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Custom LED Modules: Motorcycle LED Auxiliary Lights
I will begin by making clear that these modules can be used for so many different applications – although the principles are the same for just about every application, I will be running through my particular purpose of adding lights to my motorcycle.
Mmusicman pointed out that these do not have a focus or cutoff and are dangerous to use in traffic. I have made some adjustments to the positioning which seems to work fine, but I will take some pictures in the dark to show where the light is really being thrown. My lenses produce a narrow spot, but if you want to aim them up higher, they certainly work well as high beams and fog lights(amber).
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Row 1: All off, Aux lights off, amber lights on, white lights on.
Row 2: The custom set up, the rest are same as above, but from the front.
As a motorcyclist, I greatly value the possibilities of making others more aware that I am on the road amidst them. While I make myself more visible, it doesn't change the fact that I drive as if no one can see me. Safety – is my first priority.
To be more visible, I add lights! I am an LED fiend. I LOVE LEDs. I found some motorcycle LED running lights on one of those ‘affordable’ Chinese ‘we have everything’ websites. I had purchased items from them before that were decent, so I thought I would give those lights a shot. I purchased 4 LED lights for a total of $50. Not bad, right?? They worked great for a while and I was quite pleased with them. Only a handful of months and a few thousand miles down the road, one of them burned out. A couple months later, one of them lost the focusing lens on the freeway, and a couple months later, one of them kept loosening and twisting to point backwards!
My solution was to build my own. This article is to show you how I did it, and how easy it really was (or wasn't) - for under $200.*If you have absolutely NOTHING in your garage, then you will spend a small amount more on some basic parts like wires, cable ties, etc...
http://ledsupply.com
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To make sure I got high quality parts, I contacted my favorite LED supplier, <a href="http://www.ledsupply.com">LED Supply (http://www.ledsupply.com)</a> and priced out the parts I would need. There were still just a couple things they didn’t supply, but I will give you links or ideas for those. LED Supply has a handful of options for the LED housings, and many options for the LEDs and Optics! I chose their ‘Dynamic LED Housing’ because it allows many different applications, but the biggest reason is because if the lens or LEDs get damaged, or if I want to change the optic pattern, or colors of LEDs, I can do it simply by unscrewing the housing and swapping parts out!
I wanted to add some bright white auxiliary lights, but also wanted to be able to have some fog lights. Why would I want fog lights on my motorcycle – I drive across a swamp on my way to work that gets extremely foggy on cold mornings – fog lights would be useful for the mile or two of fog. So I asked LED Supply if they could build me a custom 3-up star for my project. 2 white Cree XPLs in series, and one amber Cree XPE2, on one star. They happily obliged and I set off building my own high quality aux lights!
I’ll give you my parts list, and then give you my step by step process WITH PICTURES! How lucky are you?
My parts list:
I didn’t get this, but it’s a good idea to get the electronic waterproof spray from them as well so you don’t have to worry about riding in the rain. @ $15.99: http://www.ledsupply.com/accessories/led-seal-silicone-spray-sealant
Other items I had to find elsewhere:
I will begin by making clear that these modules can be used for so many different applications – although the principles are the same for just about every application, I will be running through my particular purpose of adding lights to my motorcycle.
Mmusicman pointed out that these do not have a focus or cutoff and are dangerous to use in traffic. I have made some adjustments to the positioning which seems to work fine, but I will take some pictures in the dark to show where the light is really being thrown. My lenses produce a narrow spot, but if you want to aim them up higher, they certainly work well as high beams and fog lights(amber).
Row 1: All off, Aux lights off, amber lights on, white lights on.
Row 2: The custom set up, the rest are same as above, but from the front.
As a motorcyclist, I greatly value the possibilities of making others more aware that I am on the road amidst them. While I make myself more visible, it doesn't change the fact that I drive as if no one can see me. Safety – is my first priority.
To be more visible, I add lights! I am an LED fiend. I LOVE LEDs. I found some motorcycle LED running lights on one of those ‘affordable’ Chinese ‘we have everything’ websites. I had purchased items from them before that were decent, so I thought I would give those lights a shot. I purchased 4 LED lights for a total of $50. Not bad, right?? They worked great for a while and I was quite pleased with them. Only a handful of months and a few thousand miles down the road, one of them burned out. A couple months later, one of them lost the focusing lens on the freeway, and a couple months later, one of them kept loosening and twisting to point backwards!
My solution was to build my own. This article is to show you how I did it, and how easy it really was (or wasn't) - for under $200.*If you have absolutely NOTHING in your garage, then you will spend a small amount more on some basic parts like wires, cable ties, etc...
http://ledsupply.com
To make sure I got high quality parts, I contacted my favorite LED supplier, <a href="http://www.ledsupply.com">LED Supply (http://www.ledsupply.com)</a> and priced out the parts I would need. There were still just a couple things they didn’t supply, but I will give you links or ideas for those. LED Supply has a handful of options for the LED housings, and many options for the LEDs and Optics! I chose their ‘Dynamic LED Housing’ because it allows many different applications, but the biggest reason is because if the lens or LEDs get damaged, or if I want to change the optic pattern, or colors of LEDs, I can do it simply by unscrewing the housing and swapping parts out!
I wanted to add some bright white auxiliary lights, but also wanted to be able to have some fog lights. Why would I want fog lights on my motorcycle – I drive across a swamp on my way to work that gets extremely foggy on cold mornings – fog lights would be useful for the mile or two of fog. So I asked LED Supply if they could build me a custom 3-up star for my project. 2 white Cree XPLs in series, and one amber Cree XPE2, on one star. They happily obliged and I set off building my own high quality aux lights!
I’ll give you my parts list, and then give you my step by step process WITH PICTURES! How lucky are you?
My parts list:
- (2) Dynamic LED Housings @ $9.99 each: <a href="http://www.ledsupply.com/led-heatsinks/dynamic-led-heatsink-housing">http://www.ledsupply.com/led-heatsinks/dynamic-led-heatsink-housing</a>
- (2) LED Housing Base @ $7.25 each: <a href="http://www.ledsupply.com/led-heatsinks/led-housing-base">http://www.ledsupply.com/led-heatsinks/led-housing-base</a>
- (2) Custom 3-Up Cree High Power LED Star @ $19.99 each: http://www.ledsupply.com/leds/custom-3-up-cree-high-power-led
- (2) BuckBlock DC LED Driver @ $17.99 each: http://www.ledsupply.com/led-drivers/buckblock-dc-led-driver (one of these powers the two in series cool white LEDs in one housing at 2100mA)
- (1) BuckPuck DC LED Driver @ $ 13.82: http://www.ledsupply.com/led-drivers/buckpuck-dc-led-drivers (with wires connected, no dimming; powers both amber LEDs, connecting the two housings so the amber LEDs are in series at 1000mA)
- (2) Carlco 3-Up Lenses @ $1.50 each: http://www.ledsupply.com/triple-carclo-led-optics (I used the 10507 Narrow Spot, but you could do medium or wide or even elliptical!)
- (1) Arctic Silver Thermal Epoxy @ $19.99: http://www.ledsupply.com/accessories/arctic-silver-premium-silver-thermal-epoxy (I chose the silver for better heat transfer, but the Arctic Alumina would work really well for only $10)
I didn’t get this, but it’s a good idea to get the electronic waterproof spray from them as well so you don’t have to worry about riding in the rain. @ $15.99: http://www.ledsupply.com/accessories/led-seal-silicone-spray-sealant
Other items I had to find elsewhere:
- (1) 1/4x20 threaded stainless steel rod. You only need about 5”. @ $5.24: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...Stainless-Steel-Threaded-Rod-802477/204274013
- (2) Copper threaded ¾” female threaded fitting that the housing mates to perfectly and can also act as additional heatsinking @ $4.07 each: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...-Cup-x-FIPT-Female-Adapter-C603HD34/100347144
- (2) Copper ¾ cap @ $1.30 each: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Copper-Tube-Cap-C617/100344250
- (2) Copper ¾ 90 degree street elbow @ $2.88 each: http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Copper-Pressure-90-Degree-FTG-x-C-Street-Elbow-C6072HD34/100347411
- (1) Copper ¾ pipe (only a small amount is needed) @ $6.38: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cerro-3-...e-M-Hard-Straight-Pipe-PSLE-750M002/203654971
- About 4 feet of marine grade 4 conductor audio cable. I got 50’ for $20, but just search ebay for OFC 4 conductor.
- (2) Set of marine grade 4 pin connectors @ $8.99 for 5 sets:
- Pair of Chrome P-Clamps for 1-1/4” highway bars (D-1.25) @ $23: [ame]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OFTFW8C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/ame]
(this one was hard to find at a low cost) - (2) in-line fuse blocks @ $6.99 (for a pack of 5): [ame]https://www.amazon.com/KOLAWIN-Automotive-Truck-line-Holder/dp/B0722CYVJX/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504065920&sr=8-3&keywords=mini+inline+fuse[/ame]
- (1) 1A mini fuse (for the amber LEDs) At a local auto shop
- (1) 3A mini fuse (for the white LEDs) At a local auto shop
- 3’ 10awg wire cable (I had this laying around, but it’s pretty cheap at HomeDepot
- A dozen or so Chromed Stainless Steel wrap straps @ $9.20 for 100: http://www.ebay.com/itm/100Pcs-Chro...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
- Aluminum polish if you want to make it extra shiny @ $6.99: [ame]https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05101-Mag-Aluminum-Polish/dp/B0009H519Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504066292&sr=8-1&keywords=mothers+aluminum+polish[/ame]
- (2) 12V automotive rocker switches (or any kind of auxiliary switch you want to use).
- (1) Any soldering iron
- Assortment of electrical connectors @ $10.99: https://www.harborfreight.com/520-piece-terminal-set-67686.html
- You may need some larger ring connectors, depending on your battery terminal bolt.
- Last but not least: my wiring diagram!
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