Homemade rack stays and light brackets.

Hi hi
Been picking away at lighting for my bike. Made new rack stays out of plate aluminum and covered with large heat shrink. Love these old school tail lights! Still working on a battery holder though...wondering what solutions some of you have come up with for an external battery case? Cheers

 

[KCvale]

Hi and welcome.

So this what you have correct?

I have to admit I am disappointment to see no front brake when the fork is equipped to take any kind of brake including a disc!
No motorized bike is safe with just one brake, that is my typical newbie welcome.

So you want power for the lights you picked, what are they?
LED, 3V, 6V, 12V?
Ya gotta be specific if you want real help, otherwise it's all just guesses by kids excited by your forum name ;-}

 

[Frankenstein]

The battery pack you ate using isn't very large, a small leather container should protect it plenty if made right. Expect issues in the cold with lithium ion, they can be temperamental in freezing Temps.

I used an ammo case as my waterproof box, but I'm using a 7amp lead battery.

You can purchase small watertight containers online, I have one meant for storing fishing flys that holds a 1.3a 12v lithium ion battery which has various purposes. A small hole, wire, and hot glue can act as the electrical connection out of the box. That lets you make the electrical plug connection inside the box, only disadvantage is the power switch is going to be inside the box and so is the charge port. Depending on how often you need to charge it this may not be a big deal, still annoying to turn on and off before and after riding. My set up has a waterproof switch on the outside of the container, this is a dtdp switch, which both acts as a kill switch and activates the light system, the switch in the middle position (neither rail is engaged) it allows the engine to run without the lights operating.

Get creative.

 

[Nature girl]

Hi and welcome.

So this what you have correct?

I have to admit I am disappointment to see no front brake when the fork is equipped to take any kind of brake including a disc!
No motorized bike is safe with just one brake, that is my typical newbie welcome.

So you want power for the lights you picked, what are they?
LED, 3V, 6V, 12V?
Ya gotta be specific if you want real help, otherwise it's all just guesses by kids excited by your forum name ;-}

Greetings, yes this is my current ride, second one I attempted. First let me say, I really admire your builds. The 4 strokes with the gears seems to be the most solid bikes! The light components I picked are a mix, 12v led head light for an off road vehicle, tail lights are just 12v bulb lights. The battery not sure is adequate for the job, lithium 12v/5v usb. Liked the size, was going to test ride a bit to see if it was worth the time of building a holder. Like Frankenstein pointed out I can store the battery in a carry bag for now, and if it works out go for a sealed case. Probably make a wire harness to an aux switch up front.
The bigger issue as you said is my lack of front brake. Using the bike on back dirt roads a lot, so I went with Zoom downhill forks to absorb the bumps. Problem is it has a 20mm through axle. My rims are 12 gauge 26 inch steel with 10mm axles. I made adapters to even use them...not ideal I know. The back wheel is a coaster brake wheel with an added V brake. Would appreciate any advice on mounting a disc brake to my set up. The 12 gauge spokes are a must where I ride, lots of rocks and rough terrain here. Maybe building a wheel is my best option if I can find the right hub for a reasonable price. Much of the downhill components are quite expensive.
KC you said it looks like it can handle any kind of brake?...V brake possible as an option?
Thanks for the help.
Happiness

 

[Nature girl]

The battery pack you ate using isn't very large, a small leather container should protect it plenty if made right. Expect issues in the cold with lithium ion, they can be temperamental in freezing Temps.

I used an ammo case as my waterproof box, but I'm using a 7amp lead battery.

You can purchase small watertight containers online, I have one meant for storing fishing flys that holds a 1.3a 12v lithium ion battery which has various purposes. A small hole, wire, and hot glue can act as the electrical connection out of the box. That lets you make the electrical plug connection inside the box, only disadvantage is the power switch is going to be inside the box and so is the charge port. Depending on how often you need to charge it this may not be a big deal, still annoying to turn on and off before and after riding. My set up has a waterproof switch on the outside of the container, this is a dtdp switch, which both acts as a kill switch and activates the light system, the switch in the middle position (neither rail is engaged) it allows the engine to run without the lights operating.

Get creative.

Thanks Frankenstein for the input. Considers the full function of the light system and confirms my approach.
Will do, on the get creative.

 

[KCvale]

Greetings, yes this is my current ride, second one I attempted.
First let me say, I really admire your builds.
The 4 strokes with the gears seems to be the most solid bikes!

Thanks for the Kudos NG, and ya, my new 4-strokers are pretty solid ;-}

The light components I picked are a mix,
12v led head light for an off road vehicle,
tail lights are just 12v bulb lights.
The battery not sure is adequate for the job, lithium 12v/5v usb.

Well, 12V is a cumbersome way to go for bicycle lighting...
I like ~7V LED lights like these...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GSKU9LK?psc=1

They are powered by a little pack of 4 18650 ~3.3V LI batteries.
I find if you can't generate 12V on board, it's best to just go the easy way, that pack just pops out and with a quick plug you can take it inside to charge it.
Handy to keep a couple charged ones on hand, and they come in various Amp Hours.

About the battery, 12V 5V usb? Best post a link to it ;-}

The bigger issue as you said is my lack of front brake.
KC you said it looks like it can handle any kind of brake?...V brake possible as an option?
Thanks for the help.
Happiness

I can see a disc brake boss on your fork, can't tell if it has a pair of front V-brake bosses like this fork.

I like that type of fork because I can just use a V-brake to start, and upgrade it with a disc front hub and a caliper in the future.

If you don't have the V-brake bosses, go with a Disc ;-}

As for a practical way to generate electricity from the engine to store on board and not suck too much engine power, it requires a really well built 'in engine' multi-pole generator and a good rectifying/charging system, and of course a bit more engine power helps too because you can't get something for nothing, there are losses in every conversion.

I am playing with some cool new things for that very thing now too as my new 4-stroke builds should have abutment power for lights and of course a 5V USB port for you phone ;-}

 

[Nature girl]

Thanks for the great advice Kc. Gonna try the 12v set up first to see how it works. May change to the 7v, or at least the next build will go that route. Do like those battery holders. Looking into adapter plates for a V brake set up. If that does not work, then I guess it`s wheel building time.
Thanks again, can`t wait to build a four stroke.

 

[KCvale]

Thanks for the great advice Kc. Gonna try the 12v set up first to see how it works. May change to the 7v, or at least the next build will go that route. Do like those battery holders. Looking into adapter plates for a V brake set up. If that does not work, then I guess it`s wheel building time.
Thanks again, can`t wait to build a four stroke.

Sounds like a plan.
Funny we are talking 12V as it seems Zelda is finally replacing the bad parts in my BF80 70cc 2-stroke with on-board 12V generation and electric start engine after a 6 month wait but THAT is another story all together ;-}

 

[Steve Best]

The battery pack you ate using isn't very large, a small leather container should protect it plenty if made right. Expect issues in the cold with lithium ion, they can be temperamental in freezing Temps.
<SNIPPED>.

Really? We use lithium AA and AAA batteries (not lithium ion) in SAR in freezing -20c weather because of their resistance to cold.
I know there is a lot of lithium technologies out there, each with their advantages/disadvantages.

KC, your bikes are objets d'art. Beautiful works. Nature Girl, he is well worth listening to.
Experience brings strong opinion worth listening to.

NG, I am rather aesthetically challenged (I am not even allowed to buy tinted paint!) but to my eyes, that is a darned nice looking bike ya got there!

 

[Frankenstein]

Really? We use lithium AA and AAA batteries (not lithium ion) in SAR in freezing -20c weather because of their resistance to cold.
I know there is a lot of lithium technologies out there, each with their advantages/disadvantages.

KC, your bikes are objets d'art. Beautiful works. Nature Girl, he is well worth listening to.
Experience brings strong opinion worth listening to.

NG, I am rather aesthetically challenged (I am not even allowed to buy tinted paint!) but to my eyes, that is a darned nice looking bike ya got there!

Lithium ion is a completely different animal from plain lithium batteries. The chemistry does not function well at low temperatures. I remember reading that charging li-ions in cold enough temperatures can damage them. I don't remember the specifics.