Um............hey !!!!.


There is an owners report in the forums on the $199.00 bar mount HID from batteryspace.com. I have recommended it two or three times at least.


Here's the helmet one for $ 185.00

Thanks for the good comic relief.

Now go look at the $185 HID from batteryspace.com. :D

Bah, your Jedi mind tricks will not work on m

http://forums.anandtech.com/i/expres...l-confused.gif

*goes to look at the $185 HID from batteryspace.com*

Oooo, it's shiny! :)

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Uh... ok I don't make 13 bucks an hour. :p

Wahoo! It works. I ordered this switch ($3.99) and this female connector ($4.95).

I also ordered one of these switches, and I may use it to set up a rear LED one of these days.

Yeah, it can be frustrating, but I built it, and it works. One thing I love about bike commuting is the self reliance. I'm responsible for my equipment and I can (usually) fix it. Now, I can even build some of it.

As I've noted elsewhere, I'm a klutz when it comes to repairing things, but since I started bike commuting, I've gotten better (OK, less bad) at other repairs, especially around the house.

Do we even get discounts from Batteryspace.com ? I mean I see people dropping thier name all over the forums here. If they don't give good discounts I think they should for forum members. Heck that's not what I joined here for but if it's a perk I'll take it. :)


Zero_Enigma

I've come to realize that my Princeton Tec EOS are just not going to cut it now that I bike in more traffic and more streetlighted areas. It's my eyes not adjusting fast enough when confronted with headlights or streetlights and then darkness. I need more light.

I decided against the Batteryspace/TrailTech HID though primarily because of the helmet mount. I switch between several bikes hence the desire for a helmet light. Riding positions on the bikes vary considerably so I wasn't too keen on the lack of adjustment on the Trailtech helmet mount. And the final factor was the HID lag on startup. I would like to be courteous to the handful of joggers and peds I meet. These are usually on dark roads where my Princeton Tec currently serves me well so I could optionally shutdown the light for them, or if the mount allowed, aim it almost straight down for a time. Neither is an option with the Trailtech HID. Although as I write this - it occurs to me that shutting down the hid would probably not be a viable option even with the handlebar mounted EOS - it would be the same problem I experience now going from bright to shadows and not having enough time for my eyes to adjust. So it's all about the mount.

I opted for this instead - it's highly regarded everywhere I could find a review. Jet Lites Phantom Helmet Mount with smart switch. It's a halogen. I really wanted the HID but I just couldn't justify the extra cost. Particularly with all the raves I read at MTBR on this and the beam comparison phots there too. I found it for $210 shipped.

Damn I'm long winded ..

I've been waiting ! :beer:

Do you have some kind of voltage regulator in the circuit to protect the bulb ballast? Do you know what voltage your battery puts out when it is fully charged?
I have read about a couple of systems built with too high voltage and the ballast was damaged. It may not happen right away, it may take time. I think slvoid mentioned this ?

Was batteryspace helpfull ?

That happened to me. I was using a 14.4v NiMH directly into the HID ballast. The ballast is listed as 14.8v maximum voltage. The NiMH exceeds that for the first hour after a full charge, putting out about 16.9 at first. My first HID ballast lasted about 5 hours. Trailtech replaced it for free.

I put a voltage regulator in line, mainly because I happened to have a really good inverter-style digital voltage regulator sitting around that I'd built for something else. It is super-efficient, only drawing about 1ma for its own use. If I had to use an analog regulator like a 7812, I would have just cut one or two cells out of the pack and run it unregulated at a lower voltage.

Did you have any early warning symtoms like overheating, or the bulb much brighter, or anything else ?

Doesn't mean a thing. These old buildings may be equipped with new toilet paper dispensers and the people who work there could easily be using a fastener or some other type of equipment that was developed fairly recently.

Currently, it's at 11.3v, but it has about 5 hours on it. I'll check it again when it's fully charged. I did not Batteryspace.com for customer service on this, but there were very nice about canceling another order and starting it over. As I noted above, I notice that they now have a package that does what I just did.

One of the things that made finishing it easier is that the waterproof female connector they sell is connected to wires, which I just have to attach to the wires coming from the switch and lamp. Initially, I bought a female connector from an electronics store, but then had to solder it to the wires. Ugh.

If I had ever seen an HID in operation in my life, I might have thought something about the heat. It was running hot. But this was my first time ever seeing an HID in operation, and I had no idea they weren't supposed to be that hot.

Now that it's running on a lower voltage, it's only slightly warm.

Batteryspace's customer service has been good to me, but they follow their policies to the letter. If it says 30 days money back, it doesn't mean 31. Within the letter of their policies, they will provide good service.

Good point. If you haven't seen normal it's hard to know if it's not.

I'd hate to see damage from a mis matched ballast and battery voltage. If it were me I would pick up the phone and ask what the maximum voltage for my ballast is (unless you have something that tells you), then check the voltage of the battery pack when it is fully charged. If the battery voltage excedes the ballast rating I would call back.

In any case, good luck.

It's a bolt of lightning going on inside that capsule.. you bet your ass it's hot!

Some of us have skills and others don't- If you are talking about servicing a car (or bike for that matter) or any aspect of Gardening then I am your man. We have a barter system of skills going in my road- And If someone else can do a job better than me- or quicker or cheaper- then we will trade skills. Last year I remade a lawn for one neighbour- Reset the gutters for another (I can take heights). while I got some labour involved on shifting 10 ton of topsoil and some tiling done.

None of us are good with tiny bits of wire or making waterproof lights- I'll buy mine and have every trust in them- and a 2 year warranty if they pack up.

How hot do the HIDs get:eek: I'm talking about the inexpensive batteryspace.com 185 model. They sell them as helmet mounts and I would hate to torch my head. Also how practical is it to remove after use. I have to get on and off 2 bikes and 1 train. If that sucka is packin' heat them it might not be the lamp for me. Thanks charlie

Here's what the Batteryspace.com site has to say about my light:


I think I'm well within the safe range. Is there any reason to call? Won't the guy just say, "read the specs, idiot"?

Also, I should add that I said that the complete system was just like mine. It isn't. The complete system has a 10w HID. Mine is 13w. Yeah, I said it. Mine is bigger.

I haven't noticed excessive heat with mine, but I don't put more juice into them than I'm supposed to. As to the helmet mounted light, unless it has changed, it has a velcro mount. It may be irrational, but I just don't trust that.

I could not remember what battery pack you have. If you have the one listed at that link you are fine.
(11.1 volt Li-ion) .

Stop opening the bulb and putting your finger on the electrodes! :) :rolleyes:

HID Bulbs Do not get as hot as Halogen lights. They run a lot cooler. One reason they are more efficent is they don't waste so much power releasing heat as a halogen light. No reason to worry, just don't put your finger right on the lens when it's hot.

Not hot at all. I run mine about 45 minutes at a time, and it's only just warm. Probably a bit over body temp. If I think about it I'll try getting a temp reading off it sometime.

I've seen industrial velcro that I needed a screwdriver to pry apart. I think when the proper grade is used it's a very good connection method. For one thing it is a good way to smooth surface differences. Helmets come in so many shapes it'd be hard to make a mount that fit well on all of them without using either velcro or huge blobs of glue. Especially since you can never poke holes in the material.

Thanks everyone for the heat info. I think I'm gonna take the plunge. At first the velcro mount didn't bother me as I have a velcro mounted Performance Viewpoint. The PV uses a velcro strap through the lamp base but batteryspace looks like velcro is adhered to the lampbase. Am I right here? That might be a "cheesy factor" that negates the purchase.

Daily Com: Your right about your's being brighter. The handle bar mount is 10W BUT the helmet mount is 13W. Kinda strange I think? Maybe leftovers?

Good point! Maybe it won't be a deal breaker for me. Now I just have to peal the $$ out of my grubby paws.