Front dynamo light

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BreninBeener
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Front dynamo light

Post by BreninBeener »

I have an SP dynamo laced into a 700c/29er front wheel.

I currently use it to charge a powerpack so i can charge my garmin, or aa batteries or my front lamp. I also supplement this with cafe stops and abstracting electeicity with a mains charger.

It seems my life could be easier with a dynamo front lamp and a switching voltage regulator that can have the lamp off and my powerpack charging during the day.

Its predominantly for on the road with endurance rides, but may make its way onto my rigid mtb for adventures too.

So, what lamp unit would you recommend and what regulator? Im ok with two different lamps if mtb wouldnt be compatable with road lamp...

Thanks

Ian
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Klite - not cheap but very good. Mr Travers is the importer.
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Lazarus
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Lazarus »

three choices assuming you want decent level of brightness
Ignore the german offerings as they are for road use ONLY [Jameso iirc is the man to speak of these]- that said if it is just for the road you will save a lot of money on the light as they can be had for about £100 eg Supernova

They are asymmetric so not much use off road not tried one mind.

Exposure revo- [£250ish]- power output is for the rear light so needs switches to a USB thing + USB unit- £30- 200 depending on what you buy]

https://exposurelights.com/revo-dynamo

K Lights - has its own separate head unit and USB unit so wiring is all done for you - £350 ish Think Stu has one of these - price may be outof date from when I last looked - Australian home brew kits but well respected and been doing them for years

https://www.traversbikes.com/klite.html

Sinewave Beacon - one light with USB output off it so everything combined in the light unit which is normal sized. Can also be run off a battery pack so you can get constant outputs whilst charging the power bank as you ride Claims to better cope with light on and USB charging and can switch between all light. USB only bit of both and high or low [last one battery]

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/si ... ed-silver/
£380

IME a dynamo light off road is ok up hill downhill its not great. What happens is that you approach something technical , brake to slow down and now have a drop in available light for said technical feature. This is very sub optimal [ though i have sub standard eyes and am blind in one so may be better for others] I would not want to ride off road with just a dynamo light personally - and I only tried it once and it was local trails I knew very well. Never again.

I have the Sinewave beacon and use it with a battery off road and dynamo on road/gravel-

Expect to pay £3-400 for what you want possibly more

Not well versed on USB chargers

Upper end Igarro and sinewave top cap thingy
Lower end the german kit [ 40 ish forget its name - Kemo ?>

List here

https://www.cyclingabout.com/list-of-hu ... b-devices/

SJS cycles will stock most dynamo stuff
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lune ranger
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

Sounds like you already have a converter for USB charging and just need a lamp and switch right?
Firstly, you don’t necessarily need a switch if you have a lamp that has a switch - Supernova E3 for example. Piggy back your wiring for the charger and lamp from the dynamo. Switching the lamp on and unplugging from the USB for lighting mode or switching the lamp off and plugging into the USB to charge.
That said a switch to choose either charge or light does make life easier. My own system consists of an Exposure Revo and an Igaro charger. These switch between my two main bikes. Both bikes have there own wiring with waterproof connectors to pair with the lamp and charger so things can swap easily. A single wire comes from the dynamo up to a switch which is on the bars - by the brake lever on my drops and where the loop meets the main bar on my Jones bars. The wiring is hidden under the tape on both bars and the connectors come out near the stem.
I can toggle between lights and charger without stopping or moving my hand much.
It’s a neat and satisfying system but mostly unnecessary.
I could send you pictures if you want - still can’t post photos on here!
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jameso
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by jameso »

I wouldn't write off a German legal light like the SON Edelux II for some off road use, I'll use mine happily for gravel and basic XC but for anything steep and technical or with low hanging branches a flood torch beam is better. The German style beam is great for road use though, for the rider as well as other traffic.
Retiredtester
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Retiredtester »

lune ranger wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:20 pm A single wire comes from the dynamo up to a switch which is on the bars - by the brake lever on my drops and where the loop meets the main bar on my Jones bars. The wiring is hidden under the tape on both bars and the connectors come out near the stem.
I can toggle between lights and charger without stopping or moving my hand much.
However unnecessary, I'd like to bicycle up something like this. Was it a bespoke dynamo switch you used, or something generic? I'm happy with doing some limited soldering, but obviously want it to be waterproof!

(sorry for the thread hijack BTW.)
lune ranger
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

I’ve only very limited electronics knowledge and rudimentary soldering skills. I’m not sure the wiring is waterproof but it’s certainly weather resistant and hasn’t failed in the wet.

Switch is this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6A-250AC-Min ... 890.l49292

Connectors are these:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LED-Strip-5- ... 890.l49292

Let me know via PM if you want pictures.
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Retiredtester
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Retiredtester »

That's great! Thank you very much. Did you connect the three +ve leads to the three terminals and join the the -ve leads together?
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fatbikephil
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by fatbikephil »

I've wired up a USB charger with a mini battery (can't remember which one) using a basic motorcycle indicator switch to switch between off, light on, charging. Its not waterproof but doesn't have to be, just give it an occasional skoosh of WD 40
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIVERSAL-CH ... SwraBgS0t7

I keep thinking about having my dynamo light set up like an automotive system, ie you have a small battery which is charged by the dynamo, and you run the light off the battery. So no need for capacitors in the light and no dimming at traffic lights or on slow techy bits (for a while anyway). So far I've not found either a suitable battery or a dynamo light without a capacitor....
lune ranger
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

In total I have 3 sets of connectors. One for input two for output.
The outputs are arranged with the female part wired to the switch and the input is wired male to the switch. This prevents reversing the connections.
(Fargo only. Krampus has input and light directly wired. Only the output for charging has a connector.)
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Retiredtester
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Retiredtester »

:-bd thank you
lune ranger
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

Retiredtester wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 10:43 pm That's great! Thank you very much. Did you connect the three +ve leads to the three terminals and join the the -ve leads together?
The switch has three terminals that as far as I remember were marked as input/output. I soldered a two strand wire to each an soldered the connectors to those wires. The connectors have a + and - terminal but it doesn’t matter how you solder the two strand wire to them, either way round works.
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HUX
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by HUX »

Im a big k-lite fan. Not cheap but work really well. Their usb charger has twin ports aswell. Heres my set up. Theres an on/on switch to switch between light only and usb to run my garmin through a pass through battery. At the end of the day the battery is fully charged for my phone if i need it. Easy enough to build.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SlQoPW ... p=drivesdk

And the very technical wiring diagram

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hF4L9T ... p=drivesdk
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Alpinum
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Alpinum »

Lazarus wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:50 pm three choices assuming you want decent level of brightness
Ignore the german offerings as they are for road use ONLY [Jameso iirc is the man to speak of these]- that said if it is just for the road you will save a lot of money on the light as they can be had for about £100 eg Supernova
[...]
SJS cycles will stock most dynamo stuff
Welcome to the rabbit hole :lol:
You might want to go deeper into your rabbit hole...
Supernova has a dyno lamp which isn't legal for road use in Germany.

There, Supernova E3 triple 2, 220 quid.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/bl ... s/?geoc=CH

I have two, they've served me well on expeditions across deserts, in -30 °C, everyday use for 4 years come rain, snow, ice. Bikes mostly stand in the open.
My girlfriend has one too on her everyday/offroad touring mobile (or as you'd say, expedition bike).

Can be had with superbly made, smooth and sleek looking mounts.
I use Supernova gold connectors rather than a switch of some sorts, since when I charge, I want to get all the power the dyno offers. Runninh the charger through the circuit of the lamp will lead to loss of efficiency.

I can charge a 3000 mAh battery by 1 % per km, even at 5 km/h.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

or a dynamo light without a capacitor....
Would a set-up like that still not work with a capacitor Phil? Capacitor should charge very quickly.
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lune ranger
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

Alpinum wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 7:57 am I use Supernova gold connectors rather than a switch of some sorts, since when I charge, I want to get all the power the dyno offers. Runninh the charger through the circuit of the lamp will lead to loss of efficiency.
If you use a switch you don’t run the charger through the light circuit, that’s the point of the switch. All power is directed to either light or charging as you want it.

The Supernova E3Triple is a lovely light and the mounting options are very good as you say.
My first lamp was one of these. In the end I sold mine on for a Revo because of how much it flickers at very low speeds.
I still use the mounts for the Revo. I use an action camera mount instead of the clear on the bottom of the Revo. With the addition of a few washers to pad it out it’s the same dimensions as the Supernova/Son/B&M mounting hole.
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jameso
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by jameso »

If you use a switch you don’t run the charger through the light circuit, that’s the point of the switch. All power is directed to either light or charging as you want it.
Do we need switches to achieve this? The benefit I can see is not having to actually plug a cell in which if you're using a larger pack say 5000mAh plus then charging items off that.

I don't have any switches, just a wire from the hub that splits to the light on one branch, the USB-Werk on the other. A solid connection tucked inside the steerer. I don't plug anything into the USB-Werk when the light is on, current drain is too high overall, gets no charge once USB-Werk cell is depleted.
USB-Werk has a small cache cell so is equivalent to the sort of systems we're talking about here aside from the ease of keeping a 150mAh cell topped up vs a larger cell to power a light or charge a Garmin/phone overnight. Principle works though.
For slow road touring and easy off-road terrain I've found it works fine to keep a phone, camera and Garmin full. Works really well for road trips with longer miles at night and less stop time. The Garmin is plugged in most of the time later in the day, kept full for night use. Lights at night or in bad weather, plug other items in to charge the rest of the time as needed.
lune ranger
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

No you don’t need a switch at all. It’s an indulgence if you have a lamp with an on off switch. If you don’t then you can still get by without a switch but lamp or charger would need to be unplugged for the other to work at full capacity
Last edited by lune ranger on Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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fatbikephil
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by fatbikephil »

Bearbonesnorm wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:12 am
or a dynamo light without a capacitor....
Would a set-up like that still not work with a capacitor Phil? Capacitor should charge very quickly.
Just for the sake of a bit less weight and size in the light but yeah its not a problem. If I can source a suitable battery I might have a play.
Retiredtester
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Retiredtester »

lune ranger wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:14 am ... lamp or charger would need to be in plugged for the other to work at full capacity
Unplugged?
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by lune ranger »

Affirmative
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Retiredtester
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Retiredtester »

Thanks. Had me confused for a moment. Doesn't take much.
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Alpinum
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by Alpinum »

lune ranger wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:16 am If you use a switch you don’t run the charger through the light circuit, that’s the point of the switch. All power is directed to either light or charging as you want it.
Would be nice, but then the gold connectors will take everyday use, absolute negligence etc. in a stride.
Also I can thread the slim connector through a small opening or wrap around something (other hoses etc.).
Works well for me.
lune ranger wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:14 am No you don’t need a switch at all. It’s an indulgence if you have a lamp with an on off switch. If you don’t then you can still get by without a switch but lamp or charger would need to be unplugged for the other to work at full capacity
If you want to get most power out of your dynamo, don't run the charger off the lamp. The switch on the lamp (in the case of the E3 Triple 2 at least) doesn't isolate the power.

1. Split the cable (Y, one goes to the lamp, the other to the charger, but not all lamps come with this possibility, meaning you can run the lamp and the rest of the power goes to the charger, or, lamp switched off and all power goes to the charger, as eg. for the E3 Triple 2 which has a button on the back).
or
2. use a connector. One cable from dynamo to lamp with a connector inbetween (or for those inclined - a switch). This connected to the lamp for light or connected to the charger for power. You could make a circuit which feeds the charger with just enough for standard USB power and feed the light(s) with the rest, turning the first option the other way round.

As said before, I don't recommend to run the charger on the cables coming from the lights.

In my case I set two bikes up with connectors on the E3 Triple 2 cable that runs to the rear light to feed into a charger when required.

Big mistake. The charger gets only a fracture of the power that would otherwise come from the dyno. I should've read the manuals...

Inline (Dynamo - lights) is where you want to connect your charger. This way, 1 km will fill up 1 % of a 3000 mAh battery (in my cases).

My setup:
SON dynohub (28 - important if you're on 29er wheels) , "Forumslader" charger, E3 Triple 2 light and on one bike the Supernova rear light with 3 leds too.
jameso post_id=253763 wrote: 150mAh cell topped up vs a larger cell to power a light or charge a Garmin/phone overnight
A well made charger should be smart enough to switch to a seperate circuit when something for charging is plugged in.
When nothing is plugged in, the power runs into the batteries. There are other ways to smoothen the power output.
Only a proper problem with Iphones (possibly only older version, but who uses Iphones anyways?)
BobCatMax
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by BobCatMax »

some really good info in here Gents, thank s for all of that.

my set-up will eventually be (after Santa has arrived) LoveMud Juice dyno hub, Igaro D1 and Supernova E3 pro.

I was going to run a pair of cables up from the hub, and simply either switch the lamp off, or unplug whatever is charging, but it would seem i'd be losing some efficiency that way, is that correct?

Better to run a single wire up from the hub and have a switch?

Really looking forward to generating my own power, not looking forward to the birdsnest of cabling everywhere!
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slarge
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Re: Front dynamo light

Post by slarge »

Nothing wrong with running a pair of cables and unplugging the device you’re not using. There won’t be an efficiency drop. The only downside is when both devices are plugged in they will be sharing the Dynamo output - which means the light will be dim.
Regarding a switch - this is fine, but just make sure you only flick the switch when at low speeds as at high speeds the Dynamo output is high enough to give a big voltage spike when a load is removed 70volts or so. This could damage the device. (Exposure used to warn against this - not sure if they still do). Most devices should be protected, but you know when it will stop working don’t you?
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