Originally Posted by
rykoala
That interests me for sure, but honestly I don't know if I'd buy it. I am more into building. What I did see which was very cool was an integrated LED turn/brake light on a motorcycle. That was WAY cool. I might try to build something like that using an array of LED's, but it'll likely be simple electrical switch type connections, not a hardware controller. Although a microcontroller solution sure sounds like a lot of fun. It would be a great project with my son (whom we're homeschooling).
I plan to build, too --- but I'd much rather the difficult bits were available as parts, since I have far more things to do with my time than I have time (lucky you, if that's not true for you!!). For me, it'd be enough to design and build the light arrays and wire it all up. Sort of like when I build a new computer - like my bikes, it's a tool, and I've no slightest desire to write the ROM code!
I bought one of the integrated tail-light-and-turn-signal units that were available for awhile. K3PGP likes his (
http://www.k3pgp.org/turnbrake.htm ) but to me it's a very minimal unit. Definitely more for looks than function, but it's not bad as something to illustrate how not to do it. I'm aiming to have something more along the lines that Jeff built for his bent
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=253379 --- something that will definitely attract attention even from the terminally oblivious. I really hate wondering whether I'm going to make it back home alive when I pedal off to the shopping.