LED Lights

[Diesel Dave]

This might help others who have the tiny 4 amp alternators fitted to their diesel engines.

4 amps at 12 volts is just 48 watts in total, this is only available after 2600rpm as well.

With a 35w headlamp, 5w tail lamp and general battery charging duties you will find the battery runs down when in traffic.

My daily commute takes me through lots of unlit woodland and it can be difficult to navigate with dim lights.

Avoiding the expense of a HID system, I did find some 12v LED spotlamp bulbs in a local electrical factors.

I bought two.

One is a 5w spread beam in cool white (on the right of the picture)

The other is a 35 degree spread warm white with 3x 2watt focussed cells.

I had an old pair of Enfield indicators so hole-sawed out th centres and epoxied in the bulbs



The spread beam has been on the bike for a few weeks and works brilliantly - especially for illuminating roadsigns as the scotchlite really picks up the bluish tinge.

I've just finished the 35 degree fitting today but I'm hoping it will light up the roadway through the dark woods.

I'll report back after tomorrows dark ride home from work.

Cheers
Dave

[Nibbler]

Thanks Diesel Dave you just have given me a few ideas.

What about Xenon lights that you can fit in your headlight , are those more energy efficent as well? Only thing i have heard is that they take a lot of power when you light them up.

[Sphere]

The lightest Xenon headlight would still be 35W so that doesn't help

[andrewaust]

Thanks for sharing that with us Dave, much appreciated, I'm having similar problems and don't have the cash for the Yanmar stator.





A;)

[Diesel Dave]

Andrew, although the lights are nominally 5 watts I'm pretty sure they are drawing about 4.2.

I have a spare bulb at home so I'll see if I can measure the current draw from a fully charged 12v battery.

Even at idle with the battery switched off the lights will 'pulse' at full brightness - very useful when waiting in the centre of the road to turn across traffic for an exit.

I suppose time will tell how long the things last and what the MOT tester will make of them.

Dave

[buckles]

halfords sell stop and tail light led cluster bulbs that you just plug into the bayonet holder and don't have to use loading resistors, brighter than standard as well. Led headlights are not legal in the EU!.

[sbrumby]

http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/u3829r-stop- ... -1816.html
try this.

[buckles]

Thats the one, cheeper too about 12 quid in halfords.

[Sphere]

I was behind a Jap bike the other day, and it had a nice rear section that would glow entirely red. Huh? Did that red part just turn yellow...? Seems moderatly useful, but not on an Enfield (esthetics!)

Also I was driving home Monday and the sun was being rather obnoxious. One of these newer VW Passats decided to cross over to my lane. No signal, thank you... oh wait, led lights. Pretty poorly visible sometimes. I think I would try to boost the alternator instead.

[buckles]

I was behind a Jap bike the other day, and it had a nice rear section that would glow entirely red. Huh? Did that red part just turn yellow...? Seems moderatly useful, but not on an Enfield (esthetics!)

Also I was driving home Monday and the sun was being rather obnoxious. One of these newer VW Passats decided to cross over to my lane. No signal, thank you... oh wait, led lights. Pretty poorly visible sometimes. I think I would try to boost the alternator instead.

But if you increase the pull on the alternator won't that use more fuel and make your little motor work even harder, less is more and all that

[andrewaust]

I was behind a Jap bike the other day, and it had a nice rear section that would glow entirely red. Huh? Did that red part just turn yellow...? Seems moderatly useful, but not on an Enfield (esthetics!)

Also I was driving home Monday and the sun was being rather obnoxious. One of these newer VW Passats decided to cross over to my lane. No signal, thank you... oh wait, led lights. Pretty poorly visible sometimes. I think I would try to boost the alternator instead.

But if you increase the pull on the alternator won't that use more fuel and make your little motor work even harder, less is more and all that

Yes it will cause more drag on the rotor but only until the power/charge equals out, so for example if the amp meter on the Enfield is reading high in the charge area it will be taking some power from the engine, but as the needle comes back to the equilibrium area very little effort is needed. In other words, if you put a good stator onto a 10hp single, don't go putting big driving lights on . Run the essentials, and keep it simple .

Good point on the LED's, some are bloody terrible hey, you cannot up the anti as far as power goes as the LED's will go fizzzzzz . Some go dim before they die too.


A

[Diesel Dave]

With permanent magnet alternators charge is produced all the time regardless of load, the regulator wastes the excess as heat through the alloy finning.

Field controlled alternators (car types) control the charge generated and thus it drags less when the lights are off.

The more efficient setup is to connect individual windings as they are needed, most of the Greaves conversions I've seen have 2 bobbins separated from the rest and used to power the lights as AC (as does the latter petrol bikes).

Cheers
Dave