Issue
129 April 2001
Have
You Seen the Light?
by
Ed Nisley
Anyone who spends
a good amount of time on a bicycle knows that keeping
yourself visible is an important part of keeping you
(and your bicycle) in one piece. This month, Ed takes
a look at high-intensity LEDs and how to construct a
simple blinking safety device.
Start
•
And Then There Was...• Slam-Bang
Switching •
Current Drive • Ring
That Bell! • Contact
Release • Sources
& PDF
Recumbent
bicycle riders divide neatly into two groups when the
subject of blinking taillights comes up. Some folks say
that bents are so conspicuous that lights add nothing,
and others contend that every little bit helps. Although
I’ve ridden a non-blinking bent for six years with
only a few close encounters of the fender kind, I’ve
decided now it’s time to see how the other fraction
lives.
Now,
if you’re going to have a blinking light, you want
a blinking light that’s really bright. Years ago,
my daily commuter bike sported a red-filtered xenon strobe
powered by three 90-V batteries. I should have used a
DC/DC converter instead of batteries, but relaxation oscillators
are dead simple, and I was less experienced.
But,
that was then. This is now.
