My quest for a daytime-visible tail light

[RagingGrandpa]

Just a journal of a winter project... 

Goal statement: 
For safety reasons, I want to be clearly visible to fast cars approaching from behind from long distances, during daytime riding on rural roads with narrow shoulders and patchy shade. 

Like this:

Standard EUC tail lights are nearly invisible during daytime, so this is my search for an improvement. 

My main EUC for this type of riding is Sherman-S, but I think these solutions could apply to most EUC's today.

Knowing the EUC model and pad setup further limits the choices, based on the structures and spaces available for mounting more lights: 

  

 

Options I've studied thusfar are:

1. Cygolite Hypershot 350
2. Bell Pharos 150
3. low-power 12V automotive LED strobes
4. Larger automotive LEDs
5. Shredlights SL-R1
6. COB LED headband, mounted to the EUC
7. A real xenon strobe in a project box
8. A right-angle flashlight in a beacon mode
9. RC aircraft LED strobes
    

Summary conclusions: (coming soon)
 

Comments appreciated! 

 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 1: Cygolite Hypershot 350

e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Hypershot-Durable-IP64-Resistant-Secured-Rechargeable-Great/dp/B07W62CCL2 

This seems to be almost perfect, and the best answer I've seen for bicyclists that want this kind of daytime visibility.

Pros: 

• Brightness and focus are excellent, specifically intended for this use.
   
• Gets the best ratings among similar bike tail lights, partly due to its nicely-designed blink patterns. 

Cons:

• Difficult to mount: 
  It needs to be positioned in the vertical orientation shown above, because the lens diffusers are directional (wide). 
  There are no flat surfaces on any side of the case. Trimming and removing (destroying) the rear clip is my best idea about making a mounting surface, to velcro or glue to the EUC. 
   
• Priced about $50... making it a bit sad to immediately cut up. 
   

Status:  I don't think I'll be buying one...
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 2: Bell Pharos 150
(and similar small COB LED's without reflector lenses).

e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Pharos-Bicycle-Tail-Light/dp/B08WWDYQDH 

Pros: 

• Fairly cheap. (About $20)

Cons:

• Very tiny battery, ~1hr runtime at daytime brightness (max blinking). 
   
• Not focused, not very bright from long distances.
   

Status: I bought one last year, trimmed off its plastic mount, and glued it to the rear of my helmet. It's compact and nearly weightless, no regrets. But I think of it as nighttime visibility, when it can blink at half-brightness for many hours. I'd like to add something more intense with more runtime, for all-day rides.

p.s.: I wanted to know if it was 'on' or 'off' while riding without removing my helmet... so I stuck a section of fiber-optic cable to the lamp and routed the other end to the chin bar of my helmet, within view. The blinking end of the fiber is dim, but visible enough to tell. 
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 3:  low-power 12V automotive LED strobes

e.g.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832680909651.html 

Pros:

• Cheap. (<$10)
   
• Nice alternating blink pattern.
   
• Compact and pretty easy to glue to any flat place on the EUC.

Cons:

• Not very bright from long distances. The dome lens barely does anything, so it's nearly the same as having bare LED's. 
   
• Requires external power.
   

Status: I installed these on my previous OG Sherman. For that EUC, it was convenient to hard-wire, because Sherman has a switched 12V circuit already powering the colored marker lights in its headlight. I disconnected those marker lights and connected this in its place, since having both active at the same time was causing voltage sag and dimming.

I wasn't satisfied with their brightness- it's not quite bright enough to be seen clearly from long distances during daytime. 

And now, Sherman-S does not have a 12V marker light circuit, so I would install an additional battery bank for them. Splicing to the main front lamp would also be possible, but I want the option to have tail lights active without the front lamp.

 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 4: Larger automotive LEDs

e.g.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805623446348.html 

... plus a 12V battery bank, made from any modern USB-C power bank connected to a tiny PD decoy device to tell it to operate at 12V or 15V. 
(I think USB-PD is awesome for DIY gadgets like these; amazing that we have such cheap adjustable 20W power supplies available.) 

 

Pros: 

• This is likely the brightest category of devices.
   
• Total cost is reasonable: about $30 including a good 10Ah battery bank. 

Cons:

• Not tidy. It's easy to end up with a mess of cables flopping around outside the EUC. 
  If you were already planning to run lots of custom glow at night, maybe this becomes an easy addition to a larger system of lights driven from one battery bank... but by itself, it's a battery, a cable, an adapter, a control box, another cable, and then the light(s). Lots of stuff to secure and hide. 
   
• The external power supply and its cables are difficult to make water-resistant, so this could become damaged or destroyed easily by rain. 

Status: I'm considering building such a thing in the future, if unsatisfied with the more-tidy options. 
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 5: Shredlights SL-R1

e.g.: https://shredlights.com/products/sl-r1-euc-single-pack 

Pros: 

• Focused reflector, nice blink patterns, seems intended for my purpose. 
   
• Skate swag is "cooler" than cheap crap from AliExpress?

Cons:

• Not easy to mount to an EUC: the lens on the end of the light must point rearward, so the entire length of device needs to be packaged horizontally somewhere. That's fine underneath a skate deck; but against my rear power-pads, there's very little horizontal space. I didn't see any other obvious mounting location for these, to not interfere with grabbing the rear handle of the Sherm-S. 
   
• Not as high-output as other alternatives. 
   
• Medium price. $50 for one; slightly cheaper per-light if buying multiple. 

Status: I'm not going to try it because I don't see how to mount this shape of lamp neatly. 
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 6: COB LED headband, mounted to the EUC

e.g.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806080871837.html

 

Beware the many different models with different lamp modes... I'll report back with more detail soon.

Pros: 

• Disgustingly cheap at $4 shipped.
   
• Simple to mount: trim off the strap; stick the flexible emitter to the EUC with adhesive or velcro. 
   

Cons: 

• Non-focused LED's might not be visible enough from far away... but it's $4 so I'll try one and update this post later with photos 

Status: I'll try it, but have low expectations.  
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 7: A real xenon strobe in a project box

e.g.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804149491957.html 

"Project box" can be quite simple here: the strobe only needs 4 volts, so a 3x 18650 USB power bank with only one cell installed was the perfectly sized self-contained power enclosure for it.

  

Pros: 

• (Long-range brightness TBD pending outdoor photos)
   
• Reasonable price at about $30 including supplies.
   
• Novelty; uncommon.

Cons:

• Takes a few hours of labor to produce. This also increases disappointment if it gets broken... 
   
• Flash pattern is quite basic.
   
• It's a 400V capacitor, be careful...

Status: I built one; will test outdoors soon.
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 8: A right-angle flashlight in a beacon mode

e.g.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805229739075.html 

Pros: 

• Brighter than the other battery-powered taillights (1,000lm+) and nicely focused for long range visibility.
   
• Compact and easy to mount in a vertical position, by wrapping a flap of adhesive velcro around the tube of the light.
   
• Rather cheap, about $18 delivered.

Cons: 

• The blink modes aren't perfect. "Strobe" is meant to dazzle an opponent- it's too intense and would be very annoying for other EUC riders behind. Sofirn has a "Beacon" mode which I like better, but it's a little slow with one blink every 2 seconds. 
   

Status: I bought one, will test outdoors soon. 
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Option 9: RC aircraft LED strobes

e.g.: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804336469995.html 

This was a failed experiment of mine... I was hoping to power it from the Sheman 5V tail lamp, but actually this model required 6V to activate and so wouldn't work. There are similar models that advertise operation down to 3 volts which could have worked, but after seeing these run, I don't think this option is worthwhile.

Cons:

• Not very bright. 
  Despite using a 10W LED package, actual draw was about 1 watt for the two-lamp model. 
  I did also purchase a reflector for it, but the result wasn't impressive. 
   
• Very difficult to mount. 
  Bare LED's need some sort of enclosure... a mount, a weather-resistance case, and a lens cover... 
  I did purchase a suitable plastic tube and glass lens cap to use as a body, but it was hacky and ugly. 
   
• Boring blink pattern. 
  This model was one second on, one second off, for both lights with no alternating behavior. 
   

Status: $20 wasted 
 

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[RagingGrandpa]

Reader submissions:

Quote

Garmin Varia 515 with Radar @Stevebee
e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Cycling-Rearview-Vehicles-010-02376-00/dp/B086TVFX1D 

Pros: 

• Radar warning function (helps you realize a car is approaching).
   
• Blinking pattern changes according to radar detection of vehicles.

Cons:

• High price: $185.
  (Competing products exist e.g.: Magene L508, still $120.) 
   
• Lamp doesn't seem very bright.
   

Status: I'm not interested in radar warnings... even if I know the car is coming, I want to be obviously visible to the driver of the car. One of my local EUC riders has one of these, and it's annoying when riding with friends, false-triggering often. (Probably better for riding alone.) 

 

Quote

magicshine seemee 300  @Bizra6ot
e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/Magicshine-SEEMEE-300-Waterproof-Rechargeable/dp/B0C58TNZDD

(About $50.)

Pros

• A much easier shape to mount to an EUC, vs Cygolite. Flat sides work great with adhesive velcro. 
   
• Rather bright.

Cons

• You cannot force the light to stay in Daytime mode. 
  Instead, a light sensor will automatically switch the light to the dimmer Night mode whenever it sees a shadow. 
  I suspect the sensor is defeatable through hardware modification... but in its original condition, sounds bad.
   

Status: I think this was very close to perfect... but knowing about the light sensor problem, I don't think I'll try the $50 experiment. 
 

  

Edited January 29 by RagingGrandpa

[Punxatawneyjoe]

1 hour ago, RagingGrandpa said:

Option 5: Shredlights SL-R1

Our friend @Forwardnbak Has some  ride video footage of these in action if anyone is interested. He is also an affiliate with a discount code if anyone likes them.

[Stevebee]

Bit more expensive but I went with a Garmin Varia 515. It is also a radar that beeps as cars approach with it becoming more frequent the closer it gets. The light flashes more as the car approaches so hopefully more noticeable to the driver. Bright enough for daylight running as well but the radar functionality is the game changer for me. For fast rural roads it’s perfect but in town it is beeping all the time so not as useful. In town I keep it on but turn my phone down

[Forwardnbak]

I was actually just rigging them up to the V14 as I read this. 

spooky

(Thanks for the shout out) 

SHREDLIGHTS - (10% discount - USE CODE - BAK10) 

https://shredlights.com/?aff=305

[Bizra6ot]

I've had the magicshine seemee 100 for ~3 years now and I'm fully satisfied with it, I don't use the braking function just the blinking mode, the visibility and autonomy are great as is the fastening system, I highly recommend it
There's also a 180 & 300Lm version

[Planemo]

Shredlights are lovely but pricy. Plus I was after something purely for visibility rather than lighting up the road so I have been experimenting with some small drone/motorcycle strobe lights which are really discreet and easily mounted. I like the strobe because the usual flash options are quite distinctive, much more so than a regular slow flashing bicycle LED for example. I have found that a simple, very quick double pulse/pause seems to work really well for visibility. For easiness I've been looking at rechargeable options, both remote and non-remote operated. They are as cheap as chips so I have bought 2 of each so far. The non-remote ones work fine but under testing only last around 2 hours which for me isn't enough. I would like at least 5hrs and even then I would need to charge them once during a ride. The remote ones are lasting well so far (testing as I type!) and we are up to 4hrs so far.

I'm prob going to keep all of them, the non-remote for the rear and I will swop out the (absolutely tiny) cells that they currently have for 90mah ones which, after measuring, will fit OK and I got 2 cells for £5 (buy one get one free!). The remote ones (I will fit on the front) may be OK, we'll see how long they take to crap out, I may not have to swop out the cells in them.

Non-remote strobes: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204472253958?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=by_res0xsme&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=LlWGPifgTGS&var=505063885191&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Remote strobes: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235281474745?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Rql9uyLnRX-&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=LlWGPifgTGS&var=535314492013&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Replacement li-po cells: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293997034936?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=LQ1fG6fYQmW&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=LlWGPifgTGS&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[null]

I've been looking at options to replace a Sherman OG tail light, ideally being powered by the EUC to avoid having to think of charging batteries.

This light uses external power and might have some brightness.
Not sure it would work on the 5V tail light power of the Sherman (It says min 6V, maybe?) but on the 12V it should (more complicated and less available power for front though, as mentioned in the first post)

edit: it doesn't say how many watt it is, it would it pull more amps at low voltage I suppose.

 

And while at it: This one from Decathlon is a bit small (too small?) but is very bright and directional (concentrated). I use it as helmet light.

Edited January 29 by null

[Planemo]

Pulling switched power from the EUC is by far the neatest, nicest fit and forget solution and is how I did the LED strip conversion mod on my Sherman (via a 5v feed direct from the board). I was going to do the same on my EX30 until I heard that someone else had done it and blown the board, presumably from sucking too many amps from the 5v feed on the board. When using the best (144 led p/m) strips, the current draw is surprisingly high - I saw about 1.2A and that was with only half the leds on at any one point (I tested using a 'flowing' illumination pattern). Start running some different, more intensive patterns and I could see things going up to maybe 2A. I suspect thats far more than Begode or anyone else builds into a spare port in the board.

I know we're discussing all different sorts of lighting here, but I just wanted to advise to save anyone the pain of blowing a board. If you're taking the feed from an existing lamp, see what current the stock lamp is using first and be careful going over that with any new lamp. If you're taking power directly from the board somewhere you're kinda pi$$ing in the wind because no-one has a clue what the output can go to. I would prob advise 1A max but even thats potentially a risk - it may be 500ma. I wish the manufacturers could give us more info on the current ratings of the board outputs as it would be so much help when fitting accessories.

Ultimately, I may still go for the LED strips on the EX but it would be with a 150v>5v buck converter and I would come straight off the battery input to the board. The only concern I have with that is although the LED's can be remotely switched on/off, it would mean the buck is permanently powered and I'm not sure I trust Chinese bucks enough to feel happy sleeping at night in that situation...we'll see.

[Funky]

Buy small floodlight the size of euc back (from one side to another, between "roll bar") make it flash like a disco ball - now even alien's will see you from their flying plate.

I mean - going on/off - everyone will see you. If you still get hit - most likely the driver was looking at their phone, or was half a sleep - Sadly no lights will help you then.. 

Oh and you can directly connect the light with euc. With the help of (don't remember the device name) that converts the power thingy.. Buck converter? Is that a possibility? You can use EUC battery to power the lights.. Convert the whatever battery voltage is down to light voltage.

But that is TOO much work..

And now that i read some more posts @Planemo have already mentioned this...  Meaning everything i typed was for nothing.  

Edited January 29 by Funky

[Planemo]

Remote strobes on front (still going, now over 6 hours!)

 

 

[Cerbera]

Funky makes a valid point - there is only so bright this stuff needs to be. I've tried everything from LED bicycle lights to 'aircraft-level' strobes, and TBH a lot of it is just TOO bright, and you get complaints about it getting in people's eyes. I do still use my mega-strobes, but they are side-mounted so pedestrians and drivers only see the red glow from them on the pads rather than directly.

In a lot of ways the cycle light brightness, or just above it should be all we need, because that is calibrated to a decent balance between being seen, and not dazzling people. You sometimes still lose car brake lights in strong sunlight, and everyone seems fine with that so presumably we shouldn't need brighter than them back there ?!

Edited January 29 by Cerbera

[Funky]

59 minutes ago, Planemo said:

Ultimately, I may still go for the LED strips on the EX but it would be with a 150v>5v buck converter and I would come straight off the battery input to the board. The only concern I have with that is although the LED's can be remotely switched on/off, it would mean the buck is permanently powered and I'm not sure I trust Chinese bucks enough to feel happy sleeping at night in that situation...we'll see.

Add small on/off switch for the buck converter it self. Meaning you will turn off lights and the converter the same time.

[Funky]

Buy a LIGHT vest... 

[Planemo]

18 minutes ago, Funky said:

And now that i read some more posts @Planemo have already mentioned this...  Meaning everything i typed was for nothing.  

I did wonder what an earth you were going on about...

2 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

there is only so bright this stuff needs to be.

Very true. But the little strobes I have are about as small and discreet as you can go for use in the daytime. I think they will be fine. They are far less dazzling than the constant blinking LED cycle light I have on my pushbike thats for sure.

1 minute ago, Funky said:

Add small on/off switch for the buck converter it self. Meaning you will turn off lights and the converter the same time.

It needs to be accessible so maybe requires modification/drilling of the Grizzlas to mount it somewhere. Plus it needs to be waterproof, discreet and capable of switching 150v. I might look into it, we'll see.

Just now, Funky said:

Buy a LIGHT vest... 

Nah s'ok, I'll pass on that thanks!

[Cerbera]

Yeah I am never gonna look like a Sith Holocron in any of that dayglow green nonsense. White armour, uplit red FTW !! lols.