BatNinja's Beacon Light Tutorial

Originally Posted by batninja

I stumbled across the LED module in an RS outlet store, I'm unable to find this item on their website, but found this image through a Google search.

here ya go,
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2062571&cp

It says Out of stock online, but maybe it will be available at local stores

Good info! I hope folks can still find it. Great little kit!

Here's a pic of the mounted beacon:



Again...BRIGHT LIGHT!

wow.
That is bright
way better than my plain old LED.
I do have a question though...
Does this Krypton bulb get hot?

It does get a little warm.

I was worried about it melting the shrink wrap, but it's been on for over an hour now, and no signs of stopping. I plan to run it on a fresh set of batteries Saturday, keeping an eye on it, to see how it goes, running the batteries down to get an idea of longevity.

I stayed away from LEDs because they light up, not out. So the majority of the light was pointing toward the ceiling of the beacon instead of out the slits. There are other bulb options out there, but you may have to hard-solder the wiring directly to the bulb, as the opening is too narrow to fit most standard lamp socket assemblies.

This site claims to have them;
http://www.t2retail.co.uk/productDet...%20and%20Parts

They are in the UK for those of you "across the Pond"

Originally Posted by batninja

It does get a little warm.



I stayed away from LEDs because they light up, not out. So the majority of the light was pointing toward the ceiling of the beacon instead of out the slits. .

I understand.
We sandblasted my LED to "frost" it so it would light "out"

Nice tutorial BN! Now to find all these parts...

Nice write up Eric!

very cool!!

WOW...I love your tutorials bro.....always so easy to understand...

AND WOA!!! that light is awesome!!!

Great work..

Super bright bro, thanks for sharing that info. That will help lots of folks out who need to see "the light" LOL Good stuff. :thumbup

God knows my pack was never that bright, wheres my time machine!

Thanks so much for posting this. I've got my first jet pack (a MOW) on its way, and I had NO IDEA how to wire a light. This is perfect..and perfect timing. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by slave1pilot

This site claims to have them;
http://www.t2retail.co.uk/productDet...%20and%20Parts

They are in the UK for those of you "across the Pond"

Cheers bro... nice heads up

And to BN.. nice tutorial... now where is that darn beacon..

YES!!!

I had a similar idead with the bulbs but I did not know how to power them. I repainted my JP tonight and I just needed some lights. On Holloween I installed my RF lights too, so after I get this in I will be a fully lighted fett!!!

Found the pack at the local Radio Shack, they had lots of them. So hopefully everyone else can find them. Just need to get a Krypton bulb now.

Eric, did you try running it out to see how long it lasted with fresh batteries? Just curious.

Does anyone have access to these setups (Mini Krypton Flashlight Lamp (272-1150, $2.85) and a Blinking LED Module (276-299, $4)), minus the Aluminium Beacon of course, that would be able to send one over my way.

The only place that could sell these over here are really hopeless and kept trying to sell me the flashing LED bulbs.. :S

What about when the light burns out? I assume that you just pull the hot glue away, pull the bulb out, snip the wires and solder on a new bulb?

I got the last one in my local Radio Shack! I will be tackling this project once I receive Serenity's beacon/stabilizer.

PM sent



Alfredo

Hey guys! I was wondering if it would be possible to use a blue blinking LED light with this set up? Would I just have to add a resistor or more to it than that? Or do they make blue Mini Krypton Flashlight Lamp?

Thanks!

Levi

Bump for jon_meadowbrook

This thread hasn't received much follow-up so I assume there were no heat related issues with the lamp?

The light is just on. I made mine over the weekend. Dead easy, thanks for the info BN!

There is a mild heat issue, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. The aluminum neck of the beacon seems to dissipate the heat. I've had the system turned on for over two hours, and no melting or other issues.

Revisiting this project, I've since redone the wiring, removing the battery/switch box and installing a standard two-battery holder and separate on/off switch. The battery holder is positioned where I can access it to change out batteries (close to the 'pack door), and the switch is located on the very bottom of the pack, in the 'vent' area. Kind of invisible, as it can't be seen unless you're looking up in the vent from the bottom.

Interesting switch location. I was considering putting an external switch on the pack, but intend to keep the battery box anyway.

I just picked up a previously owned pack that needs some work, and I'm definitely going to attempt your awesome project, Thanks!! Nice work!

Rushes off to Radio shack

Would it be canon for the light to blink, or run continuously?

Thanks.

Run continuously. Which is how this tutorial ends up

Very nice, will have to think about this one, most DEFINATELY!!

Hi Batninja, I checked on-line for the bulb, but they don't seem to have that part number available. They do have several other krypton bulbs, but I'm not sure which one to get. I want to make sure I get one that won't be under / overpowered. Do you have a suggestion ?

Thanks,
Timmer

I use a Mini Maglite 2 cell AA Krypton. Hope that helps.

Thanks Bobby Fett, maybe I'll do some shopping this weekend.

Another great help!

I actually had two spare bulbs for a mini mag lying around, so I wired one up as a test. It works very well, I just need to attach a switch and install it when I'm finished painting.

Thanks for the tips !

Photos when done please

No problem BF-UK !