bike headlight tech question

patrick mitchel' may have said:

The reason I ask is that I'm going to email some of the automotive light makers and ask them if
any of their lights might be adaptable to a bike light - if I can modify the back of the light to
accept a smaller (less powerful) bulb than the ones that are normally used in an auto scenario(55
watts seems to be the average). Consequently if have the info on pattern and spread, perhaps
they'll have and easier time understanding my needs. Why go to all the trouble? The mr11/16 aren't
accurate enough. Oh yes, they have lotsa light but the pattern, ugh.

Well-designed automotive lights are less common than well-designed bike lights, in my experience.
In part, that's precisely because on a car, you can afford to use 55W (or 65, or 100) to produce
the light, and the majority of the accessory light purchasers have *zero* real knowledge of what
makes for a good light. Thus, most are designed to look at, not to see with. Plus, the good ones
are *heavy*.

I wouldn't waste my time trying to make this work.

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"patrick mitchel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

What are the characteristics of the ideal bike headlight- specifically the pattern and beam
spread. I have a Bisy headlight that has what I consider close to the ideal pattern- a fairly
narrow trapezoidal pattern (without being a spot) a good cutoff at the top (to keep from blinding
people at the top of the pattern). What is a good beam angle? I'd guess not more than 20 deg,
perhaps half that? If only the bisy would accept halogen capsule lamps (and the heat as well) of
the 12v 10-20 watt range- they're available and reasonably priced with a good long life.. I know
that the big battery is an impediment to some, but darn it, I'd like some light and yet not throw
the lumens all over the place! The reason I ask is that I'm going to email some of the automotive
light makers and ask them if any of their lights might be adaptable to a bike light - if I can
modify the back of the light to accept a smaller (less powerful) bulb than the ones that are
normally used in an auto scenario(55 watts seems to be the average). Consequently if have the info
on pattern and spread, perhaps they'll have and easier time understanding my needs. Why go to all
the trouble? The mr11/16 aren't accurate enough. Oh yes, they have lotsa light but the pattern,
ugh. Thanks Pat - riding happily in the early AM- seeing owls , opposum and the like

You might want to ask your question on the bikecurrent list:

topica.comreadOpen ↗

To the extent I understand the discussion there, the cutting edge appears to be lights using
Luxeon's 1 and 5-watt white LEDs. See, for instance:

elektrolumens.comTriple 30.htmlOpen ↗