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04-30-08, 10:53 PM
I wanted a good LED light to run off of my Shimano dynohub. There weren't too many good options for LED dynohub lights on the market. There were several lights available, but none used the most recent generations of high output LEDs that are available. So I purchased some cree Q5s, but I never got around to putting together my diy lights. Then I saw that Inoled had recently released a new light, the Inoled Extreme. They claim 100 lumens of output.
I purchased one of these lights from Peter White Cycles, but I have some concerns. The housing is made entirely of plastic, and there have been some reported issues of the circuitry overheating and breaking at high speeds when this light is used without a taillight. I've seen a lot of DIY projects using the new cree and seoul LEDs, and most people have focused a lot of attention on heat sinking and heat dissipation. Most projects are constructed of aluminum tubing to get rid of the heat that the LEDs generate. The Inoleds are supposed to work fine as long as they are connected to a taillight (which is how I'll be using mine), but they shouldn't be able to produce as much light if they get too hot, so it seems that a DIY setup would probably produce a bit more light if it was properly heat sinked.
I haven't connected the light to my touring bike yet, as I can't ride it until I get a couple of new chain rings, anyway. But I'll have it up and running next week.
In the mean time, I was wondering if anyone else has experience with Inoled products. I doubt there are too many people that are even running the Extreme yet, as it hasn't been on the market in the US for very long. But the 10+ and the 20+ have been around for at least a year. Has anyone here been using Inoled lights? What has been your experience if you have?
I wish I could wait another month or two for the new Schmidt edelux to come on the market. It looks like a much better design, considering that it is robustly heatsinked and it's constructed with an aluminum housing. It will likely cost a good deal more than the Inoled, but knowing Schmidt's reputation, I'm guessing it will be a much better product.
I purchased one of these lights from Peter White Cycles, but I have some concerns. The housing is made entirely of plastic, and there have been some reported issues of the circuitry overheating and breaking at high speeds when this light is used without a taillight. I've seen a lot of DIY projects using the new cree and seoul LEDs, and most people have focused a lot of attention on heat sinking and heat dissipation. Most projects are constructed of aluminum tubing to get rid of the heat that the LEDs generate. The Inoleds are supposed to work fine as long as they are connected to a taillight (which is how I'll be using mine), but they shouldn't be able to produce as much light if they get too hot, so it seems that a DIY setup would probably produce a bit more light if it was properly heat sinked.
I haven't connected the light to my touring bike yet, as I can't ride it until I get a couple of new chain rings, anyway. But I'll have it up and running next week.
In the mean time, I was wondering if anyone else has experience with Inoled products. I doubt there are too many people that are even running the Extreme yet, as it hasn't been on the market in the US for very long. But the 10+ and the 20+ have been around for at least a year. Has anyone here been using Inoled lights? What has been your experience if you have?
I wish I could wait another month or two for the new Schmidt edelux to come on the market. It looks like a much better design, considering that it is robustly heatsinked and it's constructed with an aluminum housing. It will likely cost a good deal more than the Inoled, but knowing Schmidt's reputation, I'm guessing it will be a much better product.