Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Very Easy XM-L Build

64K views 293 replies 56 participants last post by  plugp7 
#1 · (Edited)
Just sharing what I've picked up from reading in this forum. Thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas!!

Object of this build is:
1) Make it as easy as possible so that anyone can do it.
2) Use very little power tools, so no cutting / gluing of metal.
3) To run the XM-L at high power from two to four hrs.
4) Use as little of this $$$ as possible!

The Parts
Led Supply dot com
XM-L Cool White - $10.05
Optics Carclo 20mm - Plain Tight Lens for helmet / Medium Ripple Lens on bar - $1.25ea
Optic holder - $0.23

Deal Extreme (DX)(Free Shipping)
LED Driver sku#57779 - $5
TrustFire Protected 18650 Lithium Battery (2500mAh 2-Pack Blue) sku #5790 - $7.99 (if you want to save you can use rechargable AA 8 min. good for ~2hrs but not as bright as using four 18650s).
14.8V 4 x 18650 Battery Holder Case Box with Leads sku#103855 - $2.80
Universal Adjustable Bicycle Mount for Flashlights (2cm~4cm Diameter) sku#31871 - $2.39
Clicky Switch for Flashlights (17.8mm 5-Pack) sku#5602 - $1.90
JST Cables (10-Pair) SKU#15234 - $2.78

Westburne Electrical Supply (Pricing in CDN$)
1 - 3/4 ALUMINUM CONDUIT COUPLING - $5.52
2 - CUP-2 KILLARK 3/4" CLOSE-UP PLUG - $1.95
1 - R32 KILLARK CONDULET - $2.30

Total comes to $52.17
If you have your own batteries - $33.37
Less if you have your own wires and switches.

The Build
Here is a pictures of most of the parts


1 - Mark out the holes you need to drill through the heat sink (cup 2 close plug) and drill.


2 - Using a soldering iron, solder the wires to the Led and paste it to the heat sink. ( I used Fujik compond that I got from DX working on other projects).Make sure to press down so that the Led is in good contact with the heat sink. You can use the optic holder and screw the R32 down on top of them. Note: I shaved off the tabs on the optic holder that hold down the optics, the R32 will hold it down for you.



3 - Now solder the Led wires to the Led Driver. Remember to use some heat shrink to cover the expose wires.


4 - The opening of the body (3/4 ALUMINUM CONDUIT COUPLING) is big enough for the driver to fit through.


5 - Take the second Cup 2 Close Plug and drill a hole through the middle. Make sure the hole is the same size or a bit larger as the wires you're using for the battery. After this no other power tool is needed. As you can see I have two sets of wires, one for the battery, the other for the remote switch.


6 - Push the wires through the second Cup 2 Close Plug and solder it to the Led Driver. Positive goes in the middle, negative around the edge. I used some heat shrink and a zip tie a cable strain. As you can see I've already screwed on the light head to the body


7 - Before closing it up, test to see if it's working!


8 - Once it's working, close it up by holding the power / switch wire steady and rotate the Cup 2 Close Plug into the body. Make sure the wires are not rotating also!! You should be able to have the Close Plug flush with the end of the body. When it's done you'll be holding this in your hands.
**There could be a small chance that the soldered points may make contact with inside the light body creating a short. You can wrap it with electrical tape or thermal paste the yellow metal thingy to the inside to secure it. Thanks to "slcpunk".for pointing this out.


9 - Sit back and have a cold one!!

10 - Wait for the darkness to arrive!! Then go out and ride!!

I have used clear RTV Silicone to seal the seams from water especially the back where the power wires are, fill it up with silicone. I'll be using a 30mm lens to cover the front and seal it the same way. All my wire conx are sealed the same way.

Water proofing accessories for the batteries.


The light on my bar and remote switch.



Beam shots


Outside
Camera set to manual
ISO 200
Shutter 4s
WB - Daylight
Jpeg
No post processing
Fence is about 50 feet away.

No Lights "Duh"


Wide on bar "High"


Wide on bar "Low"


Spot on helmet "High"


Spot on helmet "Low"


Both "High"


Both "Low"


Some other info
Weight - .095lbs according to the scale in the cafe at the place of work.
Been riding for close to two hrs at night and running at high and body only slightly warm to the touch. Lights up the trail pretty darn good!
Don't know what lumens it's producing, I'm guessing around 900? I know XM-L's produces over 1000, I'm happy with 900 hopefully.
Ordering from DX was easy and took about 1 1/2 wks to arrive from the time of odering. Led Supply was much quicker, but then they are only in the US.

Sorry no trail shots, to much of a hasle to bring camera, tripod etc. One of these days, maybe.

Well hope this help anyone looking for an easy DIY light build with little power tools needed. Everything just screws right in!

UPDATE:
Adding this video on how these lights work on the trail. Sorry but the GoPro does not work very well in low light. But well enough when the lights are on high. Enojoy.


Update:

Do you guys wish this build could be a little lighter and smaller? I would also say easier, but this is about as easiest as it gets.

Well you're in luck! Cause meet XM-L's little cozin..."XM-L2"



They are about the same in length but the new body has a smaller diameter.




It weights less too!! I assuming it'll weight in at around 81g with driver, optics, emitter and wires in place.

I'm going to be using XM-L2 emitters with AMC7135 3.0A driver on this new build.

Will I really see a difference in light output between a 2.8A and a 3.0A driver?

Anyways here is the info you'll need if you want the smaller body.
Mainbody is 1/2 ALUMINUM CONDUIT COUPLING $5.00
Optic holder is R-21 $1.83
Heat sink is CUP-1 KILLARK 1/2" CLOSE-UP PLUG $1.60

To close up the back end, I'll use one of the sliding door thingy with a cable gland through it.
 
See less See more
1 25
#122 ·
A little heads up here.
If, like me, you ordered the housing parts from Fastenal, their condulet has a larger opening; too large to hold the optic in. It holds the optic holder but not the optic itself. You will need to either leave the optic holder tabs in place or glue the optic to the holder if using this condulet.
I found out when I put the whole thing together and the optic fell out the front. :eek:
 
#127 ·
Hmmm...it's weird that the opening is larger when bought from Fastenal.
.
I know, especially considering they're labeled as Killark R32, just like the Westburne sourced piece.
Oh well, not a big deal. Just have to add a bit of super glue to the holder.
 
#128 ·
Another noob question. The driver just seems to sit in the housing. Am I correct in assuming that it's OK for any part of it (other than the actual soldered + & - connections) to contact the housing?
 
#134 ·
I always thought that thing was a heatsink for the driver. But so far it hasn't cause me any issues. My first set of light I made I just have the driver sitting inside the body. I've also made them where I have paste the driver (the coil part) to the bottom of the Cup 2 slug opposite of the LED.

With the driver and all the wires, there really isn't much room for it to move around in there.
 
#136 ·
Just a thought; is there anything in the driver that needs heat dissipation?
What I'm considering is just dipping the whole driver (after soldering the leads, of course) in plastic dip.
This would seal the entire assembly.
 
#137 ·
God dammit.
After waiting three #$@^**&% weeks for DX to get me the damn driver, I'm soldering it up and one of the leads pulls out of it.
No way in hell do I have the soldering technique (or eyes to even see where it's supposed to go) to get this thing back together.
FAWK!
 
#145 ·
Just a question (apologies as I'm a newb),
can you use a lipo to power this?
I'm still waiting on my bike to arrive (Cube LTD Pro)... and i'm looking around for lights and accesories and ideas.
Thanks
 
#148 ·
Charging batteries

Hi all,
Just getting all my parts ordered for my light build, just wondering what the best charger would be? Are you taking the batteries (18650) out of the case and charging them in a separate charger, or is there a charger you can just plug the battery pack into?

Thanx, Paul
 
#149 ·
Hi all,
Just getting all my parts ordered for my light build, just wondering what the best charger would be? Are you taking the batteries (18650) out of the case and charging them in a separate charger, or is there a charger you can just plug the battery pack into?

Thanx, Paul
Hey ak,

With my batteries, I charge them in a separate charger. The one I'm using I got from DX and can be found here.

I have 2 chargers so that I can charge four batteries at once.
 
#155 ·
From these great ideas I have modified it somewhat. I cut both the coupler and plug in half which allows plenty of space for the optics, star, and driver. I then capped the end with pvc plug. With battery connecting wire but without switch (coming soon) it only weighs 75 gms and is 4 cm long. Also cut some grooves in coupler for better heat transfer.
 

Attachments

#165 ·
Continued build

Here is the completed build. Plenty of room for switch and wires so I ran the battery wire thru the bottom as the only switch I had was moderately large and it was easier to just mount it in the back plastic cap. Notice that I cut down both the threads and back of the cap. Completed unit without battery weighs 80 grams. I used EL134's driver which is simple small,cheap, and which I have set for 3 modes.
 

Attachments

#171 ·
Here is the completed build. Plenty of room for switch and wires so I ran the battery wire thru the bottom as the only switch I had was moderately large and it was easier to just mount it in the back plastic cap. Notice that I cut down both the threads and back of the cap. Completed unit without battery weighs 80 grams. I used EL134's driver which is simple small,cheap, and which I have set for 3 modes.
First off, awesome write-up phucked. Thanks!

mfos - Nice play on the design. I am interested in your power modifications. First off, what battery you are using and the wiring choice. I assume that battery is rechargeable? What is it and what time do you get on high power? I like that style of plug. I thought about using SAE but your choice is smaller. What did you use?

I liked phucked's idea of 4 batts but would prefer a more weather tight/durable case for the batteries since I tend to fall from time to time retaining the ability to charge of course.

Pretty new to the battery thing and could use some direction.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top