Suggestion needed for modder on custom tail light

Aloha,

I have a custom tail light that came with a frame I recently purchased. The light twists on / off and only has one setting (blinking). I want it to be modded so it does not blink but stays on. Maybe the LED could be upgraded too.

I would appreciate a referral to a solid modder that has an excellent reputation for quality of work and follow through. Feel free to contact me via email or private mail.

Below is a photo of the tail light and a second photo of the light installed.

Thank you in advance,
Dave

whoa...those pics are way too big.
OK, you want a constant on, but that doesn't mean its a good idea. Those little coin cells may give 50hours flashing but they'd fall off rapidly on constant drain.

can't see from the picture, but odds are very good that if you by-pass the microchip (bridge a wire over it) you light will be constant on (basically you're removing elements and making it a simpler electrical circuit).

But DX sells an very bright flasher (that has constant on in one of its 6 modes) for ~$3.50.

There's some great posts on CPF re: making your own tail lights, but it really only makes sense for you to DIY..., modding is not something that can be priced market rate as replacement cost is below shipping cost of the old unit.

is that a Goodrich bike?? sweeeet!

The light looks nice.. very classic. Seems like it should be possible to bypass any flasher circuit. Hard to say how difficult this would be, though, without really taking it apart.

regards,
Steve K.

The bike looks great. A full picture would be appreciated!

The light is a fun and quaint feature but useless except for some side lighting if you have a trunk on the rack. I also imagine it's output is on the low side.

If you are riding the bike and want to be seen, and don't want wires to an external battery, I don't think you can mod your way to what you want. It would be easier to mod an existing light to fit the mount to ride with and keep the stock unit for restoration purposes.

You can get a LOT of light (daytime visible at a decent distance) with a Radbot1000 (about $30) which can be mounted on the back of the rack, or adapted to mount at the old lights spot, if you want. Bright runtime is about 3.5 hours with 1000 mAhr AAA NiMh rechargeables, light output drops rapidly after that. You can get less expensive blinkies that do OK at night as already mentioned. If mounted on the rack, I'd keep the stock light in place as additional side marking and run it as-is. But motorists don't see or respect cyclists here so more light is MUCH safer. Only your opinion counts for your bike.

Ride safe. Ride on.

Brian

Thanks guys. It's my time trial bike.

The frame came with the "custom" light ($100 extra). It's cool. But, I don't like blinkies. I use a Superflash on my saddle bag (thanks for the tip on the Radbot1000).

Bottom line, the light stays on the bike. I don't give a rip if it's just for a little low output decoration or if I have to change batteries a lot. I want to use it but not in the blinkie mode.

So...got any tips on who I should talk to about modding it?

Thanks a lot,
Dave

PS: I like the bars about 2" higher than the saddle. I'm still dailing in the stem length and then will order a custom stem. I don't think Curt believed me when I told him I like my bars high.

Time trial bike. Cute. Thanks for the pic. VERY nice. Understand your intention now.

Your welcome on Radbot1000 tip. Radbot1000 thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/274251
The second page has full-on run times and output for Radbot1000 and PBSF FYI.

Modding drivers is not my skill set (IF indeed I have one).

Another place you might ask:

http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=124

I hope you find someone who can set you up.

(OT: 650B wheels and 37 mm tires?)

I have contemplated putting a light at that location on one of my frames. Since I never found a light I liked, I haven't done it. Now I know what other people are using. My thought is that the best way is to have a dyno powered light there, but provisions would have to be made to stop the seat post. I have a PBSF mounted at that spot on my current bike, but I didn't put a braze on there for it. In retrospect, that would have been a nice addition.

I really don't know how you are going to get enough energy into that little case to make a steady light worth your while. RUSA requires that you have one solid rear light on the bike, so I have run a Planet Bike Super Flash on solid, and it barely lasts a night. That cell is going to last 30 minutes.

Thanks for the input guys.

A 30 minute runtime would be a waste....

Hmmm, I'm not sure what I'll do. Maybe I should get over my blinkie issue.

Take care,
Dave

Flashing lights are more visible by a substancial amount.

That little coin cell light could be excellent for riding in a library during a black-out, but on a city street at night, where it has to compete with street lights, neon signs, and the ridiculous HID kits some people put in their cars, how are you going to make yourself stand out? Bicyclists cannot compete with intensity and shear lumens output of competing light sources, and have used motion to visibility, the On /off flashing uniquely visible against a backdrop of constant light sources.

(In my first post, I spoke of jumping the circuit board with a wire to run the led direct from the battery. for the following test you just need to connect the battery directly to the emitter (observe polarity, for 5mm leds, inside the emitter the thick post holding the diode in the center is -'ve, the small little post off to the side is +'ve)
If you're unconviced, lean your bicycle against the side of your car, turn on your constant red bike light. Turn on the car headlights, and walk away. The dim red is quickly overwhelmed by the brighter white headlights. Sure, the red could be seen if you looked for it, but the issue many of us cyclists have is that motorvehicle drivers are oblivious to cylcing even at the best of times. If you put a flashing red light next to your car headlights and walk away, the flashing is a dramatic visual prompt - hopefully every motorist ever behind you is attentive enough to pair the flashing light with respect for you as a cyclist.

IMHO the absolute best way to earn respect and protection from automobiles is to make yourself very visible, visible for hundreds of feet. If you make it very easy for drivers to see you, to konw where you are going and understand clearly the path you would like to take, you will often find them being very accomodating. I often feel drivers appreciate the effort I spend in making myself known to them, I often feel like they indicate their gratitude by the clearance they leave me.

What I'm saying is, put some good lights on there: a hundred or a few lumen at the front AND a front white flasher (helmet level is best) and a bright red flasher at the back AND a red flasher on helmet rear (almost eye-level for most suv/pickup truck drivers)

The front light is dynamo powered?

Thank you for the info. The little custom light is decoration. I would not depend on it as a primary tail light.

The front light (IQ CYO R) is powered by a Schmidt Dynamo front hub (Son 20R). I'm really happy with the setup on the front side.

Take care,
Dave

Super Dave said:

Thank you for the info. The little custom light is decoration. I would not depend on it as a primary tail light.

The front light (IQ CYO R) is powered by a Schmidt Dynamo front hub (Son 20R). I'm really happy with the setup on the front side.

Take care,
Dave

Click to expand...

OK, if you're happy to run wires to the rear then power isn't such an issue.

I wanted to run an internal wire to the rear light but the builder was not excited about the idea. So, no wires and I would not do them externally. I'm stuck with battery power in the rear.
Later,
Dave

Slightly OT. But.... +1 on the visibility of flashing over constant, I use both flash and constant rear lights, front flash helmet light in the day, solid at night (VERY bight). +1 on a helmet light I have a Planet Bike Super Flash on a pivot mount so it stays close to vertical.

OT:
OK, some people and you may be one, have a sensitivity to flashing lights (I am not talking epileptic, either), so, the added safety aspect is moot.

So the restrictions to the mod are: on constant and internal battery. Maybe an LED upgrade if run time is...?

Would you accept a longer light either using an extension collar that lengthens the body, or another longer look-alike light design that move the lens back behind the seat stays just short of the rear brake cable?

If so, you could measure the maximum length available in a body with such an extension and its diameter to see if a AA or three AAAs might sneak in. If it is to be a new light, the diameter can be upped, too.

If you could fit three 1000 mAhr AAA NiMH cells, that would free up the design. My guess is you could have a scratch built light reusing the lens and keep the original light body for restoration to 'stock condition' purposes for about the same cost or less.

Cheap 9 LED flashlights ($2.50 last ones I saw on a counter) come with a 3 AAA cell holder that would work well if there is enough length and diameter, but would need a mini buckpuck driver which are available for low current apps. Others will correct me if I am wrong, but the AA red-orange P4 bin XP-E is 67 lumens at 350 mA seems to be low enough power (under 1 watt) that a large heat sink isn't needed, and run time should be 2-3 hours.

Just a thought. If that sort of mod will work for you, maybe someone will see it a worthy challenge.