rideone

i commute all year and have always used battery powered lights so when it comes to dynamos i'm a newbie, but i always liked the idea of less waste, no more lights going on in my bag by mistake, and not having to worry about batteries dying on the ride home. so for this winter i built up a new commuter wheel set based on a shimano 3n80 generator hub and SA SRF-3.

since this bike is a classic (1967 Peugeot PA10) I want to maintain the look, I wired in a Cibie front light mounted to a Mafac rack and a nice tail light mounted to the rear brake bridge. Front light is a 2.4W bulb and back is 0.6W. i have one wire running from the hub connector to the front light and the rear light wire runs off the front. everything is metal, so i didn't think a ground wire was necessary.

Everything works fine for a day, and then one bulb dies. The filaments are still intact, but they don't work. I swap one out, ride, and then another goes. I suspect that they are getting too much juice or the vibrations from cobblestone roads, etc are causing an issue. The dynohub came with voltage regulator, but it is a hideous piece of hardware and for the life of me, i don't even know where i would mount this thing.

so here's my question: does anyone successfully run a new school dynohub with old school lights? is there a trick to it?

i investigated some options and i know my current lights aren't the brightest anyway, so i could upgrade.

if i should update my lighting, what would you recommend? obviously the B&M Lumotec Classic would be a good choice, but what about the rear? I can't see to find simple rear lights. Most are meant to be mounted on racks or fenders.

ideally though i'd like to get this setup just working. is that too much to ask?

ThermionicScott 

A regulator is definitely a good idea, as the voltage will swing all over the place without one:

photogravity

Put in LED bulbs and that'll solve the issue. Here's the front and here's the rear.

southpawboston

It's very easy to splice in a voltage regulator and package it inside the vintage housing. The regulator itself is tiny.

clasher

If you've got e10 screw in base bulbs in your lights they are available on ebay for super-cheap. I got a bag of 10 for 5.99 shipped. They don't have standlight circuits but it's a lot easier of a pill to swallow than paying 40$ for two LEDs. You can use a white bulb in the rear since you've got a red lens. I did this on a couple of raleighs and it worked really well. linky

Doohickie

Interesting: In the listing, it says "10pc WHITE E10 10mm Screw In 12V-18V Led Bulb Light for LIONEL 1447 1447W,WL F" at the top and in the description it says "10- piece 6V - 12V E10 Screw Led/Bulb/ "

I'm currently using an incandescent #1447 bulb in my tail light. My bottle dynamo generates 12V, 6W (I've gotten it up to 30V on the bike stand, I don't generally pedal that fast on this bike though). I wonder if these would work?

It's kind of weird trying to keep my system in light bulbs because it's hit or miss. Being a 12V dyno, the standard bulbs don't work; they burn right out. I don't know what originally came in the lights, but I found an automotive bulb that works in the front, and the #1447 for the rear.

puchfinnland

You can get a quartz halogen bulb from a flashlight that is exactly like a bike bulb,
i have had one for years.
but yes get a regulator.
mike

clasher

Yeah I took a chance but since it cost me less than a pint at the bar I figured what the heck. They worked fine with a bottle generator on lenton sports, of which I should post a pic in the 3 speed thread. There's an ever-changing combination of colours and #s of bulbs like these on ebay.

Doohickie

The problem is my generator puts out twice the voltage/power as the normal bottle generator (12V versus 6V)

GamblerGORD53

I got a SA dyno last spring. I used my really old filament bulbs, that lasted a few rides, and then burned out from vibration probably. Then I got 4 LEDs from Gentlemen site in Minnieapolis. I put them in 2 front lights and a small old plastic tail light. The front ones were working fine but the rear one died twice before I figured out that they were frying from the heat.
They need lots of ventilation or metal housing to radiate heat. They actually generate the same or more heat than filaments, except it's in the base. So they sure didn't last forever for me.

rideone

thanks for the suggestions! i'll check into LED bulbs. front light is plastic, so heat may be an issue.

rideone

my led bulbs arrived already and i have to say, the improvement is unbelievable. for any EU folks reading this i can highly recommend this place

https://www.systart-webshop.de/index....hk=1&Itemid=28

Compass bicycles carries bulbs for $20 a piece, so 10€ is a good bargain i say.

Now I'd like to mod the front light housing and include a toggle switch. am i correct in assuming this will help conserve the bulb longevity? I know little bout electronics but does anyone know if I need a 1-pole or 2-pole toggle? Most switches are rated for 3-6A and 125 or 220V. Do i have to match this up with the hub specs? Does it even matter?