Steven Knoetze (sk27) Posted May 14, 2014 Share That is just a MR16 LED downlight bulb with 3 LED's, mounted inside a suitable housing. It requires a 12V power supply and the driver is built into the bulb. I have used 2 lights like that for about 4 years. I mounted the bulbs inside a 50mm pvc pipe with an end cap and a toggle switch. The downlights I used were 18 degree beam spread with about 380 lumens. One on the bar and one on the helmet was good enough to go very fast on technical singletrack. It will cost you about R300 to build one light like that excluding the battery. I used lead acid batteries 12V 1.4Ah, which gave me a little bit less than 3 hour run time. The batteries cost R 58 each, and they lasted about 1 year with regular use. However, you can buy a very good light for about R500 these days, and it will be brighter with better battery life. 3 years ago I started to make my own DIY lights with proper CREE LED's and Luxdrive drivers. I still use them today in conjunction with 8.4V Li-ion batteries. I have 2 x 400 lumen lights that I use on the handlebar, and I use a very tiny 300 lumens flashlight with adjustable zoom on my helmet. My Strava times indicate that I don't need more light than that. In my opinion lighting on a bike is about beam spread and colour temperature. If you cover those two areas well, and have in the region of 1000 lumens total, you are fine. I have found that too much light reflects up from the trail which makes certain obstacles more difficult to judge. A warm white is in my opinion better than a very cool white. Cool white colour temperature above 6000K becomes very blue and reflects a lot from singletrack or gravel surface (everything becomes white-ish), which can influence a rider's sight and therefore judgement negatively. Manufacturers from the East tend to spec lights with high colour temperatures(higher than 6500K) as the lumen output is higher which means higher perceived value (they know most consumers only look at the lumens/price ratio). My own lights are all 4500k in colour temperature. Woyld you mind posting a few pics of these lights and your setup. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sampie Posted May 14, 2014 Share Yes, bring back the DIY solutions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fantana Posted May 14, 2014 Share Double post. Edited May 14, 2014 by Brian Fantana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fantana Posted May 14, 2014 Share Woyld you mind posting a few pics of these lights and your setup. thanks I have two of these, they are 600 lumens(theoretical) but I assume about 400 lumens actual. One 8deg spot optic, and one 10deg x 25deg oval optic. Works great. My MR16 downlight lights have been modified into camping lights, so no photos available. I use this for a helmet light, 300 lumens and 3hours battery life. You get some with much higher light output but less battery life. I am also busy building a monster 2000 lumens light just for the hell of it. I just need to source a reliable LED driver for it: Just remember, DIY lights are never a cost effective solution. It is much cheaper to buy a complete light, especially with all the crazy deals flying around. But if you have confidence in your soldering ability and a bit of interest in electronics, it can be a rewarding experience. Edited May 14, 2014 by Brian Fantana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted May 14, 2014 Share Thanks... reason I ask is that I'm in the process of building my own, using gu5.3 halogen down lights and some 50mm plumbing connectors. I have a 12v 7ah lead acid battery at the moment, which I'm just testing for durability. I don't mind the extra weight, as it's just an extra weight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK-Sp3cialiSt Posted May 14, 2014 Share Lead acid is a terrible type of battery to use. Short battery life, weight, short charge life, long charge cycle, you are really shooting yourself in the foot by running it. Do a bit more homework on the options before settling on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted May 14, 2014 Share Like so... I'm going to cut a portal in the end cap, and use a normal rca cable to attach to the battery... Spread is rated at 36 degrees and they're warm white (3000k) rated at 680 lumen. I'll see how they perform and if satisfactory, make it a permanent feature. If not, there are loads of cheap, bright led lamps that I can buy. I'll just need to get a good battery pack to power them EDIT: I see the 68- lumen rating was for the 50w bulb, which would drain a 7aH battery in, oh, an hour or so (well actually 1h36 but I've built in a safety buffer of 33%) so that's out. Also just tested the 25w option, and the brightness seems pretty good. I'll let you know once it's been built properly though. Edited May 14, 2014 by cpt armpies mayhem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge_Design Posted May 14, 2014 Share Buy something with a reputable brand behind it where you know you will have long-term support from the manufacturer if the local "agent" disappears or something supported by the big wholesalers locally - basically, if you want budget lights then go for Ryder which is supported by Omnico, mid-range look at Magicshine which is a huge international brand now, and top-end (pricing wise), look at what you can get in SA which is probably fairly limited (maybe Exposure?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted May 14, 2014 Share Lead acid is a terrible type of battery to use. Short battery life, weight, short charge life, long charge cycle, you are really shooting yourself in the foot by running it. Do a bit more homework on the options before settling on it I'm not buying a battery before I know which direction I'm going ito forward voltage. The lead acid battery is lying around and isn't being used atm, hence the decision to use it during this trial period Which means... not shooting myself in the foot at all Edited May 14, 2014 by cpt armpies mayhem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted May 14, 2014 Share Buy something with a reputable brand behind it where you know you will have long-term support from the manufacturer if the local "agent" disappears or something supported by the big wholesalers locally - basically, if you want budget lights then go for Ryder which is supported by Omnico, mid-range look at Magicshine which is a huge international brand now, and top-end (pricing wise), look at what you can get in SA which is probably fairly limited (maybe Exposure?). Not really worried about backup tbh. I can work on them myself (have all the tools, or can borrow them) and if an led or driver goes, you can buy pre made stars or drop in units extremely cheaply from the likes of cutter.com.au or deal extreme etc. Just gotta look for the proper bin numbers when you order. Major thing for me would be the battery pack, which I would probably buy separately from the light (you do get that option on some sites) Sports whatever (locally) are just bringing in the exact lights (down to the brand name) that you can get on any of the Chinese sites. At a far lower cost. I'll take my chances and pay the price if need be. Local backup is not a deal breaker at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJR Posted May 14, 2014 Share I use a Ryder 1000 lumen LED light and have been very impressed with it. Brian Fantana 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted May 14, 2014 Share Yoh, brave man...I agree with the battery statement. However, a light isn't a light isn't a light.Lumens aside, beam pattern, light color, build quality, thermal management, size, weight... hey pappie. Daars baie om in ag te neem. Also depends if you using that light while riding a 26'er or 29'er T-Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fantana Posted May 14, 2014 Share I use a Ryder 1000 lumen LED light and have been very impressed with it. Those have excellent battery life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanzyl Posted May 14, 2014 Share happy with my magicshine....3 years on and no issues...also outshines the rest!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straatvark Posted May 14, 2014 Share I assume this bike is used on St. Patricks day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sampie Posted May 14, 2014 Share I have two of these, they are 600 lumens(theoretical) but I assume about 400 lumens actual. One 8deg spot optic, and one 10deg x 25deg oval optic. Works great. My MR16 downlight lights have been modified into camping lights, so no photos available. I use this for a helmet light, 300 lumens and 3hours battery life. You get some with much higher light output but less battery life. I am also busy building a monster 2000 lumens light just for the hell of it. I just need to source a reliable LED driver for it: Just remember, DIY lights are never a cost effective solution. It is much cheaper to buy a complete light, especially with all the crazy deals flying around. But if you have confidence in your soldering ability and a bit of interest in electronics, it can be a rewarding experience. Also build my own lights, these drivers are best. http://www.taskled.com/ The price for the driver are more than a whole set of lights you can buy, but it is top quality and fully programmable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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