood screws.
I attached a 9v battery clip to the bike using plastic wire tie and the battery simply hangs onto the bike when it's clipped in. You may choose to install a switch, as I have, or you may plug and unplug the battery. The LED's are simply installed with an interference fit in a hole made by the 3/16" drill bit. The hole is slightly small for the LED's, but the cutting board is kind of soft, and you can fit the LED in with a tight fit that won't vibrate loose.


Now before I get unduly called out on this I want to raise some points. I know running the LEDs above their rated voltage is not a good thing, BUT I want to make a case for it.
The battery is not an ideal battery. As current is drawn, the voltage drops, bringing it the LED's closer to their rated voltage. Also, the wire will provide some resistance and further reduce voltage at the LED's. LEDs CAN run above their rated voltage, their lifetime will simply be shortened. A LED's lifetime at it's rated voltage usually runs in the thousands of hours. So - how often will we be riding at night? Do the math... how long will it take to reach even 500 hours? I also made the LED's easily replacable with the bolt and nut contact setup.... so all you need to do to replace a burnt out unit is unscrew the nuts, remove the LED's, solder 2 new led's together, and reinstall! Easy! If you buy the 100 pack of 5mm LEDs from partsexpress, you should have PLENTY to spare....

Anyhow, let me know what you guys think!!

 

[d_gizzle]

Looks nice. You can get the leds premade from here: http://www.billscustomrclighting.com/

They have 5 and 10mm leds. And flashers too I believe. Just email them.

 

[CTripps]

Interesting... I have a number of old LED lights I've been thinking of playing with, you've given me something to think about. How far does your set-up throw light? Or are they better for being seen than seeing by? My biggest problem riding in the dark is that it's easy to over run my light.

Good job, nice design.

 

[dracothered]

How much forward lighting do you get from your setup? Does it have a beam of light or more of a flood of light?

 

[F73ME]

My top speed is about 28 mph, and I feel they throw light far enough to feel safe at that speed. I do a lot of offroading, so one thing I like about the setup is that they're mounted so low. you see contour much more easily with a low mounting position, like people doing the "spooky flashlight below the face" thing. This lets me easily see and avoid potholes and bumps. If you wanted more light, you could easily drill more holes and mount more LED's, assuming you provide additional voltage to run them. The additional cost for this would next to nothing. Little more battery and a few more LED's.