Interested in building a bike light

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Lumbee1

Newly Enlightened
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Jun 21, 2006
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I want to build a bike light for late night singletrack riding but I need help. I am considering both the LuxIII's and K2's in a triple LED configuration with optics in a custom housing.

I understand the basics of series and parallel wiring diagrams and construction of the device will be easy. What I need help with is finding a regulator that will give me flat output I desire. I checked out the sandwich shoppe and liked badboy but I don't know if this is what I need for my project.

Any other resources for information would be helpful.
 
The Shark converter from The Shoppe is designed for running multiple Lux's. I haven't used it, so can't share any more details.

Something to keep in mind - depending on your speed, you'll need to make sure you have some decent "throw" (mixed with flood).
 
I strapped a 3 Watt Brinkman LED on to my Stumpjumper FSR and it does a pretty good job. Not good enough for tricky singletrack but a 2nd one would do the trick as long as you have a helmet light.

The advantage is that the batteries are cheap and light and the lights aren't expensive to replace when you stack up!

I gave some thought about putting my L5 on as it is the perfect combination of throw and flood in my opinion. I just can't get used to the idea of seeing it get destroyed in a wreck.

-Goatee
 
:)> said:
I strapped a 3 Watt Brinkman LED on to my Stumpjumper FSR and it does a pretty good job. Not good enough for tricky singletrack but a 2nd one would do the trick as long as you have a helmet light.

The advantage is that the batteries are cheap and light and the lights aren't expensive to replace when you stack up!

I gave some thought about putting my L5 on as it is the perfect combination of throw and flood in my opinion. I just can't get used to the idea of seeing it get destroyed in a wreck.

-Goatee
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I have a Fenix L2T right now on my Stumpjumper. I haven't tested it at night on singletrack though and I don't know if it is enough for speed that I ride. I was planning on buying another L2T and straping it to my helmet.

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greenLED said:
links to that holder, please?
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PVC, handlebar reflector mount, gorilla glue, velcro straps, rubber spray covering.

It is a homemade project.
 
Lumbee1 said:
PVC, handlebar reflector mount, gorilla glue, velcro straps, rubber spray covering.

It is a homemade project.
Click to expand...
Nice!! :twothumbs:

...source for the handlebar attachment? 🙂
 
greenLED said:
Nice!! :twothumbs:

...source for the handlebar attachment? 🙂
Click to expand...

It is the front clear reflector mount (the one that everyone throws away). I purchased a Fisher Cake and a Specialized Stumpjumper. I removed the reflectors from both and saved them just for a project like this. I also found a front and rear reflector on one of the trails I was riding. The rear reflector mount will work but not as well. It is designed for a seatpost and the arm is perpendicular to the mount.

Check out the local bike shops to see if they have any spares laying around.
 
Where can I get more information about the different components necessary for building a bike light. Looking at products at the Sandwich Shoppe is confusing.
 
Thanks, Lumbee1!

A search for "tri-lux" or "trilux" should give you more info on what you want to build (I haven't done a build like that, or I'd fill you in with all sorts of details).
 
I built two LED bike lights, for trail riding, last year. One light is a 3 x Luxeon III light and the other is a 2 x Luxeon V light. The TriLux III has greater throw and the 2 x LuxV has more fill, less throw. I wear the TriLux III on my helmet and put the Dual Lux V on my bars. Each light is powered by a 14.8v Li-Ion battery pack which can power them for about 4 hours. Both lights have held up well and I've had no problems. Granted, you will spend a good deal of money, especially if you go with the Li-Ion batteries (each 4Amp pack was about $80).

I had fun building mine, and they work well. Good luck.

TriLux III thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=99175&highlight=trilux

Dual Lux V Thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=100849&highlight=Dual+Lux
 
:)> said:
I threw mine away😡

-Goatee
Click to expand...

Your local bike shop should have these on the cheap. There will be different ID sizes and rubber shims available, so you might want to measure your handlebar before making the trip.

I mount either an L2T w/CR123 body or an L2P on my handlebars. I find they both work very well mounted with a simple Twofish lockblock. Just make sure the L2P is balanced on its weight center when mounting. The L2T w/CR123 is so light and small that balance doesn't matter.

I combine the above with an old wide-focus (lenticular) halogen helmet light (Cateye HT100), and it works great for singletrack.

Sorry, I can't help with designing a new light.
 
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I use a MillerMods 1.7 watt Fenix L1P as a helmet light and just added a UWAJ Luxeon III for that extra kick. Works very well but my next light will be a frame mounted four Luxeon K2 beast. It will all be mounted in a HA-III bored 2D Mag with 8 NiMH AA cells with each K2 driven at 750mA. My plan is to use Andrew Wynns BAM drop-in mod so I can swap out between a bored 2D Mag with Sanyo 2700mAH NiMH or a 2C Mag running three CR123A lithiums if I ever want to ride in - 30C weather (it can happen)

Another option is the MillerMods 3 or 4 LuxeonIII 2D Mag... serious tri or quad that burns the retinas with two NiMH D cells.
 
Nightrider, I am thoroughly impressed! Bravo! This is exactly what I was looking for. :goodjob:
Which one do you prefer on fast singletrack?

Now it is time for me to gather parts and build my own 🙂
 
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