Miele Man

I was looking online at the MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) website for lights. I saw a Light & Motion TAZ 1200 light I might be interested in. I asked MEC two questions about charging the light. MEC sent me an email saying that my questions were moderated and to make new ones. Here are the two questions I asked about that light:


"Does the light come with an external battery charger for the times when one does NOT have access to something with a USB port? Does Light & Motion make an external battery charger that's available through MEC?"

I really don't understand why those questions aren't acceptable.

Can any one here answer them for me?

Thanks and cheers

cb400bill

I don't believe that it comes with an external charger. I do believe that this is their optional external charger.

Light & Motion
2.0A USB AC Adapter

Miele Man

Thanks Bill.

Can you give me a ballpsrk price on that charger and/or a link to where I could get one?

I still wonder what was wrong with the two questions I asked MEC?

Cheers

woodcraft

They have that light on sale for $100 on the L&M website currently.

USB charge adapter available widely- $7 on Amazon.

Edit: I see in comments that any-old-adapter will not fully charge this light.

cb400bill

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ligh...hrome&ie=UTF-8

FYI, I just use an old cell phone USB charger to charge my L&M Urban 500 light. Works fine.

canklecat

Probably better to direct questions to Light & Motion rather than a vendor.

Some L&M lights are picky about charging. For example a common complaint about the Urban series was they couldn't be charged and run simultaneously from a USB battery pack. Some of my other head and tail lights can be.

So L&M modified the Urban 500 into the Rando 500. Same light, a little better runtime per charge and better discharge curve, and they added the ability to run and charge simultaneously -- but only at the lowest steady and pulse settings. So it's mainly useful for extending the to-be-seen light for daylight rides, not the to-see-with brightness for nighttime rides. Although doubling up with a pair of Rando 500's would be acceptable.

And the Rando 500 needs a proprietary L&M USB cable, with orangey/salmon colored plugs. Standard USB plug, but with resistors needed to regulate the power supply. But that's not unusual. Some other USB devices also use special USB cords to enable running and charging simultaneously. I think my old Mophie Juice Pack Air battery case for my iPhone 4s needed a proprietary USB plug to recharge the phone with the case on. The inside of the Mophie case had the the dock connector plug needed for the iPhone 4s. But it was fragile and broke after only a few uses.

The L&M lights and accessories are generally very sturdy, with the exceptions of the plastic USB port cover and rubber band strap, both of which tend to break after about a year. Owners of the larger Taz lights often complain the rubber band mount doesn't hold the light securely on the handlebar for off-road use -- the lights tend to swivel downward. That's not usually a problem with the smaller Urban lights. I keep wishing they'll switch to a rubbery USB port plug like the NiteRider uses, and a better mount. But I like the L&M well enough I keep buying 'em and replace the mounts with TwoFish mount blocks as needed.

cb400bill

I will concur on the Urban 500 battery cover. I lost one and tore another. L&M sell the covers for $1 ea. They also charge a flat $5 shipping. I purchased five of them for my two lights.

Miele Man

Thanks all for the help with the charger. I'm done with MEC since they would not answer the questions. I'll be getting the light with a cutoff beam that was recommended in another thread. It's made in the U.S.A. and looks pretty much like what I'm looking for in a beam pattern and is only $215.00 USD.

Cheers