DIY Cree LED bike light

[Guest Frail4Life]

Dear Mountain Lion

 

Please give some details on where you bought the parts.

 

I do a lot of night riding on the road. Epic cycle to Knysna next month.

 

Nice design, your handy the tools.

[scuzzy]

Nite rider

 

That code that you're giving there, from which website is it?  I'm looking to order everythin one time from dealextreme and they've got a few there, will this work http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7612 , with these batteries, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.21474 

 

Thanks

[mountain_lion]

 

 

Dear Mountain Lion

 

Please give some details on where you bought the parts.

 

I do a lot of night riding on the road. Epic cycle to Knysna next month.

 

Nice design' date=' your handy the tools. [/quote']

 

All the info is in this thread.

Enjoy the read... 

mountain_lion2009-05-31 14:36:53

[Musashi]

Nite rider

 

That code that you're giving there' date=' from which website is it?  I'm looking to order everythin one time from dealextreme and they've got a few there, will this work http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7612 , with these batteries, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.21474 

 

Thanks

[/quote']

 

Scuzzy, I think you'll need one of those drivers per LED as they are 3.7V only.

 

What about 3023-D-E-1000P? 

http://www.ledsupply.com/wired-buckpuck.php

 

 

[mountain_lion]

Musashi is correct.

 

The Buckpuck drivers are available in SA from Rabtron.

http://shop.rabtron.co.za/catalog/index.php?cPath=41_409_340

 

 

[Musashi]

Just a pity Rabtron doesn't have stock of the one I'm looking for (3023-D-E-1000P).

[TreeDodger]

 

 

Just a pity Rabtron doesn't have stock of the one I'm looking for (3023-D-E-1000P).

 

 

 

http://www.ledsupply.com

 

 

Shipping is a bit expensive $30 or so but they've got lenses and other bits and pieces as well.

TreeDodger2009-06-02 03:05:02

[mountain_lion]

 

 

Just a pity Rabtron doesn't have stock of the one I'm looking for (3023-D-E-1000P).

 

Just get the 3021-D-E-1000, order your own pot (or resistors) and wire it yourself. Will probably be cheaper too.

I soldered mine on veroboard but if you don't want to solder, the connectors often used to wire front panel indicator lights and switches to a PC motherboard fit the pins.

 

I don't like a pot for a bike light anyway.

Awkward to adjust on the bike, you never get the setting you want and vibration can change it for you too.

I used a pot to determine the 2 brightness settings I wanted and then used fixed resistors with a switch for the final build.

With a 3 position toggle I can select off / bright / dim.

 

mountain_lion2009-06-02 05:46:16

[DaLoCo]

If I wire it in this sequence: battery, 3-way switch, resistors, driver, LED's would that be correct?

 

Also, what value fixed resistors did you use?

[mountain_lion]

You wire the pot / resistors in the control circuit of the Buckpuck . Not the power circuit. Read the manual (you need the E = External dimming version).

 

You choose the resistor values to meet your requirements for brightness from the specific LEDs.

That is why I used a pot initially to measure what I wanted.

LEDs differ in efficiency and forward voltage.

My resistor values might not work for you (although for the same LED manufacturer and bin you should be able to get comparable results using the same driver and resistor values).

 

If you want you can have a separate on/off switch in the power circuit. Then you don't need an off position in the control circuit.

 

I just unplug from the battery when storing the light (need to unplug the battery in any case to charge it).

 

 

 

[DaLoCo]

Aha...maybe I should wait for my driver to arrive, then read the instructions

 

Thanks

[WillemT]

I think for the buck puck a 800 ohm resistor gives you more or less 300mA output and a 1Kohm gives you around 700mA, open circuit gives you ful 1000mA. these values are very ruff, what you can try is to get a mini pot that you tune with a little screwdriver and put that in, tune it and then leave it inside.

You can order a little plug from yebo electornics that fits perfectly on the buckpuck. it's a 8 pin PCB connector with 0.1 inch spacing. if you do order it just remember to also get the little pins that goes inside as the plug is just the plastic part. it costs about R4. if you order toggle switches or something from them you can just add that at R4...

[WillemT]

Aha...maybe I should wait for my driver to arrive' date=' then read the instructions

 

Thanks

[/quote']

 

pm me your e-mail adress and i'll mail you the instructions, don't think you get them with the buck puck, I didn't. Or just download them from the web.

[WillemT]

Just a pity Rabtron doesn't have stock of the one I'm looking for (3023-D-E-1000P).

http://www.ledsupply.com

Shipping is a bit expensive $30 or so but they've got lenses and other bits and pieces as well.

 

cutter also have a huge lot of LED stuff, lenses drivers ect. just a little expensive but worth looking looking at.

With LEDs I feel more comfortable ordering from cutter as I know I'm getting the rigth stuff. I can't believe that a Q5 and a scarce R2 costs the same on dealextreme, and they don't always give you the colour tint.

 

www.cutter.com.au

[mountain_lion]

No manual supplied with the Buckpuck.

 

With DIY, you need to do your own research.

Fortunately Google has made that very easy. Lots of info on the manufacturer's website, even a PDF with typical application circuits for the Buckpuck.

The circuit design required here does not go beyond school physics.

 

You can also have a look at one of my previous lights from last year. The pics won't help you much, but I think I described my dimming circuit in that tread; maybe even in this thread too.

Use the search function...

 

 

[DaLoCo]

No manual supplied with the Buckpuck.

With DIY' date=' you need to do your own research.
Fortunately Google has made that very easy. Lots of info on the manufacturer's website, even a PDF with typical application circuits for the Buckpuck.
The circuit design required here does not go beyond school physics.

You can also have a look at one of my previous lights from last year. The pics won't help you much, but I think I described my dimming circuit in that tread; maybe even in this thread too.
Use the search function...

[/quote']

 

Thanks ML

 

Fortunately night tider has hooked me up with the manual for the buckpuck.......so far so good