Proposal: bike lights.
Size: compact 18650
Lens: 26mm aspheric
Colors: white and red
Driver: set high - apply modes *
Material: aluminum
Since this is primarily a safety device, high quality parts and workmanship is critical.
This is where toy keeper can go nuts on blinkies. But I have one caveat*; a user setting should be able to set the max power any of the modes will provide (some overrides may be useful). What this does is allow users to determine the best output for their environment while dialing in run-time.
Red LEDs will be limited to a lot lower current. But even white blinkies are more than bright enough at 1 amp. However, we are BLF so we also want to output 1200 lumens at a moment’s notice.
The current FET+1 firmware for steady output is fine as is. Maybe moonlight mode becomes optional. The key take-away for this is that as a light, or as a host, we can build a heck of a BLF zoomie.
May I ask why a zoomie as a bike light ?
I did mountain biking back in the day, and a pencil beam would be the last profile I want.
A beam profle such as a C8’s or SRK’s is much more desirable, for visibility both on-coming, and away from the bike.
One suggestion from me. I have found it is generally a trouble to attach a regular flashlight to my bike’s handlebars. If the stand is stable and sturdy it is usually big and ugly when the light is not attached to it. If this is going to be used as a bike light, it would be useful that it includes a plastic attaching mechanism (might be removable using a hex wrench from the light). It can be made compatible with one of the existing platforms. I am giving a picture example with Cateye’s mechanism, which I have found to work quite well.
This is their version of a removable mechanism. It is very secure but when removed the “flashlight” has a lot of protruding bits, which will make it not comfortable for other uses.
Another thought - it may be possible to design a pocket clip in a way that it is compatible with such an attaching mechanism. However it should be quite sturdy and maybe a combination of steel and plastic.
I would like to see an 26650 straight tube light. Like a fat BLF A6, some good firmware and the looooong runtime of the 26650 at reasonable levels would make an ideal worklight…
Lol, not saying a FET +1 driver isn’t needed by any means…
The driver could be one with ToyKeepers Bistro or some such, that has selections of levels and blinky modes available for different uses.
26650 in my JM07 on high gives over 900 lumen for about two hours continuously. This is a long time for riders or people working in dark areas with a huge amount of light…
Put a floody TIR in for up close, a tight one for throw…. It would do great on a bicycle as well…
Bikes like lightweight… and with lights, I prefer redundancy.
I’m thinking something in the ZeusRay format. I have mod’d a lot of Tank 007 TK736 zoomies. They are lightweight, compact, and easy to adapt with Twofish lockblocks. These heads easily use a larger lens by trimming the bezel.
I had in mind safety flashers more than seeing lights. At full zoom, the LED closest to the lens, a 26mm aspheric has very nice diffusion and cone angle.
I need runtime in the 12 hour range. If it flashes at 100% power, runtime will be seriously limited. I should be able to set the max output before applying the blinkie routing of choice. This would add a 2 dimensional mode option.
Of course, this should be a normal zoomie for anyone that prefers one. There are not enough serious cyclists here to even think we could get a group buy in.
26650 is a nice option but again, weight. I run 4 of these at all times.
Ahhh, I had misread the OP then NightSpy… Gotcha on the safety lighting issues. I think if you PM Dr Jones, he could do a version of his Guppydrv with more blinky modes and still be able to have the “regular lighting” modes there as well. On a 1.4A 4x7135 driver, a blinker at 15% power would be about 210ma and give 12 or so hours on a 2500mah 18650…. Most blinky modes are full on then full off, so if you get a hold of Dr Jones and let him know your needs, he may be able to design a blinky that averages 200ma and is still very noticeable.
I am a fan of his drivers and their select-able modes in case you cannot tell….
Good luck with this and let us know what you end up with….
I like zoomies for bike lights. I think they give the best flood beam for biking. However, the ones that I use are not rated for waterproof, for me would be a great value to have a high quality seal and better than average corrosion resistant coatings.
The Tank007 TK736 has seals where needed for normal rainy conditions. I was buying hosts from Dino Direct until the price skyrocketed. Excellent lights and easily modified for a larger lens and changing the range of the zoom.
What these lights really need is a custom bezel that can be tightened better and minimal protrusion beyond the flange of the lens. The lens will need to be glass due to the heat of the emitter so close to the lens. But I do get a nice diffused cone of light. If I improved the lens, I would etch, or even paint the very center to diffuse the direct photon rays from the emitter.
And they weigh next to nothing. The body probably weights what the lens does… and then add a pill and a cell.
I run 4 of these on my recumbent trike. With 17-mode drivers and suitable emitters you have a nice red tail light and any white emitters running at 1 amp max flashing very bright will give you excellent runtime even on a 3500mah cell. The math is pretty simple in fact. Turns out the police mode is the most efficient on the 17-mode drivers. Strobe is about 50% duty cycle so that means you are using 500mah and the runtime is easily 6 hours to total 3000mah. The emitter matters only based on how long driver remains in regulation (same brightness). Once it goes out of regulation, you get some extended runtime at the price of a bit lover output until the low voltage kicks in. XP-G and XM-L in the previous generation remained in regulation to within 10 minutes of the low voltage shutdown. Some of the newer breeds of emitters are requiring higher voltage. Since we are not looking for superior brightness, all the old stock will work perfectly.
Obviously, the new DTP technology is needed for a high reliability light. The premium expense of a copper DTP MCPCB is of little concern considering the improved efficiency and lifetime.
Anyway… I’ve given this a bit of thought over the years. I just haven’t got to the custom driver stage yet, and don’t have the run rate to even consider a custom buy just for me.
Looks like BLF still isn’t ready either. I keep my eyes open for decent hosts. I am also careful to make sure the 17-mode drivers remain available. They’re getting harder to find, have to buy more, or cost a premium over the equivalent 5-mode drivers.
