FrankenLight (FL) DIY
Just a quick update.
I got the thing together and am in the testing phase.
It runs at full steam for 3 hours at 2Watts to each bulb for a total of 8W output on 8 NiMh rechargeable AAs.
Then it automatically adjusts down to lower output (around 4W) when the battery begins to weaken. I didn’t have patience to let it run all the way down yet.
It will also run on a standard NiteRider 13.2V HID or Halogen setup battery with significantly longer burn time.
Non scientific head to head testing in my bedroom last night yielded the following results.
Actual material cost between $60 -$70.
NiteRider MiNewt is a bit lighter (maybe 60%) but is about as strong as the lowest of three levels available. On High, it is blown away by the FrankenLight. MSRP $200
NiteRider Dual Halogen gets close to the FL when both 12W and 20W lights are burning, but it still seems a bit weaker than the FL.
Plus it’s easily 2.5x heavier. (plus the Dual is being overburned 15% from it’s original design, when i hopped it up with some new electronics.) MSRP $290
NiteRider HID (torch?) looks like it may be a little bit brighter, but very close. It will take some real world testing to be able to tell with the bluish versus green lighting. Weight is 1.75x the FL. MSRP $440
Oh, and after you use it for a while and come back to white light, everything is a cool magenta color.
Oh and it make hunter orange fleece look super rad!
more as it develops.
-cory
don’t forget to check out the original article with a link to the original instructable at:
http://ridelugged.com/2006/11/16/diy-headlamp/
did you custom cut that plexi? i wish you did a DIY quicktime video so i could hobble one together.
Dude, that thing is fucking awesome. Is that a hacked up niterider chassis that the lights are mounted to?
plexi schmexi, that’s KELVEX, an advanced eastman chemical co-poleyester that is more malleable (impact resistant) and can sustain higher temperatures and a bit more scratch resistant.
But, yes it is custom cut. No youtube DIY video, but i used the instructables we worked on earlier almost line for line, if you want to make your own. (i changed the light levels a bit with different resistors, and obviously made a little cleaner case.)
It was a bit of work though. Let’s see how it performs at 24hrs of Old Pueblo this weekend first. I’ll definitely update the post.
yeah, i used the lower chassis (ha) of a trashed niterider roadrat that i bought at the swap for 10 bucks with some other bits. I also was able to scavenge it’s sur-lok connectors to make it work with other niterider batteries.
i kinda was in a hurry to get it together and make sure it would work and cycle it before the race this weekend so not a bunch of progress photos. but i can break it down and help anyone else who may want one.
word.
Yeah! Definitely give us an update on how it works overnight out west, then come back and make some for all your friends.
‘Nother question. Did you have to mail order that stuff or is it available locally?
i am down for a build party as well. er sometime before cory leaves, preferably.