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World's brightest bike lights

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Tesladownunder

Sun Oct 03 2010, 01:19PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Steve McConner wrote ...

Oh, dammit, I want one of these 100W LEDs to play with too now!

Did you get the LED array from that Hong Kong Ebay seller too?

Yep - all 18.
My current thoughts are to use a 6V 18W globe as a combination ballast, current stabiliser and fuse all in one for each LED on "full battery charge setting" where it has to drop 6V max. Think about it: 3 amps almost constant current, no heatsinking problems. Anyhow, much better than a resistor.
On "part charge setting" I can use 4 x 4.8V 0.75A globes for the same effect.
Recorded a peak current inrush of 6A into my green LED today (rated 3.4 A) then settled nicely at 3.1A using a 12V 100W globe. How ironic to use that as ballast!

This is the quick and dirty fix - I am running behind schedule.

Now I just have to go and raid a lot of Kombie taillights...

Dalus

Fri Oct 08 2010, 07:21AM

Registered Member #639 Joined: Wed Apr 11 2007, 09:09PM
Location: The Netherlands, Herkenbosch
Posts: 512

Tesladownunder wrote ...

Dalus wrote ...

What optics are you using? I'm making a single 100W led flashlight that still needs optics. The 5 degree beam angle would be great for it.

Led-world2007 is the place I use. Ships from Hong Kong. The 10cm diam glass lenses need to be about 10cm from the LED to focus to 5 degrees so you will lose some of the beam to side scatter.
This only applies if you are tusing the 100W chips like I am.
You must get the fan/heatsink as well from the same place.

1286069682 10 FT97378 Ledbikebunburylighthouse100wclose

Thanks, ordered one lens from them. Will be using my own heathsinking and housing. Don't want to use a fan so the flashlight will be waterproof. Fun things to play with

Tesladownunder

Sat Oct 09 2010, 12:29AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Dalus wrote ...

Tesladownunder wrote ...

...... You must get the fan/heatsink as well from the same place.

Thanks, ordered one lens from them. Will be using my own heathsinking and housing. Don't want to use a fan so the flashlight will be waterproof. Fun things to play with

Flashlight dissipating 90W at 55degrees without a fan? I don't think so. Try doing it with a dummy resistor load first and measure your resistor temp.
You will have trouble holding this flashlight after a while assuming you can put out the power.
Don't forget that LED's dont send out heat in the beam like incandescents.

Tesladownunder

Mon Oct 11 2010, 12:18PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I have had about 12 hours to work on the bike.

First I made an outrigger stand as the inbuilt one would not handle the 33kg wt so high up. I cut up a tri-bar set that I got for a few dollars from a tip years ago. These are extensions to the handlebar of a road or mountain bike out forward for a better racing position for triathletes in particular. Add a PVC conduit and these can provide a good support and can be flipped backwards.

Then I made a battery tray. Simple and effective but quick. Downside is the centre of gravity is high but it is much more compact and unobtrusive.

It handles like a tank but is still rideable. But don't I look stylish riding it! Don't forget that this is a show bike and not really for much road use.

The plastic toolbox is an excellent fit for the red, green and blue rear lights fans and optics (not installed yet). It is compact and I will be able to swivel it as well.

Able to do the rear control box which includes a 100A keyswitch (1000A peak) plus 6 switches for switching the rear lights (3 to control RBG independently plus one for road safe red stop light plus one for PWM dimming plus one spare). There are another 5 switches to control other 12-36V functions as I might decide later.

Also able to do the heavy cabling to the front of the bike - needed as can't afford much voltage drop at all at 55A+.

Also started the webpage for this project but it is not up to date as I am having to redo the website navigation - a huge job.

So I was behind schedule but I have caught up a bit.

1286799445 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearcontrolpanemounted

1286799445 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearcontrolpanemountedrightview

1286799445 10 FT97378 Ledbikecablestownie

1286799445 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearcontrolpanelinside

1286799445 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearcontrolpaneloutside

1286799445 10 FT97378 Ledbikebattsfirstride

Avalanche

Mon Oct 11 2010, 05:23PM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

That's brilliant! It probably handles no worse than my hybrid did on my 1036 mile expedition up Scotland, as I had a silly amount of weight on the back and nothing on the front. Looks like you might have a bit more of a wind-brake though

Tesladownunder

Sat Oct 23 2010, 05:03PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Avalanche wrote ...

That's brilliant! It probably handles no worse than my hybrid did on my 1036 mile expedition up Scotland, as I had a silly amount of weight on the back and nothing on the front. Looks like you might have a bit more of a wind-brake though

That's some ride on a heavy bike.

I got a clear day and made some progress including first light for the rear RGB assembly.
Meter reads 9.3A 37V = 344W. (Love this clamp meter with 40A DC scale - bought it especially for this project.) Ballasting of the Blue and Green LEDs is via 6V 18W globes. The Red LED runs a lower voltage so has 6V 18 + 18W in series.
I have made it adjustable and able to swing to face vertically.
Now to start work on the front light which has 5 times as much power to it. Fortunately, I have learnt a lot from building this one and so have solved some design issues like the ballasting and lens holders.

1287852745 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearlightoffsunlight

1287852745 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearlightoff45sunlight

1287852745 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearlightoff90sunlight

1287852745 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearlightunwired

1287852745 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearlighmeter

1287852745 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearoninside

teravolt

Sat Oct 23 2010, 06:48PM

Registered Member #195 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 08:27PM
Location: Berkeley, ca.
Posts: 1111

what does the beem in front of the bike look like? I just got my led setup for my own flash light and do you think if a pelter device was added to the heat sync I could get more light out by taking it up to say 38v

Tesladownunder

Sun Oct 24 2010, 12:23AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

teravolt wrote ...
what does the beem in front of the bike look like? I just got my led setup for my own flash light and do you think if a pelter device was added to the heat sync I could get more light out by taking it up to say 38v

I haven't done the front of the bike yet. When I do, I won't release the images until it fits with media releases. Hopefully in about 4 weeks. I know very little about overdriving LEDs (yet).
As for Peltier devices, I don't "get" them for use in heatsinking. You try to dissipate 100W by putting in 100W extra then dissipate 200W with the fan you should have used directly.

Here are some pics of the rear beam. Firstly with blue and green beams on, then a red beam vertically. Lastly a comparison with car stop lights and my standard bike lights on the right.

1287878209 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearfirstlightbluegreen

1287878209 10 FT97378 Ledbikerearredroof

teravolt

Sun Oct 24 2010, 02:46AM

Registered Member #195 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 08:27PM
Location: Berkeley, ca.
Posts: 1111

Hi Tesladownunder hear is the one that I am working on it is rated for 8000L and it is bright. I put the pelter device in any way and there is about a 5-10c deg differance on the LED. I want to reproduce what you did with the light house what kind of lens did you use to colminate it.

1287888363 195 FT97378 Picture 008 Resize

Tesladownunder

Sun Oct 24 2010, 05:12AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

teravolt wrote ...

Hi Tesladownunder hear is the one that I am working on it is rated for 8000L and it is bright. I put the pelter device in any way and there is about a 5-10c deg differance on the LED. I want to reproduce what you did with the light house what kind of lens did you use to colminate it.

Lens details covered in Oct 2 and 8 entries and on my site. led world 2007 is the place.

How much power are you putting into the peltier though? A lot more than a fan I imagine. Don't forget that this runs on batteries.

1287897063 10 FT97378 Ledbikecolourfulhands

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