Cateye LED headlights

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

David Kerber said:

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for D C AA AAA and 9v the AccuManager 20.

Is this the one you say charges them individually, rather than in series? If so, do you have any
suggestions as to where I can find it?

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These are just what I have and they work fine, there may be newer ones. A chief feature, the
cells are charged individually rather than in series or parallel. Series charges cells
unevenly, and parallel may not charge a cell

Both it and the Maha C401FS I mentioned do it individually. (I've retired the smart chargers I
have that don't.)

Ok.

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I get my battery stuff from thomas-distributing.comthomas-distributing.comOpen ↗

Thanks for the reference. I found them on a Google search, but had never heard of them before.

Quoted message said:

There are newer chargers all the time. Feel free to experiment, that's what I do.

Thomas stuff comes with a coupon code for 5% off on the next order, if you want to plan ahead.
Incidentally I think the not-top-of-the-capacity batteries are probably most cost-effective,
rather than paying top dollar for the last 100mAh of capacity.

I agree...

Ron Hardin <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

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Steven Scharf said:

Alas, it's the cost of the NiMH batteries, and especially a smart charger, that really drives up
the cost of a lighting system.

Once you have a smart charger, you have it for all sorts of applications, in particular portable
radios that you can make portable again by using NiMH batteries and putting away their wall warts.

True.

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It's the reverse in my case, the smart charger having been bought for radios and digital IC
recorders, and for AA's for the Cateye HL-1500's it's free.

I charge 10 AAA's a day; adding a night's AA's from the commute is free.

Smart chargers: for four AA or AAA the Maha C401FS is nice, with a slow charge option if you're
not in a hurry; for D C AA AAA and 9v the AccuManager 20.

The problem with these chargers for the high power bike lights is that the battery packs are 6, 7.2,
12, 13.6, or 14.4 volts (5,6,10,11, or 12 cells). It's inconvenient to remove the cells and charge
them in 2-3 batches. Serial charging is how most battery packs are charged, and NiMH batteries are
not nearly as bad as NiCads were, where often a weaker cell would short out (the June 1973 Popular
Electronics explained how to fix the shorted batteries, a method I still use 30 years later!

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

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I'm interested in one of the Cateye LED headlights (EL300), which I can power with rechargable
batteries. Has anyone used them?

I haven't yet bought one, although I've considered it. Here's a link to the review that got me
interested in it: roadbikerider.compr4.htmOpen ↗

mike

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STP said:

If you cross paths with any such morons (and you will), your back wheel will be rolling over their
head before you even see them if you don't have a decent light. Get a decent headlight not just a
marker light like the Cateye if you plan on traveling at anything above a walking pace.

While I agree that a LED headlight is not the best thing if you're riding on non-illuminated bike
paths, you seem to be implying that any decent headlight is sufficient to enable you to see
pedestians and non-lighted cyclists. IME, this is not the case.

Of course, swapping the EL300 for a "real" headlight (like the HL-1500) wouldn't hurt. But if you
fear hitting a ped with the EL300, I'd suggest you should either slow down or ride somewhere else.

--
Frederic Briere <*> [email hidden]

=> <[email hidden]> IS NO MORE: <http://www.abacomsucks.com> <=

I use a Cateye Luminox Mocro Halogen light attached to the handle bar - mostly so cars can see me coming. Pretty limited for vision on the road - I'd say it's only just adequate for low speed travelling. Now the days are getting longer here in Aus, so it won't be a problem for me for a few blissful months.

I have purchased a Princeton Tec head lamp which comes with two bulb types (ordinary and halogen). The halogen is really strong but hungry on batteries (get about 4 hrs on 4 AA batteries). The advantage of the headlamp is it points where you want to look, not where the handlebars are facing. You can look directly into a driver's mirror, or into their eyes - then they really do see you! It's a bit bulky/ heavy, but not too bad for rides less than one hour.

Will use both lamps in combination during winter commutes and for any very early morning rides to the rowing sheds in spring and autumn.

In article said:

"Bob Weissman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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In article <[email hidden]>, Horace

Quoted message said:

"Steven Scharf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message >
> Sigma Sport Mirage X 5-20 watt aebike.compage.cfmOpen ↗, $52
Thanks for the links! The Sigma Sport looks like a good deal. I'd really like to avoid the
lead-acid/Ni-Cad batteries if possible.

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Pardon my ignorance, but where are you supposed to put the external battery pack? - Bob

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Just bought the Sigma Sport light last week and am happy with it so far. As a point of
clarification it is a lead-acid system. The battery goes in a water bottle cage and seems very
secure. Matthew

Thanks, I've seen those, but I prefer to leave my water bottle in place. Some of the battery packs
seem um, uncomfortably shaped, and I wonder where you're supposed to put them?

Thanks,
- Bob

"Bob Weissman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article said:

"Bob Weissman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Horace
<[email hidden]> wrote:
>
>"Steven Scharf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message >
>> Sigma Sport Mirage X 5-20 watt aebike.compage.cfmOpen ↗, $52
>Thanks for the links! The Sigma Sport looks like a good deal. I'd

really

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>like to avoid the lead-acid/Ni-Cad batteries if possible.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pardon my ignorance, but where are you supposed to put the external battery pack? - Bob

Quoted message said:

Just bought the Sigma Sport light last week and am happy with it so far.

As

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a point of clarification it is a lead-acid system. The battery goes in a water bottle cage and
seems very secure. Matthew

Thanks, I've seen those, but I prefer to leave my water bottle in place. Some of the battery packs
seem um, uncomfortably shaped, and I wonder where you're supposed to put them?

I mount my Niterider top-tube mount battery on my bars next to my stem.

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

"Bob Weissman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Horace

Quoted message said:

"Steven Scharf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message >

Quoted message said:

Sigma Sport Mirage X 5-20 watt aebike.compage.cfmOpen ↗, $52

Thanks for the links! The Sigma Sport looks like a good deal. I'd really like to avoid the
lead-acid/Ni-Cad batteries if possible.

Pardon my ignorance, but where you supposed to put the external battery pack?

- Bob

What I meant was I would prefer NiMH rechargables, which do not have a memory like the NiCads, and
weigh less than lead-acid batteries. I've worked with Ni-Cads B4. They are too demanding!

Horace

Quoted message said:

What I meant was I would prefer NiMH rechargables, which do not have a memory like the NiCads, and
weigh less than lead-acid batteries. I've worked with Ni-Cads B4.

Quoted message said:

They are too demanding!

I've found NiCads are actually better in terms of longevity than NiMH batteries, since the NiMH
systems usually favor light weight.

The memory issue is a myth, as you'll find if you read the bikecurrent list. NiCad failure modes are
cell polarity reversal related.

However I converted to NiMH last year, and I am a happy camper.

Basically it's the same light for less time at one third the weight and volume. Everything including
the wall wart and regulator fits in a ziplock sandwich bag.

That means a lot in terms of space saving to a commuter who isn't going to run the light for more
than an hour (at 15 watts in traffic) each day. The tradeoff in terms of my operations is worth it.

I'd definitely want a more long lived light source on a tour where I expected to do a lot of night
riding, I absolutely want a light that will illuminate the road.

But for what I use it for the little NiMH job is perfect, it is neither inexpensive nor suitable for
PBP but it works a charm in the city.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email hidden]__________

NiMH has several times more watt-hours than NiCad for the same cell size.

Supposedly the shelf life (self-discharge) of NiCads is less but I haven't found it to be a
noticeable effect. They all self-discharge the same as far as I can tell. Charge them both up within
a few days of using them or they won't last the ride.

Also supposedly NiCads generate heat when discharging and so sort of have built-in antifreeze; maybe
so but the increased energy of the NiMH's is a larger effect; and generating heat isn't what you
have the battery for.

What kills multi-cell (series) batteries is the reverse-charging of the weakest cell that the
_other_ cells do when you run the bunch too far into discharge. The danger is less the better
matched the cells are to each other, and the less you run them down to near that point.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.