DOT and StVZO "Legal" Lights for eBikes

[Alan B]

My experience with bicycle lights on the Greyborg, at night, where there are no streetlights, has been less than perfect. I used to have a motorcycle, and I recall the great improvement when I upgraded the headlight there. So I'm wondering if I should consider that for my ebike...

I looked again for LED motorcycle headlights, and I did find one that fits in the Harley headlight, but it is very pricey. Hopefully there will be more product later, but at the moment there is not much for us to consider. So is it practical to consider a halogen type light on an ebike? These lights have a very good light pattern, meeting various DOT regulations, and they are not all that expensive. They consume 55-60 watts with a DOT street legal bulb (more with offroad bulbs). I cruise on the Borg at about 1,000 watts so this would be 50/1000 or 5% of the energy consumption. So this is really not that much energy (just slightly more than an electric heated vest on high). I would not use it in daylight, LED lights work fine for that situation. But to power this halogen light which runs on 12 volts would require about a 10 amp DC-DC converter. But there is another way, which will be discussed further in my separate thread on 12V RMS regulators: http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=55700

Any suggestions for good Headlight candidates?

Edit - added StVZO information on page 3

 

[Alan B]

I adjusted the thrust of this thread toward DOT rated halogen headlights, it is getting dark early now and the LED bicycle lights are not as good as a quality DOT rated Motorcycle headlight.

 

[teklektik]

I use a generic 4" bobber headlight with a 55/65W H4 bulb. (eBay, mine) - the lens is actually about 3.5" edge to edge, so the whole thing isn't too huge. These come in the usual teardrop or bullet shape - I chose the bullet to get a little extra room in the housing for flasher relay and strobe module. I was going for a kind of retro look, so the headlight was an easy choice....

All the 12v stuff is driven off a 10A converter ($37). Works nice.

 

[Alan B]

Great input. How's the pattern compared to the usual high quality motorcycle light? Can you ride at good speed in darkness with low beam and oncoming cars and still see the pavement far enough out for safety?

 

[teklektik]

Pattern is okay for both hi and lo beams. I frankly ride for enjoyment and don't ride at night because I don't have to - this was installed for those times when I'm running at dusk or really screw up the trip timing. I've tried it at night and would have no issues riding with it - plenty of light, a big highly visible lens for other drivers (not a little nuclear pinpoint). I would not want to claim this is as good as a high-end production headlight - it is what it is: an inexpensive halogen that can give serviceable motorcycle duty - but this is all subjective stuff...

It has a plain vanilla parabolic reflector - not computer shaped - so it's about the same as the vintage headlight that it pretends to be.... there is also a small day-running incandescent in there that I don't use.

 

[Punx0r]

I was all set to rig up a 12V 35W motorcycle HID to my bike when it looked like I'd be doing some offroad night riding.

The advantages of HID are approx twice the light output for the same wattage compared to good halogen (and 3x halogen for LED). I was going to scrounge and old spot or fog lamp and fit a cheap (~$30 USD) universal aftermarket HID kit.

Another option is an OEM headlamp from a scrap motorcycle. Many of the sportsbikes have compact twin headlamps and I reckon one of those would be good. The quality would also be a lot better than the cheap Chinese kits on ebay.

I was put off using high output LEDs primarily by the complexity of the heatsinking requirements and secondly by the cost.

 

[Alan B]

The problem with LEDs is getting the proper beam shaping. Good light below the horizontal and none above. Hence the DOT Street Legal requirement. I commute on a bike lane along a highway for 7 miles with oncoming cars. I need good light to see road conditions, animals and potholes but cannot put light into drivers eyes which all the bright LED bicycle headlights do. Low beam should have the DOT street legal required beam cutoffs and glare reduction shields. High beam is easier, the pattern doesn't need the complicated beam shaping there. High power LEDs can do that fairly well.

DOT HID lights might work but are a lot more complex. It is not clear that aftermarket HID kits are actually legal for street use. Factory HID systems have various features like levelling etc that we are unlikely to match. It would be good if there was one that did meet requirements though.

I hope we can get good LED lights at some point, our new Prius has them and they are quite nice. But they are costly and generally not available in a form we can easily use.

OEM Headlight from a sportbike is good if we can find something that is easy to mount and not integrated into something that makes it hard to use.

 

[cal3thousand]

My suggestion for LED beam creation is to use Projector style lens rather than a reflector. Then using tape or maybe metal, plastic, (whatever), create a horizontal cut off by blocking the lower half of the projector lens (on the flat side; inside the light). The top half of a projector beam makes up the bottom portion of the throw.

Here's a diagram illustrating the principle: (bottom left)

 

[Alan B]

Nice diagram of projector lights. That appears to be what our Prius has.


Here are some projector LED headlights from eBae

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-7-ROUND-HALO-LED-PROJECTOR-HEADLIGHTS-H6014-H6015-H6024-H4-HONDA-JEEP-/131050925760?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e833e6ec0&vxp=mtr


non projector LED headlamp:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Low-Beam-5-30-LED-Headlight-Lamp-For-Honda-Kawasaki-Yamaha-Suzuki-Harley/281220010892?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D3148789359918371001%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D130971950775%26

 

[Alan B]

Moved the RMS regulator to a separate thread.

Let's keep finding good headlight candidates here for ebikes - halogen, LED, or HID!

 

[yopappamon]

DX.com has lots of different LED options

http://dx.com/p/m1304-waterproof-1000lm-6000k-cree-xm-l-u2-white-led-lamp-for-motorcycle-electrocar-227905

This one would be awesome on a bike, 3370 lumen! 3 wires so there might even be low and high beams
http://dx.com/p/b-45f5-45w-3370lm-5500k-15-led-white-light-car-headlight-floodlight-reversing-lamp-9-32v-262886

http://dx.com/p/exled-30w-108lm-8-led-white-headlight-spotlight-for-electric-car-motorcycle-scooter-12v-254542

http://dx.com/p/cyt-14w-1350lm-2-led-white-light-motorcycle-headlamp-12v-234733

I bought this one for a solar project, it's well constructed and very bright.

http://dx.com/p/lml-0727b-27w-6000k-1890lm-9-led-white-light-ultrathin-led-offroad-astigmatism-beam-light-black-251746

 

[Alan B]

These LED lights (just above) look good for high beam or flood lighting, but they don't have the proper beamshape for low beam that cuts off sharply and avoids throwing light into drivers eyes.

Interesting that some of them don't state their operating voltage range. Others do.

Lots of interesting ideas there!

 

[cal3thousand]

http://dx.com/p/m1304-waterproof-1000lm-6000k-cree-xm-l-u2-white-led-lamp-for-motorcycle-electrocar-227905

^ This one would make an excellent candidate for the beam cutoff mod.

Here are some beam shots that I dug up from a quick test using masking tape and a CREE Q5 flashlight on a single 18650:





Notice that the top portion of the beam is chopped. When aiming it so that it fills the road, upward glare is greatly reduced. Top pic is NORMAL and bottom is MODIFIED. (disregard intensity difference as that was a result of the camera and not the modification)

 

[cal3thousand]

The more I think of it, the more I would like to see a mirrored surface as a cutoff shield.

That way, instead of creating extra heat, the light would bounce of the mirror, go back into the light reflector and then bounce back out the top of the projector lens.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

Why not a DOT (or not) LED motorcycle Headlight?:
Two DIY (not DOT):
http://www.instructables.com/id/Twin-High-Power-LED-Motorcycle-Headlights/

Twin High-Power LED Motorcycle Headlights

This guide shows you one way to make a pair of high powered LED headlights for your chopper, hog, crotch-rocket, cruiser, scoot, or just plain motorcycle. The design uses readily available copper fittings for the housing and some bronze threaded rod for the mounting. Each motorcycle install may be different than that depicted here but the general idea is applicable.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Twin-High-Power-LED-Motorcycle-Headlights/?download=pdf

Similar techniques are detailed in some of my other instructables linked below.

Improved-high-power-LED-bike-head-light-with-integ:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Improved-high-power-LED-bike-head-light-with-integ/

High-power-LED-bike-head-light-with-integrated-hea:
http://www.instructables.com/id/High-power-LED-bike-head-light-with-integrated-hea/

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Motorcycle-Headlight/

LED Motorcycle Headlight
In order to reduce the power consumption of the lighting system of my electric vehicle, I took it upon myself to change all of the lighting to LEDs. When it came to replacing the incandescent 18 watt 310 lumen headlight bulb, none of the drop-in LED replacement bulbs looked good to me.

Also none of them offered output levels that were comparable to or better than the bulb I was trying to replace. So I shopped around and decided to make my own. The approach I took was probably more complicated than what most of you will actually need, but since I put both available options in one headlight I can explain how to implement both.

DISCLAIMER
LED headlights are not DOT approved, so use at your own risk. The one I made was installed on an electric moped.
This guide assumes you will be using an input voltage between 12 and 14 volts. If you are using a different input voltage or LEDs of different ratings than what is indicated in this write-up you should use an LED Calculator to determine what resistors you need to use.

The cost of this project ranges from $15 to $65 depending on whether you are making a new headlight from scratch, or adapting an existing fixture to use LEDs. This is primarily meant to be an introduction and overview of the options available for making an LED-only headlight.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Motorcycle-Headlight/?download=pdf

http://www.headlightrevolution.com/Motorcycle_Headlights_s/1850.htm

HID and LED Motorcycle Headlights to fit Harley Davidson, Yamaha and others!

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/29280/i/acerbis-d-o-t--led-vision-hp-headlight

Acerbis D.O.T. Approved LED Vision HP Headlight - Sale $119.99 MSRP $149.95

First D.O.T.-certified headlight on the market featuring L.E.D. light bulbs
L.E.D. lights provide a sleek look while providing brighter, safer lights at night, enhancing the rider's visability
Due to the low energy consumption of the L.E.D.'s, they may remain on while the bike is parked
Made of Nylon and Polypropylene
Transparent plastic lens cover to protect lights
Universal fitting with anti-vibration rubber straps
Total wattage of 50W
Height of light beam is easily adjustable with a handle on the back of the lamp
Comes with light bulbs (H4 35/35W) and adhesive number plate sticker (sticker not applied)

 

[Alan B]

Some interesting ideas there.

Looking for product that is DOT approved or would pass for it - has the beam shaping required on low beam, etc.

The DOT approved LEDs are either expensive, not really e-bike compatible, or have many poor reviews.

Still searching...

 

[yopappamon]

How about recycling a DOT reflector from a car and replacing bulb with an LED lamp?

DX.com has lots of LED replacement lamps for standard car reflectors.

http://dx.com/p/h7-16w-900lm-6500k-2-cree-xp-e-4-cob-led-white-light-car-headlamp-silver-yellow-10-30v-235431

 

[Alan B]

Thanks for those suggestions.

Generally swapping LEDs for filament bulbs works pretty well for indicators, but not for headlights. It doesn't produce the necessary beam pattern, intensity, quality etc. LEDs fundamentally don't emit light in the same pattern as a filament, so swapping one for the other changes the pattern. Also LEDs need cooling that isn't available in a standard headlight reflector.

However, some of those you posted (I wrote this post before the posting above came out) do look like possibilities, providing they work well and have solved the cooling problems.

It is pretty easy to make an LED light that is compatible with high beam needs, but the low beam is much more difficult due to the requirements for cutoff beam shaping. Some DIY attempts sort of work, but if you compare them to a good Halogen they come up short.

I don't know enough about the HID Projector setups, but if those are really DOT legal they might be a good answer. Small and bright. No filament to break. How do they switch to low beam? How long do they take to come up to full output? So much of the aftermarket product is car specific it is hard to find much that is generic, and often it is clearly not DOT street legal.

 

[Alan B]

I just read an article about how putting HID bulbs into regular reflectors is inappropriate:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html


So it is important to use a light that is designed from the start to be compatible with the illumination source:

And here are some Hella Headlight modules that are SAE/DOT compliant:

http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/default/auxiliary-lamps/modules/headlamp-modules/90mm-bi-halogen-headlamp-module/ Halogen

http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/default/auxiliary-lamps/modules/90mm-xenon-headlamp-modules/90mm-bi-xenon/ HID

http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/download_file/-/view/650/ 90 series brochure

http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/download_file/-/view/647/ Installation guide

 

[Alan B]

Here is a Hella low beam module. These are halogen and much much cheaper than the HID or Bi-Halogen modules. If a DOT/SAE compliant low beam module is combined with some LED "driving" lights for high beam a good compromise may be possible without the much higher costs of the fully compliant solutions, and it would be compliant on low beam where that matters most:

http://www.amazon.com/HELLA-008193027-Series-Halogen-Headlamp/dp/B00062ZYNK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1

 

[Punx0r]

OEM automotive HID's use the mechnical screen to go from full beam to dipped beam. Having separate bulbs doesn't work due to the warm-up time.

retrofitting HIDs into older, reflector headlamps is a legal grey area here. However, you can usually get an acceptable beam pattern (on dipped beam), but it can take some fiddling with the bulb position to get right. I was told that some bulbs (H4s in this case) have little screws on the tabs, so you can adjusted their position in the lamp to set the beam.

It seems you've got several potential solutions to your problem and each has it's own issues and complications...

 

[Alan B]

Yes, exactly.

The Hella HID modules I linked above require a solenoid module to activate the shutter for low beam. The lamp, bulb and ballast are almost $500 on Amazon, and the solenoid module is another $23 or so. The total of the two was almost exactly $500. Great solution I'm sure but probably more than I want to spend at this point.

The low beam only halogen module is $60 plus $7 for a bulb. Combine that with a pair of LED Driving lights for high beam plus some type of daytime flashing white bicycle LEDs and call it good?

 

[amberwolf]

This is a good thread...what with the "headlight cold war" around here, it's become necessary for me to get something several times brighter than the 1985 Ford LTD car headlight I'm presently using on CrazyBike2. It's a halogen type, high and low beam in one sealed unit, rectangular. Ideally I'd like something that will fit in the same mounting, so I don't have to weld up a whole new mount to the bike for the new one, but at this point I'll take what I can get.


The problem around here is that too many people have headlights that either they're simply running on highbeam, they've misadjusted so they point too high, or they have retrofitted with HID kits in halogen bulbs with no shield, and so when they're even up to half a mile down the road from me, just one car or truck (especially the trucks and SUVs) is so bright that I can't see the road or anything else between where I am and where they're at, AT ALL, except for occasional shadows or reflections off of them. Depends on how bright their lights are, but some of them are running 4 or 8 lights, including stuff hanging down from the fender. Probably illegal but no one ever gets stopped for it, and I discussed the problem with a few officers over the last several months, as I happened to run across them in various places stopped doing paperwork or whatever, to get their take on it, and the only useful advice they had for me was "get a brighter light"--they aren't going to do anything about the people causing the problem itself, even if it they're doing it illegally.


So...that basically leaves me with the option of adding more headlights, or replacing the one I have with something a lot brighter (but one that can be "turned down" when i don't need it to be super-bright, such as when there is no oncoming traffic, cuz I only need it when there is, and their lights are too bright).

Since I'm on a bicycle, there is no legal limit on the number of headlights I can have (as opposed to a motor vehicle, which can only have a max of two on a motorcycle, for instance). So I could do something silly and put a cluster of car headlights on the front, but it would likely be very power inefficient, and though I do have the power to spare (if I build or find a better "12V" DC-DC), I'd rather not deal with lots of extra hardware on the bike if I don't have to. Just having the one is fine with me, though a pair would be nice for redundancy, given the normal way Murphy treats me.


My catch is cost--I need to find the least expensive, locally-available, most power-efficient, but still brightest lighting option that still does the right lighting pattern.

 

[Punx0r]

Alan, I would be surprised if a dipped/low beam automotic lamp wasn't entirely sufficient illumination for a bicycle (i.e. no need for a main/high beam). I reckon it will give you plenty more light than any common bicycle lamp and you just don't need to illuminate the road 100ft+ ahead when you're doing ~30mph.

Afterall, it's normal to drive a car at 60mph with "just" dipped beam lighting the road.

 

[Alan B]

Cost is a problem. The better lights get pricey quick. I like the Hella HIDs but $500 each, and that's before enclosing and powering them! But I suspect if you flash them with HID High Beams they'll at least consider turning their beams down, if that's the issue, but if they're running illegal lights then that won't help.

Some other things might help like antireflective coating on the eyeglasses, or finding a route less travelled.