LightSPIN generator-changing sides possible?

Sheldon Brown said:

I have a couple of LightSPIN generators, ("dynamos" for our British
friends) but now that I can't ride bikes any more, I would like to be
able to put one of them on my Greenspeed trike.
Unfortunately, the "handedness" of my LightSPINs is the opposite of
what the Greenspeed's braze on requires. Needs to mount on the back
side of the left "seat stay."
Does anybody know if it's possible to switch the spring around in
these?
Sheldon "In The Dark" Brown

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.
(unlikely, if Harris doesn't have one...)

I suppose you've ruled out the other side of the bike for some reason or
another (left front facing = right rear facing)?
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

I was afraid of that.

However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

Quoted message said:

I suppose you've ruled out the other side of the bike for some reason or
another (left front facing = right rear facing)?

The Greenspeed has a very nice braze-on for this purpose, and it would
seem excessively mono-buttocked to ignore it. Maybe I'll have to
spring for Busch & Müller...

Sheldon "Ambichiaral" Brown

Sheldon Brown said:

The Greenspeed has a very nice braze-on for this purpose, and it would
seem excessively mono-buttocked to ignore it. Maybe I'll have to
spring for Busch & Müller...

Good idea..., uh how much do you want for the Lightspin? I'm no purist,
I'll use a bracket, home made if necessary.

Did anyone ever find out what caused Lightspin to cease production? Was
it slow sales, undercaptilization, or was there some other reason?

Maybe the aluminium bracket no. 406ALU from Busch & Müller could
be useful

Best Regards

Carlos

Sheldon Brown said:

I have a couple of LightSPIN generators, ("dynamos" for our British
friends) but now that I can't ride bikes any more, I would like to be
able to put one of them on my Greenspeed trike.

Unfortunately, the "handedness" of my LightSPINs is the opposite of
what the Greenspeed's braze on requires. Needs to mount on the back
side of the left "seat stay."

Does anybody know if it's possible to switch the spring around in
these?

Sheldon "In The Dark" Brown
+---------------------------------------+
| There's nothing like not being dead |
| to improve a fellow's outlook. |
| -- Michael Flynn |
+---------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com
Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown said:

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

I was afraid of that.

However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

I first saw that word a few months ago when Andy used it in a
discussion of swapping a rim while reusing spokes. I'm pretty sure he
made it up. 🙂

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

Quoted message said:

Sheldon Brown said:

I was afraid of that.
However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

Hank Wirtz said:

I first saw that word a few months ago when Andy used it in a
discussion of swapping a rim while reusing spokes. I'm pretty sure he
made it up. 🙂

One of my ex-employees is a hot researcher in organic chemistry.
http://www.yellowjersey.org/JRJACK07.JPG

Controlling chirality is a sticky problem for scaling up organic
synthesis as you otherwise get reversed and upside down versions besides
what you want.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"Hank Wirtz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sheldon Brown said:

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

I was afraid of that.

However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

I first saw that word a few months ago when Andy used it in a
discussion of swapping a rim while reusing spokes. I'm pretty sure he
made it up. 🙂

Try doing organic chemistry without coming across the term. See Thalidomide
for a particularly spectacular example.

More mundanely, it's what explains some things about sugar names. A chiral
compound will rotate the plane of polarised light (see eg minerals between
crossed polarising filters under a microscope - very pretty). So Dextrose
(glucose) rotates the plane of polarised light to the right. Laevolose
(fructose) rotates it to the left. Hence the original names for these (or
rather the particular stereoisomers found in nature).

Sugar/sucrose rotates the plane of polarised light to the right. Sucrose is
a dimer of glucose and fructose, so if you hydrolyse it (split it), it'll
give those two monomers. The fructose a strong rotator of polarised light,
so the net result is that a partially hydrolysed solution of sucrose, ie a
mix of sucrose, glucose and fructose, will rotate the plane of polarised
light to the left. And this is where the "Invert" bit of "Invert sugar
syrup" (eg Golden Syrup) comes from.

cheers,
clive

A Muzi said:

One of my ex-employees is a hot researcher in organic chemistry.

Pot smoker?

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

One of my ex-employees is a hot researcher in organic chemistry.

Bill Sornson said:

Pot smoker?

Probably, give the general run of bike mechanics.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Sheldon Brown said:

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

I was afraid of that.

However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

Quoted message said:

I suppose you've ruled out the other side of the bike for some reason or
another (left front facing = right rear facing)?

The Greenspeed has a very nice braze-on for this purpose, and it would
seem excessively mono-buttocked to ignore it. Maybe I'll have to
spring for Busch & Müller...

Have you disassembled the generator mount and looked at the mechanical
details? Before I gave up on the Lightspin, I'd at least try that.

IME, generator mounts are simple devices. Winding a spring from hobby
shop music wire isn't very difficult. There's a chance that you could
turn things around - re-chiralitize it? ;-) - by inverting or by
fabricating mirror-image versions of other components for the mount.

If you do take it apart, it would be interesting to see a photo.

- Frank Krygowski

Quoted message said:

Sheldon Brown said:

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

Quoted message said:

I was afraid of that.

Quoted message said:

However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I suppose you've ruled out the other side of the bike for some reasonor
another (left front facing = right rear facing)?

Quoted message said:

The Greenspeed has a very nice braze-on for this purpose, and it would
seem excessively mono-buttocked to ignore it. Maybe I'll have to
spring for Busch & Müller...

Have you disassembled the generator mount and looked at the mechanical
details? Before I gave up on the Lightspin, I'd at least try that.

IME, generator mounts are simple devices. Winding a spring from hobby
shop music wire isn't very difficult. There's a chance that you could
turn things around - re-chiralitize it?

I did that with a Slinky once. Probably harder with a heavier spring.

Hank Wirtz said:

I did that with a Slinky once.

Family newsgroup, buddy.

(I still got it.)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Andy Muzi said:

The springs wind with different chirality so you'd need a new spring.

Quoted message said:

Sheldon Brown said:

I was afraid of that.
However, it was worth the effort to learn a cool new word:
"chirality" ;-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I suppose you've ruled out the other side of the bike for some reason or
another (left front facing = right rear facing)?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Greenspeed has a very nice braze-on for this purpose, and it would
seem excessively mono-buttocked to ignore it. Maybe I'll have to
spring for Busch & Müller...

Quoted message said:

Have you disassembled the generator mount and looked at the mechanical
details? Before I gave up on the Lightspin, I'd at least try that.
IME, generator mounts are simple devices. Winding a spring from hobby
shop music wire isn't very difficult. There's a chance that you could
turn things around - re-chiralitize it? ;-) - by inverting or by
fabricating mirror-image versions of other components for the mount.
If you do take it apart, it would be interesting to see a photo.

I thought more about this. Since LightSpin offered both sides perhaps a
trade could be arranged with some LightSpin owner?
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971