Katzenjammer
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
- Messages
- 3
This describes a controller I'd like to buy, if someone (George?) would like to build it. I mostly only know software, so this is not something I'd attempt to hack myself.
Background: I ride for utility. Any time I can ride my bike rather than drive, I do. Which means I ride in all hours and weathers, almost always in the city in busy streets, often tented in my rain cape. I'm a very careful cyclist and so far haven't had more than a few close calls, but all the same it can be pretty terrifying because bikes are barely visible in the best conditions and there are way too many people who shouldn't have driving licences.
What I want to do is build large LED arrays (50-150 5mm or 10mm LEDs per array) for front and back, plus an Achesalot-style triple-Seoul-P4 headlight (mounted on the front porteur rack, not head mounted). Power source would be a LiIon or NiMH pack.
The arrays would be sectioned, ideally into 3-5 sub-arrays on the left and right plus 1 in the middle. The controller would therefore have 7, 9, or 11 circuits. I wouldn't populate the center section on the front card, but instead drive the 3xP4 array with that circuit.
Modes would be switched by some control cluster on the handlebar (or by the brake cable, when braking). (In the descriptions, "low power" and "high power" are placeholders for some pair of current levels TBD, e.g. 350mA and 1.0A if the circuit is driving the Seouls).
Modes:
- All off
- Default: All sections (subarrays) strobing/flashing in a random pattern @ low power
- Headlight: Center section steady @ low power, sides off
- Highbeam: Center section steady @ high power, sides off
- Brakes: All sections steady @ high power
- Turn: Center and 1 side steady @ low power, other side strobing @ high power, ideally in a marquee/ripple pattern, but all together would be okay.
- Warning mode: Same as default, but @ high power (this might be frosting rather than cake)
If the circuits could provide more than two intensity levels, that would be very nice frosting indeed!
With a sufficient number of sub-arrays (e.g. 11 toto), it would also be possible to split one off to a second, side-facing board to get better visibility than by inducing some side-spill from forward-/rear-facing lights.
Background: I ride for utility. Any time I can ride my bike rather than drive, I do. Which means I ride in all hours and weathers, almost always in the city in busy streets, often tented in my rain cape. I'm a very careful cyclist and so far haven't had more than a few close calls, but all the same it can be pretty terrifying because bikes are barely visible in the best conditions and there are way too many people who shouldn't have driving licences.
What I want to do is build large LED arrays (50-150 5mm or 10mm LEDs per array) for front and back, plus an Achesalot-style triple-Seoul-P4 headlight (mounted on the front porteur rack, not head mounted). Power source would be a LiIon or NiMH pack.
The arrays would be sectioned, ideally into 3-5 sub-arrays on the left and right plus 1 in the middle. The controller would therefore have 7, 9, or 11 circuits. I wouldn't populate the center section on the front card, but instead drive the 3xP4 array with that circuit.
Modes would be switched by some control cluster on the handlebar (or by the brake cable, when braking). (In the descriptions, "low power" and "high power" are placeholders for some pair of current levels TBD, e.g. 350mA and 1.0A if the circuit is driving the Seouls).
Modes:
- All off
- Default: All sections (subarrays) strobing/flashing in a random pattern @ low power
- Headlight: Center section steady @ low power, sides off
- Highbeam: Center section steady @ high power, sides off
- Brakes: All sections steady @ high power
- Turn: Center and 1 side steady @ low power, other side strobing @ high power, ideally in a marquee/ripple pattern, but all together would be okay.
- Warning mode: Same as default, but @ high power (this might be frosting rather than cake)
If the circuits could provide more than two intensity levels, that would be very nice frosting indeed!
With a sufficient number of sub-arrays (e.g. 11 toto), it would also be possible to split one off to a second, side-facing board to get better visibility than by inducing some side-spill from forward-/rear-facing lights.
