Battery power vs USB rechargeable tail light
#101
aka Tom Reingold
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A used B&M Ixon IQ Premium costs just around 50 bucks.
The B&M Ixon Space delivers 80lx for 6 hours and 20lx for 30 hours.
bumm.de/en/products/akku-scheinwerfer/produkt/196l.html
On the display you'll see the remaining runtime.
Like with the Trelock LS 760
trelock.de/web/en/licht/batterie/LS_760_Vision.php
The B&M Ixon Space delivers 80lx for 6 hours and 20lx for 30 hours.
bumm.de/en/products/akku-scheinwerfer/produkt/196l.html
On the display you'll see the remaining runtime.
Like with the Trelock LS 760
trelock.de/web/en/licht/batterie/LS_760_Vision.php
I removed my dynamo powered lights from my favorite bike when I overhauled it. It's going to be a big project to put them back on. In the meantime, I'm using my Ixon light. I wish these lights had a flashing mode, but that's not legal in Germany, so they don't provide the mode. But it's not a deal-breaker for me.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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#102
Senior Member
I'm talking about blinding (to be exact the luminous intensity), you're talking about luminous flux.
https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/te...l#terminologie
A real 40lm taillight costs around $30-60 - if it's cheaper it's not real 40lm of red light.
100lm taillight is so extremely bright during the day, that it blinds everyone inside the core beam angle.
A usual 500lm headlight without reflector blinds everyone who's inside the main beam angle and closer than 50m.
Not even to mention, that during night the contrast is extreme and the bling increases even more.
https://swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/te...l#terminologie
A real 40lm taillight costs around $30-60 - if it's cheaper it's not real 40lm of red light.
100lm taillight is so extremely bright during the day, that it blinds everyone inside the core beam angle.
A usual 500lm headlight without reflector blinds everyone who's inside the main beam angle and closer than 50m.
Not even to mention, that during night the contrast is extreme and the bling increases even more.
#103
Senior Member
I have the Ixon Core, and it's excellent, especially the battery life. The rubber band mount is disappointing. I'd like to have the bolt-on mount.
In the meantime, I'm using my Ixon light. I wish these lights had a flashing mode, but that's not legal in Germany, so they don't provide the mode. But it's not a deal-breaker for me.
In the meantime, I'm using my Ixon light. I wish these lights had a flashing mode, but that's not legal in Germany, so they don't provide the mode. But it's not a deal-breaker for me.
You can add an white Cateye blinking light to the handlebar for visibility.
A blinking headlight during dark wouldn't show you always the way and distract incoming traffic.
#104
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Unfortunately the Ixon Core mount can't keep up with the Ixon IQ mount. Don't know why they invented a new mount instead of using the proven Ixon mount.
You can add an white Cateye blinking light to the handlebar for visibility.
A blinking headlight during dark wouldn't show you always the way and distract incoming traffic.
You can add an white Cateye blinking light to the handlebar for visibility.
A blinking headlight during dark wouldn't show you always the way and distract incoming traffic.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#105
Senior Member
Anyway, the only time I worry about blinding someone with my Raveman lamps is when I'm on a paved MUP. This is the only situation where there is direct line of sight ( pedestrians and cyclists ) with the beam pattern. If I see approaching traffic on the MUP I immediately hit the remote and drop the output to low till I am past the people who are on the trail. On an MUP I don't use a flasher ( just the lamp on low ) when it's not completely dark. Otherwise when riding on the road I use a separate low power flasher mounted to my fork ( set to flicker ) and one of my Raveman lamps ( with cut-off beam pattern ) on the bars, usually set on the 450 lumen mode to give me maximum run time. At times though I need more forward throw so I have a Gemini Duo ( spot / spot optics with wireless remote ) set up on a bar extension to use for "high beam only duties". I find this set-up very necessary / useful where I live because of the local deer that love to graze at the side of the roads at night. Real important to see the deer BEFORE you are right next to them so you have more time to react to whatever they do when they see or hear you coming. If it's late at night and no cars around I will use the high beam more ( in certain areas ) when on the road.
Last edited by 01 CAt Man Do; 08-12-19 at 02:12 PM.
#106
Full Member
Some thoughts:
USB advantages
My "dream taillight" would accept a 14500 lithium ion cell and allow a AA cell to be used in a pinch even if functionality/brightness needed to be reduced. Have an integrated charging circuit for the 14500.
USB advantages
- USB charging is simple and highly adopted, can charge off of power banks while travelling without ever having to open up the light and deal with batteries. Replacing and possibly charging external cells is more of an operation.
- Li-ion batteries offer very good power-to-weight and power-to-volume ratios to keep runtimes long and brightness high at a given size.
- No ability to do "on the fly" battery changes like you can with replaceable cells. When it is dead it is time to charge.
- Limited lifetime of Li-ion batteries, probably one to two years of strong performance and 1 or 2 additional years of acceptable performance. It's true that "topping off" the li-ion is not hard on the cell in one sense but you pay a penalty to keep a li-ion fully charged most of the time. The chemistry degrades more quickly while holding 100% charge.
- Li-ion tends to perform poorly in cold weather. This can be offset somewhat if the light is powerful enough to warm itself in operation. NiMH cells perform reasonably well in the cold and lithium primary(L91, L92) cells perform great in the cold.
My "dream taillight" would accept a 14500 lithium ion cell and allow a AA cell to be used in a pinch even if functionality/brightness needed to be reduced. Have an integrated charging circuit for the 14500.
Last edited by Wiggle; 10-16-19 at 10:42 AM.
#107
Senior Member
I guess I already commented in this thread about this but I'll say it again. My Cygolite Hotshot 150 taillight does NOT hold a charge long enough to be useful to me. I don't ride in the dark that often now that I'm not commuting because I retired, but when I do I can be sure that my Cygolite won't be ready. It's a good thing I have a Magnic light for the rear, always on, always ready, and plenty bright.
I like USB rechargeable things, but I like them to have replaceable batteries too so I can carry a spare and keep it charged separately from the unit itself.
My Cygolite is charging right now but I doubt it'll be ready the next time I need it. My rechargeable headlights are always ready, except that I have a dynamo light on the bike I'm likely to use at night.
I like USB rechargeable things, but I like them to have replaceable batteries too so I can carry a spare and keep it charged separately from the unit itself.
My Cygolite is charging right now but I doubt it'll be ready the next time I need it. My rechargeable headlights are always ready, except that I have a dynamo light on the bike I'm likely to use at night.
Last edited by zacster; 10-16-19 at 08:41 PM.
#108
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I guess I already commented in this thread about this but I'll say it again. My Cygolite Hotshot 150 taillight does NOT hold a charge long enough to be useful to me. I don't ride in the dark that often now that I'm not commuting because I retired, but when I do I can be sure that my Cygolite won't be ready. It's a good thing I have a Magnic light for the rear, always on, always ready, and plenty bright.
I like USB rechargeable things, but I like them to have replaceable batteries too so I can carry a spare and keep it charged separately from the unit itself.
My Cygolite is charging right now but I doubt it'll be ready the next time I need it. My rechargeable headlights are always ready, except that I have a dynamo light on the bike I'm likely to use at night.
I like USB rechargeable things, but I like them to have replaceable batteries too so I can carry a spare and keep it charged separately from the unit itself.
My Cygolite is charging right now but I doubt it'll be ready the next time I need it. My rechargeable headlights are always ready, except that I have a dynamo light on the bike I'm likely to use at night.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#109
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I guess I already commented in this thread about this but I'll say it again. My Cygolite Hotshot 150 taillight does NOT hold a charge long enough to be useful to me. I don't ride in the dark that often now that I'm not commuting because I retired, but when I do I can be sure that my Cygolite won't be ready. It's a good thing I have a Magnic light for the rear, always on, always ready, and plenty bright.
I like USB rechargeable things, but I like them to have replaceable batteries too so I can carry a spare and keep it charged separately from the unit itself.
My Cygolite is charging right now but I doubt it'll be ready the next time I need it. My rechargeable headlights are always ready, except that I have a dynamo light on the bike I'm likely to use at night.
I like USB rechargeable things, but I like them to have replaceable batteries too so I can carry a spare and keep it charged separately from the unit itself.
My Cygolite is charging right now but I doubt it'll be ready the next time I need it. My rechargeable headlights are always ready, except that I have a dynamo light on the bike I'm likely to use at night.
#110
Senior Member
Personally, I believe there is something seriously wrong with your Hotshot. Mine lasts a couple weeks on a single charge riding 6 days a week for about three hours per ride or so. Have you contacted Cygolite? I'm pretty sure they would tell you the same thing. They generally have good customer service, in my experience. Just a thought. Sorry you're having trouble with this light.
#111
Sierra
Composition aside, batteries are consumables as are lamps/leds. Light housings should not be a throw away item. Run the marketeers out of design and offer a long life working light that may be repaired and I'll take a look at spending serious coin on a light.
#112
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@zacster, I had a Hotshot that stopped holding a charge. They said they would replace the battery, but then they replaced the whole unit. I'm more than satisfied.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
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Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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#113
Full Member
I don't think I've ever killed an LED (or even come close). I'd suggest that if an LED dies, a product is at end of life. There are exceptions (like P60 drop-ins for flashlights for example) but typically to achieve strong thermal performance it is not likely that an LED will be replaceable except perhaps by an advanced user/modder.
#114
Sierra
I don't think I've ever killed an LED (or even come close). I'd suggest that if an LED dies, a product is at end of life. There are exceptions (like P60 drop-ins for flashlights for example) but typically to achieve strong thermal performance it is not likely that an LED will be replaceable except perhaps by an advanced user/modder.
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#115
Full Member
Here is something to consider re: cold temperature:
Li-ion (the type of cell used in almost all rechargeable lights) performance decreases pretty quickly below freezing. This won't be applicable for many situations but for those of us in northern areas it can really have an effect, especially if the bike must remain outdoors between rides.
It gets cold here but I am lucky that my bike is transported only between a warm office (20 degrees C) and a "warm-enough" garage (5 degrees C or higher). This provides a buffer but doesn't completely offset the problem of course, especially for longer rides.
You can see in this curve that for this cell it's down nearly 50% in Ah (Amp-hour) capacity at -20C. But the story is actually worse because the voltage has dropped as well so the Wh (Watt-hour) capacity is even lower than this. Depending on the circuit used in the light, because the voltage is lower, the light will compensate by drawing more current (amps) to maintain brightness.
This causes a combination of setbacks:
Other batteries are prone to this as well, I'll try to get some specific numbers for other chemistries.
Lithium primary cells (which are not rechargeable) perform the best in cold weather, showing little degradation in performance even at very cold temperatures.
Li-ion (the type of cell used in almost all rechargeable lights) performance decreases pretty quickly below freezing. This won't be applicable for many situations but for those of us in northern areas it can really have an effect, especially if the bike must remain outdoors between rides.
It gets cold here but I am lucky that my bike is transported only between a warm office (20 degrees C) and a "warm-enough" garage (5 degrees C or higher). This provides a buffer but doesn't completely offset the problem of course, especially for longer rides.
You can see in this curve that for this cell it's down nearly 50% in Ah (Amp-hour) capacity at -20C. But the story is actually worse because the voltage has dropped as well so the Wh (Watt-hour) capacity is even lower than this. Depending on the circuit used in the light, because the voltage is lower, the light will compensate by drawing more current (amps) to maintain brightness.
This causes a combination of setbacks:
- It chews through your, already diminished, Ah capacity more quickly.
- Because it is pulling higher currents the Ah capacity is actually even lower than the graph implies. This is because batteries Ah ratings diminish based on the discharge rate of the cell.
Other batteries are prone to this as well, I'll try to get some specific numbers for other chemistries.
Lithium primary cells (which are not rechargeable) perform the best in cold weather, showing little degradation in performance even at very cold temperatures.
Last edited by Wiggle; 10-18-19 at 09:22 AM.
#116
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I've been running a pair of cygolites (360 lumen front/2w/30 lumen hotshot) for over 5 years and they are still charging (Atlanta all seasons).
Last edited by Digger Goreman; 10-18-19 at 10:55 AM.
#117
Full Member
Thing is that if the light has a lot of capacity, even if it loses half of that, it may still run plenty long.
Last edited by Wiggle; 10-18-19 at 03:45 PM.
#118
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This reminds me that I should get cracking with getting my dynamo lights back on my bike. I took them off when I overhauled the bike. They'll give me a lot of peace of mind this winter. They don't care about the cold.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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