Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Niterider Minewt: Does the switch on battery pack light up?

Hi, does the swith on the NiteRider Minewt-USB battery pack light up in any way, either when the head light is in operation or when the charge is done? There looks to be a LED under there the opaque switch....:)

Hi, does the swith on the NiteRider Minewt-USB battery pack light up in any way, either when the head light is in operation or when the charge is done? There looks to be a LED under there the opaque switch....:)

Nope! The answer is also in Niterider's FAQ; however, to reiterate it here. The Minewt-USB is just smart enough not to overcharge its battery, but it's quite dumb when it comes to informing you whether or not it's completely charged. The green LED units on the "wall wart" is there just to inform you that it is getting power it has no bearing on the charge status.

Nope! The answer is also in Niterider's FAQ; however, to reiterate it here. The Minewt-USB is just smart enough not to overcharge its battery, but it's quite dumb when it comes to informing you whether or not it's completely charged. The green LED units on the "wall wart" is there just to inform you that it is getting power it has no bearing on the charge status.

Thanks for reiterating! I guess they put it through cost cutting measures to bring it to the $99 price point... still seems like a good performing light considering the cost.

Thanks for reiterating! I guess they put it through cost cutting measures to bring it to the $99 price point... still seems like a good performing light considering the cost.

For what it is it's pretty good. I still prefer the beam pattern of my Cyglolight Pace135 which is brighter, but it also has a pop connector that vibrates loose over rough roads and has no charge protection circuit. so it's 6 one way and a half dozen the other. :lol:

wat ?

wow they got rid of the blue lite/red lite on the thing ?

dang

wat ?

wow they got rid of the blue lite/red lite on the thing ?

dang

Ya; I guess that saves more electrons for the headlight ;)

No charge status, no leds and no flash mode. I would have been happy to pay the extra $ to get the leds and flash. I still really like mine though, USB charge port is very convenient.

I wish it showed charged status (or nearing death anyway) but I love it. i charge it every few rides just to be sure it's up to the task when I really need it. Going to get a romisen flashlight to use as a second/backup since I can always throw fresh batteries in that one if the other dies on me.

I guess I can understand that you only get so many features included for a particular model at a particular price. Flashing mode is nice, but not necessary. Hi AND Lo, nice but not necessary. Some means of determining your battery state I beleive is absolutely required - at least with these lights in MHO. I've got a MiNewt X2 and I appreciate the advanced warning that my battery is running down. Especially since my burn-times are all over the board in the cold weather. I'm supposing the USB version is the same in that the light does not get dimmer as the battery drains - it just cuts out and turn off? A rude suprise if you don't happen to have a lighting alternative available in the middle of your ride...

NiteRider should just eat the extra two bucks in components and add it as a standard to all their lights

Actually my usb minewt does dim, but then it dies pretty quickly... theres maybe 5 minutes of usable light from beginning of dim to total uselessness (going ~12mph, wouldn't want to go any faster in this state), which is why I'm going to get a flashlight as a backup. I was stuck riding home one night with just my blackburn quadrant after the newt died. I got home but I would have been better off walking i think, considering the horrid glare from oncoming traffic, I couldn't see worth a darn.

Gearreview dot com has a review on the NiteRider MiNewt Mini-USB Plus. Even has a runtime graph if anyone is interested!

http://www.gearreview.com/LEDs09_beginner.php#usb

Main artice with a bunch of lights:

http://www.gearreview.com/LEDs09_intro.php