Dynamo Lights

I defer to your hands-on experience.

A customer asked me to spec an off-road dynamo lights & charging set-up and the Igaro was one option.

But after a slightly strange conversation with Kerry from Klite (the other non-integrated contender), he went with a Sinewave Beacon, so I've yet to actually try it out in practice.

I want an upgrade!

I don't like replacing stuff that's working though. That's why I break so much stuff :)

I think the Beacon is good for off-road because it has its own internal cache battery (IIRC) so will keep lit at low speeds, ie. MTBing.

No cache (just a 5 min standlight), but it is tweaked for low speeds: 200 lumen at 5mph.

u wan2 ride on Q1 wiv me?

Oh, I think I thought it had a cache battery but when I re-read Lael's article it was a connection that allowed a battery to be plugged into it, so it acts as a battery light at lower speeds? Or have I got the wrong end of the stick again?

No, that's it: the external battery maintains the light at a constant output, until you're at a sufficient speed for the dynamo to fully power it.

If you plug the output into the battery, then you can charge it as well.

Seems like a well thought out, all-in-one solution (charger priority mode is smart). My only reservation is the exposed ports, but they seem confident it won't be a problem.

The bluemells' I've had, haven't had a reflector on them, but I've drilled a hole for a spanninga pixeo battery light and a mudflap on another pair. I've had at least a couple. They break if you put any weight on it.

Would love to get my hands on that to have a test of it.

Chief issue with the Igaro (both gens) system was 1. reliability 2. Complexity.
Complexity and the amount of wiring could be dealt with, but the reliability always put me on edge.
Had two sets go, and massive kudos to the Igaro guys for being quick off the ball to repair and replace, but still didn't feel 100% at ease.

Would love to get my hands on that to have a test of it.

Me too, I'm still waiting: the customer has it, but hasn't passed it on to me.

Compared to Igaro and Klite, the Beacon is clearly the neatest solution and being based on the Revolution I'm pretty confident it'll perform well.

I wasn't aware of an reliability issues with the Igaro, quite the opposite based on TCR and IPWR riders' experiences. What put me off, was when I asked Kerry (Klite) about wiring an Igaro up to one of his lights: he's not a fan.

Even taking into account that he makes a competing product,* comes across as a little "eccentric" and didn't really want to get into slagging a competitor off, he clearly knows his stuff and provided enough detail to give me doubts.

But on the other hand, Igaro have been very upfront about testing and performance and, as you say, their after-sales service is excellent.

I was quite relieved that the customer is an early-adopter and has deep pockets. :)

EDIT
After checking my email, I found I was wrong: he doesn't make a charger, but does sell the Sinewave (and only that).

Does the Beacon provide USB charging?

when I asked Kerry (Klite) about wiring an Igaro up to one of his lights: he's not a fan.

Not a fan of what?

Yup:
"The Beacon includes circuitry from our Revolution and Reactor chargers. The USB output is available from a standard USB-A connector on the back of the light. Connect your device directly to the USB port, or use a USB extension cable and put the connector anywhere you want."

He's not a fan of the Igaro: not the construction (flimsy wires), the application (wrong type of charger) nor the claims made for it's output (overstated) on their website (unspecified).*

EDIT
From memory I thought he was specific about the charger's output, but he wasn't and I inferred it.

Hey,

This is a hard situation for me....

So facts....the D1 is not a 3A charger.....
I have fitted them....but imho...they are the worse charger I have ever seen....the website, is very tricky and miss leading....

It wastes a lot of its power as heat....as its a liner [linear] based device...and the wires are so thin....it was hard to even wire up....

I ask you to re do your research.....as my tests show otherwise..

Hope this helps

K

Hey Jim,

its one of those things, where i just want the truth to be known.....and I don't like the tricky website.....its miss leading....and this is bad for everyone....

I sell the sinewave USB charger for sure...its switch mode and offer much better conversion than any linear based charger....

I can ship right away, no probs....its only a few days to UK..... what ever the case happy to help!!

I would toss in the GPS mounting system, that I offer....for NO charge.....;)

K

I did ask Tstr about linear vs switch chargers and although he broadly agreed with Kerry, he said that in the context of a dynamo USB charger it made no practical difference.

I've not used any K-Lite stuff so can't comment on it.
My D1 lasted longer than my frame though so there's that.
How much is the K-Lite option compared to the D1?

Let's get @acharnley into the mix.

I've been using a Beacon since July. It has a bit of annoying flicker at low speed (8-10 miles an hour) that my Supernova E3 doesn't have. However when run in a loop with a battery pack that all gets taken care of.

Oh and I'm using it with a Supernova taillight, I'm supposed to be using a resistor wired inline. I tried but I couldn't get the rear light to work. I removed the resistor and it's all working fine.

^ What he said. Basically the earlier models sometimes suffered a flaw that cooked the PCB, which for me resulted in the Supernova E3 Pro 2 front and Tail light dimming, while the unit made devices appear to charge without actually providing any power. The new unit works an absolute treat though, and has two USB charging ports which can keep two devices going all day.

Revo all the way. This evening I cycled Potters Bar, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield.

I'll just pop this here...

https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/shark-tank/articles/how-not-to-do-a-pitch

https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/shark-tank/extra/season-1/klite-interview

"Kerry Staite rode into the Tank with his ‘brightest dynamo bicycle
light in the world,’ asking for $50K for 25%. His invention functioned
as a dynamo battery powered by cycling that powered a bright light and
doubled as a phone charger.

Kerry got into hot water quickly. He called Naomi ‘darling’ (tip:
never do this), interrupted the Sharks, wasn’t consistent with what he
claimed and didn’t have a compelling business plan. Also he managed to
shine ‘the brightest dynamo light’ directly in Naomi’s eyes.

Shark after Shark dropped out, citing confusion over the technical
aspects of the product and Kerry’s business plan. John simply said
“You and I together in business… we’d kill each other."

I was chatting to someone who claimed to have seen the full thing (though I can't find the full pitch), but Kerry apparently lets slip that he's buying electronics from China and flipping them for an immense profit. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that, but it does seem a bit daft to admit this on air.

Amen to that.

Don't get me wrong. I do not hate on Igaro or their work in any way, and hope this doesn't impact their business in any shape, but I do feel like their second iteration made things a bit 'uhhh' in my views.
Having been very lucky to install a few sets so far of both generations, I do feel like their craftsmanship is second to none, but their system is ergonomically a bit of a hit and miss, hence why I'm hugely keen on Sinewaves integration as I think it's the logical next step of a very streamlined modular system.

I think Kerry has a point and I do feel the same way, and if Igaro can reason their logic behind it, I imagine a lot more people are willing to listen and invest including myself, but the whole tangle of wires is a massive pain in the arse to handle, especially as those looking for high efficiency tend to be very picky people who want the best.

Please do post up your views and workings around these systems if you have the chance. Invaluable stuff that would be of huge help to a lot of people.

I just purchased the latest iteration of the igaro d1 -- their customer service was really good. I'm keen on giving it a go. There was a reason I decided against the sinewave but I can't remember why now...

My hope is to be able to wire a supernova e3 and a b&m secula to it, obviously won't be running it simultaneously, it would either be lights or USB power charging, but not both at the same time.

This is my first dynamo experience.

Is this daft based on your experience?

I think I recall dismissing Sinewave and B&Ms offerings early on because I'd read of their failures. Then the D1 popped up and I've used it for TCR4, TABR and TCR5. I would like to see more of this new Sinewave light but if it's more suited to MTB is there any point using it over the Supernova/D1 combo?

If you run Supernova you'll have to go for the whole hog. Can't mix and match as Supernova converts dynamo AC to DC and then DC to rear light.
So you'll have to pick Supernova...or anything else if you want the lights you want.

Other than that, you can run an Igaro in parallel and you'll have light and charging no problems, albeit with a drop in light power/charge speed as the power load is balanced out.

It also depends on what you're charging. Apparently certain high capacity powerpacks/gadgets suck up more amps than the D1 can kick out to charge (This applies to all systems I've tried so far though, not just Igaro), so worth testing out.

I like the E3, but it is more a 'see with' light as opposed to a 'be seen' light, so if not adjusted right, will blind the fuck out of whatever is coming towards you.
I'd also get a light with an on/off switch for full power daytime charging for all else.

I didn't realize that you can't just turn off the e3?

What light sets do allow you to switch on/off? IQ-X does, right? and that would work with the secula....