Batteryless bicycle lights dynamo

[iwico]

This batteryless bicycle lights is based on a newly invented generator. No battery is needed, no friction on any parts of the bicycle. It works regardless the bicycle's speed and weather conditions (no like normal dynamo).

Price start from £6.50
DIY kits from £4.00

Details on http://www.freelights.co.uk

[AndrewP]

This works the same way as a regular dynamo - by moving a magnet past an inductive coil. The lack of resistance is due to the low power required to flash 5 LEDs. This will be no way to enable you to see where you are going. I dont find the cost of batteries a burden for my LED headlights or the flashing tail light, and I can do without wires strung around the frame of my bike.

[grapetonix]

I was thinking of making a frictionless generator system myself as I have quite a few bright LED's and a few ample coils... But then, why bother when two rechargeable Ni-MH AA's last like forever. Might as well get a solar charger if you're on a tour or anything.

[tandembrowns]

Just so you know, there's really no such thing as a free lunch. You can produce electricity without mechanical friction, but you're still going to lose energy by doing this. When you put a magnet through an inductive coil, the magnet will experience a force opposing its motion. The work required to push that magnet against that magnetic force is where the electrical energy comes from. So, in a sense, these things still have friction in them, though not the type you usually see. Also, some of that electrical energy you produce gets lost in the resistance in the wires which is another type of friction.

JB

[genec]

Hey for 20 bucks... consider it a backup system to your battery powered lights... kind of a last resort. Perhaps even add a magnet or two.

On my commuting bike I have several redundant systems... A Niterider main lighting system, a backup battery light and flasher, and I used to have a Sanyo generator light, just in case of failure of everything else. The Sanyo system finally wore out, from dirt, wear and vibration. So a back up like this, still sounds better than no lights at all.

BTW the Sanyo did start light long ago as my primary lighting system... so it basically died of old age.