Thread: Total Geekiness
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Old 12-14-07 | 03:55 PM
  #1739  
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Map tester
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 747
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From: Decatur, GA

Bikes: Giant Revel 1, Surly Ogre

MR16 LED reviews

I have added an additional MR16 LED headlight to my Geek light system. I have been running with a single 3 watt Luxeon MR16 spot headlight for the past year. The beam was ok in a mixed urban light environment, and good in the few dark sections, but I felt the need for more 'forward' light during these winter months. I ordered 2 different bulbs:

1. A 3x 1 Watt Luxeon MR16 (both bulbs from http://autolumination.com/mr16.htm )
2. A 3W Luxeon MR 16

Both are taller than standard halogen MR16 bulbs, so I had to modify the Optronics QH-7CC housing by hammering the inside metal bracket that holds the bulb socket. It took a bit of adjusting to get the 2nd housing mounted to my handlebars, since my cockpit is crowded.

Both lights throw a wider, shorter beam than my first LED MR16. However, when used in conjunction with the existing headlight, I can get a good, bright beam, wide nearest the bike and narrower in the distance. The 3x 1 watt bulb seems to fluctuate in brightness; I am thinking that either the integral power puck isn't as good as the other bulbs or is having difficultly providing good steady power to 3x 1 watt Luxeons. Currently I am using the 3 watt luxeon.

I added an inline switch on the new headlight, so I can just use one if I think the battery is getting low. The built-in power pucks seem to keep the luxeons going even if the battery is getting low; the only way I can tell (by looking) that the battery is getting low is the rear beehive leds really fade below 12v. The pictures below show the rest of the system. The first 2 pix show the headlights, along with my car horn and bell. The 3rd pix is the 3x 1watt MR26. 4th pix: I store my SLA 5Ah battery in a cheap underseat bag--soon to be replaced with a homemade leather bag. The rear beehive leds are joined with a yellow strobe from allelectronics.com. I replaced the battery powered bar-end leds with one connected to the mains power--these flash all the time. The final picture are my yellow led front fork maker leds--these will be replaced with yellow beehive similar to the rear lights.

All in all, I am satisfied with my system. It has worked for more than 2 years, with various changes and upgrades along the way.
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Last edited by Map tester; 12-15-07 at 09:37 AM. Reason: updating with photos
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