MAKE YOUR OWN LIGHTS Comet Pro and Comet DCM

MAKE YOUR OWN LIGHTS
Comet Pro and Comet DCM.

Nightlightning offers an increased range of DIY products

Comet Pro with Dimmer Control Module (DCM)
Dimming electronics to add to your own lighting system
Driver boards for Luxeon LEDs- 1W, 3W, & 5W available
Lamps, sockets, alloy barrels, switches and cable
Endurenz LED DIY kitset available.

Click here for instructions.

Tools required:

Allen key

Soldering iron

Small craft knife

Small adjustable or 15mm ring spanner

Rivet gun

Clean cloth.

Pliers or multigrips

Hot air gun or hair drier

Crimping tool

Side cutters

Kitchen bench or even the kitchen table

An understanding partner

Time to construct around 1-2 hrs.

All the following parts included- picture shows SLA battery connectors.
Information for NiMH connectors shown below.
Extra information for the electronic DCM featured here.

Step by step guide to doing it yourself.

First strip both ends of twin black cable, watching not to cut through inner insulation of blue and brown cable.
One end back 110mm, and other 25mm.
Place small heat shrink over terminal ends, red sleeve over the brown cable and black sleeve over the blue cable. Heat and shrink.
Place the larger black heat shrink (6.4mm) over cable straddling both the outer black sheath and red and black tails.
Strip around 6-8mm off the end of tails and twist tight. Apply a little solder, then crimp on battery lugs.
Place red and black heat shrink over these crimp lugs and apply heat. Rivet the polycarbonate bracket as shown above.
Lightly sand and then stick on the larger pieces of Dual Lock.

Mount the switch and cable gland as shown. Strip back cable around 20-25mm, cut and slide on heat sleeving over the two cores, then cover with larger sleeve.
Solder to correct terminals, blue wire to the earth lug and brown on to the supply lug of switch.

Solder on the lamp socket as shown on the left. One core will terminate with the blue core on the earth lug.
Make sure that the switch has the centre terminal cut back to maintain some distance away from the lamp socket when light is complete and working.
Pull back the black cable with heat sleeve into the cable gland for a tidy finish.

Heat end cap with a hair drier or hot air gun, then position the cap as shown, alighning grub screws to the bottom, and on either side of the polycarb bracket. Nip up firm but not over tighten the stainless grub screws, applying a little pressure inwards whilst turning. This will prevent any stripping of the plastic thread.

Apply heat to front end cap. Note this cap has an internal groove for the lamp to sit in, do not force the lamp in, use heat to allow end cap expansion. Stick on the two labels, connect your battery and test light. Clean up your work desk or kitchen table, kit up and ride off into the night!

For NiMH batteries follow these pictures. 10 min.

Further pictuires showing the warning label placement below.

Strip back the cable about 20mm and tin the cable ends.

Place over the cable the two small bits of heat shrink, red on to the brown wire, and black on to the blue wire.
Pre solder the metal female pins and connect the wires, folding over the small tabs.

First place over the cable, the two black pieces of black heat shrink (two sizes), then place the pins into the plastic connector watching the polarity. Follow the colour according to the pictures. Firmly make sure the pins have 'clicked' into the plastic housing.

Check to make sure there are no shorts or small strands of copper sticking out before covering with heat shrink.

Shrink over to make complete and tidy.

Comet Pro DCM instructions.

A birds eye veiw of the Comet Pro DCM DIY kit.
All components included with a fully made up & tested dimmer control module.

Note this picture shows both SLA and NiMH connectors in lower right side next to DCM.
Instructions.
Cut the 1.4 metre length of two core cable to around half way (700mm).
Strip back the 3 core cable that comes from the preassembled control module as shown above taking care not to cut thru black plastic outer sheath to the copper core.
Twist cores as shown, tight and neat.

Note. In all Nightlightning lights, the brown core is always positive +, and the blue core is always negative -. The brown cores (+) are common from the battery and to both the control module and the light head.
The blue core (Negative) is switched by the controller, and is not common. The green/yellow core is the switched output to the light head.

This procedure outlines how to make a 'T' junction into the cable. Note that the Comet Pro uses only a three core cable, not a four core as shown. But otherwise, the procedure is the same.

Strip and twist wires together, keeping quite short and tidy. This method is now used, rather than the plastic connectors outline above.

cm

Sleeve with the heat shrink and fold back in a tidy fashion.

Place on the small sleeve first onto the battery cable end.

Slide the next larger black sleeve and place Nightlightning sticker as shown. Cover this with the claer sleeve.

Cut lamp socket if needed, slide on heat sleeving over both cores and outer sleeving over all cores. Trim back two core cable, feed thru the rear back and cable gland as in next picture.
Join lamp socket and two core cable, cover join first with heat shrink (red), then slide over the two heat sleeves and outer sleeve over the join. Make sure that your solder join is neat, not dry, and without any bits of solder sticking out that could short to the other core.
Damage to your battery or worse could occur if this join is shoddy. It does not matter which cable goes to which socket cable.

Assembly of the light is similar to the Comet Pro, follow those instructions for mounting the polycarb bracket, end caps, lamp etc, but ignore the switch instructions. Mount end caps and assemble the Comet Pro light. Align the (red back)cable gland low down by mounting bracket and locate the grub screws neatly spaced apart. Its an art form! Test and enjoy.

Battery connector.

Solder the pins on as shown, place over the small heat shrink

Place the pins into the correct receptacle. Brown (+) to the top, shaped end.

Sleeve with the black heat shrink and place on a sticker.

Cover the warning lable with a clear sleeve.

Allen key	Soldering iron	Small craft knife	Small adjustable or 15mm ring spanner
Rivet gun	Clean cloth.	Pliers or multigrips	Hot air gun or hair drier
Crimping tool	Side cutters	Kitchen bench or even the kitchen table	An understanding partner


First strip both ends of twin black cable, watching not to cut through inner insulation of blue and brown cable. One end back 110mm, and other 25mm. Place small heat shrink over terminal ends, red sleeve over the brown cable and black sleeve over the blue cable. Heat and shrink. Place the larger black heat shrink (6.4mm) over cable straddling both the outer black sheath and red and black tails. Strip around 6-8mm off the end of tails and twist tight. Apply a little solder, then crimp on battery lugs. Place red and black heat shrink over these crimp lugs and apply heat.	Rivet the polycarbonate bracket as shown above. Lightly sand and then stick on the larger pieces of Dual Lock.

Mount the switch and cable gland as shown.	Strip back cable around 20-25mm, cut and slide on heat sleeving over the two cores, then cover with larger sleeve. Solder to correct terminals, blue wire to the earth lug and brown on to the supply lug of switch.
	Solder on the lamp socket as shown on the left. One core will terminate with the blue core on the earth lug. Make sure that the switch has the centre terminal cut back to maintain some distance away from the lamp socket when light is complete and working. Pull back the black cable with heat sleeve into the cable gland for a tidy finish.

Heat end cap with a hair drier or hot air gun, then position the cap as shown, alighning grub screws to the bottom, and on either side of the polycarb bracket.	Nip up firm but not over tighten the stainless grub screws, applying a little pressure inwards whilst turning. This will prevent any stripping of the plastic thread.

Apply heat to front end cap. Note this cap has an internal groove for the lamp to sit in, do not force the lamp in, use heat to allow end cap expansion.	Stick on the two labels, connect your battery and test light. Clean up your work desk or kitchen table, kit up and ride off into the night!

	Place over the cable the two small bits of heat shrink, red on to the brown wire, and black on to the blue wire. Pre solder the metal female pins and connect the wires, folding over the small tabs.
	First place over the cable, the two black pieces of black heat shrink (two sizes), then place the pins into the plastic connector watching the polarity. Follow the colour according to the pictures. Firmly make sure the pins have 'clicked' into the plastic housing.
	Check to make sure there are no shorts or small strands of copper sticking out before covering with heat shrink.
	Shrink over to make complete and tidy.


A birds eye veiw of the Comet Pro DCM DIY kit. All components included with a fully made up & tested dimmer control module. Note this picture shows both SLA and NiMH connectors in lower right side next to DCM.	Instructions. Cut the 1.4 metre length of two core cable to around half way (700mm). Strip back the 3 core cable that comes from the preassembled control module as shown above taking care not to cut thru black plastic outer sheath to the copper core.	Twist cores as shown, tight and neat.
	Note. In all Nightlightning lights, the brown core is always positive +, and the blue core is always negative -.	The brown cores (+) are common from the battery and to both the control module and the light head. The blue core (Negative) is switched by the controller, and is not common. The green/yellow core is the switched output to the light head.
This procedure outlines how to make a 'T' junction into the cable. Note that the Comet Pro uses only a three core cable, not a four core as shown. But otherwise, the procedure is the same.
Strip and twist wires together, keeping quite short and tidy. This method is now used, rather than the plastic connectors outline above.	cm
Sleeve with the heat shrink and fold back in a tidy fashion.	Place on the small sleeve first onto the battery cable end.	Slide the next larger black sleeve and place Nightlightning sticker as shown. Cover this with the claer sleeve.


Cut lamp socket if needed, slide on heat sleeving over both cores and outer sleeving over all cores.	Trim back two core cable, feed thru the rear back and cable gland as in next picture. Join lamp socket and two core cable, cover join first with heat shrink (red), then slide over the two heat sleeves and outer sleeve over the join.	Make sure that your solder join is neat, not dry, and without any bits of solder sticking out that could short to the other core. Damage to your battery or worse could occur if this join is shoddy. It does not matter which cable goes to which socket cable.
Assembly of the light is similar to the Comet Pro, follow those instructions for mounting the polycarb bracket, end caps, lamp etc, but ignore the switch instructions.	Mount end caps and assemble the Comet Pro light. Align the (red back)cable gland low down by mounting bracket and locate the grub screws neatly spaced apart. Its an art form!	Test and enjoy.
Battery connector.
Solder the pins on as shown, place over the small heat shrink	Place the pins into the correct receptacle. Brown (+) to the top, shaped end.	Sleeve with the black heat shrink and place on a sticker.
Cover the warning lable with a clear sleeve.