Freelights - low drag lighting system

There is an active thread about this rather dubious looking system
over in rec.bicycles.tech. There was also a thread about it here a few
months ago. See http://makeashorterlink.com/?L28744576 or
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?hl....rec.cycli ng

I just noticed from the website that they are planning to be at the
British Invention Show (stall 86) at the Barbican in London from today
until Sunday. I was just wondering whether anyone was planning to go
to that show, and if so would they care to spend a few minutes looking
at this thing?

It would be interesting to know: how bright the lights are, whether
they come close to resembling a proper lighting system, whether their
marketer believes they are remotely legal to fit to a bike in this
country, and any other general impressions.

--
Dave...

Dave Kahn wrote:

There is an active thread about this rather dubious looking system
over in rec.bicycles.tech. There was also a thread about it here a few
months ago. See http://makeashorterlink.com/?L28744576 or
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?hl....rec.cycli ng

I just noticed from the website that they are planning to be at the
British Invention Show (stall 86) at the Barbican in London from today
until Sunday. I was just wondering whether anyone was planning to go
to that show, and if so would they care to spend a few minutes looking
at this thing?

AFAICS it's just like a cycle computer in that the magnet passing the
stator induces a tiny current in the circuit - enough to make a small
LED flash. Virtually no power at all.

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 17:34:06 +0000, Zog The Undeniable
wrote:

AFAICS it's just like a cycle computer in that the magnet passing the
stator induces a tiny current in the circuit - enough to make a small
LED flash. Virtually no power at all.

That's right. I suppose I'm really interested in how a UK company
(albeit a tiny one) can get away with pushing something so obviously
inadequate and plainly illegal to use. Unless of course I'm wrong and
they somehow resemble a proper lighting system.

--
Dave...

Dave Kahn wrote:
On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 17:34:06 +0000, Zog The Undeniable
wrote:


AFAICS it's just like a cycle computer in that the magnet passing the
stator induces a tiny current in the circuit - enough to make a small
LED flash. Virtually no power at all.


That's right. I suppose I'm really interested in how a UK company
(albeit a tiny one) can get away with pushing something so obviously
inadequate and plainly illegal to use. Unless of course I'm wrong and
they somehow resemble a proper lighting system.

--
Dave...
But with a magnet on every spoke, it might be quite good, although there
would start to be penalty in having a heavier wheel.

In article , Michael Ferenczi wrote:
Dave Kahn wrote:
On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 17:34:06 +0000, Zog The Undeniable
wrote:


AFAICS it's just like a cycle computer in that the magnet passing the
stator induces a tiny current in the circuit - enough to make a small
LED flash. Virtually no power at all.


That's right. I suppose I'm really interested in how a UK company
(albeit a tiny one) can get away with pushing something so obviously
inadequate and plainly illegal to use. Unless of course I'm wrong and
they somehow resemble a proper lighting system.

--
Dave...
But with a magnet on every spoke, it might be quite good, although there
would start to be penalty in having a heavier wheel.

What's wrong with a normal hub dynamo? Looking at their web site, they look
about as crap as a very crap thing.

I've seen LED torches that work on a better system than that. The torches
have a spring magnet suspended on a PTFE track inside the torch. General
movement of the torch (they are intended for use on boats) charges up the
battery. They are quite bright too. I'd have thought a slightly more refined
system would be ok for bikes.

Whatever, I'm sure we'll all be using LEDs in our lifetime, especially as
their luminence increases with development. Incandescent light bulbs are
hopelessly inefficient (a large percentage of the energy is wasted as heat)
and also very unreliable. LEDs are efficient and last forever. They are
already being adopted for navigation lights on sailing boats which have
limited electron supplies like bikes.

On Fri, 7 Nov 2003 20:43:05 +0100, "Ric" wrote:

They are
already being adopted for navigation lights on sailing boats which have
limited electron supplies like bikes.

There's no shortage of electrons on my bike, It's pumping them around
the lighting circuit that provides the challenge.

--
Dave...

Dave Kahn wrote:

There's no shortage of electrons on my bike, It's pumping them around
the lighting circuit that provides the challenge.

I can only fit two Campagnolo Electrons on my bike and it would be a real
challenge to get them into the light let alone keep cycling at the same time
with no wheels ;-)

Tony

On Fri, 7 Nov 2003 20:43:05 +0100, Ric wrote:

Whatever, I'm sure we'll all be using LEDs in our lifetime, especially as
their luminence increases with development. Incandescent light bulbs are
hopelessly inefficient (a large percentage of the energy is wasted as
heat)
and also very unreliable. LEDs are efficient and last forever. They are
already being adopted for navigation lights on sailing boats which have
limited electron supplies like bikes.


LEDs aren't actually particularly more efficient than a good incadescent
with a regulated power supply, IIRC.* Unless of course you want light of
only one particular frequency, then they can put it out pure, without the
need for filtering, which of course makes them much more efficient.

Having said that, however, Chris Juden, the CTC's technical officer, said
recently he'd seen demos of high power LEDs and that they were getting
impressive. But they're not currently a panacea, and are certainly well
below, e.g. a compact fluorescent in terms of efficiency.

Ambrose

*From the mailing list BikeCurrent at topica.com if you want to follow it
up. I've long since unsubscribed since it was high traffic and I wasn't
actually doing anything with electricity on bikes anyway...