Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Just Ordered a Dinotte 600L and 140L Combo.

Here are a couple more of the set-up from last night..

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4334/light13iu3.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/480/light14hw5.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/6528/light15th3.jpg

You guys already have snow?

OK, the planned test did not go exactly as planned. It was later than I wanted to be, due to company tonight. When I got out I realized the batteries in the 200L were not the fresh set I though I had. Add to that that it has been lightly snowing all day. Everywhere the white snow is reflecting the light, making it hard to capture the images on the camera.


I suppose even though it has snowed, all the shots are relative. I may try this again, however I think the snow is here to stay.

Holy $hit! I'm blind! I'm bliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys already have snow?

Snow and ice... The temperatures have been about -10C to -3 during the day.

These photos are from my commute home today. The temp was -1C, on the way home, -9C on the way to work in the morning.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/472/iceridewx5.jpg
Coming on to the Broadway Bridge

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9729/iceride3bz9.jpg
On the bridge

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2606/iceride1on3.jpg
Shot with more flash

Holy $hit! I'm blind! I'm bliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


:roflmao:

darn! i tried NOT to buy the DiNotte lights since quite some time. now i need something new to drool over. i ordered them friday afternoon and they arrived the next day, saturday, at 8:33am.

from taking the order to having it picked it up in under 2 hours plus USPS being fast for a change. i'm very impressed with the speed. only the pizza joint at the corner delivers faster :-).

can't wait to try them after work today.

a


Nice to hear. What kit(s) did you get yourself?

Funny analogy on the Pizza :D

Nice to hear. What kit(s) did you get yourself?

Funny analogy on the Pizza :D

first i made damn sure to wait for the day in between the two special sales weeks to show my appreciation by paying full price :-(. then i hit the buy button on the roadrider's experience (http://www.nexternal.com/dinotte/Product18).

i like them very much so far. i ride at night in new york (central park, west side drive, prospect park, commuting over the bridges) and feel much safer. i wasn't compared to a slow moving supernova yet, but i will get that after i get the 600lumen front light for longer night rides.

i still don't feel comfortable going up the 9W in the dark (never will i guess).

a

is there a third party charger with a timer and more than one battery connector to charge one 2cell and 1(or2) 4cell batteries?

i already charge my ipod, cell phone, garmin edge, and now i have to switch batteries for the bike light. i would appreciate any pointers to a charger that can do it all at once (otherwise the phone number of a semi-paid personal assistant).

a

is there a third party charger with a timer and more than one battery connector to charge one 2cell and 1(or2) 4cell batteries?

i already charge my ipod, cell phone, garmin edge, and now i have to switch batteries for the bike light. i would appreciate any pointers to a charger that can do it all at once (otherwise the phone number of a semi-paid personal assistant).

a

I plan on getting a power strip, and plugging all my chargers into it. Then, when not in use, you can turn off power to all the chargers (they use electricity even when not charging).

Other than a universal edict, I don't think there's any way to get companies to provide a "standardized" recharging solution.

I plan on getting a power strip, and plugging all my chargers into it. Then, when not in use, you can turn off power to all the chargers (they use electricity even when not charging).

Other than a universal edict, I don't think there's any way to get companies to provide a "standardized" recharging solution.

As for the Dinotte, they sell a "Y" connector that you could use to charge two batteries simultaneously.

i like the power bar idea!

they have a bunch of Y-cables. some are just extension cables. leaving two choices:

Y cable (each side 6" long)
Y connector (stub)

which of the 2 is it? i may have to buy the entire package and kick out the cables i don't need anyway.

thanks,

adrian

i like the power bar idea!

they have a bunch of Y-cables. some are just extension cables. leaving two choices:

Y cable (each side 6" long)
Y connector (stub)

which of the 2 is it? i may have to buy the entire package and kick out the cables i don't need anyway.

thanks,

adrian

I think the stubby one would probably do, but if you want to use one battery on the bike to power both lights, you might want the 6" long one instead.

Suggest you contact Dinotte tech support to make sure.

I'm pretty sure you can't use the Y cable or Y connector to charge two Dinotte batteries at the same time. I've got them both, but they're at home so I can't look at them right now. They have one male connector and two female connectors, so they allow you to hook up two lights to one battery (usually a headlight and a taillight), but you can't flip them around to hook up one charger to two batteries.

Also, since it is a computerized "smart" charger, I'm not sure it's a good idea to hook up two parallel batteries while charging -- you want the computer to sense and charge each battery separately.

I'm pretty sure you can't use the Y cable or Y connector to charge two Dinotte batteries at the same time. I've got them both, but they're at home so I can't look at them right now. They have one male connector and two female connectors, so they allow you to hook up two lights to one battery (usually a headlight and a taillight), but you can't flip them around to hook up one charger to two batteries.

Also, since it is a computerized "smart" charger, I'm not sure it's a good idea to hook up two parallel batteries while charging -- you want the computer to sense and charge each battery separately.

That makes a tremendous amount of sense...so what in the world are you doing posting in this forum? :D

dinotte recommends a second charger as well.

thanks again for the help :-)

just ordered a dinotte 600L can't wait :)
thanks for all the pics and reviews...esp. 2manybikes and viperz

I don't know if I should be thankful or mad. I just dropped $500 bucks on two lights. Oh well merry X-Mas to me. Seriously though thanks for taking the time to take pics and post this stuff, i've been looking for a light set up for a long time and this was invauable to me.

Something interesting I found with my 600L the other day. I use a Delphi 6.0 computer with HR, which sits in one side of the stem and the light on the other. While the light is on high, the HR reads just fine. Since I ride at 3:30 AM 99% of the time I use the light, the light is always on high. However, I went out a couple of days ago in the middle of the afternoon and as it got dark I turned on the light on the lowest setting and then the mid setting only to find out it creates interference with the HR unit, which will read 0 at that point. Move the computer away from the light and it works immediately. Put it back on high in its place and it works immediately again. This is certainly a down point for this light set up if I was riding in the afternoons, which is when a lot of people uses them.

By the way, I am trying to talk myself into buying a second 600L light unit. Would be just too sweet to have 2. I wished they made a dual battery combo and a dual battery charger too for them as the duplicate set up becomes a little combersome and redundant.

Great thread, thanks. I very recently invested in two 600Ls and a 140 taillight--money well spent. My advice is to buy much more light than you think you need, because you will pony up for the additional candlepower in the end.

Most of the lights I've used are HIDs, which are limiting in that the bulbs are quite fragile (and expensive), and HIDs can't take being turned on and off for short durations. These LEDs have none of those limitations.

I would recommend ordering your equipment directly from Dinotte--I did, with the thought that, if I am spending that kind of money on lights (as much or more than many of my bikes), I want to establish a relationship with the company itself.

Shipping was almost instantaneous.

The only drawback is that enough is never enough (to a point, of course). My commute requires about 100 minutes of riding in the dark per day, and having the way lighted and my tail covered makes it practically enjoyable.

I'm considering the 200L or a L&M Vega. Problem is one of my worries is crime rates in my area: is the 200L easy on easy off like the self-contained Vega is? And easy is it to fit the 200L in a small bike bag every time I park the bike?

I know one option is to helmet mount but am afraid this will make the helmet way cumbersome and difficult to fit in my bike bag? Any suggestions?

Self contained system all the way? (Note; at this point I may be willing to sacrifice the extra light intensity and everything that makes the 200L the clear choice in the light output dept., for convenience and ease of use. Most (maybe all of the roads) I ride have good street lighting, as I am in an urban/suburban setting.

Thanks to all for your invaluable help in making me a safer rider!

i took the dive and ordered another 600L....
two is better then one hahaha...
got my friend to get the dual set up as well.

Rob at Dinotte sent them out really fast!

I'm considering the 200L or a L&M Vega. Problem is one of my worries is crime rates in my area: is the 200L easy on easy off like the self-contained Vega is? And easy is it to fit the 200L in a small bike bag every time I park the bike?

I know one option is to helmet mount but am afraid this will make the helmet way cumbersome and difficult to fit in my bike bag? Any suggestions?

Self contained system all the way? (Note; at this point I may be willing to sacrifice the extra light intensity and everything that makes the 200L the clear choice in the light output dept., for convenience and ease of use. Most (maybe all of the roads) I ride have good street lighting, as I am in an urban/suburban setting.

Thanks to all for your invaluable help in making me a safer rider!

I run the 600L helmet-mounted with no problems. It's a little heavy, but not enough to be a bother. And I really like being able to aim it by turning my head - when I see a driver coming in from a side street, I aim that bad boy beam right in their window, and they always seem to notice it. :D

Also, if there's lots of other light sources around, you might want to run your light in flashing mode instead of steady state. I do that when there's plenty of other light sources around...it seems to help me to stand out from all the other light sources in traffic.

If you're set on the Vega, you might want to pick up a Petzl Tikka XP headlamp (http://www.rei.com/product/751760). It's got a 1-watt LED that is very bright, and can run in flash mode. If you mount the Vega on your bars, you can use the headlamp as your "be seen" light. I carry a Tikka in my pannier as a backup light source, in case the DiNotte 600L runs out of juice.


And if you're in a bad area, a helmet mount could help in case of an assault. A bright helmet-mounted light could easily mess up an attacker's vision for a few seconds.

This is a bit of an older thread that was revived and reading over it again I just wanted to give an update for those that didn't already know it. Back in December I was contemplating getting Dual 600L's, but I eventually decided to stick with Lupine and got a Betty to go along with my Wilma light. Lupines are brilliant, however I would still however love to try out some Dinottes if I get the chance. Heck, I would like to try out all the cool lights out now as I find them to be fascinating. I still want to get a Dinotte tail light so Dinotte may get some money out of me yet.:)

SSP, a bright light can mess up an attacker's vision for more than a few seconds, I would know I looked in the mirror with my Betty on my helmet going full bore. I was seeing 7 spots for a while let me tell you!