Does anyone know of a manufacturer that uses the MR16 instead of the MR11 bulbs in their product? I believe NiteRider, Cygolite, Light and Motion all use the MR11 halogen bulbs. From a DIY approach, this is simple enough but isn't so nice looking: http://www.instructables.com/id/BIKE-LIGHT-500-Lumen-%22Mt.Bike%22-for-under-10-bucks-/

There are some landscaping lights at Home Depot and Lowes that use the MR16 bulb but I didn't see any that I thought would look better than my DIY holder so I passed. I also saw some MR16 track lights that were a little more expensive but looked really nice in the back of the store. The only reason I didn't buy one of those was because the monkey's they have working there had the nice ones on display but they were no where to be found on the rack. Also, with the track lights most of the MR16 bulbs come with an AC to DC transformer which is added cost. They have a similar bulb that is AC only that is something like a GC10 but the socket is different and I couldn't find replacement sockets.

I'll keep working on a solution and if I find something acceptable I'll let you know. For now, I'll keep using my 1.5" PVC couplers, a dremel and some epoxy...

Here ya go. 2 MR16 housings with free 55w bulbs (which I immediately replaced) for 19.99. Just get a hose clamp and a bit of innertube to attach to your bike. Looks spiffy, too!

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003730/p-2003730/N-111+10101+4294966832/c-10101

Are those optronics lights 55w per bulb? Or 55w combined? I am thinking about getting that set (or 2) and just mounting one light one each bike so I only have to switch out the battery to use a different bike. The only ba thing about multiple bike is having to buy multiple lights :)

Have you tried the lights with just the stock bulbs in there or does it just kill your batteries way to fast?

The optronics have a 55 watt bulb in each. People just buy them for the housing and then change the bulb out to 15 or 20 watt versions to conserve the battery. Overvolted to 14.4V the 20 watt bulbs probably put out as much light as the 55's do at 12V.

There's always this. (http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=245737)

There's currently a set of these Optronics QH-7CC's listed on ebay... current bid is at $1.55

I got mine from this same vendor on ebay and the total cost with shipping and everything was under $7.00!

I find it hard to believe that you could put together a better housing for less money.

so what is the typical lifespan of an MR16 bulb not overvolted and one that is overvolted to say 14.4v?

so what is the typical lifespan of an MR16 bulb not overvolted and one that is overvolted to say 14.4v?

i believe typical life is around 1000hrs, and overvolting decreases life be about the same percentage that it's overvolted. to overvolted 20%, life goes to 800hrs.

this is the theory - my overvolted bulbs never made it past about 200hrs in real life.

so what is the typical lifespan of an MR16 bulb not overvolted and one that is overvolted to say 14.4v?

My bulbs (Philips 3 pack from H-Deezy) have a stated life of 3000 hours. The way I under stood it was life decreased logarithmically as you increased voltage linearly. So a 20% over volt (14.4V) would give a 5% bulb life.... so about 150 hours. However, you get 80% more light from the bulb. To me, that's a good trade off.

about 150 hours. However, you get 80% more light from the bulb. To me, that's a good trade off.

yeah it's good till the bulb burns out in the middle of the commute- i had it happen once too many times.

Hello LED's!:D

sounds like i need to carry a spare bulb. With my light it takes 1min to change the lamp.

My bulbs (Philips 3 pack from H-Deezy) have a stated life of 3000 hours. The way I under stood it was life decreased logarithmically as you increased voltage linearly. So a 20% over volt (14.4V) would give a 5% bulb life.... so about 150 hours. However, you get 80% more light from the bulb. To me, that's a good trade off.

In theory. In practice, I've found MR11s to last way longer than 150 hours. I've only ever had one MR11 actually blow out on me in the 15 to 20 years I've used them. Also consider what 150 hours really represents.

If you use the lights an hour per day, 150 hrs is 5 months of use or a whole season of light usage (starting in October and going to March). At $3 to $5 per bulb, that's pretty cheap.

And yes, diff_lock2, you should carry a spare bulb or multiple lights. I have at least 3 at all times and a couple of back up lights.

Actually... I was looking for a manufacturer of bicycle headlights that use the MR16 halogen bulb. It seems there are none from my research. I suppose this is one of those circumstances where building something is more cost effective than buying it ready made.

Looks like I'll probably check out the Optronics QH-7CC. I did build the instructibles housing for ~$6.00 from plumbing parts at Lowes. I also found a metal weatherproof light housing that will hold a MR16 bulb after chamfering the opening at Lowes for $2.16 while in the electrical section.

Currently I use a RayOVac Sportsman 3W LED flashlight from Wal~ and a Cateye Halogen light with a Craftsman LED. The two combined provide ~120 lumens which works ok on lit streets. I can't bring myself to spring for an HID system, especially when a over voltage MR16 halogen bulb gives better performance even though you have to roll your own.

Actually... I was looking for a manufacturer of bicycle headlights that use the MR16 halogen bulb.

Nightsun www.night-sun.com makes a mr16 housing for the XC and Team Issue lights. However...I would highly recommend against having anything to do with them. Horrible customer service (see their light reviews at mtbr) and overcharging for old battery technology at $150 for Nicad 12v 40watt hour replacement battery. I went with the Batteryspace 13.2v 66 watt hour battery with plugs for ~$70 and have been very happy with it.

A quick warning....If you have a night-sun battery and want to use it on a different system check the polarity of the wires, the guy has spliced the wires within the water bottle housing to switch the polarity to the opposite of the normal convention so red is negative and black is positive which has resulted in some damaged systems.

Does anyone know of a manufacturer that uses the MR16 instead of the MR11 bulbs in their product? I believe NiteRider, Cygolite, Light and Motion all use the MR11 halogen bulbs. From a DIY approach, this is simple enough but isn't so nice looking: http://www.instructables.com/id/BIKE-LIGHT-500-Lumen-%22Mt.Bike%22-for-under-10-bucks-/




Yes they have been around since the early 1990's. Great quality too. I hope this is what you are looking for. ALso sometimes you can find these on EBAY for about $50 or so. Hope this helps. God Bless :)


http://www.night-sun.com/htmldocs/team_issue.html

If you'd like more of a DYI approach, you can always try one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-One-Light-20-Watt-Submersible-CL115/dp/B0002YTP64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1196211981&sr=1-1

I've already ordered one from PoolsAZ and will post a review after it arrives (along with some other parts/pieces)

BillK

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1253

no?

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1253

no?

True...but only one of those lights (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2251) use a MR16 bulb. The other 5 use the smaller MR11.