DIY lights - LED project

[Canaris]

Firstly' date=' to all you pioneers. You guys have inspired my to build a light and I don't even have a MTB yet

I have only seen the Grandcell in 1.2v NiMH, but seen PureEnergy which are 1.5v, but are alkaline rechargeable.


I will check my cost price on the Vanson 8 cell charger and Samsung Pleomax 2500 mAh tomorrow and post my findings.


[/quote']

 

grandcell also makes a1.5v alkaline rechargeable battery (with a special recharger).  Picked mine up at the Vicent P&P in East London

[Azonic]

 

Probably too high-end compared to what you guys are after. RSA born and bred LED lights.

 

 

[AndreZA]

Azonic, please stop stirring. I can not afford that light right now so stop talking about it.

 

 

[Canaris]

Avonics where did you get that casing frmae?

[Azonic]

 

Azonic' date=' please stop stirring. I can not afford that light right now so stop talking about it.

[/quote']

 

Mwahahaaaaaaa!! Next time you're cycling down the road and a car heads your way with its lights too bright, it won't help getting mad because it'll just be me!

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=25863

 

 

 

 

 

[Willehond]

Azonic' date=' please stop stirring. I can not afford that light right now so stop talking about it. [/quote']

Mwahahaaaaaaa!! Next time you're cycling down the road and a car heads your way with its lights too bright, it won't help getting mad because it'll just be me!

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=25863

 

So how do you see this fitting into the DIY thread exactly?  Is it because you did the internet payment yourself?!

 

R4000 seems a bit more than R750 to me, but I have a warped sense of finance (or rather warped finances!).  That light looks great, but I wanted to build the best light for the least bucks and I think I managed to do it.  3 x Luxeon 1W LED's for R750 is a bargain, even if it is not the cutting edge of light design it is streets ahead of anything else in that price bracket!

[Azonic]

Willehond, for sure! I'm glad you got done for what you wanted to spend. A while back there was a chap selling a Blackburn light set in the classifieds here, and they were using Luxeon LED's. I spoke to Brighter Lights about it and he said Luxeon's were old technology. But that's still cool, you have to cut corners here and there to meet a certain budget. Have you taken some pics of the final product?

[Willehond]

Azonci, couple of pages back, but nothing as bling as that aluminium housing!

 

Luxeon's are oldish, but like you said, it is all budget related.  There are however a lot of lights being sold out there still using Luxeon's or even older LED's, that cost way more.  With the speed that the technology moves, today's cutting edge is tomorrows cr@p.

[markStockton]

 

sorry to but in here' date=' how long will the set of batterys last approx?[/quote']

 

Not sure, but I am hoping for at least four hours.  I have not run them down yet as I keep on recharging between rides.  Should do a test, but it is not my main priority just yet.  Maybe ML or one of the other guys know.

 

With 8 batteries rated at 2700mAh each and consumption rated at 1000mA, it should theoretically last days, but I fear not...

 

My set-up is the same as Willies, and on a 2 hour ride I use less than half of the available capacity in the cells. Therefore I estimate you should be able to get 4 to 5 hours light.

 

I have a fairly smart charger that allows me to cycle batteries and record charge / discharge peaks etc.

 

[mountain_lion]

 

I have a fairly smart charger that allows me to cycle batteries and record charge / discharge peaks etc.

 

Which charger have you got and where did you buy it?

 

 

[Brighter-Lights]

I've been watching this thread with interest. Becomes expensive once you add batteries and chargers eh?

 

Luxeon III puts out 60 to 65 lumens at 700mA and 70 to 80 lumens at 1000mA (according to datasheet) - a single Cree Q5 puts out 214 to 228 lumens at 1000mA... eeesh...   

 

So lets say running 3 x at 600mA would give you 180 lumens max. The forward voltage at 700mA is 3v to 4.4v with 3.7v average. So to run 3 in series you would need 3x3.7v = 11.1v  /  600mA = roughly 6.66 watts  (efficiency losses of buckpuk not calculated.)

 

So at 6.66watts you get 180 lumens optimum.

 

You'r package cost around R750 + time to assemble. For 180 lumens at the LED's and how many hours? 4 to 4.5?

 

I'm busy putting together some budget packages for guys not able to spend $$$$ on a light.

 

I take a flashlight and put some magic goodies inside. A Cree Q5 LED driven at 1000mA, giving 214 to 226 lumens. It only weighs 230g with batteries and runs for 5 to 5:30 at 1000mA or 6+ hours at 800mA (190 lumens) Uses aluminium textured reflector = very smooth beam. Uses 2x li-ion batteries with protection circuit. 

 

Use it as a flashlight at home, when camping/hiking, even for security cause it's so bright, and use it as a bike light.

 

Comes with bar mount,  2x 18650 3.7v 2400ma li-ion batteries + charger in an attractive package - for Only R1100, considering the time you save and the fact that it kills every single LED light you can find...and makes any maglite look like a candle - puts the blackburn x6 to shame, the Sigma Karma's light disappear when you switch this baby on. It's brighter than the 10W halogen of the Sigma and gives good light 30 to 40m up the road... 

 

See the beamshot of the flashlight I modify with one Cree Q5, the white object in the photo is a hard hat (safety helmet) @ 40m...

 

 

I have also finished a prototype of a 1 LED (Cree Q5 or Seoul U-bin) (same as flashlight above 200+ lumens) in an anodized alu housing, textured alu reflector (same as light and motion stella), glass lens, o-ring sealed,  bar mount or helmet mount, 7 led battery level indicator, 2 power levels... and this is specially designed to work with existing sigma lead packs and ni packs. I'm waiting for parts for 10 more. Gives more light than sigma 10Watt and burns for 3.5 hours off sigma nipack on high beam. I'm still playing with dim level, will probably be 8 to 9 hours. Will sell for R900 roughly. A real value upgrade... use your old batteries and toss the inefficient halogen... supports use of 4 AA's too : 3 hours on 2000mah AA's

 

I'll take lux measurements on weekend. Want to have a sigma 10w and sigma Karma handy when taking measurements.   

 

I've got dozens of cheaper led's lying around here, some wasted, some ok, and how many reflectors and optics... it's took 2 years to buy everything I could find and figure out what works best... that's how I learned... tried the cheap way but I was never satisfied. 

 

Just my few cents.

 

 

Brighter-Lights2008-05-05 14:55:50

[mountain_lion]

Brighter-lights, was there supposed to be photos in your post above?

Does not show for me.

 

I knew most of what you say above before I even started with this project (this is not my first DIY light). However I am sure that you will understand that part of the reason for building your own light is just the satisfaction and challenge of doing it yourself.

 

Battery + charger has always been the most expensive part for bike lights.

That is why I have been using sealed lead acid batteries for my previous DIY lights. Heavy and not very efficient, but cheap and easy to charge.

I still have a few 6V, 4Ah batteries giving good service. Unfortunate that the power LED's forward voltage is such that you can will struggle to drive 2 LEDs in series from 6V.

 

I like your thinking though and at the prices you mention above, I am certainly interested... Please post more info on your website, or start a thread where we can discuss these new projects of yours.

 

A light weight helmet mount light to compliment bar lights (does not have to be super bright) will be really nice to have.

 

 

[mountain_lion]

OK, I see you added the beam shot photo now.

 

What lens opening and exposure time did you use for this photo?

 

 

[Brighter-Lights]

Iso 200, F2.8, 1/1.3 Second

 

The LED in the PIC is an older Q3, so the Q5 will be even brighter. Waiting for new stock to arrive.

 

JG

[Weekend_Warrior]

could u post some pics of the lights fitted to a handle bar so we can see what it looks like.

[mountain_lion]

 

Iso 200' date=' F2.8, 1/1.3 Second

 

The LED in the PIC is an older Q3, so the Q5 will be even brighter. Waiting for new stock to arrive.

 

JG

[/quote']

 

1/1.3 Second ???