Got my new bike light... pretty disappointed...

[friendly1uk]

So my new bike light arrived today, and its pretty disappointing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191304896814?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
It has an extremely focused beam,.....

Tip/hack for the U2 LED Light:

Open the front cover of the lamp
and turn the "crystal" upside down.
(...and totaly remove the round metalic part and the round rubber ,if there is any)

Now close the lamp, you may not be able to close the front cover totaly now,
but that is fine (dont force it!! or you may break something),
you can use some transparent tape to reinforce the closing gap.

Now you have a cool wide angle beam!!

.

That is very useful. I have just realised it's the led I'm considering in a reasonable box. If I ditch the lens for a window it might be my starting point.

If the OP doesn't want to mod his light, I have £10 for it now it has no warranty.

 

[ebike]

.
I have this version of the U2 lamp with the "led ring" on the sides (not realy a led ring,just a bit of plastic in different colors),
which is not exactly the same as the original poster but I belive the hack should work the same way :
Universal Motorcycle Car Bike Cree U2 LED 12V 30W Fog Spot Head Lamp Durable
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Motorcycle-Car-Bike-Cree-U2-LED-12V-30W-Fog-Spot-Head-Lamp-Durable-/221652651215?

I love the U2 lamp after this hack ,
This is probably the fastest and easiest way to turn this lamp more useful...
...from pure disappointment to pure satisfaction.

I can however not guarantee that not more heat is produced inside the lamp and what
consequences it may have in the long run ,but if one adds small heatsinks on the lamp body
it may protect the lamp from any possible extra heat inside.

.

 

[biohazardman]

They look alright. What are they. Do you have a link?

I'm looking for a light that will take 50v and has perhaps a 45 degree beam/viewing angle. Few modes as possible. Must be a single led.

I have seen a fair few on the bay, but divergence is never stated and output is exaggerated. I can't make an informed decision.

Sorry have not been here in a while. The light is the old original Magicshine from some years back. It like most of the bike lights is 8.4 volts. There are a few out now that have DC-DC converters included in the drivers so will take more voltage. Yes, most things are exaggerated majorly by many and that ruins it for the honest people who do not overstate the actual lumens. It's hard to know what you will end up with when you order that's why reviews like on amazon are such a good idea as most of those who have purchased the items tell it like it is.
I wish you luck in your quest for the perfect bike light.

 

[MAGICPIE3FOCUSPOWER]

So my new bike light arrived today, and its pretty disappointing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191304896814?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
It has an extremely focused beam,.....

Tip/hack for the U2 LED Light:

Open the front cover of the lamp
and turn the "crystal" upside down.
(...and totaly remove the round metalic part and the round rubber ,if there is any)

Now close the lamp, you may not be able to close the front cover totaly now,
but that is fine (dont force it!! or you may break something),
you can use some transparent tape to reinforce the closing gap.

Now you have a cool wide angle beam!!

.

Any pictures of this mod?

 

[friendly1uk]

Got the mirror mod done to the U2.
At 150 meters across a river valley, I could make out the tree trunks at the edge of some deep woodland.

At 18mph I could see pleanty 10 seconds ahead of me for path use.

 

[NeilP]

looks good

I've been playing with 'peaks' over the top and front of the lamp , but not a great success. Needs to extend out a good 20 cm to make any really difference to the pattern to stop light spilling upwards and blinding people.

 

[friendly1uk]

Yes, essentially the same thing, but further away, thus must be bigger. Ideally the led would be a true point source, and the mirror perfectly on axis.
I could not trial the mirrors position, and have it's forward edge on the leds axis. I should of really gone for level, and accepted the defect at the horizon, caused by not being in that impossible perfect position. Instead, I have a bit too much angle, putting light in the foreground that would of been better further out. My horizon has no reflected light. A standard U2 would do better at distance. I'm going to shift the mirror...

I have pics in another thread, but I have lost it for now. They show the lamp without the lens, so you see the beam spread, and the cut-off works perfectly. Above the lighting horizon you can look at the light without any blindness, even when your surroundings are just catching moonlight. Get in that beam, and your in physical pain.

 

[NeilP]

I guess I'd be looking for what you refer to as the 'defect' on the horizon. I'd like a good cut off at a distance with no light going upwards, which is always the issue with these circular lamps

 

[cwah]

pictures of mod please

 

[friendly1uk]

I had myself a little lost, So have posted this one elsewhere already

It's without the collimating lens. You can see a quite defined horizon. Around the center hangs a transparent bird feeding tube that makes quite a good gauge. Adding the lens just reduces the beams width. The cut-off stays the same. I have essentially put a peaked cap on my led, so you just can't see it. A reflective peak. That's not level, so putting too much light down near the bike.

That was the working side, so you see the led and its reflection. The peak starts right by the led and has the tip of it's peak right on axis. A very shallow angle, but I wish I had found the blutack that night. Slight changes have big effects, and I just guessed and fixed with milliput. Rushing the beta job lol
From above. It's a double sided mirror.

I found it on a forecourt, broken. A wing mirror of some sort. I ground at the surface with a dremel where I wanted to break it, then snapped it like a tile. Trimming it by scoring the surface just the same, then nibbling up to the line with pliers.

 

[NeilP]

Well i am waiting for two new XM-L2'S and driver boards from Mountain Electronics.

I zapped my driver and LED on one lamp the other day. it was good for 12 volts, just but I grabbed a 4s pack to test it..it was at 15 volts...:9 let the smoke out the driver and it put 15 volts across the LED

So I have a new pair of LED's and this driver comign down

http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67&product_id=214
5 amp out CC, with up to 12 volt in. well 3 series Lithium, so probably up to about 13 volts,

my dc-dc is stable at 12 volts, or a little less ..but it is only good for about 1.5 amps, which won't be enough for two of these

 

[friendly1uk]

Should be interesting.

These U2 units are quite heavy. A single bolt between unit and bracket is a weakness like the single bolt from bracket to frame. At both points, some milliput has been used within the joint to make a proper fitting seat, bonded to the bracket as I oiled the forks and light.

I modded the back end by taking off the white plastic extension housing. It just looked eyecatchingly cheap and don't help with cable or light placement issues. I covered the large hole it left with something off the bottom of a table leg, holding it there with milliput, which I cast into the threads the white housing had used. So my leg-end can unscrew for access still.