These DIY Bike Signals Are Easy to Make and Last For Ages on One Battery

Being seen when you’re biking is incredibly important, and while we’ve shown you some ways to add signals to your bike before, this method is easy, runs for ages on a single nine-volt battery, is bright as all getout, and is a perfect primer to electronics projects.

You’ll need about $20 worth of supplies to make this happen, and the finished product is extremely long-lasting (the circuit is completely off when not in use, so the battery doesn’t slowly discharge), it’s small and light so it doesn’t get in the way while you bike, and it’s super bright, so drives can clearly you, and the direction you plan to go.

Instead of an Arduino or another microcontroller, Tom decided to wire this up from scratch, with a collection of wires, resistors, diodes, and capacitors—all stuff you can find at a hobby store or online. Check out the full build—including the parts list and the circuit diagrams you’ll need to replicate it yourself at the link below, and you can get a good idea of what’s involved with the build in the video above.