The purpose of the article is to tell you how to make a powerful flashlight from a high-brightness LED with your own hands. Since the store often sells fakes and low-quality products, craftsmen recommend making home-made devices. Done right, the result is a reliable hand lantern.
Benefits
LEDs have been used in electronics for a long time, but thanks to the development of technology, they have become brighter than before. Therefore, it is not surprising that they have become real light sources. Powerful and reliable hand lamps are now increasingly being assembled from LEDs. Such devices can emit bright light over a long distance. In addition, their price in the market is constantly decreasing. LED homemade lights have the following advantages:
- economical (devices consume approximately 10 times less electricity than incandescent lamps of the same power);
- durability (the life of the LED is at least 10 thousand hours);
- high-quality luminous flux (they emit light similar to natural);
- reliability (virtually do not deteriorate due to mechanical shocks and strong vibrations);
- no need for constant maintenance.
Thanks to these advantages, the masters recommend making lights from LEDs.
Homemade AA-powered device: materials needed
Making a powerful flashlight with your own hands is a difficult task, for which you first need to prepare all the necessary components. The list includes the following details:
- super bright LED;
- ferrite filter, the diameter (Ø) of which should be 10–15 mm;
- enamel wire Ø 0.1 and 0.25mm;
- resistor;
- bipolar transistor n-p-n structure (for example, KT315 or BC547C);
- AA battery.
The last element should be in every home, so there should be no problems finding it, but the rest of the components will have to be bought. In addition, you will need a case (for example, from an old unnecessary flashlight) or any base on which the parts will be attached.
Assembly Diagram
Before you make a flashlight, you need to make a transformer from a ferrite filter and an enamel wire. The technique for making this device includes the following steps:
- Wind around the ferrite filter 45 turns of enamel wire with a diameter of 0.25 mm. The result is a secondary winding, to which the LED will later need to be connected.
- Makeprimary winding in this way: wind 30 times an enameled wire with a diameter of 0.1 mm, and then send it to the base of the transistor.
When the described work on the manufacture of a homemade transformer is completed, then you need to proceed with the selection of a resistor. The resistance of the specified element used in the circuit should be about 2 kOhm, since only in this case the device will work without failures. However, first you need to test the circuit, and for this you need to replace the resistor with a similar one, but with adjustable resistance. Having connected the flashlight to a new battery, it is necessary to adjust the resistance on the variable resistor so that the LED passes a current of 25 mA. The next step is to measure the value obtained and install the element with the required value.
An electrical circuit is needed to power the LED from a battery, since the operating voltage of super-bright diodes is at least 2.5 V. But in the end it will turn out to make a powerful flashlight that will work for a long time. The circuit below is a normal blocking generator, so the chance of making a mistake is minimized.
Possible problems
If the circuit was drawn up in accordance with the specified requirements, the lamp should work normally. However, not always everything goes so well, so you have to look for the causes of the device malfunction. The craftsmen have identified a few common mistakes:
- Low number of turns (less than 15). In this case, the transformer will notcurrent generation.
- The ends of the winding were connected without taking into account the condition of the multidirectional currents. To solve this problem, you need to wind the wires in different directions.
Masters recommend making an LED flashlight according to the scheme below.
LED-element must be installed instead of an incandescent lamp; it must protrude at least 1 mm from the case.
Homemade 12 V LED flashlight: necessary materials and tools
It should be said right away: the result will be an overall device that will rather look like a small spotlight. However, you can still carry the product with you, for example, to find your way home at night. The device of this type of lantern is quite simple, since for its manufacture you will need a few parts, to be exact:
- light-emitting diode (LED) lamp 12 V;
- two-inch (50 mm) polymer pipe;
- two threaded fittings and PVC plug;
- glue for plastic;
- tumbler;
- duct tape, nylon ties and heat shrink tubing are materials needed for wiring;
- 12 V battery.
The last element can be made independently from 8-12 pieces of batteries used in radio-controlled cars. They need to be combined into one battery, the voltage of which will be 12 V. From the tools you need to prepare a hacksaw, a file, sandpaper, wire cutters and a soldering iron with solder.
Creating a 12-volt flashlight: step by step instructions
The initial stage is the assembly of an electrical circuit, which will consist of an LED lamp, a battery and a toggle switch. Preparatory work must be done in the following order:
- Solder two wires to the pins on the LED bulb. The main thing is that the length of the segments is several centimeters longer than the same value of the accumulator.
- Isolate all connections.
- Equip the ends of the wires that are connected to the lamp and the battery with special connectors for quick connection.
- Set the toggle switch so that it is located on the opposite side of the LED element.
After assembly, it is necessary to check the operation of the electrical circuit. If everything is working properly, i.e., the lamp is turned on with a toggle switch, then you can start manufacturing the case. To assemble a powerful flashlight with your own hands from the materials mentioned, you need to follow this instruction:
- Make a hole for the lamp in one fitting.
- Sand the edges with a file and sandpaper.
- Lubricate the edges of the prepared hole with glue, as this will protect the device from moisture.
- Measure the combined length of the LED element and the 12V battery.
- Cut off a piece of the desired size from the polymer pipe. The result is a blank for the body.
- Place all electronics, except for the toggle switch, inside the cut pipe. However, the battery must be secured with adhesive so that it does not damage other parts of the device.
- Glue a threaded fitting on each end of the pipe. A part without a hole must be closed with a plug. The main thing is to end up with tight connections.
- Install a toggle switch on the whole fitting, which must be fixed on the opposite side of the lamp.
- Glue the switch so that it does not protrude.
- Screw the plug onto the fitting.
The disadvantage of the device is that in order to switch the toggle switch, you will have to unscrew the plug each time, and then reinstall it in its original place. This is inconvenient, but thanks to this solution, it will be possible to make a sealed case.
How to make a headlamp yourself: instructions
For the manufacture of the mentioned device you will need:
- LEDs - 3 pieces;
- Krona battery and terminals for it;
- plain plastic bottle cap;
- switch (button);
- elastic strap;
- soldering iron, awl, stationery knife and glue.
To make a simple headlamp, follow these steps:
- Punch three holes for the LEDs in the lid with an awl.
- Insert LED elements sequentially into the resulting slots so that the plus is near the minus.
- Twist the ends of the LEDs in sequence.
- Solder the wires.
- Bite off extra pieces with pliers.
- Solder the terminal wires to the free ends of the LEDs.
- Remove one of the terminal wires and fix with a soldering iron into the resultingincision button-switch.
- Solder all parts to the battery.
- Check the scheme for operability.
- Glue the button to the battery.
- Make a small cut in the side of the lid with a knife. This must be done in order to neatly lay the wires in it.
- Fill the cover with glue and attach it to the battery.
- Glue the strap to the received device.
The result is a miniature powerful flashlight.
Conclusion
Given the information given in the article, we can conclude: making a powerful flashlight with your own hands is a difficult task. If you still manage to make the device yourself, the craftsmen recommend periodically checking its performance, because over time it may begin to shine dimly or completely deteriorate. More often such a device breaks down due to such malfunctions:
- failure of a diode, resistor or other electrical circuit elements;
- damage to the switch button;
- battery wear;
- failure of contact connectors.
Before you throw away the flashlight, you need to try to fix it. If the skills to make the device are not enough, it is better to buy it in a store, but the quality will often be lower than that of a homemade product. In addition, you can install a LED of any color in a flashlight made by yourself.
