Dynamo Lights

Have you ever used SP hubs though?

got 3, one had bearings die (electronics fine though, mech only noticed when rebuilding onto new rim) and replaced under warranty. That was fitted on my 29er and submerged on a couple of occasions. The ones on road/audax/commute bikes are still fine.

The bearing is the issues, yeah, gonna see if I can get it replaced under warranty.

(Yes, the SP Dynamo is on my tourer).

What's the general consensus on the Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ2 Luxos? Thinking about one as I want a light with built in usb charger....heard things about water issues etc, but also heard good things. What to do....???

The D1 will begin to dump unused power as heat at about 19-20V to protect it's electronics, in one of the two conditions;

1. Going very fast downhill with a USB device in or,
   
2. going fast without a device in (still talking racing, not touring speed).
   
   

If you're going fast most the time it'll be better to keep a device plugged in so that it doesn't trigger (can I ask why your plugging/unplugging so frequently)? The case is aluminium and is used to heatsink the power loss should it need to occur (the usb wire isn't) so would be more noticeable inside a bag. It's not a problem though.

Hope that helps!

Are these standard size bearing size and how easy to swap out without specialist tools?

I've been recommending SP-8x (for efficiency) without much feedback on the bearing life. Previously I recommended (and personally run) Shimano dynamos as I have had experience with these cup/cone bearings lasting for a lengthy amount of time under arduous riding conditions, while sealed bearing hubs I've found never lasted more than a couple 1000k's.

Sorry I just caught the post. He must have been going at some speed with nothing plugged in for the overvoltage protection to kick in. Even then it'll take a while for the case to heat up as it's a pretty chunky bit of aluminium. Don't worry about it, in bag or outside, it's not going to overheat.

I've been recommending SP-8x (for efficiency) without much feedback on the bearing life.

The SP defintely work as advertised, even with the horribly rough bearing, it still powered the lights, whether the SON survived quite a lots of audaxes from a 200km to a 1400km rain or shine.

Fugly.

Thanks for the response!

I have the D1 connected in parallel with the Supernova Triple light, and while going slow, wanted the light to get as much power as possible, so I disconnected the powerbank 3-4 times in total, and reconnected when arriving to the summit to get some power in the long descents or in the flats.

Maybe I could add a small electrical switch in one of the cables to easily avoid the D1 getting current when is not needed (thus avoiding the power dump)
Can you recommend me any model that can be bought online from Spain? I'm not very good with soldering but can try some DIY stuff. Having the switch in the handlebar/stem would be awesome to avoid getting the hand into the framebag blindly.

Will pm some thoughts as it's not making too much sense, when going slow the protection wouldn't be active, and it definitely wouldn't be active if the light is charging.

It sounds like you're going fast enough to charge both (or the light is charged), there's no other explanation for it.

I'm a noob at dynamos and lights. Can someone please name one or more lights with USB output that will work with a Shutter Precision PL-8 hub?

You're probably better off getting separate items. Only light that does all-in-one is the B&M Luxos, but it is known to have some issues with waterproofing. If you're serious about either then get a good light (can personally recommend the B&M IQ-X as a good light, others like the supernova and edelux) and separate charger. @acharnley is the man behind the D1 which looks very good (it's what I would buy right now), the sinewave revolution also has its fans here.

^ not strictly true on the Luxos being the only one, AXA Luxx also does the whole USB charging thing as well.

Luxos does have some issues in heavy rain, particularly the first generation version. I have both generations and have never had issues with my later generation one, but my first generation one has been a little quirky after heavy rain. I have never been left without lights, but have lost charging for a couple of days whilst things dried out.

I am considering a D1/IQ-X setup mind you.

IQ-X has nooooo side visibility, just FYI, if you didn't already realise. That's the best thing about the Luxos! And probably my favourite thing about it too. Mine's been fine after a year of commuting, you just need mudguards :-)

Haven't really had a chance to properly take my IQ-X out in the dark, I'll be interested to see what it's like compared to my CYO.

Allow me to shoot myself in the foot...

Hold off on the D1, the next generation version is coming in a few weeks - features a titanium case at 2/3 the current size, external serviceable USB port, digital dynamo monitoring, a slightly higher efficiency (it is already excellent but will be 1-4% higher) and 25yr rated military grade components. The IP69 rating and life-time warranty remains in place.

^ sounds good.

Same price?

Can we pre-order? I was on the cusp of ordering due to some challenges on a recent tour in France (Luxos issues).

(I didn't read beyond titanium case - I was sold by then).

Dead interested in trying the D1 after my luxos decided to fuck itself at the hint of rain (okay chronic downpours for days but still, I expect better). Possibly in combination with a k-lite.
Where can I actually buy the d1 from though?

http://d1.igaro.com/

Don't buy yet.

The price of the next gen is roughly the same (< £100) but will only be available through distributors, one being a large cycle store in the UK - can't say which one right now. I can no longer sell them direct I'm afraid, part of the RoE.

ETA three/four weeks - I hope!

Regards, Andrew

"cyclist's"

#schick

Will wait for new one, will try to put it through its paces!

Sounds really interesting!! The digital dynamo monitoring is like some kind of LCD display with number of watts or amps? Hope to be able to still get some to Spain :(

The digital monitoring I best not get into, otherwise a Plug 4 might come out! It's internal, no display I'm afraid. Basically it monitors the dynamo rotation and uses it in logic operations.

Updates will be here: https://www.facebook.com/igarod1/

Do the usual "Like" nonsense and you'll be notified when the free unit draw starts!

I bought a "leftover in the warehouse" wheel with an unbranded 26" rim and a Shimano DH-3D30 hub (6v, 3W).

What's the recommended mid-range option for lights and USB? I've got plenty of Magicshine MJ808 clones so something that would allow me to run those would be ideal.

Does anyone know of a graph of wheel speed (rpm?) vs power output (watts) for this hub?

Never owned a dynamo, I have no idea what I'm doing.