Introduction: Transformation of Malfunctioning Power Tool Into LED Lamp
I decided to experiment with Cordless Drill transformation into LED lamp because aspects:
ᐈ refurbishing and re-use of useless Power Tool with burned motor unit
ᐈ handy form of sturdy plastic body of broken drill equipped with two sets of Ni-Cd 12 V, 1,4Ah Battery packs as well as a well made battery charger
ᐈ stable standing, with weight on bottom of Lamp
ᐈ cheap 10 W LED chips and easy to get Fan and Cooler
ᐈ In case of 12-Volts Ni-Cd battery no necessity for further voltage and current modification (if mention LED chip is used)
ᐈ need of wide Angel and strong Light source
Step 1: What You Will Need for Re-transformation
ᐈ LED chip 10 W (this one is possible to cool down effectively with ordinary size of GPU ventilator and cooler of older generations)
10W Cool/Warm White High Power 30Mil SMD Led Chip Flood Light Bead CE8
ᐈ 2 pcs of Switches
ᐈ Fan and Cooler (from older GPU)
ᐈ Wires (old AC power cable can be source of good-quality 3 line copper conductor)
ᐈ Tools and etc. : Soldering accessories, screw-tap (to make thread for 2 mm (M2) bolt), multimeter, rotary tool for adjusting plastic interior of body, heat-sink paste, 4 pcs M2 bolts,
Step 2: Work
ᐈ adjust LED Chip to the Cooler. Optimal pilot hole for taping M2 thread to Aluminum Cooler is 1.4 - 1.6 mm. Add thermal paste under LED Chip and fix it with screws.
ᐈ Consider cleaning and repacking of a Fan bearing and cleaning of heat sink surface to obtain stable performance.
ᐈ Drill holes in plastic body for both of Switches or for only one, if switching Fan and LED in one time is preferred.
ᐈ Adjust all components into opened plastic body, make necessary changes by rotary tool and wire all elements up.
Step 3: Test
Test out carefully your re-cycled LED Lamp.
ᐈ check if you installed sufficient heat-sink and fan
ᐈ pay attention to make well isolated wiring of your circuit.
(Short circuited Power Tool battery can be dangerous or can set things to fire or blow.)
6 Comments
6 years ago
I took my old drill stuck a Z shaped screwdriver in chuck took battery off and connected light to positive and negative cranked screw driver viola crank flash light faster turn brighter it get if need emergency power to charge phone does work but as its unregulated you take a risk so use my idea carefully this again can be adjusted for stable usage but I did this as quick fix for power when phone died and forgot charger...
7 years ago
(old AC power cable can be source of good-quality 3 line copper conductor)
That's so true, I've spent a lot of time skinning old computer cords down..
It's nice to see someone reusing as much broken tech as possible.
Great job!
BTW, they make great auto accent lights too
https://www.instructables.com/id/Blue-Auto-Interior...
7 years ago
Cool idea, but a high power LED should always be driven with a constant current. Otherwise the current will raise when the LED-Chip gets warm/hot, which reduces it's life span. Not even the voltage of your battery is limiting, as it easily reaches 14V when fully charged and those 10W LED-Chips are typically specified with 9-12V.
Reply 7 years ago
I agree that constant current sources are great. an lm317 and a resistor are all you need. It keeps the light output constant too.
For safety you need something. Even just a 22 ohm resistor in series like this....
You can Epoxy it to the heatsink.
its a great project but add a resistor for safety
7 years ago
Very good approach to recycle stuff that malfunction.
can you add some photos of the light if possible.
7 years ago
Good work ! An easy to recharge!