Lights ideas

[Scimitar]

Just been notified from 7dayshop about this 480 lumen LED lamp. In a nice square housing that looks as if it can be made waterproof...
7dayshop.com - Online Store

I'm also toying with the idea of using one of these - a 25W LED array, producing 1400 lumens... 1 PC BRIGHTEST 25W WATT HIGH POWER WHITE LED 1400 Lumen on eBay (end time 11-Aug-10 09:30:25 BST) a mere 1500mA draw @ 13V.

The 100W version has plummeted in price over the past year or so, and is now standing at £112... 1 PC BRIGHTEST 100W WATT HIGHPOWER WHITE LED 7000 Lumen on eBay (end time 11-Aug-10 09:46:15 BST) but it's still a bit too demanding (3A @33V) on battery capacity to be of much use to me.

 

[allen-uk]

All depends what you want to do, Scimitar.

If you want to warn shipping of an approaching hazard, then the amazingly high-powered lamps will probably do the job, and you might even get a small emolument from the lighthouse people.

If your habit is to cycle down pitch-black roads totally devoid of street lighting with a permanent heavy cloud cover, again, you're probably on the right track.

But if you just want gormless road users to notice you, then you're probably as well off with a flashing one for a fiver, as it seems that it is the DARKNESS between the flashes that is as important as the brightness of the flash, as it jolts Dumbo the Driver into momentary consciousness.

Stay lucky, and watch out for low-flying planes.

A

 

[Scimitar]

If your habit is to cycle down pitch-black roads totally devoid of street lighting with a permanent heavy cloud cover, again, you're probably on the right track.

That's it exactly. The more light, the better - subject to battery drain, of course. It's not like I have any choice in the matter - the unlit back roads are where I live, with the nearest village 3.5M and nearest small town 5M away.

 

[allen-uk]

I'm envious, scimitar - does that mean you can actually see the STARS when the clouds drift away?

Here in London they are a distant memory. On a clear night you can count the ones you can see, and rarely get above 20 or 30.


A

 

[Scimitar]

I'm envious, scimitar - does that mean you can actually see the STARS when the clouds drift away?

Here in London they are a distant memory. On a clear night you can count the ones you can see, and rarely get above 20 or 30.


A

Oh yes, some nights the Milky Way is like a bright band across the sky. Mind you, many nights it's cloudy
I know what you mean, though. I lived in towns and cities for years and never saw the night sky - just a dull orange glare.

 

[Mussels]

Just been notified from 7dayshop about this 480 lumen LED lamp. In a nice square housing that looks as if it can be made waterproof...
7dayshop.com - Online Store

I'm also toying with the idea of using one of these - a 25W LED array, producing 1400 lumens... 1 PC BRIGHTEST 25W WATT HIGH POWER WHITE LED 1400 Lumen on eBay (end time 11-Aug-10 09:30:25 BST) a mere 1500mA draw @ 13V.

The 100W version has plummeted in price over the past year or so, and is now standing at £112... 1 PC BRIGHTEST 100W WATT HIGHPOWER WHITE LED 7000 Lumen on eBay (end time 11-Aug-10 09:46:15 BST) but it's still a bit too demanding (3A @33V) on battery capacity to be of much use to me.

Powerful LEDs are good but can have strange behaviour, they run hot so need good cooling as overheating will damage them. There are plenty of powerful lights that are cheap and ready for the bike without modification, these generally match the right LED and housing together for best results.
A while back Tesco was selling Cree 3w torches that would do a very good budget job, I don't know what the beam spread is like though.

 

[Tim]

Our Nukelight is superb. I use mine as a bedside lamp, pointed at the ceiling. The downward reflected light is bright enough to read by.

Beam comparison - Nukelight on far right

50cycles bike accessories - NukeLight USB rechargable Mountain Bike Light High Intensity Photonic focused LED

Most bike lamps on the market rely on a reflecting light cup to focus the beam, but this only focuses the central part, leaving the remaining light energy to disperse uselessly.

We set ourselves the task of producing the ultimate light beam from a light, convenient, rechargeable unit. First we experimented with a single lens but the performance was still not good with shadowing and dimming around the edges. Next, we tried many lense and LED combinations before finally succeeding with a novel photonic arrangment of 6 lenses. This removed all the faults and produced a an intensely perfect beam with even lighting across its width.

Incredibly, there is only a single 3 Watt LED at work here but the light intensity emitted through our lenses reaches up to 540 lumens within 1 meter. We've also maximised performance and battery life by using a novel heat-sink structure around the LED, which promotes optimal energy efficency and maximum light output from each charge.

Together these advances make the NukeLight uniquely compact, powerful and (at around the half the price of lamps of comparable brightness) relatively inexpensive.

• Max Luminous Flux 130 lumen / up to 540 lumen within 1 metre
• Optical system LED and multiple focusing lenses
• Modes Continuous and flashingwith 4-step adjustable brightness
• Battery life 3 hours 20 minutes at maximum intensity, 15 hours at minimum intensity, 40 hours in flashing SOS mode
• Water resistant
• Recharging via smart USB charging or AC mains adaptor
• Certifications CE, RoHS and FCC certified
• Battery Rechargable NP-60 1200mA Lithium ion battery
• Dimensions 105mm x 44mm x 29mm
• Max. lifespan 50,000 hours at 320mA
• Weight Lightweight at only 122g
• Includes Lamp, USB and mains adaptor, cycle mounting bracket

 

[daniel.weck]

More info here:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/5153-50-cycles-nukelight-led-rechargeable-light.html