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LED strip taillights????

Old 12-27-13, 02:32 AM
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LED strip taillights????

I had an idea when I came across 50cm led strips like these:



Then I began searching for images of these on vehicles.




There are two versions, one for lead acid battery 12v, and one for usb 5v. I figure if someone get one of these 5v usb version and wrap it around a rack, it would look pretty cool.
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Old 12-27-13, 10:30 AM
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I have a couple of Bike taillights, run off the hub dynamo , that have a fresnel prism lens.
to spread out the light from 2 LEDs to become a line full width of the rack mount taillight.
It stays on at stop lights with a capacitor.. German B&M also make a version that gets Brighter
as the pulse frequency from the Hub dynamo is reduced. So it's a Brake light.

You are showing an automobile scheme , which has a lot more power and a big battery to use.

and a greater width to utilize , than a Bicycle.

but, by all means, let us know how you make it work ..
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Old 12-27-13, 10:42 AM
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If it runs of USB it can't draw more than 500ma at most, which is less than many bike taillights. It's going to be less bright, but more spread out which may be good.
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Old 12-27-13, 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
I have a couple of Bike taillights, run off the hub dynamo , that have a fresnel prism lens.
to spread out the light from 2 LEDs to become a line full width of the rack mount taillight.
It stays on at stop lights with a capacitor.. German B&M also make a version that gets Brighter
as the pulse frequency from the Hub dynamo is reduced. So it's a Brake light.
Hey that's great, I have taillight dynamos too, the brake and non-brake version of the B&M toplight line plus. The brake version is not that useful and only works with B&M dynamo headlights. This guy will lay out all the reasons why (and he reviews a lot of dynamo lights, which seems to be your thing).

But this is a battery light, so your dynamo recommendations don't count. As far as dynamo tail lights like the topline line plus go compared to battery lights in terms of getting the attention of drivers in North America, battery wins.

Originally Posted by fietsbob
You are showing an automobile scheme , which has a lot more power and a big battery to use.

and a greater width to utilize , than a Bicycle.

but, by all means, let us know how you make it work ..
You need to finish reading my OP, there's a 5v usb version. They come with adhesive in the back to stick on to things, like a rack!

Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
If it runs of USB it can't draw more than 500ma at most, which is less than many bike taillights. It's going to be less bright, but more spread out which may be good.
It's $10 for the rgb led strip with mode controls on ebay, I'll see how it goes compared to my other taillights.
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Old 12-27-13, 02:47 PM
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Show me when you install them, yourself.. you just posted off the web pictures.

After You, whip out that credit card..

NB: you are not selling me on My Needing them.

Although, our 12 year Peace Vigil, an hour, weekly so now 624 of them,
for Christmas the 4 foot tall peace sign ,
in chrismas lights , could be updated to the 5v light strips , all wired to run in parallel
off the same battery power supply, could replace the Honda Generator , to run the lights..

Last edited by PhotoJoe; 12-27-13 at 05:26 PM.
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Old 12-28-13, 05:39 PM
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Isn't life fraught enough, what with needing to keep track of credit card due dates and staying on top of the slow puncture in the front tire? Do you really need to figure out how to get a 5v light system to run off a 3.7v Li-Ion battery pack? How wide is a rear rack? 4"? 5"? Unless you are in the process of being T-Boned, does the amount of wrap up the sides matter? I often take my very precious and highly irreplaceable SO out on our tandem at night with nothing more than a $10 flashing arm-band, that I let her wear. We keep coming home in one piece... FWIW.

H
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Old 12-28-13, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
Isn't life fraught enough, what with needing to keep track of credit card due dates and staying on top of the slow puncture in the front tire? Do you really need to figure out how to get a 5v light system to run off a 3.7v Li-Ion battery pack? How wide is a rear rack? 4"? 5"? Unless you are in the process of being T-Boned, does the amount of wrap up the sides matter? I often take my very precious and highly irreplaceable SO out on our tandem at night with nothing more than a $10 flashing arm-band, that I let her wear. We keep coming home in one piece... FWIW.

H
Not ever person enjoys exactly the same things you enjoy. I like nothing better than to putter around in the lab, fiddling with electronics, or in my CAD program designing lighting mounts and printing them on my 3D printer. I'm sure you have things you enjoy doing in your down time as well. Please don't tell us that the things we do for fun are a waste of time and we should all do what you do. This year I've spent over $1000 on test equipment for my lab, and I use it in an entirely unprofitable manner, making not a penny from it.

I personally thing that many of the things that people talk about doing here are ridiculous wastes of time, but if they like doing them, they should absolutely keep doing it. They're not trying to force me to use a GPS bike comp or spend an extra $500 to buy better components.

Also, bear in mind that everyone does not ride in the same exact situation that you do. I've found that riding conditions can change completely just going 10 miles away from my normal route. Maybe some people need different equipment to be safe than you do. Maybe they need different equipment to FEEL safe. It doesn't make them wrong if they disagree with you. Them using (or needing) different equipment than you do doesn't make you wrong either.
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Old 12-28-13, 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
Not ever person enjoys exactly the same things you enjoy...
That was some of the most skillfull slinging of the bull that I've seen in awhile. Admirable job. But... sometimes wrong is just wrong. And you are... wrong. As was said, automotive examples to not help make your point. We didn't get to the top of the food chain by all of us going our own wrong-headed ways. That is an outgrowth of the "you're ok, I'm ok", "you do your thing, I'll do mine", everyone's a winner bullsheisen. Got it? I hope so. Now, no more of this foolishness. You want to put 1K to good use, I'll DM you my paypal account e-mail. Or you can buy a PB Superflash and call it good. Your choice.

H
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Old 12-29-13, 04:11 AM
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Interesting dialogue in here, for once on BF.
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Old 12-29-13, 05:50 AM
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It seems like every electronics shop has their version of a programmable LED strip these days. Add an ATtiny or similar and you could program all kinds of fun.

Or you could make your own version of the wheel with the patterned images.
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Old 12-29-13, 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
Or you can buy a PB Superflash and call it good. Your choice.
I certainly wouldn't want to bother with what the OP is doing.

But I wouldn't care to ride with nothing but a PBSF either. Let me describe some rides I've been on. 65 MPH traffic, 2 lanes, no shoulder, rural, no ambient light, heavy fog.

Think riding that with a PBSF is a good idea?

I'll stick with my current taillight setup thanks. I run at least 3 lights, two 2 watts and one 3 watt. If all I had was a Superflash, I'd just drive on those days.

I suppose if you're noodling around in town with 25 MPH speed limits and street lighting, a PBSF is just fine.
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Old 12-29-13, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
That was some of the most skillfull slinging of the bull that I've seen in awhile. Admirable job. But... sometimes wrong is just wrong. And you are... wrong.
Having fun doing something you enjoy is wrong. Got it. Thanks.
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Old 12-29-13, 01:12 PM
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Originally Posted by mrbubbles
I had an idea when I came across 50cm led strips like these:..... I figure if someone get one of these 5v usb version and wrap it around a rack, it would look pretty cool.
I think these would be great run up one seat stay, around and down the other. I'd wire to a pack of 4 NiMH batteries.
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Old 12-29-13, 03:31 PM
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Personally ... I think batteries are old school and the Americans in this thread are getting sucked into this trap by the mild success of Tesla.

Meanwhile, in Germany, we legally have to shut down fossil fuel power plants, by law, because the grid is overwhelmed with mandated renewable evergy.

Enjoy your dirty battery energy
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Old 12-30-13, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Enjoy your dirty battery energy
What if I charge my batteries from solar? I will be come next summer. I've got some panel kits but I need warm weather for the sealant to set.
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Old 12-30-13, 09:04 AM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
What if I charge my batteries from solar? I will be come next summer. I've got some panel kits but I need warm weather for the sealant to set.
?

then the rare earth minerals required to make the batteries are very environmentally unfriendly.

however, I have never seen a direct comparison between what is required in terms of copper for a Shimano hub dynamo versus a battery ...

however, a Shimano hub dynamo runs about €15, so it can really have high quantities of copper or other semi-rare metals

just my €0.02
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Old 12-30-13, 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
then the rare earth minerals required to make the batteries are very environmentally unfriendly.
Given that a handful of cells lasts several years (after 5 years I have yet to have a LiIon pack die on me despite buying the cheapest crap I could find on DX), it's not really that big of a deal. Anyone who uses rechargables and properly recycles batteries is not really the problem - people who use non-rechargables send something like 150,000 tons of batteries to landfills per year. The average American doesn't even consider buying rechargables and they just toss their primary cells in the garbage when they're dead. There's your problem. Not people sending 4 or 5 cells to a recycler per year.

Originally Posted by acidfast7
however, a Shimano hub dynamo runs about €15
Surely you've left out a digit there?
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Old 12-30-13, 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Personally ... I think batteries are old school and the Americans in this thread are getting sucked into this trap by the mild success of Tesla.

Meanwhile, in Germany, we legally have to shut down fossil fuel power plants, by law, because the grid is overwhelmed with mandated renewable evergy.

Enjoy your dirty battery energy
My Eneloops are charged with wind-power. Or maybe it's high sulfur coal. I forget.
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Old 12-30-13, 12:18 PM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe

Surely you've left out a digit there?
https://www.amazon.de/SHIMANO-Nabendy...ds=nabendynamo

the 3n20 is cheaper ... but i can't seem to fine one right now.

3n30 is €19.

no digits left out
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Old 12-30-13, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
https://www.amazon.de/SHIMANO-Nabendy...ds=nabendynamo

the 3n20 is cheaper ... but i can't seem to fine one right now.

3n30 is €19.


no digits left out
What is that in USD? And it has to be laced into a rim, and trued. And there are not TMK any serious chinese suppliers of high-end dynamo lights. Lets be honest, dynamo lights are not the best value in terms of money spent for lumens out the light are they. They reward the connoisseur who can afford to spend some money up front (make an investment) and rides in an area where the surrounding infrastructure also provides enough background illumination to allow for the modest output of a hub dynamo. IOW, they are not, cannot be, for everyone.
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Old 12-31-13, 02:44 AM
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
I think these would be great run up one seat stay, around and down the other. I'd wire to a pack of 4 NiMH batteries.
+1
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Old 12-31-13, 02:45 AM
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
Interesting dialogue in here, for once on BF.
So why are you here?
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Old 12-31-13, 03:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Medic Zero
So why are you here?
to updated my mileage and to witness people have the same argument about total output (Lumens) versus precisely directed output (Lux) versus cost of dynamo-based in Europe versus North America.
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Old 12-31-13, 07:07 AM
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Generally I'm in the camp of the more lit up one is the better.
However, I have to wonder of the LED strips could blend into the roadside signage, particularly if the cyclist is riding FRAP.
This is not a judgement or a conclusion by any means - just pondering the thought/question.
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Old 12-31-13, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Leisesturm
What is that in USD? And it has to be laced into a rim, and trued. And there are not TMK any serious chinese suppliers of high-end dynamo lights. Lets be honest, dynamo lights are not the best value in terms of money spent for lumens out the light are they. They reward the connoisseur who can afford to spend some money up front (make an investment) and rides in an area where the surrounding infrastructure also provides enough background illumination to allow for the modest output of a hub dynamo. IOW, they are not, cannot be, for everyone.
Why do you want a Chinese supplier ... personally, I like quality (most of the time) ... I have a cheap FGSS that was made in China, hand-assembled and test ridden in the UK, which keeps UK people employed, disassembled and shipped to me so that I could assemble it myself. I also have a midrange MTB made in Tawian and hand assembled in Germany, keeping Germany people employed.

Why just go for the Chinese product, as you're losing any money staying in country?

I don't want to have the Lumens vs Lux discussion again as most people can't read German and don't understand why a Lux rating within a particular legal framework is important (hint: it's similar to auto headlight regulations) and if one can't have even these simple frameworks for cycling regulations, there's absolutely no hope for integrated cycle super highways within that country:

https://www.cykelsuperstier.dk/concept

In fact, dynamo power lights can be for everyone, as every new bike in Germany (and the majority in the EU, which is larger market that the US) have them unless they are exempted as MTB or race bikes.

Hate to say it, but the US is still the backwater for cycling technology.

Got to run, as I'm off to:

1. Drink a huge amount of great beer
2. Drink a huge amount of great home-made distilled schnapps
3. Eat like a king
4. Sing all night long
5. Light off some huge fireworks with general disregard!

Kinda like this (all legal and home launched fireworks!)


Last edited by acidfast7; 12-31-13 at 08:01 AM.
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