RobbieTunes

Sorry if this is a repeat question.

I went nuts and bought a 1959 Raleigh 3-sp Sports, with a dyno front hub that may not be OEM, but the rims are exact matches and the original owner says it came that way. Go figure, $75 was a lot of coin then....

OK, So.... The HL and TL both work, and I'm getting juice. I haven't yet decided on any kind of overhaul, but I'd like to run LED's in the HL and TL, without a huge overhaul, and see a decent increase in available lumens, I guess.

I ran a bottle dyno in the late 60's on my paper route bike, and let's just say I could use more light at my age now.

I already plan on replacing the HL bezel, which is yellowed. I can get clear glass easily.

Are there halogen or LED solutions I can perhaps try? I'm fairly sure I can make a mount for whatever bulb I end up with. Did the same on my riding mower and it sure extends the day.

Is heat an issue? I'm assuming not, with LED's.

Any information would be helpful.

catgita

If you can fit an LED in the socket, it should work just fine.

Dynohubs

unterhausen

just had to check if Compass had a headlight replacement bulb, but they don't, just a taillight bulb
There are replacement headlight bulbs, but you might want to go with a new headlight. BuM makes a classic cyo that is chromed, so it matches ok, although it's a lot smaller than the old headlights

fietsbob

Headlight LEDs now generate so much Heat, so Need a Heat sink attached directly.

Halogen bulbs generate heat and light, too, Its why they Burn Out.

I Used Union Reflector headlight Flange base Bulb ,,

Standard Spec is 2.4w front 0.6w rear 3 total watts load @ 6V.

RobbieTunes

Thanks, everyone. Cree is here in the area, so I'll check on those. All else fails, I'll modify the HL to use one of my LED flashlight assemblies, get a nice reflector backing to maximize what goes forth, so to speak. Same with TL, I can easily fit my Flea inside there somehow.

Now, to find out just how much the dyno is putting out on average, and go from there.

rifraf

Servicing Dynohub

https://hadland.wordpress.com/2012/0...y-archer-hubs/

Stadjer

What kind of headlight is it? Where I live almost all the headlights from the 30's to the 80's were the same teardrop shaped chrome ones. Now you can buy battery fed led ones in the same shape, but in chrome painted plastic. If I had an issue like you, I would probably use the inside parts of such a plastic one and put in the old metal housing. And at my age, I would welcome battery power.

andy_p

I spent a while thinking about doing something similar. I ended up buying a new headlight, partially because I didn't have a suitable housing or old light body to convert. DIY optics didn't appeal! As you do already have something suitable, you could fit something like this:

XMLAWT-00-0000-0000T5050-STAR - MULTICOMP - LED Module, Chip on Board, XLamp Series, Board + LED, Cool White, 8300 K, 260 lm | Newark element14

It has a maximum current of 700mA, but you may not need all of that as it will be very bright. 700mA * 2.9V (the LED voltage drop) = 2W max. power consumption.

(This is only an example, there are plenty of other similar options that may be more suitable).

At the very least, you'll need to use a series resistor to limit the current. It may work if you directly connect it to the dynamo output, but not for very long.

Adding a bridge rectifier will double the power going to the LED, and will also pulse less. I once made up a little circuit that uses a bridge rectifier and a transistor to regulate power to the LED - it uses 8 components, and worked really well (although some of the components need proper sizing for power dissipation, or they will melt )

If you are thinking of using the internals from a flashlight with a dynamo, you will still need a rectifier/adapter circuit.

Stadjer

But you really want to use the dynamo and not batteries?

steelbikeguy

The SA Dynohub was a 1.5 watt device, which I imagine makes it harder to find a good modern bulb. I still have some 3 watt Philips bulbs, but they wouldn't work well with the lower powered Dynohub.

LEDs are nice because they are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs, and generate much less heat. The flip side of that is that they are a semiconductor and really do not like being hot! As such, to avoid killing the LED before it is worn out, the standard practice is to use heatsinks to transfer the LED's heat to the surrounding air.

Having said that... people really don't ask for a long life from bike lights. You might be able to fit a 3 watt LED and just shed the heat to the air inside of the light housing and still get it to work long enough. It might be fun to play around and see what you can do.

The easiest solution, although somewhat low power, is the LED replacement bulb that Compass and others sell. There's no heatsinking, which would be bad, but the power is pretty low too, which helps compensate. Compared to the performance of the original incandescent bulbs with the SA dynohubs, it might do quite well.

I've converted a couple of battery powered incandescent lights to LED. It's a lot of work and wasn't practical, but was a fun project. For vintage headlights, I think it would be fun to figure out a good way to retrofit a 3 watt LED in a way that provided decent heatsinking. I've got an old Union headlight that would make a good test bed for this... now I just have to find time!


Steve in Peoria

RobbieTunes

I want to use the existing dynamo. It's my birth year and I don't plan to do any racing or all night riding or anything, but taking the pup out for a ride and to/from wherever beer is sold.....or ice cream.

RobbieTunes

It's original to the bike, or at least to 1959, and is Sturmey-Archer, as the bike came exactly as set up. I like the dyno idea, and have seen some recent ones that actually power USB ports, etc, but this is going to stay like it is, on the outside, anyway.

rifraf

Don't let people who haven't tried, put you off.

I had a GH-6 for many years on my Moulton APB after finding it NOS (new old stock) in a bike shop.

I eventually became aware of the new LED lighting and upgraded to a SonDelux and an MK1 Edelux headlight.

I couldn't initially afford the wheel build due to wanting customs sized Sapim CX-Ray spokes so decided to see if my old Sturmey Archer GH-6 would make the Edelux at least flicker, knowing that it was reported that they were 1.8 watts.

The result was I almost didn't bother getting the wheel built up with the Son as the GH-6 lit up the Edelux just fine.
Was it full power?
I don't know but it was bright enough for me and was amazing after playing around with old lights for years.

I still have the Edelux but now use a Son dynohub.

Not because it might power the Edelux brighter but due to the GH-6's weight of around a kg.

rifraf

If you look hard enough on the net you'll find pages describing upgrading old bike headlights with led "bulbs" and also articles describing adding more powerful magnets to your GH-6.

Good luck

Edit: damn macbook changed magnets for batteries for some reason.
I've just fixed it.

Stadjer

If you want it dyno powered you've got to make it dyno powered. I've had too many bottle dynamo's not to love battery fed led's, I would put the original inside parts in a box for future generations, and keep the outside original with batteries and leds on the inside, and keep the light yellow if I could. But that's just me, preserving the original does not necessarily mean using it as it was originally, I only make changes that are reversible but changing as little as possible is a nice ambition.

rifraf

Bottle dynamos arent really comparable with dynamo hubs.

My memory of riding with a bottle dynamo "on" is it was like riding with the brakes on and not fun.

I can't tell the difference between on and off with a dynamo hub which are for all intents and purposes "drag free".

Stadjer

Even with very bad running bottle dynamo's you can feel the difference between powering a light and just have it rotate with the cables disconnected. I don't have much experience with hub dynamo's but there's no such thing as free current. But a led takes much less energy so it's getting difficult to feel the difference. It's also the vulnerability of the connection in bike racks and stuff like that why I like the battery and the light inside one unit.

zacster

Modern hub dynamos are a lot easier on the legs than bottles, or the old hubs. Just yesterday I rode in to work with the light off in the morning, and then turned it on coming home. I'd be hard pressed to say it was any more difficult with the light on. My dynamo hub is the Shimano 3N72, a mid-range one. The light is a Cyo premium. I do remember riding with a bottle dynamo on a bike a few times, and it was too hard.

rifraf

No suggestion from me battery lights shouldn't suit some.

Seriously though, I've never met anyone who could truthfully say they could feel any drag with a dynohub.
Even the vintage ones were very good in that regard.
I started with incandescent (I think they were called) and then moved to halogens, before heading down the LED route.
I've never been able to discern any drag

rifraf

Sturmey Archer GH-6 dynohub magnet upgrade?

Should be lots in the candlepower forums to help the original poster.

I'm sure you'll find methodology to follow for adding LED's to your vintage headlight as well as alternatives.

Hopefully the search engine will help.

Bicycle

The headlight I used for incandescent on my Moulton APB was much heavier and larger than my LED headlight and it was hard to find something that approached the "magic" of the old switched headlight that was "new" I imagine compared to the original Millar or Schwin style



My upgrade was diminutive by comparison but superior for actual usage

rifraf

I did spot this and wondered if it my be an easy fit and forget for RobbieTunes

LED BULBS DYNAMO HUB GENERATOR DYNOHUB BICYCLE CYCLE LIGHTS LAMPS REGULATOR | eBay

Its an old add, but the seller is still selling bulbs etc.

Stadjer

And maybe even people who want to keep their vintage bike looking original, but don't need the light to work like the original.

I'm probably oversensitive to light related drag, but if you put in an old fashioned inefficient 95% heat, 5% light bulb, I'm sure you can feel the difference if you pay attention. It is there, it's not much but if you lift the wheel of the ground and turn it by hand, you will certainly notice it coming to a stop considerably quicker with the light bulb on. I guess about 3 quarters of the bottle dynamo drag is friction, but the other quart is energy to produce current.

That's what I meant, I have head lights shaped like these old fashioned ones that are led+battery, only in chrome painted plastic. But if it's exactly the same shape, you can put the inside of the led one into the outside of old one.

RobbieTunes

Thanks loads for the great stuff. I'm going to try that British site and see how that works, perhaps save some $$ to use on tweed...... '59 Raleigh Sports. I see a Brooks bag in my future, but first I may have to have the B-66 re-done.

rifraf

When you say redone......

You know you can buy replacement springs etc from some stores?

Scroll to the bottom for examples:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brooks/?...ist=759&page=5

crank_addict

Any success?

For grins, Walmart sells a retro 2 x D cell flashlight with a single LED. Approx. $5 (w/ batteries). Made by Ray-O-Vac and has a retro style body. Haven't attempted to run off a generator but did use the inner assembly, swapped into a 1930's vintage flashlight / bicycle mount type with clips. Piece o' cake.

Shares the same voltage but curious if the LED circuit can handle a variable output of a generator or affect longevity.

Other: Neato modern stuff.