Cheap Lights 1000 Lumen <£20

diy

Just thought I'd share my experiences of night road riding with low cost budget lights. (also posted in MTB)
The set up comprises of two Ultrafire 501b (XM-L T6 in the video but you'd buy the XM-L2 now)
two tubes of mtb inner tube cut about 1.5" shorter than the light to sleeve the light and protect your carbon.
4 x 1" 'tube rings to act as rubber bands.

Sleeve the torches in the long tube and use the bands to mount the torches either on the drops or in my case the Aero clip ons. The bands grip tight enough for you to adjust as you like. I find left pointing straight on and right pointing left gives a nice car like dip beam.

This is what they look like on a mostly unlit road, on Medium (800mA) circ 600 (2* 300) lumen setting giving about 3.5 hours run time. There is a brighter setting around 2A giving 1.5 hours run time (2 7-800 Lumen and a lower setting giving around 10 hours
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kQL6UnNmjk

Where to buy:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650
You then need some old laptop batteries (to get your 18650s) and a charger. (or USB power supply to double as a charger.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5V-2A-Mobile- ... 0761878626

That's £14 for the lights
£6 for the charger
and some old laptop batteries.

lawrences

Hi

If my batteries are 4mA do I need a 4mA charger or will the 2mA one suffice?

Cheers.

kingofthetailwind

+1 on diy's recommendation.

I've gone bike light crazy in the last couple of weeks. 1200lm Cree XML T6, 2 x 500lm Cree Q5s and my 1800lm 502b Ultrafire torch arrived yesterday. My wife is well and truly sick of me demonstrating how bright they are!

marcusjb

diy wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kQL6UnNmjk

Riding at 25mph on a cycle path?

andy9964

lawrences wrote:

Hi

If my batteries are 4mA do I need a 4mA charger or will the 2mA one suffice?

Cheers.

It will take twice as long to charge.

andy9964

I have a couple of questions regarding the charger

I currently have this light
http://dx.com/p/singfire-sf-90-cree-xm- ... 650-172326
It has a working voltage of 8.4v (4 cells in a 2s2p config). How will a 5v output from this charger affect the light/brightness

Not really a question, but I assume if I were to hook this onto my bike, I'd have to chop up a USB lead and find the wires supplying the power to connect to the light leads. ( I have no idea how many wires are in a USB )

Thanks

diy

On your light you have an LED which requires a 2.9 to 3.4fv a driver (depending on the type) which converts 8.4v in to 1-3A at the given voltage and then you have the 3.7-4.2v 18650s.

Its likely that your driver can take 9v subject to the current it is currently drawing which means any one of the variable voltage/ampage power supplies will work. However you can also buy replacement 8.4v packs and 8.4v packs with removable cells.

Something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3A-2A-Adjust-5- ... 1261755654

Unfortunately the 5v option with a 4.2v input driver is much easier to source.

andy9964

Cheers, I think, for £6, I'll take a punt on one of those chargers and see how it goes

diy

I didn't find any that would do 9v for £6? The £6 ones were all 5v, that isn't going to be enough to drive a unit that has a fixed input voltage of around 7-8.4v. Some drivers are 3.7v-13v which are much more flexible. Of course you could run two in parallel. But really you need a DC amp meter to identify the current at 8.4v. If its under 2.5A then you will get away with running it at 9-11v.

XM-L T6 can take 3A without specialist cooling, XM-L2 a bit more. At 3A you will get about 850-900 Lumen

Franks2788

Any pictures of this diy lights? And how it looks on the bike once fitted,
Thanks

andy9964

diy wrote:

I didn't find any that would do 9v for £6? The £6 ones were all 5v, that isn't going to be enough to drive a unit that has a fixed input voltage of around 7-8.4v. Some drivers are 3.7v-13v which are much more flexible. Of course you could run two in parallel. But really you need a DC amp meter to identify the current at 8.4v. If its under 2.5A then you will get away with running it at 9-11v.

XM-L T6 can take 3A without specialist cooling, XM-L2 a bit more. At 3A you will get about 850-900 Lumen

Aah, okay, I think I get it. I'll have a word with my old man next time I go through to see him, he's a bit more clued up on volts, amps etc than me
Thanks again

Greenbeetle

Franks2788 wrote:

Any pictures of this diy lights? And how it looks on the bike once fitted,
Thanks

Also curious about the mounting technique. I'm using a couple of zip-ties to keep my torches on the bars, which works well enough, but I'm interested in alternatives...

andyeb

I picked up a couple of these (via http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121158828084) last week - I have one mounted on the handlebars and another on my helmet, with the included strap.

It's early days yet, but so far I've been impressed.

One thing I have noticed is that the battery pack needs better waterproofing. Does anyone have a good solution for this? I tried a plastic sandwich bag with a zip tie as a temporary solution, but am looking for a more permanent solution.

slowbike

The problem with bright lights on the helmet is that it can really confuse a driver - I know because I have been - keep it bright on the handlebars and use the helmet one judiciously ...

andyeb

Slowbike wrote:

The problem with bright lights on the helmet is that it can really confuse a driver - I know because I have been - keep it bright on the handlebars and use the helmet one judiciously ...

Agreed - generally keep the helmet light on low power. The upside is that you can direct light where you need it - for example looking ahead into a bend before you start turning - where the handlebar light doesn't reach at sufficient intensity to check for hazards.

Most of the time I'm riding very quiet, unlit country lanes with this setup - typically very early in the morning or after the evening rush hour at night. So the number of cars I encounter is pretty low.

andy9964

andyeb wrote:

.

One thing I have noticed is that the battery pack needs better waterproofing. Does anyone have a good solution for this? I tried a plastic sandwich bag with a zip tie as a temporary solution, but am looking for a more permanent solution.

lots of electrical tape, then a bit more. Tape the power lead so it runs down the side and comes out near the bottom, and then loops back up the outside of the batteries/tape. This will help stop any water running down the lead into the battery pack
Never had any problem with mine, other than the short running time (must have a duff pack)

andyeb

Andy9964 wrote:

andyeb wrote:

.

One thing I have noticed is that the battery pack needs better waterproofing. Does anyone have a good solution for this? I tried a plastic sandwich bag with a zip tie as a temporary solution, but am looking for a more permanent solution.

lots of electrical tape, then a bit more. Tape the power lead so it runs down the side and comes out near the bottom, and then loops back up the outside of the batteries/tape. This will help stop any water running down the lead into the battery pack
Never had any problem with mine, other than the short running time (must have a duff pack)

Thanks for the tips.

What kind of running times are you seeing on what power?

diy

Just be aware that the cells in those cheap 4 packs (4 x 18650 2S,2P) are normally absolute junk. Much better to go with a pack with removable cells.

slowbike

Well - that's done it ...

Last night - cleaning and drying my Ultrafire light after the drenching commute home (note that I didn't have to do anything with the Cateye) - removing the lens to clean behind as it's not waterproof - I dropped it ... and it broke ...

Ok - it's not the end of the world - I have already cut a bit of plastic to use as a temporary lens - but now I have to sort a perm solution ... not something you have to do with more expensive lights!

diy

£1.56 for a replacement
http://www.lightmalls.com/26-5mm-temper ... ens-2-pack

or a whole torch for

£5.76
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/smo-reflector ... ht-1-18650

I mean - FFS 6 quid for an XM-L2 based light

I find grease on the o-ring threads makes them waterproof.

slowbike

diy wrote:

£1.56 for a replacement
http://www.lightmalls.com/26-5mm-temper ... ens-2-pack

or a whole torch for

£5.76
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/smo-reflector ... ht-1-18650

I mean - FFS 6 quid for an XM-L2 based light

I find grease on the o-ring threads makes them waterproof.

Ta - I've got another light already on order - I was putting grease on the o-ring threads when it happened ... clumsy I know - but that's one of the pitfalls of a cheap light ...

andy9964

andyeb wrote:

Thanks for the tips.

What kind of running times are you seeing on what power?

Previously, with the supplied pack of 4x18650 batteries, I would get 30-35 minutes with a mix of high and low (probably around 30/70%), followed by around 20 minutes on strobe on the way home
I bought four 2600m/amp 18650s from Torchy on eBay, and so far had three full return commutes with no sign of any dip in power, tomorrow will be day four

butcher of bakersfield

I've had a couple of Chinese torches for a while now (just bought another, because one of them doesn't work). One thing I've always struggled with though, is attaching them to the bike.

Originally I got two mounts from DX.com, like this: http://aud.dx.com/product/mount-holder- ... oVNsdJzOHQ

Whilst they're great when they work, they don't inspire confidence, and one of them quickly stopped locking over the torch and became useless.

I then got one of these: http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do? ... tAodpmQAyA

A great simple piece of kit, but not very versatile. And the torch bounces a bit.

Ideally I'd like to mount a torch to the frame, because I don't have much space on the bars. So it must have some kind of angle adjustment. Is there anything better out there without resorting to gaffer tape?

diy

Andy9964 wrote:

andyeb wrote:

Thanks for the tips.

What kind of running times are you seeing on what power?

Previously, with the supplied pack of 4x18650 batteries, I would get 30-35 minutes with a mix of high and low (probably around 30/70%), followed by around 20 minutes on strobe on the way home
I bought four 2600m/amp 18650s from Torchy on eBay, and so far had three full return commutes with no sign of any dip in power, tomorrow will be day four

Yes the problem with these sealed packs are the quality of the cells in the packs


A lot of them actually contain refurbished cells which may well be 5 years old and be well passed their best. Claimed Ah can also be highly misleading:


There is no possibly way the above could deliver 5Ah, unless perhaps the discharge current was 100mA

If I was going for a dedicated bike light option, I'd choose on the basis of the LED model, driver ability (i.e. can it actually drive the LEDs at their best) and input voltage. I'd then use an 18650 power pack to allow me to source my own cells.

Something like this:
http://www.bestvaping.net/power-usb-cha ... p-696.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3A-2A-Adjust-5- ... 1261755654
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5V-2A-Mobile-Po ... 0925446725

Or very simply a couple of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Battery-Holde ... 2eca228667

Perhaps in a modified water bottle.

The challenge is - you really shouldn't run multiple unprotected cells in parallel/series, particularly at +6v, though the risk is greater during charging. Personally I'd risk 4 providing I had sourced good quality cells and charged them individually.

Frame mounting is always going to give you problems going around corners. I sometimes mount my torches on the bottom of the drops using inner tube as rubber bands. Works pretty well as long as you have then as far back as possible (where the bar is most parallel to the ground).

butcher of bakersfield

That's a good idea mounting them on the bottom of the drops. I also want to mount them on the MTB though, and I like having the option of dipping them too when there are is oncoming traffic, cyclists and dog walkers.

diy

Drops & Aero mount
I used a 22mm pipe clip as a spacer on the drops to keep the beam down.


I'd sleeve the light in more tube to stop the body chaffing the carbon aero strut.


I also loop the lanyards around the bars to provide a bit more security if they fall.

lawrences

I've just bought a couple of these to mount mine with. No idea on quality as they are yet to arrive but for 99p it's worth a punt.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Bike-Cycl ... 48556715e8

Going to use cable ties instead of the velcro though. Should be much quicker to swap these between bikes.