Tesco 3w cree

redvee

Got some lockblocks but want something that comes away with the torch.

moggy82

Sicknote wrote:

boondog wrote:

anyone come up with a clever way to attach one of these to a helmet with a velcro strap or similar ?

I use a cycling helmet with lots of vents, so I was hoping to just loop some velcro round to attach, but not sure how secure that would be.

I think it would work and if you added some old inner tube a round it before the velcro, that should stop it from moving.

well thats my thinking and hope it helps

Well i have used just 1 strap and 3 display board pins one at the back and two at the front to stop any forward and backward movement, works really well, i even leave it all on inc. the strap on day rides. The strap came from the inside of a polaris shoulder bag, i ripped it out and it firred perfectly on my 661 bravo Xc helmet,

Back to c cell mods to get a better beam, for those with a dremel

Use a sharp point (e.g. compass) to scribe a line around the outside edge of the collimator , on the outside, then remove the collimator and remove about half a mil of material, this will move the collimator further from the led once re inserted and provide a more floody beam, dependent on how much you remove will decide on the extend of the flood that is produced.

Chris

Northwind

Been playing more with mine... One of them is far less good than the other, it's going back to Tescos. It really doesn't make much light at all, not much more than my commuter lamps- I hadn't noticed til now since I'd always run them as a pair. So that one's going back. This could explain some of the negative comments on here, I couldn't make any sense of the guy who thought his was no less good than an EL530 til now. It's possible it's deteriorated, I'm a bit surprised I didn't notice this when I fitted it first. So keep your receipts!

redvee

Might have to see if I can get some more AA torches, just got a bigger light bar and need to fill it.



The clamp was originally part of a MrC Bar Raiser but made use of one of the clamps and 2" of handlebar but today managed to get hold of a slightly longer bit of tube.

MarvintheAndroid

So I'll be seeing all you guys out in the woods then.....

Marv

Mancunianfightingcat

I used mine for the first time last night, as I said earlier, on its own is cr@p, the beam is way too narrow, but I used it helmet mounted with a pair of bar mounted Lumicycle halogens, 12w spot and 35w spread.
I found that on technical twisty trails, I could run the spread light and the tesco LED and I could see far more than ever before, you lose the shadows behind rocks that you get with just bar mounted lights! I was also well impressed just how far down the track I could see and to be fair, the furhter the light shines, the wider the beam, gets. Best £10 I've spent for ages.

I would highly recommend one of these for a 2nd or 3rd helmet mounted lamp

nfludder

I have have just fitted two Tesco 3 Cree torches to my commuter as my Cateye EL510 just was not bright enough on the unlit back roads. I have the AA version and it gives a really good spead of light, more than enough for 20+ MPH on unlit roads, the only trouble is that cars drives seem to be braking and diving into the hedge as they come past me so they might be too bright!!

Paul Sh

I hate to pee on everyones parade, but putting rechargeable batteries in means taking a step backwards, rechargeable batteries are only 1.2 volts each, so the lights aint gonna be as bright as they would be with disposable.

MarvintheAndroid

Here are some more helmet mount ideas...

http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/Mounts/Head_And_Helmet

Marv

Shake n Bake

oh my god i cant believe i jus found this because i fitted a cree torch to my bars a while ago! its great to get something so cheap and be this good

BoardinBob

Paul Sh wrote:

I hate to pee on everyones parade, but putting rechargeable batteries in means taking a step backwards, rechargeable batteries are only 1.2 volts each, so the lights aint gonna be as bright as they would be with disposable.

Yes and no.

The 1.2volts in re-chargeable batteries is actually a measure of the average voltage as the battery discharges.

On non-rechargeables the 1.5volts is a measure of the peak voltage when the battery is brand new but as it discharges the voltage output drops so that over the course of it's output the average voltage is in fact around 1.2volts

tedm

I hate to pee on everyones parade, but putting rechargeable batteries in means taking a step backwards, rechargeable batteries are only 1.2 volts each, so the lights aint gonna be as bright as they would be with disposable.

I think that the torch isn't 'quite' as bright when running rechargables, BUT I've just discovered that you can run them with 3 x rechargeable 1.2v AAs, so they're brighter than with 2 x 1.5v alkilones AND last a bit longer
Obviously you need a modified torch for this - this is mine with the battery packs stored in a small saddlebag. Added benefit is that you can change battery packs in just a few seconds.

Northwind

tedm wins the "best install" prize, you could sell that for £150 to impressionable bike-light buyers What are the mounts there (the bits wrapped around the ex-torches specifically)?

Innes

[quote= What are the mounts there (the bits wrapped around the ex-torches specifically)?[/quote]

They look like wire armour cable cleats.

-liam-

Just came across this auction on fleabay...

2 of the twofish lockblock torch holders for 11.95 and free postage.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0308304268

kiwirob

AyreshireBacon
How did you get on with the comparison? I have a 520 cateye and hopeless on unlit roads in Bucks. Recommend?
Cheers
KR

ricardo666

Just been to Tesco Allerton Road Liverpool, Plenty Left though, Bit of a tight fit using my Uniross 2000maH AA batteries. At 10 quid looks good, very bright. Cant wait for monday night ride home from work. If it wasnt for this post I think I of spent my money on a fenix TK11. Thanks to the postings and photgraphs.

-liam-

I'm impressed. Just fixed mine to the handlebars using some jubilee clips. Chuffed with the result. They are so bright and I can't wait till get out onto some local trails and blind some chavs

I've ordered a pair of lockblocks so should have a more pro set up going on soon.

Like a load of other people I appear to have two slightly differing colours of output. Slight difference in Led's I guess. I've chosen to use normal throwaway batteries for the time being, as I understand that rechargeables are actually down on power being a nominal 1.2 volts compared to disposables 1.5.

Paul Sh

BoardinBob wrote:

Paul Sh wrote:

I hate to pee on everyones parade, but putting rechargeable batteries in means taking a step backwards, rechargeable batteries are only 1.2 volts each, so the lights aint gonna be as bright as they would be with disposable.

Yes and no.

The 1.2volts in re-chargeable batteries is actually a measure of the average voltage as the battery discharges.

On non-rechargeables the 1.5volts is a measure of the peak voltage when the battery is brand new but as it discharges the voltage output drops so that over the course of it's output the average voltage is in fact around 1.2volts

I was into RC cars for many many years, when you run RC cars that can reach speeds of 70 mph+ you need good servos running at optimal performance, people would run them on 4 cell rechargeable batteries thus 4.6 volts, servos run on a max of 6 volts, we used to use 5 cell packs, that extra cell gave the 6 volts needed, the servos were lighting fast and the power it gave to the brakes was like night and day.

Running those lights on rechargeables is reducing the voltage and just like the servos in my RC car they are not getting full power.

I've just bought a Dinotte 200 L which runs on 4 disposable batteries i switched them to rechargeables and the lamp was not as bright, i went to my local model shop and had 5 cell pack made up, the difference like i said above is like night and day.

tedm

What are the mounts there (the bits wrapped around the ex-torches specifically)?

Yep, I've used cable cleats (at a total of 40p for 2 from the local electrical chappy) and a very old and random light mount that I chopped to bits.
They're rigged to run 3 x (1.2v) AAs which I measured as outputting about 4.0 volts (not including cabling losses), which is a bit more than Cree say they can take, but the draw is pretty much exactly 700ma which I think falls within the spec so they might be OK.
Even if they do die I can replace the LED for about $4.00 with a dropin from Deal Extreme that's actually better (regulated) so it's not a big deal.
On the other hand I may just wire a regulator into the current setup which will maintain an output of 700ma thus getting rid of the overvoltage issue. A regulator costs about $3.00!

cougie

Paul - whats the cost of that ? I know nothing of these wondrous beasties !

moggy82

RE: Adjusting the beam patterns. On the c cell battery there is a really simple way of adjusting the beam. unscrew the lense, remove the o ring and screw back on. simple and gives a really good spread. This only works for the 1 type of led, as there are a few different led's in these, i have access to two and they are different, one is warm (yellower) and one is really cool (white/blue). The cooler one needs the o ring removed, for the other one you can increase the flood by removing the o ring and replacing it with a slightly thicker one. I used one from a pack i got in poundland. Just mess with the o rings and im sure you can get a better beam. i did.

TiBoy

WOW!!! I got an AA one at the weekend and rode 10 miles home tonight along a mixture of A, B and very quiet country roads. I could not belive how bright the light is and it's only £10!!!!!. I have attached mine with rubber 'O' rings under the bars and alongside the stem which points the light about 10ft infront.
I had similar issue with getting rechargable batteries in but did as recommended and took off the plastic on the ouside of the battery, fits like a glove.
May get another one for the hell of it...
Thanks everyone for the recommendation...

-liam-

Quick report just in case anyone is interested....

Bought 2 of these torches and attached them with a pair of lockblocks to the handlebars an inch and a half either side of the stem with the beam aimed slighty out at an angle.

Been out in the woods and up a local hill tonight. Total of about 12 miles over 1.5 hours with a 10 minute stop to take some photos of the town from the top of Haughmond Hill (lovely view at night). Went out about 8pm so proper dark with no moon light etc.

Got to say, I am well chuffed. When I left the lit town streets and headed off down the canal path into darkness, I thought, eh up these aren't overly bright despite them looking incredibly bright in the garden at home. But once your eyes night vision kicks in after a few minutes, they are fine. I headed off up towards my usual trails but left the more technical stuff, instead just sticking to forest trails with a few roots/rocks and mud, but nowt to bad and there wasn't a problem. I wouldn't feel comfortable with just one lamp, there defo has to be two and there is no way I could be happy about taking anything at speed, but I enjoyed it immensely.

I have to try and quote someone on one of these threads where they said that some people need to effectively turn pitch black forest trails into essentially daylight with silly expensive kits, with 1000+ lumen's whilst others prefer the feeling that riding through a forest at night brings with a lesser kit brings - and that is spot on. Your senses are heightened to make you aware of everything around you. Completely new experience. Great stuff, not bad for 35 quid for two torches, a pair of lockblocks and some decent duracell ultra Alkaline batteries which were still going strong when I got home. Only prob was that it was to dark to wash the bike

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dsmiff

Finally got to ride with the lights, did Llandegla red and bits of the black route with 2 Tesco lights on the bars and one on our helmets secured with jubilee clips and inner tubes.

Went with my son and had a great time, we had no problems seeing lights still going strong at the end, saw people with some very expensive lights and we didn't look out of place plus no worries about loosing a torch if we crashed!!

Took this of the lad on the jump on the black route:



Total cost for 2 bikes £60 for the lights (6 lights) £9.99 for the batteries and £12.99 for the charger from lidl.

BoardinBob

Yip, it's the bargain of the century. Here's my bar mounted setup



And the light output from the two bar mounted + one helmet mounted setup

marks65

similar to tedm's mod, check outmy mod

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15050211



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stubs

marks65 wrote:

similar to tedm's mod, check outmy mod

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15050211



[/img]

Where do the batteries go I presume its a seperate battery pack.

redvee

Just ordered 3 :oops: of these from CRC, only got two lights but cocked up the order

forgotrafe

stubs wrote:

Where do the batteries go I presume its a seperate battery pack.

Follow the link he gave

I just changed my helmet light mod so it uses a 3 X AA pack with NiCd batteries. Will see if it kills the LED or not.