Homemade LED Rearlamp

[JohnInStockie]

@ Ian

Wouldnt they be a bit too much strain on the battery though, Could I change the bulbs in them for LED replacements??

Thanks

 

[Ian]

They'd consume just under half an amp for the pair on a 24V battery, if your battery is 6.5 Ah then the lamps would consume about 7% of the total capacity per hour. LED replacement bulbs are available for cars, just do an ebay search for "LED bulb" although without knowing what bulbs those lights take I can't say if a ready made replacement would be available. It should be OK to wire 2 of those LED car bulbs in series to your 24V battery.

It would be important to remember to switch off filament lamps when not in use to avoid over discharging and possibly damaging the battery, the risk with LED's is very much less.

 

[Haku]

Personally I would completely avoid using traditional filament bulbs in this situation, if you're talking 500mA at 24v for just two bulbs that's probably 3-4 times what my 21 LED (17 front, 4 rear) bike light setup I'm creating uses. Not forgetting that to get the rear lights to go red you're pushing white light through a red filter, red LEDs need no external filters to show up as red.

I'd say either type of reflector would be suitable (the stick-on reflector or the rear light for trailers etc.), if using the rear light setup for trailers then remove the bulb and use a glue gun to stick the red LEDs in place as the glue won't significantly block the light, and you can get 10mm LEDs if the space left from removing the filament bulb is quite large (or a few 5mm LEDs).

Soldering up a few LEDs is very easy, soldering only starts to get difficult when you have to use tweezers and a magnifying glass to solder 1mm sized components (that's how I fixed my mp3 player, still runs to this day)

 

[Fat Girl]

As promised for John and anyone else who's interested here's details of my extremely bright rearlamp.

Ian
I am thinking of rigging up a long, horizontal bright rear light to encourage car drivers to give more room when overtaking especially at night.

I used to have a plastic lollipop thing that stuck out of the bike but they don't seem to be made anymore.

I'm no engineer but would like your ideas on how to make a simply version of your bright light and any suggestions as to what to mount the lighting gear onto.
thanks
mil

 

[flecc]

Hi Mil

There is a ready made solution to give you wide lights, handlebar end rear lights.

If you go to the link below and then scroll down, the mountain bike type are the ones which will suit the Forte. They should keep the drivers well away from you:

Bar End Lights

These LEDs are small but very bright.
.

 

[Ian]

lolipops and lights

Hi Mil,

I did see one those plastic lolipops in a Nottingham shop a couple of weeks ago so they are available if you shop around.

An easy alternative to my light are cheap 3 led rearlamps at £2.99 each from Wilkinsons hardware stores, these have a belt clip and 1 or many could be clipped to a fixture on the carrier or even the riders clothing (I once did that and forgot to take it off, until I noticed the funny looks I was getting). A couple of those served me until I built the mega light, and I still carry one as a back up.

Or there's a ready made wide rearlamp here.

A disabled e-bike rider once commented how much more room drivers gave him when his crutches began to work loose from the carrier, so perhaps an insecure looking load is all that's required.

 

[Fat Girl]

Hi Mil

There is a ready made solution to give you wide lights, handlebar end rear lights.

If you go to the link below and then scroll down, the mountain bike type are the ones which will suit the Forte. They should keep the drivers well away from you:

Bar End Lights

These LEDs are small but very bright.
.

thanks flecc. i've ordered some of them.

 

[UrbanPuma]

Bar end mirrow

Hi Ian,

What is the make of the bar end mirror on the bike in your pic and how good is the view?

Thanks

UrbanPuma

 

[flecc]

Trust Ian won't mind me answering partially meanwhile, it's a Cateye mirror, convex with a good field of view, but I've never measured that. I've just sold my Twist with one of these, but on my other bikes I now use the round Cateye convex model which I slightly prefer, and the field of view is just as good.

The latter is stocked by Halfords at around £5.99, but I haven't seen the oval one on sale for some while, but it may still be current. I bought mine about four years ago.
.

 

[UrbanPuma]

Mirror

Cat Eye black, BM-500, 16-22mm I.D. fit range

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Flecc, ive just found the details for this mirror but im not sure it will fit my handlebar as the hole seems quite small. What is the above measurement in cm?

Do you think it will fit?

Many thanks

UrbanPuma

 

[flecc]

I find many handlebars too small to take these, including all mine.

What I do is take the end screw out to strip it into the two main insert parts, then file the plastic taper plug and the four expanding claws until they fit in. Be careful not to take so much plastic off that the claws come away from their end piece.

Difficult to describe, but all will be clear if and when you buy one.
.

 

[Haku]

I found a site in the UK that sells the particular Cateye front reflector I'm using for my front light setup: Front reflector, version with bracket

They also have the Cateye rear reflector Ian used for his back light setup: Rear reflector, version with bracket

Prices are dirt cheap and I'm thinking of re-doing my front light setup (yet again!) as I've lost brightness since having to turn the voltage down from 3.15v to 3.0v, but this time I would embed 30 or more 3mm LEDs!
The 3mm LEDs are slightly less bright but less of a torch effect in that the beam has a smoother transition from a bright center to the dark edge.

 

[Ian]

Good old SJS cycles, definitely one of the better shops around. I didn't know they sold that reflector though. Handy to know as I would like another one for my other bike.

 

[Ian]

Hi Ian,

What is the make of the bar end mirror on the bike in your pic and how good is the view?

Thanks

UrbanPuma

Sorry for the delay UrbanPuma, but I missed your post earlier.

As Flecc said the mirror is a Cateye, £9.99 from Halfords. I find the field of view close to ideal, the only limitation as with most bar end mirrors is the obstruction caused by ones own arm. I wouldn't trust the view in any mirror entirely though so I always look back before a right turn or similar.

As Flecc said it was necessary to file the expanding claws to fit, but it's fairly self explanatory when you see it.

 

[UrbanPuma]

Ok - worth purchasing then. Thanks Ian