My website received a bunch of hits from Candlepower Forums links, so I took a few minutes to check in.
Its fascinating to see what the portion of the population of this list that prefers casting troll bait rather than seeking accurate information likes to dangle.
Going back to the comment about light in the rider's eyes, one of the long sessions I spent running optical simulations in Zemax was to find the optimum cutoff shape to maximize sidelight without rays heading upward to the riders field of view. If any of you care to see my CNC machined early prototype light heads, I can show an initial head that did emit rays upwards, versus the next iteration that became the current shape that doesn't emit rays up at the rider but does maximize down and side light. The final design overlaps the clear lower housing over an inward angled section of the heatsick/ reflector body so that light gets blocked from reflecting straight up at the eyes but does refract sideways.
The comment about battery sizes overlooks the need to have sufficient power capacity to pump full power out of a light like mine. The latest 3400mAH 18650 cells would be nice for a hobby light where cost is no object. My 26650 4.5AH minimum rated battery from one certain vendor of the several vendor samples I tested, has a burn time of at least 1:04 at 1C draw, and at least a half hour at 2C draw, based on tests across 20 samples. Other vendors that claimed a minimum of 4500mAH don't do it at 1C test load They rate their capacities by claiming 2 hours at .5C load or 4 hours at .25C. Whereas my selected battery burns for 4:40 at 1/4C and 9:30 minimum at 1/8C.
Over the last few days I've made changes to the website content, shifting to a main theme of "No More losing your Lumens".
Most components are made or being molded. The "get mistaken for a car" will remain but not as the predominant part of the pitch, because if a driver doesn't think you're "just" a bicycle they treat you better and give you more room.
In a telling indication of confidence and belief in my venture, Cree's major distributor shipped me direct to my hotel at Interbike, a batch of the latest top tier XPG2 LEDs, reflowed onto my first batch of production LED circuit boards. I designed my own boards to overcome the severe thermal limitations of standard star and disk shaped boards. Mine are made from one of the recent advanced construction MCPCB that transfers heat from the junction more directly to the metal core layer. These precise binned XPG2 have an effective output at stable operating temperature of 100 or more lumens greater than the XPG1, and a more stable, more cool white color temperature whether the light is fully cold or has warmed up a bit.
My unbreakable mounts are made, and I sourced a great velcro strap from a maker in Florida, that is stronger than I can tear. The translucent mounts rotate freely 360 degrees to any position, and hold position regardless of the amount of shock and vibration the light encounters.
The first test molds of the final heatsink design, with a few tweaks to the version 1 shape, and made using a newer version of the type of material that the initial heatsink molds are made of, arrived the day before Interbike. These new version 2 heatsinks transmit heat better than the version 1.
Net result of the thermal testing shows that I'm now up to eight minutes on full power, sitting still at a 72 degree ambient temperature, before a 55C (rather conservative temperature for a thermal dimmer)) thermal cutoff dims the light to the third of five settings. The version 1 heatsinks reached thermal dimming in 6 1/2 to 7 minutes.
Currently I have a 4 man relay team and a solo rider enjoying the nightrides of their lives with these latest version 2 XPG2 lights at the Furnace Creek 508.
Just to repeat the offer of a year ago, I will gladly take a test ride with anyone who is local, answer direct questions about anything that would be obvious to a person holding a light in their hands or riding with one. and talk tech and business with any interested party under an NDA. The rest of you will no doubt continue your wildy off target speculations instead of asking direct questions.
Part of succeeding in Silicon Valley is to keep a thick skin and not to fall prey to detractors' attempts to steer you off course in their own inability to create truly inventive and disruptive innovations themselves.
The patent approval has dramatically increase the valuation of my intellectual property, separate from potential revenues of producing and selling products myself. I don't go on the TV shows, I do pitch and am well received by prominent Silicon Valley hardware funders, who have very professional understandings of this.
Moving beyond bicycles, I'm working with two separate motorcycle headlighting joint ventures to bring disruptive innovation to the motorcycle market. My work on the motorcycle headlights is design and product development side, with the partners making significant investments of their own, so I won't encounter the funding and production obstacle based delays that the bike light is gradually but steadily fighting it's way through.
Helmet side up,
Barry
