Possible Low cost, easy Blinker Solution!

[LI-ghtcycle]

I was just at the local Fred Meyers last night, and returning a couple items, and saw these lights:

And I just realized that if you have a front facing light, and rear facing light, they can be blinking all the time, and only when you are signaling do they act as "blinkers" otherwise they are "running lights" when your hands are on the bars.

This way, you can avoid all the mess of wiring in blinkers, etc.!

I feel foolish for not thinking of this before since I have four amber colored "jogging" lights that will be perfect for the job already in my pile of previous projects, and I purposely left them intact enough to return them to their original design. 8)

So, if I had a jogging light that is amber that is designed to go on an arm-band, and I have one facing forward, one facing rear on my arm when signaling, I should be covered. (and I can get my $20 back that I just spent on these last night. )

 

[nebriancent]

easiest way to do blinkers is either a flip flop circuit or use a blinking led in series with the load (providing hey are led lights)

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Here is the link to the original site I bought my blinking LED's from:

http://www.coolflashlights.com/biking-flashlights.html

I haven't been able to find the portion I removed that makes them blink however .. I have an idea, but it's just a matter of looking through my junk from the past year and trying to find the pill bottle I put them in. :lol:

 

[dogman dan]

For the most part, turn signals on a bike will just confuse people. The bike is always running a blinking light, so they won't know the difference. Best thing is to simply point the way you are about to go, with the hand on that side.

Night riding, you just need to make any of your moves at a time when it won't matter if a car sees you or not. Take your time, stop if you must, make your turn when it's clear. Road rights are one thing, but road kill is not worth exercising your road rights.

I get what you mean, the blinkers would only be visible when you pointed. I'd rather just have em on the bike where seen all the time. Then make turns only when I felt safe. No signaling and then relying on it making an impression on the cagers.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

easiest way to do blinkers is either a flip flop circuit or use a blinking led in series with the load (providing hey are led lights)

Oh yeah! Thanks for that, I remember now, they do just flip-flop polarity, but I removed the spring tab at the back when I drilled a hole in the back, just need to ad one thanks!

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

For the most part, turn signals on a bike will just confuse people. The bike is always running a blinking light, so they won't know the difference. Best thing is to simply point the way you are about to go, with the hand on that side.

Night riding, you just need to make any of your moves at a time when it won't matter if a car sees you or not. Take your time, stop if you must, make your turn when it's clear. Road rights are one thing, but road kill is not worth exercising your road rights.

I get what you mean, the blinkers would only be visible when you pointed. I'd rather just have em on the bike where seen all the time. Then make turns only when I felt safe. No signaling and then relying on it making an impression on the cagers.

Well, if I have both my tail light and my head light not blinking, and have the "arm blinkers" going, I think that might help. Also I will have that same monster tail light on the back that is on my trailer, just going to make a mount for both so I can swap it to one or the other.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Well, I just tested out the lights, and they seem to be working quite well, I went to the dollar store, got two dog collars that I will use as arm bands to hold them (right now I am using velcro strips attached to themselves which work, but can't really cinch up like I would like.) and have a quick release.

Pics when I have something to show worth showing. :wink:

 

[amberwolf]

For the most part, turn signals on a bike will just confuse people. The bike is always running a blinking light, so they won't know the difference. Best thing is to simply point the way you are about to go, with the hand on that side.

I don't have any problems with my setups and people understanding what they mean, but I don't have a blinking light on tail or headlight, just steady-on. So blinking a light to either side of the taillight or headlight gets the point across pretty well, though naturally there are always drivers that ignore them like they do everything else around them, so I don't depend on the signals getting across.

I did have tremendous problems with hand signals of any kind, because even the police here don't seem to know what they are, much less any of the regular drivers on the road. Or even other cyclists!

So at least here in Phoenix, lighted turn signals and normal tail and brake lights work better than hand signals, day or night.

 

[dogman dan]

Methinks they see your bike, go "Woah" and pay a bit more attention.

I'm just saying, don't trust a car to make space because he saw your blinker. I've nearly given up using blinkers on the car for simple lane changes. Here, a trun signal seems to mean, speed up and take the space before he turns. Nobody yeilds like they do in California. Here they just cut you off faster if you signal.

Anyway, I'm trying to say, don't make that move till it doesn't matter one bit if they see you at all or not. Especially when night riding.

If you are hurrying, get a motorcycle.

More blinkies sounds great, more visibility is very good. But what motorists seem to understand best, is the pointed hand that say's I'm going to go this way. A light on the hand is fine, blinking or not. At night though, they'll mostly just see the blinker, and may not realize it's on a hand pointing.

A fully traditional setup, like AW has would be eaisier to interperet at night. Red running light in certer always on, then an amber blinker appears to one side. That they should understand ok. Then they can speed up to cut you off.

 

[gogo]

Maybe a couple of these that arc down from vertical to horizontal and then move in and out horizontally? You could even have "TURNING" spelled out horizontally.

 

[Ykick]

Listen to Dogman here folks...

300k miles on motorcycles taught me to use both hand and electric signals if/when practical. Some cagers actually see the arm/hand and realize there's human being there. Not many, but a few do and you should take every precaution available because there's little to no room for error when riding in traffic. And even with that, don't commit to any maneuver until you've also decided on an "out" if/when things go wrong.

I hate to sound like a parent here but y'all really should spend some time with motorcyle safety training. At least go to a MSF website or similar and study some of their materials? It's the type of knowledge that can literally save your life!

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Listen to Dogman here folks...

300k miles on motorcycles taught me to use both hand and electric signals if/when practical. Some cagers actually see the arm/hand and realize there's human being there. Not many, but a few do and you should take every precaution available because there's little to no room for error when riding in traffic. And even with that, don't commit to any maneuver until you've also decided on an "out" if/when things go wrong.

I hate to sound like a parent here but y'all really should spend some time with motorcyle safety training. At least go to a MSF website or similar and study some of their materials? It's the type of knowledge that can literally save your life!

Good advice, and I have the luxury to have rode year-round on a motorcycle for many years as my only transportation starting when I was 18.

At the time I had a scooter that was just big enough to be considered a motorcycle at 80cc's and was required to take the MSF course at that time (using their little 125's and that is where I learned to shift with a clutch the first time (sure I had used a centrifugal clutches with a tractor but that doesn't count! ).

I didn't own another vehicle until I was able to buy a truck that I had with the idea of if I needed to take my motorcycle to the shop if broke down, and continued to ride motorcycles until I got tired of being wet and cold in the winter for the better part of 8 years.

I always watch traffic and anticipate their moves, here in Oregon, fortunately, in the cities, bikes are given a lot of leeway. The only trouble I have ever gotten into is when I am traveling on a busy road at over 20 MPH and drivers left crossing me not expecting that speed, so I have had to stay closer to bicycle speeds especially at busy intersections for safety.

The main reason for the blinker lights is for my arms to be visible at night.

I also use the point method, it seems to be best understood, and here in Oregon, the law on the books allows the old method of all your signaling with the left hand, OR the newer smarter version where you use one arm or the other to indicate which way you turn.

A friend of mine turned me on about a year or so ago to the pointing method and I have used it ever since. I really like this method because it allows you to show where you are going, as in a lane change where I will just point at an angle to the lane I am headed to, and only have my arm horizontal for a full turn.

The nice thing about having four blinking amber lights, two on each wrist is that with the hand position on my recumbent's bars, the lights are pointing out at the sides where it's not really visible at the front or the back, but once I extend my arm, it's very apparent and obvious front and rear, and these lights using small watch batteries last 250 hours! 8)

 

[dogman dan]

Guess I was preaching to the choir again.

 

[Farfle]

Agreed, here in bend people paid more attention to the "point" method. Problem with that it's that I had throttle release Regen, so if I let go of the right grip it would start braking, which has it's own set of problems.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Guess I was preaching to the choir again.

No worries D-man, never hurts to make a good point!

Now I just have to remember to put everything on steady, as I am so used to having it on blink. :wink:

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Agreed, here in bend people paid more attention to the "point" method. Problem with that it's that I had throttle release Regen, so if I let go of the right grip it would start braking, which has it's own set of problems.

Wow, that sounds dangerous!

I wonder if there isn't a practical way to have a throttle whether thumb or twist to have it go two directions with the springs taking it back to "neutral" so you have no need to hold throttle to prevent regen braking but still can enable it with ease.

 

[Farfle]

Solved it by adding a limit switch to the rear brake caliper and using it to activate regen. No choofy wuxing brake levers, and no regen induced crashes.

 

[TonyReynolds]

Having now ridden 10's of thousands of miles on a motorcycle, I'm used to signaling with my left arm/hand. There's no way to take your right hand off the throttle to signal.

Left hand signaling is still taught (in some areas) to motorists, because if you're in a car and your signals malfunction, you have no choice (unless in the UK) of signaling all intentions with your left arm.

I ALWAYS signal merges (when going to the left) with my left arm. It attracts far more attention here in Seattle than a blinking signal alone.

I intend to have steady white on the front and red on the rear with some sort of blinky-on-a-stalk for turning, most likely a scooter or motorcycle aftermarket system.

This morning I had an idiot on a bike ride into an intersection at a 4-way stop to the right of the lane and when he'd almost made it completely across, did a complete 90 degree LEFT to turn left across my line of travel. Had I not been paying attention, I'd have run the bastard over.

Some people are idiots. If I'd have had more time, I would have done a u-turn, caught up with him and told him the importance of seizing the lane.

 

[nebriancent]

Agreed, here in bend people paid more attention to the "point" method. Problem with that it's that I had throttle release Regen, so if I let go of the right grip it would start braking, which has it's own set of problems.

signal w/ your left hand .......

{}------ left

{}
|
|____ right
_____ slow down or stop
|
|
{}

**EDIT i didn't read above post my bad