What do y'all do for lighting?

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reikiman
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What do y'all do for lighting?

I was just in Kragen getting some fuses ... and feeling that it's odd to go to a gear-head shop that sells auto parts so that I can buy parts for my EV's ... and while browsing I found some LED lighting that's interesting. I got some to install on the Vego 600 that I'm refurbishing.

One is a white LED "bar" that the packaging describes as "accent lighting". But it's a rather bright light that runs at 12 volts. I'm thinking to mount this using a U-bolt to the steering column on the scooter, and run it off the battery pack. The other are the red LED driven lights they describe as marker lights. They would do good as a tail light and/or brake light. The attraction is that these are lit with the high intensity LED's, and thus will use a minuscule amount of electricity.

The only issue will be how to get 12 volts. The pack voltage is 36 volts. I do have some DC-DC converters. I could use one of them.

As I rebuild this Vego 600 .. I'm really missing all the lights and turn signals and horn and whatnot that is on the EVT 4000. Each of those things adds to the safety of the vehicle. These things are missing on the typical small scooter, and maybe they're not important if you only use the scooter for goofing around in the park or whatnot. But if you're on the road every day with it then it should have as much visibility as possible.

circuitsmith
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You could put 3 of the LED

You could put 3 of the LED lights in series for 36 volts.

You could measure the light's current at 12V and get a resistor to drop the voltage down. Use this formula: R = 24 / I where I is the lamp current. Resistor wattage will be 24 * I. Get a resistor rated at least 2X this. If I is 20mA then a 1200 ohm 1W resistor will do the trick.

My current headlight is a DIY array of 20 amber LED's, 10s2p. Works from 21-30V. More in series would work at higher voltage. I used part of a tail light mounting bracket.

LSDiodes Optoelectronics - S-Flux LED's

reikiman
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Good point

Thank you, that's the better solution. (running three in series)

Private Nukem
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

If you want to invest a little $, here is the perfect solution - works automatically from 12 - 48 Volts. Looks cool and will have great light output - I'm putting a couple on a project for my son (see the eRex on this site).

Nukem
"In order to get to the truth, the first thing you have to do is get all the liars in one room."

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
Input Voltage: 12-48 VDC
Max Operating Current: 12-Volt 2 Amps 48-Volt .5 Amps
Light Output: 500 Lumens
Lens: Micro Optics, acrylic inner and outer lenses
Mating Connector : Deutsch DT06-2 2-Pin Connector
Standards:UL Recognized, Sealed J575, Shock and Vibration

model_700_LED__3_.jpg
dimensions_model_700_led.gif

[i]"In order to get to the truth, the first thing you have to do is get all the liars in one room."[/i]

goodnslo
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Re: Good point

Dont get me wrong, I know this works, but you might see your lights flicker while using the controller (reducing candela brightness). It may also cause your blinkers to act slower or faster than normal.

reikiman
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Are those halogen bulbs?

And where do you get it? I'd google it but you didn't list the product name.

Private Nukem
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Nope - all L.E.D.

The earlier versions I have have two groupings of 3 high output LEDs in each housing (visible as the little round lens optic in the picture) but I believe the new versions shown in my posting and on JW Speaker's sight linked below have 8 seperate lens sections - not sure how many LEDs in each.

Here's the link: J W Speaker Corp

Note: the link above has been fixed.

Nukem

"In order to get to the truth, the first thing you have to do is get all the liars in one room."

[i]"In order to get to the truth, the first thing you have to do is get all the liars in one room."[/i]

chesspupil
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

...oviedosafetylights.com/JW-Speaker--...

http://www.oviedosafetylights.com

They have it for 150$!!! Man, pricey, but I guess when I'm flying down the road, there wont be any worry about missing something, or me not being seen! I ride a lot at night, on my way home from work.

tilt2468
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

I am also looking at the problem of riding in the darkness and seeking a 24 volt headlight solution-- would a 24 volt halogen lamp such as this work? http://www.amazon.com/DMK-Heavy-Duty-Halogen-Worklight-Round/dp/B000B69HZC/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1252250183&sr...

I have a 24v 15ah battery that I can draw from-- there is plenty of battery power left at the end of my 50 minute ebike commute.

My plan is to jump straight from the battery leads to the headlamp with a fuse in the line:
Is this a good idea?
What would be the appropriate fuse?

Thanks.

tilt

reikiman
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Looks good. By "jump straight from the battery" how will you turn the light on and off?

marylandbob
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Since most legal and readily available lights, horns radios, GPS units, etc are designed around a 12.6 to 14.5 volt vehicle power source, I think that an ideal system would consist of a LiFePo4 battery with enough capacity to sustain the lightin/accessory load for at least 2 hours, and this battery should be fed from the main motor supply through a suitable D.C./D.C. converter, so that it is kept charged during normal operation (13.5 volts for "Keep Charged" level), and also charges (To 14.5 volts) when the main battery is charged. With such a system, the on-off key (ignition) system can be configured to operate at LOW voltage, so that activation of the "12 volt" system energizes a relay or solid state device, which enables the higher voltage motor supply. By having a suitable low voltage battery, you can add accessories, such as a stereo, fog lights, air horn, HDMI lighting, emergency flashers, or other devices that have current spikes that might upset a simple stand alone D.C./D.C. converter.(I have added a 20 ampere-hour battery to my VECTRIX, it powers an auxillary horn, a stereo, 2 way Ham radio, and emergency lighting. Unlike a lead-acid battery, this Li-Fe-Po4 battery maintains operating voltage above 12.6 volts for quite a while!(I charge it to a "Full Charge" voltage of 14.5 volts)--Bob Curry

Robert M. Curry

reikiman
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Bob, I respect the legality of using DOT approved lighting and on a licensed vehicle like my motorcycle I use DOT lighting. However for a bicycle or < 20 miles/hr scooter the DOT requirements don't exist so far as I know. Do you know of legal requirements on what constitutes a bicycle light?

My my bicycles and < 20 miles/hr scooters I'm using LED lights as I explained above made for accent lights on cars. The important thing is they're bright, much brighter than the typical dinky bicycle lights. It's bright enough to actually see with the lights and to actually BE seen. Both very important safety.

I string enough of them in series to equal the pack voltage. By using pack voltage lighting I avoid the DC-DC converter and aux battery like you suggest. The DC-DC is a good idea on a bigger vehicle like a Vectrix, but on a bicycle space is a premium.

However ... adding accessories like a sound system, that would clearly require a 12v system. Sometimes I want to add a sound system to the e-bicycle.

tilt2468
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

My plan is to install a short pigtail with a waterproof plug-in connector to the rear of the battery pack straight off the battery power leads and just plug the light in when conditions require it. I could put a switch in the line, but it probably won't be necessary.

Will a 70w pull for 50 minutes be a significant draw on a 24v 15a lithium battery? The bike is an electric assist that requires pedaling in order for the motor to engage, so the battery always gets some assist from the rider, but I don't want to overstress the battery bms.

tilt

reikiman
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

70w / 24v = 3a ... what's the rated power of the controller & motor? And do you have any idea the actual power used on your bike? And what is the rated max discharge of the battery pack?

70w is quite a bit compared to the typical max discharge for the cheaper lithium packs. But it really depends on the conditions on your bike, and whether your bike plus the light would exceed the pack.

marylandbob
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

I also ride a bicycle,(100% human powered, so far) and I have installed normal bicycle lights on it. Requirements vary, but for the most part are much less legally defined as far as DOT approval, etc. Some laws say that a bicycle must have a white headlight, plainly visible from at least 500 feet, and a red tailight, plainly visible from at least 300 feet. My lights meet/exceed these specs, and are powered by electricity generated from my front wheels hub dynamo, a "Nabendynamo" from Germany, which is very efficient, and produces AC voltage, with both output wires insulated from ground. I use this output, into a full-wave voltage doubler circut, to keep a 12 volt battery charged, and run everything off this battery. (4ea. A123 lithium-nanophosphate cells)-Bob Curry

Robert M. Curry

tilt2468
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Good point about the load-- the battery is a ping from China and has worked great thus far, but I don't want to fry the bms with an excessive load. I found some 12 v LED scooter lamps at: http://www.electricscooterparts.com/headlights.html that look like a good fit.

If I wire up a pair of the lamps in series will that create the right resistance for a 24v battery? Thank you for the assistance.

tilt

tilt2468
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

Is there a formula for stringing enough lights in series to equal the pack voltage? (Will a series of two low wattage 12v dc led bulbs roughly match the output of a 24v 15ah dc battery?) It sounds simple, but I can't confirm the answer anywhere-- lots of mention of resistance behavior in a series circuit, but nothing about voltage characteristics.

tilt

robert93
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

As soon as I can, I am going to find a way to mount my NiteRider Dual HID beams on my scoot. They are wonderful on my bicycles. I'll stick to the NiteRider NiMh pack for power, easier that way. Since the control systems are taking up the bars, I am going to have to get creative, but should be fun to see the results. Out here in Georgia, too many folks cant find the dimmer on their SUV's, Sportscars, or the driving lights they bought from WalMart, so the HID's really arent overkill here.

s1gmach198
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

The J.W. Speaker link was broken, so I went out on their website and found the product you mentioned. Here's the new link: http://www.jwspeaker.com/catalog/forward_lighting/model_700_LED3.html

Additionally, they came out with a new line of LED headlights that look pretty interesting. Here's a link to that as well: http://www.jwspeaker.com/led_headlights.html

Ebikeparts
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Re: What do y'all do for lighting?

BTN

Kevin

China ebike parts wholesale business cooperative.

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Online shop: http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/904105

Phone: 86-0-15869111868
Skepe: kevin.fang168
Email: hz1stcare [at] 163.com
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