"Home made" light batteries?

Triathlon Forum
1

I have an older Niterider 15w halogen headlamp (circa 1992) that originally came with a water bottle style lead acid or NiCd battery (not sure which). 10yrs have past, and between overcharging, over discharging, storing in the heat, etc. my battery is beyond useless. A replacement Niterider battery is over $100, and besides, there have been quite a bit of advancements in battery technology. Can I just cruise down to my local BatteriesPlus or RadioShack and put together a battery pack for much less $$$? Can I “upgrade” to NiMH batteries for longer run times? Would I need a new charger? Or, is this a case where it makes more sense to ditch the light I have and just buy a new LED light for about $120?

I want a light that is appropriate for 18-20mph and will last around 2.5hrs. Thanks.

2

I have an older Niterider 15w halogen headlamp (circa 1992) that originally came with a water bottle style lead acid or NiCd battery (not sure which). 10yrs have past, and between overcharging, over discharging, storing in the heat, etc. my battery is beyond useless. A replacement Niterider battery is over $100, and besides, there have been quite a bit of advancements in battery technology. Can I just cruise down to my local BatteriesPlus or RadioShack and put together a battery pack for much less $$$? Can I “upgrade” to NiMH batteries for longer run times? Would I need a new charger? Or, is this a case where it makes more sense to ditch the light I have and just buy a new LED light for about $120?

I want a light that is appropriate for 18-20mph and will last around 2.5hrs. Thanks.

3

I am not getting the hidden meaning in underlining and bolding 18-20mph. Please just say what you are trying to say.

4

I’m sorry, somehow my reply did not make it.

It’s just that the speed of light is 186,282.397 miles per second, so unless you are approaching that speed any light should do.

I know, not much help.

5

OK, got it. Although I ride considerably slower than the speed of light, I was under the impression that the faster you go, the more reaction time you need, and therefore, a stronger light is more desirable. I was wondering if the 15w halogen I have now is good enough for my needs, and if it is not, what type / strenghth light would suit my intended use best.

6

I’ve done this for camera flashes. The easiest thing would be to match the voltage of your current system. The mAH is how long it will hold a charge. Do more research if you’re not comfortable with electricity.

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=470

7

I think there was a thread about this yesterday or sometime this week. Basically, you’re right. The faster you want to go, the more light you need. I have a small Cateye that runs on AA’s that I use. But the majority of my commute has street lights when its dark so I get by OK. There is one small, flat stretch where a 15w lamp just doesn’t quite cut it. I was actually thinking about building a high power LED light instead of forking over $500 for one. I’ll have to see how ambitious I’m feeling when my racing season ends.

For just batteries, you could check out BatterySpace.com. Or you could rebuild your lighting from stuff there.

8

You should be able to go down to any battery retailer, show them the wattage of light you have and i’m sure they could recommend a good rechargeable battery and even build up a wiring harness to go with the light.

or, LED’s do have super long burn times, maybe it’s time to upgrade.

and having ridden one night ride with a 10w halogen, it seems 15w should be more than enough light for 20 mph.

9

upgrade to a nimh or Li-Ion pack… Nimh cells are pretty easy to charge and the newer Li-Ion prebuilt packs have their own discreet charge limiter circuit built right in. You’ll probably need to pick up a charger too unless your old charger works voltage and amperage wise. Last you’ll probably have to rewire the connectors on one or both ends (batt & light).

check out: http://www.batteryspace.com/

or, like you said the LED lights are damn nice! Good luck buying a bright one for $120 though, near $200 is probably more like it. I have a Princeton Tech Switchback 2.0 and it rocks.

10

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1423768;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread
.

11

It’s just that the speed of light is 186,282.397 miles per second, so unless you are approaching that speed any light should do.

Maybe you should rethink that.

12

As long as the voltage rating on the battery is the same I think it should be fine. A battery will usually tell you its capacity in amp-hours, or mili-Amp-hours.

You can find the time any light will last for any battery if you know the wattage of the light and the capacity of the battery.
Here is some math…
Power = voltage * current
15 W = volts * amps
Your light will draw amps.
The time that your battery will last = / .

Due to internal resistance of the battery (it gets hot for a reason) your actual time will be a bit lower.