Road Fan

I have a Luxos-B and a SON hub. I'd like to use them, but I don't want the light active 24-7. Has anybody rigged up a switch for a dyne headlight?

What kind of switch? How did you waterproof it? How is it installed?

I'm looking for a relatively cheap part from Digi-Key or Mouser, not a $100 item from Boulder Bicycles.

Has anybody done this, and can share the project?

DiegoFrogs

Are you also using a taillight?

zacster

Really, any switch will do. These are low power items. Since you know your way around Mouser and Digi-key, do a search on waterproof. I'm sure there will be a few hits. When I was doing electronics the number of options always amazed me.

Road Fan

Thanks, all!
@Diego: Yes, I will be using a taillight. I'll probably switch it through the control as well.
@zacster: Yes, my problem is that there are so many, and I even have a great junkbox of vintage mil-spec switches for old tubed electronics equipment. But these are gigantic, though fully waterproof. But even more interesting are packaging ideas - what have our tinkerers put the switch into, how was it waterproofed, how was it attached to the bike?

noglider 

I like my lights being on at all times. The drag isn't much, and I figure the lights can't hurt.

zacster

Do you have any tubes in that junkbox? I'm always looking for the usual audio tubes, 6DJ8/6922, 6GM8, 5AR4, 5U4, 6B4G, 2A3, 300B. I haven't played around with these things for a while though, I just use what I have.

dbg

Used to have one on my commuter bike. I suspended it between the downtube and toptube very close to headtube. I strung it through an old tube that pressed tightly between toptube and downtube. It eventually became flakey and I regretted having a switch at all. I now have everything permanently on. LED's last forever, don't they?

fietsbob

The switch should be on the headlight, unless you got one made to go with a Bottle Dynamo.

which logically would not have a switch because you can lift the dynamo drive wheel off the tire.

so .. You got the wrong headlight, in short.


I now have an E Delux LED headlight , same type of magnetic reed switch as the E 6 ..
It has the taillight wiring running off of It.

Sixty Fiver

Shimano makes a dynamo switch that sits between the hub and the light and it has a built in light sensor as well as an on and off.

SW-NX30

Cost on these is less than $20.00 and they work with lights that have no switch / sensor.

I don't need the one I have anymore... if you can wait a few weeks I could send it to you.

DiegoFrogs

I only asked about the taillight to caution against putting the switch on the ground side, lest there be an unintentional ground path through the frame and fender and whatnot.

I would put it on the "hot" side. Or, honestly, I'd probably just disconnect the spade connectors.

PaulRivers

Isn't there a switch on the light?

Fyi, the Luxos U has a switch that goes up on the handlebars...

unterhausen

finally got around to installing my Luxos U, and it has one switch on the light and an optional one on the handlebars. I'm a little surprised to hear that the B doesn't have a switch at all. I usually leave my lights on all the time, but with the U it is useful to turn it off so you can use the charger for batteries.

the spade connectors really couldn't stand too many connect/disconnect cycles. A switch is better

PlanoFuji

The Luxos B does have a switch.



This thread got me to notice that on mine even with with the switch turned off the light would come back on when the dyno started generating again.

Talked with Linda at Peter White cycles and sent them back the light since this is not the way the light is supposed to work. So far the only way they have replicated my problem was when the dyno was connected to the wrong side of the light (the connectors that are supposed to go to the tail light, marked out in the pic). I was able to send them a photo of how I had it installed and it confirmed that I did have the dyno connected to the correct side of the light (side marked in in the pic). They are still trying to replicate the problem.

They did confirm that when the light is turned off (by pressing the center push button under the plastic shield on the back) it should stay off).

Just out of curiosity to the OP, please confirm which side of the light (when looking at it from the rear) that you have the dyno connected. Also if you could tell us what tail light you have (if any) and how it is installed (ie, did you isolate it from grounding to the frame)...

My hunch is that it might be an issue with getting the wiring backwards from the dyno hub and a connection being made through the frame and tail light.

Road Fan

I'm familiar with the 6DJ8, 5AR4 (rectifier for Dynaco power amps?), the 5U4 (rectifier for a bunch of other 40 w power amps), and the big triodes. I would not have any power triodes, I might have some rectifiers, and perhaps a few of the little 6DJ8s.

Can you use a tube tester? I might have to just load it all in the car and drive it to Brooklyn and dump it on your front lawn!

We should probably do this in pm's ...

Road Fan

I bought Luxos B's for my bike and for wifebike. Her Terry has a B&M 6 bottle dyno, and mine has a SON. So yes, Fiets ol' buddy, I bought the wrong light.

Anybody know if Peter White has the U's in stock yet?

I'm not just thinking about no light for day, I'm thinking about directing generator output to charge the iPhone rather than light the lights. For that I'd need something other than an SPST, probably a DPDT. I'd probably want to keep the taillight and it's stand light on all the time.


@PLANo: I finally read down to your post, thanks a bunch for the information! I have yet to go through the info that came with my Luxos B. I better do that before I start working on this project.

PaulRivers

As someone else pointed out, I'm not sure exactly what you're asking (in retrospect) - the "B" model has a switch, it's just on the light not on the handlebars.

Not sure from your post if you know this already or not but the U model does have a usb charger built into it. Apparently it will charge an iPhone, but not something much larger like an iPad (because of the limits of how much power the dynamo puts out).

Robert C

I had a Shimano hub on one of my bikes (which disappeared on a flight from Asia. . . long story). The hub had very noticeable drag; so, I just unpluged the wire coming out of the hub when I didn't want the light on.

PlanoFuji

Yes, this was a problem with older Shimano dyno hubs. The new ones have far less drag (nearly a match for the Son hubs in this regard), particularly if the light is off (or using low power in daylight running mode).

Road Fan

I have the headlight installed now, and I don't think I'll go with an auxiliary switch. The one on the B is good enough, and I don't think I can package one as well as a manufacturer will.

Next issue: attaching taillight wires to the inside of a metal fender?

unterhausen

does the fender have a gutter? I use Berthoud fenders, which have a gutter. I drill a hole by the BB and one back by the light and use rubber grommets to protect the wire. The trick is to use clamps at each end to keep the wire tight in the gutter while the glue dries. If you are using Honjos, this might be a problem due to the softness of the metal. I used silicone caulk, but I've also used epoxy.

PlanoFuji

My tail light is attached to a metal fender. In my case I didn't think the clearances were large enough that I was comfortable the wire wouldn't get damages by gravel and such between the tire and the fender, YMMV. So I ran the wire out on the fender stay to the light. My light is attached very close to the stay, so it was a good choice for me. Here is a shot showing the wiring on my bike.

Road Fan

Thanks, Plano.

My Honjos have a lot of clearance, since my frame was designed with fender mount points located 15 or 17 mm away from the tire surface. Very good for the fender line!

I read on one of the Google lists about cementing little lengths of 3 mm tubing inside a fluted fender as wire guides. I like this idea and if I had fluted fenders I would do that. But mine are hammered, so it would be harder to glue. I'm going to try to fish my wire through the rolled area at the edge, using thin piano wire as a fish wire and to pull the light wire through. My original idea was to modularize the wired fender and add in-line disconnects to separate the fender without disrupting the wiring all the way the front hub, but I have to find a really reliable design. Might be I should use full-size automotive spades/crimps for this, and not use the little skinny B&M spades except at the hardware itself.

fietsbob

I just got a B&M Lyt , for my Brompton .. it's got a switch on the back

so that takes it out of the circuit and the taillight off too ..

PaulRivers

I think it's a bad idea. Any small rocks (sand sized) that get kicked up into your fender will be hitting your tail light wire.

CaptCarrot

Ditto - and my light has a built in switch. I only turn it off when putting it away to preserve the standlight (not that I need to really)