Updates on the bicycle (dynamo) lighting pages

As lamps and especially LEDs get improved, and as I'm testing much more with bicycle lamps since summer 2010, I thought this list of updates would be useful.

Updates 2012-1-30:

Oh almost forgot, end of December Olaf Schultz tested some PV-8s that I sent him/Fahrradzukunft. So there will be test results from him soon on the Fahrrad zukunft website.

Updates 2012-1-23:

Philips LBL: Report on runtime of 2 samples with production dates 0911 and 2111.

Updates 2012-1-21:

Starting my report of the Philips: Bicycle lighting day 19 January 2012.

Updates 2012-1-3:

Philips Saferide 60 modifications and a disassembly (with a hacksaw :) ). Also, running it on the LBL's driver, running the LBL with an h6flex at 0.92A (instead of 0.70A of the factory version). See here.

Updates 2011-12-25:

Added a chapter on reflection: Passive lighting: Reflection.

Updates 2011-12-10:

Added a graph with power output results from various dynamos using the special dynamo driver running 3 XM-L LEDs, and a graphs of the Sunup DS' power output using 1 or more XML LEDs.

Updates 2011-12-9:

Added a section called "Artefacts and glare for oncoming traffic (2011-12-9)" to the review of the Philips LBL.

Updates 2011-12-4:

Power output measurements put on the review page of the Sunup DS in table form (graphs to follow). Added a bit on the battery holder and comparison results with the Philips Saferide 40 to the now completed Test of the Q-lite 269 headlamp with cutoff (Cree MC-E).

Updates 2011-12-3:

Taillamps: Power use and long distance test results moved to a new page: Taillamp comparison.

Updates 2011-11-15:

Finally completed the translation of the LED experiments page to Dutch: LED experiments. Also made a few clarifications to the English page.

Updates 2011-10-13:

Forgot to add this earlier, a pdf from SP with an overview of their series 8 dynamos and information on efficiency to the SP series 8 review.

Updates 2011-10-10:

A new overview: The future of bicycle lighting: What do we need and what must be changed?

Updates 2011-10-9:

Added beamshots to the B&M mini plus review.

Updates 2011-10-5:

XM-L tests with various light colours.

Updates 2011-10-3:

More taillamp considerations on what's good, bad and necessary.

Updates 2011-9-26:

SP's 2.4W SD-8 tested in a standard sized wheel (622mm rim). Also added a note about power output and vibration on the Sanyo NH-H27 review page as that is apparently lower than StVZO requires and probably explains why vibrations are less than with e.g. Shimano hubs.

Updates 2011-8-18:

Taillamp test finished bar some details, a little more information in the review of SP's PD-7 (=HB015) switchable dynamo hub after the preliminary review of SP's new small dynamo hubs PD-8. Changed all names of SP dynamos because since they are promoting them themselves they have a new SP designation: 63D -> HB015 and 83D -> PD-8.

Updates 2011-8-5:

Automatically generated taillamp beamshot overview pages allowing you to choose the light intensity and thumbnail size.

Updates 2011-6-25, 2011-7-26 & 2011-8-5:

Website reorganisation: Headlamps, dynamos, taillamps, StVZO, camera stuff etc. have been put into separate directories. This means old direct links to reviews of a specific taillamp or dynamo won't work any more... Some old references are forwarded, others go to an index page. For a link the best course of action is to take the link as in the table of contents to a summary on the main index page.

Updates 2011-6-20

Finally added corner and wallshots of all taillamps, added a taillamp size comparison picture to the Bicycle lamp size page and finally added pictures to the review of the SP PD-7 (=HB015) switchable dynamo hub.

Updates 2011-6-13

Review of the SP PD-7 (=HB015) switchable dynamo hub.

Updates 2011-5-19

Added a page with videos of bicycle lamps in action.

Updates 2011-5-1

A start on StVZO's requirement about how bicycle headlamps should be aimed.

Updates 2011-5-1

'Vienna' from Japan made a series of beamshots with the camera on a tripod, Link + interpretation.

Updates 2011-3-2

Sunup Eco listed with a reference to their website as the manufacturer of the upcoming Dosun DS1 rear wheel dynamo. Also, I made an estimate of the lightoutput of the Supernova E3 pro with terraflux lens, both XP-E and XP-G versions.

Updates 2011-2-14

I just wanted to share that my estimates about the maximum output of the Supernova Airstream have been confirmed by 'Siam'. My estimate for the XP-G version was: at most 240 lm, well the results are: http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/showpost.php?p=8019707&postcount=1145: 217 lm for the XP-G version, and 175 lm for the StVZO version. This is lot less than the Philips LBL (270-291 lm) which also doesn't have a diverging beam, which confirms that my estimate that useful illumination of the road surface and throw by the Supernova Airstream would never get close to the Philips LBL, was also correct. I was of course already pretty sure of this after my tests of the E3-pro-StVZO, but it's nice to get objective confirmation by virtue of measurement of the light output of the Airstream.

Updates 2011-2-13

Update of the StVZO page about the ability for endusers to open housings, and about the differences in requirements between car- and bicycle headlamps which largely explain the problems cyclists have on parallel roads.

Note on tests

Due to circumstances (since end of January 2011) all tests of lamps & dynamos had been postponed until early June (and it only got going slowly at that time). I did make some missing pages in Dutch and several pages in German.

Updates 2011-1-10

Review of the Supernova E3 triple from 2009, advertised as 550 lumen.

Updates 2010-12-22

Review of the Supernova E3 pro StVZO, version from end of 2010, advertised as 305 lumen.

Updates 2010-12-18

Added beamshots of Philips LBL + Betty on road 3, including oncoming shots at various aims of the Betty on that road.

Updates 2010-12-4 & 5

Various updates with examples of decoding what's in StVZO: Standlight, taillamp shining forwards, and what I think is the reasoning behind the power limits for headlamps and taillamps.

Updates 2010-11-20 and later

Test of the runtime on high of the Philips LED bike light that I bought. There's probably a batch of these with incorrectly programmed electronics... I've done various tests and sent my findings to Philips.

Updates 2010-11-17 - 2010-12-16

Tests of the B&M IQ Cyo RT, Trelock LS 885, Lupine Betty 2011. New beamshots of the Philips LED bike light on road 2 with camera at 1.65 m. New beamshots of the Edelux and Philips Saferide LED dynamo with lampheight of 1.05 m and angled properly to give best illumination of the road up to ca. 50 m.

Updates 2010-11-17:

I tried out foglamps on a bicycle. I made pictures of torches in the fog at various distances from the camera lens to see at which distance a lamp should be from your eyes so you won't get blinded in the fog. See Experiments with LEDs.

Updates 2010-11-11:

I made new beamshots of the Philips dynamo, Edelux, Frankenlamp on road 3 at 0.75m, 1.05 m both with camera height of ca. 1.55 m which is more as you'd see the beams when riding slightly less upright. But I think the final camera height setting is going to be 1.65m... These new beamshots are at the moment only shown on the new beamshot page, not the individual review pages.

Updates 2010-11-9:

Added a section on dynamos that could be of interest (Note that I already mentioned them with their strengths and weaknesses, since the start of these webpages, in the review of the SON 28 and the section on magnet strength). Added beamshots of torches with LEDs in various light colours on a wet road and in fog, see Experiments with LEDs.

Updates 2010-11-7:

The main bicycle lighting page got too long, so it has been split up into various webpages. Each review of a lamp or dynamo is now on a separate page. A synopsis will be placed on the main page for each lamp/dynamo. It may take a bit of time for all links and image locations to be fixed.

Updates 2010-11-2:

Beamshots of the Lumotec oval senso plus modified with Cree XP-G R4 neutral white (5B1) have been made on a wet road. Also some shots to the side of the road, comparing it to the Edelux (for light colour) on a wet road and wet grass.

Updates 2010-10-27:

Test of the Philips Saferide LED dynamo (beamshots added; Final verdict to come)
Beamshots and picture of artefacts in the lightbeam of the Schmidt Edelux.

Updates 2010-10-22:

Test of the Philips Saferide LED dynamo (First impressions and comparison with the Edelux).

Updates 2010-10-2:

Edelux dissection and brief analysis of the lamp.

Updates 2010-9-15:

Neutral white/cool white LED comparison on a wet roads (LED experiments page)

Updates 2010-9-12:

The LED experiments page is now linked from the main bicycle lighting page.

Updates 1 &2 September 2010

Added a description of tests with the Philips LED bike light I had already done ca. 21 August: Mounting the lamp lower at fork crown height just to see what would happen. No beamshots yet. Also comparison in light output on the road of symmetric beam vs. beam with cutoff.

Updates 1-21 August 2010

Tests of 2 lamps that are not for dynamo and/or road use but give a view of what's possible in future dynamo lamps with cutoff:

  1. Philips LED bike light (battery powered lamp with cutoff).
  2. Ktronik's 3 XP-G cool white lamp (dynamo powered triple XP-G with no cutoff)

Updates 30 June & 1 July 2010

A new page with descriptions of annoyances from bike/car lamps, but also LED streetlamps (to be added: LED traffic lamps). The section on parallel roads was also moved to that page. Also, a few days ago I elaborated a bit on what you see when someone with a Magicshine P7 lamp is riding towards you: My description was for the worst case scenario (a completely unlit road), and I added a description of what you see when encountering someone with this Magicshine P7 lamp at night on a well lit street.

Updates 14 & 15 & 21 June 2010

I've done various tests on ca. 6-15, 21 June 2010. Result:

  1. A comparison of the Schmidt Edelux (180 lumen at 30km/h) and Magicshine (P7 LED lamp with Li-Ion battery, ca. 550 lumen), to see how more light influences what you can see on the road, but also how annoying they are for oncoming traffic.
  2. Pictures showing the difference of a neutral- and cool white LED in what you see at night (garden pictures).

Updates fall 2008:

My experiences with the Shimano DH-3N80 dynamo hub.

2008-9-16:

Bicycle lighting page created, with a review of the Edelux, the union roller dynamo, the SON28 dynamo hub and various other information in response to the pathetic 'reviews' in magazines. I made earlier mention of my ideas of what's needed in good reviews, and some issues such as the vibration problem I had with the SON28, on the dutch forum of cyclingmagazine 'Fiets'. Neither the people from that magazine nor the other readers of that forum were interested...

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