In this article, one author decided to share how do it yourself assemble a simple beacon for a bicycle. According to him, to do this is quite simple, and even save. With such homemade driving at night will be much safer, because bike will be visible in the dark at a considerable distance.
The peculiarity of the homemade product is that instead of batteries, a battery is used that can always be recharged without buying new batteries each time. Get a battery today is not a problem, suitable from the player, mobile phone and so on.
Materials and tools for homemade:
- small lithium-ion battery;
- standard red reflector;
- a small box;
- a pair of red LEDs;
- foil;
- resistor.
Beacon assembly process:
Step one. Device diagram
The beacon circuit is very simple. Perhaps the most difficult here is the controller, which controls the battery charge. Usually they come with the battery, if we talk about the batteries that are used in the player. It also happens that the controller is located in the player itself.
Step Two We calculate the resistance
Resistance is calculated according to Ohm's law. If there are problems with this, then for such purposes you can use a special program. LEDs need to choose bright, red.
The author chose diodes with different modes of operation, as a result, the beacon in his work is poured.
Step Three Mounting diodes and device housing
Diodes are installed inside the reflector, the wires are brought out. As for the home-made body, the body from the player is used here. It was painted black, and unnecessary holes were sealed with pieces of plastic.
The result was a very compact lighthouse, which at first glance cannot be distinguished from a reflector. This is good because hooligans will no longer try to unscrew the lighthouse if the owner is not near the bicycle. Well, the connector for charging the device is located at the bottom. The USB charging cable was slightly modified, since it did not enter the fastener connector.
That's all, the beacon is ready. Duration of operation depends on the LEDs used and the battery capacity.The author’s lighthouse works for about 4 hours, and this is enough for him, given the low cost of homemade work.