Best DEWALT DWS779 LED light Upgrade to mod your saw to a DWS780..
This mod is simple and non-invasive to your saw. A bright LED array without cutting any internal wires to your saw. Just like the DWS780, only cheaper. Best of all, it remains integrated in the exact physical placement as the DWS780. All without tampering with the saw's wiring.
Takes only 30 minutes to complete and provides a true shadow-line to your work piece.
Better than relying on lasers as they typically lose alignment.
Shadow-lines never needs to be aligned. On/Off switch is literally at your finger tips.
I recommend using the components lists below. It's cheap and effective. Feel free to
even stack up two to three circuit boards in a step-like formation for a stronger array of brighter light output.
Have any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below and I'll be sure to answer
as best I can.
Components can be purchased here:
LED circuit array: amzn.to/3fj4WhS
Raspberry Pi Power supply with switch: amzn.to/31onmFK
Don't forget to unplug the unit before starting this project and leave it unplugged throughout the duration of the mod until it is complete and you are confident it is installed secure, safe, and ready for use. Wear goggle and respect the laws of electricity!
Because this mod is non-invasive, the mod can be removed or upgraded further.
Disclaimer:
I take no responsibility in your decisions or actions. This video is only for informative purposes. If you choose to perform this modification, you are doing it at your own risk. You need to be comfortable handling electricity, power tools, and modifying your tools. The product(s) warranty may or may not be voided from this mod. You are responsible for your own actions.
You were right about the batteries and rechargeable batteries. I did the battery mod, but I constantly forget to turn it off. Lol. Great upgrade. Thanks again.
Great mod/video...thanks! I just got my DWS779 yesterday (nice saw!) and have the LEDs ordered. The gold tabs and the gold end are not needed so I'm going to trim those off. It will allow me to jumper two units together with the same footprint and will give me three LEDs on each side of the blade. I'll be using a 2200mh rechargeable power-bank with a built in switch, my wife brings them home all the time from conventions she attends 🙂.
The metal on the end of the LED board is a heat sink, to dissipate the heat generated by the LEDs. Trimming that off will shorten the life significantly.
Thanks. I'll be doing this. Don't want to spend the $90 on the kit. All I had to order was the LED lights which are very cheap. Had the other components around. Even if I had to buy the switch/wire that would be very inexpensive too.
The kits are $108 plus tax now! You saved me $80! Thank you! Great Idea!
Awesome !
Fantastic
Great vid!! I looked through your others but did not see anything for your miter saw dust collection, I do plan to make the same box you have.
You're impersonation of Claudine at 9:40 is amazing! Cool video Frank
Thanks Dude!
Okay, so I finished this mod on my saw. I did run into a few problems that I'll share with you. The power supply I used was a Raspberry pi usb-c. Unlike the wire in your case, my ground wire ran unshielded around an inner positive wire. I just twisted the ground wire and wrapped a bit of tape around it, just to be sure nothing would short. Another issue was the wire gauge. Mine was a bit thicker than the channel. You could force it in a little, but the shield sits a little out at the bottom. Finally, where the wire terminates from the shield, I had to make a small notch in the front so the wire could exit. If it didn't, the shield interfered with the blade guard. There is very little clearance between the shield and the guard at this area. I made the notch on the small bump at the bottom. I then hot glued the switch on the top, on the flat between the handle and blade. One thing I think I might try is using some batteries to power the light. This way, you don't need a power strip. Again, thank you sooooo much for this idea!!! It's s like a new saw.
Nice! Thanks for watching and sharing your experience. I love the batterie idea. However, I have admittedly left the led on overnight at times. It doesn’t heat up at all but it will certainly go through batteries. If you go that route, I highly recommend using rechargeable batteries. Enjoy the upgrade. I rely on that shadow line all of the time now. Everything I cut is now spot on and fast to complete.
Perfect!!! Having one arm makes many things in woodworking difficult, so any advantage I can get is a great one. (I do regret buying the newer 779 though as it is a type 22... Basically a stripped down, less functional version of the type 20 and type 21. So I'm debating selling it, to buy the Bosch, or just abusing it until it's dead, and then look into what's available at that time. But for myself, Dewalt has cheapened everything these past 2 years... it's basically getting to a Ryobi level. It's a shame. ) Do thanks for the video and instructional! Look forward to more great, and easy ways to get an.... edge... on my woodworking. (Badumtssss!)
What did they get rid of?
Should have made a cut for us to see.Great video.The 779 are on sale now for 399. The 780 was 499 for awhile this summer but back too 6.
who was selling the 780 for 499?
Ordered the LEDs and I already have the raspberry pi power supply. I also have the saw on a folding stand. Thinking I'll put a small power strip on it so I can power both with one plug. Thank you so much for such a magnificent diy upgrade!!! $5-10 is way better than the cost of the kit or the 780.
Thanks for watching and chiming in! Some have reported their batch of leds to be weaker. If that happens, you can stagger stack them and wire them in parallel. One on top of the other and insulated between the two. Just a tip if that happens.
How has your light held up? The LED you linked has a required input of 5V and 40mA. The lowest powered Raspberry Pi power supply I saw listed was 5V, but 2.5 amps. Phone chargers might seem to be a better match as most put out far less current, but are still rated at 5V.
Nice how to Video
Thanks Kevin!
Thanks for the great idea. I tried it with a three light led. (10 of them was $5) But the lighting in my shop is too bright and washes out the shadow. So since I have 9 more LEDs, I am going to try stacking 2 together to have 6 LEDs hoping that produces a stronger shadow. I would recommend a 6 light LED for anyone that wants to try it. But it is an easy upgrade to do.
That makes sense. Thanks for watching and chiming in! With the way prices are going, my original purchase might be higher wattage LEDs than the ones offered at the price point nowadays. My recommendation to anyone reading this is to get the brightest LEDs you can fit in the footprint of the plastic shroud. Otherwise, stack them in parallel, one above the other and offset (like steps) to shine more light in a brighter shop.
I just tried the link for the Raspberry Pi Power supply with switch and the product that comes up does not look like what I was expecting. I was not expecting the transformer on the end. Why not use a phone charger if you already have a switch that will work?
Hi... you idea is amazing. I have been researching doing exactly this all day (just bought a 779). I am definitely going to do this but with me not having much knowledge on wiring, is there way to wire this to an actual battery (AA or C size) and also have a push button to turn the light on that turns off once it's not pushed? That way you wont burn through a rechargeable pack if you leave it on? I like the rasberry idea but my saw is in a barn so I only have 1 plug. I know you can run a multihead extension cord but the one outlet is shotty in the old barn = dont want to overload. Thank you!!
Hello Norman. Thank you for watching my video and chiming in. I understand your concern. However, the power drawn from a usb power adapter is so miniscule, that I would not worry about it being shared on the same power outlet. I would recommend that you confirm the outlet to be safe before using it for anything at all. I am not sure how disciplined you are with your equipment but I have found myself leaving things accidentally switched on from time to time. No doubt this can be overcome by making a mistake once or twice. However, to spare the need to deal with recharging batteries at the most inconvenient time (per Murphey's Law), I highly recommend you wire the LED light directly to a 5V power source. Furthermore, I definitely recommend you double up on the LED boards by stacking two on top of each other and wire them in parallel to give a brighter output. Many have reached out to me saying two was needed to overcome the dimmer boards found on Amazon. Nothing hard to do but keep that in mind. If you do not understand wiring in parallel vs series, I highly recommend you prime yourself up just a tad on electronic wiring basics before proceeding. KZhead can certainly help you there too! If you still prefer to use a rechargeable battery, simply use 4 batteries (AA or C batts) in series. It will produce 6V rather than 5V but still work just fine as Diodes (and Light Emitting Diodes...LEDs) just needs to use the forward-voltage it wants (not what's given to it), within reason. There are many electronic forums out there. Find one for beginners and there will be many enthusiastic people able to actively help you get you to where you want to be. Cheers and good luck!
Hi, thanks for the upgrade . . . . can you give a little info on your dust collection shroud? How is it connected in back and do you have the ability to uses it while cutting bevels and miters?
Thank for watching! I really wouldn't recommend those shrouds I built as they only help contain 50% of the mess, plus they are only useful for straight cuts. I recently purchased a new replacement dust port for the DWF779, that was engineered as an improved port by another KZhead channel called Shop Nation. I have not installed it yet but I am highly confident it's going to be a game changer. See here: kzhead.info/sun/adhqeqt9paRmZWg/bejne.html
If you are working in a shop with lots of light, the LED is not bright enough. I found that the protective shroud affects the shadow image as well. Looking further at your video, it appears you have a gray shade off the yellow box on either side of your saw that helps the LED project on to your part. Frankly, I am good with having good light around me, line the blade and part up before I cut and go. No need for this extra add on. It was a good experiment trying, only cost a few bucks. Disappointed with the results.
Will try this; parts are ordered. What is the yellow box on the back part of the saw? If it’s dust collection can you do a video on that? Thanks
Where i can bought the led light i was looking on amazon but i dont find them
EBay
So I have to plug it onto a usb every time I want to use it? There’s no way to wire it into the saw?
Sounds like you don’t keep your saw stationary or plugged in at all times. In that case, you could tap into the wiring of the handle/switch. However, this video focuses towards simplicity, safety, and low cost for those that keep their unit stationary and plugged in at all times, ready to go. I’m not sure if it’s inconvenient to plug and unplug a usb adapter if you’re already dealing with the ac power cord anyway but you could consider a portable power bank. You could affix a portable battery pack to the saw for ~$20
@@FranklyRustic awesome. Thank you for the response.
I have 779 and bought the 780 parts to convert it. Dewalt charges you $250 more just for the lighted version. Parts were like $80.
Which parts did you purchase from dewalt to add the light?
Raspberry pi power supply has micro USB or USB C end. Do I cut the ends and solder?
Correct. As long as your knowledgeable and careful about electrical wiring and know what you are doing.
Nay, it's too dim for outdoors. I bought an OEM N030317 LED module with lens for $24 shipped. No need to buy the whole kit for $80. $1 rocker switch and $5 led driver. So for $30 and 2 hours of work (cutting and splicing) I have bright and focused OEM light and no stinky wires around 60lb saw handle. But if you don't move it around I guess it will survive.
Can you provide more details on where to find these parts?
@@NukeChiefMech it was a couple years ago, on ebay
Very enlightening. (sorry).
Hahaha! Thanks!
Supposedly(I haven’t confirmed) the $80 upgrade mod voids the warranty of the saw. Which if true is a massive dealbreaker
But is it “dead on balls accurate”?
I'm never trying it on my balls.
Shaving your nutsack accurate
Is that an industry term?