Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Is it nuts to buy a $7...

bottle dynamo (http://www.seeedstudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bicycle_Dynamo_With_Bracket_-_6V_3W)?

We'll see. It just arrived recently, have not connected it up yet.

I have to say, one of the three pictures in the top level web page (the one with the yellow bike) is not of this dynamo, and the way the dynamo I received is switched on is different. I should have noticed that inconsistency in the pics..

The dynamo I got is, however, the one on the wiki page. So, to turn it on you have to pull it. Which I think will make it hard to turn on without dismounting unless its on the front.

The idea of a dynamo hub sounds better all the time. Paying $50 for a bottle dynamo didn't make much sense to me either.

Need to start working again and making money..

should be fine. I used to use bottle dynamos with the built in headlight, I really liked them. Too bad they didn't invent the power led back then

Me too, this will be my second, and actually, fooling around with it - it looks like a decent product. The only thing that I wish it had was the little pushtab you see in the yellow bike picture that flips the dynamo onto the wheel with the push of a button. But the way its set up is fine, its probably more durable, also. For the money, I doubt if it can be beat.


should be fine. I used to use bottle dynamos with the built in headlight, I really liked them. Too bad they didn't invent the power led back then

I like bottle dynamos too.

They also have the affordable "Seeduino" (http://ieee.rutgers.edu/system/files/Hello_Seeeduino.pdf) (their version of Arduino Diecimila (http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/arduinoBoardDiecimila)), now for $14 (http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/seeeduino-v221-atmega-168p-p-690.html?cPath=77).

Paying $50 for a bottle dynamo didn't make much sense to me either.


I see Velo Orange has a Spanninga bottle generator for about $20. http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/lighting/dynamo/spanninga-wave-dynamo.html

I haven't used this product, but I do have a Spanninga dynamo taillight which I like a lot. I believe their products are reasonably durable.

Yes, thats kind of what Ive been thinking too.

I kind of would like to have that little pushtab to flip the dynamo on like my old dynamo had. The Spanninga appears to have it.

This dynamo is much more difficult to turn on and that has necessitated my mounting it on the front fork. I still dont seem to have it right there and I'm understandably phobic about it getting caught in something if its not securely mounted.

if the cheap one doesn't latch in the off position, it's not worth any amount of money. I didn't quite understand that part.

I never was fond of bottle dynamos because of their load drag, tire wear, and inconsistent lighting levels. There may be an updated fix for the bottle dynamo's drawbacks, but I'm really liking the newer led/battery setups of today with their consistent light levels and no load drag.

if you need to build a wheel, the Sanyo dynohub is hard to beat. You can get them for $35 on ebay or $40 from your dealer with a skewer. Of course, the rest of the build is where the money is. My 26" commuter has a dynohub wheel that is available for $60