Firefly helmet light

[pe2er]

I Just finished my Dynamo powered Amoeba clone and was looking for a new project to build. What is missing in my arsenal of lights is a decent helmet light.

I Still have plenty of material left after building the Amoeba clone, so my new light will be build from 20mm square aluminium tubing. Now all I need for my new project is a cool name and logo. 'Firefly' was what sprung to mind, referring to the small dimensions and the high-up mounting location.

What I have now is the rough cut-out of the parts for the housing:

Two CREE XP-E Q5 emitters will be the centre of this design. Two Dx Sku 1920 lenses are in the mail between HK and NL.

Driven by a single new and improved Dx sku 3256 driver. It is glued to the inside of the central duct. I only needed to trim it slightly for it to fit.

For electrical power, I am contemplating using this connector:

Now I think I have some NiCd battery cells laying around somewhere to power it all.

I Also ordered switch Sku 5588 and caps 5023, but I don't know if I am patient enough to wait for them to arrive.

Will keep you posted

 

[BrianMc]

As regards the connector, I remember something about these but where? I did a quick look on the 'get your cable and connectors here' thread on MTBR DIY lights: no. I suspect it was in one of the recent build threads there.

What I remember: very similar to the originals from a European (GB?)supplier and I think it was Troutie who said he had tried both sources, and the DX ones did not stand up but he gave the good ones the thumbs up.

 

[pe2er]

I Found some information on the Dean connector here: What type of connectors do you use?. Did you mean that thread?
I Am sure that the Dx Ultra Plugs are of a lesser quality, but there is only one way to find out if the quality is acceptable enough After all. I am not going to load it with 35 Amps. 0.6 Amps will do

... the trick is that you need to plug the connectors together when soldering so that the pins stay aligned if you heat things up a bit too much.

 

[BrianMc]

Yes. I knew I'd read it there somewhere, but my first guess was wrong. Good you found it. Good you know what you are dealing with. Price is great. Clearly, I did not memorize the details, but enough to help.

 

[pe2er]

I Stuck the T-Plug in the center of the light. It sticks out further than I pictured, maybe I should have recessed it in the tube.

Also, I should have drilled the holes for the plug and the switch before I glued in the driver and LEDs.

The lenses are 10° Dx Sku 1920 ones. I Removed the grey-ish outer plastic and used only the acrylic lens. Had to dremel it down a bit until it fit.

Here are the lenses in held in place with 5 minute Epoxy and a few mA going through the LEDs to light them up.

Did some preliminary tests, and the output of this little firefly looks promising

 

[HEY HEY ITS HENDO]

excellent! however such a big connector for a tiny current!!
here was my solution, a deans micro these are rated for 10A

 

[pe2er]

here was my solution, a deans micro these are rated for 10A

I Like that Much smaller!

 

[1 what]

Looks interesting but I think that it will put out a bit more light than a firefly. I await the beamshots! Where did you find that small connector??

 

[pe2er]

My connector is not small, so you must not be asking about my Dx Ultra connectors. The small connectors shown by HEY HEY ITS HENDO are Dean connectors, normally used in model RC cars and planes. Never used them or even seen them in real live, but I would look for them at RC Model shops. I Think they were also shown in this thread: What type of connectors do you use?.

About this firefly: I Am hoping to buy something like this tomorrow (an old Alleweder):

...will be my first recumbent (velomobiel).

The firefly will be on my helmet, a P7 based light in the nosecone. The Firefly will be connected to a momentary switch to get drivers attention when needed.

Will post some beamshots when finished, but in this application, that is not the most relevant. It needs just be bright - and it is

 

[1 what]

WOW:thumbsup:
Thanks for the info re the Dean connector.
Good luck with your purchase.

 

[pe2er]

WOW:thumbsup:
..
Good luck with your purchase.

Thanks It worked out just fine

The switch cap and switches arrived from Dx this week. Did I really order pink tailcaps? What was I thinking!

... On the Dx page the colour is more Orange than pink

 

[pe2er]

Finally.. It's finished. Almost that is.

There is a hump on my helmet that is not exactly helping me place velcro in the right location

 

[BrianMc]

You can build the spot up each side to get flat , but do not shave the high point as weakening the carbon fibre at that spot is not a good idea.

I like the low profile, always have since I first saw the achesalot design.

I like the helmet color from a safety standpoint, too. There is a recommended lifesapn for the resins in a helmet for maximum protection. I'll have to check if time's up for mine.

 

[pe2er]

I Have taped a platform over it, with some silicone sealant underneath to fill the void.

Should hold long enough for me to get a feeling for the light and decide if I like it, or not.

The aim is just a best guess. We'll see how it works out.

 

[BrianMc]

The aim is just a best guess. We'll see how it works out.

A sore neck from aiming it will be a clue. Actually, if your chin stap has a bit of play you should have some adjustability, skull as ball, helmet as socket! :tinfoil:

 

[pe2er]

I tried the Firefly Helmet light, in my Alleweder (see Lights for Alleweder velomobile). Besides being fun to have a nice beam of light to your head, there were also some disadvantages.

Pro:
It produces a very nice beam of light to illuminate your path. Especially when rounding tight corners (to compensate for the fixed front lights of my VM).

Con:
Helmet lights are not allowed on bicycles in Holland – lights must be attached to your body or bicycle.
Very high probability of blinding other people when used in normal urban traffic.
High amount of glare coming from the grey cover around my neck. So much it drowned out the rear-view mirror image, making them less useful.

So, not sure if the pros outweigh the cons. There is only a very limited section on my route where the Firefly is useable.

Besides that, the light was aimed too high. That's an easy fix, so I will redo the platform and do another test ride later this week.

 

[pe2er]

She's all ready for the testride tomorrow

Put the light in front of the bump instead of right on top of it.

 

[pe2er]

The aim was spot on this time Too bad that this is the only good news I have to tell. The blinding glare from the gray cover makes it unusable on the Alleweder. The glare seems to be even worse now the light is aimed lower.

 

[BrianMc]

It isn't legal on the helmet, so how about atop a light pole? (And I don't mean a thin person from Warsaw. )

You could have a rear facing running light/taillight up at driver eye level facing to the rear and this light high enough it's spill falls ahead of the hood as a combo headlight/front running light. Could be round PVC or aluminum better if a teardrop crosssection, but the drag factor would only be important if you had fast downgrades and you haven't. If the wind is high enough to wobble it, then it is time to use alternative transportation.

Aircraft have flat black anti glare shield ahead of their windscreens, that might also help.

Might remind some of a Disney robot, though.

 

[pe2er]

It isn't legal on the helmet, so how about atop a light pole?

The rules are very simple. A Bicycle must have two lights. One headlight (white or yellow) and one tial light (red). Lights must be continuously on (not flashing) and may not be blinding to others. Lights must either be fixed to the bike or your body (excluding head, arms and legs).

So my current lighting is illegal, with or without added helmet light because I have two headlights. Having said that, I do not expect to get ticketed for being too visible.

Main concern about the helmet light is the glare and blinding other road users.

I Saw a light bar on an Alleweder here.

It certainly is a good location for the lights. Very visible to other road users and a good position for the headlight to illuminate the road in front of you. It should be detachable to store the Alleweder (I Plan to build a low shelter for it).

Aircraft have flat black anti glare shield ahead of their windscreens, that might also help.

An anti-glare shield below the helmet light may also reduce glare.

Aircraft used to have the visible part of the fuselage/ radome in front of the windshield painted black for that purpose. Modern transport aircraft have smaller radomes and don't need that. Instead, there is a glareshield inside the pressure cabin.

It is the black shield with VHF and autopilot control panels just below the window.

I Suppose I could also build that, or buy a Versatile roof for my Alleweder and mount some lights on top of that

Only drawback of that, is that this Versatile roof costs more than half what paid for my Alleweder LOL.