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Old 03-08-18 | 09:25 PM
  #14  
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Pompiere
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From: NW Ohio

Bikes: 1984 Miyata 310, 1986 Schwinn Sierra, 1987 Ross Mt. Hood, 1988 Schwinn LeTour, 1988 Trek 400T, 1981 Fuji S12-1977 Univega Grand Rally, S LTD, 1973 Sears Free Spirit 531, 197? FW Evans

Originally Posted by rhm
Yes.

The real caveman solution (my specialty) is to attach one wire from the dynamo to the "+" of the headlight and the "-" of the taillight; and attach the other wire to the "-" of the headlight and the "+" of the taillight. That way the alternating current goes to the headlight and taillight alternately, giving each one full power half of the time. No on/off switch, no capacitor, nothing fancy.

It works, I know 'cuz I've done it! But my $80 B&M headlight works so much better, I can't recommend anything else.
If I am understanding your explanation correctly, that would be a full wave rectifier. Adding a capacitor would help smooth out the voltage peaks to reduce the flicker at lower wheel speeds. At higher speeds, the flicker is fast enough to not be noticeable.
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