Hi folks!
Although my battery comes with it's own "weather-resistant casing," it's function is not to be exposed to the elements every day, so I added my own extra weather-resistant case: my daughter's old "Arctic Zone" insulated lunch bag. It has a zippered, nylon-covered plastic box on the bottom that's lined with plastic and is exactly the right size for my 4.5 AH SLA battery. When I arrive at work, I zip it open and out comes the battery (this is a good design because if I ever had to leave my bike outside somewhere I could still take the battery with me to charge when I got inside.) The battery disconnects easily because it uses a cigar-shaped plug for cigarette lighters. You can also use a
standard plug from a hardware store to make your battery portable. In either case, be
absolutely sure to get the polarity right.
I discovered that my red auto tail light draws more power than necessary. I still have an 1:30 hours run time, but that's way down from 2:20. I discovered the 1156 bulb it uses is available in LED form on the net, but so far haven't found it in stores. Or, I can get the ready-made LED light w/dome for about $10 at Auto Zone. Until then, my commute is only an hour and I recharge at work, so
the standard 1156 bulb is fine. In fact, it's kind of bright, which is great! But if I had my 'druthers, I'd go with an automobile LED tail light to reduce the power draw.
My original single-headlamp, 20W system (using my old blinkies in the rear) only cost me $32. Compare that to $50 for a 10W light system.
By adding an extra 35W light, upgrading the light bulbs, waterproofing, adding bright tail light and strobe brought it up to $82. Compare that to $200 for a dual-light system using 10W and 15W (25W combined,) instead of 20W and 35W (55W combined.)
Oh, and my $12 car horn was also possible due to the 12V power source. (Should I add a stereo?)
