DIY LED Lights

Grrrrr....had this really nice post all written up then hit the refresh button and poof, it's gone.  Here's the gist:

KTR bike choice:  the route screams for 29" wheels after Magpie hill.  I ain't deaf; the Dos is in.

DIY LEDs:  the second prototype is ready for action.  Here's pics.

The housing is aluminum pipe stock, 5W Luxeon Star LED, powered by 700ma buckpuck with pot & 8 AAs.  Should run about 4.5 hours at high, lot's more with judicious use of the pot.  Mount and connector wires poached from an old niterider setup.  It's not heavy - the light is 54g, total system about 280g, all on the helmet, and bright too.  With NX05 optics there is no dreaded dark spot in the center of the beam pattern.

Published Thursday, May 04, 2006 5:09 AM by Dave

Comments

# @ Thursday, May 04, 2006 9:09 AM

Where'd you order the optics from?

Chris

Chris

# @ Thursday, May 04, 2006 9:21 AM

Chris - Led Supply. It's a bit confusing, it's under the heading "FF' 20mm", whatever that means...and is called "collimating optics".

Apparently it's a 10 degree lens which makes sense as the beam looks too wide to be a 5 degree...it's labeled NX05 in the packaging.

Here'tis: http://www.ledsupply.com/lxhl-nx05.html

Dave

# @ Thursday, May 04, 2006 1:15 PM

Sweet! That was the one I wanted to order anyway. I didn't know if that's the one you had. Think it's worth playing around with the more flood lenses or does that one work pretty well?

Chris

Chris

# @ Thursday, May 04, 2006 4:30 PM

For the LuxV, this is *the* lens, at least from Led Supply's available optics. I bought all that would fit, this is the only one that doesn't produce a dark spot in the center of the beam. In general, the LEDs don't have enough luminosity to warrant using anything wider than 10 deg anyway. With the LuxIII, the 5 deg lens is pretty nice.

Dave