Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - What features would you like in a light?

I have a friend who works for a defense contractor making IR and visible spectrum lights and aiming systems for guns. They've been branching out in to commercial markets and looking for new product ideas. Since I'm a cyclist and have recently gotten in to night riding I've recommended they make some bike lights. He's kinda interested in the concept but unsure.

Anyway, what kind of features would you like to see on bike lights that just aren't available, or are rare, or you don't have on the light you currently use? I'd like a...
helmet mount light that would double as a flashlight.
light I can switch between spot and flood beam patterns
variable dimming.
a modular construction LED light that I can swap a newer, brighter LED in to (since these seem to hit the market weekly).
readily available (in WalMart, etc) rechargeable battery so I can swap in a fresh battery when whatever's in there dies.
helmet mount headlight with a helmet mount red LED for rearward visibility.
handlebar mount flood light to light up the trail right in front of the bike (for mountain biking), with a very wide splash.
a spot with an oval shaped beam pattern instead of circular, with a hot spot at the top, not centered.

Adjustable throw/spread and the ability to shield the light so it does not throw light up into oncoming vehicle operators eyes.

^^ That plus

A main beam(s) surrounded by a wide angle visibility strobe visible to passing cars and cross traffic. A similar rear light all run off the same battery.

Better mounting systems. The best are generally only good and most are mediocre. Stem faceplate mount on front (ala Hope?) and perhaps a saddle rail clamp in the rear. that puts the light just above the seatbag/racktrunk.

Battery should be easily chargeable on and off the bike. Wires should have robust weatherproof plugs at both ends.

helmet mount headlight with a helmet mount red LED for rearward visibility.


Doesn't this Dinotte (http://store.dinottelighting.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dinotte&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=937114894&Count2=854255318&ProductID=3&Target=products.asp)
meet those criteria?

the problem with a helmet mounted light with a tail light built in is visibility. If you are not on an upright bike, your head is going to be down, your beam is going to be angled down to the front, meaning the tail light is going to be angled up to the rear.

Definitely would not depend on an all in one helmet light, tail light combo as my only source of rearward visibility.

Li-Ion Battery and light integrated into one unit.

Good size, good power, good price. Good luck on finding all three.

Li-Ion Battery and light integrated into one unit.
myself this means you can't carry an extra battery around. plus it makes the unit bulky and low powered.

myself this means you can't carry an extra battery around. plus it makes the unit bulky and low powered.

Cygolite Trion600 (http://http://cygolite.com/products/new/Trion600/trion600.html)

From the product's page: "External battery compatible for additional run time."

As far as being bulky and underpowered, I guess it could be for some people.:D

Li-Ion Battery and light integrated into one unit.

+1
This is why I use flashlights. Wires are a big hassle. 18650 batteries are great for this.

Also a cutoff so drivers aren't blinded and the light is on the road and not wasted lighting the sky.

Don't require a specialized charger; I'm sure we all have enough chargers and adapters. And a secure mount that also allows for quick and easy removal. And doubles as a flashlight for emergencies or roadside repairs.

the biggest feature on any good, bike-specific light i would like to see is a lower price.

A decent reflector for a cutoff above the horrizon. I don't want a simple shield to PRODUCE a cutoff, but an optic that focuses wasted light towards the ground or out forward.

Optics that push light farther is a good thing but I think a focusable beam is a nice to have. I actually prefer a dual light head with 2 beam patterns that has 1 flood and 1 driving light so you have usable light in all the areas that cyclists care about.

The current offerings of bikelights have progressed really well in the past few years, and I think Dinotte has a near perfect balance of price/performance/package.

I would use them as a guide on how to price/build the lights. Their UI is near perfect, packaging of the light engine is really well done (simple, effective, does not look like a DIY cobbled setup), and they have a competitive adv to others (they supply a second battery and unparalleled service).

IMHO, if you want to enter the market now, your competitive advantage probably has to come in the form of a better product in terms of beam shape or light output/$.... name recognitions of the current offerings is pretty good and each has its own following. Niterider, L&M, Lupine, Dinotte,....

See Expedition Lighting for an all in 1 light/battery. They also have the industry's best mount IMHO and copy it if you can.

Most important: Bright, waterproof, shockproof, uncomplicated, relatively inexpensive (>200 lumens with a decent beamwidth at <$100).

Additional features that might be nice: replaceable lens/mirror to adjust throw, optional helmet mount

To me, where many of the available lights go wrong are complexity, mount, and fragility. Many of the systems from Blackburn and Niterider seem massively complicated (though I've never owned one), and seem as if one of those little parts breaking would leave you screwed. On the low end, many of the new flashlights don't have mounts at all, have too many needlessly complicated modes, and switch between modes when you hit a pothole (as has been reported).

If they could make a light that's bright, make it durable, and avoid the mistakes of complexity that seem to plague the market, they could find a niche.

a powerful 6 volt, 3 watt, 500mA SSC or cree LED that can be powered by both a battery pack or a dynamo generator. preferably with 3 mode (high med and low) and under $50.

I want a light that will cook a rabbit within 50 feet. cuz, ya know, I get hungry





otherwise, I want a 500-700 lumen LED white handlebar headlight, with these 2 really useful
things that no bike light has.

a bubble, or computer chip level indicator system, so I can adjust it properly
and
DOT approved lensing for road use, so I can see, but not blind car drivers. some
type of designed lens that cuts the edge of a beam like real automotive lights have,
yet provides plenty of front, and right side beam.

or even a clip on lens cover that does the job, but can be removed for trail hammering

jsharr and Hiroshima are on the same page here

you design a bike light like that, you won't be blinding bike path riders, other cyclists, or motorists

a powerful 6 volt, 3 watt, 500mA SSC or cree LED that can be powered by both a battery pack or a dynamo generator. preferably with 3 mode (high med and low) and under $50.

Um, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon for that price.

I would also cross post on CPF and MTBR.

http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=124

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86

MTBR has a great bike light section, with knowledgeable users, and more traffice that the BF forum.

IMHO, the money is in the sub $200 light sector. Not may people need, or can afford a $400 light, much less the $700 lights from Lupine.

The problem with that pricepoint is that I just don't think you can't produce super-swanky custom optics or asphault searing output and still make money.

honestly, i had a list of features but knog answered them all. i'm very pleased with my gekko's.
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/imagesProduct/kngek-1.jpg
all silicone shell, replacing the single aaa is dead-easy, multiple flashing modes, attaches to itself after wrapping around your frame/seatpost... they're just perfect.

accept they are very directional and useless for lighting the way.

otherwise, I want a 500-700 lumen LED white handlebar headlight, with these 2 really useful
things that no bike light has.

a bubble, or computer chip level indicator system, so I can adjust it properly
and

As far as I know, there is no light on the market with a turn-knob style adjustment, I had to DIY one myself. Far less finicky than push button to cycle through all the modes. Easy 80 lumens to 700 lumens with a twist.



DOT approved lensing for road use, so I can see, but not blind car drivers. some
type of designed lens that cuts the edge of a beam like real automotive lights have,
yet provides plenty of front, and right side beam.

or even a clip on lens cover that does the job, but can be removed for trail hammering

jsharr and Hiroshima are on the same page here

you design a bike light like that, you won't be blinding bike path riders, other cyclists, or motorists

If you can design a lens/reflector that put out that kind of beam alone, they will be a lot of buyers, nobody on the market has road-cycling specific lens/reflectors for high powered LEDs.

Here's a realistic suggestion: a mount with a HIGH/LOW cam. Flip the cam one way, and the light aims down 10° (or whatever). Flip the cam back the other way, it aims level again. Bonus points if flipping the cam also reduces the actual light output to 25% in addition to aiming it downward.

As for me, for road use, I'm always looking for more high-beam throw. I think the best dedicated high-beam pattern would be a broad rectangle like my Nova BULL generates:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/mechBgon/bull.jpg

Being a wide pattern, it wouldn't go off the road when going around corners on a twisty highway. The light isn't being wasted in a cone pattern either, it's almost all being projected into the area you'd want to be able to see.

They do make a clear model of the BULL designed to run steady-burn. Its rated output is "only" 220 lumens but that would be a nice beam pattern. Maybe I'll pick one up to play around with eventually.


Other recommendations:

1) make it waterproof.

2) use omnidirectional plugs on the cables. It's not easy lining up directional plugs in the dark! DiNotte's cables are the perfect example of what you want.

3) smart chargers are highly preferable.

4) do not use a mount that relies on a rubber strap or an o-ring.

5) if possible, make the light visible from the side, not just the front.

Other recommendations:

1) make it waterproof.

2) use omnidirectional plugs on the cables. It's not easy lining up directional plugs in the dark! DiNotte's cables are the perfect example of what you want.

3) smart chargers are highly preferable.

4) do not use a mount that relies on a rubber strap or an o-ring.

5) if possible, make the light visible from the side, not just the front.

dive lights are already waterproof. use a dive light. the cost is prohibitive for cycling

onmi plugs fail often. directional are more reliable and wear out less

smart chargers, always required. even smarter chargers are coming which leave
li-ion at 50% in storage mode.

rubber o ring. I see no issue with these. as long as the rubber is that atomic super-tough
type niterider uses. can't break the trinewt strap.
rubber mounts accomodate todays weird
shaped carbon bars and various silly designs. clamps no longer work for everyone.


visible from the side. a lot already are.

I think Mechbgon rides in some VERY cold weather. I wonder if the O ring complaint is due to them being hard to work with when cold?

As for me, for road use, I'm always looking for more high-beam throw. I think the best dedicated high-beam pattern would be a broad rectangle like my Nova BULL generates:


I agree and like the idea of a beam pattern your Nova BULL puts out. I have taken apart high end car HID Projector headlights and they just use a shield to produce the cutoff. Some of the more current multi-reflector car headlights must use optics to produce this attribute...... But the problem with a "shield" style cutoff method is that you are wasting light, and with non-dyno powered bike lights, power/runtime/output are always competing factors, whereas in a car, you have basically limitless power/ runtime so all you have to worry about is output.

What I wonder is how Infinity implemented their headlights on their Q45 which had an LED based headlight.....

Perhaps the OP can go to a junkyard and copy their design

What I don't like about the Nova BULL is the housing and the limited output. I am kind of an asthetics snob, and I hate so say sometimes function follows form. If that thing put out 800 lumens I would probably overlook the asthetics.

I want want of those aiming systems WITH the guns, only small enough for my bike. Ought to make those nasty cagers stand up and take notice! ;)


Otherwise, I'd like a tail light as small and as bright as the Dinotte, but without the external battery.

A 2 light system designed to work together. One light focuses on throw the other close range( say 25-35ft) of flood. So you can see the log in the road 200 ft ahead and still see the pothole you are going to hit in 2 ft.

I want want of those aiming systems WITH the guns, only small enough for my bike. Ought to make those nasty cagers stand up and take notice! ;)


Otherwise, I'd like a tail light as small and as bright as the Dinotte, but without the external battery.

How about one at half the price of the Dinotte 140L with comparable performance? Maybe the DX guys will have a similar product for us soon. I bet there would be a huge market for it.

The OP had a pretty good list.

I second the helmet mount. Also, commonly used batteries -- not something proprietary. Something I can pick up at Lowe's.

And maybe a flash that's usable -- not S.O.S slow, and not seizure-inducing fast.

And a simple low-high mode (or maybe high-flash). None of the 8-mode hungamungus.

dive lights are already waterproof. use a dive light. the cost is prohibitive for cycling

onmi plugs fail often. directional are more reliable and wear out less

I haven't found them to be much of a problem, based on using old-school NiteRiders with the omni plugs in a couple of formats, and my DiNottes which also have had no problems. There's a lot of DiNotte users here, so if it were an issue, you'd think we would hear about it :)


rubber o ring. I see no issue with these. as long as the rubber is that atomic super-tough
type niterider uses. can't break the trinewt strap.
rubber mounts accomodate todays weird
shaped carbon bars and various silly designs. clamps no longer work for everyone.

I mentioned it because of slippage issues in real life. TriNewt, Seca, DiNotte... I've seen them all slip, on my bike or others' bikes. I agree that wing bars are a challenge, but an articulated clamp with a cam or a threaded quick-bolt would handle them. Take a look at NiteRider's "universal" bar mount and imagine it having a couple more joints.


What I don't like about the Nova BULL is the housing and the limited output. I am kind of an asthetics snob, and I hate so say sometimes function follows form. If that thing put out 800 lumens I would probably overlook the asthetics.

I agree completely. The BULL is not pretty. I was just using it as an example of the beam pattern. I don't know of any bike light that puts out a beam pattern like that. Here's an interesting lens for LED lights, which might be close: http://www.ledsupply.com/l2-optx-1-825s.php


How about one at half the price of the Dinotte 140L with comparable performance? Maybe the DX guys will have a similar product for us soon. I bet there would be a huge market for it.

Well, there is the Nova BULL... :) A bit of DIY is necessary, but the performance is right there.

Thanks folks, I've forwarded on this thread to him. I think it will ultimately come down to how much R&D money it takes to move out on this. I know they have a few products that are just a mount away from being viable bike lights and maybe some of these other features could be incorporated cheap. We'll see if there's interest.

A 2 light system designed to work together. One light focuses on throw the other close range( say 25-35ft) of flood. So you can see the log in the road 200 ft ahead and still see the pothole you are going to hit in 2 ft.

The DiNotte 400L works like that. It's got two LEDS with two lenses. The standard lenses are 10 degrees, but you can buy an optional lens kit that offers 25 and 35 degrees. With that, you could have one beam focused narrow, and another focused more broadly.

Bright
Long run time
Bright
Inexpensive
Bright
Durable
Bright
Quality mount
Bright