How to build a 1,024,000 mcd portable light

These are instructions on building a very bright, very low power portable light for less than $100. I use these on my bike.

Step 1 Gather parts.

Parts:

64 16000mcd LEDs -- you can use other LEDs if you cant find these.
soldering iron
solder
needlenose pliers
side cutters
flux
4-5 dipole molex connectors
1 micromini toggle switch
1 type N or M DC connector. male and female.
a spool of approx. 26 guage wire.
a spool of approx 18 guage two strand wire.
4x2 project box
small (at least 2x3) circuit board, prefer through hole.
two part polyurethane resin
drill
real rubber weather stripping
duct tape
2 lithium ion batteries and a charger for them

optional:
dremel tool
panavise
desoldering braid

URLs:

I buy a lot of LEDs from these folks:
http://stores.ebay.com/Chi-Wing-LED-product-shop_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

I bought my batteries from here:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=LBAT-35&type=store
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=BC-9&type=store

I bought my resin from TAP Plastics in San Francisco:
http://tapplastics.com/ - Look for the "Quick Cast" two part resin.

Most other parts came from what I had laying around, or from the nearest RadioShack.

These lights take around 4-5 hours to build if you dont do these kinds of things all the time.

Comments

[MovieMaker]

This is Excellent! But, what about a dimmer for it?? any ideas? [e-mail]

[realizet813]

Any "colloidal" material would work, powdered glass or tinted vinyl for example.

[videofreek]

Where are your current limiting resistors or current limiting circuitry? LED's have to be operated at their specified current or their life will be greatly reduced. They won't limit current on their own - in fact it's very easy to burn them out if the current isn't limited. I think the only thing that's preventing this from happening with this circuit is the fact that the battery can't produce enough amperage to cook all of your LEDs. If you connected this to a power source that COULD supply more current the whole circuit would go up in smoke!

[realizet813]

I think adding resistors to this array would actually be an easy added step to this process. You could just add one resistor to every one 1-2 LEDs and have em flush to the array and there you go.

[powertek]

You should never connect LED's in Parallel. They should be connected in a Series/Parallel circuit using current limiting resistors.

[rocketman221]

why not use a few high power leds?

[marsman]

Looking directly at the lit cluster it likely is brighter than many auto headlamps, however I question it's projection distance. Without a lens and reflector to better focus the light, it's more of an area illuminator instead of a beam projector. A couple of 3watt Luxeons, a reflector and even a lens of sorts would serve to REALLY be something a nighttime cyclist could benefit by.

[acmefixer]

I see now that all of the LEDs are connected in parallel withOUT separate current limiting resistors. The bad thing about this is that each string of LEDs has a different vorward voltage, and the one string with the lowest forward voltage will hog the current and overheat, and prematurely fail. But then I guess that really doesn't matter if these are cheap hong kong LEDs, because they will all be dim and worthless in just a few hundred hours anyway.

[acmefixer]

I see now that all of the LEDs are connected in parallel withOUT separate current limiting resistors. The bad thing about this is that each string of LEDs has a different vorward voltage, and the one string with the lowest forward voltage will hog the current and overheat, and prematurely fail. But then I guess that really doesn't matter if these are cheap hong kong LEDs, because they will all be dim and worthless in just a few hundred hours anyway.

[acmefixer]

I see now that all of the LEDs are connected in parallel withOUT separate current limiting resistors. The bad thing about this is that each string of LEDs has a different vorward voltage, and the one string with the lowest forward voltage will hog the current and overheat, and prematurely fail. But then I guess that really doesn't matter if these are cheap hong kong LEDs, because they will all be dim and worthless in just a few hundred hours anyway.

[wofflewaffle]

Sort of off-topic, but you seem to be knowledgeable :-) I was wondering if there are bike dynamo/generator units with a converter to direct current? I've been planning GOOD frontlights to my bike but I hate charging at home and then switching batteries (and forgetting to do that). Also, I take riding as a physical exercise so I don't mind the extra payload to generate the current myself while riding the bike. My plan would be: - have one or more generators installed - those would charge a small battery to cover slow sections and traffic lights, maybe 1-2 minutes of full reserve power - a bloody mindblowing LED frontlight with a good reflector, capable of consuming enough watts that my lighting level would only ever be capped by my own foot power instead of e.g. voltage regulators at the dynamos. (A standard dynamo+bulb seems to reach the cap before I hit halfway of my cruising velocity.) How much of this could I buy off-the-shelf and how much building would it require? I don't mind tinkering but I have no idea of the size of the project. Is it feasible to even use these small generators to generate lots of power -- I know the efficiency won't be skyhigh but... high enough? thanks, ww

[Notbob]

Ive seen small ones that are nothing more then a motor with a rubber wheel on the end that is in contact with with the wheel.

[MatthewMetcalf]

Rather than a small battery or hooking lights straight to a dynamo might I recommend a full fledged battery powered system? Still use the dynamos just buy a set of rechargables that will take the trickle charge, you may need to step down the current, but it is something I have been thinking about.

[girrrrrrr2]

use a few of those stepper motors with a wheel on one end... and then mount the motors to your bike frame... and have the motors recharge a battery(or 2)... and then put a toggle switch on the handlebars...close to the thumb...(for easy access...) than hook the light up to the front of your bike... and house the wires (for the nice finished look...)and put a case around the batterys, motors, lights and reflector... the stepper motors from old floppy drives... batterys... depends on how long you want the light to last... and the wires are everywhere... you can even tear your walls apart and find some... and you might want a few regulators... and for a better one... you can add a high and low setting pretty easily... get a rocker switch... and hook half of the lights to the bottom one and the both of the lights to the top one... and then you can switch the power to high or low... hope this helps...

[girrrrrrr2]

and you can mount half of the a quarter of the lights on the handlebars to let you have light in the direction that you are steering... and what i ment by a quarter of the lights is to have half of the over all lights mounted on the handlebars... and have only half come on when you have it on low...

[Fat Bagel]

dynamo

an instructable for making dynamos

[santiagoc]

You can always use a medium-sized DC motor (try with your multimeter if you don't believe me)

[PSPerson]

Good idea! You can buy the generator from a bike light kit at kmart or somthing.... just make the LED hedlamp and put a battery on it. simple project motors used in reverse (not powered by battery, but powering the device) would work as generators.

[kevcav07]

I Need help creating a small LED display that I want to mass produce. Can anyone make suggestion as to who can help me build something like this? Please.....

[Rob K]

I want to fix my old desk light with leds. It's one of those 12v ones. Will this work the same way. Output on the transformer is 50watts.

[Rob K]

Also you don't have resistors thought that they are always needed.

[zorro3355]

wow...i love many leds!!!! they are right and small

[alex26i]

Anyone know why they don't use something like this inside a Projector, instead of those super hot Xenon lamps. I would think that putting LED's in you can remove that stupid fan!!

[ChrisTexan]

Actually there are some (at least one) projectors using LEDs for the lightsource now, I don't remember the model but one of the major brands came out with one past spring. It was midrange "portable" model if I remember accurately. I think it still has a fan (LED still need the heat pulled away from them at high power levels), but if I remember the review it was a very small quiet fan, compared to other projectors.

[maicrodrop]

Alex26i, they don't use leds in projectors because LEDs don't produce a full spectrum of light, while xenon etc. do. In a projector, you need the full spectrum for the colors to look right. And yeti, good job, I'm most likely gonna make this. Thanks X)

[ledzeppie]

i have a q. if you have a series circuit and you have 2 leds that both use 2v would you need 4 volts or just 2 volts?????

[tylerars24]

voltage is the same in parallel, different is series. If you are interested in learning about why search Kirchoff's Laws, voltage loops, and node equations. 2 leds in series require twice the voltage as a single led or 2 leds in parallel.

[Havoc481]

If you use the right materal you could blend the light togather to make a solid beam and make it seem like a light pannel on the frount of you bike or what you use it for. And a lense might make it a little brighter maybe?

[edwin1989]

in the top of a led, there is already a lense... so that is pretty unneccesary

[marc92]

perhaps you could use a larger lens to focus all the light coming from the little lenses on to one point. just a thought

[blaframboise]

Just curious... Is there any way to use the peddling-power of the human riding the bike to power the light (instead of using batteries)? Ben

[weebl]

you cold use any brushless toy motor as a generator for this including lego mindstorms

[TechM]

The downside of using a dynamo to power your lights is that, if you slow down and drop below the critical velocity (say on a hill or at traffic lights) you lose your illumination. You can use the dynamo to charger batteries but that's a more complex circuit.

[trevynw]

There is, and it's done with a device called a dynamo. They're available in two forms.

The first is called a "bottle dynamo", and it mounts on the fork and has a roller that contacts the wheel:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/images/products/Lights/ZinkensLT1.jpg

The second is called a "hub dynamo". It's more efficient than the bottle dynamo, and it replaces the hub of your front wheel.
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt.asp

[cahoonlaw]

Great project! Do the LEDs get hot enough to cause any kind of fire concern? Thanks, Craig www.cahoonlawoffice.com

[cahoonlaw]

Great project! One question though. How much heat do the LEDs produce? Is there any kind of a fire danger? Thanks, Craig www.cahoonlaw.com

[erckgillis]

New cheap Nichia LED's and Luxon 1W-3W & 6 watt LED's have high power smaller footprint and better power management... SMD devices can be a few cents each...or get 10 for free..

http://vivalux.en.alibaba.com/product/50090690/50416001/LED_Modules/LED_Modules.html

Also get FREE samples from manufacturers upto 10 per order, LED, IC's and passives.

Cheaper than Ebay use Arrow, Avnet, Digi-key and buy bulk wholesale. China suppliers on Ebay can take 3-4 weeks to import and have poor quality.

[erckgillis]

Ugh...better to calculate from Vf LED loads and Vd with LED's in serial configs, current limiting resistors are ok but better yet LDo or LED drivers...

(http://www.ngineering.com/LED_Calculators.htm)better to do the math. Do not exceed max V or mA raitings on the LED's this shortens life for brightness. better yet use a IC LED Driver for 80-90 efficiency, long battery life and LED's last tens of thousnads of hours.

[erckgillis]

Ugh...better to calculate from Vf LED loads and Vd with LED's in serial configs, current limiting resistors are ok but better yet LDo or LED drivers...

(http://www.ngineering.com/LED_Calculators.htm)better to do the math. Do not exceed max V or mA raitings on the LED's this shortens life for brightness. better yet use a IC LED Driver for 80-90 efficiency, long battery life and LED's last tens of thousnads of hours.

[vtsnaab]

Inexpensive (< 20 USD) 40+ LED lights are popping up now that have bike mounts included. I was searching for LED lights on Ebay and ran across so many that I had to modify my search to exclude them !