:lol:

Are you trying to tell me you could not find a Ti finish maglight to "compliment your frame" ??

Didn't you have black tape to compliment the black in the handlebar tape ??

Where did you mount the 1000 watt generator ??

Can you post a schematic diagram ??

:) :) :)

Next is the main circuit board for the Speedmachine electrical system. Photos are here http://img105.exs.cx/gal.php?g=dscn0002dce6zf.jpg

The first photo shows the cleaned and prepped copper clad circuit board before etching. Photo 2 shows the board in the etching tank. The ferric chloride solution is about 120° and the bubbles are from the air agitator. I takes about 20 minutes to etch a board, and then you rinse it off, remove the resist with solvent, and drill the holes for the wires and mountings. Then you mount the parts, starting with the smallest, and solder and trim the leads. Photo 3 shows the completed main board populated with components.

To help the board withstand vibration, all the components are mounted flush to the board. two leftmost capacitors and the six small plastic transistors will be glued to the board with a dab of RTV once testing is complete. Another option would be to pot (embed) the board in epoxy, but that would make it impossible to repair and would add weight.

The power supply board is next. The purpose of this board is to mount the three 7812 voltage regulators and provide connection points to them. The photo shows the completed board with the regulators mounted. This board will also be inside the main module, which will be mounted to the back of the seat with a 3" x 5" aluminum bracket. The voltage regulators get hot and need a heat sink, and that aluminum bracket is a perfect heat sink, so I cut 3 large holes in the front of the module enclosure where the aluminum bracket will attach. I will bolt the voltage regulators to the aluminum through the holes. The last picture shows the main module with 3 holes and the tail light on top.

The 'Warp Drive' consists of two 1 Watt cyan Luxeon Emitter LEDs that are mounted facing down in the main control module above the rear wheel of the bike. The idea is to illuminate the rear wheel and an area of the road around the rear of the bike to create a kind of neon effect without the cost, weight and complexity of neon. The Emitters are wired in series with the 6 Volt white LED headlight so they are using power that would otherwise have been wasted as heat in a dropping resistor.

http://img224.exs.cx/gal.php?g=dscn0002dce8ww.jpg

The Emitters are mounted on separate electrically-isolated aluminum heat sinks as shown in the first photo. The other photos show the assembly mounted in the main module. The LEDs are protected by clear plastic windows. Turn signals are next...

Maglite. I looked at that when I was in the "design stage."

Tell me more! What batteries do you use? How do you recharge them? What's the total weight?

What is the power of that beam?

Simple is good.

Speedmachine Turn Signals and Warp Drive

Each turn signal unit comprises five amber Piranha LEDs wired in series and mounted on a circuit board. The rear signals are on a single 10" wide pc board painted black and attached to the back of the main control module. I haven't finished the front turn signals yet.

http://img102.exs.cx/gal.php?g=f0000013dce6yj.jpg

The first photo is the control module mounted on the bike. The next two show the bike in the dark with the lights on. Excuse the mess of wires - they will be trimmed when I install the cable connectors.

I'm quite pleased with the Warp Drive. It lights up a large area of the floor with a weird blue-green glow. Should make the bike go faster too. The last shot shows the Nite Hawk headlight, which contains a 1 Watt Emitter LED, mounted on a homemade bracket at the front of the bike.

WOW...cool...How man I love that crank light too! You have quite the setup!

That big light in the middle makes a good frame of reference...it'll probably be easy to determine that those are turn signals. You can use that tail light to run the controls on that rack :D What sort of crank cover is that?

I think so. The big tail light has 56 LEDs and is really bright. I thought that if I made the turn signals any wider they might get snagged and broken. We'll see...

The chainring cover is stock on the Speedmachine. Remember, this isn't an ordinary bike! It's probably a little confusing to see closeups of bits and pieces.

http://i132.exs.cx/img132/6204/speedmachine8005ux.jpg

I took the carrier off mine, but it still fits with the new lighting system.

Not sure if it's been covered before, but how do I keep an MR16 bulb from vibrating out of the socket while on the road?

I don't have an MR16, but I use clear silicone to keep my halogen bulb in place. Look for a tube that's rated for high temperature.

Awesome rear/turn lights.

Multibiker, have you thought of selling the "Warp Drive" lights to us?
If not, where did you get it?

Also, what do you think of your Night Hawk emitter light? I considered one, but I was worried the LED wouldn't be bright enough. I opted Night Hawk's old system using a sealed Lead Acid battery and the system is too heavy/clumsy for me. I'm looking for lights to reccomend to people.

Myrcurial, I have mine spring loaded. I put a large spring behind it in the housing, this keeps it pressed firmly against the glass lens of the housing. No rattle. See it at my site... I think it's on page ten. WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM

I briefly considered selling the entire running light package, but quickly came to my senses! I spent too many years running a manufacturing business and when I changed careers I promised myself 'Never again!' Instead I will be pleased to answer any questions you have so you can make your own.

The Warp Drive is simplicity itself - two Luxeon 1 Watt Emitter LEDs wired in series with a suitable limiting resistor, in a box over the rear wheel, pointed down. The Luxeons drop about 3V each and will give useful light from 150 ma. to their max of 350 ma. Mine are running at 300 ma. and they are really bright.

As for the Nite Hawk Emitter, it really depends on your needs. I haven't taken the bike on the road yet with the new lighting system, but I know the Emitter will not be bright enough to use as my principal headlight. If you stand 20 feet from a wall and shine a 10 Watt MR11 halogen at the wall you will see a bright spot about 6 ft. dia. If you shine the Nite Hawk at the wall from the same distance you will see a roughly 2 ft. dia. spot of appoximately equal brightness. This isn't scientific, but you get the idea.

The Emitter serves two purposes for me: 1 - an always-on 'be seen' light for day and night, 2 - a backup for my night riding headlight. My night riding headlight system, which I haven't designed yet, will be completely separate from the running lights/turn signals/Warp Drive system so I can put it on the bike when I need it and take it off for daytime riding.

If Multibiker isn't intrested, then maybe one of you other enterprising individuals should consider producing this set-up for sale. We lower, less technical life forms would appreciate it. You might even make a few bucks! WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM

I'm trying to find a battery and charger for cheap, the sort that LittleBigMan found at Pep Boys. I can't find one. Any recomendations?

I stopped by my local battery shop and the only had a $25 battery and no charger available. I'd really like to do it for less money than that.

Thanks

I'm an idiot. I found the vector on a link someone previously provided. I'll order it soon.

Multibiker, that is some amazing light output from the dual 1W Luxeons. I'm considering buying some flashlights on eBay that use 3W Luxeon emitters, and then modify them for use as headlights. Mine will be 20 lumens brighter for each emitter, I'm realling looking forward to seeing how bright they'll be!

Also, about the heatskinks, are those really necessary? If I'm using 3W emitters, I can't help but wonder if the body of the flashlight will get super-hot. I'll have to do some calculations when I get home based on their datasheets to see how much modification will be required to the flashlights. Apparently you can run the 3W lamps without a heatsink at 100mA, but you only get a fraction of the maximum 65 lumens. Running at 700mA, they will surely dump a whole lot more heat! I hope I don't have to attach any heatsinks......

Here's a commercial version that runs on 12 Volts...

http://store.wheelshield.us/category.php?qcc=3&qpg=1

Jeff-o, at 300 ma. without a heat sink the Emitters became too hot to touch after 10 seconds or so, but it takes only a small heat sink to keep them happy. The problem is all the heat is produced in such a small area. A properly designed flashlight will have some way of keeping the LED cool. I wouldn't expect the body of the flashlight to get very hot even with a 3W Emitter. You will get plenty of light though!

Hey as long as you found it...you're good to go!

Yeah, that's the impression I got from reading the datasheets. Well, I guess I'll see in a week or two how well designed these flashlights really are. The fact that they're pulling 3W from three AAA batteries is kinda suspicious to me, so I'm really looking forward to pulling apart one of these flashlights when they finally arrive.

Hmmm.... 3W from three AAA cells is about an Amp. Let us know what you find out when they arrive. In the meantime you might want to check out the Candlepower forums if you haven't already. Huge amount of info there.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubb...ubbthreads.php

Oh wow, a whole forum dedicated to discussing flashlights! Complete with thread titles like, "What's your favourite 2-4 D Maglite LED bulb?" How dorky is that??? Still, there's some useful info in here. It took a lot of effort not to register just so that I could chastize someone for spending $35 on a flashlight that I bought on eBay for $12...

Here is my 2 cents worth, I always believe that there is a better flashlight, so for you flashlight modifiers darkgear

I don't quite know how to build/modify LED's, but this guy has been messing with, and documenting ALL consumer LED products at the ledmuseum

And lately the Luxeon seems to be coming on strong, a designers page at future electronics

And how to boost your LED back light at Borealis. Pic below of some of the stuff he does.

RR: Speedmachine Lighting System Maiden Voyage

This is the moment you all have been waiting for. You are such a patient lot! I took the Speedmachine for its first _lighting-equipped_ ride today. We had the family over for Easter so I couldn't get away until 6:30. It was starting to get dark and I haven't built a nighttime headlight yet, all I have is the 1 Watt Nite Hawk, so I was anxious to go.

All suited up standing in the driveway, strap on helmet, climb into Speedmachine, flick master switch. Eighty (80) LEDs light up in a blaze of glory. A cheer goes up from the people on the porch behind me. Grab a handful of brake and clip my left foot in. Signal right turn into the street, launch... we're off... clip right foot in. Wow, this feels soooo good! Traffic signal coming up... it's green, keep pedaling and ignore the stares. Settle into an easy 20 MPH cruise. Half a mile down the road signal a left turn. Carve a smooth arc into the side street. Suspension feels pretty good, but maybe I'll add a little air to firm it up a bit when I get back.

Ride around the subdivision a while, getting used to the bike again. I haven't ridden the Speedmachine since last October but it's all coming back now. Sure is smoother than the mountain bikes I've been riding all winter. I stop at stop signs and obey all traffic laws just like a motor vehicle. What's that beeping? Oops, forgot to turn of my blinker.

I turn into a paved pathway through a wooded park. Ahead is a family of four out for a Sunday walk. When they see me coming they all move well off the path and stand there with their mouths open. They look like they've seen a Martian. I say 'Hi!' as I pass.

Hang a right onto Twyn Rivers and set up to make a left at the next light. Twyn Rivers is one lane each direction and quite busy, and there isn't a left turn lane at this light. I take the lane and click on my left turn signal. Cars are approaching fast from behind. I hit the brake and I can see in my mirrors the cars are stopping behind me. Turn left onto Woodview and ride North about 3 blocks. What's that beeping? Damn, I forgot to turn off the blinker... again. There's a beeper in the main control module on the back of the seat but it's not very loud - it sounds like a truck backing up a block away. Make mental note to self to turn up the volume.

I'm cruising along in pure bliss, enjoying every one of these 42 Fahrenheit degrees after suffering through a long cold winter. All of a sudden a basketball comes rolling down a driveway into the road in front of me, followed closely behind by a kid. Wow, I must be on TV, this is just like a commercial for tires. Cover the brakes, a quick toot on the horn and the kid skids to a stop.

Keep on cruisin'. Everywhere I go I'm getting comments like 'Cool bike,' 'Awesome' and 'Whoa! Look at that!' It's getting darker now. I look down at the road under me and I can see the pool of blue-green light from the Warp Drive. Did I mention how cool it is? I think it makes the bike go faster too. I ride around some more. Signal my turns, stop, launch... I'm having a blast. Drivers behave as if they understand my signals and seem to give me more room than usual.

Better head for home, it's almost dark. The Night Hawk headlight puts out a more useful light than I expected. I never intended to use it by itself for night riding, but after tonight's ride I would say it's just about adequate for short rides on lit streets. It lights enough of the road to show potholes and other hazards, and street signs and vehicle reflectors glow brightly. It has a very tight beam though, and provides almost no peripheral light.

Almost home, signal left, turn into driveway, roll up, clip out. The garage doors in front of me are bathed with light from my bike and I'm sitting here in a pool of turquoise. It doesn't get much better than this for this geek.

Conclusions:

1) All the electrical and mechanical systems worked perfectly.

2) Turn up the beeper volume. Work on my short-term memory. Consider changing to a spring-loaded turn signal switch.

3) The Nite Hawk headlight performs better than I expected.

4) Drivers seem to understand my turn signals.

5) The brake light definitely keeps cars off my tail.

6) An Air Zound horn is a great people mover.

7) The Warp Drive is coolness.

So was it worth the 100+ hours of planning, designing, measuring, cutting, drilling, bending, riveting, punching, etching, soldering, gluing, taping, painting, etc? You must be kidding. I'll tell you after I've finished building Ver. 2.0.

sweeeeet.

Perhaps someday my trek will be bathed in red LED light... to match the paint, of course. ;)

Short Circuit

Yesterday I took the Speedmachine out for the second time with the new lighting system. Everything worked great for the first half hour, then I noticed the low battery light was on. Then it went off, then on again. It seemed that every time I went over a bump the battery OK and low battery lights would flicker. So I turned the system off and headed home.

As soon as I took the cover off of the main module I knew something was wrong — I could smell burned insulation. One of the four current limiting resistors for the turn signals was fried. Hmmmm... what could cause that to happen?

Aha! After some investigation I found that a component lead on the main circuit board had come into contact with one of the power switch terminals. This effectively applied 12 Volts across a 12 ohm 1/2 watt resistor. This works out to 12V/12 ohms = 1 amp x 12V = 12 Watts. No wonder the resistor fried. I replaced the resistor with a new one and added a piece of insulation to avoid a repeat performance.

Today's ride was uneventful and everything worked perfectly. After using all the lights for an hour the battery voltage is 16.31V (14.8V is about half and 12V is empty).

OK, if I'm going to make a tail light out of 8000 mcd red LEDs, how many LEDs do you think I should use? 20? Driven at half-power it's only 10mA each, for a total of 200mA and 80,000mcd of light. Not too shabby... ;)

Sounds good, but do you think you will get full output if you drive them with 10ma? You might consider a series/parallel arrangement to keep your battery happy. What kind of battery are you thinking of using?

An alternative is to use one or two Luxeon Stars. Each one is about as bright as twenty 5mm. LEDs, and they give you a lot of design flexibility, i.e. there are all kinds of lenses and optics available for them. But they cost about $6.25 ea. in unit quantities so this might end up being more expensive.