I have yet to ride at night and don't know if I will do too much of it but tinkering on the bike is always a good thing. I have learned a lot in the last two weeks that I have been lurking trying to learn as much as possible.
I purchased some LEDs, optics and optic holders (2 X 20mm and 2 X 26.5mm) from LEDSupply. Two drivers from DX have been ordered.
Still have to come up with switches and cable glands and decide on batteries (buy a premade replacement pack 4 X 18650s or build my own????)
But this just arrived!!! Now to start machining, I have access to an old SouthBend lathe to tinker on, but unfortunately it is not at my house! I am going to start with the 26.5mm setup first and see how it turns out.....will take me awhile I am sure, but will keep you all posted.
Welcome to this strange obsession. Good choice on starting with the larger size. In my experience, bigger parts are easier to work with and the beam quality of larger optics is better than small optics.
I am also building my first light. For the housing I'm starting with some 3/4" sch 80 aluminum pipe for OnlineMetals.com The id of that is 18.85mm with an od of 26.67mm. Bore that out to 20mm and leave a little lip on one end and your 1/2 the way there. I plan on using a rubber compression plug with a hole it it for the wire. I'm hoping an old Velo bar end plug will work. Cut some 1mm deep grooves in pipe to increase the surface area and hold the rubber oring for the mount and job done.
Still waiting on the drivers......recieved an email on Friday from DX saying they are waiting for restocking of the item.
Global backoder apparently. Maybe an intergalactic backorder????
Switches, cable glands and switch covers have been ordered from DX as well, not sure exactly how I will construct it but will wait until parts are all here to get going on body construction.
I hope they arrive soon cuz I am anxious to get started.... Now I am obsessed
I want to thank you all for your inspiration and for all the knowledge I have gained from reading this forum. Thank you Pucked Up for giving us all a beginners a push to DIYing lights!
This is a Cree XML-T6 and 26.5 optic/holder from LED-Supply
Driver is 8 x 7135 from Kaidomain (7weeks and still waiting for DX drivers!!!)
Judco switch, battery holders and connectors from Digi-key
4 Keeppower 18650s (not pictured) are from Kuma Bear on budget light forum (batteries are wired 1S4P)
Thank you! I have spent the last several months reading and trying to learn from you and others on this board.
My wife has been getting sick of me reading and searching DIY light info- I think she thinks I am nuts
I don't know if I want to go with a multi-emmiter or a small single light for my next project???? I guess I will have to spend more time on here getting more ideas!
wow, that really is a beautiful piece of work, well done! Very much looking forward to seeing the beamshots with that optic..
Someone on here did a great tutorial on how to make your own battery case with neoprene and a couple of velcro straps, might be worth checking out for the finishing touch!
I hope you now realise that you have cemented the addiction and soon your house will be full of light housings for when the permanent solar eclipse hits the earth, or just to annoy your wife
Great looking light - especially for a first-up effort.
I built a number of halogen-based lights quite a few years ago and I am now considering having a crack at building some lights using Cree XML LEDs - I am currently tossing up between retrofitting some old Vistalites that I have or starting from scratch (or maybe both).
Out of interest, what colour (color for you guys in the US) LEDs did you use. I have had a look at the Cutter Electronics site and they have a range of colour temperatures available but I am not sure what would be the most suited for off-road mtb use - any idea what the collective wisdom is in this regard?
Out of interest, what colour (color for you guys in the US) LEDs did you use. I have had a look at the Cutter Electronics site and they have a range of colour temperatures available but I am not sure what would be the most suited for off-road mtb use - any idea what the collective wisdom is in this regard?
Cheers,
Gags
Mate I try and stick to the warmer tints (closer to yellow) as they seem to give the best contrast when out riding. The really white/bluish tints (higher colour temp number) to me seem to make everything grey and dull and it is hard to distinguish the height of rocks etc. The warmer tints (lower number) seem to give more depth and colour making it easier to judge obstacles. If you have been using halogen then you will be used to the warmer tints. I'll see if I can dig up previous tints I have used
Thanks Brad - I was pretty sure that the warmer tints were better suited to mountain biking but I wasn't sure what tints were usually used for LEDs.
My home-made halogen systems had a couple of 20W globes and I still think that the light that they threw was better to ride by than the light that I get out of my Ayup LED lights - the only problem was that back then I was carting a 4.5 Ah Sealed Lead Acid battery around which weighed a tonne and could only be mounted on the bike (probably would have snapped my neck if I had tried to mount it on a helmet!!!).
I am new to the mtbr forums and once I have gotten enough posts up to allow me to start a thread I might have to post a few pictures of some of my old halogen lights - might give some of the younger forum members a taste of "the olden days"!!!
Neutral/Warm tint LED's make a lot of difference in that comparison.
Originally Posted by Big Gags
Thanks Brad - I was pretty sure that the warmer tints were better suited to mountain biking but I wasn't sure what tints were usually used for LEDs.
My home-made halogen systems had a couple of 20W globes and I still think that the light that they threw was better to ride by than the light that I get out of my Ayup LED lights - the only problem was that back then I was carting a 4.5 Ah Sealed Lead Acid battery around which weighed a tonne and could only be mounted on the bike (probably would have snapped my neck if I had tried to mount it on a helmet!!!).
I am new to the mtbr forums and once I have gotten enough posts up to allow me to start a thread I might have to post a few pictures of some of my old halogen lights - might give some of the younger forum members a taste of "the olden days"!!!
Someone on here did a great tutorial on how to make your own battery case with neoprene and a couple of velcro straps, might be worth checking out for the finishing touch!
Post #132 in this thread has such a pouch, not sure if that's the one. There are a few other ideas in that thread as well, including use of an old inner tube with silicon bead & super glue.
"Those skilled at the unorthodox are infinite as heaven and earth, inexhaustible as the great rivers."
— Tzun Tzu
Exposure to 4 secs. (camera didn't have 6)
White balance to Daylight
Couldn't find anything about F stops for "F4", camera did have ISO but I didn't know what to do with it
I accidently deleted the "constant" no light setting but you can see how dark it is with the light on "Low", which is pretty useless for riding.
The nearest corner of the shed is 63meters (206ft) away, the pine tree is about 25ft away.
Low, Medium and High with the 8x7135 driver from Kaidomain
wow, that's a really lovely beam - nice spot, smooth transition and no sharp cut off. Do you have the part no. for the one you used? I may have to think about them for my next bar light, due sometime around next winter
As for tints, I like the 3* tints. I've used two 3Cs, one of which was a little warmer than the other, but they're both quite neutral and have far better contrast than the U2 bin 1A LEDs I have in my main lights. In fact, if you get the new XM-L2 T6 3C, they'll put out a little more light than the XM-L U2 AND have better contrast. The only trick is finding them in stock
I agree about DX - fine for small fire'n'forget orders that you'll be pleasantly surprised about receiving, no good for stuff you actually need at a particular time. Illumination Supply is a much better bet and the customer service is fantastic.
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oh snap!
Originally Posted by Big Gags
