generator systems

saturnsc2 said:

does anybody here know anything about generator lighting sets? my front headlamp tends to flicker a little. not much, & the light remains bright, but after an hour of riding, the light tends to flicker every now & then even going at a steady speed. i checked all the connections, & re-wired the whole system with even better quality wiring than before & the problem is still there just the same. i even ran a second ground wire to each light to avoid using the frame as the ground. i recently changed both bulbs too, & checked the bulb connections & they are clean. my leadlamp has a resister in it for voltage control. can these cause this problem if they go bad? there is no other thing left that can be the problem...

What generator and headlight do you use? Taillight in the system?

I have used a bottle generator from ages past until 1998-1999, when the bottle went south. After a brief stunt with batteries, I went to a dynohub (Schmidt + Lumotec). IOW, lots of experience.

Possible issues
1. Diode for voltage control. Mine flickers at very low speed, probably when the diode starts to kick in, but it doesn't flicker at high speed. IOW, I don't think it's the issue.
OTOH, if the diode isn't right, could it be that it doesn't control "enough" of the voltage, and that the generator runs too hot? Is your flickering problem more problematic if you have ridden fast or slowly (ex.: climbing a hill for 1 hour)?

2. Are you using a bottle generator?
If so, is it aligned properly? Are you using a tire with a rough side (aka "generator strip), such as the Continental Top Touring? Some bottles tend to slip, especially if the tire is wet, greasy, uneven, etc.

3. A traditional generator uses 2.4 W in headlight, 0.6 W in taillight. If your generator is near the front wheel, try to find a 3 W bulb for the headlight and disconnect the taillight. Ride with a battery taillight. See how it goes. One less potential problem source could help pinpoint the problem.

4. Maybe the bottle itself is about to die. I don't know what could be signs, however.
OTOH, I never had a bottle that was "about to die". It worked... until it died, suddently, without warning.

mgagnonlv said:

What generator and headlight do you use? Taillight in the system?

I have used a bottle generator from ages past until 1998-1999, when the bottle went south. After a brief stunt with batteries, I went to a dynohub (Schmidt + Lumotec). IOW, lots of experience.

Possible issues
1. Diode for voltage control. Mine flickers at very low speed, probably when the diode starts to kick in, but it doesn't flicker at high speed. IOW, I don't think it's the issue.
OTOH, if the diode isn't right, could it be that it doesn't control "enough" of the voltage, and that the generator runs too hot? Is your flickering problem more problematic if you have ridden fast or slowly (ex.: climbing a hill for 1 hour)?

2. Are you using a bottle generator?
If so, is it aligned properly? Are you using a tire with a rough side (aka "generator strip), such as the Continental Top Touring? Some bottles tend to slip, especially if the tire is wet, greasy, uneven, etc.

3. A traditional generator uses 2.4 W in headlight, 0.6 W in taillight. If your generator is near the front wheel, try to find a 3 W bulb for the headlight and disconnect the taillight. Ride with a battery taillight. See how it goes. One less potential problem source could help pinpoint the problem.

4. Maybe the bottle itself is about to die. I don't know what could be signs, however.
OTOH, I never had a bottle that was "about to die". It worked... until it died, suddently, without warning.

the set is a union halogen set with tailight & voltage regulated which i bought in the 80's. very, very durable set--still works very good & bright. i recently changed the bulbs, & checked all the connections. i would not say the lights flicker (not an accurate description), just they sometimes get slightly dim & then bright again real intermittenly. most of the time, they are steady bright. when you mention it, mine behave the same way as yours, at low speed they do this & at high speed are steady. i bet it's just the diodes. everything else is perfect. it does not seem to flicker unless i ride for a long time--at least an hour. the generator just gets luke warm. it's not a big issue. i heard of dynamo lights doing this elsewhere. i guess it's just the nature of the beast. i might have to replace the dynamo eventually because it seems to make some noise now, an indication of worn bearings which have many miles on them by now. the generator still puts out good though. how does the dynahub bork for you? i'm curious about them. do they flicker at low speed because of their slow turning nature? are they bright at slow speeds like the union bottles?