Gabe's Hacks: 2017

100W LED Video Light

Now that my YouTube channel has been picking up traction (more than I ever thought it would), I figured I should do a better job with the quality of my videos. A big piece of that is lighting. So I wanted some good, powerful lights to use, but without having to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars.

So in this video, I'm going to show you how I made my own DIY video lights with 100W LED chips for about $50 worth of parts. These turned out to be super bright!! I added dimmer knobs so I can control the brightness, as well as umbrellas to soften the light.

These lights can even be used as work lights. Just be careful if you use them for doing drywall: since there is a fan in it, it will suck in drywall dust and get the inside of the light all gross. I speak from experience :)

First, here is a list of all the parts I used, with links to where you can buy them. All prices are in US dollars and from 2017. Prices may have changed by the time you're reading this.

LED light set: eBay (~$20)
10kOhm logarithmic potentiometer: eBay ($1.89 for 2) or locally
10kOhm trim potentiometer: eBay ($0.99 for 10) or locally
USB wall charger: free or dollar store
2ft 4” PVC pipe: free or Home Depot ($9.13)
2x 4” PVC drain: Home Depot ($3.21)
Threaded insert: Home Depot ($2.97 for 4)
Cabinet Handle: Home Depot ($1.16)
Black plastic paint: Amazon ($5.94) or locally
IEC320 C8 power socket: eBay ($1.14 for 2) or locally
IEC320 C8 power cord: free or Monoprice ($1.88)
Knob for potentiometer: eBay ($0.99 for 5) or locally

If you add all that up, it comes to just over $50. But if you decide to make a second one, the cost for the second comes down to about $30 since many of parts you can only buy in multiples, so you already have enough for the second.

You can also buy lighting umbrellas with holders, as I did:

Umbrella holder: eBay
Umbrella: eBay

Finally, here is the video:

I doubt anyone will make these lights exactly as I did. I took inspiration from these two videos, so check them out to get some ideas for yourself.

Add Dimmer to ZY1010B 100W LED Driver

Update: The full light is done! Click here

I will be working on 100W LED lights to help with lighting my videos. I bought this kit on eBay for about $30US: eBay

I was planning to wire in a dimmer, like this guy did: https://youtu.be/c--5c3Egv4E?t=4m4s

But alas, the LED driver I got did not have a trim potentiometer like the one in the video. However, on closer inspection, I found that the circuit board has a spot for one, there just isn't one there:

So I wired one in there, and it worked perfectly!

Here's a link to a potentiometer you can use for this: eBay

And here's the video where I demonstrate how it works:

Stay tuned for a video where I put all of this together.

Save Money on CAD/USD Exchange Rates

A little known fact is that the banks that issue credit cards usually have an inflated foreign exchange rate. For many cards, like the Canadian Tire Options card, for example, that rate is 2.5% on top of the MasterCard exchange rate. So for us Canadians who do a lot of cross-border shopping, or shopping online in US dollars, that can add up.

Can you avoid it? Yes! There are a few cards I know of, available to Canadians, that do not have foreign exchange fees and no annual fee:

Personally, we use the HomeTrust card.

Stop Your Treadmill from Beeping

Are the beeps from your treadmill annoying? Want to run while the kids are in bed? Watch this video to see how to quiet your treadmill.

I'll show you four (well, technically five) different ways to do it:

1. Muffle the sound, if you just find it too loud.
2. Disable the sound entirely
3. Add a switch to turn the sound on and off
4. Add a volume knob

The 5th option, which is what I do in the video, combines 3 and 4. Options 1 and 2 require no special tools, but doing option 2 without a soldering iron is not recommended.

Watch the video to see how I do it:

Here are wiring diagrams for the other options, with links to where you can buy what you need:

Switch
Here is a push on / push off (aka self-locking) switch: eBay

Volume knob
You'll need a 20kΩ potentiometer (labelled as B20K), which you can buy here: eBay

Volume knob with switch

For this you'll need a 10kΩ (or more) potentiometer with combined switch: eBay

Leather band for RoadID Elite

In this video I'll show you how to make a leather band for the RoadID Elite to replace the silicone band that comes with it. I use these bracelets for my kids, and I've found that the silicone bands break after a while. I've gone through 4-5 bands now and I don't want to replace them anymore.

These bracelets can be bought at:
https://www.roadid.com

Note that you can buy the clasp and plate on their own if you plan on making your own leather band.

A leather trim piece can be bought on Amazon:
US: http://amzn.to/2kB9J2h
Canada: http://amzn.to/2laIsjL
UK: http://amzn.to/2k96MT5