Installing LEDs on a bicycle. Lighting equipment for bicycles: LED headlight and tail light LED brake light for bicycle

Bicycle lighting is not only a decorative item and an attractive detail, it solves traffic safety issues. At night, the brightly glowing elements of the bicycle will attract the attention of car drivers, which will allow them to promptly correct traffic and prevent an accident. Therefore, many cyclists are interested in how to make a backlight for a bicycle. This is especially true if the bicycle is used by young children and teenagers.

Bicycle lighting methods and necessary materials

For the richest and laziest, all lighting elements are sold in stores. You can buy a ready-made kit, attach tape to the frame and wheels, luminous caps to the nipple, connect to a power source and ride. But the prices of all these attributes are clearly inflated, especially when individual elements cost pennies and to collect them into a total working diagram for lighting it is very simple. There are several ways to install LED strip or other lighting elements:

• use self-adhesive LED strip;
• assemble a garland of individual LEDs;
• put plastic neon tubes for illumination.

The easiest way to illuminate the wheels or frame of a bicycle is to use self-adhesive LED strip.

It easily sticks to the surface of the frame or wheel rim. Before gluing, you need to do a number of necessary actions:

• Wipe the surface thoroughly and degrease with cotton wool and alcohol.
• Remove the protective film from the back of the tape, no more than 10 cm, and remove further as it sticks. This precaution is necessary to prevent the tape from getting tangled and sticking together, sticking to your hands and different parts bicycle.
• The power source (9V battery) can be located under the frame in the tool bag, connected by wires through a switch to the tape.

Remember that the tape is cut in strictly indicated places, indicated by the picture (transverse line with scissors). The wires are connected to the power source and between individual sections, observing the polarity “+” red, “-” blue or black.

The wires are soldered to the corresponding symbols on the tape “+” and “-”.

• Do-it-yourself illumination of bicycle wheels is carried out in the same way; tape is glued to the rim in the same way. But a separate power source will be required for each wheel. The batteries must be attached to the axle bushing so that they rotate with the wheel, using tape or a clamp.

If you want to make a long-lasting bicycle light with your own hands, use IP65 waterproof tape. The disadvantage of this method is the low power of the 9 V battery; it lasts for several hours. You can use small 12-volt batteries to illuminate the frame, but this is expensive in bright lighting.

Making your own LED tube

A more labor-intensive, but cheaper way is to assemble the lighting yourself. To do this you will need:

• medical transparent tube (for catheter);
• insulated single-core copper wire Ø 0.75 mm;
• LEDs of single-color or colored light, but with the same current and voltage parameters;
• several resistances, the number and ratings are calculated using the method indicated below;
• 9 V battery with connector.

Consumables and tools are the usual: scissors, soldering iron, tin, rosin, transparent adhesive sealant and tape.

Calculation of parameters of circuit elements

If you have the required number of LEDs, but do not know them technical specifications, use the data in the table below.

But for the reliability of calculations, it is better to buy diodes with precisely known parameters. In order not to go into mathematical formulas and methods, we will calculate the resistance parameters using an online calculator (http://cxem.net/calc/ledcalc.php). In addition to the values ​​of the required resistors, it provides a wiring diagram.

LED illumination of bicycle wheels with 8 LEDs on each wheel. The operating voltage of the diodes Un is 2.1 V and the current In is 20 mA, powered by a 9 V battery. We enter these data into the calculation table of the calculator, click the “calculate” segment, we get the diagram and the value of all parameters:

1. Resistor resistance: R1..R2: 30 Ohm (0.05 W);
2. power dissipation on resistors: R1..R2: 12 mW;
3. LED power dissipation: 336 mW;
4. total current consumed by the entire circuit: 40 mA;
5. total power consumed by the entire circuit: 360 mW.

Very practical, you can determine the number of diodes yourself, plug it into a calculator and calculate the parameters of the entire circuit.

Making a tube

• We measure the tube along the radius of the wheel.
• We assemble the diagram obtained using a calculator; the area over which the diodes are evenly distributed should not exceed the length of the tube. To connect to the battery, leave the end no more than 50 cm, then cut off the excess. It is practical to use heat shrink tubing to insulate the solder joints on the contacts.

• Lay out the assembled circuit along the table, bend the legs so that they are tightly adjacent to the wiring harness, and the heads are turned in the direction of the power source. This will simplify the procedure for threading the wire into the tube.
• Thread an elastic steel wire into the tube, secure the end of the wire with the LEDs and pull it inside. Disconnect the wire and seal that end with clear caulk.
• Connect the wires to the battery, observing the polarities; if everything works fine, fill the other end with the wire terminals with sealant.

Such an LED tube can be attached to the wheels of a bicycle, threaded between the spokes, and onto the frame with transparent tape. An economical option for an LED tube is much cheaper than an LED strip; it will work reliably, ensure your safety and attract passers-by with beautiful illumination.

Cool autumn evening. The sun is setting early and dusk is coming faster. There's another rush at work, and I'm staying late again. I'm riding my bike home. I turn on the speaker. As long as the road is normal, I’m driving fast, and the headlight illuminates everything well.

But then I turn into an alley, and maneuvering between potholes begins. I slow down. The light from the headlight dims, and at some point I fly into a pothole without having time to react. Yo#$%##! When will these roads be repaired?

Maybe power the headlight from a battery so that you can see the road even at low speeds? But since I don’t drive often at night, I can easily forget to charge the battery, and then I’ll have to drive without lights.

I didn’t want to buy something branded and expensive. My bicycle is quite old, from MMVZ. He's still in good condition(of course I change parts periodically).

My headlight is Chinese with two bulbs and a low/low switch high beam", but this is of little use. And then, one fine day, I decided to remake it for modern light sources - powerful LEDs, and see what comes of it. Moreover, the changes made must be such that in case of failure, everything can be returned back.

The solution is the simplest - we take out the light bulbs and put two one-watt white LEDs in their place.

But LEDs are not light bulbs. LEDs need constant voltage for power, and the generator (dynamics) produces alternating voltage. Therefore, you also need a rectifier and a filter. Also, the stability of the power supply is important for LEDs. current. At a current less than the nominal one, the light output decreases, and at a higher current, the light output increases, but the service life of the LED is sharply reduced - the LED quickly fails.

There are special drivers for powering LEDs, but I decided not to bother and assemble the simplest current stabilizer on a microcircuit. Example diagram from the datasheet:

I have a generator 12 volt, power 6 Watt. It turns out that he can give out 0,5 Ampere current. Present on the second contact 2,5 Volts to power the tail light bulb. We will not use this contact, but back light We will also convert it to LEDs.

Let's do the calculations

The rear light can be equipped with bright red LEDs. Since the operating voltage of one red LED is on average 2 V, then we connect 3 pieces in series. Then the voltage drop across the chip is:
12 - (3 * 2 + 1.25) = 4.75 V
LED operating current 20 mA. To be on the safe side, it’s better to take a little less - 15 mA. Power dissipated by the microcircuit:
P = 4.75 * 0.015 = 0.07 W
Here you can use the microcircuit LM317L. Her maximum current 100 mA, the stock is enough.
The resistor resistance in this case is:
R = 1.25 / 0.015 = 83 Ohm
We take a standard resistor 82 Ohm. The current through the LEDs will remain almost the same:
I = 1.25 / 82 = 0.0152 A
Resistor power:
P = 1.25 * 0.0152 = 0.019 W
A resistor of any power is suitable, for example, 0,125 or 0.25 W.

Drawing a diagram

Each stabilizer will be mounted in the body of its “own” flashlight. Diode bridges - any one-ampere. The larger the capacitance of the electrolytic capacitors of the filters, the more stable the lighting will be at low speed, when the generator frequency is low. Operating voltage of capacitors - not less than 25 V.
To power the circuit, you can also use 12 volt battery providing the required current. Or make a combined option and install the “generator - battery” switch:

In wet weather, when the dynamics slip, we switch to the battery, and in dry weather, or when the battery is discharged, we use a generator. The polarity of the battery connection does not matter in this case, since there are diode bridges. But if you plan to power it only from the battery, then they can be removed, and then you need to observe the polarity.

Practical implementation

I thought for a long time about how to fix the board in front light. I decided to screw it with one screw to the contact blade where the light bulb had previously connected (I left the switch unused). The same screw presses the stabilizer chip to the radiator. The radiator is composed of three U-shaped copper plates. It turns out this “sandwich”:

A copper radiator removes heat more efficiently than an aluminum one, so its dimensions will be smaller with the same heat transfer. During the tests, I checked its heating - it does not heat up much.

We fix the board inside the lantern:

To prevent it from dangling from shaking, I lined it around with this kind of foam material that is used in packaging:

One of the wires going to diode bridge, solder to the corresponding contact on the flashlight, or through the terminal block to the generator. We connect the second wire to the bicycle body - this is “ground”.
Attention! Neither LEDs, nor a radiator, nor any other circuit element can be connected to ground!
It is necessary to exclude an accidental short circuit to the body, which can occur when shaking while driving. One more point:
Observe the polarity of connecting the LEDs!
For serial connection "-" the previous LED is connected to "+" subsequent. During installation, you can use colored wires, and if they are the same color (for example, like mine - MGTF), then we mark them somehow in advance.

To mount one-watt LEDs in the front light, I came up with the following design:

In the larger hole (central) there are M12 washers on both sides, in the smaller one - M10. Two holes are drilled in the washers for M3 screws, which secure the washers together with the LEDs. The washers also serve as a small additional heatsink for the LEDs. We drill another hole - for supplying wires. On the LED side, do not forget to place insulating washers under the screw heads to prevent short circuits. (see photo at the beginning of the article). On the reverse side, we place washers and screws under the nuts to prevent self-unscrewing.

Tests

That's all for today.
I wish everyone safe driving on the roads!

Reader vote

The article was approved by 38 readers.

Introduction

I am writing this article to help those who have the time and desire to make their own lights on a bike, but have no practical experience. Those who want to repeat the design or make their own will need minimal skill in working with electricians, and somewhat more in plumbing. The theory of the issue can also be viewed at www.realbiker.ru and zid.nm.ru (I found a lot of useful information there). Read the rest below :)

Why was all this necessary?

First, about where the idea itself came from self-made lighting system for a bicycle instead of the banal purchase of a headlight in a store, dimensions and installation of them on the bike.

• Firstly, there were money restrictions, and costs had to be minimized. So people who have the opportunity to painlessly buy for a few thousand rubles a pair of powerful branded halogen bicycle lights, nickel-metal hydride batteries for them, as well as good Charger, may not read further - go quickly to the store, they are already waiting for you there ;-).
• Secondly, “Safety on the road comes first!”, but I did not have bright cycling clothes, and it was not planned to purchase them for the 2006 cycling season for the same financial reasons. Accordingly, the headlight and clearance should have made me noticeable on the road. Everything about evening and night trips is already clear - the lack of normal lighting equipment on a highway at night can easily cost your life.
• Thirdly, I wanted to have not just a headlight and a rear light, but a modular system that allows you to arbitrarily replace its individual components, receiving, depending on the goal, either the most powerful light for half an hour, or a weak light for several days.
• Fourthly, I love to design - so why not do something useful in the off-season?

Theory - what to strive for?

Before you take up the file and crimp for the terminals, it would be nice to have an idea of ​​​​what we want to get in the end. Therefore, I will mention some points that are worth remembering when purchasing parts and assembling the system (those who are impatient can immediately move on to the practical part).

primary goal

With a minimum expenditure of money, time and labor, obtain a lighting system that is universal (do not focus on the design of a particular bike!), portable and lightweight (without the use of tank batteries and spotlights from a construction site!), cheap to operate, maintain and repair, reliable , economical and capable of providing powerful and/or long-lasting illumination on the go.

Principles of system construction

1. Financial feasibility. The price of the system should not exceed 1,000 rubles. (without charger) or 1,500 rub. (with charger). If it turns out to be more expensive, a reasonable question will arise: “Isn’t it cheaper to buy something ready-made?”
2. Maximum unification. Rare and non-standard parts should not be used. Ideally everything lighting devices(headlight, dimensions), terminals, wires, lamps, sockets, diodes and fasteners should be used for domestic automobiles (12 Volt). Non-standard parts and devices - only if it is impossible to avoid their use.
3. Minimizing mass. The lighter the better. (This especially applies to batteries, but at the same time they must also be cheap - a compromise must be sought.) The total mass of the system is no more than 2 kilograms, and that is a lot.
4. Maximum strength. No soldered joints, fragile plastic or glass! A bike in operation inevitably receives blows, plus vibration, branches whipping against the headlight, and other delights. Electrical connections - only terminals, equipment and its fasteners - metal or durable plastic. You should also avoid protruding parts and dangling wires - anything that sticks out or dangles will someday be broken or torn off.
5. Maintainability. For example, wires torn from the terminal can be pushed under it and clamped - everything will work. Replacing a burnt-out lamp with a car socket with a similar new one costs 5 rubles, and they are sold at any auto store. I think the point is clear.
6. Dirt and moisture resistance. Lamps must be protected from dirt and water from the road. Water should not splash in the headlights - the lamps may burst and the contacts may corrode. All electrical connections must also be protected - otherwise they will oxidize, and heavy rain and can close.
7. Economical. Where you can use diodes instead of lamps - we do. True, the brightness of the light decreases significantly - but here you have to decide what is more important - power or operating time.
8. Modular design. It is desirable that the light element and power source are not a monoblock - it will be possible not to take a heavy battery for daytime rides and not to dismantle the headlight.

We could probably mention a few more principles, but these are the main ones, and the general concept of them is quite clear. Let's move on to practice.

We select and purchase equipment

Light elements

We use either automobile or motorcycle lamps (headlights from Soviet light motorcycles, small round tuning halogen fog lamps for the VAZ-2110, etc.), or bicycle lamps for car lamps, or we make something ourselves.

I bought a headlight set from Tourist in the fall of 2005 - rear marker- Dynamka (Ukrainian-made, 180 rubles). All equipment is made entirely of galvanized/chromed iron; in the headlight, the central base is a standard automobile one, and the side base is for a Soviet threaded bulb. The headlight has a mode switch such as “low beam - high beam - low and high beam”. The rear marker is also suitable for a Soviet threaded light bulb. Wire fastening - spring clamps. Fastening the headlights and markers to the bicycle is done with ugly-looking clamps on the head tube and seatpost. The kit included wires and lamps: 2 high beams (12 volts) for the car socket, 2 threaded ones (12 volts) for low beam, 1 threaded one (2.5 volts) for rear marker.

In addition, 2 LEDs were purchased in car sockets: white (50 rubles) and red (20 rubles). If you focus on power, and not on dim light for several days, you don’t need to buy them. Different options for lamps and diodes that can be used are presented in the photo.

Current source

Here is the most interesting thing. If you stop at a voltage of 12 volts (and you can’t do otherwise), goodbye wide choose, cheapness and availability car lamps and diodes), then the choice in principle is as follows: a dynamic generator, a motorcycle lead battery, a sealed lead battery from an uninterruptible power supply, a block of nickel-cadmium (nickel-metal hydride) batteries (10 pieces X 1.2 volts = 12 volts).

The option with 10 nickel batteries disappears immediately - the price is prohibitive. For example, an NH battery of AA form factor (it makes no sense to take AAA or less) for 2.8 ampere-hours costs about 100 rubles. 10 pieces - 1000 rub. Plus - 500-800 rubles for a good charge (and a bad one will quickly ruin the batteries, they are very sensitive to the charging mode). It turns out to be too expensive, and also inconvenient - the batteries will have to be charged in 2-3 passes.

I tried to use a 12-volt dynamic generator (see photo) - its autonomy is very tempting (fortunately, I didn’t have to buy it - it came with a headlight). And he even went with him on the Salyut in October 2005 for sea trials. And when I returned, I took it off the bike forever. The disadvantages - additional effort required for pedaling, noise, weight, lack of light when stopping at traffic lights - outweighed its only advantage, that same autonomy.

The only option in which the use of a generator is justified is an autonomous bicycle trip into the wilderness for two weeks. In this case, it makes sense to create a powerful electrical system on the bike, comparable to a motorcycle - the speaker is turned on continuously and charges onboard battery through the diode assembly (we rectify the current), the lamp (we limit the current) and the voltage regulator (we limit the voltage), and from the battery the energy is consumed by consumers. The system is complex, heavy and completely unnecessary under normal operating conditions. So we forget about the dynamics.

As a result, they remain lead acid batteries. Cheap and uncritical to the charge mode, although heavy. It is better not to use a motorcycle one - it is sensitive to turning over (electrolyte may leak), but we all love to put the bike on the saddle and handlebars! So we buy sealed battery from the uninterruptible power supply. I bought it in the spring of 2006 at CHIPiDIP (Soviet Army Street in the area of ​​the Economic Academy) for 300 rubles. (approximately) 12 volts, 2.3 ampere-hours and weighing 1.5 kilograms. The terminals are automotive, male type.

Wires and insulation

We buy ordinary copper wires, with a cross-section of 0.5-0.75 mm, flexible, in black (or to match the color of your frame) insulation. 2-3 meters is enough, it will cost 10-20 rubles. You can buy it at a car store or at the Bird Market.

I didn’t buy wires - back in 1999, I pulled it from an abandoned field telephone line in the Soksky quarry department there were 20 meters of black wire - it turned out to be an excellent thing (6 copper wires, and in the center there is a steel one, it’s basically impossible to break, they’re just a bit harsh). I used them.

For another 25 rubles, you need to buy a roll of black (or - to match the color of your frame) imported electrical tape - insulate the wiring and screw the wires to the frame. Do not take the domestic one - it comes off more often and is too thick.

Electrical products

You will need a device that can turn the headlights on/off. I used an iron toggle switch (costs 25 rubles, I bought it at Tourist), it can withstand current up to 30 amperes. I connected it according to the ground switch circuit (i.e. it de-energizes all circuits at once), since there is a switch on the headlight to control the front light. You can look for motorcycle switches on the handlebars, but there will be extra wires.

It is a good idea to install a fuse. The optimal one is a disposable blade car fuse (see photo) for 5 amperes in a special socket (the socket costs about 25 rubles, you can buy it at Autofastener at the intersection of Stavropolskaya St. and 22 Party Congress St.). Such fuses are found on “tens”, new “Volgas”, they are very reliable and their price is pennies on any car market)

Electrical connecting elements

No options - standard car terminals (see photo). The price in the auto store is 50 kopecks. per piece, you need 10 pieces (they are different, according to the “mom and dad” principle, you buy 5 of one, 5 of the other). You can also buy silicone protective caps for the terminals there (RUB 1 each), but you can do without them - just wrap them with electrical tape.

Other equipment

Well, the battery needs to be put somewhere - accordingly, you need a stretcher bag. There is, however, an option that I implemented on the Salyut - a battery with a mass switch is attached to the inclined pipe of the frame with a pair of clamps. However, this option is not the best - the aesthetics are compromised, dust, dirt and water get in and a short circuit can occur, and you will have to charge the battery without removing it from the bike. In general, it’s better to put it in your bag, i.e. prepare 200 rubles. I made the bag myself from the case from the Fa gift perfume set - I saved some money.

Then, the battery needs to be charged periodically. Good for those who have a compact charger for car battery- you can use it by limiting it with a resistor charging current and strictly observing the charging time. I keep the bike on the balcony at home, and the charger weighs 30 kg. I have it hanging on the wall in my garage - I had to look for an alternative.

An alternative was the old Chinese power supply with adjustable voltage(see photo). Because of its “quality” in the “12 volt” mode, it actually gives 13-15, which is what we need (at a current of 0.1 ampere).

We connect a powerful germanium diode to the “positive” terminal (this guarantees that when the voltage drops on the charger, the current will not flow in the opposite direction, i.e. from the battery), then an LED (this is a charge indication), then a lamp (it protects the LED, roughly limiting the charging current), then a resistor (needed to accurately limit the current to 0.02 amperes). With a current of 0.02 amperes, the battery will charge for a very long time (with a capacity of 2.3 ampere-hours - 115 hours or 5 days), but it can never be turned off - there will be no overcharging. To quickly charge a very low battery, it is possible to connect a charger to it, bypassing the “diode-LED-lamp-resistor” circuit, but here you need to keep an eye on the time and switch to normal charging mode at the right time. Below is a diagram.

I would still recommend buying the cheapest car charger - it’s easier than doing it yourself, and not everyone has diodes, resistors and old power supplies lying around at home. It will probably cost 500 rubles. I didn’t spend a penny, but I was just lucky - I had all the necessary equipment.

Assembly, installation and connection

Tools

When starting to assemble the system, you need to have some tools. I will list what I used myself. If some can be dispensed with, this will be indicated. If they can be replaced with something, it will be indicated with what (and the consequences).

1. A drill with drills, a hacksaw for metal or a grinder, needle files, an electric sharpener - you will need it when you make homemade brackets for headlights/side markers from metal. If you find ready-made fasteners, you can do without them.
2. Stripper (see photo, tool with green handles). A combination tool that combines good wire cutters (for cutting wires) and calibrated holes (for removing insulation from wires). For the purpose of cutting wires, it can be successfully replaced with wire cutters, scissors, a knife, an ax - in general, any cutting tool. For stripping purposes, a knife, a safety razor blade, or scissors are quite suitable (you can try it with your teeth, if you don’t mind them).
3. Crimping (see photo, tool with red handles). Special tool for crimping automotive terminals. Quite expensive (from 300 rubles) and a rare tool (ask your auto electrician friends - maybe they will give you one). I saw it cheaper in “Castorama”, but “left” - it’s quite possible that this one will do for once or twice. I bought it for 300 rubles. the cheapest is normal, because replacing the instrument panel on a UAZ on your own without it would turn into an act of masochism. Can be replaced with pliers, but the quality of crimping will be greatly reduced. In general, think for yourself :)
4. Scissors - cut electrical tape. Surely everyone has one, so use it. I don’t recommend tearing the electrical tape with your hands - before it breaks, it stretches and becomes whitish - it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing.

Mechanical work

We start by installing the headlight. I tested two mounting options on the Salyut and two on the Merida.

On the Salyut, the headlight was initially mounted on a bracket for the reflector (see photo).

The standard headlight bracket simply did not fit on the bike. I had to get twisted and put a plastic clamp on the outside (from the rear standard reflector of the Merida), and on it, on top of the steering wheel, a headlight (see photo).

The fasteners are very reliable, although not very aesthetically pleasing. Yes, the headlight had to be turned upside down, but fortunately it is round, and this did not affect the distribution of light.

There were two options for mounting the rear marker - both were quite successful. On the Salyut, the rear marker was attached to a hole drilled in the rear trunk rod (see photo).

Since the clamp was made of plastic, we had to run an additional “negative” wire from the nearest screw on the frame to the overall housing.

The battery was initially interlocked with a ground switch and installed through a rubber gasket on the inclined pipe of the Salyut frame using clamps (see photo).

Actually, the very shape of the battery contributed greatly to this. However, the disadvantages of this mounting option have already been mentioned earlier. Therefore, on the Merida, the battery was already placed in a subframe bag, and the mains switch and fuse were hanging in the same bag next to the battery on wires. This scheme turned out to be quite successful and did not raise any complaints.

Electric installation work

My wiring diagram is shown in the figure, and consists of four sections (not counting the two ground wires connecting the headlight and marker housings to the frame), which are numbered:

1. Battery negative terminal - Main switch - Bicycle frame
2. Battery positive terminal - Fuse socket - Distribution terminal
3. Distribution terminal - Tail light
4. Distribution terminal - Headlight

In principle, this circuit is the required minimum, and it can be painlessly modified to connect additional consumers. The main thing is not to connect anything that bypasses the mains switch and fuse.

Having decided on the diagram, we estimate the placement of the headlight, clearance and battery on the frame, and cut the wire to the appropriate length. Having cut off the necessary pieces of wires, we insert the contacts into the headlight and headlight - depending on their design, you will need to strip the ends and either place them under a spring clamp, or clamp them with a screw, or crimp the corresponding terminal and put it on the mating part in the headlight / headlight.

Then, using automotive terminals and crimping, we form the remaining branches of the wiring.

The last stage is to carefully pull the wires from the seat bag along the frame to the headlight and marker so that they do not interfere and are invisible, and secure them with electrical tape in two or three turns. We connect all the contact pairs (do not confuse the polarity - the diodes can easily be destroyed when switched back on), where necessary, we isolate them.

Then we check the operation: turn the light on and off, switch modes. We also check the reliability of fastening of all elements and wires. You can just twitch with your hands, but it’s better to go on a test ride (in the daytime, of course), and it’s advisable to keep the headlights and parking lights on the whole way, and choose the route along the most bumpy dirt roads. Upon return, any deficiencies noted will need to be corrected.

Operating experience, problems encountered and prospects for modernization

Exploitation

The system was operated throughout the 2006 season - from April to September. When driving along the highway, the headlights and parking lights were turned on regardless of the time of day (except for days with bright sun) - in order to become noticeable to motorists and not be hit by a car. There was only one full night ride. In the dark, the headlight light is quite bright, yellowish in color (since the lamps are ordinary - not krypton/halogen), a uniform oval spot extended forward.

Initially, the headlight used a combination of “high beam - diode, low beam - lamp”, and the diode was almost useless during the day and therefore was usually not turned on. The brightness of the light can be assessed from a photograph.

The rear marker was used in versions with a diode and a lamp. The brightness of the lamp is excellent, the brightness of the diode is so-so (in the dark, however, it’s fine). From the photo you can evaluate the brightness with a lamp - taken on a rainy day.

The lamps neither in the headlight nor in the side marker burned out - apparently this is due to the stable voltage supplied by the battery.

I have never been able to discharge the battery to zero while riding. On average, the operating time of the headlight at maximum mode was an hour and a half (like 45 minutes along the highway with a headlight to the City Council, then through the forest without a headlight, and another 45 minutes with a headlight on the way back). I would estimate the energy reserve in the battery to be one and a half to two hours at maximum light power.

Problems

Most of the problems encountered during operation were related to imperfections technical solutions, applied when assembling the system. To put it simply, some “shoals” periodically surfaced and were eliminated during operation.

The main difficulties were associated with the low quality of the headlights. The spring-loaded contacts of the lamps sometimes became loose (and the lamps went out). Due to the weak latch holding the headlight glass, it opened a couple of times while driving. The mode switch initially did not work clearly.

Problems were solved by periodically rebuilding the headlight. The contacts were tightened with pliers, the latch was replaced with a plate with bolts and nuts, and the insulating gasket in the mode switch was replaced. After this, the headlight began to work more or less reliably.

The only problem that has not been completely overcome is that sometimes the “ground” on the headlight disappears. Treated with a blow to the body. Helps immediately and until the end of the trip.

There were also a couple of cases of wires breaking in places where the terminals were crimped (due to sharp jerks when hitting the bag) - this was immediately eliminated by inserting the broken end under the terminal clamp.

There was only one short circuit - it was my own fault, I closed the positive contact of the headlight to the housing with a screwdriver when I was tightening the fasteners. The fuse protected the wires, but, of course, it burned out - I had to change it, since it was quick and inexpensive.

Modernization

At the time of writing, I am generally satisfied with the system. However, “the best is the enemy of the good,” so I will list a number of improvements and modifications that can (or even need) be implemented.

2. Now resistors, you can use either Chinese or Soviet ones. In USSR it will be written 2.2 K, but the resistance of Chinese must be determined by color. Use 0.125 or 0.25 W resistors. The resistor is non-polar.

3. For the bicycle flasher circuit, we need two electrolytic capacitors with a capacity of 470 uF, 16V, or more. You can generally use a different capacitance, then the blinking frequency will change. Our capacitors are also polar, so don’t confuse +/-. The negative on the capacitor is marked with a stripe.

4. Now the most important thing is the transistor. You can use KT3107, or its analogue BC557. The transistor has three terminals: B (base), K (collector), E (emitter). It is very important not to confuse them!

All the details have been sorted out. Now let's move on to the board. You can do without it, that is, do everything with hanging installation. It's up to you to decide. You can download the flasher board here.

1. First, we make a printed circuit board and tin it. Now, to prepare the tracks for soldering, degrease them with acetone or ethyl alcohol.

2. Take two 2.2 kOhm resistors and solder them to the desired location on the board.

3. Next are two electrolytic capacitors of 470 microfarads, about 16 volts, maybe more. Don't forget about polarity!

4. Now you need to solder two KT3102 or BC557 transistors. It is important here not to confuse their pinouts, otherwise the circuit will not work.

5. And finally, the final stage of creating an LED flasher is soldering in the LEDs (I have them green). Here it is also important not to confuse +/-; do not forget that the long lead of an LED is the anode (+), and the shorter one is the cathode (-).

All is ready. If you assembled the circuit correctly and applied voltage to it, it will work immediately. All that remains is to secure it in a suitable place or bicycle. Below you can watch a video of the LED flasher in action.

If you need to connect more powerful LEDs, or pieces of diode strip, increase the power supply to 12-15V and install more powerful transistors. Multivibrator assembly and testing: EGOR

Discuss the article FLASHING LIGHTS FOR BICYCLES