Very Bright Very Cheap Light runs from battery

[Zebb]

My light arrived today, will get it fitted Asap.

 

[Fordulike]

My light arrived today, will get it fitted Asap.

View attachment 8430

Did you order the light from Gdread's post, coz it looks different from the one on his link?

Gdread's original post:

These are good:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Pair-4-...4G-/131004478373?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160

But worth sealing the cable entry with a bit of silicon and angling downwards onto the road to prevent glare.

 

[Zebb]

Did you order the light from Gdread's post, coz it looks different from the one on his link?

Gdread's original post:

These are good:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Pair-4-...4G-/131004478373?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160

But worth sealing the cable entry with a bit of silicon and angling downwards onto the road to prevent glare.

No its the original that Dave recommended start of thread, just been testing it, works great, very bright. But thanks for the link.

 

[Alchemist]

Got a few of D8veh's recommended type also, but I am unsure how best to get it wired up to my battery (Impulse 2 36v 17aH) any idea how might be best to wire it up, I can manage to add in a switch all right, just making the connections to the batt is a bit beyond my pay scale!

Thx for any advice.

 

[Zebb]

I have wired mine from the power wires at the controller, so just tapped in
On the cables. Not on the controller side of connectors, in case of replacing controller at some point if you have bullet connectors. I doubled the insulation on cables for the light cable too using heat shrink. But thats just my preference. Mine works well, I made bracket fit on the stem handle bar 4 bolt, so I can point it down easy.
You could fit a separate inline fuse, I havent though, I like the sparks effect.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Got a few of D8veh's recommended type also, but I am unsure how best to get it wired up to my battery (Impulse 2 36v 17aH) any idea how might be best to wire it up, I can manage to add in a switch all right, just making the connections to the batt is a bit beyond my pay scale!

Thx for any advice.

Does your bike already have a 36v front light. If So, you can use the wiring to it, which will be activated by the light switch. If you have a Dynamo light, it won;t be 36v.

Probably, the easiest place to join a separate wire to the 36v is to the underside of the pins that connect to the battery, which will probably mean you have to remove a panel or something.

 

[Alchemist]

thanks for this D8veh, thought about that option( splicing to the light wires at the existing light connectors), about 5 mins after I posted, but thanks for the confirmation. Incidentally, mine measure 50mm back to front, but are the astigmatic type, Fwiw.

Now, where did I leave the silicone gun?

cheers

 

[steve.c]

Somebody recommended these a couple of weeks ago, so I ordered a couple. Whoever it was, thanks.

We just fitted one, which didn't take long. They come with a L- shaped bracket, which we smashed it flat with a big hammer. we then enlarged a hole and bolted it directly to the fork crown. It's very bright and gives a nice even spread of light to enable riding on unlit roads and cycle paths - probably as much light as those single Cree T6 type, but a better spread.

Their main advantage is that they run directly from any battery up to 60v, so no dc/dc converter required. There's a little circuit board stuffed in the back. To make it waterproof, you should seal round the bracket with silicne sealant or similar.

There's no switch, so you have to add your own. I think I paid about £20 for them, but when I just checked, I see that they're only £4.53, which is the bargain of the century. I just ordered another two.

http://www.banggood.com/Motorcycle-Bicycle-Assist-Lamp-LED-Headlights-Modification-Spotlight-p-919876.html

Hi.Would these wire straight onto my existing light wiring which runs off the battery ??? or would it require more wiring !!! also does anyone know of any extra extra bright rear light ??.
regards Steve.c

 

[tillson]

also does anyone know of any extra extra bright rear light ??.

This is powerful enough to use in bright sunlight. It's a nicely made quality item too.

http://bikerayuk.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=66

 

[Deleted member 4366]

£50 for a rear light? Would somebody really pay that much? It's ten times what I paid for my bike!

 

[tillson]

£50 for a rear light? Would somebody really pay that much? It's ten times what I paid for my bike!

It is a lot of cash for a rear light and I'm sure that you could possibly make something equally as bright for much less. However, I am a sucker for a jazzy paint job and a bit of nicely turned aluminium had me frenzidly hitting the PayPal button. It has to be said that this light is neat, compact and pleasing to look at, but more importantly, painfully bright. Car drivers can definitely see it. I know this because some swear at me as they go past.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Car drivers can definitely see it. I know this because some swear at me as they go past.

Are you sure that they're swearing at you because of the light?

 

[drsolly]

I just ordered one of these, on a recommendation.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XM-L-2xU2-R2-LED-5000-Lumens-4-Modes-Bicycle-bike-HeadLight-Lamp-Light-New-/121326445642?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&var=&hash=item1c3f9ea44a

I feel sure that 5000 lumens is a total exaggeration. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some sort of legislation to stop vendors making outrageous unsupported claims.

 

[Alchemist]

Are you able to open the various descriptione etc links? maybe its an ipad thing, but I cant, but can see from the select dropdown box that they are available in 2 different types, just wondering if this is flood and beam, or some other parameter? The Cree LED described is about as good as there is presently, and rather better than the old ever ready mini train lantern types of yesteryear!

The magicshine 880 that this one seems to be a clone of claims 2000 lumens with 2 crees:

http://www.bikelightsuk.com/front_bike_lights/magicshine_mj880_2000_lumens_xml2_leds_2014_model_P571.html but is rather more likely to have oncoming traffic swearing too, as well as ones bank manager - £140! I got one of these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4000-lumens-3X-CREE-XM-L-T6-LED-Bicycle-Bike-Head-Front-Light-Headlamp-Headlight-/281236044472?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417af97ab8 which gives a very good light IMO, though about double the cost of the one shown. It came with similar battery and headstrap. Tried it out the other night on a 6 mile journey, and it certainly lit up the way well, but if your recommender had positive things to say about the one you're looking at then that is great value!

 

[jazper53]

The motor cycle assist lamp. would I be able to replace the front light that came fitted with my bike and just connect it up to existing wiring circuit?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

This thread has drifted a bit. Look at the title. The whole point is that you can get a very bright front light that runs directly from the battery for less than a fiver. They give out more light than the single Cree T6 XMLs and are good for night-time riding on completely unlit roads and cycle-paths. I can't believe that anybody would need any more light than one of these.

We all know that there's loads of other lights, and everybody has their favourites, but please keep them for other threads or start your own, so that we can keep this one for discussing pros and cons, installation, mods, etc.

 

[Geebee]

Well in the vein of d8veh comment, put a red photography gel in front of the lens of the light in the OP to make a super bright tail light, or alternately a red tail light patch from ebay.
If you hunt around on the net some photography filter suppliers will send a sample book of lens filters for free, that was how I scored mine.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You don't need (and shouldn't want) a tail light as bright as these. A simple battery operated tail light would last for ages and be bright enough. It's different for the front light because it needs to be much brighter, so consumes more power. It's nothing to carry a couple of AAA cells in your toolkit for emergencies, but in my experience, the battery rear lights give you plenty of warning that the batteries are nearly empty by going gradually dimmer, which takes hours..

 

[Geebee]

You don't need (and shouldn't want) a tail light as bright as these. A simple battery operated tail light would last for ages and be bright enough. It's different for the front light because it needs to be much brighter, so consumes more power. It's nothing to carry a couple of AAA cells in your toolkit for emergencies, but in my experience, the battery rear lights give you plenty of warning that the batteries are nearly empty by going gradually dimmer, which takes hours..

Agree completely re brightness, I use a 3w light to the battery (same as headlights) with the red gel, I also have he original battery one still fitted as it has a big reflector.

 

[jazper53]

This thread has drifted a bit. Look at the title. The whole point is that you can get a very bright front light that runs directly from the battery for less than a fiver. They give out more light than the single Cree T6 XMLs and are good for night-time riding on completely unlit roads and cycle-paths. I can't believe that anybody would need any more light than one of these.

We all know that there's loads of other lights, and everybody has their favourites, but please keep them for other threads or start your own, so that we can keep this one for discussing pros and cons, installation, mods, etc.

My question was in relation to the OP and had not strayed from the thread. Still none the wiser thou