That 50 Quid DX bike light dissed disected oh sod it. ( its not good news )

LED”s are dimmed by pulsing. That’s how they go dimmer. They turn on and off very fast. Or slower.

oh as opposed to current limiting, I did not realise they used PWM ( pulse width modulating ) drivers. Are all LEDS dimmed using pwm drivers???

mind what the hell did I expect for £50 there was bound to be a issue somewhere,

Main beam is brill though

The cheaper led drivers use PWM for the dimming the better ones are a constant current driver , they both dim the leds just the CC drivers dont strobe.
so if you are an epileptic dont buy the DX light

Ta for that troutie

btw hope your spelling is correct I darn’t try for the ridicule 😳

Recieved my bastid on thursday this week. Only got about half an hour to try it ‘cos an almighty thunder and lightening storm kicked off that night when I got to the woods 😕
First impressions are really good – the mounting screw is about 5mm long and I don’t notice any flash/strobe on the low setting at all (though my ageing eyes/brain might not be as sensitive as yours saladdodger 😉 Also when I opened it up there was absolutely no swarf inside at all, and all the solder joins looked OK. The charger seems to work at a perfectly normal temperature as well, I wonder if some-one is following this thread and tightening up the QC- maybe I’ve got a mk2 bastid!
The light does have a slight blue/green tint, I know it would be hard to capture in a pic but it doesn’t seem as green as trouts photo (possibly down to my old eyes aswell!). TBH I didn’t even notice the tint at all until I switched on my fenix, now relegated to my crash helmet, and that is definitely whiter.
All in all I’m very impressed, it’ll certainly do ’til I can afford a proper light like troutie makes (i’ll be in touch with you for one nearer christmas bonus time Mr. Trout!)

For anyone thats ordered and received one, how long from ordering to delivery?

I think mine was a week, possibly a little more. Not that long really.

though my ageing eyes/brain might not be as sensitive as yours saladdodger

Na yer daft bugger me eyes are alot tired nowadays, it was the strobe effect made the front wheel look liked it was stationry

still happpy though

Mines been fine the couple of times I’ve tried it, yes to me it’s quite green (it’s my light that Trout tested), but my main bugbear so far is still the use on road, you just can’t use it in flashing or low mode as the beam is so wide that unless you point it straight down the residual light still illuminates signs 10′ high 100′ away.
It’s mental compared to my old Lumi setup 🙂
Oh mine took about ten days to come.
Cheers.

Just got in from a proper try out with it. Fantastic light. Stays solid on the bars and plenty bright enough for full speed riding round the woods. When the fenix and the bastid are on at the same time I really cant see much difference in their tints at all.
8 days order to delivery on mine.

I’ve got the P7 torch is it worth swapping for the bastid. I should imagine if I sold it with the charger + batteries I’d nearly cover my costs

One thing I like about the P7 is I can just whack it on without carrying a battery pack etc..

without carrying a battery pack etc..

The battery pack is tiny…

Hi,

2unfit2ride. What Lumi setup did you have and how does the Bastid light compare in terms of beam etc.

I have a 20w halogen and a 1w cree LED (very wide beam) at the moment which is mainly used for commutting. I think my battery is on the way out so I am thinking about this light as an alternative.

How would the Bastid light compare to a 20w halogen light in terms of the beam. Is it the same or better?

Thanks

Hi spangelsaregreat,

TBH I don’t use lights enough to really make a fair comparison, the Lumi I used was just a 12w spot, and it was always fine for me, I bought the bastid light as it weighs a lot less. I have tried to compare it to a 20w flood by shining it at a tree then turning on the bastid, the bastid light won by quite a margin.
Hopefully someone more qualified will be alone soon…

It would seem that the Bastid makers do read the forums and have improved their QC a little

Billy your a hero

Err..I think a bit of clarification might be in order re pwm/constant current drive.
Just had a look at the luxeon faqs, they recommend pwm for dimming, although they also give specs for fwd current vs flux (as do Seoul Semi re the P7) – something like a 5:1 range, and current vs flux is roughly linear (ie halving current halves light output).

Now, both types run at about 3.5v, so your driver circuit is almost certainly going to be a switching converter of some sort to allow a very different – or a range of – battery pack voltage to be used. Once you’re using a switching converter there isn’t a huge jump to having pwm available on it (as quite a few seem to do).

I’m not sure cheaper=pwm and better=constant current, I’d be curious as to what’s being referred to. Also if the constant current controllers aren’t switching, they’re probably less efficient than a switching/pwm controller – not to mention having a poorer supply range capability. IMO I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to use pwm…

Re epilepsy – just had a quick search, seems to be 2-30 Hz is the range that might set it off – fluorescent lights by comparison have a flicker rate 100Hz. I’d suspect any switching converter/pwm used with high power leds is gonna be running well into the kHz so shouldn’t be a problem – unless it runs at a rear-light stylee slow rate flash mode, of course !

I’d recently been thinking about a lumi backup (more for commuting really) – not to mention upgrading them for better efficiency..I’m quite tempted for 50 quid!

(And apologies for being a slightly anal electronics engineer 😉 )

Bastid light does not appear to be on sale on DX anymore!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149

Hi,

Received my lights today after nine days. Yeah!!

They don't work. Boooo!

Request with DX for replacement.

Back to Lumis meantime.

BTW is everyone else's a EU/US charger or is that just me?

how many did you buy spangles as you say lights?
It would be unusual or very bad building if both don't work

have you put the batteries on charge first

Ian, mine is US, a converter costs a quid you cheapskate 😉
Why did you buy some anyway? I don't think they're as bright as your HID.

Smudge,

Just bought the one.

It initally worked when I tried it out of the box. I then stuck the battery on charge. After I had charged the battery the lights didn't work anymore. Not sure why.

Regards

I'm going to give these a try, ordered them, but fancy the Trout service too. I'll keep an eye on Trouties own brand, looks good for helmet mounting.

It sounds as if they all need the Trout super service before you try them, can't go wrong for a tenner!
If mine prove reliable then it's money very well spent 🙂

Trout.

You have my sympathies. I've been made redundant and am now unemployed due to people buying chinese/Indian made.

Hacks me right off to read idiots here raving about the cost. All they're doing is employing Chinese workers.

Wait until their managers out source their job to the East…Globalisation, if they'd had told us then that what it really stood for was "the race to the bottom". Then I'd have told them to shove globalisation up the arse.

Now, this race to the bottom is all about who can make it the cheapest. Quality/longevity seems to be only a minor distraction. And as we all know, a China-mans wage demand is a fraction of that made by his English counterpart (house prices/council tax, etc).

Anyway, I'm building a light at the moment, its along the lines of your 6 LED light, but I'm using the switches and connectors I recommended to you with converted torch bodies.
Although I can use a Lathe and a Mill, I haven't either at my disposal. Just a dril, a hack saw and needle files.

Trout, Smudge, remember, there will always be a market for what you guys provide. I have and always intend to buy my batts/chargers from Smudge. Its just your work/efforts will be dwafted by the mass demand from those who chase the cheapest deal in obeyance to globalisation. Keep up your good work, if it pleases you.

Solo.

Solo.

That's a good point that you are making regarding cheap Chinese labour.

Do you use only British parts in your light, or are they produced in a different country?

Ahem, I think you'll find that no one owes anything to Trout or Smudge other than thanks or beer money, yes they are both obviously really nice chaps, & I personally owe Trout a beer or two for sorting out my light, but really I had never heard of either before this thread. So to insinuate that I am somehow doing them out of a living & contributing to the downfall of the British empire by buying a light from china I find more than a little demeaning.

However I do see your point, I just think you need to get over yourself & express your point in a more eloquent manor. I don't ever expect niche light makers & battery experts to make a living by charging more than the competition, but if they do then I would be the first to congratulate them.
Have a nice evening.

Thanks for the kind comments guys and i'm sure troutie feels the same. I guess were both mtbers and putting our bit back into the sport and making it affordable to go nightriding. I get alot of satisfaction from an email or post afterwards thanking me and recommending me for my work. Most of my builds are now referals so that must say something.

Spangel if you have no joy with dealextreme i'm sure you could post it to troutie to look at or myself if the problem lies in the battery. Do you have access to a voltmeter? if so does it give a battery reading once its off the charger. If you prefer to email me direct please do so

Whoa I have not looked on here for a couple of weeks due to being struck down with the dreaded swine flu and I am still alive though not 100% yet And this thread is still going even in the summer .

Yep I echo Smudges post and I do what I do as a geeky hobby when I am not working/riding/walking the dog . just cos I like making things and if a few quid comes in then it gets spent on better tools .
Where as I am no electronic expert I will be happy to help out any one with a problem as Smudge suggests.

I do hate the DX light with a passion But it is not too bad for the price
and should be replaceable ( with a bit of hastle ) I would hope if it fails too soon.

Smudge,

Not had a chance to check it with a volt meter. However, I think it is the battery. As I said in my earlier post I gave it a quick check out of the box and the light worked fine. I then stuck the battery on charge but after charging it did not work.

I also noticed when I initially attached the battery to the charger (before plugging the charger into the wall socket) the chargers light came on. However when I do that now the light does not come on until I plug it into the wall.

My request for a return code to DX is still processing. Will keep you all updated on their return service (good or bad).

Thanks for the offer for the repair, may take you up on that if DX don't help.

Regards

dx will sort it. point to note – all comms are handled through their website. i waited some time for a mail from them which never came, and only when i went back to re-log a return did i pick up their response. 🙂

Mine seems to have survived tonights deluge, so thanks to Trout I have some confidence in it now, maybe one day I'll leave the back up frogs at home.
Now can anyone do an extension for the battery lead?
I need to put this thing on my bonce.

Cheers.

Mine doesn't work either. Though i haven't got round to checking if it's the battery, charger or light unit at fault.

It seems the failure rate, even from new is high, last nights confidence is dwindling 🙁

Hi,

DX have now replied and I am shipping it back to them today. They are also refunding the return postage (as long as it is less than 30% of original cost).

Regards

Hi Ian,
Same again if you have no joy with dealextreme please either post it to myself or troutie to look at.
2unfit i could probably do an extension lead, do you know what type of connector it is? if not mail me a pic and i will try to make one from that for you. email in my profile

Hi,

Email from DX today to say replacement light has been shipped.

Hopefully this one will work.

Regards

could anyone answer the question from lanesra – is it worth replacing a P7 with the bastid?

I am pondering over whether to get a bastid or a P7 (possibly 2 P7's for same price as 1 Bastid) (got 2 Fenix L2D's to accompany them).

Do fancy one of your lights Troutie, but need something right now.

I'm sure he has a few already made up ready for posting.. email Mr T to find out 🙂