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Step 3What you need
4 x Luxeon Star 1W Cyan (LXHL-ME1D or LXHL-ME1C) OR Green (LXHL-MM1C or LXHL-MM1D) - $3 each. (the circuit will work just fine with any color LED you want)
old CPU heatsink (around 5cm x 5cm x 1.5cm)
LED Dynamics Buckpuck (3021-D-I-1000 or 3021-D-E-1000) - $20
4 x L2Optics/Dialight OP-015 lens - $1 each
4 x L2Optics/Dialight OH-ES1-CL lens holder - $0.30 each
8-10 x AA NiMH rechargeables, or 3 x Lithium-ION rechargeables - $20 total for NiMH
2 small toggle switches (digikey 519PB) - $1.50 each
1 large toggle switch (digikey 514PB) - $2
flexible stranded wire (18ga to 22ga)
sheath for wire (eg: sheath of a 3/16" double-braid rope)
silicone or epoxy
thermal compound (also known as thermal grease or heatsink compound) - $5
plastic or fiberglass for heatsink mount
old headlamp headband
Where to get it:
old CPU heatsink - you will find these in any broken computer from 1995 onwards. in newer pc's the heatsink will be too large, but you can cut it with a hacksaw.
US/Canada:
the LED's, lenses, and buckpuck all come from future electronics also see here - the 2nd link is a direct search for the LED's and buckpucks. for the lenses, here is the direct search to find them.
Europe/World:
You can get the above LEDs, buckpuck & maybe lenses at farnell.com or rswww.com
- i recommend Luxeon 1W Stars, either Cyan or Green with either Lambertian or Batwing type. My testing shows that the 1W stars can be driven at 2W no problem with the heatsink, and they are much easier to work with than 3W stars because their backplate is insulated.
- Several different lenses are available for the lens mounts, so you can easily tailor the light to your needs. you can even change the lenses on the road in a minute or so. there are 5 degree, 15 degree, 25 degree and 5x25 degree lenses available, all are $1 each.
batteries are from http://www.batteriesamerica.com
switches from http://www.digikey.com (probably can find similar items from future electronics)
small quantity thermal compound. both computer and electronics stores have this. "Arctic Silver" is one of the common ones for computer use. Thermal adhesive is even better if you can find it (and it is pricey).
http://www.mouser.com (search for "thermal compound")
http://www.newegg.com (search for "thermal compound")
Digikey also has it, but only in $25 packs. CompUSA also will likely have it.
wire: 22ga is ideal here. you want something flexible that won't break after a few flexes. this can be surprisingly hard to find! radio-control hobby stores usually have something like this. at Home Depot you can get an 18/2 or 18/3 rubberized cable ("SJOOW") and split it open to get out the individual wires.
sheath: you want something to go over the wires and protect them. a good choice is a 3/16" or 1/4" double-braid rope (that means it has a core and a sheath). you pull out the core and have a sheath left. you can probably find this at Home Depot, if not try your local Marine store for yacht rope.
more information: the technical datasheets for each component:
Phillips Luxeon Star Led's: http://www.luxeon.com/pdfs/DS23.pdf
Led Dynamics Buckpuck: http://www.leddynamics.com/LuxDrive/datasheets/3021-BuckPuck.pdf
L2Optics/Dialight Lenses: http://www.l2optics.com/luxeon.aspx
old CPU heatsink (around 5cm x 5cm x 1.5cm)
LED Dynamics Buckpuck (3021-D-I-1000 or 3021-D-E-1000) - $20
4 x L2Optics/Dialight OP-015 lens - $1 each
4 x L2Optics/Dialight OH-ES1-CL lens holder - $0.30 each
8-10 x AA NiMH rechargeables, or 3 x Lithium-ION rechargeables - $20 total for NiMH
2 small toggle switches (digikey 519PB) - $1.50 each
1 large toggle switch (digikey 514PB) - $2
flexible stranded wire (18ga to 22ga)
sheath for wire (eg: sheath of a 3/16" double-braid rope)
silicone or epoxy
thermal compound (also known as thermal grease or heatsink compound) - $5
plastic or fiberglass for heatsink mount
old headlamp headband
Where to get it:
old CPU heatsink - you will find these in any broken computer from 1995 onwards. in newer pc's the heatsink will be too large, but you can cut it with a hacksaw.
US/Canada:
the LED's, lenses, and buckpuck all come from future electronics also see here - the 2nd link is a direct search for the LED's and buckpucks. for the lenses, here is the direct search to find them.
Europe/World:
You can get the above LEDs, buckpuck & maybe lenses at farnell.com or rswww.com
- i recommend Luxeon 1W Stars, either Cyan or Green with either Lambertian or Batwing type. My testing shows that the 1W stars can be driven at 2W no problem with the heatsink, and they are much easier to work with than 3W stars because their backplate is insulated.
- Several different lenses are available for the lens mounts, so you can easily tailor the light to your needs. you can even change the lenses on the road in a minute or so. there are 5 degree, 15 degree, 25 degree and 5x25 degree lenses available, all are $1 each.
batteries are from http://www.batteriesamerica.com
switches from http://www.digikey.com (probably can find similar items from future electronics)
small quantity thermal compound. both computer and electronics stores have this. "Arctic Silver" is one of the common ones for computer use. Thermal adhesive is even better if you can find it (and it is pricey).
http://www.mouser.com (search for "thermal compound")
http://www.newegg.com (search for "thermal compound")
Digikey also has it, but only in $25 packs. CompUSA also will likely have it.
wire: 22ga is ideal here. you want something flexible that won't break after a few flexes. this can be surprisingly hard to find! radio-control hobby stores usually have something like this. at Home Depot you can get an 18/2 or 18/3 rubberized cable ("SJOOW") and split it open to get out the individual wires.
sheath: you want something to go over the wires and protect them. a good choice is a 3/16" or 1/4" double-braid rope (that means it has a core and a sheath). you pull out the core and have a sheath left. you can probably find this at Home Depot, if not try your local Marine store for yacht rope.
more information: the technical datasheets for each component:
Phillips Luxeon Star Led's: http://www.luxeon.com/pdfs/DS23.pdf
Led Dynamics Buckpuck: http://www.leddynamics.com/LuxDrive/datasheets/3021-BuckPuck.pdf
L2Optics/Dialight Lenses: http://www.l2optics.com/luxeon.aspx
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Is there any major downside of lambertian vs. batwing form-factor?
And of course: thank you big time for this great Howto (and your other ones as well)! (I mean it! really helpfull!)
Ebay
cgi.ebay.com/3-Watt-White-Genuine-Lumiled-Luxeon-Star-LXHL-LW3C-LED_W0QQitemZ280455431020QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0
http://www.instructables.com/group/danpowerled/