Not much else to say really, I’ve produced a light from a cut down Ali torch.

I had a few spare P7s sitting around, so this a triple P7, using a B-Flex driver and of course, a Battery from Smudge (Thanks Smudge), Optic via a contact I received from Trout.

This body could house MC-Es, also.

I decided to design the light to be easily removeable, so I’ve used a bar clamp available from any old LBS which I believe suits the purpose quite well.

I’ve also knocked up some helmets lights, again using P7s at 1A, giving about 230 lumens each. But these bodies could take an MC-E LED. Lights are attached using TwoFish lock-blocks, quite cheap from the United States.

S.

Arnt they a little heavy on your helmet?

I would think it would wobble around too much on any terrain that required that much light.

The Blue bodied lights weigh around 120g each. Were I to hang one off one side then indeed there would be an issue. When I had only created one, mounting it in the centre, was fine.

Those little blue bodied lights are quite good for road use too, quick to strap on and off the bars using the twofish lock-blocks and enough light to ensure that motorists notice and even stop for you.

I guess I should have weighed the bar light, Oops.

S.

Oh !, idiot alert !!, They’re not P7s, thats a torch, Doh !, the LEDs are the Cree XR-Es. Sorry.

S.

Nice work I like

Saladdodger.

Thanks for that. I’ve tried to keep it convenitonal looking while including the useability of being able to easily attach and and remove the light, from the bars.

I’m looking at the cutter site now, trying to fathom out which LED to use with which optics. I have a couple of the empty bodies shown for both lights and would like to build some up with more upto date components.

I’ve seen mention of the MC-E, but I’m having troub;e knowing what format to get them in and how to wire them up etc. Then theres the matter of optics, I prefer a narrow beam, around the 10-12 degree.

Ta 🙂

S.

How much in total (inc battery) for each light out of interest?

Blimey “Homebuilder produces light that doesn’t look home built” shocker.

Nice one.

Are you so ashamed of your shimano brakes, that you’ve had to cover the label? 😉

RR. The bar light is around the £170 mark, I think its producing a respectable, but not up to date 675 lumens. BUT, I believe I can fit MC-Es or XP-Es into the same body, once I’ve figured out what to buy, etc. The LEDs seem to be getting smaller, so its the optics that will limit how many LEDs I can fit into the head. IMO, anything over 500 lumens is going to be good enough to ride by, just that sometimes, more is, more ?.

The helmet light is around £70, plus batt and charger, I forget what I paid Smudge for the batts.

NickC. lol, the bike in the pic is my urban-run around, it gets locked up outside the shops, in the high street, etc. I’ve covered most of the XT, XTR and other stuff so that passers by aren’t temped to remove said items. To enhance this, I have fitted security screws to items like the brake lever clamps, stem face plate, seat post clamp, replacing the normal hex drive screws they came fitted with, again in an attempt to keep the kit on my bike.

DCLs, I like them, but am fully aware that others do not, all my bikes have DCLs in some form. Can’t remember what its like to use conventional shifters. 🙂

Cheers

S.

how well sealed is the hole where the wire goes into the body?

thats about the only weakness on my set-up, its currenlty covered with lecy tape and a bit of cut down grip.

n.b. if you want cheep and light the Deal extreem Q5 torches require next to no modification to produce 58g helmet lamps at 240 lumen.

Thisisnotaspoon.

I would suggest the application of silicone sealant to the inner surface on the back of the hole, where the hole passes into the body.

My light is ‘O’ ringed, front and rear, so I don’t anticipate any water ingress.

This light wasn’t meant to have a wire coming out of it, but a last minute issue forced me to run it out the back.

The next light should be slightly shorter, and have no tail

Thanks for the tip on the helmet light, I’ll certainly look it up. If its a torch, then it shouldn’t be any hastle to convert it to run from an external batt, for longer run times, although I’ve no idea how long a Q5 runs for, yet.

Ta 🙂

S.

Luvin the battery bag! And why are you worried about weight carrying that lock around with you?

Dont want to pee on your parade, but I thought the idea of homebrew was to make a cheaper alternative? You can buy a brighter light ready made for £50 less from planet X, or a P7 torch for £120 less from dealextreme.

That is a very tidy looking unit though 🙂

40mpg. No worries, I was walking past a London Camera exchange shop and they had a basket outside with discounted camera bags in. I really like those Lupine batt bags, its a wonder that our friends in China haven’t started producing, ahem, similar items, although I’ll admit the demand is limited.

Yeah, you need a decent lock these days, it weighs a ton, the bike is pretty well secured-up.

I wasn’t aware of the Planet-X light, it has more than 675 lumens, batt and charger for £50. That is a bargain. Is it on their website ?, I’ll take a look.

The guy who sits next to me bought a P7 torch on my recommendation, we compared them today, P7 has a cooler colour, my light appears to be within a whisker of his for brightness, but has a larger spot, and of course, runtimes are longer on mine as its Smudge powered 🙂

But fair dos, you’ve got some points there. I’ve just made this light as I had the parts anyway, from an earlier project, its now my most powerful light, with alternative brightness settings and when I reach my destination, it slides of the bars easily, and into the backpack, along with the batt, no faffing with clamps, etc.

Cheers 🙂

S.

Oh, by the way, I was asked about what it cost me, the bar light cost me around £170 including the batt and charger. That price and the fun of making a 675 lumen light isn’t bad, I thought….

S.

Well, I’just been on a short trip using the light, I’m quite pleased with it, drizzling here, the light got wet, but no issues.

I’m sure most would agree, its quite pleasing when something you’ve made, works as intended.

Thanks for the comments, all.

S.