I’ve previously posted about a bike light I made and while I am working on a more complex, programmable, and controllable set of lights, I needed something quick because it got pretty dark last week. I found this LED strip in the shop, which I think I got from the junk-pile at work. It may have been an under cabinet style light… I don’t know or remember, but I do know it has a Micro USB port and runs just fine from a USB power bank.
You can see the bare LED strip in the photo above… that’s how I found it. I was able to 3D print a sleeve for it to slide into. The Micro USB port is just at the end, and it’s not exactly waterproof, but I could just hot glue the heck out of everything if needed.
Besides the strip and 3D printed parts, there’s a 3 foot long Micro USB cable and some hook & loop straps. (I got a roll of 1/2in x 100ft Hook and Loop which someone said might be a lifetime supply.) There are also a few O-rings holding things together and they sort of work to help hold the strip in place on the bike. (I got a cheap O-ring set years ago.)
The 3D printed parts are taped together with clear tape, but Silicone Rubber Bands could also work.
I designed the sleeve / sheath thing in 5 parts. Two “outside” pieces and three “inside” pieces. I figured two and three would be good so the seams between the inside and outside parts didn’t all line up.
And here is what the pieces look like laid out so they are the length of the LED strip. I printed these with transparent PLA, which isn’t exactly clear, but it’s a thin print and the light shines through just fine.
If I were to make another one of these I’d probably use some COB LEDs. I’ve used these White 6000K LEDs bu you can also find cheaper COB LEDs. COBs are pretty bright, and some of them are also (mostly) waterproof.
To power the LEDs I have a USB power bank in my handlebar bag which I already use to charge my phone, so I just plug it into there.
Here’s how I attach it to the downtube of the bike, which is where the battery is. The one little thing is that the strip could be about 3cm shorter and then I wouldn’t have to slide the whole strip up a bit to get to the charge port. (Maybe that’s a reason to make a new COB version?)
But hey, I think it works well! The above photo was taken on the Oak Leaf Trail, where there are no lights around, so it’s pretty much pitch dark there. The light definitely lights up the ground below and in front of the bike!
I commute home at 5pm and this time of year it is… dark. So anything I can do to light up me, the bike, the road, etc. and hope that drivers can see me is a good thing.
Many of the COB LED strips are just plain white (especially the cheap ones) but taking a note from Ryan it would be easy to 3D print a sleeve with colored filament to make lights a specific color. (And yes, I have one of Ryan’s lights! I just need to find the time to install it.)
Note: Well, I managed to find my extra strip of COB LEDs and it’s actually got an 18″ long USB cable built into it. So making another one of these lights would be pretty darn simple… I might just do that since it would fix the 3cm issue I mentioned above.
Hey! It also looks like you can cut COB strips! So by cutting a COB strip I could make a shorter strip, a wider strip, etc. so yeah… I’ve got a few ideas now!