dynamo lighting

  • Thread starter Zebee Johnstone
  • Start date



On 2006-03-10, Travis (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> As another person in this thread noted, LED torches are much more
> energy efficient than incandescent torches, so the batteries last a lot
> longer.


They're not a lot more efficient -- 2 times at most. What they are is
a lot less power (unless you're paying for a luxeon). Most worthwhile
incandescent bulbs are at least 2.4W, whereas people seem perfectly
content with 0.2W LEDs which barely light up a dark low speed path.

--
TimC
Five is a sufficiently close approximation to infinity.
-- Robert Firth
 
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:32:58 GMT
TimC <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> They're not a lot more efficient -- 2 times at most. What they are is
> a lot less power (unless you're paying for a luxeon). Most worthwhile
> incandescent bulbs are at least 2.4W, whereas people seem perfectly
> content with 0.2W LEDs which barely light up a dark low speed path.


Picked up some cute little driving lights from SuperCheap today. 55w
halogen 12v, but Jaycar have 3w and 10w bulbs that will fit.

Anyone got any idea where I can get 6v halogen bulbs? Not MR16
lights, but bulbs, similar to Jaycar SL2722 but 6v?

12v seems like I'd have to carry too much battery around.

Zebee
 
TimC <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 2006-03-10, Travis (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>> As another person in this thread noted, LED torches are much more
>> energy efficient than incandescent torches, so the batteries last a lot
>> longer.

>
>They're not a lot more efficient -- 2 times at most. What they are is
>a lot less power (unless you're paying for a luxeon). Most worthwhile
>incandescent bulbs are at least 2.4W, whereas people seem perfectly
>content with 0.2W LEDs which barely light up a dark low speed path.

Tim,

When comparing lights of different types, don't confuse Wattage with
light output. Wattage is a measure of power input, not light output.
For example an 8W fluro puts out a similar amout of light to a 60W
incandecent (tungsten fillament). Halogen bulbs put out more light per
watt than tungsten bulbs.

That said I am not sure how LEDs compare with tungesten or halogen for
light output.

Ted.
==============================================================
| Ted Linnell <[email protected]> |
| |
| Nunawading, Victoria , Australia |
==============================================================
 
On 2006-03-11, Ted Linnell (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> TimC <[email protected]> wrote:
>>On 2006-03-10, Travis (aka Bruce)
>> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>>> As another person in this thread noted, LED torches are much more
>>> energy efficient than incandescent torches, so the batteries last a lot
>>> longer.

>>
>>They're not a lot more efficient -- 2 times at most.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>What they are is
>>a lot less power (unless you're paying for a luxeon). Most worthwhile
>>incandescent bulbs are at least 2.4W, whereas people seem perfectly
>>content with 0.2W LEDs which barely light up a dark low speed path.

> Tim,
>
> When comparing lights of different types, don't confuse Wattage with
> light output. Wattage is a measure of power input, not light output.
> For example an 8W fluro puts out a similar amout of light to a 60W
> incandecent (tungsten fillament). Halogen bulbs put out more light per
> watt than tungsten bulbs.
>
> That said I am not sure how LEDs compare with tungesten or halogen for
> light output.


A factor of two or so for halogen, tungsten is a bit crapper though.
Not that much. Tis what I am saying. In fact, I'm not even sure of
that. I am not convinced that a 5W luxeon (LED) is any brighter than
a 5W halogen. I reckon they are *fainter*!

I'd love to put flourescent lights on my bike, but as Zebee mentioned
once, you'd need big optics. The next step in efficiency is of course
the HID. Want!

--
TimC
The triangle wheel was an improvement upon the square wheel:
It eliminates one bump. -- unknown
 
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:58:11 +0000, Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> Anyone got any idea where I can get 6v halogen bulbs? Not MR16 lights,
> but bulbs, similar to Jaycar SL2722 but 6v?


Rare as hen's teeth, and generally expensive, depending on exactly what
you're after. Stick with 12V. P=VI remember? So you halve your current for
a given power with 12V instead of 6, and 12V stuff is a lot easier to get
hold of.

The only problem is that a lot of "12V" stuff is actually automotive, and
should say 13.2V. They work off 12V, but are a little dull compared to
runing off 13.2.

--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
Love wouldn't be blind if the braille wasn't so damned much fun.
- Armistead Maupin
 
On 2006-03-11, Random Data (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> The only problem is that a lot of "12V" stuff is actually automotive, and
> should say 13.2V. They work off 12V, but are a little dull compared to
> runing off 13.2.


Do you mean 13.8, or is 13.8 the charging voltage, and 13.2 the
nominal battery voltage when not being charged?

--
TimC
I hereby declare that from now on, the singular of "people" is "peopum".
-- Kibo
 
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 13:44:18 +1100
Random Data <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:58:11 +0000, Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>
>> Anyone got any idea where I can get 6v halogen bulbs? Not MR16 lights,
>> but bulbs, similar to Jaycar SL2722 but 6v?

>
> Rare as hen's teeth, and generally expensive, depending on exactly what
> you're after. Stick with 12V. P=VI remember? So you halve your current for
> a given power with 12V instead of 6, and 12V stuff is a lot easier to get
> hold of.
>


So what would be a good 12v to get? I suppose I just get a smallish
12v SLA and wing it?

Zebee
 
http://www.reflectalite.com/halogenpage.html

--
Bob C
"Zebee Johnstone" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 13:44:18 +1100
> Random Data <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:58:11 +0000, Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>>
>>> Anyone got any idea where I can get 6v halogen bulbs? Not MR16 lights,
>>> but bulbs, similar to Jaycar SL2722 but 6v?

>>
>> Rare as hen's teeth, and generally expensive, depending on exactly what
>> you're after. Stick with 12V. P=VI remember? So you halve your current
>> for
>> a given power with 12V instead of 6, and 12V stuff is a lot easier to get
>> hold of.
>>

>
> So what would be a good 12v to get? I suppose I just get a smallish
> 12v SLA and wing it?
>
> Zebee
 
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 02:43:00 +0000, TimC wrote:

> A factor of two or so for halogen, tungsten is a bit crapper though. Not
> that much. Tis what I am saying. In fact, I'm not even sure of that. I
> am not convinced that a 5W luxeon (LED) is any brighter than a 5W halogen.
> I reckon they are *fainter*!


That's odd. My 5W Luxeon seems brighter in close, but doesn't throw as far
as my 10W halogen. That's a home brew halogen, so not quite as bright as a
Vista, etc. Of course, now I just use HID. MWuhahahahaha!

--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
O Canada, we stand ready to sit down and discuss our problems in a
civilized fashion for thee. -- wednesday
 
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 05:33:41 +0000, Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> So what would be a good 12v to get? I suppose I just get a smallish 12v
> SLA and wing it?


12V 10W is fairly easy to get, but 20W is easier. 5W seems very dull. If
you hunt around you should be able to get a 10W MR11 with about a 12
degree spread.

As far as batteries go if you've got something around 7Ah from the moto it
should be OK. www.oatleyelectronics.com have good prices for those, and
TLE are reasonable as well. Jaycar and DSE are a bit pricey.

If you're only doing sub hour stuff you should be able to get away with a
4Ah SLA. It may be worth considering NiMH cells if you've already got a
charger.

--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
"The problem with people whose minds are in the gutter is that they keep
blocking my periscope."
 
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 02:50:30 +0000, TimC wrote:

> Do you mean 13.8, or is 13.8 the charging voltage, and 13.2 the nominal
> battery voltage when not being charged?


I think I do actually, but 13.2 is what you get when you chuck an extra
NiMH cell at it!

--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
"Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what *can*
you believe?!" - Bullwinkle J. Moose
 
Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> I've got the non-quick-release wheels and seat, any lights will have
> to be capable of being left on the bike so it takes a determined thief
> with tools to rip the bits off. It won't be left all day like that,
> but I'm damned if it will take longer to park it than the errand
> takes!


The light referred to takes 1 second to take off and about three seconds
to put on. Four second errand? Oh add two seconds for the rear flasher.

Easiest way to make sure your lights are safe is to take them with you.
Given that lights are essential to night time survival I'll happily
pay ten seconds each time I leave my bike locked up at night. YMMV.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)
 
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 20:14:53 +1100
Random Data <[email protected]> wrote:
> 12V 10W is fairly easy to get, but 20W is easier. 5W seems very dull. If
> you hunt around you should be able to get a 10W MR11 with about a 12
> degree spread.


Right now I have 2 little driving light housings using 2 pin bulbs.
The ones in it are 55W, Jaycar has 10W ones.

> As far as batteries go if you've got something around 7Ah from the moto it
> should be OK. www.oatleyelectronics.com have good prices for those, and
> TLE are reasonable as well. Jaycar and DSE are a bit pricey.


Ouch! 2.6kg! OK, I am not into saving grams, but that's a whole
different thing...

> If you're only doing sub hour stuff you should be able to get away with a
> 4Ah SLA. It may be worth considering NiMH cells if you've already got a
> charger.


I expect to be doing 60-90 mins. Possibly not with both lights all
the time, but at least one.

Take a fair few NiMH wouldn't it?

Zebee
 
On 11 Mar 2006 11:07:52 GMT, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:

>I expect to be doing 60-90 mins. Possibly not with both lights all
>the time, but at least one.
>
>Take a fair few NiMH wouldn't it?


Where its well lit you just need to be seen, flashing leds do that well.
A convenient on/off switch for your seeing light stretches the batteries.

Which is the weakness of a HID, turning it back on hot hurts the expensive bulb.

Andre
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

> I expect to be doing 60-90 mins. Possibly not with both lights all
> the time, but at least one.
>
> Take a fair few NiMH wouldn't it?
>
> Zebee
>


Damn! Its not time to get the lights out already is it? Dark days of
winter loom.

I did a fair bit of messing around with lights last year after being
less than happy with the little LED lights I was packing. This site was
rather useful: http://bicyclelighting.com/ and source of a fair amount
of good advice.

Or from someone a little closer to home, have a read of the Fat Hippie's
pages at http://members.iinet.net.au/~fathers/lightstoc.htm

Anyway, I ended up with 2 * 20watt halogens (one spot and one flood) and
a 12 volt alarm strobe for a tail light. All three have a separate
on/off switch. I have a 30 minute commute each way which hardly seemed
to stress the 7aH SLA at all. Might try a smaller one this year in a
pathetic attempt to reduce weight.

There are some pictures of my setup on a blog I abandoned some time
ago.. If you can stand being redirected to a crappy "spaces" blog, have
a look at the happy snaps here: http://tinyurl.com/z93oz

--
Flaps
 
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:28:33 +1100
Aeek <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 11 Mar 2006 11:07:52 GMT, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I expect to be doing 60-90 mins. Possibly not with both lights all
>>the time, but at least one.
>>
>>Take a fair few NiMH wouldn't it?

>
> Where its well lit you just need to be seen, flashing leds do that well.
> A convenient on/off switch for your seeing light stretches the batteries.


At the rear yes, the flashing front ones don't seem to be as good,
I'm not sure why. Speaking as a motor vehicle pilot.

Zebee
 
In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:45:54 +1100
flaps <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Anyway, I ended up with 2 * 20watt halogens (one spot and one flood) and
> a 12 volt alarm strobe for a tail light. All three have a separate
> on/off switch. I have a 30 minute commute each way which hardly seemed
> to stress the 7aH SLA at all. Might try a smaller one this year in a
> pathetic attempt to reduce weight.


6 or 12v halogens?

Zebee
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:45:54 +1100
> flaps <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Anyway, I ended up with 2 * 20watt halogens (one spot and one flood) and
> > a 12 volt alarm strobe for a tail light. All three have a separate
> > on/off switch. I have a 30 minute commute each way which hardly seemed
> > to stress the 7aH SLA at all. Might try a smaller one this year in a
> > pathetic attempt to reduce weight.

>
> 6 or 12v halogens?
>
> Zebee
>


12v. Nice and bright. I've been mistaken for a motorcycle more than
once by cars coming the other way on suburban streets and giving way to
me which is nice. I went with 12v mainly because of cost. I already had
a 12v charger so all I needed to buy was the battery (about $20) and the
globes. The rest was just out of the junk box.

--
Flaps
 
TimC wrote:
> On 2006-03-11, Ted Linnell (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>
>>TimC <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>On 2006-03-10, Travis (aka Bruce)
>>> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>>>
>>>>As another person in this thread noted, LED torches are much more
>>>>energy efficient than incandescent torches, so the batteries last a lot
>>>>longer.
>>>
>>>They're not a lot more efficient -- 2 times at most.

>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>>>What they are is
>>>a lot less power (unless you're paying for a luxeon). Most worthwhile
>>>incandescent bulbs are at least 2.4W, whereas people seem perfectly
>>>content with 0.2W LEDs which barely light up a dark low speed path.

>>
>>Tim,
>>
>>When comparing lights of different types, don't confuse Wattage with
>>light output. Wattage is a measure of power input, not light output.
>>For example an 8W fluro puts out a similar amout of light to a 60W
>>incandecent (tungsten fillament). Halogen bulbs put out more light per
>>watt than tungsten bulbs.
>>
>>That said I am not sure how LEDs compare with tungesten or halogen for
>>light output.

>
>
> A factor of two or so for halogen, tungsten is a bit crapper though.
> Not that much. Tis what I am saying. In fact, I'm not even sure of
> that. I am not convinced that a 5W luxeon (LED) is any brighter than
> a 5W halogen. I reckon they are *fainter*!
>


You've got to be joking!
I've used both and a 5 watt Luxeon is at least the equivalent of a 10
watt halogen. I have a box of unused halogens because the Luxeons are
just so much better.

> I'd love to put flourescent lights on my bike, but as Zebee mentioned
> once, you'd need big optics. The next step in efficiency is of course
> the HID. Want!
>
 
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:29:59 GMT, Friday <[email protected]> wrote:

>I've used both and a 5 watt Luxeon is at least the equivalent of a 10
>watt halogen. I have a box of unused halogens because the Luxeons are
>just so much better.


and of a 3W Luxeon SuzyJ writes
> In use, it's about as bright as my old 5W halogen, with a similar beam shape, but uses half the power.


http://www.littlefishbicycles.com/bikelight/index.html


Andre