My Lighting Project So Far

Stoltzee

Member
Local time
4:47 AM
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
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208
Light Project.jpg

I Still have to wire in the rectifier, and all the wiring plus switch/s.:sick:

I may try the spotlight at a later date. 17 degree beam, hmmmm.:unsure:

Website for spot light;:bowdown:

http://www.bicyclebuys.com/item/0147015/niterider-20-watt-flood-(standard-dual-beam)-bulb

Brake Light Link;

https://motoredbikes.com/threads/tail-light-brake-license-plate-light.40673/
 
Tail License.jpgBattery Rectifier.jpg

Going to have to clean up the wiring, but for now.

Light Bike.jpg
RadioShack® 8A/400V Full-Wave Bridge Rectifiers
Item#: 2062583

FYI
I bought a 1 inch x 3 foot piece of steel at Lowe's for $6.00. You can get different size's also to use for brackets.

I'm working on front fender mounts like the old Harley s had in case I do ride in the rain. The bikes getting heavier though.

I used rubberized undercoating on the rear fender, and still haven't seen a crack. The front fender I hesitated on, and developed a crack.

I used heater hose for the engine mounting, which can be super glued in pieces to adjust up, down, forward, back. I don't have any vibration

with the 4 stroke. Okay a little, but not like it was when the engine wasn't braced on top.

Sniff your exhaust. Lean will tingle your nose and make the engine run smooth. Now turn the screw out till it starts to smell. 1/4 to 1/2 turn.

Great I'm developing proper torque now. I can tell, because the drive belt slips when I gun it.

I think I can still do 30 + mph's until I put the saddlebags on then its 31 mph tops. I don't want to go any faster anyway. If I was smart I

would move to a larger sprocket, which would help pull the load, and get up the hills better also.
 
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8 Mile test Today

I rode my bike 8 miles today with the alternator engaged, and the lights on. When I got home the lights were about the same brightness, so I guess the one wire to the rectifier charges OK.


The light kit, battery, rectifier, and tail cost $60 or less total.
 
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what's the output of the generator?

Its A 12 volt 6 watt.



From what I've been reading here on the forum. It may not last long, but its a cheap replace........After I fix all the other things that don't work right half the time. I think these gas bikes are long term hobbies/money pit.
 
The "Tail Light" has only been used a couple of hours, and is going south, so I don't I think its worth the money.
 
I also attempted to use a bottle generator (what you are referring to as an alternator) to charge a 12v 1.2Ah sla battery. It worked ok at first, but it burned out in just a couple weeks. It may be a "cheap enough replacement" every now and again, but I dont want to replace them every couple weeks. Here is my idea. The wheel that drives the generator is very large. The driven wheel on the generator itself is very small. What this means is that at motor speeds, the generator is spinning twice as fast as it needs to. My theory is that this is what causes it to overheat and burn out. A larger driven wheel on the generator would make it spin slower, hopefully preventing it from overheating. My idea is to use a wheel from an r/c car as a driven wheel for the generator, once I replace it. I've found them on ebay for $25 with free shipping, and plan to order one with my next paycheck. Its kind of a bonus for me actually, because the one I fried was given to me without any mounting hardware and i had to design my own mounts. So I'll be getting a brand new one with all the hardware. But I don't want to spend $25 every two weeks, which is why I'm attempting to make the generator spin slower. I figure this. The generator is designed to produce 12v at pedal speeds. You have to consider the rpm's of the generator at pedal speeds vs motored speeds. I'm thinking that a larger driven wheel should reduce the rpm's closer to what they might be at pedal speeds. If I fry another generator, I'll be ordering a solar battery charger and somehow mounting it to my luggage rack. I found a solar charger on amazon for $20 or so. But I still want to try the generator first. Anyway, just a thought.
 
You should also realize something about a battery's capability to charge and discharge. A multiple cell battery can charge one cell at a time and discharge another cell simultaneously with the proper type of charger, known as a balancer. Obviously a generator wired to a rectifier, though effective, is nowhere near as sophisticated as a balanced charger. Therefore, with this type of setup, your battery can not charge and discharge simultaneously. I say all that to say this. When your generator is running, its actually the generator itself that is powering the lights. I noticed that your headlight bulb is 20w, and the generator is 6w. You will burn that generator up in no time, and possibly your entire electrical system with it. My headlight is 5w, and my brake light is 3.6w. That is also more than 6w, but since the brake light is only on when I'm slowing down or stopping, I don't think it produces enough extra draw to do any harm to the generator. But 20w could actually melt the generator. It may not do any harm at first, but as the brushes start to burn up, it will take more energy and more heat for the generator to produce that 20w. If I were you, I'd find a bulb that was less of an energy pig. Just a thought.
 
That's some pretty good information to know. Thanks. I guess my alternator is still working, but I like the idea of a bigger wheel. I happened to be looking at a solar battery charger this morning too. I have not purchased that light yet either, but for now I'm using 2 LED flashlight heads, and I only use the 12 volt part of the alternator. The brake light has been acting kind of weird, so I may look to a different LED light. The bikes been sitting for a while,because of an engine repair, and this last week I was able to experiment with some LED's. I rarely ride at night if at all, but I do need a daytime running light in this state.
Link to LED headlight trial.
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?41503-Running-Light-Experiment
 
Stick with the led lights, much more energy efficient and brighter too. My headlight bulb has 60 led's in it, and its so bright it hurts my eyes to look straight at it. And it only draws 5w. Without a charging system, my 1.2Ah battery can run my headlight for almost 3 hours, and my brake light (3.6w) for about 4 hours. Of course, it cant run them both simultaneously for that amount of time, but considering the brake light is only on for a few seconds here and there, I'd expect a good 2.5 to 3 hours of continuous use without a charge. My brake light is not as bright as my headlight, but I guess its bright enough since no one has ever rear-ended me.
 
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