Flashing stop lights, traffic light triggers, and wheel lights

[notme]

Hey FF!

that info would be awesome just for my interest

Still doing the band thing, but yeah haven't been in shouting distance of a certain R6 for a while!

I think those transceivers to let emergency services through the lights would be a bloody good thing - i seem to always see dickheads not allowing you guys through - the one and only time some people seem to obey a red light!

Bullbars on the front of the fire engine is the solution i think.

[notme]

Oh yeah - speed cameras:

Portable ones (the vans and cars) use radar aimed across the road to get a speed reading, and fixed ones (pole mounted) use triggers in the road just like traffic lights.

So - if the fixed ones use the same technology as traffic lights, there's a chance that a badly tuned road sensor will not detect a bike, just like a badly tuned sensor at the lights sometimes won't catch a bike.

Who wants to bet that the people that maintain the speed camera sensors tune them a lot more carefully than the traffic light ones......

[Firefight]

Hey FF!

that info would be awesome just for my interest

http://www.opticom.com/

no doubt other tech firms would have simular products, info I got is a bit dated, but this link may help.

F/F


edit, wrong link, but right company... might have to google it to get the right link

[speights_bud]

The valve cap lights may be illegal under the following:

10.9 Fitting and performance requirements for other optional lighting equipment
A vehicle may be fitted with one or more lamps that are not otherwise specified in this rule provided that the lamp:

(b) is positioned so that the light source is not directly visible when viewed from a position as shown by ‘x’ in Figure 10.1 (attached)

(c) only emits light that is diffuse;

(f) is in a fixed position on the vehicle, and does not revolve, rotate or otherwise move;

(g) is fitted in a way, and is of a luminance, that ensures that it does not dazzle, confuse or distract other drivers or other road users;


I found all this when i was checking out the legality of a neon light my g/f at the time purchased for me and insisted i install (broken now).


But other than those points (which may or may not be applicable) i don't see why not, i think i've even seen them for sale on trademe or repco??

[Skyryder]

What would be useful is a change down red. Often bikers use the revs to slow down and do not touch the brakes. A rear light that is connected to the changdown that comes on for say two seconds so as to give the cage some warning of 'slowdown.' Could be the way to go.
Skyryder

[ZeroIndex]

What would be useful is a change down red. Often bikers use the revs to slow down and do not touch the brakes. A rear light that is connected to the changdown that comes on for say two seconds so as to give the cage some warning of 'slowdown.' Could be the way to go.
Skyryder

i tend to just tap the brakes (just to light them up) before slowing down/changing down..

[justsomeguy]

Still no match for looking in your rear mirrors making sure you don't let anyone hit you.

[raster]

I havn't had any problem with traffic lights, always stop across one of the lines, sometimes if I have cars behind me I tap the starter just in case, don't know if that actually works or not.

What are the intersections around Mt wellington that are troublesome?

R

[notme]

What would be useful is a change down red. Often bikers use the revs to slow down and do not touch the brakes. A rear light that is connected to the changdown that comes on for say two seconds so as to give the cage some warning of 'slowdown.' Could be the way to go.
Skyryder

I have lots of ideas for little gadgets like this - such as a deceleration sensor to do exactly what you describe - so it doesn't matter how you are slowing down (brakes, engine braking, .....headwind!) the brake light would come on or flash or whatever to indicate that you are slowing.

The problem is, most things i think of are illegal under the lighting/modification/WOF rules

[sAsLEX]

The problem is, most things i think of are illegal under the lighting/modification/WOF rules

How would they ever know? They test all your lights stationary in the testing station

[Ixion]

I don't think a deceleration sensor activated light would be illegal.

The law says you must have a red light to the rear, that lights when the service brake is applied (You can have two actually).

It says you must not have any other lights than those specified (ie stop lights, tail lights, indicators etc).

But it is silent on how the lights are activated, other than to say that they must light when the brake is applied.

I think you would have to retain the normal brake light switch circuit (which you would want anyway, to cover the situation when you are sitting stationary with the brake on). But if you connected another deceleration activated switch, the law does not cover that. It is not forbidden, therefore legal.The retained standard switch covers WoF.

But you would want to have some smarts in there, else the light would be on too often. You don't want it flashing on everytime you back off a smidgin. Either a delay of a second or two, or a minimum deceleration force, or , maybe, nice, a variable intensity - the greater the deceleration the brighter the light.

[notme]

I don't think a deceleration sensor activated light would be illegal.

The law says you must have a red light to the rear, that lights when the service brake is applied (You can have two actually).

It says you must not have any other lights than those specified (ie stop lights, tail lights, indicators etc).

But it is silent on how the lights are activated, other than to say that they must light when the brake is applied.

I think you would have to retain the normal brake light switch circuit (which you would want anyway, to cover the situation when you are sitting stationary with the brake on). But if you connected another deceleration activated switch, the law does not cover that. It is not forbidden, therefore legal.The retained standard switch covers WoF.

But you would want to have some smarts in there, else the light would be on too often. You don't want it flashing on everytime you back off a smidgin. Either a delay of a second or two, or a minimum deceleration force, or , maybe, nice, a variable intensity - the greater the deceleration the brighter the light.

I might have more of a look at this....it's getting interesting! Good points about the legalities. I would design it using a microprocessor, so delays, patterns, variable intensities etc are all a piece of piss - it would probably be a learning beastie too, and tune itself to your riding patterns.

[Wolf]

But you would want to have some smarts in there, else the light would be on too often. You don't want it flashing on everytime you back off a smidgin. Either a delay of a second or two, or a minimum deceleration force,

A pendulum switch working against an adjustable spring should work - set so it swings front-to-rear (and with the spring towards the front to inhibit the pendulum, obviously) and then play around with the tension of the spring and the radius of the pendulum (affects leverage) or perhaps the mass of the weight until only the requisite amount of inertia is sufficient to trigger the switch.

Throttle off gently and the spring should stop the pendulum travelling far enough forward to trigger the light, throttle off suddenly and the pendulum's momentum overcomes the spring and triggers the switch.

Rip open the throttle and the pendulum slams into the rear stop - you did install a block to prevent undue rearward travel, right? Oh dear...

A tube containing a weight resting against an adjustable spring would also work if you want to keep it fairly slim-line but it would need to be fairly carefully made to ensure the weight does not jam in the tube. The pendulum, with only a single pivot point, would be less prone to jamming.

Wire in parallel with the other two brake switches et voila!

[adam666]

Who wants to bet that the people that maintain the speed camera sensors tune them a lot more carefully than the traffic light ones......

who wants to bet they use alot BETTER sensors for speed cameras!

although, I dont think they would use the inductive loops

I was under the impression they used sensitive pressure sensors (ie more than two), over the duration of the cut out in the road?
so as to monitor the position of the wheel as it travels over the area.

otherwise there wouldnt be able to accurately judge the speed of the vehicle?

cheers
Adam

[adam666]

2 other things you can do are :
Rev the engine - makes the alternater work producing a larger electromagnetic field.
Brake hard so the shocks load up ad the bike sinks lower to the ground. More metal moved into the field.

The lights your taking about testing on wouldn't be the ones outside the BK by Mt Wellington?

I would think a tesla coil (ignition coil) with a secondary lead which was close to the ground might work quite well

flick the switch, couple of arcs to the ground should excite the coils very nicely

cheers
Adam