I figured since a 9v battery will activate most LED lights it might be a good option as it has enough surface area to attach inside the saddlebags w/3m Dual Lock tape and easy enough to change out. I didn’t even know there were rechargeable 9v batteries with a micro-usb port making recharging very easy.
To activate the lights I decided on a magnetic NO (Normally Open) switch meaning when the two pieces are together the circuit is open and the light will not activate.
The magnetic switch can be about as close as pictured above but obviously you would like to get them as close as possible.
You need to find a place where, once close, they are almost touching and avoid them touching but keeping the saddlebag lid from creating a watertight seal. I used a battery ring doorbell camera and a flashlight in the saddlebag to line them up the way I wanted but you could also use a camera and time lapse shot. I just used some tape to move the switch around then once I found the correct location I marked the outer edges with some blue painters tape and then mixed up the epoxy, applied and put the switches in place and used some gorilla tape to hold them in place firmly. It’s a 15 mins set but I left overnight.
The ribbon LED has some tape on the back, small square, and I used gorilla tape to cover the wires to the inside of the saddlebag and placed the 9v battery someplace where it was easy to get to and used 3m dual lock tape to keep that in place.
End result – open the saddlebag and the light goes on, close it and it goes off. A 9v battery will power that single LED for a very long time, it may be years til I have to recharge it.
Adding Green option for comparison, green provides some more detail but not as good for night vision however, also a good choice.
Items:
1 – two 9v rechargeable batteries
Amazon.com: HW 9V Li-ion Rechargeable Battery, 9 Volt/1000mAh(9000mWh) Long Lasting Rechargeable Batteries with Micro-USB, 1000 Cycles Charge, 1.5 Hrs Fast Charging, LED Indicator, 2 Packs : Health & Household
3 – Magnetic switches
Amazon.com: Gebildet 3 Sets NO/NC Black Magnetic Switch Wiring Recessed Door Sensor Hidden Window Contact Reed Switch for Access Control Replace Alarm System : Industrial & Scientific
4 – Ribbon LED
Amazon.com: Prewired Surface Mount LEDs (5050, Red LED) – 3 Pack : Musical Instruments
