I'm making very bright flashing red LED lights for my daughter to use
on her bicycle while riding at night in New York City.

I had the light, elex, diffuser lens and rugged envinronment-proof
"field grade" housing figured out OK. This flashing red light is
equivalent in brightness to the flash/turn on a Chevy truck thru a
range of 180 degrees.

The needed idea for the required simple "quick release" mechanism
eluded me for some time. The idea finally arrived, as ideas do when
they are damned good and ready, It took 4 months for this
dirt-simple idea to occur to this mechanically-challenged EE.

The quick release is so the light will be held securely while in
service, cycling being a contact sport in NYC with busses and taxis,
while amenable to instant removal with gloved hands for theft
avoidance while delivering a package, serving legal papers upon
pinstripes (fun!) or just picking up some groceries.

http://www.goldengate.net/~dforeman/bikelight_mount/

Very nice! As I always say "Finding complicated solutions is easy,
finding simple ones is hard". The plating makes it even nicer. Four
months is a bit long for the gestation, though. I'd suggest getting a
dog and taking it on walks in the woods. It's a great way to give your
mind time to mull over design problems.

A design question: why the third piece (the ring)? Why wasn't it
integral to the outer/turning piece?

Bob

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:55:17 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Very nice! As I always say "Finding complicated solutions is easy,
finding simple ones is hard". The plating makes it even nicer. Four
months is a bit long for the gestation, though. I'd suggest getting a
dog and taking it on walks in the woods. It's a great way to give your
mind time to mull over design problems.

I have time. I freely acknowledge that I'm not the quickest gun in
Dodge. Oh well! I do better with electrical stuff on a good day.

A design question: why the third piece (the ring)? Why wasn't it
integral to the outer/turning piece?

It acts as a washer so the rotating collar slides on the nickle-plated
ring rather than anything turning against the aluminum surface. The
nickel isn't just for appearance. Nickel slides on nickel very
nicely. It's not as hard as chrome but it's pretty hard and very easy
to work with. It gives the clamping lever a nice "crisp" feel.

Don Foreman wrote:

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:55:17 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:


Very nice! As I always say "Finding complicated solutions is easy,
finding simple ones is hard". The plating makes it even nicer. Four
months is a bit long for the gestation, though. I'd suggest getting a
dog and taking it on walks in the woods. It's a great way to give your
mind time to mull over design problems.


I have time. I freely acknowledge that I'm not the quickest gun in
Dodge. Oh well! I do better with electrical stuff on a good day.

A design question: why the third piece (the ring)? Why wasn't it
integral to the outer/turning piece?


It acts as a washer so the rotating collar slides on the nickle-plated
ring rather than anything turning against the aluminum surface. The
nickel isn't just for appearance. Nickel slides on nickel very
nicely. It's not as hard as chrome but it's pretty hard and very easy
to work with. It gives the clamping lever a nice "crisp" feel.

Nice job!

Next project for you Don is building a shake table so you can satisfy
yourself that it doesn't walk loose. My teenage son might be willing to
loan you one of his subwoofers from that Civic he doesn't have
anymore...since his rollover accident last month. G

I probably woulda tried to do it with something it slipped into and a
rare earth magnet to stick it there until daughter yanked it up and out.

Happy Holidays,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 17:30:04 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

I probably woulda tried to do it with something it slipped into and a
rare earth magnet to stick it there until daughter yanked it up and out.

I did consider that, but the switch for the light is a hermetic reed
switch actuated by a little magnet embedded in the plastic diffuser
dome. Twist dome to turn light on and off. Hi rel, completely
waterproof. Wasn't sure how that would fly with a supermagnet
nearby.