Not quite tools, but very useful for using tools - DIY LED lights

[mattthemuppet]

I make all my own LED lights, not so much to save money (which they do, a bit) but to use exactly the LEDs and optics I like. I've been meaning to build these ones since last winter as the remaining CFL bulbs in my garage crap out when it gets cold. Like last night, when it dropped to -15C (5F?) in the garage and ice started forming on the inside of the windows

Anyway, basic plan is the base of an old non-working CFL, piece of alu tube and then heatsink disk, with the alu tube and disk JB welded together.

Grooving the disks for the tubing to fit


disks grooved and tubing cut and faced. They were then glued together with JB Weld.


Drilling holes in the heatsink for cable pass through and screws to hold the LED in. I used the same set up to drill holes in the outer part for extra surface area and to remove some weight


one of the drivers wired in. I think this one was a 120/240AC to 12VDC/300mA to use a 12V LED from an old desk light. The other ones were 120/240VAC to 3VDC/600mA.


finished!


They work really nicely. There's one with a Nichia 219A for my lathe worklight (NW with nice CRI), one with a Cree XT-E 2700K for my bedside light and the big one has the 12V LED for a 2nd work/ storage room. The 2 small ones are just right in brightness, the 12V one could do with a more powerful driver, but it's good enough for a room that I don't use much. Cost for the single LED lights was $3-4 for the driver and LED, the 12V light was just a couple of bucks for the driver.

Now I can see what I'm doing with my hydraulic press, although I have to finish a pair of snowshoes first!

[DIYer]

Thanks mattthemuppet! We've added your LED Lights to our Lighting category,
as well as to your builder page: mattthemuppet's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

LED Lights by mattthemuppet

tags: LED

[Frank S]

I sometimes wish that I had the patience to work with small stuff like those LEDs you just made. But on the other side of that coin is my hands were never well suited for the small tedious work involved to make things like them.

[mattthemuppet]

that's true, but alot of it is just patience and technique. I have famously fat fingers (all knots get given to my wife to untie), but with the right pliers/tweezers and holding tools, it becomes pretty straightforward. One of the best investments for electronic work I made was a proper soldering station, makes all the difference compared to the simple soldering iron I had before.

[mklotz]

Look to the medical trades if you suffer from fat-hands or manual clumsiness.

Forceps
Hemostats
Scalpels
Iris scissors
Suturing needle holder
Surgeon's pliers

Surgeons need to do precise tiny work with normal size hands. Their tools have evolved over centuries to address this need.

Small manipulators can be custom cut from bamboo skewers. I make tiny disposable spatulae for applying precise amounts of glue and grease by whittling the end to a flat. Make a forked end to hold tiny screws while starting them. Also good for electrical work since they're non-conductive.

[bobs409]

I've been experimenting with LED's lately myself. Check on ebay for some called "Angel Eyes". They come ready to go in circular form and are cheap! They run on 12-24 volts. I mounted one under the quill of my mill and it really brightens up that all important area! (nice for a drill press as well)

Also check out LED strip lighting. That runs on 12 volts and it's ready to go, just peel and stick! Comes in all colors and a few versions of white. Got a few rolls of that. Ran one 16' roll of it under the cabinets in my garage above my work bench and it really lights up a dark area. Best of all, I don't have to put on a power sucking 8' shop light when I need something.

LED's are so cool!!!! (Now I just have to clean that darn work bench!!!) LOL

[Frank S]

I tried not to fall into the CFL trap. I bought a few when they fist came out but was terribly disappointed in the quality of light they produced. SO when the 9 and 13 w leds hit the market and looked like an incandescent instead of the spiral squiggly CFL's that would shatter if you just looked at them wrong. Now that the 9 and 13 w LDS have gained in popularity their price has tanked to the point that I can buy a 6 pack of the 9 watt frosted bulbs for under $5.00 sometimes. The 9 watt bulbs claim nearly the same lumins as a 75 watt incandescent but the distance they will through light seems to be less I personally feel they are about equal to a 60 watt. I replaced 5 100 watt Incandescent bulbs with 11 of the 9 watt LED's in my machine shop van. The power consumption difference was like unscrewing 4 of the 100 watt bulbs but the available light is more like adding 2 or 3 more 100 watt bulbs.

[mattthemuppet]

that strip lighting is pretty neat - a great way to get some good area lighting easily and cheaply.

I got into LED lights from mountain biking. I got tired of my homemade halogen light eating my batteries and leaving me in the dark in the middle of the woods, so I built a couple of LED lights. Then I started making task lighting for my garage as the CFLs just didn't cope in the winter. I've now (almost) completely kitted out my garage/ workshops with home made lights. I used mostly Nichia 119 LEDs which were cheap and had great colour rendering (helpful for wire colours for example), plus the odd other LED that I had laying around. They all run off one light socket - in the main garage there are 7 lights for a total of ~35W or so, in the spare room there are 2 lights for less than 10W. I mostly use whatever alu tubing or heatsinks I have lying around.



One night when the wife is out and there's no car in there I'll take a pic with them all on, it's rather nice Lots of dispersed high quality light.

[mattthemuppet]

made another light, this one with a spare 3000K 12V XHP50 LED (newish model from Cree) to put in the living room. The driver is a 10W (0.9A 12V) board from Banggood or Buyincoins, I can't remember. It barely gets warm, so I might try a 15W driver instead.

plug to attach tube to heatsink


after being pressed into the alu tube


parts ready - the plug and tube are finned and the heatsink has holes drilled in it to allow better airflow through the fins


In place, with a globe from a dead bulb placed on top - scatters the light better


It's ugly as sin but works very well - lovely creamy white light and plenty bright. Easily beats the 15W CFL that was in there (admittedly an old and tired one!).

now I need to make some dome lights for the car..