Need help finding a specific kind of tail light.
#1
Need help finding a specific kind of tail light.
I am looking for a tail light. you know the typical red 5 led square red lens LED you can make it flash or on steady kind of deal.
my problem is all the ones I find are ELECTRONIC switches. ie push button. you keep pushing the button for the different modes.
I am looking for 2 things. first ONE mode (steady on no flash) and #2 Physical "hard" switch.
IE toggle or slide ON OFF switch.
why? mine keep turning off. I am a big boy and the roads are rough. LOTS of bouncing jostling etc..
the problem is even a "slight" jar many times is enough to "momentarily" shift the battery so it loses electrical contact. with the push button mode unit lights this causes it to "turn off" and when the battery reconnects it defaults to OFF you have the press the button again to turn it on.
I want a physical switch so when power returns it lights up again BECAUSE its still in the "on" position.
make sense? do any such things exist anymore? they used to be common place but now everything I find is the multi mode electronic push button and they ALL to the same thing. off when you jar them too hard. I mean a light wrap on the table top is enough to turn them off at the right angle.
so far when I ride 100% of the time at some point them "turn off" until I notice they are off and turn them back on. VERY annoying could cost me my life.
the BUTTON cell ones seem to be immune to this (lighter batteries lower G loads in play?) but I want to use AA (preferred) AAA last resort since they last much longer and are a LOT cheaper and usually a lot brighter.
any help would be greatly appreciated. prefer CHEAP ie $5 and under if possible as I like to stock up so we all have lights when we ride at night.
my problem is all the ones I find are ELECTRONIC switches. ie push button. you keep pushing the button for the different modes.
I am looking for 2 things. first ONE mode (steady on no flash) and #2 Physical "hard" switch.
IE toggle or slide ON OFF switch.
why? mine keep turning off. I am a big boy and the roads are rough. LOTS of bouncing jostling etc..
the problem is even a "slight" jar many times is enough to "momentarily" shift the battery so it loses electrical contact. with the push button mode unit lights this causes it to "turn off" and when the battery reconnects it defaults to OFF you have the press the button again to turn it on.
I want a physical switch so when power returns it lights up again BECAUSE its still in the "on" position.
make sense? do any such things exist anymore? they used to be common place but now everything I find is the multi mode electronic push button and they ALL to the same thing. off when you jar them too hard. I mean a light wrap on the table top is enough to turn them off at the right angle.
so far when I ride 100% of the time at some point them "turn off" until I notice they are off and turn them back on. VERY annoying could cost me my life.
the BUTTON cell ones seem to be immune to this (lighter batteries lower G loads in play?) but I want to use AA (preferred) AAA last resort since they last much longer and are a LOT cheaper and usually a lot brighter.
any help would be greatly appreciated. prefer CHEAP ie $5 and under if possible as I like to stock up so we all have lights when we ride at night.
#2
Zoom zoom zoom zoom bonk

Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,922
Likes: 979
From: New Zealand
Bikes: Giant Defy, Trek 1.7c, BMC GF02, Trek Marlin 6, Scott Sub 35, Kona Rove, Trek Verve+2
Plenty of lights turn back on when the battery power is returned (eg the Cateye ones). Check at the LBS before you buy.
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: Cape Coral, FL
Bikes: Sun X3-SX recumbent trike
I have one of the Planet Bike blinky lights. (I know you said no blinky & no push button, but hear me out.)
The button on it got to where it was a crap shoot to get it on/off, so I cut the wires. I have 3 other lights on my delta recumbent on the top of my seat and use the PB at the bottom on the frame. By touching the connections I have it set to blink...as that's how I always ran it mounted where I have it anyway. To turn it on I open it up and put in the battery...and to turn it off I take the battery out. Unless I touch the connections again it just comes on in the blink mode when I put the battery back in. If I had it set to static mode that's where it would come back on at. And if set to off, well, it would be off. So after all of that, the loss of battery connection has no effect concerning the switch settings.
One of these days I'm going to get a small toggle switch and install it if there is room for one.
BTW, have you tried putting in some foam rubber over the batteries to try and keep them in place? I've done that before.
Bob
The button on it got to where it was a crap shoot to get it on/off, so I cut the wires. I have 3 other lights on my delta recumbent on the top of my seat and use the PB at the bottom on the frame. By touching the connections I have it set to blink...as that's how I always ran it mounted where I have it anyway. To turn it on I open it up and put in the battery...and to turn it off I take the battery out. Unless I touch the connections again it just comes on in the blink mode when I put the battery back in. If I had it set to static mode that's where it would come back on at. And if set to off, well, it would be off. So after all of that, the loss of battery connection has no effect concerning the switch settings.
One of these days I'm going to get a small toggle switch and install it if there is room for one.
BTW, have you tried putting in some foam rubber over the batteries to try and keep them in place? I've done that before.
Bob
#4
Chainstay Brake Mafia
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,007
Likes: 19
From: California
and get rechargeable batteries
#5
hmm will have to check out both of those. I stopped using removable rechargeables a while ago in my LED bike lighting.
the first time I lost a $15 set of rechargeable's was the last time I used a set :-) hehe I usually get a year out of a set of batteries. for the headlamp I use a rechargeable but its an external PACK attached to the bike. one day I will rewire and run everything off the pack at least on my bike.
the first time I lost a $15 set of rechargeable's was the last time I used a set :-) hehe I usually get a year out of a set of batteries. for the headlamp I use a rechargeable but its an external PACK attached to the bike. one day I will rewire and run everything off the pack at least on my bike.
#7
Alternately, mount the light so the batteries are horizontal. For example, you can get the "front" mount for a Planet Bike light and have a SuperFlash oriented horizontally. I do this on one of my bikes, works fine. Even mounted vertically, my SF holds up to mountain biking at race pace through rock gardens without turning off, although I do rubber-band it to its mount so it doesn't get lost outright.
#8
I will check out the light from wayne (can't see a picture of its button??)
I tried that (horizontal) they still turned off. For my bike I am going to make permanent lights but its nice to be able to pull a few out for other family members and friends to strap to their bikes :-) (hence the liking of CHEAP :-)
I tried that (horizontal) they still turned off. For my bike I am going to make permanent lights but its nice to be able to pull a few out for other family members and friends to strap to their bikes :-) (hence the liking of CHEAP :-)
#11
https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Tec-...7316541&sr=8-1
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