DIY CFL HL w/DC-DC Inverter

[amberwolf]

I've improved the headlight a bit, with a good housing for it and some brighter bulbs:


but otherwise it's still running about the same. Taillight is still the same (though mounted higher, level with the headlight), and still working with the second bulb just fine, despite all the bumps and vibration and whatnot, and even despite a crash of the bike at the Undead Race last Halloween.

I still haven't found a good way to focus it into a beam, and I lost the HID lens I had been using to help with that (fell out and shattered while riding).

More info here on the new housing and bulbs:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=358269#p358269

 

[karma]

[youtube]-ZsMFCDEdn0[/youtube]


hay it works thanks amberwolf :wink:

 

[amberwolf]

Izzit gonna be your headlight or taillight?

Or even just a portable worklight for roadside emergencies....

FWIW, my taillight's "license plate light" section works REALLY well to let me see into my cargo pods when loading and unloading, as well as lighting them and the back of my seat up nicely for better nighttime visibility.

 

[karma]

looking at using it as a headlight. if i can find a proper housing :wink:

also found another idea. using a cold cathode inverter. when tested unit works as low as 7volts. with no start up problems

[youtube]U5Ws00lSDhQ[/youtube]

[youtube]1q4tI9zhtvU[/youtube]


my Neighbor's loved the test i ran last nite. there going to love this. :wink:
with a simple 9volt battery.

 

[amberwolf]

What's the background noise?

On the CC driver, you're just running right to the bulb itself, with the electronics removed (sitting on the bench nearby), right?

That would be about the same basic way it works as the CCFL scanner-film/slide adapter I used to use as my headlight back on early DayGlo Avenger stuff, except that I didn't make a hybrid like you have, I just used it as it was (plus LEDs in the ends for turn signals).

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=231001#p231001
Yours is probably brighter as an area light, though, while the CCFL (minus the milk plex) would probably be more focused (still not a beam); with the milk plex it lights about 180 degrees forward area, for a few feet, making the bike highly visible to others (but not making it that easy for *me* to see).

Regarding the housing, maybe a tracklight like the one that used to be pictured above (before the ES image transfer corruption):
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=358269#p358269
and in background of these pics:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=378403#p378403

 

[karma]

yes the electronics are removed. the noise in the background was me doing laundry

 

[amberwolf]

I've long replaced the headlight with a real car headlight (old rectangular halogen style), but the CFL taillight is still going strong with the Averatec laptop PSU as a DC-DC.

The instructable for this
http://www.instructables.com/id/CFL-Headlight-and-Taillight-for-Electric-Bicycle/
just got featured.

 

[amberwolf]

Huh...now they tell me it's a Front Page Article!

http://www.instructables.com/

I guess this is my 30 seconds of "fame".

Unfortunately I can't see it on there myself, as they've done something to their pages that keeps me from accessing a lot of stuff there (displaying mostly blank pages) in my ancient browser and computer. But most of you can probably see it just fine.

 

[def215]

congrats AW!

i saw your cfl light conversion the other day on the front page. i also had one of my instructables featured a few days back on the front page and i noticed yours up there also.