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Creating Dual Handlebar Mounted MagicShine Setup - Guidance Needed

2466 Views 21 Replies 13 Participants Last post by BlownCivic, Feb 2, 2010

Rex32

Discussion Starter · Jan 11, 2010

Hey Guys,

So I've decided to give the MagicShine lights from Geoman Gear a shot... Here is what I am looking to accomplish:

1) Handlebar mounted dual MagicShine lights
2) Create my own battery pack that fits into a bag under the seat or a water bottle - I want to have enough juice for both lights so I'm thinking 8 18650 batteries.
3) Increase the light output if at all possible - ideas?

I might also grab one of the P7 flashlights to keep on hand for backups in case the MagicShine's quit on me...

Has anyone else created a dual setup with the MagicShine lights? If so, could you please provide some guidance and/or any advice - maybe some pictures? I'm a bit confused on how to execute everything, but I'm starting to get it more and more.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

Corey52

· #2 · Jan 11, 2010

I have dual MS lights on my handlebar, and an AirBike P7 on my helmet.
Talk about a lot of light.

Just using the stock battery pack for now, but I will order another one later to keep in my Mule.

I will try and get a picture this week.

BlownCivic

· #3 · Jan 11, 2010

Corey,

Are you using 2 completely seperate setups on the bars (2 lights, 2 batteries, etc...) or are you using the Y cable with 2 lightheads and a single battery? I'm doing the later, and I think someone else described my problem to a T when they said the Y cable does not have a sufficiently large gauge of wire to supply the current necessary to run 2 lights, as I get the Red indication on one of my lights after only about 35 minutes.

Jim311

· #4 · Jan 11, 2010

I personally think that wire is more than large enough to supply a couple of amps at the most to the lights. You are running two lights on one battery, you can't expect to have great run time...

Rex32

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 11, 2010

I think I am going to do everything as two complete setups...

Corey52

· #6 · Jan 11, 2010

I am running the Y cable with one battery.
Have not had a chance to do a long term test ride yet, but I will get around to it sometime.
I am curious too how long it can go before I get a red light on one of them.

moggy82

· #7 · Jan 11, 2010

Rex32 said:
I think I am going to do everything as two complete setups...

Yep, thats what id recommend

Im the one that said about the gauges of wire. Im going from both experience of overvolting halogens and what the big manufacturers do.

BlownCivic

· #8 · Jan 11, 2010

You'd expect that since almost everyone gets about 3 hours on a single MagicShine setup, that if you tee'd 2 lights to the same battery pack you'd see 1 1/2 hours from 1 fully charged pack. That's not what I'm seeing, and that's not what others have commented about. The MagicShine lighthead is driving the LED's a 2.4amps. I'm not sufficiently savy to say if that's what is being drawn from the battery or not, but if it is, then 2 lights would be drawing almost 5 amps. That's a lot for that wire (looks like 20awg to me).

Then again if 2.4 amps were being drawn off the battery, we wouldn't be seeing 3 hours from a 4,400mah pack, would we?

pimpbot

· #9 · Jan 11, 2010

Well....

Rex32 said:
Hey Guys,

So I've decided to give the MagicShine lights from Geoman Gear a shot... Here is what I am looking to accomplish:

1) Handlebar mounted dual MagicShine lights
2) Create my own battery pack that fits into a bag under the seat or a water bottle - I want to have enough juice for both lights so I'm thinking 8 18650 batteries.
3) Increase the light output if at all possible - ideas?

I might also grab one of the P7 flashlights to keep on hand for backups in case the MagicShine's quit on me...

Has anyone else created a dual setup with the MagicShine lights? If so, could you please provide some guidance and/or any advice - maybe some pictures? I'm a bit confused on how to execute everything, but I'm starting to get it more and more.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

... do you really need both lights blazing at 100% all the time? I would guess you don't. Shut one down, or put it on low when you're climbing, and one battery should be fine for both lamps for several hours.

I would second the dual independent setup. That way, you have spares of everything if something fails.

MtbMacgyver

· #10 · Jan 12, 2010

BlownCivic said:
You'd expect that since almost everyone gets about 3 hours on a single MagicShine setup, that if you tee'd 2 lights to the same battery pack you'd see 1 1/2 hours from 1 fully charged pack. That's not what I'm seeing, and that's not what others have commented about. The MagicShine lighthead is driving the LED's a 2.4amps. I'm not sufficiently savy to say if that's what is being drawn from the battery or not, but if it is, then 2 lights would be drawing almost 5 amps. That's a lot for that wire (looks like 20awg to me).

Then again if 2.4 amps were being drawn off the battery, we wouldn't be seeing 3 hours from a 4,400mah pack, would we?

The runtime will be less than half what you get with a single light because batteries are less efficient at higher discharge currents. It'll get even worse in cold temps. At full power the magicshine pulls about 1.3-1.4 amps from the battery.

ireland57

· #11 · Jan 12, 2010

I have 2 of them and use them sometimes as helmet and bar lights; nothing wrong with them just that I am building other ones too.

I'd use them as separate items as you've said. Any failures you have one whole system to return on.

DeeEight

· #12 · Jan 12, 2010

I was thinking for total ridiculousness of running four on the bar, and three on my helmet.

mb323323

· #13 · Jan 12, 2010

Does anyone know where I can buy a secondary bar that attaches to my bar so I can add more lights, etc.

MB

DeeEight

· #14 · Jan 12, 2010

topeak, blt, and others make them.

mb323323

· #15 · Jan 13, 2010

Thx

Ordered the Topeak. 15 bucks.

Gonna have 2000+ lumens on the bar & 400 on the head.

MB

BlownCivic

· #16 · Jan 18, 2010

2

Well I built a new Y-cable. It's not ideal because I had to graft the 18 awg wire onto the battery connector using a very short section of the original wire, as the connectors are molded onto the wire. If I had to guess, I'd say the wire is 26 to 24 awg tops. The lights have been sitting there on the chair for the last 15 minutes (ya, they're getting kind of hot) but the battery is in the same state of charge as it was when I last used it, and both lightheads indicated "red". Guess what? After 15 minutes, they're both still glowing green.

The proof will be when I ride home from work tomorrow night. The battery will be fully charged, and we'll see what happens on the way home.

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GEOMAN

· #17 · Jan 18, 2010

Corey52 said:
I have dual MS lights on my handlebar, and an AirBike P7 on my helmet.
Talk about a lot of light.

Just using the stock battery pack for now, but I will order another one later to keep in my Mule.

I will try and get a picture this week.

I think I love this guy!

LOL!

Geo

The Singletrack Store

· #18 · Jan 18, 2010

Now that's a serious amount of light

DeeEight said:
I was thinking for total ridiculousness of running four on the bar, and three on my helmet.

mtb_robs-x

· #19 · Jan 18, 2010

the cable helps,...
but 2 lights on that battery, is not only cutting runtime, but lifespan of the battery pack.
the red light comes on earlier, since the pack can't hold the voltage at that load.
It all should work, but is border line. other small packs, can do it, since they use different batteries and circuits.

BlownCivic

· #20 · Jan 20, 2010

OK. That turned into a total waste of time. The Y cable essentially made no difference in the run time before the red indication on the one light. I think it may have extended it by about 1-2 minutes tops. I'm not sure if it would be any better with the larger gauge of wire right from the connector at the battery pack. As I mentioned I am still saddled with about 1" of the small gauge of wire as the connectors are molded to the wire. So the resistance would certainly be reduced (shorter resistor, less resistance) by my mod, but maybe not enough.

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

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