I want more blinkie!
05-19-06, 09:02 PM
#1
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I want more blinkie!
So slvoid mentioned that DiNotte 3-watt Luxeon taillight and now I have LEDs on the brain. This led to much Googleing.
Exhibit A: BatterySpace 12-volt NiMH battery with charger and a waterproof on/off switch and a connector for the LED light.
Exhibit B: some LED lights that might have potential as rear flashers for long-range visibility in daylight and in really bad conditions.
I was out on the highway today, and stopped by a railing. The weather was overcast. I looked up the highway to the minimum range that I'd want to be noticed from in daylight. Then I flipped the bike around and walked up there. Using my ~1-meter stride to measure, it was something like 200 meters, a distance that the autos are covering in about 7 seconds.
When I looked back 200 meters at my bike, I could certainly see my three main LED taillights in the daylight (Cateye LD-1000 and two NiteRiders) but they are so small that they appear as basically point sources of light. So that's what is tempting me to try something bigger in size, and more output can't hurt either. Given worse conditions, like rain, dusk & fog, it would be nice to have a really gnarly primary rear flasher, so I'm giving this a serious consideration
The rest of the ride was in a rainstorm, a lightning storm actually. Due to the lightning striking all around me, I decided to take the short route home, which unfortunately is a 1.5-mile ascent on a curvy, heavily-used road with no shoulder in the places where you'd actually need one. At rush hour, on Friday. It was a little hairy under those conditions, and gave me some added incentive for this project.
Now, which light to get...
Exhibit A: BatterySpace 12-volt NiMH battery with charger and a waterproof on/off switch and a connector for the LED light.
Exhibit B: some LED lights that might have potential as rear flashers for long-range visibility in daylight and in really bad conditions.
- Nova BULL, with three 1-watt LEDs and a 4-inch-wide enclosure. It has eight modes, which they demonstrate in the video clip on that page.
- Whelen TIR3, a similar item from Whelen. If you haven't guessed, both of these are made primarily for police cars
- Peterson Manufacturing "Pirhana" 4-inch triple-flash strobe. This would have the advantage of being the biggest visual target.
I was out on the highway today, and stopped by a railing. The weather was overcast. I looked up the highway to the minimum range that I'd want to be noticed from in daylight. Then I flipped the bike around and walked up there. Using my ~1-meter stride to measure, it was something like 200 meters, a distance that the autos are covering in about 7 seconds.
When I looked back 200 meters at my bike, I could certainly see my three main LED taillights in the daylight (Cateye LD-1000 and two NiteRiders) but they are so small that they appear as basically point sources of light. So that's what is tempting me to try something bigger in size, and more output can't hurt either. Given worse conditions, like rain, dusk & fog, it would be nice to have a really gnarly primary rear flasher, so I'm giving this a serious consideration
The rest of the ride was in a rainstorm, a lightning storm actually. Due to the lightning striking all around me, I decided to take the short route home, which unfortunately is a 1.5-mile ascent on a curvy, heavily-used road with no shoulder in the places where you'd actually need one. At rush hour, on Friday. It was a little hairy under those conditions, and gave me some added incentive for this project.
Now, which light to get...
05-19-06, 10:52 PM
#2
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I'd go with 3 nova's in a 3x3 cube.
05-19-06, 11:02 PM
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Want more Blinkie?
Try These.
They come in red, too.
Try These.
They come in red, too.
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05-19-06, 11:20 PM
#4
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crap lost the whole post.
get a xenon strobe, something like this
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-W...67534169QQrdZ1
you'll never think of leds as bright again after you've seen one of these.
360 degree visibility vs 5-15 deg of leds
even visible in daylight, esp if u remove the amber lens.
you need 12vdc to power .
this is an excellent source for ideas on bikelighting
https://nordicgroup.us/s78/#Myths%20a...ting%20Systems
get a xenon strobe, something like this
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-W...67534169QQrdZ1
you'll never think of leds as bright again after you've seen one of these.
360 degree visibility vs 5-15 deg of leds
even visible in daylight, esp if u remove the amber lens.
you need 12vdc to power .
this is an excellent source for ideas on bikelighting
https://nordicgroup.us/s78/#Myths%20a...ting%20Systems
05-19-06, 11:56 PM
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seeker333, one thing I was wondering about Xenon strobes is how long the flashtube lasts (before it burns out, I mean). Anyone got any reports on that aspect?
Patriot, I keep trying to get those babies, but the airport personnel just will NOT be reasonable!
slvoid, you are a dangerous man
Patriot, I keep trying to get those babies, but the airport personnel just will NOT be reasonable!
slvoid, you are a dangerous man
