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Main
Date: 28 Oct 2005 20:31:22
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
found out that it didn't work at all.
I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
to avoid that problem.
Anyhow, I drilled the battery pack apart (its connectors use
nonstandard heads that play hob with all of my screwdrivers) and
found out the real problem. Not the batteries at all. They were
fine. According to my ohmmeter, it was actually an "open
circuit" between the batteries and the proprietary "Sur-Lok"
connector. Broken wire, probably.
A broken wire in the battery pack is not all that surprising,
because all the cables had started to get frayed near the Sur-Lok
connectors, with the black plastic insulation pulling back to
expose the red and black insulated wires underneath. That
doesn't make sense for a $125 piece of hardware: I treated all
this stuff very carefully, and I only used it 3-4 times a week
for about 3 months last year.
Anyhow, I'd encourage anyone thinking about buying a NiteRider
light to think about this. New battery packs are ridiculously
expensive. So are new "Sur-Lok" cables (my LBS quoted me $25 for
a 3-foot cable!). At that rate, it's more like $125 per year;
might as well buy a new light each time.
Personally, I dealt with it by building my own battery pack, out
of a 6-AA battery holder ($3 from San Mateo Electronics) that I
reduced to 5-AA with a jumper wire. I filled it with standard
NiMH rechargeables that a commodity NiMH "fast charger" can
recharge in 90 minutes (and won't kill). I soldered on a
standard RCA phono jack ($3 for a package of 4 from Radio Shack).
I did the same for the light head itself, after cutting off the
proprietary "Sur-Lok" connector. Then I connected them with a $3
speaker cable with RCA phono plug ends.
So, for under $10 I have a "commodity" system that I can repair
or replace myself, instead of spending $100 or more on official
NiteRider gear. (It's probably not as waterproof, though.) My
battery pack won't last as long as the official one, but I can
always carry an extra set of batteries if that's a problem. And
if I want a second battery pack for whatever reason, it'll only
cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
--
Ben Pfaff
email: blp@cs.stanford.edu
web: http://benpfaff.org
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 08:13:41
From: Mark Hickey
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu > wrote:
>So, for under $10 I have a "commodity" system that I can repair
>or replace myself, instead of spending $100 or more on official
>NiteRider gear. (It's probably not as waterproof, though.) My
>battery pack won't last as long as the official one, but I can
>always carry an extra set of batteries if that's a problem. And
>if I want a second battery pack for whatever reason, it'll only
>cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
I had a couple NiteRider systems (one for me, one for my wife) that
saw a LOT of use over five or six years, and they performed
flawlessly. When the batteries did eventually fade, I just replaced
'em with el cheapo C-cell NiCads from Radio Shack (soldering to
standard C-cells requires some skill though - don't overheat them or
"bad things happen"). I'm not sure what kind of bulbs NR uses, but it
was many, many hundreds of hours of use before I lost my first low
beam bulb.
Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 20:00:56
From: richard
Subject: Re: Front derailleur (Question for sellers)
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!Jones wrote:
> I have an old Santana tandem with TA/Mafac/Campy equipment. It was an
> early triple crank... the issue is that the front derailleurs in the
> early to mid '70s were designed for double chain rings. My (well
> worn) Campy Record unit won't quite reach no matter how I adjust it
> and the BB.
>
> I'm looking for a replacement that is of reasonable quality and has a
> 1" clamp. (I know that quite a few mail-order shops are represented
> here.)
>
> Given that I *must* shim, what modern derailleur would *you* use on a
> vintage bike? I'm more into the antique equipment and haven't really
> kept up to date, I fear. In your opinion, what's the best "bang for
> the buck" in, say, a $60 unit?
>
> Jones
Just about any modern triple will work, and only Record, Chorus, and
Dura-Ace cost over $60.
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 12:47:47
From: Victor Kan
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Anyhow, I drilled the battery pack apart (its connectors use
> nonstandard heads that play hob with all of my screwdrivers) and
> found out the real problem. Not the batteries at all. They were
> fine. According to my ohmmeter, it was actually an "open
> circuit" between the batteries and the proprietary "Sur-Lok"
> connector. Broken wire, probably.
Wow, sounds like they changed from a simple, reliable, non-proprietary
connection (a coaxial plug like I have on my ancient HeadTrip) to
something proprietary and bogus? Whodathunkit? :-)
I can't count all the times I had my HeadTrip helmet light connected to
its battery pack in the seat bag on my recumbent bike (when I didn't
have a convenient on-person pocket), then stood up and had my head
yanked backwards as the power cable ran out of slack.
Several years later, I'm still on the original battery getting more than
enough runtime for my nighttime commute and the connections on it are
still good (though the coax plug is slightly ovalized from all the
abuse, making it difficult to remove sometimes, but it still works fine).
I did finally break a connection on the lamp head unit with my
aforementioned stupid cyclist trick (or more likely all the twisting I
have to do to remove the battery connector due to my unintended
reshaping of the connector), requiring careful resoldering through the
opening with the MR-11 lamp removed.
[...]
> Personally, I dealt with it by building my own battery pack, out
> of a 6-AA battery holder ($3 from San Mateo Electronics) that I
> reduced to 5-AA with a jumper wire. I filled it with standard
> NiMH rechargeables that a commodity NiMH "fast charger" can
> recharge in 90 minutes (and won't kill). I soldered on a
> standard RCA phono jack ($3 for a package of 4 from Radio Shack).
> I did the same for the light head itself, after cutting off the
> proprietary "Sur-Lok" connector. Then I connected them with a $3
> speaker cable with RCA phono plug ends.
I recall reading on some homebrew sites that RCA phono jacks might not
be safe to use for high power connections since they're usually designed
for signal connections.
I suppose coax power connections are a little more expensive (at Radio
Shack anyway, about $2.50 for a plug, about the same for a jack).
--
I do not accept unsolicited commercial e-mail. Remove NO_UCE for
legitimate replies.
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 16:14:40
From: Jasper Janssen
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 12:47:47 GMT, Victor Kan
<victor@usenet.NO_UCEloopdrive.net > wrote:
>I recall reading on some homebrew sites that RCA phono jacks might not
>be safe to use for high power connections since they're usually designed
>for signal connections.
True, but a 10-20W bike light at 6V is only about 3 amps -- that's hefty,
but an RCA should be able to take it. Using a standard audio wire, OTOH..
those might be problematic, mostly in that they have extra lossage
associated with the relatively thin wires. I'd use something else (like
standard coax power plugs like you get on all those wallwart-fed pieces of
gear).
Jasper
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 06:29:40
From: catzz66
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
> correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
> This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
> found out that it didn't work at all.
>
> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
> to avoid that problem.
> ...
Mine failed in the same way after just a few months and I parked it.
You can buy a lot of batteries for the price of an "official replacement
battery pack" which does not seem to that well engineered in the first
place. There are too many places for the whole system to fail, in my
opinion.
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 06:43:30
From: catzz66
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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catzz66 wrote:
> Ben Pfaff wrote:
>
>> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
>> correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
>> This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
>> found out that it didn't work at all.
>>
>> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
>> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
>> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
>> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
>> to avoid that problem.
>> ...
>
>
> Mine failed in the same way after just a few months and I parked it. You
> can buy a lot of batteries for the price of an "official replacement
> battery pack" which does not seem to that well engineered in the first
> place. There are too many places for the whole system to fail, in my
> opinion.
I am not knocking your ingenuity at all, Ben. I am still mad at myself
for picking this unit in the first place. Your fix is brilliant.
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 17:39:34
From: Robin Hubert
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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catzz66 wrote:
> Ben Pfaff wrote:
>
>> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
>> correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
>> This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
>> found out that it didn't work at all.
>>
>> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
>> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
>> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
>> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
>> to avoid that problem.
>> ...
>
>
> Mine failed in the same way after just a few months and I parked it. You
> can buy a lot of batteries for the price of an "official replacement
> battery pack" which does not seem to that well engineered in the first
> place. There are too many places for the whole system to fail, in my
> opinion.
I must be lucky. My Trail Rat has gone two years now without any problems.
Robin
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 15:07:22
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Jasper ssen <jasper@jssen.org > writes:
> Are you sure it's speaker wire rather than signal cable? Speakers
> connecting over RCA is fairly rare -- possibly except computer speakers
> and small speakers from those surround sound sets. Your light is actually
> just about the same sort of impedance as a speaker, so it should be okay
> if it's a speaker cable.
It's a speaker cable: the package was labeled as such, and the
package labeling and the wire inside it are different from the
signal cables it was near on the shelf.
--
"There's only one thing that will make them stop hating you.
And that's being so good at what you do that they can't ignore you.
I told them you were the best. Now you damn well better be."
--Orson Scott Card, _Ender's Game_
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Date: 30 Oct 2005 13:04:27
From: Jasper Janssen
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 15:07:22 -0700, Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu > wrote:
>Jasper ssen <jasper@jssen.org> writes:
>
>> Are you sure it's speaker wire rather than signal cable? Speakers
>> connecting over RCA is fairly rare -- possibly except computer speakers
>> and small speakers from those surround sound sets. Your light is actually
>> just about the same sort of impedance as a speaker, so it should be okay
>> if it's a speaker cable.
>
>It's a speaker cable: the package was labeled as such, and the
>package labeling and the wire inside it are different from the
>signal cables it was near on the shelf.
Okay, fair enough then. It should be pretty okay. I'd never seen them sold
as loose cables here.
Jasper
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 12:14:54
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com > writes:
> A cut-off timer installed at the wall plug may not do the trick. The way to
> tell is to measure across the plug (the part of the charger that plugs into
> the battery), and make sure you get an infinite resistance reading (make
> sure it's not plugged in when you do this!). If you don't get an infinite
> reading, then you're discharging the battery in the worst-possible way by
> having a cut-off timer where it plugs into the wall.
Yes, it's an open circuit.
(What kind of horrible "charger" would discharge the battery when
not plugged in? That's just a recipe for disaster.)
--
"...dans ce pays-ci il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral
pour encourager les autres."
--Voltaire, _Candide_
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 20:33:25
From: Jasper Janssen
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 12:14:54 -0700, Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu > wrote:
>"...dans ce pays-ci il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral
> pour encourager les autres."
>--Voltaire, _Candide_
Huh. So that's what that phrase was originally about.
Jasper
(In this country-here it's good to occasionally kill an admiral from time
time to encourage the others)
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 18:50:43
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
> to avoid that problem.
A cut-off timer installed at the wall plug may not do the trick. The way to
tell is to measure across the plug (the part of the charger that plugs into
the battery), and make sure you get an infinite resistance reading (make
sure it's not plugged in when you do this!). If you don't get an infinite
reading, then you're discharging the battery in the worst-possible way by
having a cut-off timer where it plugs into the wall.
Obviously, it sounds like your unit had other problems as well, but don't
assume that a cut-off timer will always do the trick (unless you've somehow
rigged it between the charger and the battery, not the charger and the
wall).
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
"Ben Pfaff" <blp@cs.stanford.edu > wrote in message
news:8764rhc839.fsf@benpfaff.org...
> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
> correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
> This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
> found out that it didn't work at all.
>
> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
> to avoid that problem.
>
> Anyhow, I drilled the battery pack apart (its connectors use
> nonstandard heads that play hob with all of my screwdrivers) and
> found out the real problem. Not the batteries at all. They were
> fine. According to my ohmmeter, it was actually an "open
> circuit" between the batteries and the proprietary "Sur-Lok"
> connector. Broken wire, probably.
>
> A broken wire in the battery pack is not all that surprising,
> because all the cables had started to get frayed near the Sur-Lok
> connectors, with the black plastic insulation pulling back to
> expose the red and black insulated wires underneath. That
> doesn't make sense for a $125 piece of hardware: I treated all
> this stuff very carefully, and I only used it 3-4 times a week
> for about 3 months last year.
>
> Anyhow, I'd encourage anyone thinking about buying a NiteRider
> light to think about this. New battery packs are ridiculously
> expensive. So are new "Sur-Lok" cables (my LBS quoted me $25 for
> a 3-foot cable!). At that rate, it's more like $125 per year;
> might as well buy a new light each time.
>
> Personally, I dealt with it by building my own battery pack, out
> of a 6-AA battery holder ($3 from San Mateo Electronics) that I
> reduced to 5-AA with a jumper wire. I filled it with standard
> NiMH rechargeables that a commodity NiMH "fast charger" can
> recharge in 90 minutes (and won't kill). I soldered on a
> standard RCA phono jack ($3 for a package of 4 from Radio Shack).
> I did the same for the light head itself, after cutting off the
> proprietary "Sur-Lok" connector. Then I connected them with a $3
> speaker cable with RCA phono plug ends.
>
> So, for under $10 I have a "commodity" system that I can repair
> or replace myself, instead of spending $100 or more on official
> NiteRider gear. (It's probably not as waterproof, though.) My
> battery pack won't last as long as the official one, but I can
> always carry an extra set of batteries if that's a problem. And
> if I want a second battery pack for whatever reason, it'll only
> cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
> --
> Ben Pfaff
> email: blp@cs.stanford.edu
> web: http://benpfaff.org
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Date: 30 Oct 2005 08:52:14
From: Marty
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
>>I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
>>That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
>>came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
>>leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
>>to avoid that problem.
>
>
> A cut-off timer installed at the wall plug may not do the trick. The way to
> tell is to measure across the plug (the part of the charger that plugs into
> the battery), and make sure you get an infinite resistance reading (make
> sure it's not plugged in when you do this!). If you don't get an infinite
> reading, then you're discharging the battery in the worst-possible way by
> having a cut-off timer where it plugs into the wall.
>
> Obviously, it sounds like your unit had other problems as well, but don't
> assume that a cut-off timer will always do the trick (unless you've somehow
> rigged it between the charger and the battery, not the charger and the
> wall).
>
> --Mike Jacoubowsky
> Chain Reaction Bicycles
> www.ChainReaction.com
> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
>
> "Ben Pfaff" <blp@cs.stanford.edu> wrote in message
> news:8764rhc839.fsf@benpfaff.org...
>
>>Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
>>correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
>>This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
>>found out that it didn't work at all.
>>
>>I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
>>That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
>>came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
>>leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
>>to avoid that problem.
>>
>>Anyhow, I drilled the battery pack apart (its connectors use
>>nonstandard heads that play hob with all of my screwdrivers) and
>>found out the real problem. Not the batteries at all. They were
>>fine. According to my ohmmeter, it was actually an "open
>>circuit" between the batteries and the proprietary "Sur-Lok"
>>connector. Broken wire, probably.
>>
>>A broken wire in the battery pack is not all that surprising,
>>because all the cables had started to get frayed near the Sur-Lok
>>connectors, with the black plastic insulation pulling back to
>>expose the red and black insulated wires underneath. That
>>doesn't make sense for a $125 piece of hardware: I treated all
>>this stuff very carefully, and I only used it 3-4 times a week
>>for about 3 months last year.
>>
>>Anyhow, I'd encourage anyone thinking about buying a NiteRider
>>light to think about this. New battery packs are ridiculously
>>expensive. So are new "Sur-Lok" cables (my LBS quoted me $25 for
>>a 3-foot cable!). At that rate, it's more like $125 per year;
>>might as well buy a new light each time.
>>
>>Personally, I dealt with it by building my own battery pack, out
>>of a 6-AA battery holder ($3 from San Mateo Electronics) that I
>>reduced to 5-AA with a jumper wire. I filled it with standard
>>NiMH rechargeables that a commodity NiMH "fast charger" can
>>recharge in 90 minutes (and won't kill). I soldered on a
>>standard RCA phono jack ($3 for a package of 4 from Radio Shack).
>>I did the same for the light head itself, after cutting off the
>>proprietary "Sur-Lok" connector. Then I connected them with a $3
>>speaker cable with RCA phono plug ends.
>>
>>So, for under $10 I have a "commodity" system that I can repair
>>or replace myself, instead of spending $100 or more on official
>>NiteRider gear. (It's probably not as waterproof, though.) My
>>battery pack won't last as long as the official one, but I can
>>always carry an extra set of batteries if that's a problem. And
>>if I want a second battery pack for whatever reason, it'll only
>>cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
>>--
>>Ben Pfaff
>>email: blp@cs.stanford.edu
>>web: http://benpfaff.org
>
>
>
You should use an "intelligent" charger that matches the type of battery
you're using. Any other type of charger is almost certain to kill the
battery. Overcharging is worse than undercharging. A rule of thumb is to
spend more on the charger than you do on the batteries.
Secondly, most connectors have some sort of plating on them, once this
wears through your problem will tend only get worse and you need to
replace the connector. Silver plating is best because silver is soft and
the oxide still conducts well. Obviously if you disconnect/reconnect
often you'll wear the connection out quicker.
Marty
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 14:42:19
From: The Wogster
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
> correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
> This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
> found out that it didn't work at all.
>
> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
> to avoid that problem.
>
> Anyhow, I drilled the battery pack apart (its connectors use
> nonstandard heads that play hob with all of my screwdrivers) and
> found out the real problem. Not the batteries at all. They were
> fine. According to my ohmmeter, it was actually an "open
> circuit" between the batteries and the proprietary "Sur-Lok"
> connector. Broken wire, probably.
>
> A broken wire in the battery pack is not all that surprising,
> because all the cables had started to get frayed near the Sur-Lok
> connectors, with the black plastic insulation pulling back to
> expose the red and black insulated wires underneath. That
> doesn't make sense for a $125 piece of hardware: I treated all
> this stuff very carefully, and I only used it 3-4 times a week
> for about 3 months last year.
It's possible you got the crappy one of the lot.... Made last thing on
a Friday night when the crew were already in weekend mode.
Whenever I see a word like "Sur-Lok" I think trademark name, and it's
probably something that is made by someone other then Niterider. So, I
would take the battery pack to a place that deals in selling electrical
supplies and connectors, here in Toronto, Ontario Canada, I would start
with a trip down to Queen Street, and Active Surplus, just about any
kind of electrical or electronic piece or part ends up in their junk
collection if it's been made in the last 150 years.... Although any
electric or electronic supply place, probably has a dozen catalogues of
parts, and can find a part number for that particular connector. Once
you have a part number, get a few, and then you can simply redo the
cable between the battery pack and the light.... I would probably get a
compatable connector that I could glue onto the pack, and another I
could glue right to the light, then simply build a cable to run between.....
W
>
> Anyhow, I'd encourage anyone thinking about buying a NiteRider
> light to think about this. New battery packs are ridiculously
> expensive. So are new "Sur-Lok" cables (my LBS quoted me $25 for
> a 3-foot cable!). At that rate, it's more like $125 per year;
> might as well buy a new light each time.
>
> Personally, I dealt with it by building my own battery pack, out
> of a 6-AA battery holder ($3 from San Mateo Electronics) that I
> reduced to 5-AA with a jumper wire. I filled it with standard
> NiMH rechargeables that a commodity NiMH "fast charger" can
> recharge in 90 minutes (and won't kill). I soldered on a
> standard RCA phono jack ($3 for a package of 4 from Radio Shack).
> I did the same for the light head itself, after cutting off the
> proprietary "Sur-Lok" connector. Then I connected them with a $3
> speaker cable with RCA phono plug ends.
>
> So, for under $10 I have a "commodity" system that I can repair
> or replace myself, instead of spending $100 or more on official
> NiteRider gear. (It's probably not as waterproof, though.) My
> battery pack won't last as long as the official one, but I can
> always carry an extra set of batteries if that's a problem. And
> if I want a second battery pack for whatever reason, it'll only
> cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
|
| |
Date: 29 Oct 2005 11:30:35
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
|
Robin Hubert <cv2572@hotmail.com > writes:
> Ben Pfaff wrote:
>> Robin Hubert <cv2572@hotmail.com> writes:
>>
>>>You don't mention the cost or source of the fast charger.
>> AA NiMH rechargeables are useful for all kinds of things. The
>> charger is not limited to just bike lights. I've been using it
>> for digital cameras, etc., also. At any rate, it cost about $20,
>> if I recall correctly.
>
> Second part ... "source"?
Brand is "Sunpak". Bought at San Mateo Electronics.
I'm not claiming it's the best or the cheapest, only that it's
what I have.
--
Ben Pfaff
email: blp@cs.stanford.edu
web: http://benpfaff.org
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 11:03:54
From: JeffWills
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Mark Hickey wrote:
>
> I had a couple NiteRider systems (one for me, one for my wife) that
> saw a LOT of use over five or six years, and they performed
> flawlessly. When the batteries did eventually fade, I just replaced
> 'em with el cheapo C-cell NiCads from Radio Shack (soldering to
> standard C-cells requires some skill though - don't overheat them or
> "bad things happen"). I'm not sure what kind of bulbs NR uses, but it
> was many, many hundreds of hours of use before I lost my first low
> beam bulb.
>
Same deal here, kinda. I bought a couple older Niterider systems
(slightly used) and installed them on our bikes. They were completely
reliable until the batteries died (dumb charger, probably user
overcharging). I sent them to the NiCad Lady (http://nicdlady.com/),
whoe installed new cells for about $50 each, and they're as good as
new.
That doesn't answer the question of problematic internal connections-
but for a company that makes divers' and police lights, poor quality
connections would seem to be a well-aimed shot to the foot.
Jeff
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 10:56:37
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Robin Hubert <cv2572@hotmail.com > writes:
> You don't mention the cost or source of the fast charger.
AA NiMH rechargeables are useful for all kinds of things. The
charger is not limited to just bike lights. I've been using it
for digital cameras, etc., also. At any rate, it cost about $20,
if I recall correctly.
--
"If a person keeps faithfully busy each hour of the working day, he
can count on waking up some morning to find himself one of the
competent ones of his generation."
--William James
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 18:20:21
From: Robin Hubert
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Robin Hubert <cv2572@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>
>>You don't mention the cost or source of the fast charger.
>
>
> AA NiMH rechargeables are useful for all kinds of things. The
> charger is not limited to just bike lights. I've been using it
> for digital cameras, etc., also. At any rate, it cost about $20,
> if I recall correctly.
Second part ... "source"?
Robin
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 20:30:25
From: Jasper Janssen
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 18:20:21 GMT, Robin Hubert <cv2572@hotmail.com > wrote:
>Ben Pfaff wrote:
>> Robin Hubert <cv2572@hotmail.com> writes:
>>
>>
>>>You don't mention the cost or source of the fast charger.
>>
>> AA NiMH rechargeables are useful for all kinds of things. The
>> charger is not limited to just bike lights. I've been using it
>> for digital cameras, etc., also. At any rate, it cost about $20,
>> if I recall correctly.
> Second part ... "source"?
These things are available all over the place, for around that money to
about 40-50. For the higher prices they usually come with a set of 4
high-capacity NiMHs.
Jasper
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 17:38:41
From: Robin Hubert
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
> correctly) and used it during the dark winter commuting season.
> This year I pulled it out of the closet, charged it, and promptly
> found out that it didn't work at all.
>
> I can already hear you saying, "You screwed up charging it."
> That's what the LBS suggested, but, no, I didn't. Although it
> came with a crappy 9-hour charger that kills batteries if you
> leave them too long, I carefully used a cut-off timer every time
> to avoid that problem.
>
> Anyhow, I drilled the battery pack apart (its connectors use
> nonstandard heads that play hob with all of my screwdrivers) and
> found out the real problem. Not the batteries at all. They were
> fine. According to my ohmmeter, it was actually an "open
> circuit" between the batteries and the proprietary "Sur-Lok"
> connector. Broken wire, probably.
>
> A broken wire in the battery pack is not all that surprising,
> because all the cables had started to get frayed near the Sur-Lok
> connectors, with the black plastic insulation pulling back to
> expose the red and black insulated wires underneath. That
> doesn't make sense for a $125 piece of hardware: I treated all
> this stuff very carefully, and I only used it 3-4 times a week
> for about 3 months last year.
>
> Anyhow, I'd encourage anyone thinking about buying a NiteRider
> light to think about this. New battery packs are ridiculously
> expensive. So are new "Sur-Lok" cables (my LBS quoted me $25 for
> a 3-foot cable!). At that rate, it's more like $125 per year;
> might as well buy a new light each time.
>
> Personally, I dealt with it by building my own battery pack, out
> of a 6-AA battery holder ($3 from San Mateo Electronics) that I
> reduced to 5-AA with a jumper wire. I filled it with standard
> NiMH rechargeables that a commodity NiMH "fast charger" can
> recharge in 90 minutes (and won't kill). I soldered on a
> standard RCA phono jack ($3 for a package of 4 from Radio Shack).
> I did the same for the light head itself, after cutting off the
> proprietary "Sur-Lok" connector. Then I connected them with a $3
> speaker cable with RCA phono plug ends.
>
> So, for under $10 I have a "commodity" system that I can repair
> or replace myself, instead of spending $100 or more on official
> NiteRider gear. (It's probably not as waterproof, though.) My
> battery pack won't last as long as the official one, but I can
> always carry an extra set of batteries if that's a problem. And
> if I want a second battery pack for whatever reason, it'll only
> cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
You don't mention the cost or source of the fast charger.
Robin
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 17:02:47
From: Pyrtwist
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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WWW.TURBOCATUSA.com
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 09:44:18
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Jasper ssen <jasper@jssen.org > writes:
> True, but a 10-20W bike light at 6V is only about 3 amps -- that's hefty,
> but an RCA should be able to take it. Using a standard audio wire, OTOH..
> those might be problematic, mostly in that they have extra lossage
> associated with the relatively thin wires. I'd use something else (like
> standard coax power plugs like you get on all those wallwart-fed pieces of
> gear).
If I have trouble with the speaker wire, I'll replace it. I
don't expect any though. I did look at a chart giving
recommended max currents based on wire gauge:
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Even 26-gauge wire commonly used in computer signal cables can
take 2.2 A for wiring in air. I don't know how big the wire in
my cable is, but it's probably bigger than that. My light is 10
W so that's only 1.7 A at 6 V.
--
"The sound of peacocks being shredded can't possibly be
any worse than the sound of peacocks not being shredded."
Tanuki the Raccoon-dog in the Monastery
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 20:20:57
From: Jasper Janssen
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 09:44:18 -0700, Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu > wrote:
>Jasper ssen <jasper@jssen.org> writes:
>
>> True, but a 10-20W bike light at 6V is only about 3 amps -- that's hefty,
>> but an RCA should be able to take it. Using a standard audio wire, OTOH..
>> those might be problematic, mostly in that they have extra lossage
>> associated with the relatively thin wires. I'd use something else (like
>> standard coax power plugs like you get on all those wallwart-fed pieces of
>> gear).
>
>If I have trouble with the speaker wire, I'll replace it. I
>don't expect any though. I did look at a chart giving
>recommended max currents based on wire gauge:
> http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
>
>Even 26-gauge wire commonly used in computer signal cables can
>take 2.2 A for wiring in air. I don't know how big the wire in
>my cable is, but it's probably bigger than that. My light is 10
>W so that's only 1.7 A at 6 V.
Are you sure it's speaker wire rather than signal cable? Speakers
connecting over RCA is fairly rare -- possibly except computer speakers
and small speakers from those surround sound sets. Your light is actually
just about the same sort of impedance as a speaker, so it should be okay
if it's a speaker cable.
Jasper
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Date: 29 Oct 2005 09:38:49
From: Ben Pfaff
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Victor Kan <victor@usenet.NO_UCEloopdrive.net > writes:
> I recall reading on some homebrew sites that RCA phono jacks might not
> be safe to use for high power connections since they're usually designed
> for signal connections.
I was slightly concerned about the wire connecting the phono
jacks, which is why I bought a "speaker wire" cable instead of an
ordinary cable rated for signal only. People put lots of watts
through their speakers. I'm not sure that was necessary, but it
makes me feel a little safer.
I'm not worried about the capacity of the jacks themselves.
There's quite a bit of metal in them compared to a wire, and I
think it should handle 10 W / 6 V = 1.7 A okay.
So far, in use, the wires and components have been dead cold.
That's partly because I've only tried them at night, when it's
colder. (But it's a light, why would I want to use it in
daytime?)
--
Ben Pfaff
email: blp@cs.stanford.edu
web: http://benpfaff.org
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Date: 02 Nov 2005 07:20:33
From: RoadRunner
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Marty wrote:
>
> You should use an "intelligent" charger that matches the type of battery
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22marty+wallace%22&hl=en
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22marty+wallace%22&start=0&scoring...
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1005/270663.html
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.true-crime/browse_thread/thread/2c...
http://groups.google.com/group/aus.bicycle/browse_thread/thread/346cf...
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Date: 02 Nov 2005 18:19:39
From: treynolds@my-deja.com
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Last year I bought a NiteRider Evolution (about $125 if I recall
> .........
> cost me another $9 plus some time soldering.
I have two NiteRider systems, one bought in 1999 and one in 2002. They
are still in use, not because they are reliable, but because I have had
to do tricks to keep them working. The problems have been both
mechanical (such as mounting brackets that fall apart) to electrical
(such as cold solder joints).
I live in San Diego and prefer to buy from a local company like
NiteRider. But enough is enough.
Tom
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Date: 05 Nov 2005 19:02:49
From:
Subject: Re: NiteRider light lack of durability, and how I dealt with it
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Marty wrote:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22marty+wallace%22&hl=en
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22marty+wallace%22&start=0&scoring...
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1005/270663.html
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.true-crime/browse_thread/thread/2c...
http://groups.google.com/group/aus.bicycle/browse_thread/thread/346cf...
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