Review: Solidlights 1203d (long)

[SMS]

Peter Clinch wrote:

>> For now, if you want a "safe and efficient bicycle lighting system"
>> that's reasonably priced you have to go the battery route.
>
> With the caveat of moving them about between bikes noted, the above
> sentence is very much For Some Values Of "have to".

I tend to agree with the statement on Peter White's web site "Only Busch
& Muller makes a 12 volt dynamo that meets the German StVZO requirements
for safe and efficient bicycle lighting system."

I guess it depends on whether you believe that the German requirements
are reasonable. In my extensive experience with German safety agencies,
Germany is very stringent about this sort of product, much more so than
agencies such as British Standards or the U.S. and Canadian agencies.
I've only worked with TUV, not the StVZO (Germany's traffic safety
department), but the thoroughness extends across agencies.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Tim McNamara wrote:
>>
>> Until a generator system offers comparable convenience and power --
>> 5W/200 lumens --
>
>This has been debated at length in other threads and doesn't need to be
>repeated here. Basically, enough light is enough light and more is not
>necessarily better.

That's not the issue. You can get a 5W/200 lumens generator system, what
you can't easily get is one _at the same price as a comparable battery
system_ (and Luke did say "at the Dinotte's price"), at least so long as
you can usually use rechargeables in the battery system. The dynamo system
will be less hassle, but different people with different riding habits will
value that differently.


> I'm also interested in
>the Solidlight 1203D but there are no unfortunately photos of the beam
>on their Web site.

http://www.meiring.org.uk/pdm/Audax/SolidLights_Review.shtml has some
beam photos of the 1203D.


>> Consider: a significant benefit of the Dinotte is that it can be
>> switched between my several bikes in less than 2 minutes - no
>> exaggeration; it's also relatively cheap, (on sale the Dinotte Ultra
>> 5, complete with 4 NiMH AAs and charger, cost IIRC $120 @
>> westernbikeworks.com), lightweight, durable and waterproof (so far!).
>
>At the risk of it being on the wrong bike if you get caught out at night
>when you weren't planning on it.

A dynamo system is harder to swap from bike to bike, and if you put one
on all your bikes the cost goes up further.

 

[SMS]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:

> I have a Dinotte, and the AA rechargeble's are the way to go. I tried
> Lithium AA's and they went dark way to quick. Sometimes the bumping
> will knock an AA loose, and you lose the light, but I solved it easily
> by putting a rubber band around the holder and the bats, so they can't
> shake loose. The only thing about the DiNotte light, is that it is a
> flood, and the spot doesn't go out very far. So you still need a spot
> way out front. I'm planning on getting a fenix L2d-ce flashlight, with
> a twofish cyclopblock to hold it, to put a spot way out there.
> Presently I use a cateye el-500 to get a spot, but that light is barely
> adequate in my opinion.

It's great that Fenix is also selling the Twofish Cycloblock, for some
reason these have become very hard to find. No bike shops seem to carry
them anymore.

Also take a look at
"http://www.eliteled.com/products/accessory/flholder.html". This company
sells the Fenix flashlights, and their flashlight holder looks a little
better than the TwoFish method because it swivels.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, SMS wrote:
>
>It's too bad there are no 12V/6W hub dynamos yet, not that I've found
>anyway.

Most if not all hub dynamos will put 12V across a 6W load.

 

[Peter Clinch]

SMS wrote:

> I tend to agree with the statement on Peter White's web site "Only Busch
> & Muller makes a 12 volt dynamo that meets the German StVZO requirements
> for safe and efficient bicycle lighting system."

But is that "safe, efficient, and meets the standards, period", or
"safe, efficient, meets the standards *and* that happens to be a 12V
dynamo"? I think it's the latter. Plenty of non-12W systems are quite
safe, /and/ pass German standards.

> I guess it depends on whether you believe that the German requirements
> are reasonable. In my extensive experience with German safety agencies,
> Germany is very stringent about this sort of product, much more so than
> agencies such as British Standards or the U.S. and Canadian agencies.
> I've only worked with TUV, not the StVZO (Germany's traffic safety
> department), but the thoroughness extends across agencies.

So how come it's considered perfectly reasonable by the Germans to go
around with 6V dynamos, as practically all of their cycling population
do? Looks as though you've mis-read the statement above to fit your
preconceptions.

Why do I think a standard Schmidt SON is safe and efficient? Because I
never have any problems when I'm riding around with it running my lights
so I can see where I'm going. Still, when did direct empirical evidence
ever help anyone?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[David Damerell]

Quoting Alan Braggins <[email protected]>:
>Tim McNamara wrote:
>>>Until a generator system offers comparable convenience and power --
>>>5W/200 lumens --
>>This has been debated at length in other threads and doesn't need to be
>>repeated here. Basically, enough light is enough light and more is not
>>necessarily better.
>That's not the issue. You can get a 5W/200 lumens generator system, what
>you can't easily get is one _at the same price as a comparable battery
>system_ (and Luke did say "at the Dinotte's price"),

That's not quite what Tim is saying, though; what he's saying (which I
agree with) is if you don't mind abandoning the headline 5W figure you can
get just as many photons in useful places for the same price.
--
OPTIONS=name:Kirsty,menustyle:C,female,lit_corridor,standout,time,showexp,hilit
e_pet,catname:Akane,dogname:Ryoga,fruitkonomiyaki,pickup_types:"!$?=/,scores:
5 top/2 around,color,boulder:0,autoquiver,autodig,disclose:yiyayvygyc,pickup_bu
rden:burdened,!cmdassist,msg_window:reversed,!sparkle,horsename:Rumiko,showrace

 

[dkahn400]

On Sep 10, 12:48 am, Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
> dkahn400 <[email protected]> wrote:
> > The unit gives a general wash of light with a very bright central
> > area. Best results seem to be obtained by angling the unit down far
> > more than you would with most lights so the bright spot is 4 - 5
> > yards in front of the bike. The road beyond the bright spot will
> > still be lit well enough to travel confidently at 30 mph, both verges
> > will be plainly visible, and distant signposts will light up. With
> > the unit angled down like this oncoming vehicles will not be dazzled
> > but you will still get comments from people about how bright the
> > lights seem.
>
> Is this mounted at the handlebar or lower? I mount my lights about
> level with the top of the tire.

Mounted on the fork crown in my case.

--
Dave...

 

[SMS]

Alan Braggins wrote:

> A dynamo system is harder to swap from bike to bike, and if you put one
> on all your bikes the cost goes up further.

For very long night rides, i.e. randonneuring, the expense of a good
dynamo system makes sense.

For commuting, you usually want a brighter, safer system, and it's easy
to get into the habit of charging your battery pack (or batteries) when
you get home.

The Cree LED flashlights look to be a very good choice for an
economical, bright bicycle light. They provide about 2.5x the
illumination of a halogen 3W lamp that is typically used with a dynamo
system.

As to the SolidLight, it looks like there is finally a very good
headlight for dynamo _or_ battery powered systems, though it's very
expensive.

Peter White's site states "The DH-3N70/71 hub can power either a single
headlight with a 3 watt bulb, or a 2.4 watt headlight and .6 watt
taillight combination." I presume that this is not correct if the
SolidLight has two LEDs, each drawing 3 watts.

While the SON hub can power two 3W lamps, you have to be going at least
10mph to have adequate light output.

 

[SMS]

Alan Braggins wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, SMS wrote:
>> It's too bad there are no 12V/6W hub dynamos yet, not that I've found
>> anyway.
>
> Most if not all hub dynamos will put 12V across a 6W load.

Right, but at what rpm for the hub, and speed for the bicycle? Maybe
it'd work great on a Brompton!

 

[M-gineering]

SMS wrote:

> I guess it depends on whether you believe that the German requirements
> are reasonable.


they are very detailed, but not well suited to current technology. And
they are not written as a minimum requirement only but do limit
lightoutput too. I can't see the point in worrying about them on the
other side of the globe!
--
/Marten

info(apestaartje)m-gineering(punt)nl

 

[Clive George]

"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Alan Braggins wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>, SMS wrote:
>>> It's too bad there are no 12V/6W hub dynamos yet, not that I've found
>>> anyway.
>>
>> Most if not all hub dynamos will put 12V across a 6W load.
>
> Right, but at what rpm for the hub, and speed for the bicycle? Maybe it'd
> work great on a Brompton!

At 12mph plus. Slower than that, eg going uphill, and you don't need the
full 6W - 3W is entirely adequate. Heck, I regularly find 3W adequate at >
30mph on unlit roads...

clive

 

[Clive George]

"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> For very long night rides, i.e. randonneuring, the expense of a good
> dynamo system makes sense.
>
> For commuting, you usually want a brighter, safer system, and it's easy to
> get into the habit of charging your battery pack (or batteries) when you
> get home.

<snort> I've got a bright, safe system on a bike which gets commuting-type
use, and I don't need to charge it. Ever. Suits me very well.

> Peter White's site states "The DH-3N70/71 hub can power either a single
> headlight with a 3 watt bulb, or a 2.4 watt headlight and .6 watt
> taillight combination." I presume that this is not correct if the
> SolidLight has two LEDs, each drawing 3 watts.

The dynamos are designed to provice at a minimum 3W at 6 volts, as Peter
White's site says. However, as I believe he mentions (ooh yes - look, it's
even on the same page as the bit you quoted), they can produce higher power
too - they're essentially current-limited devices, not voltage-limited. Do
you understand the electrics stuff here, or do you need it explaining?

> While the SON hub can power two 3W lamps, you have to be going at least
> 10mph to have adequate light output.

German rules state adequte light output from 5.5 mph - you appear to have
selective vision wrt Peter White's site, as he says it there. The SON is
German, and legal over there, so it can provide that output.

The SolidLight only draws what power is available - so as you slow down your
light will dim from "more than adequate" to "adequate".

clive

 

[Peter Clinch]

SMS wrote:

> For commuting, you usually want a brighter, safer system, and it's easy
> to get into the habit of charging your battery pack (or batteries) when
> you get home.

Well, you say "you", so i'll take that as "me". And I don't, actually.
I want something that doesn't require me to bugger about with charging
anything, ever, and is bright /enough/ for the job. I used to have a
brighter rechargeable 10W system and I gave it away because it turns out
I didn't "usually" want it.

> While the SON hub can power two 3W lamps, you have to be going at least
> 10mph to have adequate light output.

Well that's not really a problem, because below 10 mph you need damn all
light to be safe except in a "be seen" manner, and you'll get quite
enough for that.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, SMS wrote:
>
>The Cree LED flashlights look to be a very good choice for an
>economical, bright bicycle light. They provide about 2.5x the
>illumination of a halogen 3W lamp that is typically used with a dynamo
>system.

That's because Cree LEDs are more efficient than 3W halogen bulbs,
nothing to do with whether they are powered by batteries or dynamos,
and ignores the fact that a typical dynamo light has a better beam
pattern for road use than a flashlight.


>Peter White's site states "The DH-3N70/71 hub can power either a single
>headlight with a 3 watt bulb, or a 2.4 watt headlight and .6 watt
>taillight combination." I presume that this is not correct if the
>SolidLight has two LEDs, each drawing 3 watts.

It's correct, but it's not the whole story, which is why Peter's site
goes on to explain secondary light setups.


>While the SON hub can power two 3W lamps, you have to be going at least
>10mph to have adequate light output.

With two unswitched non-LED based lights and no series capacitor
(like that in the E6z), maybe. Don't do that then.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, SMS wrote:
>Alan Braggins wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>, SMS wrote:
>>> It's too bad there are no 12V/6W hub dynamos yet, not that I've found
>>> anyway.
>>
>> Most if not all hub dynamos will put 12V across a 6W load.
>
>Right, but at what rpm for the hub, and speed for the bicycle? Maybe
>it'd work great on a Brompton!

Bromptons have narrower than usual hubs, so it would have to be be a
SON XS, which is specifically designed for the higher rpm of smaller
wheels at the same speed. But if you wanted unnecessarily higher output
at lower revs you could build a SON XS with spacers into a large wheel.

 

[Clive George]

"Alan Braggins" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Bromptons have narrower than usual hubs, so it would have to be be a
> SON XS, which is specifically designed for the higher rpm of smaller
> wheels at the same speed. But if you wanted unnecessarily higher output
> at lower revs you could build a SON XS with spacers into a large wheel.

T'other way round - XS produces less per rpm than the ones designed for big
wheels.

cheers,
clive

 

[M-gineering]

Alan Braggins wrote:

> Bromptons have narrower than usual hubs, so it would have to be be a
> SON XS, which is specifically designed for the higher rpm of smaller
> wheels at the same speed. But if you wanted unnecessarily higher output
> at lower revs you could build a SON XS with spacers into a large wheel.

All 'normal' SON hubs are available in a version for 20" wheels, and the
XS is available with a 100mm wide axle. Built in a large wheel the
dynamo's for 20" give less output/resistance at a given speed
--
/Marten

info(apestaartje)m-gineering(punt)nl

 

[Dane Buson]

In rec.bicycles.misc Dave Larrington <[email protected]> wrote:
> In news:[email protected],
> Tim McNamara <[email protected]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:
>
>> Good grief, what a blessed nuisance to have to carry four sets of
>> batteries and swap them out every two hours. Why not just use a
>> generator system?
>
> Tch! You're just being silly, Tim. Surely /everybody/ knows that neither
> LED lights nor dynamo systems are suitable for actually seeing where one is
> going at night.
> </thudding_irony>

Funny. That's not the opinion of the fellow who flipped me off last
night and yelled at me "Dim your lights asshole!". I didn't think it
was *that* bright, but evidently I was mistaken. I'll have to be much
more careful of other cyclists on the commute this winter than with my
old light.

--
Dane Buson - [email protected]
"We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."

 

[SMS]

M-gineering wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>
>> It's too bad there are no 12V/6W hub dynamos yet, not that I've found
>> anyway.
>
> Of course you /could/ Google on '12v/6w AND dynamo', but that wouldn't
> be sporting

Which would show you 12V/6W bottle dynamos. Sure the SON can be pushed
to that at higher speeds, but it's not practical for many users.

 

[A R:nen]

SMS <[email protected]> writes:

> I've only worked with TUV, not the StVZO (Germany's
> traffic safety department), but the thoroughness extends across
> agencies.

StVZO is the German Road Vehicles Act (or something to that effect,
not a literal translation), not an organization.