Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

DesignShine... WOW!

66K views 230 replies 36 participants last post by  adams22 
#1 ·
I just got me a DesignShine taillight... and it is astounding. :eek: I never though I'd see such a thing, but somebody has just bested the venerable DiNotte 400R. I put them side by side outside, the difference is plainly visible.

I'll post a video shortly, but first I have some work-type work to finish, a very unfortunate circumstance. I'll get to play with my new toy this afternoon.

I also got the DesignShine front light. But I can't really put it to work until it gets dark.

More in a few hours... including a waterboarding. :arf:
 
#150 ·
Hello,

Just checked out your new build blog. Cool stuff. BTW, it would be handy if you could post the weights of your products on your website in the list. I think people may think that the unit is much heavier than the 130g you have listed above. I know I did.

As for helmet lights, I would think your main competition in the States would be with the new Dinotte XML-3 as this light is a little smaller and at the same price point as the DS-1300 (Sub $300), and close in output. The review just posted on it yesterday or today. It looks much smaller than the DS-1300 unit, but since the weight is 102g, so maybe not. For me, I will probably get the DS-1300 and DS-500 combo and once I try them out, will decide what I want on my head. I have an old HID light that works fine for now for that and I can put the battery in my back pocket.

As soon as you get closer to shipping, let me know so I can place my order.

- Roger
 
#151 ·
The XML-3 is definitely another smart light...very similar to the DS-1300 in performance.
The next DS-1300 will likely end up being sub 120 gram for the light body and clamp mount. The extension bar, which you would probably want to use for bar-mounting adds a few grams, but while mounting on the bar, it probably doesn't matter.

Here's just some of my random observations from comparing the two the backyard shots (attached side by side here just for fun, DS on left, XML3 on right)
Only two really noticeable differences stick out to me.

DS - slightly more neutral (warm) color index
XML3 - tends toward the cool side (nothing really wrong with that, just different)

DS - slightly tighter spot projection and nearly identical near-field width
XML3 - because of the faceted lens, it produces a very wide slightly more diffuse pattern.

You can definitely see more "UP" light toward the top of the tree with the XML3.
With the DS being a little tighter, there might be a slight advantage for road use.

From the trail shots, the main difference is the color temperature. Browns will be more brown with the warmer light. And if you use your imagination, you might think that you have more discrimination of detail among the leaves with the warmer light, but this is an extremely subjective thing.

I'm not sure I could make a decision just on the beamshots. What we're seeing with the mix of backyard and trail beamshots is that the content of the shot (color of background, terrain, depth, nearfield objects, etc.) can have a real impact on how the reflected light is viewed by the camera. In the backyard shots the DS looks "brighter" (I really don't like to use that word), while on the trail the XML3 looks "brighter." It really is very hard to judge between two very similar lights without having them both in your hand for real world comparison, and even then you can drive yourself crazy looking critically at aspects of the light that really may not matter when you're actually riding. When I'm out testing a new light, I really do have to tell myself to "stop looking at the light" and just ride. When you finally get to this point, and like Francois says, the light becomes "transparent" then you know you've got a good usable light, and there are plenty in the shootout that can do it.

It's such a hard decision in some cases for a semi-major investment, which is why I consider all my lights to just be a "demo" until you really decide you want to keep it.

OH, and just as an aside, you can run the DS-500 with any of the Dinotte batteries. I just need to provide a short "adapter" cable.

DS-1300 on left, Dinotte XML3 on right.
 

Attachments

#153 ·
Stephen,

Thank you for the pictures, I did check them out. I will definitely get your light package for the bars and back and once I have it in hand, check it out for use on the helmet. I believe strongly in matching lights as best I can, both in strength and color if possible. For the better part of a decade I rode with Nightrider HID lights on both head and bars and I know the importance of keeping light sources of equal strength so your eyes don't have to adjust to varying light levels.

For me, I am a bit sensitive to the weight on my head and the lighter the better. Until I get to see the thing in my hand and try it out, I am just guessing. But, what I do like about you, more than any other manufacturer is that you stand behind your lights and are willing to help us make it right. I like your "demo" philosophy. I will order, just wish the new lights were ready now and I really hope they are ready before Christmas instead of after.

- Roger
 
#155 ·
Yes, I'm pretty bummed about it myself. But I think the time that I take now in finding a good CNC partner will ultimate be well spent, as I'm getting bids from several shops and even looking at a custom extrusion option for the lids. I'm hoping that I can do enough quantity to at least get down to the price-per-unit machining cost of my local guy who's a one man show and semi-retired and owns his own shop (i.e. no overhead). His work is second to none, but to get into increased volume for him might be tough.
 
#156 ·
New Headlight Beam Shots

OK, just finished up a test rig to try out one potential new XP-E variation. I also put together the "throw monster" (double triple XP-E) just for fun. Let me know what you think about the slightly cooler color temp.

The orange cones are +30, +60, +90, +120, and soccer ball at +150 ft
Fence in the far background at 300 ft.

Shot setup: Same settings as for the shootout this year.
4 sec exposure
100 ISO
4.0 Aperture
Manual focus
Daylight white balance

I used two different lenses to try to give a better perspective on "throw" vs. "width."

The first three shots all use the telephoto lens in this order:
1) Original DS-1300 XP-E (single triple) minimum 5000K color temp
2) New XP-E (single triple) probably in the minimum 6000K color temp range
3) New XP-E (double triple), aka "throw monster"

The last two shots show the importance of having a second lens of the frosted variety by using the wide angle lens and showing everything back to a few feet in front of the wheel.

4) New XP-E (double triple). Notice the lack of spill light in the near field (it's why they work so good for throw).
5) Add in the XP-G (R5) with a narrow frosted lens coupled with the New XP-E and you get "almost" as good on throw, but far better wide angle coverage and a nice smooth beam all the way out. For my eyes it's almost the perfect beam pattern.

I'll post the full res shots over on the DesignShine Blog.
 

Attachments

#157 ·
Stephen,

I noticed you said that on a helmet, if you limited the light to 3 or 4 you could run it on a magicshine 2S pack? Does that mean I could run it sufficiently well on a 2S2P magicshine pack? You said it 'wasn't recommended' in a post somewhere earlier... Could you elaborate? Would it
A) damage the battery
B) damage the light/controller
C) reduce the brightness
 
#158 ·
Stephen,
You said it 'wasn't recommended' in a post somewhere earlier... Could you elaborate? Would it
A) damage the battery
B) damage the light/controller
C) reduce the brightness
You could spend a little time and read this thread, including link to Design Shine website to answer your own questions.

It's because it's so bright at night that he recommends only level 3 for both tail light and head light unless you ride where there's no cars and less population.

Level 4 and 5 use during the day.
 
#160 ·
Stephen,

That is the info I was looking for.

It would be nice to know some run times/efficiencies for driving your light at various levels with a 7.4v pack.

I know how busy u must be, but it might be nice data to add to your runtimes chart.

Thanks as always for the rapid response!



CDA:

No need for the lippy attitude.
I've "read the posts", been to both his old and new websites and still had that question.
 
#161 ·
Stephen,

That is the info I was looking for.

It would be nice to know some run times/efficiencies for driving your light at various levels with a 7.4v pack.

I know how busy u must be, but it might be nice data to add to your runtimes chart.

Thanks as always for the rapid response!
You bet. That's a really good suggestion. Based on my experience with instrumented run-down testing on the 11.1V packs. I went back and made some estimates for the 7.4V pack. In practice, I've measured efficiencies in the controller that were on average 4 to 6% lower with the 7.4V input. Based on empirical data, I've found that I can "de-rate" the calculations to account for the fact that input current from the battery does not increase linearly over the full discharge cycle, so the estimates should be pretty good. I'm sure there's a margin of error, probably in the +/- 10% range, but that's really just a guess.

Bottom line is that for the penalty of carrying around one extra 18650 cell, you can get essentially the same run times out of a 4400mAH 7.4V pack as you can a 2800mAH 11.1V pack. The only other caveat being that I would not recommend the full 700mA drive on the headlight with the 7.4V pack. If you just really wanted to use the 7.4V with the headlight, then the best option would be to reduce the maximum drive down to 500mA (via MaxFlex programming). After doing this, the maximum output of the light will be reduced down to the 900 to 1000 lumen range, but then you'd have slightly higher output compared to just limiting yourself to level 4 with the 700mA drive.

I've updated the run time tables on the website.
Also updated to reflect the measurements made with the newer version 6 Maxflex, but subject to change as I make more measurements to get a good average.

Do note that I've observed some issues with the GeoMan 4.5AHr battery when running in high power flash mode, and I can elaborate on those if need be.
 
#162 ·
Stephen,

Wow... This is the difference when dealing with an individual/small company! Response speed!
Can't believe you've already updated your website with a full set of graphs... smashing!

That's just what I was looking for. I have four of these packs, so it's nice to know that I can reuse them in emergencies....

I notice, you said that the voltages involved with the rear light are less than those with the front light, but I see on your data that the "penalties" for running a 2S pack are the same as for the front light, i.e. 3S1P ≈ 2S2P.

Still, it's really nice to see that the run times with s 2S2P are entirely practical and run for longer than the Magicshine 816 (1.8h at - rarely used- full power) which is what I'm currently running with.

On a different note, how difficult is the reprogramming, say, were I to swap between an 3S and a 2S pack in order to set protection switch off voltage?

I know that the maxflex has some user programmable aspects, but accessing all the function menus though a one button interface sounds about as much fun as punching out programme cards with my bare fingers :)

Also, could you explain to us a little more about the cell balancing aspect of the new build? That sounds like a really high-end feature that no $300 dollar light currently boasts. That would really put your new build "in the spotlight" so to speak...

As always, keep us posted. I'm really enjoying hearing your progress.

Craig.
 
#163 ·
Stephen,

Wow... This is the difference when dealing with an individual/small company! Response speed!
Can't believe you've already updated your website with a full set of graphs... smashing!

That's just what I was looking for. I have four of these packs, so it's nice to know that I can reuse them in emergencies....

I notice, you said that the voltages involved with the rear light are less than those with the front light, but I see on your data that the "penalties" for running a 2S pack are the same as for the front light, i.e. 3S1P ≈ 2S2P.

Still, it's really nice to see that the run times with s 2S2P are entirely practical and run for longer than the Magicshine 816 (1.8h at - rarely used- full power) which is what I'm currently running with.

On a different note, how difficult is the reprogramming, say, were I to swap between an 3S and a 2S pack in order to set protection switch off voltage?

I know that the maxflex has some user programmable aspects, but accessing all the function menus though a one button interface sounds about as much fun as punching out programme cards with my bare fingers :)

Also, could you explain to us a little more about the cell balancing aspect of the new build? That sounds like a really high-end feature that no $300 dollar light currently boasts. That would really put your new build "in the spotlight" so to speak...

As always, keep us posted. I'm really enjoying hearing your progress.

Craig.
Thanks Craig.
Let me see if I can clarify on few of those points.
First off on the 11.1V vs. 7.4V issue. Yes, there is a small decrease in controller efficiency as the input voltage drops. This, in and of itself however, is not a large contributor to the total power consumption, but since it's all manifested in the controller board itself, then from the controller board's perspective, it can make a big difference. From the studies that have been done on the Maxflex, the general rule of thumb is to avoid exceeding 2 watts in the controller unless you can provide a method of heat-sinking for the power inductor. In a package like this, it's virtually impossible to do that, so the only recourse is to just hold the power down.

The "penalty" aspect of dropping the input voltage comes from the fact that this is a constant power device. As you drop the input voltage, more and more current is required to maintain the same power level. And as current goes up, so must the battery capacity to maintain the same run time. It just so happens to work out that the 2800mAH 11.1V and 4400mAH 7.4V are nearly equal with regard to power capacity. In fact, just look at these numbers. They could be considered to be "power" capacity. We're just not used to seeing a battery described this way.

2.8*11.1 = 31.08 Amp-Hour-Volts
4.4*7.4 = 32.56 Amp-Hour-Volts

Now we need to penalize the 7.4V pack by about 5% (the difference in the controller efficiency) and we have:

32.56 * 0.95 = 30.93

Which is practically identical to the 11.1V pack.

Concerning programming... I must say, when I first starting working with the Maxflex, it was a bit daunting to get my head around all the options. However, once you distill it down to just the few functions that are required for this particular application, it really is pretty easy. I plan on making some tutorial videos just to help folks get past the learning curve, so they can quickly be able to perform the operation exactly as you describe. Say for example you find that your 11.1V pack is dead and you want to use your 7.4V pack. If you don't re-program the cutoff limits, then as soon as you try to use the 7.4V, the light will think it's dealing with a seriously depleted battery and go into shutdown.

So, you'd then break out your cheat sheet with just a few lines of instructions telling you which menu to select. You'd then enter the new cutoff voltage by tapping out the number for each digit XY.Z. So for a 6V cutoff, for example, you'd be entering 06.0 in a process like this:

no-click = 0, followed by a PRESS to enter,
6 clicks, followed by a PRESS to enter,
no-click = 0, followed by a PRESS to enter.

In this case, a video is worth a thousand words. If it was something you did often, then you'd easily be able to change between each voltage standard in a matter of minutes.

Now, on the flip side, if you were programmed for 7.4V operation and needed to use a known good 11.1V pack for a while, you could do it straight away without the need to reprogram.

Concerning balancing... I know that some packs say that they perform this function, but I'd certainly not assume that all packs do. If you look at any of the lithium polymer packs typically used in RC-airplane applications, they are literally bare cells. They have no hard metal case, and they have no on-board circuit protection (except for the speed controller), so when you charge a battery like this, you really NEED to use a balancing charger. This means that each cell will be monitored during the charging process and the charger's "brain" will compare each and make adjustments (discharging some if necessary) to insure that each cell is at the same voltage. This prevents any individual cell from becoming over charged or over discharged over time, which is not only a safety factor, but will also prolong the life of the pack. All of the 11.1V packs that I've spec'ed out, have to pass a quality test before they get to me. And I run each one through a full charge and load test before letting them go.

As an aside...
I posted a few more user-pics over on the new web site today if you're interested.

Thanks for all the great questions!
 
#165 ·
Stephen,

Now THAT'S what I call a comprehensive answer! Yes, with driver inefficiencies taken into account I can see that the Watt Hour ratings come out even, I guess due to the higher quality 2800mAh(?) cells used in your packs.
It's good to know that reprogramming is only a few minute rather than half an hour job.

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.745509,139.759908
 
#166 ·
Stephen,

Now THAT'S what I call a comprehensive answer! Yes, with driver inefficiencies taken into account I can see that the Watt Hour ratings come out even, I guess due to the higher quality 2800mAh(?) cells used in your packs.
It's good to know that reprogramming is only a few minute rather than half an hour job.
Yes, I spec'ed out the higher capacity 2800mAH batteries for my triangular 11.1V packs. They're pretty unique. A lot of energy in that small package and easy to strap to about anything. To my knowledge L&M is the only other outfit that has a similar battery, but it's crazy expensive. My new packs are using the new 2900mAH cells, but I'm not going to get too excited until I can do some full run-down tests and compare. They're supposed to be shipped to me this Monday, so we'll see soon.

So did you escape anything serious from the Tsunami? I sure hope so!
 
#167 ·
Excellent news! High qual batteries with balancing are sure to be a winning combo.

Just out of interest, why did you say that you should limit the current to 500mA rather than the already conservative 700mA at which you drive your LEDs?
So say 14W output with, let's say a 20% inefficiency case. That would be about 17W input. At, even 6V that would be less than 3A, which with 2.2Ah cells is less than 1.4C current discharge. That doesn't seem particularly outrageous. Does the Magicshine battery pack limit output current?

I have lived in Japan for the better part of 13 years now and as such have experienced numerous earthquakes of magnitude 5 and a couple of magnitude 6 or so. But the massive magnitude 9 earthquake that struck in spring was thousands of times more powerful than those and was actually more than 200 times more powerful than the infamous Kobe Earthquake of '95 which killed thousands.

My school, which I was in with my students at the time of the quake, shook violently from side to side like a boat on stormy water. There was a lateral movement which peaked at about 8 yards, backwards and forwards once a second or so, for over 5 minutes. It was impossible to remain standing and for a minute there, we honestly thought we were all going to die.

It was perhaps one of the most terrifying moments of my life and since that time, every slight tremor sets my heart off.

But, on the other hand, the earthquake has brought our community together for the first
time literally since the war and I have made more friends since March than I made since coming to Japan until that point.

Moreover, because of the Earthquake, I have started riding around Tokyo, 20km or more per day, in order to visit all of the wonderful places my city has to offer because, if one believes the news, a massive, Tokyo earthquake is on its way...

And I guess, indirectly I have the earthquake to thank for my interest in bike lights, since 90% of my riding is done after 9pm...

Sorry for the long post.

Craig.
 
#168 · (Edited)
My school, which I was in with my students at the time of the quake, shook violently from side to side like a boat on stormy water. There was a lateral movement which peaked at about 8 yards, backwards and forwards once a second or so, for over 5 minutes. It was impossible to remain standing and for a minute there, we honestly thought we were all going to die.
8 metres! Back and forth! Once a second! For 5 minutes! That I think Craig is the most telling description of a major earthquake I have ever read! For those metrically deprived I'll remind you that 8 metres is about the height of a 2 level block of flats or about 25 feet! I find it very, very hard to imagine such an experience. See Tokyo while it's there...

Back to bike lights - I use my DS lights for commuting only. I find the original 3 cell batteries very adequate for my 40minute commute. I use the lights day and night (different settings). I've never run out of juice and I only charge them about 1 X week.

Incidentally I seem to get much more of what I think is referred to as 'respect', especially at T-junctions where previously it was not unusual for waiting drivers to pull out, completely disregarding my approach (or perhaps misjudging my speed). I've also lost count of the shouts 'your lights are on'... But being a long-time dynamo user I'm used to that!

BTW, I use my DS lights without Stephen's extension bars. I just relocated the Cateye mounts directly to the light bodies. I use them on the bars at the front and at the rear of my pannier rack with no problems at all (using the special DS rack mount at the rear). I find it a neater and more compact set up for my purposes. For those with 'bare' road bikes I think the DS500 might be better served by a seatpost mount that made better use of the Cateye sliding shoe with the light in a horizontal position (as the mount was designed to work). I believe the top part of the handlebar mount (the bit that slides into the 'spacer' attached to the lights) is removable and could be mated to an alloy adapter which in turn could be maybe fitted to a standard Cateye or other) seatpost clamp - maybe a Smart-style clamp like Dinotte seem to use.

Just an idea...

Savvas.
 
#170 ·
Just saw your build blog. The battery packs look excellent. How are you going to waterproof them? And balancing, yay! Should give decent lifespan.

I have a lens question.

It's nice that even an elliptical lens could be retrofitted/swapped in to your #2s

But I remember you mentioned the elliptical lens suffers a lot of loss. Is it a significantly greater loss than the wide frosted?

Because I'm presuming that the frosted lenses are omnidirectional rather than directional, by which I mean, they scatter light in an even sphere rather than a horizontal plane such as a cylinder.

Why I'm asking is, I love a good wide flood, but it's really annoying that in doing so, half of the light ends up in the trees. Since I spend practically no time in the bush.

I would love some sort of lens that spreads light horizontally more than vertically but doesn't have the huge losses of the elliptical lens. Any options available?
 
#171 ·
Just saw your build blog. The battery packs look excellent. How are you going to waterproof them? And balancing, yay! Should give decent lifespan.

I have a lens question.

It's nice that even an elliptical lens could be retrofitted/swapped in to your #2s

But I remember you mentioned the elliptical lens suffers a lot of loss. Is it a significantly greater loss than the wide frosted?

Because I'm presuming that the frosted lenses are omnidirectional rather than directional, by which I mean, they scatter light in an even sphere rather than a horizontal plane such as a cylinder.

Why I'm asking is, I love a good wide flood, but it's really annoying that in doing so, half of the light ends up in the trees. Since I spend practically no time in the bush.

I would love some sort of lens that spreads light horizontally more than vertically but doesn't have the huge losses of the elliptical lens. Any options available?
You're assessment is essentially correct, but I may have miscommunicated a bit on the lens efficiencies. The elliptical is actually quite efficient. For comparison, here are some efficiency numbers:
Spot Lens (XP-E, 88.7%); (XP-G, 87.3%)
Elliptical Lens (XP-E, 88.1%); (XP-G, 86.5%)
Narrow Frosted (XP-E, 85%); (XP-G, 85%)

The elliptical lens makes a nice "flat" and wide beam, far wider than the "round" lenses. Here are the angles for the elliptical:
43° X 16° FWHM - XPE
43.6° X 23.3° FWHM - XPG

Now, the one lens where you really get clobbered on the efficiency is the "wide" frosted lens. To me this lens is just too "lossy" for this application. Here are the numbers:
Wide Frosted (XP-E, 80%); (XP-G, 78.3)

The elliptical really does work quite well (you can see some wall shots of the red taillight earlier in this thread that show the general shape). I only have a few misgivings for using it on the headlight:
1. It's so wide (I'm talking way past the edges of the road), that you do give up some forward intensity.
2. With a wide flat beam, it's important to mount the light lower to the ground. A helmet mounted elliptical just doesn't work at all. It projects almost a horizontal "line" on the ground.
3 With the lowered intensity of the wide spread from the XP-G ellipitcal, the combination with the XP-E spot is a little abrupt. In other words, you have this nice spread of light, practically covering your entire field of few, then you have a really intense SPOT in the middle without a nice transition between the two.

Now, one option that I haven't tried, which might really be the flood-lovers dream, is the elliptical on the XP-G, and the narrow frosted on the XP-E. I'll definitely have to try that one out and post some shots once I get my new stock of XP-G boards.

Hope that helps!
 
#173 ·
It just gets better! Thx for the lovely data! Its a descerning light buyer's dream!

When Francois (?) did his video he stated that what impressed him enough to review your light was the clear way you explained your lights' functionality and the copious excel spreadsheets to sent him with various data!

A nice balance might be spot on the XP-G and elliptical on the XP-E that would be somewhat like the MJ-816 which uses a P7 with orange peel reflector and 2 XP-Es with elliptical lenses.

Or would that just be a compromise of both spot and flood!

Oh for a range of elliptical lenses...
 
#174 ·
Good News

Learned today through my LED supplier that the XP-E that I'll be getting for this current build is really and truly an R4 XP-E, NOT High Effeciency White (HEW). Apparently CREE had a low enough yield of these "super" XP-E that they didn't even make the datasheets. They really are good, and I'm not sure how I was lucky enough to get my hands on them?

On an unrelated note, I discovered tonight that the little right angle bracket that I ginned up for a recumbent mount concept works really well for the problematic aerobar mount. Pretty cool. I think I'll make a few and throw them in with the anodizing run.
 

Attachments

#177 ·
Dual 1300

Would driving two 1300's from a single six cell battery be possible/unadvisable?

---
I am here: Google Maps
Yes, it's OK to run two from a single 5200mAH, 11.1V battery.
Nominally, at full power, the DS-1300 is drawing about 1.2 amps from the battery. When you're getting down to the last 20% of the battery, the current goes up a bit as the controller is working harder to maintain the same drive to the LEDs as the battery voltage sags. In this case, worst case current from the 11.1V battery is around 1.35 amps.

So with a 5200mAH battery, the 2C discharge amp rating is 5.2/2 = 2.6 amps.
So worst case with two lights from one pack is right around 2.7 amps.

Keep in mind that at the higher discharge rates, you do give up some of the capacity of the battery due to internal resistive losses. To complicate matters even more, you can't treat these bike lights as a "constant" load because of the internal controller. In practice, I've found that roughly a 0.9 de-rating factor works pretty good to estimate battery life off of the nominal load current. In this case the de-rating factor will be a bit higher because of the higher current.

So for the dual DS-1300 with the 5200mAH, I'm going to estimate:
5.2*0.85/2.5 = 1.77 or approximately 1hr and 45min on high.

I'm here to tell you though, that two DS-1300s on one bike is pretty crazy. If you had two on the bars, each aimed slightly outward, you'd have a FAR better high-lumen solution than any single 3000+ lumen light.

Here's a picture of just that, although the light on the right had a spot/spot combo, which is why it's a bit dark in the near-field right side. With 4 lenses to play with, I'd probably run:
XP-E 1, Spot
XP-G 1, Narrow Frosted
XP-E 2, Spot
XP-G 2, Elliptical
 
#176 ·
Just speculating/dreaming, but have you experimented with running a single XML instead of either the xp-g or xp-e triples?

If you are only getting 650 True lumens from one half of your light, couldn't you easily achieve 700lm at only 2.4 amps, like the magicshine 808E?

Have you tried two, single XMLs? In the same body?

Or even a triple XML instead of the XPGs for the wide beam?
 
#178 ·
XML musings

Just speculating/dreaming, but have you experimented with running a single XML instead of either the xp-g or xp-e triples?

If you are only getting 650 True lumens from one half of your light, couldn't you easily achieve 700lm at only 2.4 amps, like the magicshine 808E?

Have you tried two, single XMLs? In the same body?

Or even a triple XML instead of the XPGs for the wide beam?
I've looked long and hard at the XM-L from every possible angle, and at the end of the day, compared to the current DS-1300 design, I just can't come up with any good reasons to try and switch. The difference between the 3XPE+3XPG compared to a 2-XML, with regard to total lumen output and run time is basically negligible.

I spent an awful lot of time designing/testing/refining the current design, and it works so well, that I'm very hesitant to try and make any changes. To make these lights available, even on a relatively small scale, I have to make a pretty large investment in materials in large enough quantities to get the cost-per-unit down to reasonable numbers. So at a minimum, once I have a viable design in hand, I'm locked in for a while.

Since I also had the road bike market in mind with these lights, I really like the lower compact profile (right at 1.125" x 2" x 1.85") compared to the round body designs. I also spent an immense amount of on time on the clear lens cover, which, to me, is a fairly unique feature of these lights. The amount of effective side lighting that comes through this cover is also somewhat dependent on the characteristics of the small triple-optics. Lastly, the ability to swap out multiple optics (that are inexpensive and readily available) on both the XPE and XPG triple is a really nice feature.

With the XM-L, I would end up compromising on the size of the case as well as some of the side lighting. Not to mention, I would lose the commonality with the taillight, which helps me achieve some economy of scale and keep the prices as low as possible. Also, not to mention, everybody and their brother is building a double XM-L now, and I kind of like having something that stands out a bit and offers some unique characteristics over and above the XM-L.

So, yes, I like the XM-L, I just don't think it makes sense in the current design. Maybe someday.... but of course by then, the XM-L will be old news and everybody will be racing to the next "best" thing. To my eyes, I wouldn't have a need for more light than the DS-1300 offers. Now that we've achieved these kind of light levels from a single light, the best option for more light really is a second light with different lenses and/or aiming. Just my 2 cents worth ;)
 
#179 ·
Stephen,

Do you think you could offer a pack of optional lenses for sale to save us from having to hunt them down on the internet?

Yes, two would be some serious lumens but I was also thinking of two for the front because there are some hair-raising junctions in Tokyo.
A hair-raising junction...
...where I would really enjoy having a flashing front light as well as constant light and at just such a junction, i could change one to a flasher to make me more noticeable.

As always, thank you for all the informative comments. I'm really looking forward to your new build.
 
#180 ·
OK, that's just insane...makes me a little crazy even thinking about trying to cross that one. Yes, one step ahead of you on the lenses. For the online store, I'm going to have two different options, the simple one-click system purchase, but also the Ala-carte pick and choose whatever component you may want option. You'll have the option of picking out any additional lenses of any type. They're only $2 a piece, so it'd probably be good just to pick up a spare set to have on hand in case you ever needed to make a repair.

If you were going to run two headlights at night with one flashing, I'd probably keep the yellow filter on the flashing side at the lowest power level and aim it higher than you would normally for illuminating the road. This way you're not constantly looking at a flashing light on the road in front of you AND the cars get a very clear indication of something to look out for. Never really thought about it before, but It's a really good idea!
 
#181 ·
Great news about the lenses!
Is the gasket (o-ring) long-lived? Will it survive x amounts of lens changing?

Yes, a power flasher pointing directly forward would also obviate the need for removing the yellow filter every evening and putting it back on in the morning...
I'd probably use the high power flasher in the daytime and at lower power in conjunction with a steady light at night.

I'd also be curious to see what the visibility of the yellow filtered light is in poor weather... Since it is thought that the eye can focus more easily on yellow tints than blue.

I'd be tempted to mount it as low as possible with an elliptical lens.

$250 bucks is a reasonable price to pay for 3+ years of daily convenience and safety, because I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't bother with the filter after a couple of weeks!
 
#182 ·
Great news about the lenses!
Is the gasket (o-ring) long-lived? Will it survive x amounts of lens changing?

Yes, a power flasher pointing directly forward would also obviate the need for removing the yellow filter every evening and putting it back on in the morning...
I'd probably use the high power flasher in the daytime and at lower power in conjunction with a steady light at night.

I'd also be curious to see what the visibility of the yellow filtered light is in poor weather... Since it is thought that the eye can focus more easily on yellow tints than blue.

I'd be tempted to mount it as low as possible with an elliptical lens.

$250 bucks is a reasonable price to pay for 3+ years of daily convenience and safety, because I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't bother with the filter after a couple of weeks!
Yes, the o-rings that seal off against the lenses themselves are super cool. Very soft durometer (20 Shore) silicon, so they are very resilient and impervious to heat/weather/ozone etc. Really, the only precaution would be to insure that they are clean, when and if it comes time to remove the lens cover and replace lenses. These o-rings are soft enough that they work great even when dry, so there's no need for any extra coating on the lens o-rings.

Slightly different story for the o-ring that seals off between the lens cover the housing. It's a black neoprene material, and will have a bit of silicon grease on it to help the lens cover pop on easily and also help with the sealing. As long as the light is clean before you remove the cover, it should be a non-issue just to put the lens cover back on without having to worry about the o-ring.

I've been told that the yellow filter works particularly well in fog/rain, but I haven't tried that yet for myself.
 
#183 ·
Split Yellow/Clear Lens

Hey Stephen... it's Bryon (we've been going back and forth via email-thanks for all of the quick, highly informative and useful replies as seems to be your MO with your lights). I was wondering if you had considered a split colored lens... yellow and clear, either split horizontally or vertically, depending on the benefits each orientation could offer? Across the width (horizontally), you could shade the top half of the light to oncoming traffic (avoiding dazzling on higher settings and to provide more "be seen" type light attraction) yet keeping the lower half fully lit to the road. I imagine you would take a hit in output, but the safety factor potential is high. Or maybe consider splitting the two lights into separate colors (vertically) so that one lamp is clear and the other (potentially flashing) side could be yellow. best of both worlds without all the second light cost/bulk/etc.? Just a thought...:thumbsup:
 
#186 ·
Hey Stephen... it's Bryon (we've been going back and forth via email-thanks for all of the quick, highly informative and useful replies as seems to be your MO with your lights). I was wondering if you had considered a split colored lens... yellow and clear, either split horizontally or vertically, depending on the benefits each orientation could offer? Across the width (horizontally), you could shade the top half of the light to oncoming traffic (avoiding dazzling on higher settings and to provide more "be seen" type light attraction) yet keeping the lower half fully lit to the road. I imagine you would take a hit in output, but the safety factor potential is high. Or maybe consider splitting the two lights into separate colors (vertically) so that one lamp is clear and the other (potentially flashing) side could be yellow. best of both worlds without all the second light cost/bulk/etc.? Just a thought...:thumbsup:
Hey Bryon,
Yes, all very good ideas... and believe me, I tried the "shading" approach. There's just no shading the small triple optics. The only way that shading works is if you've blocked the direct line of sight to the emitter AND you really need to have the remaining light collimated off of a reflector. The way that you handle this with the DesignShine is that you have a Medium/High setting that you switch (toggle) between with a single click of the power button. On medium, the output is just over 600 lumens. Plenty bright to navigate by, but not bright enough to dazzle oncoming traffic. When you're on your own and IF you need the full 1300 lumen, then just bump it back up to high. The light is also easily aimed right or left, so that's also a quick and easy option if you're on high and need to take the full straight-on intensity down a bit.

Sneak peak... I just finished up a tutorial video series, and you can see Tutorial no.5 that talks about aiming on YouTube.

As GraXXor mentioned, the one side flashing, one side solid scenario is just not an option with the drive electronics that I'm using. These things are so small, you could easily put two on the bars running off the same battery, and have one dedicated flashing yellow at lower power.

Thanks for the feedback!
 
#184 ·
@Bedubya I saw in an earlier message that someone wanted a sold and a flash rear light in one unit, but due to the driver, Stephen can't make one flash and one steady...

I'm really hoping that with these insanely bright lights these days that someone will come up with a road reflector that doesn't waste half of the light in the trees: like the Philips one reviewed in the shootout but with a "proper" kilo-lumen class output.
 
#185 ·
@Bedubya I saw in an earlier message that someone wanted a sold and a flash rear light in one unit, but due to the driver, Stephen can't make one flash and one steady...

I'm really hoping that with these insanely bright lights these days that someone will come up with a road reflector that doesn't waste half of the light in the trees: like the Philips one reviewed in the shootout but with a "proper" kilo-lumen class output.
Shhhhhh... don't tell anyone. I'm secretly modifying (translate - gutting) a Philips SafeRide to use Dual XM-L, TaskLed driver, and external battery. Should be interesting.
 
#189 ·
Progress update



Ah yes... progress is definitely being made, just somewhat behind the scenes at the moment.

120 mounting tabs cut and drilled and adhered to Maxflex boards.
Internal wiring cut to length, stripped and in the process of being soldered into Maxflex boards.
Battery packs being wired and sealed.
Housings are still being cut. I don't have a good feel for when they will be complete yet, but hopefully in the next 2 weeks.
Once I get the housings anodized, then the tedious process of adhering the LED boards to the housing begins.
Lens cover drawings are at the CNC shop and 300 of them should be finished by the end of this month. (In order to get any kind of relief on the price of this part, I had to go with a higher quantity in an anticipation of future builds.)
I've been working with an individual who is a professional CNC operator and owns his own equipment. I have a sample in hand from him of the headlight housing, and let's just say it's VERY good. We'll be working out a schedule for future housings (Build #3).

In case you haven't seen them, I've also put together a series of tutorial videos that might be helpful.
The first one is a general introduction to the lights.
At the end of each video is a link to the next in the series.
The most recent is a detailed description on how to get into programming mode and change things like Superlock.

Happy New Year!
 
#190 ·
Your level of professionalism is outstanding. One of the banes of 'open source' and 'minor players' has been a lack of clear, concise information for the end user and while the product might be good, info regarding said product is often lacking.

You have somehow managed to cover even that tedious aspect of the design process!

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.753993,139.738310
 
#191 ·
Your level of professionalism is outstanding. One of the banes of 'open source' and 'minor players' has been a lack of clear, concise information for the end user and while the product might be good, info regarding said product is often lacking.

You have somehow managed to cover even that tedious aspect of the design process!

---
I am here: Google Maps
Thanks very much! With a full time day job and young family I certainly can't crank out great quantities of lights at this point, but what I'm lacking in volume, I try to make up for in quality and good communications with the customer. Definitely looking forward to getting more of these lights out on the road and trails soon!
 
#193 ·
I'm trying to simplify the purchasing process as much as possible. The on-line store (when it becomes available, hopefully later this month) will allow the standard cart shopping experience and users will be able to check out via PayPal, whether you have a PayPal account or not. There will be simple standard package options as well as "buffet-style" for buying individual piece-parts as needed.

I've been toying around with the idea of a small pre-order deposit, followed by full payment after the hardware is ready to ship, but the logistics of that are becoming a bit daunting. So maybe the pre-order pricing is the way to go. Margins on these lights are already razor thin, so probably what I'll do is offer a pre-order price on the first 15 headlights and 15 taillights. Right now, I'm thinking $10 off per light head. So if you ordered the head/tail combo you'd get $20 off + the $5 discount that is already built into the combo. Shipping will be free (in the USA) for any orders that include lights. For international, I just pass along the actual USPS costs, usually in the $25 to $35 range. I'll have to leave myself a little wiggle room, but at this point, I don't expect any major changes.

Here's the newly updated Price List.
 
#195 ·
Hey Tomchiles, I'm finding that the folks in this cycling/lighting community are absolutely the best folks in the world to do business with. Several of my early customers are on the boards here, but it's a small number, since I only built 30 taillights and 20 headlights for the initial product test. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and I've tried to collect some of the comments on the website feedback page. So far, I haven't heard back from anyone on a single reliability issue over the last 10 months. I fully test and burn-in every light, including a full charge cycle on the battery to insure that the charger works properly and is actually putting a full charge on the battery.

As a result of the good initial response, I'm working on building a larger run of lights (with a few nice improvements) and will be making them available in the coming weeks. Since I hand-build each and every one these lights, I stand by them 100% if anything ever goes wrong. If you ever manage to hurt one in a crash, I'll get you back up and running for the cost of parts.
 
#196 ·
I got a Dinotte 400R in '08, then after testing it out, I bought two more (plus Dinotte bar and helmet lights).

If I were starting the hunt today for a seriously bright taillight, I'd try Mr. Pethelman's DS 500. The youtubes show the difference between 500 Lumes and 240 Lumes. Frontlight mfrs are in a war to light up the road/trail to SEE, but have ignored the benefits of BEING SEEN.

Rob DiNotte will always be revered, perhaps by a tiny coterie, as the guy who came up with the idea of a taillight that changed the behavior of cagers, in daytime. For the first time, they could, if not completely "awake", see "Something is ahead of me at 200-400 yards," I have time and distance to figure out how to go around it, instead of panic-braking and riding my horn to show my adrenaline-fueled frustration." With a Dinotte 400R, I went from at least one horn-blarer on my butt every ride to one every several months. Daytime. Nighttime, none, because even inattentive drivers were alerted I was a half-mile ahead. Rob saw something no one else did in the taillight-manufacturing business. He was kind of like the Steve Jobs of taillight designers.

Mr. Pethelham has raised the ante. Mr. DiNotte invented the highly-visible-to-daytime-drivers taillight. So he gets named to the Bicycle Safety Inventors Hall of Fame, when that gets created. He was a visionary.

I'm not going to discard my 400Rs. They are satisfactory to me, even in their 5th year. They affect drivers' behavior, i.e. the drivers see me well ahead of them, and relaxedly figure out how to go around me. Now, if I'm in the right lane at a stoplight, and some drivers behind me are turning right, the drivers behind them going through, can't see my light, but the DS-500 would have the same problem.

I suspect that Rob can boost taillight power to whateverlumens he wants. His original 400R used Seoul emitters. Newer Crees are more powerful.

Mr. Pethelham's taillights can be down-powered for nighttime use. That's a nice feature. For side-visibility, I aim my Dinotte a bit leftward, since I mostly ride in the right lane, so side visibility is not a problem.

I think that with the much more energy-efficient Crees, now XL-M, Rob should use these. A lot of drivers today are increasingly looking down at their smartphones. Brighter taillights are better at getting their attention. Rob DiNotte invented the high-visibility-in-daytime taillight. Stephen Pethelham has used brighter LEDs to improve upon Rob DiNotte's bike-ride-experience-changing concept, a "night light" that works on bright sunny days to give drivers advanced notice that something is ahead, and time to cooly deal with it, and riders a lot more comfort and safety.

I was hit by a car, uninsured, for the first time in over 50 years of riding, last November. It was a "left hook". I had my Dinotte 400R on, but no headlight, even though I had one. Late afternoon riding, I had gotten "too complacent". Fortunately, the car T-boned me, and I was heads-up enough to jump high and roll onto the hood and into the windshield. My Giro Ionos protected my head, while making a major "orb-weaver spider" crack in the drivers' windshield, and my shoulder did another set of cracks. Also hood dents. I was unable to ride for 6 weeks, and intimidated from riding for several more weeks. Anyway, I'm back to riding, now with a helmet light I'd put into the drawer. I'm riding with it again.

The DesignShine 500 is the brightest taillight on the market. But rear collisions aren't your only probem. New-tech car-mounted collision-warning systems are cool. But universal implementation is at least a decade away.
 
#199 · (Edited)
...I was hit by a car, uninsured, for the first time in over 50 years of riding, last November. It was a "left hook". I had my Dinotte 400R on, but no headlight, even though I had one. Late afternoon riding, I had gotten "too complacent". Fortunately, the car T-boned me, and I was heads-up enough to jump high and roll onto the hood and into the windshield. My Giro Ionos protected my head, while making a major "orb-weaver spider" crack in the drivers' windshield, and my shoulder did another set of cracks. Also hood dents. I was unable to ride for 6 weeks, and intimidated from riding for several more weeks. Anyway, I'm back to riding, now with a helmet light I'd put into the drawer. I'm riding with it again.

The DesignShine 500 is the brightest taillight on the market. But rear collisions aren't your only probem. New-tech car-mounted collision-warning systems are cool. But universal implementation is at least a decade away.
I have two weapons against the inattentive motorist ( daytime )...One is the strobe mode on my new Gloworm X2. ( 1200 lumen pulsing flash ) Very, very bright if I do say so. The only problem is that it takes a couple moments to turn on as it is a "special mode". That means no "Instant on feature". My second weapon though has this issue handled. I have a 5 mode XP-E torch on my helmet that has an excellent strobe mode ( about 300 lumen ) and it has a very tight beam. Very intense, I only use it for moments at a time. The good part is that it can be set for strobe and turned on/off at an instant.. Point your head at anything with this on and you WILL be seen. The only down side is that you have to take one hand off the bars to reach your head but it does only take a second to turn on.

I would like a third weapon though. A while back I started looking for an electric bike horn that could rival the horns that you hear on the VW's. Unfortunately I have not found anything that is small enough that will work. The Air horns they sell for bikes are too big and clunky. I'd like to see something about the size of a matchbox that you could easily mount under the stem or bars AND include a wired remote for fast access.
Batteries could be small as runtime is not an issue since a horn mostly sits idle till needed. Still, I want something that will make your skin crawl sitting in a car 100 ft. away! :D Whoever can market a product like that will not only save 100's of lives a year but will likely become a millionaire.

Oh BTW, very good post and a very good story. You make some good points. Keep riding. Don't let the *astards win. :thumbsup:

(edit: Just had a thought. Some of the buzzers on smoke detectors are incredibly loud. Somewhere I have one sitting in a box waiting to be dismantled. :D )
 
#197 ·
Whew!

Very sorry to hear of your accident, but I'm very glad to hear that you're back riding again!!! I can't even imagine the mind games that must result after an experience like that. The 400R was indeed my inspiration for creating the DS-500. I wanted something that went beyond really bright and into the levels of ridiculously bright, but at the same time, small, and smartly mounted with good night side visibility.

Statistically, I think the "left hook" is the most common occurrence, so yes, an equally good "be seen" daytime headlight should be standard equipment these days. I added a neat feature on the headlight to be able to add a "fluorescent" yellow filter to the front of the headlight during the day that can be easily removed at night. It's very "other-worldly" looking, so it really stands out from sunlight glints and reflections. I also put a lot of time into optimizing the flash modes for day and night use, but the controller also has fully user-programmable flash timing for those that like to experiment.

If these lights could ever prevent one incident like yours from happening, all the long hours and work will have been worth it!
 
#202 ·
It plays different siren noises if I remember correctly. Kinda like, Police, fire & ambulance. i don't recall it playing any tunes at all. I haven't pressed the button in quite a while though, so just going on memory!!

You could certainly cut it down in size if needed by removing the lights on each side. its quite empty in there.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top