Homemade flashlight from an LED strip and a dead screwdriver battery. Homemade flashlight with LEDs

It combines many genres (kinds), but the most common in our city were points and fights. And this meant that we often had to be in the dark in a variety of places (from sewers and basements to abandoned factories and workshops). Often had to be at a height or knee-deep in water.

And it was extremely annoying at the most crucial moment to lose one of the most important things in the game, to lose that ray of light that helped you look for the cherished codes and marks in the darkness of the night. I'm talking about a flashlight. During the time that I play, more than one luminous friend passed away, for a variety of reasons (made is China what you wanted): they crashed when they fell, drowned, plastic could not withstand the cold, etc. And there was a case that the flashlight died due to the fact that I did not charge it correctly (thanks to the manufacturer who wrote to the flashlight not correct instruction). Plus, devices for 300-400 rubles did not differ high rates, which also did not please: they shone no more than 200 Lm and a cold, blue-tinged light. I didn’t want to go broke on brands, and I also didn’t want to buy Chinese counterparts from abroad (I know our Russian Post, I came across). In general, I was on fire with the desire to make myself a friend with CREE myself. And then it started!

Frame

In my head I saw something powerful, strong. But I also wanted it to fit normally in my hand and be, albeit not waterproof, but not afraid of rain and short-term exposure to water. From the beginning it went like this:

Initial view of the flashlight

As a result, the body was made of:

• Extension (squeeze) 1/2 80mm, chrome-plated
• Extension (squeeze) 1/2 40mm, chrome-plated
• Adapter from 1/2 to 3/4
• Plug for 1/2
• Plug for 3/4

And what we have inside?

Wandering on the World Wide Web, reviewing a bunch of reviews of flashlights with different characteristics and digging up the field of thematic forums (not the whole field). Roughly decided what I want:

• LED at 3-5w, about 500 Lm and warm-daylight
• a driver that can pull it will be able to report a low battery and a minimum of modes
• lens or reflector 10-40 degrees
• Wires, glass, button and other small things

The search for electronic components led me to a variety of online stores. I settled on www.fasttech.com (not advertising, just for reference). And my choice fell on this (it was my first homemade flashlight, so I didn’t want to spend a lot):

A little and separately about the driver

I have already said above what criteria I want in my driver, and they almost coincided with those that the driver I chose had, but here's the annoyance - 5 modes. Among which are the strobe and SOS, well, how could I be without them (sarcasm). And indeed, they are not used in games - this needs to be corrected somehow. The great GOOGLE comes to the rescue, which led me to such material (not advertising, purely for information). Upon the arrival of the parcel, the procedure for closing the contacts on the driver was carried out and I safely got rid of the "rescue modes". Move on.

Preparing the future body for transplanting the filling

The tasks are:

• Re-drill holes in the plugs for the button and lens
• Conduct a "+" contact inside the housing
• Think over and make a system for removing heat from the LED

But first things first.

Re-drill holes in the plugs for the button and lens

Drills and cutters for metal come to the rescue.

Plug under the lens before and after the work done

Same thing with the button cap.

Conduct a "+" contact inside the housing

Like most flashlight structures, the "-" contact is allowed through the bodies, and the "+" through the core of the body. We will do the same. It remains to decide how to spend the same "+". After thinking, I decided to make a plug of their two-component EPOXYLIN glue in a drive (80mm), drill a hole in it and let the wire through.

Schematic drawing (drawn in Paint, well, I don’t own the designer’s estates)

Result

Think over and make a system for removing heat from the LED

LEDs tend to get warm and overheating is not worth it - everyone knows this. I decided to cut the heatsink out of the heatsink (an aluminum heatsink to cool the bridges of some motherboard). And then solder it into the drive (40mm), or rather, fill it with tin in this very drive.

Again a schematic drawing from Paint

The resulting radiator (thanks to the grower and file)

We insert the radiator, fill it with tin and drill 2 holes for the wires to connect the driver and the LED.

Receives

Starting assembly

The preparatory work is completed, let's collect. We collect the digging, we collect the head. All components are glued for waterproofing.

Button

Head

Install driver and LED. We solder the driver to the drive (80mm). We put the LED (with preliminary soldered wires) on thermal paste.

Driver and LED

Now all our components are ready and it remains only to assemble them. We connect the driver and the LED with a soldering iron and go. For waterproofing, we wind the FUM tape on the threads of the components.

What I did not take into account and as a result I ran into it.

When I ordered components, I did not find all sizes, and accordingly I could not calculate everything, and the end result in my head was slightly different. As a result, the head with the lens turned out to be far away from the LED and, accordingly, it did not shine normally. It was decided to shorten the head with an engraver and cutting discs for it, and then fit it on a grinder.

Head after finishing

Result

And so the result was satisfactory (well, I'm certainly satisfied).

Lantern

At work. In the second photo with a colder light, a Chinese lantern (for comparison)

I would like to note that the heat from the driver is removed to "Hurrah", after 15 minutes of operation at full power, the LED substrate was a little warm.

Plans for the future (we dream)

This is my first flashlight, do not judge strictly. On the this moment I plan to test the flashlight in the condition of games (it was actually intended for them), I will make changes. In the future, I plan to collect something light for the forehead, and something powerful for the corner lamp on the strap of the backpack. And I will tell you accordingly.

Light sources of a new generation - LEDs - despite still high cost are becoming more and more popular.

Due to their low power consumption, they are successfully used not only in stationary lighting fixtures, but also in stand-alone, battery-powered ones.

In this article we will talk about how you can make an LED flashlight with your own hands and what advantages it will have in comparison with the usual one.

An LED (foreign name - Light Emitting Diode or LED), like a conventional diode, consists of two semiconductors with electronic and hole conductivity.

But in this case, such materials are used, for which the glow in the pn-junction zone is characteristic.

Generally speaking, LEDs have been used in electronics for a long time.

But before they glowed barely, and therefore were used only as indicators, for example, indicating that the device was turned on.

With the development of technology, LEDs have learned to make much brighter, so they have become full-fledged light sources. At the same time, their cost is constantly decreasing, although, of course, up to ordinary light bulb they are still very far away.

But many buyers are willing to overpay, because LEDs have a number of advantages:

1. They consume 10-15 times less electricity than incandescent lamps of the same brightness.
2. They simply have a huge resource, which is expressed in 50 thousand hours of work. And manufacturers back up their promises warranty period at 2 or even 3 years old.
3. They emit white light, very similar to natural.
4. They are much less afraid of shocks and vibrations than other light sources.
5. They have high resistance to voltage drops.

Thanks to all these qualities, LEDs today are confidently replacing other light sources from almost everywhere. They are used in everyday life, and in car headlights, and in advertising, and in portable flashlights, one of which we will now learn how to make.

Required elements for manufacturing

First of all, you need to get all the components that will make up the device.

There are not many of them:

1. Light-emitting diode.
2. Ferrite ring with a diameter of 10 - 15 mm.
3. Wire for winding with a diameter of 0.1 and 0.25 mm (pieces of 20 - 30 cm).
4. Resistor 1 kOhm.
5. NPN transistor.
6. Battery.

Well, if you can get the case from a purchased flashlight. If it is not there, any base can be used to fasten the components.

Assembly diagram

If everything is ready, we can start:

1. We make a transformer: magnetic core homemade transformer ferrite ring will come out. First, 45 turns of winding wire with a diameter of 0.25 mm are wound on it, forming a secondary winding. In the future, an LED will be connected to it. Next, from a wire with a diameter of 0.1 mm, you need to make a primary winding with 30 turns, which will be connected to the base of the transistor.
2. Resistor selection: The base resistor should be approximately 2 kΩ.

But the value of the second resistor must be selected. It is done like this:

1. a tuning (variable) resistor is installed in its place.
2. Having connected the flashlight to a new battery, set such a resistance on the variable resistor that a current of 22 - 25 mA flows through the LED.
3. Measure the resistance value on a variable resistor and install a constant resistor with the same rating instead.

As you can see, the circuit is extremely simple and the probability of error can be considered minimal.

Do-it-yourself LED flashlight - diagram

If the flashlight still turned out to be inoperative, the reason may be as follows:

1. In the manufacture of the windings, the condition of multidirectional currents was not observed. In this case, the generation of current in the secondary winding will not occur. For the circuit to be working, you must either wind the windings in different directions, or swap the conclusions of one of the windings.
2. The winding contains too few turns. It must be taken into account that necessary minimum is 15 turns.

If they are present in the winding in a smaller amount, the generation of current will again be impossible.

DIY 12 volt LED flashlight

Those who need not a flashlight, but a whole spotlight in miniature, can assemble a device with a more powerful power source. As the latter, a 12-volt battery will be used. This product will have several big sizes, but it will still be easy enough to transfer.

To create a light source increased power you need to prepare the following:

• polymer pipe with a diameter of about 50 mm;
• glue for gluing PVC parts;
• a pair of threaded fittings for PVC pipes;
• screw cap;
• toggle switch;
• 12 V LED;
• 12-volt battery;
• Auxiliary elements for the installation of electrical wiring - heat shrink tubing, electrical tape, plastic clamps.

As a power source, you can use several batteries from broken radio-controlled toys, which are combined into one battery with a voltage of 12 V. Batteries, depending on their type, will need from 8 to 12.

A 12-volt LED flashlight is assembled like this:

1. We solder pieces of wire to the contacts of the LED, which are a couple of centimeters longer than the battery. In this case, it is necessary to ensure reliable isolation of the connections.
2. The wires connected to the battery and the LED are equipped with special connectors that allow you to make quick connections.
3. When assembling the circuit, the toggle switch is installed so that it is on the opposite side with respect to the LED. The electronic filling is ready, and if the tests have shown that it works properly, you can start manufacturing the case.

The case is made of a polymeric pipe. It is done like this:

1. The pipe is cut to the desired length, after which all the electronics are placed inside it.
2. We put the battery on glue so that it remains motionless during carrying and manipulating the flashlight. Otherwise, a heavy battery may hit the LED element and disable it.
3. Glue the threaded fitting to the pipe at both ends. Glue does not need to be saved - the connection should be tight. Otherwise, water may seep into the housing at this point.
4. We fix the toggle switch inside the fitting installed on the side opposite to the LED. We put the switch on the glue, while it should not protrude outward so that the plug can be screwed onto the fitting.

To switch the toggle switch, the plug will need to be unscrewed, then reinstalled. This is somewhat inconvenient, but this solution ensures complete tightness of the case.

A question of price and quality

Of all the flashlight components, the 12-volt LED is the most expensive. You will have to pay 4 - 5 USD for it.

Everything else can be obtained for free: batteries, as already mentioned, are removed from radio-controlled toys, plastic pipe and parts very often remain in the form of waste after installation of plumbing or heating in the house.

If absolutely all the components have to be purchased in a store, then the cost lighting device will result in about 10 USD.

Homemade lamp from led strip can be built quickly and easily. - see the manufacturing instructions and make your own unique product.

Read about how to properly install the LED strip with your own hands.

Conclusion

A handy flashlight that gives a bright light and at the same time is able to work for a long time without recharging the battery is always needed in the household. As you can see, you can easily make it yourself, which will save you some money. The main thing is to be careful and strictly adhere to all the recommendations set out in the article.

Related video

Homemade flashlight on LEDs.

Converting a halogen light bulb into an LED one

The photo shows examples of manufactured holders for LEDs. Using this technology, you can make a holder of any shape for LEDs of various sizes and with any number of them.

For work you will need:

1. Faulty halogen bulb
2. LEDs;
3. Superglue;
4. Resistors;
5. Solder and soldering iron;
6. Aluminum plate (for the manufacture of the holder plate, you can use any durable material).

Operating procedure:

First you need to draw up a wiring diagram for the LEDs and select the values ​​\u200b\u200bof the resistances (resistors). To do this, it is very convenient to use the service http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz It is on English language, therefore, below is the translation of the names of the fields that must be filled in: Power supply voltage (Source voltage)
LED supply voltage (diode forward voltage), current consumed by the LED (diode forward current (mA)) , number of LEDs in your array.
Put a tick on the switch (wiring diagram)
Check the box (help with resistor color codes)
We press the button and we get a circuit with ready-made resistor values. Example -

Next, remove from the reflector old lamp. Take a small screwdriver and carefully pry open the white resin that holds the light bulb in place. Then, with gentle hammer blows on the leads, we knock out the base. Next, we will make a plate for mounting the LEDs. It is convenient to use an aluminum plate as the material is soft and easy to work with. To make a plate with holes, you can first prepare a layout on paper using graphics programs on a computer. Then print the project on paper and stick it on the plate from which the holder will be made. Drill holes in the marked places. You can use a hole punch.

Set the plate to convenient stand and start placing the LEDs in the drilled holes, you need to follow the placement of the LED pins for correct assembly electrical circuit. It is better to immediately fix the LEDs with superglue.

After installing all the LEDs, you can still add glue to make the design more reliable. We start assembling the electrical circuit.

It is advisable not to overheat the LEDs too much. If any LED fails, it will be difficult to replace it, you will have to tear it off the glue. When everything is ready, solder the resistors.

Be careful not to short any of the contacts.

Solder the lamp leads. In order not to confuse the conclusions (+ and -) in the future, make the conclusion "-" shorter. We connect the power to check the performance of our design. We fill all the contacts with molten plastic to exclude their contact. You can fill it with ordinary paraffin: melt an ordinary candle, draw the melted paraffin with a disposable syringe and fill in the contacts.

We fix the contacts in the reflector. Fill the contacts with melted plastic. You can also use many other materials (epoxy, etc.).

We mark our lamp. This must be done. Don't rely on memory.

Plug in the power and enjoy. The lamp can be used for installation in a pocket flashlight or in any other illuminator (headlights for a car, lamps for furniture, etc.).

Note: In a similar way, you can make a lamp using powerful LED on the star substrate. In this case, it is better to fill the entire base of the reflector from the inside with heat-conducting paste. The LED itself can be fixed with a couple of drops of superglue at the corners of the radiator.

Today, LEDs are embedded anywhere - in toys, lighters, household appliances and even office supplies. But the most useful invention with them is, of course, a flashlight. Most of them are autonomous and give out a powerful glow from small batteries. With it you will not get lost in the dark, and when working in a dimly lit room, this tool is simply indispensable.
Small copies of a wide variety of LED flashlights can be bought at almost any store. They are inexpensive, but the build quality can sometimes not please. Is it a matter homemade devices, which can be made on the basis of the simplest details. It is interesting, informative and has a developing effect on tinkerers.

Today we will look at another homemade product - an LED flashlight, made literally from improvised parts. Their cost is no more than a few dollars, and the efficiency of the device is higher than that of many factory models. Interesting? Then do it with us.

The principle of operation of the device

This time the LED is connected to the battery only through a 3 ohm resistor. Since it has a ready source of energy, it does not require a storage thyristor and a transistor for voltage distribution, as is the case with an eternal Faraday flashlight. An electronic charging module is used to charge the battery. A tiny micro-module provides protection against voltage surges and does not allow overcharging of the battery. The device is charged from the USB connector, and on the module itself there is a micro USB connector.

Required Parts

• 20 ml plastic syringe;
• Lenses for led flashlight with body;
• Micro button switch;
• Resistor 3 ohm / 0.25 W;
• A piece of aluminum plate for the radiator;
• Several copper wires;
• Superglue, epoxy or liquid nails.

Of the tools you will need: a soldering iron with flux, a glue gun, a drill, a lighter and a paint knife.

Assembling a powerful LED flashlight

Preparing the LED with lenses

We take a plastic cap with lenses, and mark the circumference of the radiator. It is needed to cool the LED. On the aluminum plate we mark the mounting grooves, holes and cut out the radiator according to the markings. This can be done, for example, using a drill.

We take out magnifying lenses for a while, now they will not be needed. FROM back side cap on superglue glue the radiator plate. Holes, grooves at the cap and radiator must match.

The contacts of the LED are tinned and soldered with copper wiring. We protect the contacts with heat shrink tubing, and warm them up with a lighter. We insert an LED with wiring from the front side of the cap.

Processing a flashlight body from a syringe

We unlock the piston with the handle at the syringe, we will no longer need them. Cut off the needle cone with a paint knife.
We completely clean the end of the syringe, making holes in it for the LED contacts of the flashlight.
We fasten the cap of the lantern to the end surface of the syringe on any suitable glue, for example, on epoxy resin or liquid nails. Do not forget to place the LED contacts inside the syringe.

Connecting the Micro Charging Module and Battery

On the lithium battery we fasten the terminals with contacts, and insert them into the body of the syringe. We pull up copper contacts to clamp them with the battery case.

The syringe has only a few centimeters of free space, not enough for the charging module. Therefore, it will have to be divided into two parts.
We draw a paint knife in the middle of the module board, and break it along the cut line. Using double tape, we connect both halves of the board together.

The open contacts of the module are tinned, and soldered with copper wiring.

Final assembly of the flashlight

We solder a resistor to the module board, and connect it to the micro button, isolating the contacts with heat shrink.

The remaining three contacts are soldered to the module according to its connection diagram. We connect the micro button last, checking the operation of the LED.

Good day. I present to the public, a home-made LED flashlight "melee" in the literal and figurative sense. Thanks to the optics used, the flashlight gives a wide, uniform spot of illumination near, and its rather large weight (330 grams with a battery) will allow it to be used as a self-defense weapon. A nut-shaped butt-end with sharp edges allows the flashlight to be used as a kind of kubotan. The body of the lantern is made of brass plumbing fittings (My dad is a plumber, and some of it was left after the repair).


]Cree LED Neutral glow XML on "star"
Current driver 5 modes: Hi(1200mA), Middle(600mA), Lo(100mA), strobe, SOS
Optics: Diffuser 60-80 degrees.
Battery: 18650
The entire optical-electrical part was purchased in one of the Russian online stores, I don’t give a link, I don’t know if it’s possible or not. On Chinese resources, you can probably get it cheaper, but everything suits me anyway, besides, the store is proven, you can buy almost at retail and there is support in the form of a live forum where you can ask for advice.
For the body you will need:
Extension 100mm -1\2 external and internal thread (n.r. and v.r.).
Transitional coupling 3\4 v.r. - 1\2 v.r.
Plug 1\2 N.R.
Futorka 1\2 n.r. - 3\8 v.r.
Lantern dimensions: width-35mm (at the widest point), length-150mm.
Flashlight weight: 330g, without battery-270g.
The total cost of all materials is about 800-1000 rubles.


Assembly:
First, we drill a couple of holes in the plug to pass the wiring from the LED.


On the plug we glue on thermally conductive glue or sealant (I used a Done Deal automotive sealant-gasket with copper) a “star” with an LED, solder the wires.


On the other hand, we place the driver to which we solder the wires from the LED, solder the rim-minus of the driver to the edge of the plug).


We screw it all the way into the adapter from the wide side.
We put the optics on the sealant, it is this diffuser that sits in the clutch just perfectly.


At the extension, we saw off the external thread in half. From breadboard 2 circles were made, one is placed at the end of the sawn-off thread of the extension cord and will be pressed against the central positive patch of the driver, the second circle inside the extension cord acts as a positive contact to the battery.




We connect them together with a wire and solder them. We install a suitable button in the futorka, in my case a small-sized switch.




We solder one output to the futorka, solder the spring to the second (negative contact to the battery). In general, the power failure turned out to be through a minus, so you should not use a battery with a damaged shell, otherwise the flashlight will shine regardless of the button. A hole was drilled in the futorka for the ring (I have a soldered M5 grower) for the lanyard.

The glow time with a 18650 battery (2400 mAh at least it says so on it) at maximum brightness is about half an hour with a further decrease in brightness. The heating of the lantern is about 45-50 degrees if you hold it in your hand and walk around with it. When I was lying on the table, it warmed up to about 60 degrees, in general my hand was hot, I wanted to throw it away. At the minimum brightness for more than 14 hours (I no longer had the patience to burn the lantern). I haven't tested it at medium brightness yet.
Pros and possible modifications:
1. The most important plus is the moral satisfaction from a do-it-yourself device.
2. Possibility of complete sealing of the lantern.
3. Durable body.
4. Possibility of replacing the lens with optics imitating the cut-off line as on the near one in a car, which allows using the lamp as a bicycle headlight.
5. It is possible to use AA batteries instead of a battery. To do this, you need a 150mm pipe (brass is also better) with a chopped external thread 1\2 and coupling with v.r 1\2,

which will be used as an adapter between a handset with batteries and a push button. Accordingly, the lantern will be 50mm longer.


Minuses:
1. Price (everything is relative)
2. Weight (if used as a weapon, it becomes a plus)
3. When using a 18650 battery, it still needs a charger.


Crooked Beamshots (Updated):


Dark


LOW mode


HI mode


For comparison, a narrow-degree flashlight, at about 2 amperes.


Well, a comparison on the wall of the house, about 4 meters from the wall. Wide optics "dipped beam".


Narrow lantern.
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