I2 trim piece LEDs - Page 2

ryan_walters · 12-31-2006, 10:46 AM

Since putting the LED's on it, I haven't had much chance to get out. We just got a nice bit more snow, so until the sidewalks get cleared again, segging isn't much fun. I end up coming to a couple blocks I have to walk across in RBM. Some snow I can ride across no problem, some I have problems with. I think it's the temperature. It's been fairly warm with it snowing right around the freezing mark. Snow at that temperature is quite wet, more slippery, and has a lot of resistance when trying to go through it. It doesn't take much for one wheel to be 'dragged' down in speed, causing an unwanted turn. If it's colder, the snow is 'fluffier', lighter, and drier. It doesn't drag your wheels as much, and is all round much easier to manage.

But I don't imagine I'll have a problem with the LED's coming loose. They're in there pretty good.

SEGsby · 12-31-2006, 02:09 PM

Blue for hovering is an excellent choice.

SEGsby

Sal · 12-31-2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SEGsby

Blue for hovering is an excellent choice.

SEGsby

DHugger had a blue halo below one of his first Segs, if I'm not mistaken, and it looked WAY cool!

I think MacGeek also has a light beneath his rig.

-Sal

stinggray · 12-31-2006, 08:06 PM

If your looking to pimp your ride, check out these fluorescent lamps.
http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?Pag...TS&Category=89
Who knows maybe some pic soon.

bystander · 01-01-2007, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sal

DHugger had a blue halo below one of his first Segs, if I'm not mistaken, and it looked WAY cool!

I think MacGeek also has a light beneath his rig.

-Sal

You might be thinking of this:

Blue Ground Effect Light

Many pics in that thread have dead links, but the first one still seems to be live on the post.

As I recall, later when Stan upgraded to Saphion, the reduced ground clearance eventually caused one of the fluorescent tubes to break when gliding over an obstacle.

Instead of tubes, one might be able to do something with discrete LEDs pointing out of the air vent holes of the Saphion packs. Tubes won't fit well behind the holes because of the internal bracing behind the holes - unless you care to dremel away some of the plastic.

ryan_walters · 01-01-2007, 04:20 AM

I did think of individual leds in the holes at the edge of the batteries. Problem with that is that my insulation covers that up. I could still do it in the summer time when I don't need the insulation, but it's light so late in the summer time, it wouldn't be as visible as much. In the winter though, with it dark by 4:30, I'm almost always out when it's dark.

The middle pic of my last post showing the bottom of the seg near the tire shows a flat plastic part that looks perfect for mounting led's too. I wasn't thinking normal 5mm leds, but these:

More info here: www.luxeonstar.com

Up to 120 lumens is pretty bright. I was thinking of the standard luxeon star (blue). 16 lumens of blue light at 350ma. I'm thinking more than one of course. Tuesday I'll have to call our local electronics store and see which ones they had in stock.

There's more than enough height from the flat plastic to the bottom of the batteries. The Luxeon Star is about 7mm high. About 1/4". The low point on the seg would still be the batteries.

bystander · 01-01-2007, 05:16 PM

The luxeons require heat sinking to use at full power. For "ground effect" lighing, since the light is directed primarily at the ground (and these LEDs are on the expensive side), it may be more trouble than it's worth to run at full power anyway. In winter, the heat dissipation may not be much of an issue, but for all-weather use the luxeons may be better off being mounted on a strip of aluminum to keep them cool in warm weather. The chassis of the PT might be used as a heat sink, but it would be better for the LED if the paint were to be scraped off underneath it to provide a better heat conduit.

If you're still interested in mounting LEDs from the ventilation holes in the battery packs, you might consider the following.

As for the insulation covering the holes, I would consider putting the LEDs in the holes, taping the insulation at the margin of the ventilated area (cutting it in half and removing the center 2 inches, then taping over some clear plastic material where the gap is, to avoid splashes from mucking up the LED circuitry.

Here's a sketch:

Profile view, black is the battery pack, green is the insulating sheet, red is some duck (aka "duct") tape, blue is some clear plastic. In the top image, the insulation is taped to one pack in reverse. In the middle image the insulation is folded back over the pack. In the bottom image the insulation application is repeated on the other pack, then a clear piece of plastic is taped over the area with the LEDs in the ventilation holes, and more duck tape is added to secure the clear plastic. Attaching the clear plastic to both pieces of insulation with tape allows some tension to occur so that the insulation can be pulled taught and still seal well up against the bottom of the battery packs. If some clear packing tape is on hand, it could be used in place of the clear plastic and duck tape to hold the pieces of insulation together. If it is desireable to easily remove the insulation from time to time, the first piece of duck tape between the pack and the insulation can be omitted.

KSagal · 01-01-2007, 05:43 PM

I have had undercarriage lights on both machines...

Stan and Jonathan have had them as well, and Stan's were the first I saw, back in '04.

I believe we have all had neon tubes at least at one point. I have moved onto LEDs, and if I remember correctly, Jonathan was the first to use banks of LEDs instead of the neon tubes...

I also feel that the primary place that energy can go when leaving a battery is into the light you are trying to create, or into heat which is a wastefull byproduct, and therefore something to avoid, if you can.

Many of the very high output LEDs generate a great deal of heat, which is not efficient use of battery, in my opinion...

You may consider a breadboard, inside the vent holes of the battery, with properly spaced LEDs. It is at least worth considering...

I have used two banks of light. I use green in front, and red behind. I have even over heard people argue about what light is under the seg...

Photos are in the old archive. I'll have to see what I can come up with, or post new ones...

Dwarf84396 · 01-01-2007, 10:25 PM

Ryan,

I love your idea, and if you don't mind, I'm thinking of copying it exactly to add some more light to the machine (and maybe even add another set of 8 white lights to the front live you've done the red to the back). I just have a few questions:

How exactly do you charge the batteries that are in the LSF?
Do you happen to have a parts list available for one to use?
How well sealed do you think this is from the elements?
Am I asking too many questions?

Thanks!

ryan_walters · 01-01-2007, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwarf84396

Ryan,

I love your idea, and if you don't mind, I'm thinking of copying it exactly to add some more light to the machine (and maybe even add another set of 8 white lights to the front live you've done the red to the back). I just have a few questions:

That's a good idea. Might do that myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwarf84396

How exactly do you charge the batteries that are in the LSF?

See post #1 and #3 above. If you're asking which charger, I have RC chargers that peak-detect charge NiCd, and NiMh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwarf84396

Do you happen to have a parts list available for one to use?

No, but I can put one together..

4x NiMh AA's.
White LEDS are NTE 5mm Part Number: NTE30045 little over $2 ea.
Red LEDS are NTE 5mm Part Number: NTE30041 around $0.30 ea.

The resistors I got for the leds ended up driving them a little hard. So far they're still working, but I'd recommend slightly higher value:
82 ohm 1/4w for White LEDS
56 ohm 1/4w for red LEDS (TWO RED's in SERIES with this resistor)

Various sizes of Heatshrink, solder, hot-glue, etc.
Ohh, and some kind of switch to turn them on and off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwarf84396

How well sealed do you think this is from the elements?

Electrically, everything is 'sealed' with heatshrink. Physically, things are either hot-glued, or taped in place. It would be possible I suppose to knock things loose, but fairly unlikely. Even if something happened, worst case scenario are the leds simply not working.

01-01-2007, 05:43 PM	#18
KSagal Glides a lot, talks more... Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Pelham, NH, USA. Posts: 10,356	I have had undercarriage lights on both machines... Stan and Jonathan have had them as well, and Stan's were the first I saw, back in '04. I believe we have all had neon tubes at least at one point. I have moved onto LEDs, and if I remember correctly, Jonathan was the first to use banks of LEDs instead of the neon tubes... I also feel that the primary place that energy can go when leaving a battery is into the light you are trying to create, or into heat which is a wastefull byproduct, and therefore something to avoid, if you can. Many of the very high output LEDs generate a great deal of heat, which is not efficient use of battery, in my opinion... You may consider a breadboard, inside the vent holes of the battery, with properly spaced LEDs. It is at least worth considering... I have used two banks of light. I use green in front, and red behind. I have even over heard people argue about what light is under the seg... Photos are in the old archive. I'll have to see what I can come up with, or post new ones... __________________ Karl Ian Sagal To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. "Well done is better than well said." (Ben Franklin) Bene factum melior bene dictum Proud past President of SEG America and member of the First Premier Segway Enthusiasts Group and subsequent ones as well.

01-01-2007, 10:25 PM	#19
Dwarf84396 Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kissimmee, FL, USA. Posts: 264	Ryan, I love your idea, and if you don't mind, I'm thinking of copying it exactly to add some more light to the machine (and maybe even add another set of 8 white lights to the front live you've done the red to the back). I just have a few questions: How exactly do you charge the batteries that are in the LSF? Do you happen to have a parts list available for one to use? How well sealed do you think this is from the elements? Am I asking too many questions? Thanks! __________________ Ben My entire internet experience condensed into one little image: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-31-2006, 10:46 AM	#11
ryan_walters Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Calgary, AB, Canada Posts: 347	Since putting the LED's on it, I haven't had much chance to get out. We just got a nice bit more snow, so until the sidewalks get cleared again, segging isn't much fun. I end up coming to a couple blocks I have to walk across in RBM. Some snow I can ride across no problem, some I have problems with. I think it's the temperature. It's been fairly warm with it snowing right around the freezing mark. Snow at that temperature is quite wet, more slippery, and has a lot of resistance when trying to go through it. It doesn't take much for one wheel to be 'dragged' down in speed, causing an unwanted turn. If it's colder, the snow is 'fluffier', lighter, and drier. It doesn't drag your wheels as much, and is all round much easier to manage. But I don't imagine I'll have a problem with the LED's coming loose. They're in there pretty good.

12-31-2006, 02:09 PM	#12
SEGsby Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: California Posts: 2,114	Blue for hovering is an excellent choice. SEGsby

12-31-2006, 08:06 PM	#14
stinggray Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Jupiter, Fl Posts: 237	If your looking to pimp your ride, check out these fluorescent lamps. http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?Pag...TS&Category=89 Who knows maybe some pic soon.

01-01-2007, 04:20 AM	#16
ryan_walters Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Calgary, AB, Canada Posts: 347	I did think of individual leds in the holes at the edge of the batteries. Problem with that is that my insulation covers that up. I could still do it in the summer time when I don't need the insulation, but it's light so late in the summer time, it wouldn't be as visible as much. In the winter though, with it dark by 4:30, I'm almost always out when it's dark. The middle pic of my last post showing the bottom of the seg near the tire shows a flat plastic part that looks perfect for mounting led's too. I wasn't thinking normal 5mm leds, but these: More info here: www.luxeonstar.com Up to 120 lumens is pretty bright. I was thinking of the standard luxeon star (blue). 16 lumens of blue light at 350ma. I'm thinking more than one of course. Tuesday I'll have to call our local electronics store and see which ones they had in stock. There's more than enough height from the flat plastic to the bottom of the batteries. The Luxeon Star is about 7mm high. About 1/4". The low point on the seg would still be the batteries.

01-01-2007, 05:16 PM	#17
bystander Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Southern California, USA. Posts: 1,921	The luxeons require heat sinking to use at full power. For "ground effect" lighing, since the light is directed primarily at the ground (and these LEDs are on the expensive side), it may be more trouble than it's worth to run at full power anyway. In winter, the heat dissipation may not be much of an issue, but for all-weather use the luxeons may be better off being mounted on a strip of aluminum to keep them cool in warm weather. The chassis of the PT might be used as a heat sink, but it would be better for the LED if the paint were to be scraped off underneath it to provide a better heat conduit. If you're still interested in mounting LEDs from the ventilation holes in the battery packs, you might consider the following. As for the insulation covering the holes, I would consider putting the LEDs in the holes, taping the insulation at the margin of the ventilated area (cutting it in half and removing the center 2 inches, then taping over some clear plastic material where the gap is, to avoid splashes from mucking up the LED circuitry. Here's a sketch: Profile view, black is the battery pack, green is the insulating sheet, red is some duck (aka "duct") tape, blue is some clear plastic. In the top image, the insulation is taped to one pack in reverse. In the middle image the insulation is folded back over the pack. In the bottom image the insulation application is repeated on the other pack, then a clear piece of plastic is taped over the area with the LEDs in the ventilation holes, and more duck tape is added to secure the clear plastic. Attaching the clear plastic to both pieces of insulation with tape allows some tension to occur so that the insulation can be pulled taught and still seal well up against the bottom of the battery packs. If some clear packing tape is on hand, it could be used in place of the clear plastic and duck tape to hold the pieces of insulation together. If it is desireable to easily remove the insulation from time to time, the first piece of duck tape between the pack and the insulation can be omitted.

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