Built a headlight.
09-26-07, 08:57 PM
#1
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Built a headlight.
Here's a quicky run down of my set up. I won't go into gory detail as this has been done before.
I'm running dual 20w MR 16's, one flood and one spot beam. The housing is 50mm ABS pipe with a 50mm ABS cap on the back side with a standard 12v switch.
I'm running dual 20w MR 16's, one flood and one spot beam. The housing is 50mm ABS pipe with a 50mm ABS cap on the back side with a standard 12v switch.
09-28-07, 03:50 AM
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Ouch. That hurts my neck to put that much on my head. I keep all my lights on my bars.
09-28-07, 08:40 AM
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I doubt that the lights weigh that much. And there are benefits to helmet mounts.
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09-28-07, 08:44 AM
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What's your battery and voltage?
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
09-28-07, 06:26 PM
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I have a 4Ah 12v SLA battery. the battery says its a 12v, but also says it cycles at 14.4v???? the lights weigh next to nothing. As for fixing the bulbs I had to bevel the inside of the pipe to allow the bulb to fit. the outer lip of the bulb sits on the outside of the pipe. I sealed it with some silicone and wrapped electrical tape around it quite tightly.
09-28-07, 06:54 PM
#7
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Id put the flood on the bars so you can see where you're going. If the battery is bike mounted this is easy. If the battery is on your back it becomes a tangle of wires.
I think the 14.4 is the charging voltage.
I think the 14.4 is the charging voltage.
09-28-07, 08:49 PM
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I have a 4Ah 12v SLA battery. the battery says its a 12v, but also says it cycles at 14.4v???? the lights weigh next to nothing. As for fixing the bulbs I had to bevel the inside of the pipe to allow the bulb to fit. the outer lip of the bulb sits on the outside of the pipe. I sealed it with some silicone and wrapped electrical tape around it quite tightly.
I know you already have a battery but for the next generation, consider NiMH. It's lighter, only marginally more expensive and far more rugged than SLA. You can wire 2 7.2V RC car batteries together and get 14.4V. That's a 20% overvoltage which gives you an 80% increase in light output. For the weight of your SLA battery you could wire 2 of the above packs together in series (four RC batteries total) and get a much better run time. Your current run time is only around 1.25 hours. Four 3.3 Ah batteries would give you 6.6 Ah and a 2 hour run time.
Look at Battery Space or All Battery for RC batteries. Most of the 3.3 Ah batteries run around $18 each...more expensive than SLA but they will last longer and serve you better.
Your system looks good and there's nothing wrong with it's current configuration but there's always room for improvement
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
