Introduction: Solar Bike Light

About: Twitter: @mindsforge

Modify a solar garden walkway light into a solar powered bike light that charges during day riding and can be turned on at night!

Step 1: Obtain Materials

1. Solar Garden Light (G15439)
2. LED Lamp, from flashlight, I used (G15654)
3. Epoxy
4. Wire, solder, etc
5. Tools, drill, knife, screwdriver

1 and 2 have part numbers from the electronic goldmine.

Step 2: Take Apart the Solar Lamp

This should come naturally to most people here :)
There are 3 screws holding the 2 halves of electronics enclosure together, the transparent dome pops off easily.

Step 3: Add Your Lamp in Place of Exsisting LED

Using a soldering iron, de-solder the exsisting LED on the lamp and put it in your parts drawer/box/floor.

Be sure you have the polarity correct when you solder the leads of your lamp to the leads where the first LED used to be!

I covered the soldered connections in hot glue after I was done.

Step 4: Expand/Add Hole for Mounting to Bike

Using a drill I expanded one of the holes in the plastic that held the solar panel. This let me mount the unit where my reflector used to be.

Step 5: Cut and Epoxy Lamp to Solar Lamp Unit

I had to use a knife to expand the hole opposite of the mounting hole we drilled in the last step.

I set the lip of the lamp into the notch and epoxied it there, I also added epoxy to secure the wires and the LED's PCB.

Step 6: Mount to Your Bike!

I was able to mount this by removing the reflector and just using the same screw and mounting plastic.

Use a screwdriver to tighten and loosen things and position the lamp to your liking. I found that when riding, the circuit turns off the light when under a street lamp.

Have fun, be safe, wear a helmet yada yada...