This year I’ve discovered what others have know for a long time. The MR-16 lamp… overvolted by 20% … puts out a fantastic amount of light. It’s not perfect but for the price it’s hard to beat! It doesn’t have the run time of LED or HID but it doesn’t have the cost of those either. You might be able to make an LED system that puts out what a 20W MR-16 puts out but you wouldn’t be able to do it with a single lamp nor would the light be as concentrated as a single MR-16. This is my attempt to collect the how-to for a pretty good system in one place.

There are other systems out there (the Pond Scum light is nicer looking and more waterproof) and most of the ideas for my system comes from them. There’s lots of tweeks that could be made for my system and will probably be made in the future but you can put this whole thing together in an afternoon and be on the road as so as your batteries are charged. All prices are estimates and I've added links where I have them.

Run time is around 1.5 hours with the 3.3 Ahr batteries.

First the result (seen elsewhere but repeated for your enjoyment)

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1311.jpg

Equipment list

Lamps

Optronics QC-777 $20 JC Whitney (http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ItemBrowse/c-10101/s-10101/p-100000201439/mediaCode-ZX/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000201439)

Hampton Roads Pin Back track lamp $20 Home Depot

MR16 12V 12° bulb $3 each Battery Space (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2210)

Wiring

Remote switches $4 Battery Space (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2656)

Dean’s connectors $ (http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/625085.asp)4 Hobby Town

Polarized Speaker wire $10/spool Radio Shack

Mounts

Helmet mount $10 Battery Space (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2080)

Handlebar mount $ 10 ea Battery Space (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3098)

Space Bar $20 Performance (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=22874&subcategory_ID=4323)

1” aluminum tube (fits lights better ) for Spacebar $4 Local hardware store

Batteries

3.3 Ahr batteries $19 ea Battery Space (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1298)

Cage Rocket holder $10 ea REI (http://www.rei.com/product/723319)

Chargers Maha C777 Plus II (http://www.thomasdistributingshop.com/MAHA-MH-C777PLUS-II-MULTI-CHARGER_p_278-504.html) $70 (I have 3! But you can get cheaper ones at Battery Space) I like these chargers but they are expensive and they have an analyze function that most people won't need. Battery Space sells less expensive, less sophisticated ones.

Misc

Velcro – sticky back and regular - $10 Local hardware store

Misc nuts and bolts $5 Local hardware store


For my 3 lights with all the stuff except the chargers, I have $294 in it plus shipping and tax.

In all honesty, however, I had the batteries, the Spacebar, the battery holders, the wire, connectors, the bulbs and, finally, the chargers. I have another full set of lights that are based around Niterider lamp heads (similar to TrailRats) but juiced to 14.4V. They put out around 700 lumens per lamp which is very respectable. The Retinal Burners are just a fun experiment in how far over the top I can go;)

Here's another DIY called the Pond Scum (http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=245737) that's pretty slick too. Mine are a little more robust because they have a metal housing. Price is about the same per lamp.

Next up Construction tips.

Construction tips.

I like to solder my connections. Long experience has taught me that when lights fail…other then a bulb blowing…it’s most often due to a bad connection. Crimp connectors can be used without problem but they are rather bulky.

I’ll show pictures of the final result but I didn’t think to take pictures as I went along…sorry:o I won’t go into detail on the pin back lamp because it was more complicated and not that much of an improvement over the Optronics system. It was also my first attempt and really isn’t worth the effort. It’s a little lower in height but not significantly. I like having at least 3 lamps on my bikes and, if I had it to do over again, I’d buy 2 Optronics and put 3 lamps on my bars:eek:;)

The first thing you need to do is to take the Optronics units apart and replace the 50W bulbs they come with. It’s easy to do, you simply twist and pull the front of the lamp. You could use the 50W bulbs but it’ll take more battery capacity and it would just be silly…

The lamp will be plugged into a ceramic pin plug with wires attached that run out the back. There is a rubber grommet behind the plug and an o-ring behind that. Since this is for mounting on car bumper, those seal the lamp and should be left in place. You can simply plug your choice of wattage into the plug and reassemble the lamp head. Nothing more needs be done on the inside of the lamp now.

Now we come to the soldering bit. Be careful since this is where I always get burned:eek: Cut off the connectors that are on the prewired unit. The wires coming out of the bike are a little oily but use them anyway. You may need to use a bit of plumbers flux to get the solder to stick to the wires. Tin the wires on the lamp and, if you are using a switch (you don’t have to but it’s nicer), on the switch. You’ll want to add a bit of wire to the end of the light and switch. How much depends on how far away your battery is. I tend to make them a little short and use an extension cord to the battery so that I can use the lamp on bikes with different water bottle cage locations.

Cut some short sections of shrink wrap and slide them on to the wires before you solder the wires together. Avoid heating the shrink wrap when you solder the wires because it will…well…shrink! I also use a longer section to cover the joints and make the whole thing neater looking.

Solder the wires from one side of the lamp’s lead to one side of the switch. Solder a bit of the speaker wire to the other side of the switch. Make sure you insulate the wires from each other to avoid a short. Use the shrink wrap to do that. On the other lead, wire the speaker wire directly to the lamp’s wire. Slide a section of shrink wrap that you already put on the lamps wires before you go further to seal everything up.

If you are using Dean’s Ultra Connectors (there are other connectors out there that might be better…Anderson Powerpoles (http://www.connex-electronics.com/?url=/html/products/anderson/powerpole/pp_main.html&kw=google{Anderson_Powerpole{powerpole_connectors&gclid=CJP_4fu2l5ACFQkxgwodL0_U8g) are cleaner and simpler to use
), you’ll want to connect them to the end of the speaker wire.

Mount the lamp on the handlebar or helmet mount using the bolts provided by Optronics. The lamp is a little tight in the holder but it will work. Your lamp should look like this.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1295.jpg

For helmet mounts, like this.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1300.jpg

I put the switch on my helmet lamp on a velcro mount and stuck it to the helmet. I'd suggest keeping the helmet lamps tail short so that it doesn't hang down too far off the back of the helmet...which I didn't do here!

I really like the Optronics lights. I have one attached to a reflector bracket. I used 2 AA, 12 packs in parallel.

Batteries.

Since you’ll want to run the lamp at 14.4 V to get the best light output, you’ll need to wire the RC car batteries in series. You’ll need to make a harness to do this that will take the negative pole from one battery pack and connect it to the positive pole of the other battery pack and then make sure that it all connects to the light. This is easier than it sounds. I use Dean’s and my connections are complicated and ugly…but they work.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMG_0193.jpg


The Anderson power poles are easier to do this and would be my choice if I didn’t have so much invested in the Dean’s.

http://dtipton.home.att.net/img/series_app.jpg

Just make sure you have a black wire running from one pack to the red wire on the other pack.

I charge my packs as a single 14.4V unit so that I don’t have power imbalances in the packs…and so that I only have to charge 3 packs and not 6 different ones.

Once I get the packs wired up I put them in the Rocket Cage holder and put them in a water bottle cage.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMG_0106.jpg

My helmet light is powered by a pack carried in my Camelbak. (No picture)

The final result is this

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1312.jpg

Over 4500 lumens of raw retinal burning power. People at my work hum the Darth Vader theme when I leave work at night. In nearly 30 years of riding at night these are the brightest lights I've owned or ever seen. I even got high beams flashed at me for the first time ever...by a guy in a 4x4...up a hill from me:eek: I have arrived!

Wow, very nice....

Rarely do I see a beamshot of a halogen that appears to have "washout" from it's brightness. Is that an issue at all for you with these most wonderous daylight makers....or is it just the photo?

Does it blind on-coming traffic?

Wow, very nice....

Rarely do I see a beamshot of a halogen that appears to have "washout" from it's brightness. Is that an issue at all for you with these most wonderous daylight makers....or is it just the photo?

Picture was 1.5 sec at f4 at ISO 200. They are as bright as the picture shows. I can illuminate objects very clearly up to about 200 yards and still see objects up to about 1/4 mile. Signs on the side of the road reflect back to me from even further away.

Over taking cars don't wash out these lights either;)

Does it blind on-coming traffic?

I aim them down so that I illuminate the road about 40 feet ahead of me...much like a car's low beams would be set. If I lift my head and look people in the eye, I can certainly get their attention...if I have to;)

Construction tips.

I like to solder my connections. Long experience has taught me that when lights fail…other then a bulb blowing…it’s most often due to a bad connection. Crimp connectors can be used without problem but they are rather bulky.

I’ll show pictures of the final result but I didn’t think to take pictures as I went along…sorry:o I won’t go into detail on the pin back lamp because it was more complicated and not that much of an improvement over the Optronics system. It was also my first attempt and really isn’t worth the effort. It’s a little lower in height but not significantly. I like having at least 3 lamps on my bikes and, if I had it to do over again, I’d buy 2 Optronics and put 3 lamps on my bars:eek:;)

The first thing you need to do is to take the Optronics units apart and replace the 50W bulbs they come with. It’s easy to do, you simply twist and pull the front of the lamp. You could use the 50W bulbs but it’ll take more battery capacity and it would just be silly…

The lamp will be plugged into a ceramic pin plug with wires attached that run out the back. There is a rubber grommet behind the plug and an o-ring behind that. Since this is for mounting on car bumper, those seal the lamp and should be left in place. You can simply plug your choice of wattage into the plug and reassemble the lamp head. Nothing more needs be done on the inside of the lamp now.

Now we come to the soldering bit. Be careful since this is where I always get burned:eek: Cut off the connectors that are on the prewired unit. The wires coming out of the bike are a little oily but use them anyway. You may need to use a bit of plumbers flux to get the solder to stick to the wires. Tin the wires on the lamp and, if you are using a switch (you don’t have to but it’s nicer), on the switch. You’ll want to add a bit of wire to the end of the light and switch. How much depends on how far away your battery is. I tend to make them a little short and use an extension cord to the battery so that I can use the lamp on bikes with different water bottle cage locations.

Cut some short sections of shrink wrap and slide them on to the wires before you solder the wires together. Avoid heating the shrink wrap when you solder the wires because it will…well…shrink! I also use a longer section to cover the joints and make the whole thing neater looking.

Solder the wires from one side of the lamp’s lead to one side of the switch. Solder a bit of the speaker wire to the other side of the switch. Make sure you insulate the wires from each other to avoid a short. Use the shrink wrap to do that. On the other lead, wire the speaker wire directly to the lamp’s wire. Slide a section of shrink wrap that you already put on the lamps wires before you go further to seal everything up.

If you are using Dean’s Ultra Connectors (there are other connectors out there that might be better…Anderson Powerpoles (http://www.connex-electronics.com/?url=/html/products/anderson/powerpole/pp_main.html&kw=google{Anderson_Powerpole{powerpole_connectors&gclid=CJP_4fu2l5ACFQkxgwodL0_U8g) are cleaner and simpler to use
), you’ll want to connect them to the end of the speaker wire.

Mount the lamp on the handlebar or helmet mount using the bolts provided by Optronics. The lamp is a little tight in the holder but it will work. Your lamp should look like this.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1295.jpg

For helmet mounts, like this.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMGP1300.jpg

I put the switch on my helmet lamp on a velcro mount and stuck it to the helmet. I'd suggest keeping the helmet lamps tail short so that it doesn't hang down too far off the back of the helmet...which I didn't do here!

I like your light housings. Very classic Sturmy Archer-esque!

I aim them down so that I illuminate the road about 40 feet ahead of me...much like a car's low beams would be set. If I lift my head and look people in the eye, I can certainly get their attention...if I have to;)

Do drivers get pissed off because you have so much more light then them and that they feel that a bicycle doesn't deserve that much light?

It's a serious question.

:eek: Nice

Very nice. Thank you for taking the time to describe your system and parts sources in detail.

Do drivers get pissed off because you have so much more light then them and that they feel that a bicycle doesn't deserve that much light?

It's a serious question.

I would think they would only be upset if the light were shining in their eyes and they were blinded.

Drivers get jealous when they see a bike own the road like that. :)

I would think they would only be upset if the light were shining in their eyes and they were blinded.

I get this feeling with the 200L. The lights are not biased down and to the right (you can't with the standard mount), so I get the distinct feeling that i'm blinding and/or glaring drivers with my light.

This is not cool.

Nobody ever seems to mention this when they are reviewing their lights/using them.

Thanks cyccommute!

Very nice system and description. I've been doing a bit of research on DIY lights lately, and have come to the conclusion that your system has the highest benefit/difficulty ratio! The benefit/cost ratio is incredibly high too!:beer:

Batteries.

Since you’ll want to run the lamp at 14.4 V to get the best light output, you’ll need to wire the RC car batteries in series. You’ll need to make a harness to do this that will take the negative pole from one battery pack and connect it to the positive pole of the other battery pack and then make sure that it all connects to the light. This is easier than it sounds. I use Dean’s and my connections are complicated and ugly…but they work.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMG_0193.jpg


I'm guessing you went with RC NiMH batteries instead of Li-ion because you had them already? Myself I have a whole bunch of AA NiMH so I made a 14.4V battery out of them by gluing together two 6AA holders (<2$ each from mouser.com).

Good recommendation on the cage rocket and Maha C777 btw; I just ordered the former and am seriously considering the latter.

I'm guessing you went with RC NiMH batteries instead of Li-ion because you had them already? Myself I have a whole bunch of AA NiMH so I made a 14.4V battery out of them by gluing together two 6AA holders (<2$ each from mouser.com).

Good recommendation on the cage rocket and Maha C777 btw; I just ordered the former and am seriously considering the latter.

I found RC car batteries long ago when there weren't any good light systems...commercial or DIY. I find their size convenient, the power good, they are relatively cheap, they're rugged and they work in my RC car;) Although the Li-ion would be lighter, they are too expensive and too delicate for my tastes.

Do drivers get pissed off because you have so much more light then them and that they feel that a bicycle doesn't deserve that much light?

It's a serious question.

Not that I've noticed. I have noticed that they don't quite know what to make of this massive amount of light coming at them. They tend to wait a very long time to find out;)

I live in an area of Denver with some of the cities narrowest streets...I have to pull the mirror in on my truck or it gets broken off on too regular a basis. The dance we all do is to drive until we find a hole between parked cars and pull into it to let the on-coming car pass. The other night I had someone in a car pull in behind a parked car and wait for me to clear the road before they proceeded. I've never had that happen before:D

I get this feeling with the 200L. The lights are not biased down and to the right (you can't with the standard mount), so I get the distinct feeling that i'm blinding and/or glaring drivers with my light.

This is not cool.

Nobody ever seems to mention this when they are reviewing their lights/using them.

The mounts from Battery Space allow me about 20 degrees of side to side adjustment. And the helmet light will adjust as far as my neck will;) I've learned over the years not to shine the light at people unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to be a jerk...but I don't want to be squished either;)

It is so nice having my new light with that kind of power. It is satisfying to have cross traffic at uncontrolled intersections wait until I go by even when they have time to make their turn. I use a modified Cessna landing light.

It is so nice having my new light with that kind of power. It is satisfying to have cross traffic at uncontrolled intersections wait until I go by even when they have time to make their turn. I use a modified Cessna landing light.

With that kind of light, the next thing you need to do is add something like a train whistle :eek:.

Cessna... Thats small time, have you seen that 747 landing light over at candle power forums?

Jk about the light being weak, i'm sure its more than 50w.

Very nice set-up 'cyccommute'. :D

I have something similar as yours, only I opted for pvc pipe to secure the MR-16 bulb.

Still, your rig puts mine into the caveman days.

Good job

Excellent light setup and description cyccommute! I'm curious why you would remove the 55 watt bulb and replace it with a 20 watt bulb. I would think that the 55 watt would be brighter. Is it because you want longer battery run time?

Excellent light setup and description cyccommute! I'm curious why you would remove the 55 watt bulb and replace it with a 20 watt bulb. I would think that the 55 watt would be brighter. Is it because you want longer battery run time?

Yes. 2 hrs at 20W but less than an hour at 50W. I have some batteries with high capacity but these are silly bright anyway!

Is there an issues when connecting battery packs in series? Do you charge the Packs seperately? If so what happens if you connect a dead and charged pack by accident? I am guessing that most of my back the head unsubstantiated warning bells would apply to a parallel configurations not series.
Nice right up.
Thanks,
Eric

You can charge the packs it series if the charger can handle the large amount of cells. Mine can do up to 14cells so 2 6cell packs in series is just fine, and act like one 12cell pack when charging and discharging. You should not charge ni chemistry cells in parallel since you can end up with totally unbalanced cells.

You can charge the packs it series if the charger can handle the large amount of cells. Mine can do up to 14cells so 2 6cell packs in series is just fine, and act like one 12cell pack when charging and discharging. You should not charge ni chemistry cells in parallel since you can end up with totally unbalanced cells.

I have charged packs in parallel in the past without issues. I did use them in parallel, however, and didn't use packs that had been charged separately. My thoughts on it at the time was that I didn't want to run unbalanced packs connected in parallel. However, I now charge the 14.4 packs as a single unit, i.e. 2 packs in series. I haven't had any problems with my charger or the packs.

Batteries.
Over 4500 lumens of raw retinal burning power.

cyccommute, how did you arrive at this number? I've found nothing like a quick and simple equation to calculate such a thing.

And as an example, any idea how many lumens this 35W M16 would be, overvolted to 14.4?
http://www.kelehers.org/tmp/tt-torch.jpg

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2251

Thanks,
pete

cyccommute, how did you arrive at this number? I've found nothing like a quick and simple equation to calculate such a thing.

And as an example, any idea how many lumens this 35W M16 would be, overvolted to 14.4?


http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2251

Thanks,
pete

I'm sure the equations are out there somewhere but I got number from here (http://nordicgroup.us/s78/wattslumens.html). A 35 W 12V lamp overvolted to 14.4V should give out 2290 lumens according to Steven Scharf.

Dekindy's post on the LED shoot out got me to thinking about how to photograph my lights. Looking at the photo settings, I set my camera up to take pictures as close to the photos in the shoot out as possible. Using a Cannon A530 set to manual, ISO 100, 6 second exposure and an f-stop setting of 5.6 (I can't do 4.0), I took the following. These were taken on 10 January 2008 at 1724. Civil twilight is at 1724 in Denver. The pictures were taken on a couple of surfaces including blacktop and concrete with concrete being more reflective. The lights are 3 20W halogens overvolted to 14.4V. Two bulbs are 12 degree spots and 1 is a 35 degree flood. The camera is clamped to the bars at the same level as the handlebar lights.

I also discovered the video feature of my camera and was able to take a very crude video of about 100 yards of the trail I ride. What I find most interesting about the video is that it shows something I've noticed about bar lights for a very long time...that the light goes where you don't really need it. Maybe I can figure out how to mount the camera to my head.

Concrete

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMG_1084.jpg

Blacktop

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/IMG_1082.jpg

19 second video of the lights in action.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/th_MVI_1083.jpg (http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/?action=view&current=MVI_1083.flv)

Looking at the photo settings, I set my camera up to take pictures as close to the photos in the shoot out as possible. Using a Cannon A530 set to manual, ISO 100, 6 second exposure and an f-stop setting of 5.6 (I can't do 4.0),


Interesting idea, but I don't know that you can compare directly without using the same lens and equivalent focal length, which wasn't reported. Plus the two cameras may have different sensor sensitivities.

In the vid they sure look WHITE, I am guessing that is just the WB on the cam right?

In the vid they sure look WHITE, I am guessing that is just the WB on the cam right?

Probably. I hadn't messed with the video feature before the very start of the video last night. I just used the factory settings.

Interesting idea, but I don't know that you can compare directly without using the same lens and equivalent focal length, which wasn't reported. Plus the two cameras may have different sensor sensitivities.

Film is so much easier;)

I aim them down so that I illuminate the road about 40 feet ahead of me...much like a car's low beams would be set. If I lift my head and look people in the eye, I can certainly get their attention...if I have to;)

Must....see.....in...per...son...myself.....must.....ride...with...you.....sometime. :eek:;):D

Damn... Any plans coming up north anytime. ;)

Must....see.....in...per...son...myself.....must.....ride...with...you.....sometime. :eek:;):D

Damn... Any plans coming up north anytime. ;)

Not for a while but wouldn't these be a blast in the Elroy-Sparta tunnels?

I'm sure the equations are out there somewhere but I got number from here (http://nordicgroup.us/s78/wattslumens.html). A 35 W 12V lamp overvolted to 14.4V should give out 2290 lumens according to Steven Scharf.

Huh?? I thought you were using 20w bulbs. At +20% that would be 1,555 lumens and not 2,290 using the MR16 bulb. But it drops to 730 lumens with the MR11 bulb.

What is strange about the table is a 20w MR11 is 400 lumens and 10w MR11 is 190 lumens for a total of 590 lumens.
Same table, shows L&M HID at 675 or 550 lumens. I used to ride with 20w+10w NiMH dual and HID is much brighter even at the lower 550 setting. So with multiple lights are lumens not strict addition?????

Huh?? I thought you were using 20w bulbs. At +20% that would be 1,555 lumens and not 2,290 using the MR16 bulb. But it drops to 730 lumens with the MR11 bulb.

What is strange about the table is a 20w MR11 is 400 lumens and 10w MR11 is 190 lumens for a total of 590 lumens.
Same table, shows L&M HID at 675 or 550 lumens. I used to ride with 20w+10w NiMH dual and HID is much brighter even at the lower 550 setting. So with multiple lights are lumens not strict addition?????

Quester was asking about 35W bulbs overvolted. I do use 20W. I found it a good balance between light output and run time. At 1500 lumen, the 20W is stupidly bright anyway;)

I've found that, while the light output for 2 lamps is good, if you can get the same output from a single bulb you'll have a brighter light. As soon as the light leaves the bulb, it's intensity starts to decay...probably in the square of distance (I'm too lazy to go look right now;)). Not doing a lot of math (I'm still lazy;)), twice as much light from the single source will result in twice as much light at any given distance. Each light source has to be treated independently.

That's one of the problems I have with LED. It'd be pretty easy to put together a 1550 lumen LED system but the light hitting the ground out in front of you wouldn't be as bright as a single source.

Short answer? No I don't think that lumens can be strictly added.

Is there a way to focus the light more on the road since it is throwing out so much light? Even having my old overvolted halogen angled downish it was like a high beam.

I found my old PVC?Hoseclamp 20 watt MR16s that were on my old BikeE which was retired. I would like to start using them again but I'm concerned about run time. 1 1/2 hours isn't enough for one way of my commute. I found some 10W bulbs (http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/PROD/MR16-10W12V/10W12V24U) which overvolted a bit should still outshine the dinotte but double my run time vrs 20w. 732 lumens vs 200 should still be brighter even with the wider beam.

Is there a way to focus the light more on the road since it is throwing out so much light? Even having my old overvolted halogen angled downish it was like a high beam.

I found my old PVC?Hoseclamp 20 watt MR16s that were on my old BikeE which was retired. I would like to start using them again but I'm concerned about run time. 1 1/2 hours isn't enough for one way of my commute. I found some 10W bulbs (http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/PROD/MR16-10W12V/10W12V24U) which overvolted a bit should still outshine the dinotte but double my run time vrs 20w. 732 lumens vs 200 should still be brighter even with the wider beam.

What is the beam angle of your light? A narrower spot will throw more light with less beam spread. While 12 degree bulbs seem to be the norm for spot lights, I've seen them in 7 degree too. I tried one of the 7 degree bulbs but it was too long for my housings. That shouldn't be a problem with PVC. I got them from Light bulbs direct...I think.

For run time, you could get a higher capacity battery. A 4.5Ahr battery with a 20W bulb would give you around 3.25 hours. Battery Space has some higher capacity batteries than that or you could just carry more packs. Or a charger at work? There's lots of ways around run time.

The only 10watts I have found are narrow floods and floods but I'm going to keep looking. The narrow is 24degrees which may be too wide. The 20 watts I have in PVC right now I just got from the hardware store, GE brand I think, and I think were spot of some sort. It would be nice to be able to have a Hi(20watt)/Low(10watt) to extend the runtime of a 3.3ah pack and I could charge at work.

How many hours do you get before the bulb burns out? It's good that you have two lights, since they won't burn out at the same time.

Here is a chart I found which seems to match some other data I have seen
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/images/lamplife.gif
overvolting puts a big hit on bulb life, bulb are roughly $3 though so no biggie.
I was able to go a whole winter season on a 20watt bulb . Rated 2000 hours in home use the chart shows 90% loss, I've seen on some sites mention of 95%. Mine lasted 2 hours a day 5 days a week 4 months+ which was at least 160 hours with no issues. I pulled it out of the attic this week and it still works great. IIRC it kept my hands nice and warm at stop lights too :D

Ok, thanks. It makes sense.

cyccommute:

I was checking out your lighting system and all I can say is WOW! :eek: :eek: :eek: I might actually try this.

I do have a question, though. Have you had any experience with this lighting set-up in fog, I mean really think, pea soup fog? We've been having quite a bit of that lately here on the Gulf Coast and I remember when I took driver's ed in high school that you should not use your high beams in the fog because it can reflect back at you and make it worse. I notice that there is a fog light (http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003750/p-2003750/N-111+10201+600002817/c-10101) companion and wondered if it would be worth having it as a second (wide beam/fog) light.

cyccommute:

I was checking out your lighting system and all I can say is WOW! :eek: :eek: :eek: I might actually try this.

I do have a question, though. Have you had any experience with this lighting set-up in fog, I mean really think, pea soup fog? We've been having quite a bit of that lately here on the Gulf Coast and I remember when I took driver's ed in high school that you should not use your high beams in the fog because it can reflect back at you and make it worse. I notice that there is a fog light (http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003750/p-2003750/N-111+10201+600002817/c-10101) companion and wondered if it would be worth having it as a second (wide beam/fog) light.

No, I haven't. Fog generally forms only when you have enough water in the air. With a mean relative humidity in the teens, the only fog I ever get to see is from my own breath;)

I have ridden with my MR11 system in snow storms and I'd suggest not running a helmet light in those situations. Looks a bit like the opening of Star Trek...how nerdy is that? Fog would probably have the same effect.

Here is a chart I found which seems to match some other data I have seen
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/images/lamplife.gif
overvolting puts a big hit on bulb life, bulb are roughly $3 though so no biggie.
I was able to go a whole winter season on a 20watt bulb . Rated 2000 hours in home use the chart shows 90% loss, I've seen on some sites mention of 95%. Mine lasted 2 hours a day 5 days a week 4 months+ which was at least 160 hours with no issues. I pulled it out of the attic this week and it still works great. IIRC it kept my hands nice and warm at stop lights too :D

I've only popped an MR bulb once. I've been using the MR11 for 15 years at least and I just started the MR16 this year. I'd expect to get about 400 hours out of them (20% of the capacity at nominal voltage) but 400 hours is about 300 trips to work. I average 12 trips to work a month and use my lights from the end of October to the end of February or about 60 times a year. That should be about 5 years per bulb but I've been luckier than that;)

Just wondering as I'm just sourcing the batteries etc, no mean feat in New Zealand I can tell you. Can the NiMh batteries that you use RC types stand being overcharged? Although the sealed batteries I have used in the past weigh a ton they can stand being left on the charger when you put them on and fall asleep in front of the TV type scenario; unlike the Vision stick/Nite Flux Nimh which would totally get screwed if you overcharged them. Also what sort of life do the batteries have?

I emailed this guy who supplies RC stuff: "Hi,

I am intending to build another set of lights for my bicycle and was wondering if you could recommend a battery/batteries? I intend to run a 20watt halogen bulb and am looking at around 1hr minimum run time. I have used a12v 4amphour SLA batteries but want to go for something lighter. One website recommends x2NiMH RC car battery packs, which are 7.2 volts, 3 AmpHours each, connected together via a Y cable or something similar to power the bulb. Do you think these RC batteries would be up to the task? If so do you stock the batteries, chargers and connecting Y cable and what sort of cost would I be looking at?"

The build I was looking at was very similar to yours, I used this as an example because I forgot to favorite this page and could not find it quickly :D


His reply:

"Hi I would say li poly would be best as they are less than half the weight of ni cads but they are expensive and you need a special charger. I carry a large range of batteries and chargers with cables. What I don't have I can get in."


I've read that Li poly batteries are more expensive and have some weird safety issues.

I am just wondering if the system is worth the hassle as we don't have anything near a Radioshack or battery outlets over here and sourcing stuff is a nightmare, also a local company is offering very very cheap deals on commercial light systems. Grrrr sometimes living over here is so frustrating!

Sealed=weighs a ton but works for ever taking a million recharges quickly without memory issues. Cheap and does the job.

Commercial Nimh systems= No sourcing problems, you get a complete set up. They suck if you commute as they get messed up if left to long on the charger, never seem to stand multiple recharging, expensive although getting cheaper, very light. I have tried about 3 types from cheap to expensive and never had any that stood more than a years daily use.

Homemade Retinal burners= :D? Need to find the components, batteries, chargers, wiring, (bulbs easy though), the cost of making them is getting close to the cheaper commercial systems.


Any advice would be appreciated!