LED Flash Light Mount
Forty hours lighting system. The web site is www.ccrane.com Forty hours of full light and another forty hours of diminishing light. I machined an adapter to use the flashlight in my holder. The company sell an adapter for bicycle mount.
The light has ears that could be for a
belt, they are 180
degree apart. I used a 3/4" to 1" PVC el. I sawed a section out and
milled
what was left to formed two male ears that fit the female ears on the light.
Picture is on this page down a bit. http://www.billcotton.com/MY_rides.htm
Today I cut a longer post to allow the light to be higher over the bag.
I also found that I could make an adapter to use AA batteries instead of
C.
C-cell has more than twice the amp hours but are less likely to be on sale
and cost more than twice as much, 20 hours instead of 40 will work for me. I
do use AA when not using the 12 volt central power supply.
To make the adapter, I use a length of 3/4" and a length 1/2" schedule
40
PVC slightly shorter than three AA cells end to end. I sawed a slot the
length of the 1/2" PVC, The slot has to be wide enough so that when
collapsed, the 1/2" piece will fit into the 3/4" piece. The 3/4"
PVC outside
diameter is about 1/16 over one inch. It has to be turned or sanded down to
one inch. I glued a piece of metal over the bottom to complete the contact
with the ground tab inside the flashlight.
The project of making a 12 volt light is on hold for a while. The white
LEDs that I intend to use are six dollars each and I had plan to used nine.
I need to design a housing and reflector or find one I can adapter.
For now I like the light output from this light www.ccrane.com
Thumbnail links on previous page to the steps used to convert a 15 led flashlight from three D cells to three AA cells. I think that the life will be about one third that of the D cell. I will run a test soon. In the meanwhile carrying spare rechargeable AA for my GPS is normal. I will try my 2000mAh NMH rechargeable in the light soon.
I machined PVC pipe and fitting and the ID of the 1-inch EL to fit the OD of the flashlight. The battery tube is ½ schedule 40 pvc the OD was turned to fit inside ¾ schedule 40 pvc. This piece fits inside the ¾ inch end of the 1-inch to ¾ inch EL.
There is enough space along side the batteries in the battery tube to slide a strip of brass along side the batteries. A ¼ inch wide piece of pvc is glued to the open end; the other end is tapped for a 3/8-pipe plug. A spring is made that is cone shaped. A wire is soldered to it and pull past the ¼ inch bar so that the spring rests on the bar.
A piece of heat shrink tubing is places on the strip of brass near the end that passes the spring. The other end is long enough to bend over the positive cap of the battery, but not touch the opposite wall. A wire is soldered below the heat shrink.
The flashlight is cut below the switch; I cut at the top of the grip material. The positive wire is soldered to the center tap on the flashlight. The other wire is passed through a hole in the large section of the EL below the machine area.
The wire was long enough, now the flashlight is put in the EL. Drill and tap nears the edge so that the tap goes through both. Put a screw in the hole; wrap the wire around the screw so that a ground is made with the case on the flashlight.