Rear lamp: Spanninga 15 (fender mounted, with incandescent bulb)
Specifications:
StVZO approval no: K20038
Mass: 58 g (with washer/nut).
Size: 45 mm width, 94 mm height (105 mm with Union label) along the reflector, 54 mm maximum thickness.
Light source: 0.6 W bulb (possibly also 0.3W, as these lamps may have been sold without bulb, as they are these days).
Mounting method: On the rear fender.
Cabling/connectors: One pole via earth (for use with a steel fender and a steel frame, but you can solder a wire to the inside of the lamp as I did), the other pole goes via cable that you fasten by screwing in the bulb.
Price: ca. € 5,-
Pictures:
The SP 15 shown above is from an old Union bike from my dad, from ca. 1988. A similar version (without the Union label) is still being sold today. It is not the same though, especially the reflector has changed. I will test a version from 2013 soon. This lamp has a Union label, which does not refer to the German components maker, but to a Dutch high quality bike brand comparable in quality to Batavus and Gazelle, which it isn't any more after various takeovers and other stuff that's too long and too boring to dicuss here :)
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Beam shots
See the camera settings page for more on the setup and settings to make pictures of the beams of taillamps.
The corner & wallshots have been made with a 0.3 W bulb and 0.6W. It originally probably came with 0.6 W as that's imprinted on the taillamp, but 0.3W bulbs were used in bicycles a lot too (0.3W is the minimum allowed by StVZO).
Out of a corner (0.3W) (showing how much light is cast upwards, forwards and to the sides) [ F3.9 & F1.8 ]:
Note how little light this taillamp gives, and almost nothing upward/forward as the current StVZO requires.
Out of a corner (0.6W) (showing how much light is cast upwards, forwards and to the sides) [ F3.9 & F1.8 ]:
It's a lot better!
Wallshot (0.3W) (showing the beam pattern):
Wallshot (0.6W) (showing the beam pattern):
Visibility from various angles (0.3W) (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°) [ 0.5m, zoom x3, F3.5, ISO80, 1/250s & 1/60s ]:
Visibility from various angles (0.6W) (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°) [ 0.5m, zoom x3, F3.5, ISO80, 1/250s & 1/60s ]:
Comparing taillamps
Experiences
Annoying for following traffic until which distance?: Never annoying...
Visibility: With a 0.6 W bulb it a lamp that's very well visible, better than the Basta Ray at some angles. Though the amount of light and especially illuminated size is limited compared to LED lamps with illuminated lines, when I did a long distance visibility test it became clear that this lamp is very well visible, and sends the light there where it is needed, in contrast to most LED taillamps that produce a lot of light but throw it around in all directions, including those where it's of no use.
Visibility by reflection: To be tested.
Ease of connecting wires: Poor, old fashioned. The bolt to fix the lamp to the fender is used as mass. You can put in a wire and solder that onto the steel base of the lamp holder as I've done. There is no provision for 2.8 mm plugs.
Design- and thus review considerations for taillamps
See Theory for taillamps.
Conclusion
Even though it seems old fashioned, in real performance LED taillamps are no better.
Last modified: Sun Mar 3 21:51:15 CET 2013
