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Old 11-05-16 | 12:23 PM
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I ordered some of the connectors [MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION] recommended, haven't got them yet, so have not yet tried the following. But ..
I recommend the old wire crimpers made for Bell Systems. You can find them on eBay for $10-$20 or more. There are two versions, one with two small pair of dies in the jaws, which are useful for making Sturmey Archer gear cables, putting end caps on cables and, I strongly suspect, these wire connectors.

The other crimper has only one pair of dies, which I use for putting a spoke nipple onto a cable to make a brake cable end, so strongly I've not seen one fail.
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Old 11-06-16 | 09:44 AM
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Originally Posted by rhm
I recommend the old wire crimpers made for Bell Systems. You can find them on eBay for $10-$20 or more. .
Pic?
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Old 11-06-16 | 02:47 PM
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I did my first Dynamo wiring job on a Miyata 610 that has became my #1 ride over the past few years. I had used super glue/zip-ties/cable guides to hold the wiring in place while I was testing/learning. Once I had found what worked I decided to try and hide all the wiring for a cleaner and semi-custom look.

I found this tape to work really well to hold the dynamo wiring along the inside of the fenders. It is very thin, strong, and hides the wire. it has held up so far in Canadian summer and winter temperatures:


These little grommets are great for entrance/exit holes in the fenders:

I would have preferred to use the smaller banana connectors recommended earlier, but I had some bullet style quick connects on hand that have held up just fine so far:


Here is the underside of the front fender:


I am using a Sanyo NH-T6 bottom bracket generator. after a few months of testing, it had worked extremely well, rain or shine, everytime I needed it. I liked it so much that I got the frame drilled for internal routing (by Hugh Black at True North) to run the wiring inside the frame. I used quick connectors at the generator so that it can be removed and cleaned without having to re-wire (They stay tucked between the BB shell and the generator top plate, but I pulled them down so they would be visible for the picture):


Here is where the wiring enters the back of the BB shell. The wiring goes over the top of the (Phil wood ) bottom bracket and up the downtube, and the tail light wire enters the back of the rear fender:


Here is the wiring exiting the downtube and entering the front fender:


The wire exiting the front fender going to the B&M headlight:


I am very happy with how it turned out. The whole dynamo setup took a bit of time and lots of research, but the people putting up all the detail/process pictures on this forum or on their flickr pages provided much of the information and inspiration that I needed.

Last edited by Craigorock; 11-07-16 at 04:09 PM.
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Old 11-06-16 | 03:37 PM
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If I am sticking dynamo wires inside fenders I use dabs of silicone sealant, and just bed the wire in it. As long as the surface was clean prior to putting the dabs on they will stick well, and aren't too hard to peel off if necessary. Using grommets where the wire go through the fender isn't a bad idea. I usually ran mine in at the bottoms or around the side.

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Old 11-06-16 | 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by gugie
Pic?
https://m.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-HKP-Inc-Bell-System-Telephone-Wire-Hand-Crimper-Stripper-Tool-/291935326015?nav=SEARCH

Or search HKP Bell Systems tools on eBay. Most sellers don't recognize the thing as a crimper so they are usually mislabelled.
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Old 11-06-16 | 10:59 PM
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[MENTION=437412]Craigorock[/MENTION], nice descriptions, but some of your pictures are not visible, probably because of permission problems. Can you please check? Thanks.
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Old 11-07-16 | 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
some of your pictures are not visible, probably because of permission problems. Can you please check?
Thanks for letting me know, all images should be visible now.
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Old 11-08-16 | 08:43 AM
  #33  
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Unique? Factory brazed-on wire tabs on the downtube of a Gitane Gran Tourisme:





Wires were twisted using a vise and a screwgun.
Silicone holds wires inside fenders, to the headlight and tailight.
Rubber grommets at the fender holes.
Connectors, and cable end caps, crimped with an old AMP tool.
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Old 11-08-16 | 09:01 AM
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Originally Posted by HamboneSlim
Unique? Factory brazed-on wire tabs on the downtube of a Gitane Gran Tourisme:



<... photos deleted...>

Wires were twisted using a vise and a screwgun.
Silicone holds wires inside fenders, to the headlight and tailight.
Rubber grommets at the fender holes.
Connectors, and cable end caps, crimped with an old AMP tool.
That's new to me, but I don't get out much.

How many of those braze-ons are there? Seems like you'd need at least a few to keep the wires from flopping around much.
Are they just loops to run the wire through?

I've contemplated similar loops on a fork blade for speedometer pickup wires.

For my commuting bike, I've gone with a slightly different arrangement for routing the taillight wires along the top tube. Instead of loops to run the wires through, I just used small loops that the wires are tied to. Seems to work fine, considering that I've ridden the bike for 16 years, but always curious about a better design.




Steve in Peoria
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Old 11-08-16 | 09:46 AM
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Originally Posted by steelbikeguy
That's new to me, but I don't get out much.

How many of those braze-ons are there? Seems like you'd need at least a few to keep the wires from flopping around much.
Are they just loops to run the wire through?

I've contemplated similar loops on a fork blade for speedometer pickup wires.

For my commuting bike, I've gone with a slightly different arrangement for routing the taillight wires along the top tube. Instead of loops to run the wires through, I just used small loops that the wires are tied to. Seems to work fine, considering that I've ridden the bike for 16 years, but always curious about a better design.




Steve in Peoria
There are three braze-ons on the downtube. They are just little tabs that fold over the wire.

That is an unusual headlight. Home made?
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Old 11-08-16 | 10:03 AM
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Originally Posted by HamboneSlim
There are three braze-ons on the downtube. They are just little tabs that fold over the wire.
ahh.... that is interesting! So they were intended to be used to install the wire at the factory, or maybe at the bike shop or home, and then not touched again. I'm guessing that they might survive being bent a few times, but risked breaking off after a handful of bendings.

Originally Posted by HamboneSlim
That is an unusual headlight. Home made?
yep.... no one could stay in business building a light that homely.
I like to think of it as "theft resistant".

The only special feature is the standlight circuit that I designed around a very large supercapacitor that I had sitting around. It lights up the lower LED at a level much brighter than commercial standlights, and it will power it for about 10 minutes. It was fun to design and build.


Steve in Peoria
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Old 11-11-16 | 11:58 AM
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[MENTION=437412]Craigorock[/MENTION], you said you had your frame drilled. Is this tricky, or is the trick to know where it is safe to drill? Now that we know your bike holds up with 6mm (right?) holes in the BB and head lug, do you think most BB shells and head lugs can tolerate a dolt like me drilling a 6mm hole in each?
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Old 11-11-16 | 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
[MENTION=437412]Craigorock[/MENTION], you said you had your frame drilled. Is this tricky, or is the trick to know where it is safe to drill? Now that we know your bike holds up with 6mm (right?) holes in the BB and head lug, do you think most BB shells and head lugs can tolerate a dolt like me drilling a 6mm hole in each?
I'm curious to know if a titanium frame with 1.75" down tube can handle a hole in the DT near the HT. I'm confident the BB shell or chain stay could handle the small hole.
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Old 11-11-16 | 12:37 PM
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Old 11-11-16 | 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Craigorock
Thanks for letting me know, all images should be visible now.
Thanks for fixing that!

Very nice job, well done!

I have a Giant Excursion with factory installed bottom bracket generator. It is controlled by a lever on the back of the seat tube where you can reach it while riding. Mine happens to be a Union generator. It does well in all but the worst of weather. The wiring is interesting in that they utilized the aluminum strips in the fenders as conductors and mounted snaps to them, the wire has a snap on the end that attaches to the fender, then the wire goes to the light.

Have to get some pictures of the set up. I had one other bike with a similar wiring system, that one was a German Staiger Florida.

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Old 11-11-16 | 08:15 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
[MENTION=437412]Craigorock[/MENTION], you said you had your frame drilled. Is this tricky, or is the trick to know where it is safe to drill? Now that we know your bike holds up with 6mm (right?) holes in the BB and head lug, do you think most BB shells and head lugs can tolerate a dolt like me drilling a 6mm hole in each?
5mm holes where just big enough for my wire setup. The framebuilder I spoke with explained two options for a safe internal wire routing modification:

One option was to drill holes in the tubes and braze a reinforcement ring (like a water bottle boss) to it. This option lets you choose any placement for the cable openings, but was more work and probably would require a repaint.

The second option was to drill through a spot in the lugs. Not a lot of choice for placement but he told me this was the best way to maintain the frames integrity. It also required no brazing or painting. The builder deburred the inside/outside really well to avoid possible stress cracks.

I don't know if all frames can handle this or not. Maybe check with a local builder to be sure, as it was a very inexpensive modification.
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Old 11-11-16 | 11:50 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
[MENTION=437412]Craigorock[/MENTION], you said you had your frame drilled. Is this tricky, or is the trick to know where it is safe to drill? Now that we know your bike holds up with 6mm (right?) holes in the BB and head lug, do you think most BB shells and head lugs can tolerate a dolt like me drilling a 6mm hole in each?
Tom, I got by the "drill a hole and reinforce it". You make a hole in your frame, you've created a stress point. Careful positioning of the hole in a low stress area helps. but I usuall add a small washer or bottle braze on to reinforce it.

That doesn't help much if you like your paint, however. Plan ahead and have a good way to touch it up and no problems. That, of course, assumes you have a torch and know how to use it, or know somebody who can.
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Old 11-12-16 | 12:49 PM
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Thanks, folks. I think I won't do internal wiring, though I could. I'll just do as neat a job as possible with external wiring, which won't be so bad.
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Old 11-12-16 | 04:45 PM
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What's wrong with electrical tape? I just finished my setup. Entire wheel, with a Sanyo h27 dynamo, for $95. DIY light that is just a $4 MR16 12v light, enclosed in a 3d-printed housing and directly connected. Works great and is bright




Last edited by ppg677; 11-12-16 at 05:05 PM.
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