How to Make a 50 Watt Flashlight

This is an instructable that shows how to create you own DIY super bright 50 watt flashlight! You can make this for under 10 US dollars(Not including the battery). This flashlight can be created easily by anyone who has some experience with electronics.

Here is a full explanation video to help with the instructions and show the results.

All of the materials you need for this you can obtain at your local home improvement store and Ebay. Some things can be found on the side of the road.

Materials:

1. 50-100 Watt LED. (I used a 50W LED, but the same setup can be used with a 100 Watt LED and a bigger heat-sink) http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-LED-Chip-Cool-White-Hi...
2. Boost converter. (Steps up 12 volts to 35 volts)http://www.ebay.com/itm/150W-DC-DC-Boost-Converter...
3. PVC pipe (Any type will do)
4. Battery (I used a 11.1 volt LiPo I had lying around)
5. Pushbutton switch.
6. 10K ohm potentiality.
7. Heat sink and matching fan (I found mine in a rear projection TV on the side of the road)
8. Wire

Tools

1. Soldering iron
2. Wire strippers
3. Hot glue gun
4. Hack Saw
5. Drill
6. Multimeter

Wiring your flashlight is quite easy. You need to:

1. Solder pushbutton switch in series with the battery.
2. Screw in the wire to the input port of the boost converter.
3. Add Computer fan in parallel to input battery wires .
4. Have LED light come straight from the boost converter output ports
5. Solder boost converter output wires directly to the LED chip

*MAKE SURE TO PUT THINGS IN THE RIGHT POLARITY OR YOU WILL KILL YOUR BATTERY, BOOST CONVERTER, AND LED!

To add your potentiometer, you first need to disconnect the original pot from the boost converter. You can do this by desoldering it. You then add the new pot and the old pot in series to their connection points on the boost converter board. Make sure to solder 2 of the 3 pins together on each pot.

You need to adjust your potentiometers to get the optimum safe voltage for the LED to run on. Disconnect the LED and connect the voltmeter in place. Set the new potentiometer so the voltage is highest. Then, turn down the old potentiometer until the voltage reaches 35 volts, the maximum for this LED. The new potentiometer can then be varied to adjust the brightness of the light. This prevents the LED from getting too much voltage.

This case can be really whatever you want and what you think looks the best. I used PVC pipe glued on to the computer fan in a triangular prism as my case. this allows for one of the PVC pipes to serve as a handle so it is easier to use. The heat sink and fan need to be in a place that allows for the best air flow. All the rest of the components and wires should be attached however it works best for you.

This flashlight is super bright and draws 2 amps. It can illuminate my whole back yard, which is quite big. Brightness can easily be adjusted and it lasts a long time on one battery(For me at least). The whole thing is very portable.

Have fun!

Be safe, any harm that you may have inflicted upon yourself during this project was caused by a lack of electrical knowledge and/or common sense. I am not liable for any harm caused while doing this project.