See, I'm afraid I would be comparable to Kobe beef. Nice and marbled.
new headlight
- Thread starter windmill
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See, I'm afraid I would be comparable to Kobe beef. Nice and marbled.
Doug Edwards
New Member
Did I mention mine was $11?
So, what would one search for if one wanted to purchase one of these $11 ebay lights?
FWIW, those lights are great for off road, but highly anti social on public roads and multi use trails. Think car headlight on high beam.
Indeed, however I am not on any trails, and having my daughter drive at me with it, did not seem too bad. All in the aim probably.
Here is the interesting news: Tonight, I switched out controllers to get one with the new firmware. This one shuts off output to the light after a few minutes, something must be heating up and I am over driving the circuit. So I have to do one of two things, put in a switch, or a relay, and wire in another fused drain line on the battery to feed it. Or setup another battery pack for it.
Bummer, the old controller did not have an issue with it, but with an 11 watt load, it must be right at the limit. Thank goodness they have thermal protection built into the circuit. At least I hope it's thermal protection!
Well, having experience with similar lights, all I will say is they are $11 for a reason, be careful, add a in line fuse, and have no expectations.
DIY projects, ebay and Amazon cheapies, I finally came to the conclusion quality lights are a better value in the long run, and having a clear conscious is worth something too.
I'd be keeping an eye on BVC's light, sounds like it may be a good balance of price, quality, performance, and socially responsible. Besides it would be supporting a home grown business and fellow RPB rider.
BVC
Active Member
I'm surprised you don't carry a firearm. I worked on the Mexico border (McAllen) for 2.5 years. No way I'd go anywhere without my XD40sc
BVC
Active Member
The controllers are regulating the power to the headlight wires. This is what killed our spirits at first. But we fought back and found the perfect balance. We use CREE chips and current regulating drivers to maintain a reliable light
I will say tho that 11 watts is pushing past the limits tho
BVC
Active Member
..I'm not sure about "quality". I mean... what if I wanted to make our case out of real wood??? Earthy! lol
It was on the plate. But I don't think wood would hold up too well to the elements over time. Maybe for my personal light I'll make the housing out of wood. Our production line will be either plastic or metal. Unless someone can tell me how to make a durable wood housing that won't have folks saying my light is junk after 4 seasons.. I know there is sealants out there - I'm just not sure how I could coat the housing perfectly without imperfections and get into all the nooks and crannies. I seen the fenders out of wood but those are far easier to coat than a headlight housing...
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Ahhh. Just like a 1940's radio!
Just bought this to wire in somewhere. Not sure where I will put it, but it is small enough to get sunk in some heat shrink..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/122090718432
Just can't forget to put a diode across the coil to kill the back emf.
Just can't forget to put a diode across the coil to kill the back emf.
So I figured why not hack the cheap ebay light to get it to work? I took out one of the four emitters (thus knocking it down to two as they are wired in pairs internally), and now it was drawing about 4 watts. Still tripped up the protection circuit (if there is one) internal to the motor controller.
Bottom line is that the new controller loses its mind with 4 watts, so if you are designing a light to work with the rad product, you need to feed it from a fused line from the battery tray, and just use the light circuit from the controller as a sense line. Not difficult, but maybe above your average Joe to install as soldering and tinkering would be involved. Dunno. The other possiblity is I have a defective controller, or the one that was original was exceptionally robust. Same part number.
With the OEM light, the controller works fine, so that's where I am at now. Might just get a self contained light and be dome with it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IO12B30/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Bottom line is that the new controller loses its mind with 4 watts, so if you are designing a light to work with the rad product, you need to feed it from a fused line from the battery tray, and just use the light circuit from the controller as a sense line. Not difficult, but maybe above your average Joe to install as soldering and tinkering would be involved. Dunno. The other possiblity is I have a defective controller, or the one that was original was exceptionally robust. Same part number.
With the OEM light, the controller works fine, so that's where I am at now. Might just get a self contained light and be dome with it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IO12B30/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I've not gone with any relay yet. And it won't take much of one, a tiny reed relay will work. Only a quarter of an amp will be crossing the contacts. (Just make sure the relay is rated for 60 volts on the contacts). There is some spare space behind the circuit board internal to the ebay light. It *might* fit there. If not, there is not a great place to start running extra wires and keep an elegant solution.
I love the look of a well designed ebike with very few wires and knick knacks exposed. Was looking at a brand new TREK 700 yesterday (not to buy - just wasting time in a great bike store) and the clean lines and light weight are very impressive.
BVC
Active Member
What are your current ratings?
You should be able to run 4watts no problem. But that of course is amps times volts = watts so... post up the specs.
We can pull way more than 4 watts on our test bikes (for our new light)
It is pulling about 120 ma.. Maybe 6 watts with two emitters disconnected. I just spent the evening running a fused wire out of the battery rack and installing a switch on the light itself. Now I'll have two lights, the pusillanimous OEM light, and the shotgun. Pics to come. That battery rack cut the SNOT out of my finger tonight! Sharp edges on that bad boy!
Part of the issue is the original controller had NO ISSUES with this light at full power. The new one they sent me does even at half the power, but it works fine with the OEM light. But I can't really ask Rad to exchange it again for that, as it works fine with their light. A conundrum. I took it for two short rides (Nor Easter here- 3 ft of snow) and it has not failed yet with the OEM light. I really wish it would, I would ask for another one, or have them reprogram my original one.
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EDIT: If I had to do this all over again, I think I would just go for a self powered light. I wanted to use the on board battery. I really like the output of the ebay light, but the Bontrager 800 r is pretty slick, and could charge off the display USB port. I do not know if the charge would work while the light is on however. But I have a 6" usb to usb micro cord that would be perfect. $100. I plan to use the Rover for a commute between work and work supplied housing, a distance of 6 or so miles down a busy secondary road, as well as a dirt road.
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