Make your own LED shaft light

[black davy]

I made my own shaft light for those times when you just can't stop hunting but it has become dark. The cost is about $15 bucks and hey! I've seen lights you can buy for less with those watch batteries. The benefit here is choice of LED color and brightness and its run by a 9 volt that is going to last a long time and readily available.

The Items are
1) 3/4" plastic pipe hanger (works for my Garrett and HH diver)Aubuchon Hardware store.
All the rest are Radio Shack Items
2) 3"x2"x1" project enclosure #270-1801
3) 9v battery snap connector # 270-325 make sure to leave pleanty of wire so you can pull it out to replace the battery.
4) Soft-feel switch #275-1565 (your preferance here)
5) LED Bulb 5mm-3.6volt-20mA-1100mcd #276-320(your choice)
6) LED holder #276-080
7) 100-Ohm resistor #271-1311 1/4 watt-5% tolerance

You can choose a differant size LED just make sure to calculate for resistance.

I used a stainless bolt to attache the project enclosure to the pipe hanger. I left it just a tad loose you you can swivel it. This comes in handy for digging you holes.

I mounted mine up about as high as I could on the shaft. I pust out about a 3' to 4' diameter light pattern on the ground around the coil. This really works great.

I hope this is helpfull to someone.

1. Top off light
2. Top view of inside
3. Shaft light on detector

[hoser]

Very nice. Gives you just enough light to hunt eh. 8)

[WThesing]

Ray O Vac makes a real nice headlight. Single beam LED (flashlight type beam) dual LED red beam night vision, and triple white LED wide beam. About $15.00 at Loews. Works great!!!!! Runs on 3 AAA's

[clockdryve]

Sweeeeet!!!! Nothing better than making your own I use those Rayovac LED (2 white-1 red) flip up type headlights with the adjustable headband. So far I've had 3 of them. They keep breaking around the battery placement cover! But lifetime replacement (I super glued up the last one) got tired of going back! :!: Hahahaha! (Ooooops!! Mine is a ENERGIZER) Never Mind

[WThesing]

You can also make a PVC holder that fitsa Mini Maglite that you can clip onto your shaft. The light can be popped out of its holder to inspect a hole.

[Harold in Fla.]

Here's a good light that they really light up an area and it clips right to your hat.
Harold in Fla.
http://www.luresonline.com/html/cap_light.html

Nice work Black Davy. I could use a underwater version of the same. Lakewater kinda murky. HH

[black davy]

If they make a clear otter box you could mount this inside of it and probably increase the amoint of LED's and batterys to light up the murky water.

Here is the link to building your own light!
http://www.mindspring.com/~jeffpo/ledlite.htm

Good Luck!

Wow great link on the light. One problem, math isn't working for me. R=(??????)-!!!!!. Being a sparky I normally use A X V = Watts. No parenthesis! Where do you get these otter boxes from? Over

[Rudy]

Originally Posted by auseeker

Wow great link on the light. One problem, math isn't working for me. R=(??????)-!!!!!.! Being a sparky I normally use A X V = Watts. No parenthesis!! Where do you get these otter boxes from? Over

The computation you are asking about is based on what is called Ohm's Law. In this case you can write it as:

Resistance = Voltage / Current (or voltage divided by the current).

In this case the LED has a "turned on" voltage of 1.85 Volts and the battery Voltage is 9 Volts, so the resistor has to drop the voltage difference (9 - 1.85) or 7.15 Volts while passing a current of 0.02 Amps. So, you need a resistor of

7.15 / 0.02 or 357.5 Ohms or thereabouts.

[sctoddc]

Sounds like a winter project...LOL...in preparation for next summers hot days, would be nice to work in the night time.

Todd

Thanks for the breakdown Rudy. I was trying to multiply instead of divide. Good ol Ohm, what a guy!