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700-Lumen LED Bike Light

by 700lumenLED on August 22, 2009 Table of Contents intro: 700-Lumen LED Bike Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Building the Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Attach the LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Wiring the LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Final Enclosure Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Building the Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: Final Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 7: The Completed System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 8: Specs and Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 7 7 7 8 8

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

intro: 700-Lumen LED Bike Light

Equivalent light output of a 70-watt halogen bulb but only uses12-watts of power. Beam shots show a building at night 100-ft away illuminated by this LED bike light. Detailed Specs and Parts List are given at the end of Step 8.

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

step 1: Building the Enclosure

Step 1: Enclosure A. These are the parts needed for the enclosure and shown before cutting to size: Lexan MR10 plastic, 1/16-inch x 3/4-inch aluminum L-bracket, Hammond enclosure, heat sink. B. Cut parts to size: 3/4-inch section from enclosure, aluminum back bezel, Lexan front bezel, heat sink slices.

step 2: Attach the LEDs

Step 2: Attach LEDs and Heat Sinks A. Trim LED stars to fit inside enclosure. B. Position stars on back bezel with an extra piece of L-bracket which is same thickness as Hammond enclosure. C. Rotate center star 180-degrees so the + and - tabs are next to each other on adjoining stars. D. Glue stars with Arctic Silver thermal adhesive, then clamp until cured (five minutes). E. Good thermal management is essential for LEDs. Glue heat sink slices to top and back of L-bracket using Arctic Silver thermal adhesive.

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

step 3: Wiring the LEDs

Step 3: Wire the LEDs and glue on the lens holders A. Wire stars together (two small red wires) between + and - tabs. B. Drill another hole in back bezel for incoming power. Add shrink tubing for strain relief on each side of bezel. C. Drill holes in base of lens holders to route black negative power wire. D. Glue lens bases to stars, preferably with Loctite 460 superglue. E. Solder incoming power wires to stars (white + and black -).

step 4: Final Enclosure Steps

Step 4: Finish the Enclosure A. Glue lenses onto lens holders with Loctite 460 superglue (regular superglue will frost the lenses with a white film caused by vapors as it dries). I used a flood lens in the center and spot lenses on each end. B. Glue on a washer-nut to bottom of enclosure with JB-Weld epoxy to hold handlebar bracket. C. Screw on aluminum back bezel and Lexan front bezel after lenses dry. D. Attach a bracket such as the one pictured from old Vista Light, or any bracket that can fit the 3/4-inch enclosure base. I also used washers so the light can be adjusted right and left.

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

step 5: Building the Power Supply

Step 5: Battery pack is made from four 18650 Li-ion cells. Overview: LED driver and on/off switch will be placed inside water bottle with battery pack. Battery terminal leads use a Molex connector for charging and connecting to driver. A. Parts Needed: 18650 battery pack from Battery Space with built-in poly-switch and PCB for protection, Molex wire connectors, on/off toggle switch, buck-puck LED driver with pot for dimming. B. Assemble the wiring harness with solder and shrink tubing. Shown in the third photo is the wiring harness; clockwise from top: dimming pot, LED driver, blue and white wires to LEDs, on/off toggle switch, Molex connector to battery. C. I used a two-pin connector between the power supply and LEDs, but any good connector will work and preferrably one that can keep out moisture and dirt.

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

step 6: Final Assembly

Step 6: Add the finishing touches to the power supply A. First photo shows the wiring harness bundled and zip-tied underneath the bottle cap. JB-Weld was added to dimming pot wires for strain relief. B. Drill holes in bottle cap for on/off toggle switch and dimming pot as seen in second photo. C. I padded the battery pack with pipe insulation for protection inside the bottle. Shown in the third photo is the 2-pin connector that came with the charger. This was soldered onto the coiled wire coming through the bottle spout to connect to LEDs.

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

step 7: The Completed System

A. Shown is the completed LED System: Li-ion charger from Battery Space - 3-hour charge time. Charger wire which had 2-pin connector was replaced with Molex connector to charge battery. B. LEDs give a very bright white light. Bright portion of beam projects to a distance of about 100-ft and total throw is about 150-ft. These LEDs give 700-lumens of light or equivalent to a 70-watt halogen, but only use 12-watts of power including 1-volt for driver.

step 8: Specs and Parts List

SPECS: Three Cree XR-E R2 LEDs, 700-lumens, 3-hr run time on high using 14.8V 2.4Ah battery, dimmable with adjustable pot., light with mounting bracket weighs 0.22-lb (99grams), 4 batteries weigh 0.40-lb (184 grams), 1.5-A Li-ion charger, LED parts cost $75, battery and charger $100. PARTS (US Dollars) Part - Price - Supplier LED ASSEMBLY 3 Cree XR-E R2 Lamps - $6 each - Deal Xtreme 3 Polymer Optic Lenses - $3 each - LED Lighting Supply part #170, 171 Hammond Enclosure - $8 - Newark Electronics part #1455B1202BK Half brick heat sink - $4 - Newark mfr. part #241202B92200 Lexan MR10 12x12 inch sheet - $12 - Piedmont Plastics 36-inch Aluminum L-bracket - $4 - Home Depot Buck Puck 1A driver w/pot. - $20 - LED Supply Arctic Silver - $12 - LED Supply On/off switch - $0 - Had one; only a few dollars at Battery Space BATTERY 18650 Li-ion 14.8V 2.4Ah - $74 - Battery Space Li-ion Charger - $27 - Battery Space Molex connectors - $0 - Had some, only a dollar or two Totals: $75 for light and $100 for power. Final Note: A month or two after I built this light which cost $175 in parts and was enjoyable to build, a company in China called 'Magic Shine' came out with a 900-lumen LED bike light for $80 including charger, battery pack, and a very nice enclosure. It has a three hour burn time on high and is slightly brighter than this light. It can be purchased from Deal Extreme in China or GeoManGear in the U.S. "...a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path."

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http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/

Bike Flashers by engineerable

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Comments
10 comments Add Comment

stereophrenic says:

Sep 2, 2009. 8:23 PM REPLY Nice work... and I appreciate that you've provided a parts list and prices of everything.. It really brings the true costs of projects into perspective. Not everyone has all the right parts lying around in their basement...

rocketman221 says:

Sep 2, 2009. 2:23 PM REPLY Nice instructable but i would suggest using sealed lead acid batteries instead of lithium they are a lot cheaper, last a lot longer than lithium, and dont need a special charger. You can get a 5 Ah 12v battery for $10.

CyberBill says:

Sep 2, 2009. 4:49 PM REPLY I would actually recommend going with LiPo (Lithium Polymer) batteries. They are very lightweight and have amazing output. They are used a lot for RC planes & cars, and you can find 14.8v 3800mAh LiPos on eBay for $30, and chargers are under $25. This would give you a good cost decrease from what was used, more power (longer life!), and you wouldn't be increasing the weight. Oh, and to the writer, I -love- the idea of using the water bottle as an enclosure!!

bananafred says:
They're waaaay heavier so bad for biking.

Sep 2, 2009. 3:49 PM REPLY

Simpson_jr says:

Sep 2, 2009. 9:05 AM REPLY I like projects like this but would like to ask every builder to... align it very well. Driving towards someone with a light like this can be very annoying and even _dangerous_ when you're looking directly in the beam of light...

wkumtrider says:
I built one similar to this with only two cree leds and it is really bright. Great instructable.

Sep 2, 2009. 7:32 AM REPLY

j-plan says:
firstly, awesome 'ible. this is exactly the kind of thing ive been looking to make, secondly, could you please advise me on where to get these parts? preferably in the uk :) thanks

Sep 1, 2009. 9:12 AM REPLY

Blue_Dream says:
My fav place for part is http://www.dealextreme.com They ship world wide, free of charge Read the customer reviews to avoid getting lemons thou ;)

Sep 1, 2009. 10:29 PM REPLY

j-plan says:
sorry just noticed your parts list, thanks dude

Sep 1, 2009. 9:15 AM REPLY

Buzz_Kill says:

Aug 31, 2009. 12:04 PM REPLY looks a lot like the cygolite I own, including the offset mount that put the light over the center of the handlebar stem for about 1/2 the cost. For anybody that doubts the light output of these cree LED's, I can tell you with certainty that they are crazy bright when used with the right power supply / driver. I use mine for commuting, and even on the "dim" setting it is way more than adequate. Nice job.

http://www.instructables.com/id/700-Lumen-LED-Bike-Light/