what to do during a blackout?

[KCvale]

Just remember that electric power is not free, it comes at the cost of gasoline engine power.

 

[Fabian]

Just remember that electric power is not free, it comes at the cost of gasoline engine power.

So long as i can get my hands on enough electric power (250 watts) to run my heated jacket, heated pants, heated boots and heated gloves, i'll be very happy.

 

[HeadSmess]

So long as i can get my hands on enough electric power (250 watts) to run my heated jacket, heated pants, heated boots and heated gloves, i'll be very happy.

my motorbike was hard pushed to get that! thats over 20 amps at 12 volts! (most are only rated for 120-150 watts) not to mention what it ended up doing to the wiring system(lots of charring and melting and 3 volt drops!)... eventually had to wire the regulator straight to the battery, with a relay on the headlights, powering the heaters directly from the battery only when the engine was running... those oxford heaters had a major drawback... they sent your battery flat if you forgot about them...

mind you, i ended up with about twelve heaters on it removed the defective "brain" from the oxford system, just ran a blinker can for half-heat. ebay sells heater pads for about $5...

side note...theres also a 200 watt personal refrigerator/cooler available

at one stage i setup a funky system so i could heat AND cool at the flick of a switch

then found the concept was already patented...just not for motorbikes. electric blankets rather. possibly the only type id ever contemplate using, as they DONT have electrizzity running through them.


mmmm, free power....

right. ordered said brushless motor, worth a go

need to go get some glue so i can rewind this coil thingy i made...with insulation this time maybe skim the slots out another half mm or so... if it does work...it will need laminated core, as it really did get rather warm!

ooh. i just had the thought...what about a peltier module attached to the head? i know mine are good for 80 watts... shame i scrapped the few heads i made.

 

[KCvale]

mmmm, free power....
I just had the thought...what about a peltier module attached to the head? i know mine are good for 80 watts... shame i scrapped the few heads i made.

Peltier module's are pretty cool, I looked at them a couple years back to generate power from wasted engine heat.

I found rechargeable LI batteries to be far less expensive and more reliable.

 

[HeadSmess]

Peltier module's are pretty cool, I looked at them a couple years back to generate power from wasted engine heat.

I found rechargeable LI batteries to be far less expensive and more reliable.

got to agree with that. had several for a few years, never did much with them but i feel quite chuffed that i managed to get one to frost up in the middle of summer really good heatsinking.
still, worth experimenting with one day. calls for making a new head with out fins, attach one of those big fat copper heatsinks from a dead PC...

my only gripe with li batteries is the po's explode, and the other ones...ive gone back to nicd for my cordless drills?

though that has been my fallback for the last week. 5000mah lipo with a cellchecker stuck on the balance plug, so i know when its getting too low... and a spare 1800 in the sack on back...

which i sort of still have/had to do with the generator coil. what happens when something occurs and the motor aint running? yeah... one has to keep their ears open and hide in the bushes when danger lurks! i just dont want to be dependant on a wall wart for lights. extension leads are very restrictive on travelling range!

 

[KCvale]

Pfftttt...
Lithium Ion based batteries are in everything from your cell phone and laptop/tablet to your watch and hearing aid.

Why rob your gas engine of power when you can put 8800mA at 4.2V to power a 1200 lumen CREE LED for $20?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KUXRAW

I don't do much night riding but I love the strobe on lights like this for daytime riding, saved me more than once.

 

[Fabian]

Even though it does not appear to include a wall charger, it's still a smoking hot price.
Got to wonder about the quality of the battery cells and light for such a cheap listing.

Having said that, electric power derived from the engine, never goes flat or needs recharging. So long as the engine is running, you have a bunch of electrons ready to do work; even being able to recharge an 8800mA battery pack.

 

[HeadSmess]

tis rather neat...my gripe with batteries, the whole reason for endeavouring with this task...is that batteries DIE! at the least desirable moment!

and when the moons not out, and theres 30km of darkness between me and home... kangaroos...wallabies... maniac car drivers with homicidal tendencies... bad roads, no lines, no lights...wtf am i out here for again? oh! cus its actually quite enjoyable when im not about to get run over!!

i think i have to settle with fabians comment...

"charging a ****mah battery"....


i also tend to find every bike light ive purchased lasts about a week before the mount breaks... i like the o-ring type that that light has, but then the ring snaps... another "arrrgh" situation. even my $130 ($30 after a staff discount) headlight, i bought two of them...even theyre currently held together with zip ties! so much for "rugged mountaineering gear"

so far my 4wd 18w spotlight hasnt budged, with its 2mm thick, steel mounting bracket


sorta wishing i had settled for 6 watts though, in hindsight...

oh! and warm white leds, i find, are for more "rider friendly" in being able to see! maybe its just my eyes, but these blueish, cold white lights, i just cant see with them... sure, they light everything up, but i cant make out distances, unlike yellow lights.

 

[butre]

I've got a tiny little motorcycle battery that's just running LEDs front and rear and the thing lasts ages. I've barely put a dent in the charge in the couple months I've had it

 

[HeadSmess]

18 watts is 1.5 amps at 12volts... a 3ah motorbike/sla battery is useable for just under 2 hours. more like an hour before the voltage drops too far, for the battery's sake. when they work and dont just suddenly collapse, losing all charge completely!

no. i am not getting weaker lights! these things are better than the HID i had on my moto! finally...i can SEEEE! seeee the light! praise the LED!


lipo is currently appearing to be the best, and lightest option... at least i already have them on hand

apparently the lights will take up to 35 volts, so i could just use 5s packs (my charger wont do 6...), but that requires a lil bit of expense for packs and a balancer. the current demand is reduced though

still means i have to charge them. carry spares on long trips. yik