# My Homebrew LED Lights



## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

Right, after a few failed attempts I've made my own LED lights and they've now got a few months use out of them and have proven durable so I thought I'd post them up here for you all to see & benefit from the fruis of my labour

Mark 1 = Triple Luxeon 3W runnng @ 1000mA using a fraen triple lens and 50mm plumbing compressin fitting tha was used to house my DIT halogen lights for the previus 5 years

















Mark 2 = Single 3W head light at 100mA with single fraen lens all inside a 35mm film cannister. The klow power consumption means I can helmet mount a featherweight Lithium Polymer battery and still get a 4hr burntime

















Mark 3 = Single 5W Luxeon with Luxeon optic in 22mm plumbing pipe (inspired by similar lights on an earlier thread)

























All of these can be made easily from aprts available at your local hardware store. My triple 3W is as bright as my mate's 13W Lumicycle HID in a "car park test" but produces a nicer white light, so I'm pretty chuffed. Specially when combining it with a super light lithium polymer battery designed for model planes.

There's also a LONG discussion on these together with several other people's attempts and a photo step-by-step "how to" post on singletrackworld, the UK site I also visit:

SINGLETRACKWORLD LED LIGHTS THREAD

Hope this is interesting and/or useful to some of you!


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## langen (May 21, 2005)

very interesting indeed! answered a couple of q's i had.. thanks for sharing!


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## sick4surf (Feb 4, 2004)

Kool!

Do you know if those LEDs can be overvolted without burning out?

I run a 14.4 volt cordless drill battery to power my 20w halogen spot and get about 1 hours worth of light. I usually carry two batteries. 

I'd like to switch to the low power LEDS and get more run time but didn't want to burn out the expensive super bright LED in my experiment.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

sick4surf said:


> Kool!
> 
> Do you know if those LEDs can be overvolted without burning out?
> 
> ...


http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS46.PDF

This says forward voltage of 3.9V per LED is typical to acheive absolute max current of 1000mA for a 3W white luxeon. If you put 4 in series theyed probably be OK, as long as the battery voltage doesn't exceed 15.6V (3.9 x 4) at all like when fully charged. Or buy a buckpuck that will take the battery voltage and limit the current to suitable levels.

Mk3 looks cool! How well is it sealed? Where did you buy that bar mount?

Stu


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

sick4surf said:


> Kool!
> 
> Do you know if those LEDs can be overvolted without burning out?
> 
> ...


The LEDs are driven by a 1" square driver which is in all the housing's you can see. This is essential as you need to regulate the current to drive these thing as they have no internal resistance. The beauty of the driver is you can put in any voltage as long as it's above a minimum depending on how many LEDs you have in series (or below depeding on whether you get a step up ot step down controller). The advantages of this are that the light doesn't dim as the batteries drain and stays at full brightness right through and also I can run thm off both my 14.8V lithium polymer battery and my 13.2V NiMH battery I made for my original homemade halogen lights

You can see the driver if you jump to the link in the middle of the thread below where I've done a little photo "how to" section:

HOMEBREW LED HOW TO

Be a bit patient with the link as it's a bit picture heavy!


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## sick4surf (Feb 4, 2004)

Holy Cow! Good thing I waited for that page to load.

That's the best info on home brew lights I have seen. Thanks for the tips!


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

sick4surf said:


> Holy Cow! Good thing I waited for that page to load.
> 
> That's the best info on home brew lights I have seen. Thanks for the tips!


Cheers sick, it's been one hell of a discussion!

The thread got to 409 posts before the editor asked us to start another thrad as it got too big :-D But from it several people have had a crack too and there's been some damn good alternate & better ideas come out of it.

I think it made a lot of people aware of just how good LEDs are and/or how good they're going to be in the future


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## Low_Rider (Jan 15, 2004)

Thanks for posting!!

I agree it's taken too long for people to get around the whole idea that a "LED" device can be measured with an output of watts rather then milliwatts. 

Yes, Luxeons and Cree's and other new "high-output" devices are still "Light Emitting Diodes", but the technology used is so very different to a conventional 5mm LED!! 

It's great to see more people becoming aware of the possibilities of these devices, and it's even better to see more and more people playing with them, and creating lights which are lighter, brighter, and longer burning then many commercial HID systems.

All I can suggest to those building their own lights is to make sure they have a good read of the datasheets of their device of choice before building the light. If you satisfy the specifications, you can't go wrong.

Cheers, Dave.


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## Psycho Banshee (Feb 17, 2005)

*Would these work well for a lighting system?*

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2035


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

Psycho Banshee said:


> http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2035


In a word - NO

Nowhere near bright enough. Those are lights to be seen by only not to see by. You'll need at least 3W-4W of LED which is roughly equivalent to 10W Halogen overvolted to 13.2V (well from my trials it is)


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

Low_Rider said:


> Thanks for posting!!
> 
> I agree it's taken too long for people to get around the whole idea that a "LED" device can be measured with an output of watts rather then milliwatts.
> 
> ...


While we're on the subject of the Cree LEDs, does anyone know of a good source for the Cree LEDs and/or any suitable optics? I haven't been able to find a source in the UK?

Cheers in advance for your help!


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## Psycho Banshee (Feb 17, 2005)

*So I would need something more like this?*

http://www.optotech.com/data_sheets/MR1612volt_brochure.pdf
or this...
http://www.lightingfx.com/item--5-5W-MR16-LED-Bulb--ecoxt


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

Psycho Banshee said:


> https://www.optotech.com/data_sheets/MR1612volt_brochure.pdf
> or this...
> https://www.lightingfx.com/item--5-5W-MR16-LED-Bulb--ecoxt


No, that's all far too expensive, although possibly easier to package. You want something like this:










You'll also need a lens and an led driver specific to the power/current requirements of the LED you choose.

If it all sounds a bit complicated just speak to the nice people at USE (https://www.use1.com) and get the new Exposure Turbo Bar Light & Joystock Head Torch combo, that's ultra pimpy!


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## adam90xj (Sep 27, 2005)

Roddeanlove:
I've read every post on the single track fourum ! Awsome job ! The question i have is where the best place to purchase lux 3's in the US. I like the rank t's at Dotlight but i'm a little hesitant to order overseas. Would http://www.ledsupply.com/k510002.html be a good start? Where would the best place to purchase a triple lense be in the US?

Thaks for the advice in advance.
Adam


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

adam90xj said:


> Roddeanlove:
> I've read every post on the single track fourum ! Awsome job ! The question i have is where the best place to purchase lux 3's in the US. I like the rank t's at Dotlight but i'm a little hesitant to order overseas. Would http://www.ledsupply.com/k510002.html be a good start? Where would the best place to purchase a triple lense be in the US?
> 
> Thaks for the advice in advance.
> Adam


www.ledsupply.com looks like it would be fine, or try www.lumileds.com but I've no experience with either.

For the record: I bought all my 3W Luxeons and triple lenses from dotlight and their service was excellent. They answered all my queries promptly too when I was asking about their products. No reason to be afraid about overseas, it's hardly like Germany is the 3rd world now is it!


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## Psycho Banshee (Feb 17, 2005)

*Triple 5w luxeon star w/ 4 hour runtime*

Does anyone know where to find any lenses to fit three 5w luxeon stars in the U.S.? What special considerations would I need to take into account to make this light system? I would want a lambertian pattern, right? How many/what kind of drivers would I need? What size and kind of battery would you suggest? The last light I made was just too heavy and now I am looking to build something lighter. Thankx for any help.


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

adam90xj said:


> Roddeanlove:
> I've read every post on the single track fourum ! Awsome job ! The question i have is where the best place to purchase lux 3's in the US. I like the rank t's at Dotlight but i'm a little hesitant to order overseas. Would https://www.ledsupply.com/k510002.html be a good start? Where would the best place to purchase a triple lense be in the US?
> 
> Thaks for the advice in advance.
> Adam


I've used the Sandwich Shoppe for LED supplies with good success. Good prices, selection, and customer service. I have built a 1x3w and 3x3w using stuff from this shop. Check out their 3w luxeons here:

https://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/index.php?cPath=48_52_29_33

Here is a good guide to deciphering the bin codes:

https://home.comcast.net/~theledguy/bin_codes/

My TriLuxIII is:
3 tv1j led's
3 ims 20mm reflectors
1 Perfect Tri Sink
1 momentary switch 
1 n size power jack
1 cutdown mag d body
1 cateye qr mount
1 nflex driver (5 levels of brightness)
1 14.8v 4ah li ion battery

Here is a pic










The light isn't quite finished (still test-riding before I really seal it up), but I like it so far. A little too spot-like for me. I'm trying an LDF lens next to make it more flood-like.

baker


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## adam90xj (Sep 27, 2005)

Wow.... I think i want a full sized mag-lite to mess around with 

I'm having a tough time determining the most cost effective method. I don't want to screw up and order the wrong thing being bound in the DIY world with very little margin of cost to step over to the cost of a manufactured counterpart. 

Do you have any pictures of the beam spread on the stubby maglite? How much did the final product cost? What is your runtime on the 14.8 4000mah battery?

I'm thinking that I would be able to get about 2hrs runtime on a 2400mah battery. I would purchase two packs so as to have a fully charged backup but with the option of carrying just one to help reduce weight. 

Do you think 2 hrs is asking to much? I currently have a Jetlites phantom single beam 20w i3. The light does what it is suposed to but that battery is a freaking BLOCK. I can get 2 hrs of good burn time on that. 

Thanks for all the great info. 
Adam


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

Some of this stuff I already had, so the end cost was
less to me, but here it is (shipping not included):

$39 - 3 tv1j led's
$16 - 3 ims 20mm reflectors
$11 - 1 Perfect Tri Sink
$3 - 1 momentary switch
$3 - 1 n size power jack
$15 - 1 cutdown mag d body
$6 - 1 cateye qr mount
$25 - 1 nflex driver (5 levels of brightness)
$70 - 1 14.8v 4ah li ion battery w/ charger

$188, with shipping from different sources, it was easily over $200.

You can get a Cateye Triple Shot at aebikes for $231 (only 1 level of
brightness and no li ion battery, but a done deal):

http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=LT4125

Run time is about 5 hours on full power. So your goal of 2 hours
on a 2400 mAH battery (assuming 14.8v) is reasonable.

Frankly, I think an overdriven halogen w/ a li ion battery is probably 
still the most economic and effective solution. Either that, or the
cheapo batteryspace.com (trailtech) HID/li-ion setup (which I also
have). LED's are almost there...

I may try to capture some beamshots, but don't hold your breath...

baker


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## adam90xj (Sep 27, 2005)

How do you think the led's compare to the trailtech setup?

I've read that they are as bright, brighter, or not nearly as bright. To be honest i've never had the chance to mess with a HID light in the field (only on displays @ the LBS). So it's difficult for me to compare a yellowish 20w halogen to a blueish white 13w HID to a 9w triple led setup.


Again thanks for the info !!

Adam


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

adam90xj said:


> How do you think the led's compare to the trailtech setup?
> 
> I've read that they are as bright, brighter, or not nearly as bright. To be honest i've never had the chance to mess with a HID light in the field (only on displays @ the LBS). So it's difficult for me to compare a yellowish 20w halogen to a blueish white 13w HID to a 9w triple led setup.
> 
> ...


The HID crushes the 3x3w setup. I would compare the 3x3w LED setup to a 15-20w halogen. Much better color (whiter), but probably less measurable light.

baker


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

baker said:


> The HID crushes the 3x3w setup. I would compare the 3x3w LED setup to a 15-20w halogen. Much better color (whiter), but probably less measurable light.
> 
> baker


Rubbish! It depends what 3×3W setup you're comparing wih what HID. My 11.7W LED light compares almost identically in the "car park test" witn my mate's 13W Lumicycle HID (which uses the universally used Solarc bulb). However my 3×3W LED is way brightr than my mate's 3×3W Endurenz light as that's only running at 700mA and 9W. All of these are significantly brighter than another friends (ageing) Cateye Stadium HID light.

In my opinion and experience a 12W LED is comparable with a 13W HID, but a marginally "whiter" light that I personally prefer.

Then there's the fact you can dim & flash an LED light, a HID's not flexibele. An LED acn be turned on & off repeatedly without reducing bulb life. You can drop an LED on the floor without damaging it, HID bulbs are fragile. The life of an LED is massive compared to HID bulb, which is expensive to replace. LEDs light up instantly and don't need to warm up.

HID lights don't lend themselves to DIY projects either.

To say a 12W LED is comparable to a 15W halogen is just garbage. I've got a 20W overvolted (13.2V) halgen bulb and my 12W LED is just massively brighter.

I'm sure the brightest (and crazy expensive) Lupine HID setup is brighter than my homemade 3×3W LED, but give me half of the cost of the lupine seup and one could make an LED light as bright easily at home.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

>


That looks sweet as!

My Cateye double shot turned up today. Its beam is alot tighter than my trail tech HID. The centre is brighter I think. It doesn't have the flood of the HID (which I didn't want any way...wanted a spot for helmet use with my HID on the bars). I have a feeling (as my recent post says) that the LEDs aren't being driven at 1000mA. with another LED with a flood lense and the full 1000mA I can beleive the HIDs and LEDs would be on a par.

Why is that lupine so expensive hehe...still can't believe it hehe.

Stu


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

robdeanhove said:


> Rubbish!


Well, I wouldn't call it rubbish, but you're certainly welcome to. I have no axe to grind or skin in the game worth defending, just personal experience. My personal experience is with a Trail Tech HID, my 3x3w led, and my 15W Niterider.

I also know that my tv1j's produce about 91 lumens when driven at 1000ma (useful info in post 5 here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=96915&highlight=cree+lumens ). So, we're talking ~273 lumens on full power. Comparitive measurements for HID's and halogens can be seen here:

http://nordicgroup.us/s78/wattslumens.html

Now, the color of light produced is entirely different. The dimming capability is a definite advantage for LED's. I personally don't ride enough at night to really concern myself with bulb life, but that is also a distinct advantage for LED's.

baker


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

*Beamshots*

A few beamshots for comparison. Same manual setting used for each shot. Wall is a light green, so color is a bit off. But, still useful for output/pattern comparison:

3x3w luxeon (3 tv1j's) below









15w Niterider below









Trailtech HID below









baker


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## adam90xj (Sep 27, 2005)

baker,

Thanks for the pictures ! Do you think that a wider lense on the triple 3 would be on par with the HID? From the pics It appears to me that the leds have a much tighter spot that looks to me that is as bright if not brighter than the HID. 

Rondeanhove,

Do you have any pictures that you could post of beams from different lights?

Thanks yet again.... 

Adam


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

adam90xj said:


> baker,
> 
> Thanks for the pictures ! Do you think that a wider lense on the triple 3 would be on par with the HID?


No, I think the total output of the HID is about twice that of the triple led. ~600 lumens vs ~300 lumens. The human eye won't perceive double the light, but at that level of difference, it'll be noticeable. I do think a more flood like pattern would be beneficial for my use (a handlebar light).

baker


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

adam90xj said:


> baker,
> 
> Thanks for the pictures ! Do you think that a wider lense on the triple 3 would be on par with the HID? From the pics It appears to me that the leds have a much tighter spot that looks to me that is as bright if not brighter than the HID.
> 
> ...


Pictures are a red herrng when comparing. This has been done by several people on the thread that I've pointed out on the sinngletrackworld.com website and the comment's always that the halogen always comes up much brighter in the pic than it appears (hence bakers comment that the LED is the same a s aHID).

The reason for this is that, even f you've set your camera to manual so it doesn't adjust exposure time for the different light levels automaically (whic it looks like baker's shot's haven't done as the HID & Halogen are comparable brightnesses just different beam angles) a Halogen puts out a lot of IR light the camera picks up and shows in th pics but your eyes don't see tis light, an LED's light is more n the visible spectrum so it actually appears brighter to your eyes.

The best test is a est done lighting up objects at distace, not a wall 2m away but trying to compare LED and Halogen with my camera can not be done fairly, only really by eye unfortunately.

But you've now got the comments from me (my mates on the singletrack world forum) and Stuart B that 12W and 13W HID are comparable (to the human eye on the trail which is waht matters afterall isn't it?!)


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## Surestick Malone (Jan 24, 2004)

For those of you that have built a 3x3W Luxeon set-up what lenses did you use? 
There appear to be 4 choices of lense, 10/20/30 degrees & elliptical (10 deg one way 20 the other). 
It seems to me that two 10 degree lenses & an elliptical to get some light to the sides for turns would be perfect but without seeing what the beam pattern would look like it's only a guess. 
Any input?


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## achesalot (Nov 8, 2005)

Surestick Malone said:


> For those of you that have built a 3x3W Luxeon set-up what lenses did you use?
> There appear to be 4 choices of lense, 10/20/30 degrees & elliptical (10 deg one way 20 the other).
> It seems to me that two 10 degree lenses & an elliptical to get some light to the sides for turns would be perfect but without seeing what the beam pattern would look like it's only a guess.
> Any input?


... and the lens you forgot to mention, that is not a lens at all... a reflector!
I built my 3x3W Luxeon and originally tried some optical lenses, but then I tried reflectors, and was much more pleased with the beam and total output. I'm surprised that most of the commercial builders are using lenses instead of reflectors. The reflectors seem to give the best throw (distance) and a more spot-like beam, whereas, the optical lenses offer the option of a more flood-like pattern. BTW, I used 3 20mm IMS reflectors. Check here for some comparison between optics and reflectors: http://www.quickar.com/lenses.php?session=CuUlCSKm


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

achesalot said:


> ... and the lens you forgot to mention, that is not a lens at all... a reflector!
> I built my 3x3W Luxeon and originally tried some optical lenses, but then I tried reflectors, and was much more pleased with the beam and total output. I'm surprised that most of the commercial builders are using lenses instead of reflectors. The reflectors seem to give the best throw (distance) and a more spot-like beam, whereas, the optical lenses offer the option of a more flood-like pattern. BTW, I used 3 20mm IMS reflectors. Check here for some comparison between optics and reflectors: https://www.quickar.com/lenses.php?session=CuUlCSKm


I used 3 20mm IMS reflectors, also. They have bit more throw than I'd like and not quite enough flood. Great for a helmet light, but not as good for a bar light. I actually just installed an LDF lens in front of the reflectors and will compare beamshots once it gets a bit darker here. Definitely more flood, but the throw is supposedly killed (could be perfect for my use).

edit: I like the beam pattern w/ the LDF lens. As mentioned above though, I'll need to try it in a trail situation to see how it really is.

3x3w LED w/ LDF lens below (compare to post above, a bigger hotspot in this one)









baker


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

So, following my original post, has anyone actually tried this themselves?

Baker, any chance of a picture or two of your triple 3W setup please?


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## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

*Problems*



Psycho Banshee said:


> Does anyone know where to find any lenses to fit three 5w luxeon stars in the U.S.? What special considerations would I need to take into account to make this light system? I would want a lambertian pattern, right? How many/what kind of drivers would I need? What size and kind of battery would you suggest? The last light I made was just too heavy and now I am looking to build something lighter. Thankx for any help.


I was thinking hard about a tri-5 watt light. I abandoned it because I could not find a small current regulator that would boost a 14.4 volt battery to the needed 21 volts. I didn't want to run a 21-volt battery due to non-standardness. Another way to get around this would be to run 2 regulators. After thinking about that option for a while, I concluded that I'd just as soon run two 5watt LEDs on each regulator, and cut the current back somewhat to regain electrical efficiencey. The costs are getting pretty steep though, I'm spending about $200 per unit (assuming I will buy a 2400 mAH Li battery), not including shipping or tool costs.

If you find a boost regulator that will do the job, please post here.

One other thing you should be aware of is that 5 watt LEDs put out a considerable amount of heat. Mounting several 5 watters in a single light head can make enough heat to damage the LEDs. The things I'm doing to deal with the heat are to use an individual aluminum tube for each LED, and using a switch to run the LEDs at less than full current.

Also be aware that in a multi-LED setup, the LEDs need to be electrically isolated. The metal base of the Luxeon star apparently is tied to the negative side of the emitter. Most folks have solved this problem by using Arctic Aluminum (?) epoxy which doubles as a good thermal connection.

The Sandwich Shoppe sells both LEDs and reflectors to fit. I'm using the Buck Puck (LED Connection?) for current regulation.

Good luck.

Walt


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

robdeanhove said:


> So, following my original post, has anyone actually tried this themselves?
> 
> Baker, any chance of a picture or two of your triple 3W setup please?


There's one up there in post 17 (before I installed the Borofloat LDF lens), but I'd be happy to show different views (on the bike, etc) if you'd like.

edit and OT: nice looking Inbred you have there (pic of mine below)...what fork is that on your Inbred?










baker


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

baker said:


> There's one up there in post 17 (before I installed the Borofloat LDF lens), but I'd be happy to show different views (on the bike, etc) if you'd like.
> 
> edit and OT: nice looking Inbred you have there (pic of mine below)...what fork is that on your Inbred?
> 
> ...


Baker,

That inbred is the 3 year old (custom geometry) prototype 29er inbred courtesy of the lovely Brant Richards, disc only and with bushnell EBB. The fork is the prototype USE SUB 29er courtesy of the fantastic company that is USE.

Both are now in production (as I hope you know)

The 29er SUB on the front is a revelation, I rode down some of the rockiest descents in the Peak District last night and the 29er wheel combined with the SUB fork is just mind blowing in its ability, way better than the 130mm fork I have on my 26" wheeled hardtail.

If you want info on the form feel free to email me or I can give you the email of a super helpful contact at USE if you want, theier contact details are on the website if you do want to contact them independantly of me https://www.use1.co.uk.

I really highly recommend these forks the anit dive under braking is such a benefit over other forks I can't beleive everyone isn't riding with them.


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

robdeanhove said:


> Baker,
> The 29er SUB on the front is a revelation, I rode down some of the rockiest descents in the Peak District last night and the 29er wheel combined with the SUB fork is just mind blowing in its ability, way better than the 130mm fork I have on my 26" wheeled hardtail.


I didn't know anything about the USE SUB. Looks very interesting and wicked expensive.

thanks,
baker


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## ICanDigIt (Jun 23, 2004)

3x3W seems to be a popular set up...

Has anyone tried a 4x3W? I was thinking of something along those lines. Power would be provided by a 4.8 Ah 14.8V Li Ion. Lights would be divided into 2 light heads...my thinking is I could aim one slightly lower than the other, or side to side, giving a nice swath of light. 

Would I still use a 1000mAh Buckpuck with this? 
Any reason why this wouldn't work? (assuming proper heat sinking)

Thanks


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

ICanDigIt said:


> Has anyone tried a 4x3W? I was thinking of something along those lines. Power would be provided by a 4.8 Ah 14.8V Li Ion. Lights would be divided into 2 light heads...my thinking is I could aim one slightly lower than the other, or side to side, giving a nice swath of light.
> 
> Would I still use a 1000mAh Buckpuck with this?
> Any reason why this wouldn't work? (assuming proper heat sinking)
> ...


There are lots of 4x3w Mag mods out there (for flashlight usage, not bike lights). Basically, similar to what I did for a bike light, but the heatsink is built for 4 led's instead of 3. The regulator becomes a bit more of an issue, because buck contollers require a voltage higher than the total forward voltage of the led's you use.

So, let's say you use 4 run of the mill LuxIII's w/ a forward voltage of 3.8v each. Total forward voltage is 15.2V. The Buckpuck 3021 would require a battery to supply 16.2v (see http://www.luxeonstar.com/buckpuck.html ). The nFlex (which I used) would require a battery to supply 16.7v (see http://taskled.com/nflex.html ). So, you'll basically need a battery w/ a higher voltage. Or, find a more suitable controller for the desired combo (I can't think of one off the top of my head, but I'm sure they are out there).

Anyway, a great setup (in my opinion), would be 4 UX1K's with variable output. You'd get a max of about 450 lumens in a fairly efficient package. Putting 4 led's into two different heads may complicate the wiring and mounting, but would give more flexibility for aiming (if that's important to you).

edit: oh yeah, here is a commercial 4x3w version in the works:

http://elektrolumens.com/QuadStar-Bikelight/QuadStar-Bikelight.html

baker


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

ICanDigIt said:


> 3x3W seems to be a popular set up...
> 
> Has anyone tried a 4x3W? I was thinking of something along those lines. Power would be provided by a 4.8 Ah 14.8V Li Ion. Lights would be divided into 2 light heads...my thinking is I could aim one slightly lower than the other, or side to side, giving a nice swath of light.
> 
> ...


There's no reason a quad or sextuple or any ther number combinaion won't work, the only reason for a 3×3W is that a a trple lens exists and a 3×3W is comparable lumens but less $ than a 2×5W so it represents an easy to package light that's very good value as far as LEDs go. it also happens to run off a convenient volage

For the record, I made a second lght (as I thought I could do it better the second attempt) and I now run 6×3W in two 3×3W units running off the same 14.8V LiPo battery, both dimmable for super flexibility depending on my expected ride time


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## toyota200x (Sep 9, 2005)

Man those lights are pretty sweet and simple looking.


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## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

*Shark*



ICanDigIt said:


> 3x3W seems to be a popular set up...
> 
> Has anyone tried a 4x3W? I was thinking of something along those lines. Power would be provided by a 4.8 Ah 14.8V Li Ion. Lights would be divided into 2 light heads...my thinking is I could aim one slightly lower than the other, or side to side, giving a nice swath of light.
> 
> ...


Check the Sandwich Shoppe for the new Shark step-up current regulator. I have one on order. This makes possible my original idea of running a 3x5w LED from a 14v battery. Can you say 450-540 lumen LED? *Drool*

Should work for a 4x3w light too. Your battery burn time will definitely decrease, the extra power to run that extra emitter has to come from somewhere.

Walt


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

ordered my parts today, woot.


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

HuffyMan said:


> ordered my parts today, woot.


Huffy - I hope you're going to come back and show us pics of your work when you'v finished?


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## Low_Rider (Jan 15, 2004)

HuffyMan - Sorry If I missed it, but what have your ordered?? 

And yes, you will be in trouble if you don't come back and let us know how you went!! 

Dave.


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

i ordered 3 luxeon IIIs and a 1000ma buckpuck driver.

i got them in yesterday and today i just wired one LED up to my drill battery. charged i measured 22VDC off the terminals. im a little surprised though in that the LED didnt seem very bright. this is w/ no reflectors or optics, etc, just sitting there on the desk, but i can look into it no problem and i see the glowing square inside. how bright should it be? i also wired it directly to the battery w/o the buckpuck and it looks like the same brightness. how bright should i expect one to be? 

i put my multimeter inline w/ the circuit to measure the current off the buckpuck and i was only getting .5mA.. i wonder how accurate that is. and yehi have the dimmer pot all the way bright. hr3


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## achesalot (Nov 8, 2005)

HuffyMan said:


> i ordered 3 luxeon IIIs and a 1000ma buckpuck driver.
> 
> i got them in yesterday and today i just wired one LED up to my drill battery. charged i measured 22VDC off the terminals. im a little surprised though in that the LED didnt seem very bright. this is w/ no reflectors or optics, etc, just sitting there on the desk, but i can look into it no problem and i see the glowing square inside. how bright should it be? i also wired it directly to the battery w/o the buckpuck and it looks like the same brightness. how bright should i expect one to be?
> 
> i put my multimeter inline w/ the circuit to measure the current off the buckpuck and i was only getting .5mA.. i wonder how accurate that is. and yehi have the dimmer pot all the way bright. hr3


Uh-oh. I'm afraid you've fried your LuxIII if you hooked it up directly to a 22v battery. It should practically blind you if you're looking directly into the LED. Only connect to 22v using the buckpuck to provide regulation


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## Low_Rider (Jan 15, 2004)

Sounds like the buck puck might not have been regulating thing properly. Did changing the pot position change the output current in any direction at all??

Without looking at the datasheet, I’m wondering if you may have exceeded the maximum input voltage for the buck puck?


Unfortunately you've most likely toasted your new Lux 3 if you've connected it across the battery like that.

I would suggest having a careful play with your buck puck and remaining luxeons, so that you can diagnose what’s happening. 

Cheers, Dave.


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

hrmm. well i tried w/ the buckpuck first. its max input voltage is 32VDC.. so it should be fine i assume.. i could adjus the pot and the LED would dim, but even at full bright it was not very bright. i mean bright, but no brighter than like a cheap LED keychain light. i then tried another LED w/ the same results. i then tried direct to battery, looked about the same. then tried w/ the buckpuck again and it was the same. 

if i hook up a multimeter to the buckpuck's outputs, should i be able to measure my fixed 1A current? i'm wondering if the MM has an internal load or not i guess. maybe i could put a resistor in series for a load and then i should be able to see that 1A current i think.. hrm


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

HuffyMan said:


> hrmm. well i tried w/ the buckpuck first. its max input voltage is 32VDC.. so it should be fine i assume.. i could adjus the pot and the LED would dim, but even at full bright it was not very bright. i mean bright, but no brighter than like a cheap LED keychain light. i then tried another LED w/ the same results. i then tried direct to battery, looked about the same. then tried w/ the buckpuck again and it was the same.
> 
> if i hook up a multimeter to the buckpuck's outputs, should i be able to measure my fixed 1A current? i'm wondering if the MM has an internal load or not i guess. maybe i could put a resistor in series for a load and then i should be able to see that 1A current i think.. hrm


I frazzled one of my LEDs and it did the same.

Connecting it driectly to a 22V battery will DEFINIELY kill it. It sounds like you've definitely damaged you LEDs. I can't look directly at mine they're way, *WAY* too bright


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## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

*Check current*

Before you give up, definitely make sure the battery is supplying adequate current.

Walt



HuffyMan said:


> hrmm. well i tried w/ the buckpuck first. its max input voltage is 32VDC.. so it should be fine i assume.. i could adjus the pot and the LED would dim, but even at full bright it was not very bright. i mean bright, but no brighter than like a cheap LED keychain light. i then tried another LED w/ the same results. i then tried direct to battery, looked about the same. then tried w/ the buckpuck again and it was the same.
> 
> if i hook up a multimeter to the buckpuck's outputs, should i be able to measure my fixed 1A current? i'm wondering if the MM has an internal load or not i guess. maybe i could put a resistor in series for a load and then i should be able to see that 1A current i think.. hrm


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

well the problem seems to be my drill battery. i just tested each one w/ a little 6V (4x1.5V AA) battery pack and they each worked fine. and boy did they, i still cant see. NOW i know what you guys are talking about. hah i also tried each w/ that battery pack and the buckpuck and it worked and dimmed so all my parts seem to be fine. 

also i have a little LED safety bike light and the drill battery wont even power that.. i dunno whats up w/ this thing. guess i'll be after some batteries now


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

well i got the LEDs and reflectors mounted up on the aluminum bar now. i'm powering them w/ an AC/DC power adapter thats 12VDC and can provide 2.3A of current.

its definately bright! does seem to have a pretty concentrated hotspot in the center though. i'll get some pics later on


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## Low_Rider (Jan 15, 2004)

Good to hear you're having some luck!! 

Keep us posted.

Dave


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## achesalot (Nov 8, 2005)

Glad to hear you didn't fry your LEDs! Sounds like you're making progress. Yes, the LuxIIIs with the 20mm reflectors do produce a pretty concentrated beam of light with tremendous throw distance. But it's still enough side spill to ride comfortably with. I've experimented with various lenses, and do get better side fill (flood), but the total light output just seems less (and it is, because reflectors are more efficient) . You might play with a mixture of reflectors and lenses to get an ideal flood/spot ratio.


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

what about wider spread reflector options? the 20mm is the middle.. there is a norrower and wider available right? i wonder how the wider does


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## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

"what about wider spread reflector options? the 20mm is the middle.. there is a norrower and wider available right? i wonder how the wider does"

I want to try a flood lens too.

A lot of folks seen to get hung up on having tight beam focus. Makes for pretty pictures to show your light's power. But since I rarely look more than 100 ft ahead on the trail (more like 30 ft), it seems like a waste. Especially on a bar mounted light.

Good to hear you didn't fry your emitters. I had a similar experience. When I first received my lights, I tried them out by connecting them, through the Buck Puck to a computer power supply. I found a 12 v pair of leads and fired everything up.

The result was...underwhelming. But I wasn't sure that there was a problem until I hooked an ammeter in line to the Buck Puck and found it was drawing less than 50 mA, or 0.6 watts of power. Needless to say the emitter produced considerably more light when there I hooked it up to a line with an amp or so.

I have no idea what your financial situation is, but I'm sold on Li-ion cells. They are small and light enough to pack about 3 hours of light (for a 10W draw) in something that will easily fit in a jersey pocket, and only weighs about 7 oz. They aren't cheap though.

Walt


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## Pivvay (Aug 19, 2004)

Has anyone found a one stop shop to buy this stuff here in the US?

I'm wanting to build a 3x3W light but am not totally sure what I need. I am trying to decide between using the Emitters or the Star and then which optics to use. I am lucky in that I can build any housing I want pretty much at work. Is it also easy to make the light run on either 1 LED, no LEDs or all 3 LEDs?

Thanks!


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## Fluffbomb (Aug 14, 2004)

Just finished my Luxeon bar light. Used a sawn down old red c-cell maglite as the enclosure. 3x3W luxeons bonded onto an alu disc that sits in the head of the torch. I'm using a Carclo tri lens holder with two 25 degree lenses and a single 6 degree spot lense. I've used a double throw two pole switch that allows me to use either 1 of the flood LEDs (for commuting & climbing) or all 3 LEDs together.

I haven't had a chance to use it properly but its seems to put out alot of light. The enclosure is getting pretty hot but not too hot so hopefully its all working fine.

If I'd had a digital camera I'd have taken some pictures during the build but I'll try and get a picture of the completed light.

Cheers,

Fluff


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## Pivvay (Aug 19, 2004)

Anyone order from Lumileds? They list the luxeon III stars for $4 each? That seems way cheaper than dotlight or any other places. Why are they so cheap? I'm going to build a 3x3w light and a 3W single helmet light 

LXHL-LW3C luxeon III star hex white lambertian $4.05


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## Fluffbomb (Aug 14, 2004)

_Anyone order from Lumileds? They list the luxeon III stars for $4 each? That seems way cheaper than dotlight or any other places. Why are they so cheap? I'm going to build a 3x3w light and a 3W single helmet light_

That sounds like a good deal. The dotlight ones are supposed to be a bit brighter but at that price I wouldn't worry.

Anyway I've had a brief trial of my light and it seems to be producing a good amount of light (more than my 20W Halogen) but not as much as a HID (IIRC). However measuring the voltage and current draw it comes up a bit low (10W instead of 12W) and each of the Luxeon IIIs only seems to have a Vf of 3.3V. Not sure whats not working properly as the 3 x 3W luxeons running off a 1A buckpuck is similar to other peoples set ups except for the addition of a switch to allow 1 or 3 Luxeons to be selected. Can anybody give me any advice as I'd like to get that extra 20%?

Cheers,

Fluff


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

well i took the light on a walk through the trails last night and it did great. it throws really far and lights up wide enough for single track. 

i have two questions though.. is the buckpuck driver supposed to get hot? like almost too hot to touch? i have the light on for a good 30min w/ a fan on it to keep it cool to drain the batter and when i touched the buckpuck (the guts are hanging out of the housing right now) it was really hot.. that ok?

also the dimmer pot stopped working.. i took the leads out of the harness and measured teh pot at various settings and it is working properly.. i measured the reference 5V+ pin and it seems to be 0.. i think my buck quit outputting its reference.... hrmm it used to work fine

also how hard is it to damage to LEDs due to overheating? i have it pretty well heatsinked, and it got only warm during the walk, but at home i let it sit on and it got pretty hot. hot enough like damn! thats hot. but it still seems to look fine and now has a fan on it keeping it cold.


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## Fluffbomb (Aug 14, 2004)

When I was trying my light out the buckpuck didn't seem to get hot. I assume it would need a heatsink if it did. Indoors my light does get hot but seems to stay cool outdoors.

To try and answer my querie above I emailed a guy at LEDsupply.com (where I got the Buckpuck from) and he said the following:

'The voltage that the units, Luxeon IIIs, are using in your 
application are in no way tied to the constant current provided output 
by the BuckPuck. I can tell you that as the Luxeon LEDs become more 
efficient we are seeing an overall decrease in the typical forward 
voltage drop of the LEDs. Hence you will get the same amount of light 
for less power. We are seeing the Vf for the Luxeon IIIS at 1A down 
around 3.3 to3.6V. So the forward voltage drops that you are seeing are 
right in line with what you could expect to see from some of the more 
efficient Luxeon IIIs.'

Its kind of good news in that nothing is wrong but a bit disappointing that I won't be able to squeeze more light out. 

Cheers,

Fluff


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

hrmm yeh this buckpuck is definately getting hot. i cant touch it tightly for more than half a sec. 

and i hav ethe buckpuck outside of the aluminum housing now and the light has been on like 10 minutes. the aluminum is barely warm.. i think all the heat i felt on the housing last night was from the buckpuck, not the LEDs..

i emailed the guys at ledsupply to see what they say.

my batter is outputting 15v.. im measuring 9.55V across the 3 LEDs in series.. the voltages look right


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

i think its actually the buckpuck that heats these cases up.. not the LEDs..

i've had my buckpuck out of the housing and the light on for a good 3 hours today and the aluminum housing w/ the LEDs barely got warm. the buckpuck however gets pretty damn hot. 

i put a 10ohm resistor inline w/ the LEDs today to get a current measurement and found 1.4amps... seems kinda high. has anyone else measure their current? i measured 1.52volts across a 10.8ohm resistor.. thats 1.407amps.. i also have no 5V+ reference voltage which is odd.. maybe something is wrong w/ this buckpuck


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## Fluffbomb (Aug 14, 2004)

*Thats not right.*

Huffyman, that sounds very wrong. The buckpuck shouldn't get hot and an output current of 1.4A is way too much (it should kill the LEDs). Check your wiring for shorts etc but sounds like a dodgy buckpuck. If the LEDs were passing 1.4A I'd expect them to get pretty hot.

Cheers,

Fluff


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## notenoughtime (Sep 7, 2004)

Huffyman,

I'm pretty sure Ohm's law is V = I * R where V is voltage, I is current in amps, and R is resistance in ohms. If you've got a 1.52 V drop over a 10.8 ohm resistor, that is 1.52 = I * 10.8, which gives you .1407A, or 140.7mA. That is certainly not your desired regulated current of 1000mA or 1A the BP should be giving you. My thought on why this is happening is because of the power handling of typical resistors. Most resistors are 1/8, 1/4, maybe 1/2 W in power rating. If you were to have the values I calculated, then the power drawn by your 10.8 ohm resistor is P=I*V =V^2/R=.214W. This is a realistic figure. I'd be sure you wired everything correctly. Make sure you have it in series. I haven't built mine yet so I cannot tell you if mine gets that hot. I'm sorry I can't be more help. Good luck.


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

ah ****, im an idiot. i just saw the two numbers and wanted to make them close to an amp. hah strange how my mind works! dare i admit i'm a EE? bahah

thats right then.. hrm damn. i think this buckpuck is toast.

i'm 99% sure everythign is wired correctly. i can see all the wires. its all tight and neat. and the fact all the LEDs turn on would mean their polarity is correct. and yep in series.


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## notenoughtime (Sep 7, 2004)

Sorry to hear about all your troubles. A lot of times I shift numbers by 10 and don't realize. I don't know how hot a BP is supposed to run, so I can't comment on that. Do you have access to a power supply that you can hook the LEDs to directly? Be sure they can handle the current drain. I'm just thinking that since your lights work, what would cause the BP to still work, but just run really hot. If something were wrong with it, I'd expect there to be something wrong w/ the output and the lights wouldn't work at all.


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

i have some big 5 watt resistors so i think next ill hook that directly to the buckpuck and see what kind of current the buckpuck drives. if its on target then i guess its the LEDs. if not its teh buckpuck

the main reason i think its the buckpuck is also because it has no 5V reference voltage.. no matter what that should be there.


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## Pivvay (Aug 19, 2004)

USA Guys, the LED Supply place has Rank T Lux III stars, buckpucks and lenses. I'm waiting to hear back if they can get the Fraen triple lense dealy but other than that it appears they're a great USA 1 stop shop!

http://store.yahoo.com/ledsupply/index.html


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## Pivvay (Aug 19, 2004)

*5W battery?*

Could you run a single 5w LED off a 7.4V Li-ion battery? It seems like 6.8V + head room for the buck puck and it might not be enough voltage to give it the full 700mA?

If you could use a 7.4V 9.6Ahr Li-ion battery you could have 120 lumens for over 12.5 hours at a battery weight of only 210grams! Or you could have 90 lumens from 2x Lux 1 Watt LEDs for 25 hours!


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## rjpstoked (Jan 14, 2004)

*A little late but*

Been following (w/o) much understanding..but would like to give this a shot. Might anyone come up with a moderate light design one can use in city commute with flashing/beam mode. battery life is a high priority and would lke to make a rear led (red flashing) light that would insure being seen. If someone might come up with design and parts list I would be forever grteful. I commute to work everyday ...and coming home t around midnight. If I am asking too much, thnks for all the info anways. I tried following homebrew link, but its no longer there.

Fast trails


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## HuffyMan (Oct 19, 2005)

late update, i got a new buckpuck (they determined the one i had was bad and sent another) and it worked fine. but then when i went to test it out at night for the first time, the power arch'ed while i was plugging the battery to the light and fried the buckpuck.

gahhh


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## 古強者死神 (May 12, 2006)

I just ordered the DiNotte Ultra 5 for 153$ since I need a light and it was on extreme sale.

however I still plan to make my own light at my leasier, alot of the links near the begining of this thread are dead. so picking it up from the top!

http://store.yahoo.com/ledsupply/index.html looks like a good store to get stuff from, they have the LEDs, the Driver, and the Optics.

from what I can make out the Lux III is better than the Lux V mostly because it has a much longer life right? I am just building a nice small light to add on to my DiNotte so probably 1 LED and a small enclosure will be fine, and for this task maybe the lux V will be better.

The buckpuck looks the way to go since it can go up to 1amp the rest only go about as high as 700ma.

I cant for the life of me find a good way to mount it all tho, looks like some of you had great luck with using flashlights.

anybody have a nice view of how it all goes into the flashlight including the optics?

I will do more research on my own time this is just to "get my feet wet"


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## 古強者死神 (May 12, 2006)

Hmm I think im on to somthing lens + holder for about 8$ here check it out and see what you think.

http://www.theledlight.com/pdf/Drivers/FraenLenses.pdf

http://www.theledlight.com/lens_lensholders.html


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## Brad (May 2, 2004)

I have to add that I agree with Ron that a 12W 3A 3W LuxIII is as bright as a 10W HID.

I use a Nightlightning Blaaast! and an Endurenz on the bars and the parking lot test confirms that the Blaaast has the measure of the Trailtech. And the burn time is 6hrs:thumbsup: 

the endurenz though is also being upgraded to 1A drive current so that will even out the brightness dispute.

Why LEns instead of reflectors?

Good question; when I tried a homemade LEDlight the lens just seem to provide better contrast on the trail.Lens tend to focus the intensity of the light which results in some white out on the trail if the terrain is covered in lots of white sand like we have here. The reflectors do through the beam further but the lens provide better contrast.


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