Do-it-yourself super-bright lantern. Do-it-yourself LED flashlight together

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

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

In this article we will tell you how you can do led torch do it yourself and what advantages it will have in comparison with the usual.

LED (foreign name - Light Emitting Diode or LED), like a conventional diode, consists of two semiconductors with electron 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 barely glowed, 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 them much brighter, so they have turned into full-fledged light sources. At the same time, their cost is constantly decreasing, although, of course, they are still very far from an ordinary light bulb.

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

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

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

Required items 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. 1 kΩ resistor.
5. An n-p-n transistor.
6. Battery.

It's good if you can get the body from a purchased flashlight. If not, any base can be used to attach the components.

Assembly diagram

If everything is ready, we can start:

1. We make a transformer: a ferrite ring will act as a magnetic core of a homemade transformer. First, 45 turns of a 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 2K ohms.

But the value of the second resistor needs to be selected. This is done like this:

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

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

DIY LED flashlight - diagram

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

1. During the manufacture of the windings, the condition of multidirectional currents was not met. In this case, the generation of current in the secondary winding will not occur. For the circuit to be working, you need to either wind the windings in different directions, or swap the terminals of one of the windings.
2. The winding contains too few turns. It should be borne in mind that the required minimum is 15 turns.

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

DIY 12 volt LED flashlight

Those who do not need a flashlight, but a whole spotlight in miniature, can assemble a device with a more powerful power source. The latter will be a 12-volt battery. This product will be somewhat large, but it will still be easy to carry.

To create a high power light source, 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;
• 12V LED;
• 12 volt battery;
• auxiliary elements for the installation of electrical wiring - heat shrink tubes, electrical tape, plastic clips.

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.

The 12-volt LED torch 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 length. In this case, it is necessary to ensure reliable isolation of the connections.
2. The wires connected to the battery and LED are equipped with special connectors that allow quick disconnect connections.
3. When assembling the circuit, the toggle switch is installed so that in relation to the LED it is on the opposite side. The electronic filling is ready and if tests have shown that it works properly, you can start making the case.

The body is made of a polymer pipe. This 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, the heavy battery can hit the LED element and damage it.
3. From both ends, we glue to the pipe along the threaded fitting. There is no need to save glue - the connection must be airtight. 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 in place. This is somewhat inconvenient, but this solution ensures the complete tightness of the case.

The question of price and quality

Of all the flashlight components, the most expensive is the 12-volt LED. 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 pipes and parts very often remain as waste after installing plumbing or heating in the house.

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

A homemade LED strip lamp can be built quickly and easily. - see the manufacturing instructions and make your own unique product.

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

Conclusion

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

Video on the topic

LEDs are now embedded anywhere - in toys, lighters, household appliances and even in office supplies. But the most useful invention with them is, of course, a flashlight. Most of them are self-contained 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 irreplaceable.
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 be disappointing. It's a different matter with home-made devices that can be made on the basis of the simplest parts. It is interesting, informative and has a developing effect on lovers of tinkering.

Today we will consider 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.

How the device works

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

Required details

• Plastic syringe for 20 ml;
• Lens for LED flashlight with housing;
• Micro button switch;
• Resistor 3 Ohm / 0.25 W;
• A piece of aluminum plate for a radiator;
• Several copper wires;
• Super glue, 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.

Putting together a powerful LED flashlight

Preparing the LED with lenses

We take a plastic cap with lenses and mark the radiator circumference. 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, with a drill.

We take out the magnifying lenses for a while, now they are not needed. On the back of the cap, glue the radiator plate onto the superglue. The holes and grooves on the cap and on the radiator must match.

We tinker the contacts of the LED and solder them with copper wiring. We protect the contacts with heat-shrinkable cambric, and warm them up with a lighter. We insert an LED with wiring from the front side of the cap.

Processing the flashlight body from a syringe

We open the plunger with the handle of the syringe, we no longer need them. Cut off the needle cone with a painting knife.
We completely clean the end of the syringe, making holes in it for the LED contacts of the flashlight.
We attach the flashlight cap to the end surface of the syringe with any suitable adhesive, for example, epoxy resin or liquid nails. Do not forget to place the LED contacts inside the syringe.

Connecting micromodule and battery

We attach the terminals with contacts to the lithium battery, and insert them into the syringe body. We tighten the copper contacts to clamp them with the battery case.

The syringe has only a few centimeters of free space, which is insufficient for the charging module. Therefore, it will have to be divided into two parts.
We draw with a painting knife in the middle of the module board, and break it along the cut line. Using double scotch tape we connect both halves of the board together.

We tinker the open contacts of the module and solder them 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 shrinkage.

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.

As a rule, it is desirable to obtain maximum brightness from electric lamps. However, sometimes lighting is required that minimally disrupts the adaptation of vision to darkness. As you know, the human eye can change its light sensitivity over a fairly wide range. This allows, on the one hand, to see at dusk and in poor lighting, and on the other hand, not to go blind on a bright sunny day. If you go outside at night from a well-lit room, then for the first moments you will hardly see anything, but gradually your eyes will adapt to new conditions. Full adaptation of vision to darkness takes about one hour, after which the eye reaches its maximum sensitivity, which is 200 thousand times higher than daytime. In such conditions, even short-term exposure to bright light (turning on a flashlight, car headlight) greatly reduces the sensitivity of the eyes. However, even with full adaptation to darkness, it is sometimes necessary, for example, to read a map, illuminate the instrument scale, and the like, and this requires artificial lighting. Therefore, astronomy lovers, as well as everyone who needs to consider, something in poor lighting conditions does not need a bright flashlight.

When making an astronomical lantern, one should not strive for excessive miniaturization. The body of an astronomical lantern should be light and large enough so that in poor lighting conditions it could be easily found (otherwise you will drop it under your feet and you will look for the flashlight for half an hour). A travel soap dish is used as a body. The switches should be such that they are easy to use by touch and with gloves.

The eye is most sensitive to light with a wavelength of 550 nm (green light), and in the dark, the maximum sensitivity of the eye shifts towards shorter wavelengths up to 510 nm (effect Purkinje). Therefore, in the astronomical lantern, it is preferable to use red LEDs, and not blue, or even more so green. The eyes are less sensitive to red light, which means that red lighting will less disturb adaptation to darkness.

In addition to the main lamp, you can make several simple beacons to illuminate various objects. The fact is that few astronomy lovers can afford to have a full-fledged amateur observatory. Most are watching from the balcony. And in a tight space, and even in the dark, you can easily hook your foot and overwhelm the tripod of a telescope or camera. In addition, it will unexpectedly meet in the dark with a knee with the corner of some drawer or bedside table, the same little pleasure. Therefore, it is advisable to use the simplest mini flashlights to illuminate tripod legs, sharp corners of furniture, shelves with accessories, and so on. In principle, for this purpose, simply an LED fixed with adhesive tape on a 3 V battery type 2032 or the like. But, firstly, without a current-limiting resistor, the LED glow is too bright, and secondly, even in the simplest flashlight, it is desirable to have a switch. Based on these considerations, several of these beacons were made.

A reed switch paired with a magnet is used as a switch. The 3 V battery mount is homemade. A current-limiting resistor is connected in series with the LED, its value must be selected so that in the dark, when looking directly at the LED lens, the light does not blind the eyes even from a close distance. In different beacons, LEDs of different colors can be used to facilitate identification, while remembering that the eye does not have the same sensitivity to light with different wavelengths. Flashing LEDs can be used.

In addition, there are a couple more designs of simple LED lights. The designs specifically described below were not intended for astronomical purposes, but they can easily be adapted for such use.

A simple waterproof flashlight can be made on the basis of a film jar. We need: a new can of photographic film, a 3 V LED, 2-3 reed switches, a 3 V lithium battery 2032 , cotton wool (body filler), battery block from an old flashlight. To ensure water resistance, it is necessary that there are no holes in the body of the flashlight. So as a switch, you can use sealed contacts. For reliable operation, it is better to take 2-3 reed switches, since when turning along the longitudinal axis, the sensitivity of the reed switch changes. So, we collect the flashlight according to the scheme.

We bend the wires so that everything fits in the case, I filled the empty space with cotton so that nothing dangles. We place the circuit in the case. It is important that the film jar is new, i.e. so that the lid closes as tightly as possible. Any magnet will work as a switch. The flashlight of this design continued to work after 10 hours in the water. The cotton wool remained dry. So that prolonged lying in a puddle will not harm such a device.

Surely radio amateurs have pads from failed 9 V batteries of the "Krona" type. On the basis of such a block, you can assemble a simple flashlight that actually does not need a body. An LED is connected to the contacts of the block through a current-limiting resistor.

Outside, the LED and resistor are wrapped in several layers of insulating tape. When put on the battery, the flashlight forms a single unit with it.

Thus, it is possible to adapt almost any suitable housing and battery under a homemade flashlight, although below 3.5 V it will already be necessary to install an LED. Thanks for your attention. Author Denev.

Discuss the article LED LIGHTS WITH YOUR OWN HANDS

At night you cannot cope without a flashlight - the main electrical device for vision. Without this object, it is generally not possible for a person to see anything in the dark. The reason for this lies in the fact that a person in the dark is not able to distinguish between colors.

Every year, more and more photos of homemade flashlights appear on the Internet, which is quite logical, since, thanks to such an invented device, you can see absolutely everything in the dark.

There are several varieties of flashlights today. You can find not only the classic options, known to everyone, but also lights that provide for self-regulation, if necessary, the beam of light. In this article, we will consider in detail how to make a flashlight with your own hands, using only prepared materials and step-by-step instructions.

Lanterns made of paper

If you look at various diagrams and instructions on how to make a flashlight yourself, you will easily notice that making it out of paper is easier than out of any other material. Moreover, even a child under the supervision of an adult can make a beautiful flashlight out of colored paper.

You can see countless samples on the Internet and looking at them you can execute them quickly enough. If you want to make a beautiful flashlight, you can additionally decorate it with such an accessory as a paper ribbon.

A paper flashlight acts as a rather cute symbol, so even if some homemade lighting assistants do not shine at all, their functionality is forgiven.

In addition, they are so beautiful that making them is very interesting not only for children, but also for adults. Today, simple and powerful do-it-yourself flashlights become an object that is made even with kids in kindergarten.

How to decorate a flashlight?

A classic paper lantern can be interestingly transformed, for example, with the help of various decor. Ikea company demonstrates this especially successfully. Every year, their magazines show more and more different uses for garlands of lanterns on the walls and ceiling. Thanks to such an interesting piece of furniture, you can quickly and budget transform appearance any room.

So what does it take to make a flashlight at home? Paper, scissors, glue and some decor. Otherwise, a real scope for activity, which is not limited by anything.

More holes in flashlights

Today in various magazines you can find many different paper lanterns that can be made with a child of any age. You can, for example, try to make a bright pot with holes, which will decorate even a classic flashlight model. Most importantly, it will definitely replace a general developmental activity with a child over three years old.

Flashlight house

If you want to try to make ultraviolet and LED flashlights popular today, then you can try to choose the shape of a house for them. Beautiful lanterns in the form of houses or even palaces are quite simple to make. On the Internet, you can find a template for almost every taste. If you want to spend more time with your child, you can even try to draw a template for your future craft yourself.

The main thing to consider when creating this type of flashlight is the mandatory creation of grooves. In this case, you will most likely not even get dirty in the glue.

In addition, the thing will become truly unique and no one else will find it anywhere else. You can make such a flashlight in just a couple of hours. The main difference during creation will be only in the material used. For the rest, they are made in the same way as lanterns in the form of cardboard houses.

When creating such lamps, keep in mind that the accessory will never be able to become a full-fledged source of lighting. In this case, the lantern can be used as a night light in a children's room or as an additional source of lighting, for example, in the kitchen, provided that the main lighting is sufficiently bright.

DIY photo flashlight

Note!

Note!

Note!

Hello! Here is another simple alteration of an old rechargeable flashlight with an incandescent light bulb for modern elements - LED, driver, converter. A friend gave a bunch of old chargers for creativity, and he found an old flashlight from the times of the USSR, which he wanted to throw away, and I convinced him, saying that I would make a great flashlight out of it for the New Year.

The basis charger One of the given NOKIA phone chargers was taken, at 5.5 V 300 mAh, which fit into the case like a native. After the broken plastic walls, there was a lot of space left from the disk batteries, and I installed a homemade scarf in the remaining place.

On the second half of the case, I used a SAMSUNG lithium-ion battery from a cell, which also fit perfectly. A mini toggle switch is used as a light switch. So that nothing dangles, I fixed everything with molecular glue.

The GREE LED is one of those that previously ordered a whole batch, it is installed on an aluminum radiator cut out at the base of the lamp, but since only half of its power is used here, it practically does not get hot. The diodes came in a month, they shine quite brightly, the light is neutral white as I ordered, I will insert them into other home-made flashlights.

Diode driver circuit

The driver for it is installed on the well-proven AMC7135 microcircuit. Usually, in place of C1, I usually put a 10x16V tantalum cmd capacitor. But you can apply any of the available ones, even a simple electrolytic one - everything depends only on its dimensions on the board used, but you must install it!

For the LED, a collimator is glued to the reflector, the illumination is very good, otherwise the light with a regular reflector has a darkish spot in the middle, which is not good.

Recently I assembled another one of the same, I only set the LED to 1 W and installed a 60-degree lens on it. The project proposed Igoran.

Discuss the article HOW TO MAKE A DIODE FLASHLIGHT FROM A CONVENTIONAL