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FoldCatOne · Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:57 am Post subject: Making Your Own Green Light

Was shown today exactly how to make a 120 LED, high intensity Green Light for about $22.00. As soon as I get one made so I know exactly what to order, I will post the sources for everyone. Its sooooooo easy. I think I can make it about 36 inches long and in a 3/4 or 1 inch diameter clear PVC tube.

shorty · Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 2:48 pm Post subject:

interesting,id like to see it.what kinda batteries ?

Chef Lefty · Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:13 pm Post subject:

Very interested. Please keep me posted.
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FoldCatOne · Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 5:04 pm Post subject:

The are designed to attach to any 12V power source. The attached power cord looks like lamp size cord and is just short of 18 inches in length. The strip of lights measures 1 cm by 4 mm which should fit inside a 1/2 or 3/4 inch clear PVC pipe. When I get it I plan to try them out inside normal sked 40 pipe for fit. Also have been toying with the possibility of running 2-3 strips inside one PVC pipe. If I were to get three 48 cm light strips and if it were to go in 1 inch PVC it's possible to have an ultra intense green light (144 lights) only 20 inches long. Another question to find out is how tightly can one strip be coiled or bent back on itself.

These strips are waterproof and come in red also which could easily be used inside a boat for interior night lighting.

How about running them down dock pilings for underwater lighting on your dock.

Chef Lefty · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:25 am Post subject:

The 18 inch power cord might be a design flaw. Shocked

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FoldCatOne · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:56 am Post subject:

Design Flaw??

I plan to cut it much shorter and make my connections inside the clear PVC tube and run whatever length power cord I need out through a waterproof fitting on the top of the fitting on the light. OR, just make sealed connections on the 18 inch cord outside of the tube. Interestingly enough since the light strip is waterproof, I actually don't have to enclose it in clear pvc, or if I do, I can let the tube fill with water thus obviating the need for a weight to get it to sink.

Chef Lefty · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:41 pm Post subject:

FoldCatOne · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:08 pm Post subject:

The 18 inch cord is just their hard connection to the LED strip. Since the strip is enclosed / sealed in PVC, I can't make my own connections to the actual strip. They sell another "bare" strip which would allow me to add connections in anywhere I desire, but then I lose all the waterproof qualities. Since I need to make only one connection I am happy to use the waterproof one. The waterproof strip should be perfect for lighting a boat. Red is the preferable color for boat lighting as it doesn't ruin your night vision.

pinsjeepster · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:17 pm Post subject: light project

A few years back I made a green light with a 48 in floresent light. It came out pretty good. I used a 12 volt power inverter like they use in
camper lights.

FoldCatOne · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:44 pm Post subject:

Flourescent has given way to LED for some time now. These LED strips I am looking at are the first waterproof ones I have found.

Uncle D · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:34 am Post subject:

I went to Super Bright LED. I saw the strips. Good idea for panel lighting on a boat. I also want to do the big green light like Mike did, but in LED's. I just don't know how to compare or rather understand the luminance charts such as if I do 2 or 3 of the 60 LED x 32" strips in PVC, will it be as bright or brighter as the 48" florescent.

FoldCatOne · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:32 pm Post subject: LED STRIP IN HAND

Good news all around. LED strip arrived late this pm and it works just fine, quite bright (illuminated me 10 feet away) although I am going to order one of the companies non-waterproof strings just to compare. Literally one could just hook the light directly to a battery and throw the strip over the side with no protection at all needed. The pvc coating seems very durable and even in the cold it was flexible enough to fold into three 16 inch long sections and the three will fit down into a 1 inch pvc pipe easily. The wires on the strip are delicate however and will to be beefed up by attaching to something like lamp cord. The wires are essentially light gauge speaker wire. My source for the LED strips is on Ebay and here is a link to one of the auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LED-STRIP...=item20b06f01a0

The non-waterproof one is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LED-STRIP...=item255f7528ab

The Clear PVC pipe comes from: http://webcat.rhfs.com/familydetails.aspx?FamID=421

Fittings and miscellaneous supplies from Home Depot or Lowes

I am going to use the 1 inch clear PVC, but I am not sure if I will make it a watertight system or allow the tube to fill with water. If it were a watertight system, I would put a 1 inch white PVC fitting with a threaded cap on it for the top with a watertight electrical fitting on it and the a 1 inch coupling at the bottom connected to a section of 1 inch white PVC that would house the weight, ending with another 1 inch PVC Cap. I would extend the cord using the paint on PVC rubber electrical tape to insulate the wire connections. If I were to make a non-watertight light I would drill a hole in the bottom cap to allow water to fill the tube. It's much lighter and easier to make this way. This way the whole light is shorter (no added piece for a weight) and lighter. The weight of the fittings and tube would be enough to sink the light since no air would be trapped inside. You need to go to Radio Shack and get a package of TELEPHONE BUTT CONNECTORS size 22-26 wire to connect the very small wires from the LED strip to regular speaker wire to extend the connecting wire. I then will connect the speaker wire to lamp cord for the main battery connections.

The 1 inch Clear PVC is $2.82 per foot or $28.20 a 10 foot length. If I were to make the lights 16 inches long, I can get 7 out of one long pipe. Adding in the costs of the longer lamp cord and the fittings, I am sure I can make a light for quite a bit less than $20. That's for a light that has 120 super bright LED's. The Telephone butt connector are $1.95 for 24 at Radio shack.

FoldCatOne · Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:06 am Post subject:

Built the light yesterday and used much less expensive 8 foot long florescent bulb protectors available at any Home depot for about $5.00. This eliminates one of the hardest and most expensive parts in making the light - the clear PVC. Have also discovered a better way to do the end caps to accomodate the electrical connections at the top and some weight at the bottom. Will get the other needed parts today and finish the light. So far I have about $24.50 invested in each light, but that includes an additional $8.99 for a second 72 light strip giving this 32 inch long light 192 high intensity LED's. If made with the original 120 LED's it has cost $15.50 so far. The pictures will be with the original 120 lights as the second strip has yet to come in.

FoldCatOne · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:15 pm Post subject:

I have changed up the design of the light one more time. When I went back to Home Depot to get an 8 ft long bulb protector I realized it was bigger diameter than the 4 foot size. WELL, the 8 foot size's bigger diameter will easily allow me to run two 120 light strings in it giving the light 240 LED lights vs the 192 planned before. This will be done in a clear piece of bulb protector that is 26 inches long. Additionally the larger diameter protector will exactly allow a 1 inch PVC coupling to fit inside the protector. SO, the final cost of the 240 LED light will be $19.98 for two 120 LED light strings, 1/3rd of an 8 ft long Florescent bulb protector that cost 3.75 so add $1.25. Two 1 inch PVC couplings about $1.00, two 1 inch PVC Caps $1.80, two short 1 inch PVC sections totaling about 8 inches in length $.50, 2-3 4 ounce wheel weights, 2 telephone butt connectors $.20. Total for the project $24.75 for a 240 LED Green light. NOT TO BAD.

BOTH PICTURES TAKEN BEFORE DARK AND THE ONE WHERE THE LIGHT IS LIT HAS ONLY ONE OF THE 120 LIGHT STRINGS INSIDE.

BALZTOWAL · Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:47 pm Post subject:

The question is are you going to sell some and how much?