12v lighting & safety system project-an MBc Community Effort

everyone: i know you're all trying to be helpful, but please stop thinking i have money to spend...i don't. every month i get a motoredbike "treat" or two, this month went into battery/switch/lamps/hardware. shoot, it even looks like i'm gonna have to decide between another gallon of pre-mix or a spool of wire to build the harness. i'm explaining, not complaining...i like improvising from what i can scavenge, it keeps me on my toes :)

my plan for "stage 1" is a decent switchable 2-headlamp/1-tail lamp system that'll get me thru an average day of use, which i'm gonna start configuring as soon as i post this.

someday i'll expand to "stage 2" which will include some form of onboard charging,

funny you mentioned a motorcycle charger, pete, because i was just given a 12v 1a motorcycle battery charger. now, i know i can do something (use an inline 10w lamp, i think?) to reduce the amperage to the battery, can someone tell me definitely what to do?
 
A 10W bulb inline would do.
The danger in charging at 1A would be the battery's service life would be shortened.
 
oh. well, i don't want that.

happens, tho, that a good friend's just offered to hook me up with what i need, so the project moves forward :cool:
 
battery box: old lunch-cooler liner.
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now to go see if it holds up.

next: dual headlamps :cool:
 
BTW -

augidog, I think your project is spot on. If you need lighting, relying on the white wire is dangerous. A NiMH battery is 50x more reliable, produces a smooth, continuous output voltage, and will satisfy the needs of all commuters.

My experience with the white wire is it does not produce the 6V/3W advertised. It's more like 30V, <3W. Unless you *Really Need* a white-wire charger, I suggest you avoid it. That way, you don't run the risk of damaging your bike's electrical system.

luck
 
thanks, npk'...after giving it my best shot, i agree...but that white wire kept me rolling when it was all i had.

here she is, all lit up :)

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Looks good. I like the dual headlights. Let us know how well it lights your way.
 
Augi, how often are you driving around at night? if you are trickle charging a light that will last you 3 hours when you only need an hour of light on the slow drive home from the bar10 minutes from your house. sounds like you are in good shape. I live in the desert (too much sun)so If I make a trickle I can use this for my outside adventure Power 135mA, 15V (2W)
Dimensions39.4 cm x 12.7 cm x 2 cm
Weight 0.9 lbs / 0.41 kg. 49 dollars, I would get a charge monitoring system. 49 for the solar trickle and 39 for the battery.. and both are the size of a back tire rack. otherwise the greeen bike are using some powerful hubs that will run a good 6v system on the fron hub
 
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