I no longer commute, being retired, but I ride for utility, and in all weathers. I don't know about anyone else, but I find it dangerous and annoying to have to unhook my hand from my rain cape and get it out from under every time I need to signal a turn. And it's a little too dangerous to ride at night in lousy weather hoping that cars can see my waggling arm and pointing finger. It'd be much safer/more convenient to have electric turn blinkers that double as warning lights, along of course with head, tail, and brake lights.

But currently there's no comprehensive controller board available (if anyone knows of one --- tell me!) for building up such a solution using LED arrays. George at TaskLED has a good rep with his existing boards, but they're all simple, designed to control, e.g., a headlight. Before he'd be willing to do up a single-board solution, he'd need a committed market. How many people here would be interested in committing to be part of that? This would just be for a full-function controller board, not a complete rig, but if there's enough interest then offering a kit might be possible.

Show of hands?

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).

https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/14873-turn-signal-lights.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/105249-turn-signals.html

https://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...ors/article.do

https://www.safeturn.com/the_product.html

The list goes on, and on...

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 ( https://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 https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/253379-new-custom-rear-blinkie.html --- 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.

I believe the point is something that one needn't use hand signals for. At least the last two links you provided (quoted) are things that augment and illuminate when using standard hand signals. This would be more something akin to a trigger shifter that would trigger right or left when depressed so that you can signal without getting out of a rain cape or moving your hands from the handlebar. It's doable, makes me wonder if it's a project I should take up.

It sounds like a lot more trouble than it's worth to me.

I might be interested depending on cost, size, complexity. I only run head and tail lights now, better side markers would be nice but turn signals and brake lights might be overkill. I also like the tail light being completely separate from the headlight, from a safety perspective its more important and having its power source saves me from battery charge oh ohs. Still something to play with if its not too expensive. I'd prefer a design that provides an empty board approach so I can decide which features to populate.

I can honestly say that most really good ideas do.

I bought an ankle strap with blinking red LEDs from Walmart. I put it on my left wrist when riding at night and it provides side visibility and illuminated turn signalling.

To be honest, I think the problem was the rain cape.

That'd be super, especially if you're an EE. I'm planning to do the whole design myself if there's no other choice, but although I can do anything I like in software, my hardware expertise is at the level of being able to re-wire table lamps. I.e. not much. So if I have to do it, there'll be a (probably huge) learning curve.

bump