Cold Cathode Bicycle Lights

I reassembled my cold cathode bicycle lights (see this or this or this) for BM 2006. While commuting home last night, a woman caught up to me and asked me where I got them. She was disappointed when I told her that I made them. That got me thinking however...

You can buy these lights online for anywhere from $30 to $100. But if you assemble them from readily available parts, they'll cost around $15 (excluding batteries) and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing they're your handiwork.

So here's the part list:

• Cold Cathode Tubes - used by case-modders to light up the inside of their computer cases. They're basically the backlighting used in laptops. You can buy them locally at CompUSA or a mom & pop computer store. You can get them online at Case-Mod or Xoxide. Skip the black light (ultraviolet) version, they don't emit much visible light (duh - I had to learn the hard way).
• Battery holder - since a typical battery is at 1.5 volts DC, you'll need 8 of them to get 12 VDC, which is what the inverters for the cold cathode tubes take. (The inverters should be included with your cold cathode tubes.) So get a battery holder that holds 8 batteries. I typically use AA because I have lots of those for my electronics, but you'll get longer burn time if you get C or D batteries. These are available locally at Radio Shack, or online at Jameco & All Electronics.
• Zip Lock bag - to hold the batteries and holder so they don't get full of playa and corrode. If you have an old under-the-seat bicycle tool bag, that'll work too (that's what I use).
• Batteries - 8 of them, your choice. I use rechargeables but I also have lots of those.
• (optional) Velcro straps - using these straps is getting fancy, but allows you to easily take the tubes and inverter off your bike. Not necessary for BM, but may be useful if you have more than 1 bike. You'll need 4 of these - 2 per tube, 1 for the inverter, and 1 for the battery pack. If you use a 2 tube setup (still connected to 1 inverter), you'll need 6 straps.

If you're in a hurry, nothing beats local, but be prepared to pay anywhere from 50% to 100% more.