In this new generation bicycle light system, no battery is needed, no
friction on any parts of the bicycle. The lights flash regardless speed
of the bicycle and weather conditions (unlike normal dynamos!). Very
bright.

It can be used as a stand-alone light system (as a normal dynamo) on
your bike, or used as a back-up for your existed battery-powered lights

All details and buy on-line: http://www.freelights.co.uk

writes:

In this new generation bicycle light system, no battery is needed, no
friction on any parts of the bicycle. The lights flash regardless speed
of the bicycle and weather conditions (unlike normal dynamos!). Very
bright.

It can be used as a stand-alone light system (as a normal dynamo) on
your bike, or used as a back-up for your existed battery-powered lights

All details and buy on-line: http://www.freelights.co.uk

Well, you don't get something for nothing. No friction, but there will
be a very small tug each time the magnet passes the coil. Won't be
noticeable or even detectable without test instruments, or make any
difference to the feel of the bike, but it is non-zero.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

"Sam Goldwasser" wrote in message
...
writes:

In this new generation bicycle light system, no battery is needed, no
friction on any parts of the bicycle. The lights flash regardless speed
of the bicycle and weather conditions (unlike normal dynamos!). Very
bright.

It can be used as a stand-alone light system (as a normal dynamo) on
your bike, or used as a back-up for your existed battery-powered lights

All details and buy on-line: http://www.freelights.co.uk

Well, you don't get something for nothing. No friction, but there will
be a very small tug each time the magnet passes the coil. Won't be
noticeable or even detectable without test instruments, or make any
difference to the feel of the bike, but it is non-zero.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above
is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.
Now for the negative! Technically, as UK law stands at the moment, the use
of an LED light as a sole means of lighting is illegal because the law
specifically states the use of a "filament bulb". Similarly, the law
precludes the display of a flashing light on anything other than emergency
vehicles. The British Standard (BS6102 Pt3) which includes lighting for
bicycles was updated a few years ago to allow LEDs but with certain
stipulations (they must be visible from the same range of directions as a
filament bulb lamp and they must not flash). The law is only just about to
be updated to legalise their use.

1.
Nov 10, 9:49 am show options

Newsgroups: sci.electronics.repair
From: - Find messages by this author
Date: 10 Nov 2005 09:49:32 -0800
Local: Thurs, Nov 10 2005 9:49 am
Subject: A Non-friction bicycle lights generator (dynamo)
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show
original | Report Abuse

In this new generation bicycle light system

Back in the 50's-60"s, some Raliegh, probably British import, bikes had
a dynamo built into the hub of the front wheel. They would have been
far superior to the friction clamp-on jobs we had to use on our paper
routes. I wonder why that design was dropped. I had a used Raliegh
3-speed for a while, but it had the drum brakes instead of the dynamo.
They were not good brakes.

John Kogel

In article ,
Funfly3 wrote:
Now for the negative! Technically, as UK law stands at the moment, the
use of an LED light as a sole means of lighting is illegal because the
law specifically states the use of a "filament bulb".

Just about every London Transport bus has LED rear lights.

--
*Nostalgia isn't what is used to be.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Funfly3 wrote:
Now for the negative! Technically, as UK law stands at the moment, the
use of an LED light as a sole means of lighting is illegal because the
law specifically states the use of a "filament bulb".

Just about every London Transport bus has LED rear lights.

--
*Nostalgia isn't what is used to be.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
I was only quoting but 1 thing the rear lights on a bus do not flash and you
forgot motor bikes BMW's Mercedes army lorries ETC

"Porky" wrote in message
oups.com...
1.
Nov 10, 9:49 am show options

Newsgroups: sci.electronics.repair
From: - Find messages by this author
Date: 10 Nov 2005 09:49:32 -0800
Local: Thurs, Nov 10 2005 9:49 am
Subject: A Non-friction bicycle lights generator (dynamo)
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show
original | Report Abuse

In this new generation bicycle light system

Back in the 50's-60"s, some Raliegh, probably British import, bikes had
a dynamo built into the hub of the front wheel. They would have been
far superior to the friction clamp-on jobs we had to use on our paper
routes. I wonder why that design was dropped. I had a used Raliegh
3-speed for a while, but it had the drum brakes instead of the dynamo.
They were not good brakes.

John Kogel

My British bike ( which was a Raleigh ) that I had when I was a kid in the
60's, used a hub dynamo on the front wheel, and a Sturmy-Archer three speed
gear hub on the rear wheel - worked by a twist-grip, no less, rather than
the old finger lever !! A lot of my mates had bikes with the old friction "
bottle " dynamos on them, and I couldn't believe how much pedal effort it
used to take to turn them, against how easy mine was. There was no
difference that I could detect, lights on or off. but I guess that there
must have been a little.

I also remember that some bikes - particularly those used by the coppers -
had a sort of cylinder fixed to the vertical frame section under the saddle.
This contained rechargeable batteries of some description. I guess they were
D sized cells. When you stopped pedalling, the lights continued to be
powered by these cells.

It occurs to me, on reflection, that rather than dynamos, these generators
were actually alternators, in which case, there must have been a rectifier
of some description, ahead of the battery pack. Back in the 60's, this would
probably have had to have ben a selenium plate-stack type ?

Arfa

I'll bet the British law specifically stated "filament bulb" was
because they wanted to end the use of lights that burned flammable gas
and other not-so-safe materials in the early days.