Hello there new to the candlepower forums. Been looking for a non-rechargeable led light for bike riding adventures, any one out there want to make me one? just snooping around, looks like the diy crew has got a leg up on the manufaturing world, so would love to hear what y';all have to say. Thanks
anyone into making some lights?
- Thread starter wookieone
- Start date
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greenLED
Flashaholic
Welcome to CPF, wookieone. Do I know you from somewhere else? 
Nightrider has some really cool bike light builds that he's shared with us here. Also, check this thread - that's Andy's index of bike-related threads on CPF and you might find what you're looking for there. Wait, there's more! Do a search on posts started by ktronic, he was working on a really nice light housing too.
Nightrider has some really cool bike light builds that he's shared with us here. Also, check this thread - that's Andy's index of bike-related threads on CPF and you might find what you're looking for there. Wait, there's more! Do a search on posts started by ktronic, he was working on a really nice light housing too.
matrixshaman
Flashlight Enthusiast
Maybe you know 'em from here: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/03/headbutt.wookie.ap/index.html
but hopefully not
BTW welcome to CPF wookieone
but hopefully not
BTW welcome to CPF wookieone
I am not the head butting type of wookie, i am the kind, fun, bike riding, backcountry skiing, adventure type of wookie. Thanks for the responses so far, I have gotten some good ideas from y'all and i appreciate it. So far though,as you are diy types,I have gotten advice on building my own. Now this sounds intrigueing but i too have a billion unfinished projects and am not much of an electrical engineer, at all! But the quest goes on, any one have thoughts on a small solar charger? Or what about the effieciency of a dyno hub? like i said i am not so smart about these things. Thanks again, Jefe
There are some folks that have made bike-hub dynamos to run Luxeon LED bike lights, so I do know that has been done, and done well. The only problem I'd see might be sealing it so that grit and road yuck don't get into the alternator, but everything can be solved with a little time!
Solar power is very intriguing, and there are some small portable solar power systems that can charge USB devices (like cell phones), but I don't know that they would have anything like the wattage output to really "top off" a good bike light (which I think you'd want a ~10w HID-like output for? Around 500 lumens seems to be the bike light crowd's happy point.) battery system. You might get a little more life out of the batteries, though. A bike has fairly limited surface area for solar panels and you would have to wire up a whole solar "system" - it's not difficult, but rather time-consuming.
If you really wanted to carry your generation power with you, I would be definately suggesting some kind of dynamo or alternator built into your bike hub. Alternately, if you use some relatively high-capacity Li-Ion cells (Like 18650s), you get a rather light...light. It may be slightly large, but if you can clamp it to your handlebars, you'd be pretty okay.
I know this doesn't help you trying to get one built for you, but I hope it's a little more help in getting you closer to what you want.
Solar power is very intriguing, and there are some small portable solar power systems that can charge USB devices (like cell phones), but I don't know that they would have anything like the wattage output to really "top off" a good bike light (which I think you'd want a ~10w HID-like output for? Around 500 lumens seems to be the bike light crowd's happy point.) battery system. You might get a little more life out of the batteries, though. A bike has fairly limited surface area for solar panels and you would have to wire up a whole solar "system" - it's not difficult, but rather time-consuming.
If you really wanted to carry your generation power with you, I would be definately suggesting some kind of dynamo or alternator built into your bike hub. Alternately, if you use some relatively high-capacity Li-Ion cells (Like 18650s), you get a rather light...light. It may be slightly large, but if you can clamp it to your handlebars, you'd be pretty okay.
I know this doesn't help you trying to get one built for you, but I hope it's a little more help in getting you closer to what you want.
greenLED
Flashaholic
Oh, man, hubs and solar stuff is way outta my league. Check with nightrider; he's posted some killer bike light builds, starting with off the shelf materials.
