Making LED Flashlight water resistant???

[BeachDude]

I'm trying to make a LED flashlight for my bike or camping - and after
putting the whole thing togeher with the batterys and resistors...how
do I keep it from shorting out in damp weather (rain etc)???

I see these products that are like "liquid electrical tape"... they
resemble liquid rubber... are they any good?

What about dielectric grease? If I ever need to do any
modifications - how easily do these rubberized / sealant products come
off?

If I was to silicon/grease/rubberize my LEDs right up to the bottom of
their plastic lense (effectivly covering the pos/neg legs) would that
be suffecient to protect them against shorts???

Any tips, tricks, suggestions???

 

[John Larkin]

On 27 Jul 2004 19:34:41 -0700, twm@efni.com (BeachDude) wrote:

I'm trying to make a LED flashlight for my bike or camping - and after
putting the whole thing togeher with the batterys and resistors...how
do I keep it from shorting out in damp weather (rain etc)???

I see these products that are like "liquid electrical tape"... they
resemble liquid rubber... are they any good?

What about dielectric grease? If I ever need to do any
modifications - how easily do these rubberized / sealant products come
off?

If I was to silicon/grease/rubberize my LEDs right up to the bottom of
their plastic lense (effectivly covering the pos/neg legs) would that
be suffecient to protect them against shorts???

Any tips, tricks, suggestions???

Just use a little clear plastic plastic food container with a
wire-snap lid and o-ring seal; leave the LEDs inside. About $0.99 at
Target. Then the only problem is the switch.

How about a reed switch operated by an external magnet?

John

 

[John Popelish]

BeachDude wrote:

I'm trying to make a LED flashlight for my bike or camping - and after
putting the whole thing togeher with the batterys and resistors...how
do I keep it from shorting out in damp weather (rain etc)???

I see these products that are like "liquid electrical tape"... they
resemble liquid rubber... are they any good?

What about dielectric grease? If I ever need to do any
modifications - how easily do these rubberized / sealant products come
off?

If I was to silicon/grease/rubberize my LEDs right up to the bottom of
their plastic lense (effectivly covering the pos/neg legs) would that
be suffecient to protect them against shorts???

Any tips, tricks, suggestions???

If you do not intend to dive with this light, but are just worried
about dew and rain, almost any water proofing will do. Shorting is
not much of a problem, since the voltage is so low. Corrosion is the
biggest problem, especially if any salt water is involved. I would
probably smear a bit of silicone caulk around the internal wires and
use a bit if silicone grease on the battery terminals. If it gets
dunked, open it up and pour the water out and you should be fine.
--
John Popelish