Not quite tools, but very useful for using tools - DIY LED lights

[mattthemuppet]

I make all my own LED lights, not so much to save money (which they do, a bit) but to use exactly the LEDs and optics I like. I've been meaning to build these ones since last winter as the remaining CFL bulbs in my garage crap out when it gets cold. Like last night, when it dropped to -15C (5F?) in the garage and ice started forming on the inside of the windows

Anyway, basic plan is the base of an old non-working CFL, piece of alu tube and then heatsink disk, with the alu tube and disk JB welded together.

Grooving the disks for the tubing to fit


disks grooved and tubing cut and faced. They were then glued together with JB Weld.


Drilling holes in the heatsink for cable pass through and screws to hold the LED in. I used the same set up to drill holes in the outer part for extra surface area and to remove some weight


one of the drivers wired in. I think this one was a 120/240AC to 12VDC/300mA to use a 12V LED from an old desk light. The other ones were 120/240VAC to 3VDC/600mA.


finished!


They work really nicely. There's one with a Nichia 219A for my lathe worklight (NW with nice CRI), one with a Cree XT-E 2700K for my bedside light and the big one has the 12V LED for a 2nd work/ storage room. The 2 small ones are just right in brightness, the 12V one could do with a more powerful driver, but it's good enough for a room that I don't use much. Cost for the single LED lights was $3-4 for the driver and LED, the 12V light was just a couple of bucks for the driver.

Now I can see what I'm doing with my hydraulic press, although I have to finish a pair of snowshoes first!