# My homemade pvc bike light...........Part 1



## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Hey guys, this is in response to several RBR members who have displayed an interest in 
building a cheap, very bright, bike light for those late night fast rides. I've spent months researching this project because I needed a good, bright bike light for my 14 mile commute to work, something that is more durable and just as effective as those high dollar $300 - $400 HID lights out on the market. I built mine out of simple pvc pipe, for less than $50 bucks, powered by a 5 aH Sealed Lead Acid battery, and it will 'light up' the road almost like a motorcycle headlight. The light is very bright and will provide more than enough projected light for 20 mph night rides lasting two hours or better. Hopefully some of you can benefit from this, as I certainly have. It is simple, elegant, and cheap, and will 'light up' a stop sign from 200 feet with plenty of periphial visibility. I've been using this for several months now in almost total darkness, and people have said they thought I was a slow moving motorcycle. The light is 'significantly' brighter than my 'cateye' EL-300 light I was using, and is much safer. In fact my wife said that from a mile away, the only reason she knew it was me, and not a motorcycle, was the light wavered from side to side from me pedaling. (I thought that was pretty cool) 

All the parts you need, except for the battery, are available from 'Lowes' or 'Home Depot', in the outdoor lighting section, and since it's made out of pvc pipe, is very lightweight and near indestructable.

~To start with you'll need a "GE" or "Sylvania" MR-16 12v 20-watt halogen bulb/reflector with glass cover preferrably from 'Lowes', as they seem to have a better selection. The halogen bulb/reflector with the glass lens is meant for outdoor lighting, and is a sealed unit that comes in a cardboard bubble pack and costs about $7 bucks. They come in several beam patterns from spot to flood, but what seems to work good for me is the 17 deg. spot beam. (Good beam projection with sufficient periphial illumination) The code number on the package should be "ESX"


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

I'm liking this already... I think I've got one of those bulbs at the house. Just sitting there doing nothing.

Hope you can finish these instructions tonight... This will give me something to do tomorrow.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*Part 2*

The "GE" or "Sylvania" MR-16 halogen bulb/reflector is 2" in diameter and uses a two pin connector or 'socket' that pushes onto the pins on the rear of the bulb. You can buy these two-pin connectors (GU 5.5) on-line at www.harringtonlights.com for about $3 or $4 bucks and have 5" heavy duty lead wires coming out of it so you can wire it to an automotive two-way switch and then to your battery.

Since I was in an all fired up hurry to build this light, I bought an outdoor "Malibu Yard Light" at 'Lowes' for $9 bucks and pirated the two pin connector, along with the heavy duty glass cover lens. Everything else I discarded. Below is a pic of the "Malibu Yard Light".


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*Part 3*

Please make sure the MR-16 bulb/reflector is 12 volt, cuz they also make it in 110 volt from 20 watts to 75 watts. You need a 12v 20-watt MR-16. Thats what I use and it's great. The bi-pin connector you need comes with the 'Malibu Yard Light", and is about the size of a nickle. It has two holes in it that pushes onto the bi-pins on the back of the bulb. Once you push it on the two pins I would'nt worry about it loosening, or slipping off because it's pretty sturdy.

O.K.......So far we got the MR-16 halogen bulb/reflector with cover glass that is a sealed unit, and we have a bi-pin connector that pushes onto the back of it. Right??

~Next you are going to need a pvc compression union (pictured below), but you will only need the inner part of it. I believe it all comes in one assembly, but you can look around.
The part that you need in the picture is the middle one. It's the inner sleeve, and the inside diameter of it is damn close to the diameter of the MR-16 bulb. The outside diameter of the inner sleeve is 2 1/4-in., and is the one with the flange on it. That particular little gem is the main housing you'll need to set your MR-16 right inside it. It has a little lip, or bevel at the end that your bulb will seat up against perfectly. But first you'll have to use a dremel tool, or drill motor to sand the inside of that sleeve enough for your bulb to gently slip inside of it and seat against the beveled edge. Once you see how the bulb seats against the inside beveled edge you'll know why I call it the little gem. It's perfect!! 

I used a sanding drum on my dremel tool, and it worked great. Just sand off enough for the MR-16 bulb to slip inside the pvc pipe or sleeve, and it will rest against the beveled end.

To help clarify the size of the parts in the compression union, the big outer ring that looks to be tightened by hand is 3 1/4 in. in diameter. The outer ring is threaded on the inside, but you wont need it. The one you want is the inner sleeve, with the flange. Thats the little gem.

~o.k. kids, thats enough for today. I have to get ready for my night ride to work. Tomorrow we will cover more of this project.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Here is a few more pics of the inner sleeve, along with the finished project. Remember, the inside of that sleeve has to be sanded a little so the MR-16 bulb will slip right into it and seat against the beveled edge.


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

croswell1 said:


> Here is a few more pics of the inner sleeve, along with the finished project. Remember, the inside of that sleeve has to be sanded a little so the MR-16 bulb will slip right into it and seat against the beveled edge.


This is just too cool for school. Thanks!! I'm looking forward to future installments.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Thanks Croswell. Great info, & the pics help a lot, too. I'm looking forward to more.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

More More More! I'll be patient, I promise.


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## cydswipe (Mar 7, 2002)

*Awesome!*

This is the most interesting thread ever. Please keep up with the build!


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*Part 4*

Good morning children.

The correct identification number for the bi-pin ceramic connector you need is "GX 5.3" if you opt to get it on-line from www.harringtonlights.com 
They also carry a multitude of MR-16 12v bulb/reflector sealed units with cover glass. If you buy the "Malibu Yard Light" from 'Lowes' it will come with it. Just pull the connector off the bulb in the yard light, take out the heavy duty glass lens, and discard the rest. Below is a pic of the connector. The two small holes in the middle push right on the bi-pins at the rear of the halogen bulb and stays secured pretty good. Dont worry about polarity, just make sure one of the wires on the connector is ground, and mark it as such. That wire goes straight to neg. on the SLA battery. The other wire is of course positive, and that will be the one you wire into the automotive switch. I'll post complete schematics later on.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*Part 4.............continued*

O.K.,......Once the inside of the inner sleeve has been sanded enough for your MR-16 bulb to slide into it and seat against the beveled edge, you will need a tube of "Clear RTV Silicone Adhesive" available at any auto parts store, Lowes, Wal-Mart etc. What you want to do is lay down a heavy bead of silicone adhesive inside the pvc sleeve, right there at the beveled edge. While the adhesive is still tacky, clean up the glass lens from the Malibu yard light and push it inside the pvc sleeve until it's firmly against the lip, or beveled edge. Dont worry about the adhesive oozing out on the glass lens right now. You want to firmly bed the glass lens in the adhesive, because when it dries it will be waterproof to a factor of ten. Hail, sleet, snow, and rain wont faze it because of the thickness of the glass lens and the bed of adhesive it's laying in.

After the silicone dries use an x-acto knife to trim away the excess glue on the outside of the lens. Just scribe the knife tip around the outside bevel and cut the excess away. If you really made a mess on the outer glass use a single edge razor to scrape it clean. Works great ~ btw, just make sure the inside of the lens is sqeaky clean before you slip the MR-16 bulb inside the sleeve up against the glass. ~note~ the heat generated from the 20-watt bulb will not effect the silicone in the least, nor will it effect the pvc pipe. It may get a little warm, especially if you're still, but it will be just fine.

~ After all that's done, push your MR-16 bulb inside the sleeve until it rests against the glass lens.

~ next you will need to cut a 3/4 in. wide section of pipe off the end of some other pvc pipe that is preferably the same O.D of your sleeve. You will then cut a 1" section out of it until it resembles a "C". (see pics below) The idea is to compress the pvc ring until it slips inside the sleeve, then you push it up against the back of the reflector you installed. This will secure the bulb/reflector to keep it from jarring loose once everything is together.

~ Once the glass lens is glued in, and the bulb/reflector installed with the pvc ring snugged up against it, you will need to tack glue the pvc ring in place with silicone adhesive. All this is done to keep the bulb from jarring loose and rattling around inside the sleeve. Look at the pics below and you'll get the idea.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Hey guys,..a few more pics of the bike light so you can see how it would look on your bike.


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## desurfer (Feb 13, 2006)

That's awesome; once you're finished with the explanation I'll probably be off to Lowes to build my own. I'm curious though; how much does the light unit and your battery weigh? I'd be using this for mountain biking, so it would be helmet mounted with the battery in my Camelbak.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

desurfer said:


> That's awesome; once you're finished with the explanation I'll probably be off to Lowes to build my own. I'm curious though; how much does the light unit and your battery weigh? I'd be using this for mountain biking, so it would be helmet mounted with the battery in my Camelbak.


The pvc bike light is very lightweight. I'd doubt you would even noice it strapped to a helmet. The 5aH sealed lead acid battery I use goes into my back pack and plugs into the light via two connector trailer harness. The battery weighs 4 lbs, and will give you over two hours run time for a 20-watt light. Hopefully no one will assemble this until I'm finished explaining everything. I have several different options to show.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Ok, I gotta admit I got a little impatient. I went to Lowe's today to get some of the stuff I saw. Unfortunately the only Union joints offered here are ribbed on the outer surfaces, which means the rest of the body wouldn't work right. So I did a little messing around and came up with a solution that looks similar enough. A 2" to 1.5" reducer coupling, a 1.5" end cap and a 2 X 1.5" bushing for the crown bezel. I joined the reducer coupling to the end cap with some 1.5" hot tub tubing. Waterproof and nice and sticky. Figured I would need to be able to take it apart to change the bulb out someday.

I haven't done any of the electronics or switches yet. I'm waiting to see how you did yours, but I have a pretty good idea already. Don't keep me in suspense too long.

Oh, did you give any thought to a 6V battery? I don't know how that would affect the lights capability since I'm no electrical guru by any means. That would cut the weight of that battery by about 60%. Of course, if it cut output that much then it's not worth it. I'm more or less just thinking out loud at this point.

I'm also eager to see your mounting brackets as well.

Here's a pic of my work thus far:


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Forgot to add, I added the computer to give it a sense of scale...


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

croswell1 said:


> Hopefully no one will assemble this until I'm finished explaining everything. I have several different options to show.


DOH!

Luckily nothing is glued yet.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Have to admit thats not bad, Chris. In the world of pvc the possibilities are endless. Almost anything would work as long as it could accept an mr-16 bulb and look halfway decent. The housing i've been showing seems near perfect because of the beveled lip the bulb can seat against. I'm no bike scientist, but I am handy with tools, and I can even ride my bike and chew gum at the same time. LOL


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Check out these pictures here. This is the one that will replace the light that's now on my bike. Much simpler to build, more streamlined, and looks great, IMO.

The last pic that shows the black line is where you grind down to, to really streamline the housing. In fact the first light I built was just like that and it was great. The only reason I built the one with the removeable face was to access the bulb and the internals. That one was a bit more complicated to construct. The one I'm showing the how-to on is the streamlined one, which is totally sealed and uber waterproof.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

O.K. guys, here is the wiring diagram I used, along with some more pics. Do a google search for Do It Yourself bike lights and you'll get a wealth on info.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Two quick questions, three actually.

What size fuse did you use? Any particular quick connector? Third, what type of battery charger are you using?

Thanks again for showing this...


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

O.K guys.

In the middle picture on the left is the 2 1/4" O.D. pvc cap with a 1/4" hole drilled in the bottom for the rubber grommet. This is where the 18 g. wires come out. The hole in the rear of the cap is for the switch. The size you drill depends on what switch you use. The switch I use is the toggle switch that has two lead wires instead of contacts. It takes up less space on the inside and is easier to work with. The wiring diagram I posted is for a mag-lite housing, but works the same for a pvc housing too.

Once the flange on the pvc sleeve (housing) is ground down to the black line, make sure the end is filed flat so your 2 1/4" pvc cap will mate square to it.

Then you can glue in the glass lens like I described before and install the bulb/reflector right behind it. Secure the bulb with the pvc ring and glue the ring so the bulb stays put.

After you push on the bi-pin connector and wire the (+) side to the switch, (the ground wire runs straight out the hole in the cap) you're ready to cement the cap onto the housing with pvc cement. I used a que tip for this. Swab it on and press the cap to the housing, holding it for about 10 min. for the cement to dry enough to let go. Let it cure for 8 hrs or so.

I hope I did'nt confuse anybody. This is the first time I ever posted instructions to anyone. If you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them. PM me if you'd like.The light works great and with the 2000 plus hours life the MR-16 bulbs have it will be o.k. to just seal it all together. Thats what I'm going to do on my next light.

To seal the switch in the cap I cut a hole in some old rubber inner tube and siliconed it to the inside of the cap to keep the rain out.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Chris H said:


> Two quick questions, three actually.
> 
> What size fuse did you use? Any particular quick connector? Third, what type of battery charger are you using?
> 
> Thanks again for showing this...


Hi Chris H, 

The fuse is 10 amp, but I've heard a 5 amp fuse will do good too. The battery is a 5aH Sealed Lead Acid battery I bought on-line at www.zbattery.com for about $12 bucks. Battery weighs about 4 lbs, but it is much cheaper than nickle-metal-hydride batteries. 
The battery charger is a 12v 1ah 25-watt smart charger they sell for about $13 bucks.
The charger is great, and will charge an SLA battery in 2-3 hours. Z-battery is great to work with too, btw.

The charger has two led lights on the front. Red for charging, and Green for charged. It's a smart charger, which means you wont overcharge your battery.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

Using a fuse is really optional. The main purpose of a fuse is to protect the wiring from opening up from a short. In the case of the bike lamp, replacing a damaged wire is easy, so a fuse has no real advantage.


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## grisezd (Jun 2, 2004)

MikeBiker said:


> Using a fuse is really optional. The main purpose of a fuse is to protect the wiring from opening up from a short. In the case of the bike lamp, replacing a damaged wire is easy, so a fuse has no real advantage.


Unless, of course, that opened wire is lying against your skin. Ouch. I'd recommend the smallest fuse that won't blow, or you could figure out the current draw of the light, size the wire appropriately, and use a fuse rated above the lamp but below the wire.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Ok, I got it finished.

Thanks for the insight and ideas on this light. Definately cost effective. Plus, 20W is like having the power of the Sun at your fingertips... WOW!

Really isn't that difficult to make, nor that time consuming. Definately tons of options out there. The only thing I'll change is that I might order a water bottle style battery. I found one online for $69.00 and it's NiMH (includes Smart Charger). That SLA battery, while not extremely heavy, definately adds weight. I won't be using this on my road bike!

Also, I'll add a pigtail quick connect to it. I would have done it tonight, but I bought the wrong male adapter end.

Anyway, here are a few pics of the completed light. Luckily I had an old mount from my Forerunner 301 laying around not doing anything. I screwed it to the body and Viola! it mounts up under the handlebar quite nicely.

Here's a few pics. I'll give it a workout tomorrow morning and we'll see how it works. Hopefully I won't catch my bike on fire. LOL


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## Steel_SSer (Jan 13, 2006)

Wouldn't these things work fine even if some water did get inside? I didn't think water would short out a 12VDC system like this.

Really great thread - thanks folks!


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

grisezd said:


> Unless, of course, that opened wire is lying against your skin. Ouch. I'd recommend the smallest fuse that won't blow, or you could figure out the current draw of the light, size the wire appropriately, and use a fuse rated above the lamp but below the wire.


The body resistance is too high for 12 volts to pass enough current for you to feel it.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

MikeBiker said:


> The body resistance is too high for 12 volts to pass enough current for you to feel it.


You can't feel the voltage, but melting wire can sure get your attention.

I had a lighting system on my Jeep go out on me a few years ago with some home made off road lights. I foolishly didn't use a relay and while making some changes to the light (to put in a relay ironically) the system shorted. The weakest link in the system was the wire itself. Melted some carpet and a vacuum line in the engine compartment, and made some great little burns on my hand as I tried to disconnect the wire as quickly as I could.

I have a great respect for fuses now...


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Forgot to add...

Rode in with the light today. Wow that thing is awesome. I used the 15 degree spot, and it lights up the entire road. Amazing lighting power. Checked the body of the light several times, no heat build up at all. The battery went into my bag on the Pannier rack. Never noticed it was there. I'll have to actually weigh the battery to see how much it is. Ran fine without a glitch.

Croswell, thanks again for posting up the instructions on this. I would have never come up with this on my own. Again, very simple and quick to build. Hardest part was waiting for the adhesive to dry...


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Chris H said:


> Definately tons of options out there. The only thing I'll change is that I might order a water bottle style battery. I found one online for $69.00 and it's NiMH (includes Smart Charger).


Where did you find the battery?


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Big Bad John said:


> Where did you find the battery?


I found it here:

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2193

Don't know anything about the company. I was going to google them (as well as check out the BBB) to see what I could find out. Unless someone here has heard of them. Looks like you can also buy just a battery from them for around $40.00 or so. I found them day before yesterday while googling batteries.

Hey- Just checked the BBB for that area and no complaints lodged. Sometimes no new really can be good news. (learned to do this the hard way a while back).


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Hey Chris H, glad you got some benefit out of this, as I most certainly have. Contrary to what some posters say, you will definitely need to use a good in-line fuse as close to the battery as possible (look at the pic of my battery). If you dont use a fuse you're asking for trouble. For those of you who are interested you can get SLA batteries from local battery stores like 'Interstate Batteries'. Just look in the yellow pages. You can also get them from 'Radio Shack', although a bit pricey. I also contemplated using nimh batteries, but they cost four times what a SLA battery goes for only to save a few lbs. Your nimh batteries screw up, your out $70 bucks. Your SLA battery screws up, your out $12 bucks.

My battery sits in my back pack, and although I feel the weight a little, it powers my bike light for over two hours, giving me piece of mind at night that I can see and be seen, even in 20 mph fast rides. This light was sooo much better than my l.e.d cateye I could'nt believe it. 20-watts of focused 15-17 deg. light projection will definitely "light up" the road, comparible to those $400 systems for a fraction of the cost. Guys at work still cant believe how much light this thing puts out when I roll into the parking lot at midnight.

Most of this research came from www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42629
It's a gold mine of information for d.i.y bike lighting. Check it out.


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## Road cyclist (Jan 15, 2005)

*Soft-start upon power up*

Maybe I will build something similiar to your design but with the addition of
a soft-start feature that will protect the bulb upon applying power. Some vendors
offer this, I think.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Road cyclist said:


> Maybe I will build something similiar to your design but with the addition of
> a soft-start feature that will protect the bulb upon applying power. Some vendors
> offer this, I think.


Yeah, that might be a good idea. To be very honest I've had zero issues with any of the MR-16 bulbs I tried out. I use mine every night when I go to work, sometimes I get off early where the round trip is in the dark too, with no problems. Check out the web-site in my previous post. It's over 40 pages of bike light info from some very imaginative guys. I think I'd like to try those 35-watt "Solux" bulbs I've been hearing about that produce a very white, near H.I.D brilliance. That'd be cool!!


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Croswell, I forgot to ask... can you post a pic of your mount set-up? Mine is ok, but it sort of interferes with my brake cables. I notice you seemed to move yours out front a little more with an extension. Also curious how you strapped it to the light itself.

Thanks.


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## Road cyclist (Jan 15, 2005)

croswell1 said:


> Check out the web-site in my previous post. It's over 40 pages of bike light info from some very imaginative guys.


What web-site are you referring to? Harringtonlights?


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*Road cyclist*



Road cyclist said:


> What web-site are you referring to? Harringtonlights?



Sorry I was'nt more specific. Check out www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42629

There's over 40 pages of home made bike light information and it's great.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Chris H said:


> Croswell, I forgot to ask... can you post a pic of your mount set-up? Mine is ok, but it sort of interferes with my brake cables. I notice you seemed to move yours out front a little more with an extension. Also curious how you strapped it to the light itself.
> 
> Thanks.


Hi Chris H, sorry I did'nt post this earlier. The light clamps to a "Minoura" Space Grip from Nashbar. I think they're now called 'Swing grip" or something. Use an automotive radiator hose clamp. The big one for around the light, and a smaller one to thread into the bigger one, which clamps to the space-grip extension. Use a strip of rubber to act as a shock absorber for the smaller. It may seem a little flimsy, but It's cheap and when you tighten it down it's rock solid. The red insert in the clamp is the rubber strip I use.


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## kml (Aug 9, 2005)

*Run Time...*

Chris H, if you see this, I was wondering what kind of run time you are getting with the water bottle battery? I am looking at buying one myself. 

kml


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## TI_roadracer (May 14, 2006)

Lead acid batteries really suck tbh. Lead is much heaver that lithium! see a periodic table. Try a lithium Ion battery, the same capacity will cost more initial outlay, but it will be easily half the weight. Or for the same weight you could easily get twice as much longativity since recharging. Also don't worry if the voltage is not dead on 12V, anything from 11V - 13V is fine.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

TI_roadracer said:


> Lead acid batteries really suck tbh. Lead is much heaver that lithium! see a periodic table. Try a lithium Ion battery, the same capacity will cost more initial outlay, but it will be easily half the weight. Or for the same weight you could easily get twice as much longativity since recharging. Also don't worry if the voltage is not dead on 12V, anything from 11V - 13V is fine.



I appreciate your opinions (its amazing i can say that when nobody else can) but SLA batteries dont suck. Yes, they are heavier, but nowhere on god's green earth are you going to find a battery that can do what it can do for the price. (guess you did'nt see that periodic table, did you) I posted that thread to help other RBR members create a light that would come close to the performance of a HID light for a fraction of the cost. Thats what I'm about - helping people, not griping about it's downfalls with nothing even remotely good to say about the rest of the system. Thats very good.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Hey, I just saw your question. I use the light almost every day and two months later I'm still consistently getting almost 3 hours out of the NiMh water bottle battery. Works great.

I'm actually on the second evolution of the light as well... Ended up using the Malibu light for the whole thing.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

This needs to be made a sticky.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*Hey "Chris H"..........*

Glad you got some use out of this. It has most certainly benefited me on my midnight commutes to work. Like a moron I sold my original prototype to a guy at work, so now I have to build me another one. I'm still using my 5Ah SLA battery, which is good for over two hours, but I admit I'd like to have a nimh water bottle battery if they were'nt so darned expensive. I also experimented with many different beam widths and found a 20-watt Halogen with 15-17 deg. beam spread is the best for fast rides. It has plenty of distance and side illumination too. Perfect for my night rides to work. Enjoy!!


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## Reynolds531 (Nov 8, 2002)

*Saved link*



brianmcg said:


> This needs to be made a sticky.


I already saved this link. My Cateye EL500 1000 lumen LED light is not bright enough in some situations. I'm a cheapskate and I like to tinker. I'll be building one of these Croswell lights. I don't know what I'll do with the $700 I'll have left over!


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Before you build your next one let me post some pics of the Malibu conversion. Will save you some bucks and looks nice and streamlined. Mounts nicely as well...

I'll get them up tomorrow!


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Chris H said:


> Before you build your next one let me post some pics of the Malibu conversion. Will save you some bucks and looks nice and streamlined. Mounts nicely as well...
> 
> I'll get them up tomorrow!


O.K........I'm game.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Ok, I finally got a chance to get those pics up. I took the shroud from the Malibu light and taped it off so I could score it in a straight line. I then cut it with my Dremel and threw it on the grinder so I could make it nice and level, and give it a bit of bevel on the edge as well.

I got a reflector mount free from my LBS and used that for the mount. Used the original metal banding to connect that to the reflector mount. Just had to get a longer screw. I found that mounting it underneath the stem hanging down was the way to go. It stayed out of the way and tucked up underneath quite nicely.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Hey thanks so much for this thread. I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow. These look fantastic.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

jplatzner said:


> Hey thanks so much for this thread. I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow. These look fantastic.


If you have a "Lowes" where you live, go there first. Lowes had the best selection of MR-16 lights, I found. As 'Chris H' can testify, this system blows away most of those so-called high performance lights out on the market for a fraction of the cost. If you commute in the dark, or like to go on night rides, this is a "must have".


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Chris H said:


> Ok, I finally got a chance to get those pics up. I took the shroud from the Malibu light and taped it off so I could score it in a straight line. I then cut it with my Dremel and threw it on the grinder so I could make it nice and level, and give it a bit of bevel on the edge as well.
> 
> I got a reflector mount free from my LBS and used that for the mount. Used the original metal banding to connect that to the reflector mount. Just had to get a longer screw. I found that mounting it underneath the stem hanging down was the way to go. It stayed out of the way and tucked up underneath quite nicely.


You do me proud Chris. I see you're also handy with tools. I like your idea of hanging the light under the bars too. For now, I'm going to stick with the pvc plan because it works good (plus I have a box full of the stuff). I'm contemplating building a two light system also. A 10 watt, and a 20 watt for my commute. 10 watts for riding where there's street lights, and 20 watts for the open road.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

*"Chris H"....and other inquiring minds..........*

Just finished this up. It replaces the pvc light I sold to a friend at work. It's just like the one I posted on this thread, only cut, shaped, sanded, and polished to be a little smaller and more aerodynamic. It has the 'General Electric' MR-16 20-watt Halogen bulb with the 15 deg. beam pattern. Like the other one, it lights up the road quite well. This light weighs about as much as an SLR saddle. It's pretty light.


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

Looks good! I like the polished and sanded look.

I think my next evolution will be a 2 light system with the MR11 lights. Man those things are small (I did a 6V 15W system for my wifes recumbant), I just need to find one of those dual action switches so I can power both lights on the same switch (one on, both on, both off) and a suitable housing and I'll be in business. I've figured out the lighting power aspect, now it's time to go smaller.

Thanks again for the know how on this system. I got some compliments on my 45 mile loop last night with this light. One from a guy with a 15W niterider no less!!!


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

Chris H said:


> Looks good! I like the polished and sanded look.
> 
> I think my next evolution will be a 2 light system with the MR11 lights. Man those things are small (I did a 6V 15W system for my wifes recumbant), I just need to find one of those dual action switches so I can power both lights on the same switch (one on, both on, both off) and a suitable housing and I'll be in business. I've figured out the lighting power aspect, now it's time to go smaller.
> 
> Thanks again for the know how on this system. I got some compliments on my 45 mile loop last night with this light. One from a guy with a 15W niterider no less!!!



Yeah, I was wanting to try out those MR-11 bulbs too, maybe build a helmet light.

As for an appropriate switch, try your local truck stop. They usually have good 3 or 4 position switches that are 12-V. (rocker, toggle, etc, for wiring in multiple accessories)

For a suitable housing, look into pvc drain plugs, or large 3-4" caps that have a square extension on it for fitting an adjustable wrench or pipe wrench. Cut off the square extension with a dremel and file it to fit the back of your light.........(instant switch housing, and all pvc too)

I wonder what the guy paid for his 15-watt "Nightrider"?


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## konaken (Sep 13, 2005)

*These lights look great!*

I spent some time looking at Lowe's today. I saw the Malibu lights. My question is, do you need to change out the guts to a MR 16 style reflector and bulb, or can you just upgrade the bulb to 20w and use the same reflector? I really like the look of the all black light housing and all the PVC fittings would drive me crazy trying to get the right ones. This is a great thread with really good info. I even saw some MR16 lamps while at Lowe's that are 35w. I saw bulbs that big as well. That may be a possiblity. There were 50w lamps as well. If you are landing planes, those will work nicely.

thanks for the info.

Ken


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

konaken said:


> I spent some time looking at Lowe's today. I saw the Malibu lights. My question is, do you need to change out the guts to a MR 16 style reflector and bulb, or can you just upgrade the bulb to 20w and use the same reflector? I really like the look of the all black light housing and all the PVC fittings would drive me crazy trying to get the right ones. This is a great thread with really good info. I even saw some MR16 lamps while at Lowe's that are 35w. I saw bulbs that big as well. That may be a possiblity. There were 50w lamps as well. If you are landing planes, those will work nicely.
> 
> thanks for the info.
> 
> Ken


Hey, nice to see this thread revisited.

You can probably use the guts in the Malibu light, as the rubber grommet and glass will _probably_ seal it well enough, you're stuck with the flood light option though. I picked up a sealed MR16 bulb when I got the Malibu light. I went with the 15 deg spot in 20W. Any MR16 will work, just find the one that suits you best.

I've been using these lights every day since April and they work as well now as the day I built them. I initially had some concerns about them getting wet, but I've ridden in some pretty heavy rain with no problems. One bike has the housing set up with a standard waterproof toggle and the other has a micro pushbutton switch. Both work fine, one just looks a little cleaner than the other. I'll take some updated pics for you.

Battery pack is still working fine as well. I did a long training ride last monday and after 2 hours and 30 minutes the light was still burning strong.


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## konaken (Sep 13, 2005)

*New question about switches*

Where did you locate you on off switch? I tried to put a toggle in the housing but broke off one of the tabs. I probably need a smaller switch. I got the first one free from a guy at work. I like the idea of a push button. Where did you obtain it, and where did you locate it on the housing? Again, great thread.

Ken


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## Pierre (Jan 29, 2004)

could you post more pictures & explanations of the electrical setup ? What connectors you used, how you make the whole electrical thing waterproof and so on.

Thanks !


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

konaken said:


> I spent some time looking at Lowe's today. I saw the Malibu lights. My question is, do you need to change out the guts to a MR 16 style reflector and bulb, or can you just upgrade the bulb to 20w and use the same reflector? I really like the look of the all black light housing and all the PVC fittings would drive me crazy trying to get the right ones. This is a great thread with really good info. I even saw some MR16 lamps while at Lowe's that are 35w. I saw bulbs that big as well. That may be a possiblity. There were 50w lamps as well. If you are landing planes, those will work nicely.
> 
> thanks for the info.
> 
> Ken



Hey Ken, to be honest the only reason I even bought the malibu light was for the GU-5.5 ceramic connector and the cover glass. Everything else was trashed. The connector (two prong) is needed for the MR-16 / 20-watt / 12v bulb reflector. The original malibu light housing just seems too cheap for me, and too fragile for bike use. I liked the pvc approach because it's easier to cut and shape, plus its near indestuctable. The MR-16 light with cover glass is a sealed bulb reflector with greatly superior reflecting of projected light, as compared to the dull silver reflector on the malibu light. Another thing is that the pvc is very light weight and makes an excellent bike light.

Like Chris H, I still use my homemade pvc light every night on my commutes to work and it really lights up the road. Havent had any problems with it since last February. I experimented with a 35-watt MR-16 and it didn't seem any better than the 20-watt 15 deg. light, plus it reduced battery run time considerably more. I get a little better than two hours run time with the 20-watt light on the same 5aH SLA battery I started with.

Lots of options here, and its cheap too.


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

konaken said:


> Where did you locate you on off switch? I tried to put a toggle in the housing but broke off one of the tabs. I probably need a smaller switch. I got the first one free from a guy at work. I like the idea of a push button. Where did you obtain it, and where did you locate it on the housing? Again, great thread.
> 
> Ken




Hey Ken, I've found the best switch that is small enough to use is the kind that has two wires coming out of it, instead of the metal tabs you speak of. I got mine from an auto parts store and fits a lot better in a 2" pvc housing. Mine is located at the rear of the housing, and is the toggle switch kind.


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## 2wheelie (Apr 8, 2007)

I just found this in the search.

How are your lights holding up? Also, I was just wondering. 

Have any of you entertained the thought of a halogen tail light? Would this be better or worse than the blinking LED's?

And I have an aluminum framed bike; would it be a bad idea to drill holes in the frame to run wires through it?


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## Chris H (Jul 7, 2005)

I built two of them, however I switched to the aluminum housing and adapted it to my needs... I think there's a pic of it in this thread.

Wow, I just noticed it's been a year. My lights are still going strong and working just fine. Still on the original bulb too. I've ridden it in rain, snow, heat, wind, and just about everything else and had zero problems with it.

Thanks for reviving this thread. Makes me appreciate the light that much more. I'll have to take a pic to show how it looks a year later.


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## aliensporebomb (Jul 2, 2002)

I just found this thread and after reading it I'd like to make something like this myself.

My old light that I bought fell apart and I got credit at performance but if I can build
something better then maybe that would be the way to go...

Did you ever manage to take pictures of it in its final configuration?


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## aliensporebomb (Jul 2, 2002)

Hmm. To maximize battery life, would something like this work?
http://www.theledlight.com/polaris.html


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## croswell1 (Feb 19, 2005)

> Chris H said:
> 
> 
> > Wow, I just noticed it's been a year. My lights are still going strong and working just fine. Still on the original bulb too. I've ridden it in rain, snow, heat, wind, and just about everything else and had zero problems with it.
> ...




Yeah, same here. I'm still running the same light and 5 aH battery I started with, and I commute 12 miles every day with it. The battery might be a little bit heavy, but for $12 bucks, and for it to last this long, you cant beat it.


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## JohnnyChance (Dec 13, 2006)

i figured this needed a bump, and here are some shots of my home brew setup:

i used a plastic housing for some submersible decorative lighting i got at home depot. it included 10+ feet of wires, so I used that for everything that needed connecting. And seeing as its submersible, it should be pretty water proof in foul weather. I went to a local electronics place (Cables and Connectors, on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, CT, great place) for the switch, fuse, fuse holder, all weather quick disconnect connector, and a small box to put the fuse and switch in. I bought the 3 pack of spot lights at Lowes, I think they are 10 degree, others recommended 16 or 18 earlier in this thread, I couldnt find it. I got the battery and charger from batteryspace.com, the same place mentioned before (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2139). I got the connector for the battery at Radio Shack, it's their 7.2v Battery Pack and RC Car Connector Repair Kit. I forgot to order a connector when I bought the battery. I got some rubber lined clamps from Lowes, they have these in the hardware aisle where all the bolts and nuts are. They are in the drawers. I was going to make a fancier mount, but I was impatient and wanted to get this thing workin, so I just cut some 1/8" aluminium sheet and put some bolts in it. It's solid. I think that is pretty much it.


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## OrlandoV (Aug 23, 2007)

*Question about On/Off switch location*

I like the submersible light you used in your setup. Had one in my hand a few days ago but passed on buying it until I could ask about the on/off switch. I assume this is somewhere in the battery bag? Could this setup be configured with the on/off switch somewhere accesible while riding?


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## JohnnyChance (Dec 13, 2006)

yeah, you could easily use an inline switch, and thats what i should be using. but i needed this done asap, and i couldnt find anything at my local electronics shop that would work. i think on the website that i bought my battery from prob has some good switches to use for this.

i think this housing at home depot is like $35. you could try this light instead:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?function=Search

i found it in this "pond scum" light buildup after i had already started mine. it will be cheaper, and i think his looks cleaner than mine does.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=245737


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