While I'm waiting for my motor kit and battery to arrive I thought I'd have a look at some lighting for my bike. After picking myself up off the floor when presented with some of the prices for the really bright bike lights I decided to have a go at my own.
I obtained a 12v MR16 LED sealed bulb with an output equivalent to 35w and set about building something around it. I decided to mount it in the cut off end of a bathroom/kitchen sealant tube, the stuff you can get at all DIY stores. The MR16 was an almost exact fit, just a touch smaller in diameter....to seal the other end I hunted through our selection of aerosol cans under the sink for a suitable lid and found one that fitted snugly.
Next I had to think about power and mounting. Mounting was achieved by modifying a Halfords universal light mount kit:
I replaced the single M3 mounting screw with a longer 20mm one and used that as the main mount on to the sealant tube. To make it more secure I removed the small red release clip and inserted a second M3 screw, see pics.
For power I went for a 10 pack of AA Hybrid cells from Maplin, rated at 2100mAh they should last for 8~10hrs based on the 200mA draw I measured. These Hybrid cells are interesting as they have a very long shelf life retaining far more charge than NiMH or Nicad plus they work well in low temperatures, are green and have a 1000 charge life.
I placed a switch on the back of the light and housed the battery pack in my rear rack bag. The MR16 was glued in using the silicon sealant as was the end cap.
All in all the results a very good, I just need to wrap some tape around the tube or maybe paint it. The light is bright' and shows up the road well, I just need to take some pictures...here's some of the construction:
Bulb, tube end cap and mounting...the tube is 10cm long:
Here's the top mount from the Halfords bracket, the captive lock nut needs to remain in place when the new 20mm M3 screw is used as this controls the tension and security of the mount for positioning purposes:
I obtained a 12v MR16 LED sealed bulb with an output equivalent to 35w and set about building something around it. I decided to mount it in the cut off end of a bathroom/kitchen sealant tube, the stuff you can get at all DIY stores. The MR16 was an almost exact fit, just a touch smaller in diameter....to seal the other end I hunted through our selection of aerosol cans under the sink for a suitable lid and found one that fitted snugly.
Next I had to think about power and mounting. Mounting was achieved by modifying a Halfords universal light mount kit:
I replaced the single M3 mounting screw with a longer 20mm one and used that as the main mount on to the sealant tube. To make it more secure I removed the small red release clip and inserted a second M3 screw, see pics.
For power I went for a 10 pack of AA Hybrid cells from Maplin, rated at 2100mAh they should last for 8~10hrs based on the 200mA draw I measured. These Hybrid cells are interesting as they have a very long shelf life retaining far more charge than NiMH or Nicad plus they work well in low temperatures, are green and have a 1000 charge life.
I placed a switch on the back of the light and housed the battery pack in my rear rack bag. The MR16 was glued in using the silicon sealant as was the end cap.
All in all the results a very good, I just need to wrap some tape around the tube or maybe paint it. The light is bright' and shows up the road well, I just need to take some pictures...here's some of the construction:
Bulb, tube end cap and mounting...the tube is 10cm long:
Here's the top mount from the Halfords bracket, the captive lock nut needs to remain in place when the new 20mm M3 screw is used as this controls the tension and security of the mount for positioning purposes:
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