# High Lumen self contained bar lights



## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

*High Lumen self contained bar lights - NOW WITH BEAMSHOTS!!! (Lots of them)*

Hi All,

A while back *OldAusDigger* posted some information regarding using one of the the latest mega torches as bike lights. I too had the torch he was refering to, but could not find a decent mounting option to allow its use as a bike light. *http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/lupine-wilma-tl-vs-nitecore-tm11-766683.html*

It got me wondering if there was an *affordable* option for high lumen self contained bar lights and I think I have come up with a visually pleasing 'Frankenstein' solution. Direct competitors would be Exposure's Six Pack and Lupine Betty TL.

*Step 1:* - Find appropriate light source .

*Step 2*:- Find suitable bar mount/hardware solution and make necessary adjustments (cut threads etc)

*Step 3*: _*Will it blend? *_(yes i know...gratuitous Blendtec(c) reference. If you're not familiar with it, YouTube it  )

Intersted yet, ready for *photos*? - Read on :thumbsup:

*Weights * of 'Frankenstein' solution as follows:

Light head - 577 grams (inclusive of 4 x Jetbeam 18650 batteries @ 2300mah)
Mounting hardware - 32 grams
Total weight (+/-) - 611 grams.

*Light Specifications:*
* Light source: 3 x Cree XM-L U2 LED (Cool Tint)
* Battery: 2 or 4 x 18650
* Accessories: Hard case, belt pouch, car charger, removable carry handle and spare o-ring (all included)
Output & Runtime: *(per ANSI FL1 standards - manufacturers claim)*
* Strobe ( with two automatically changing frequencies)
* Beacon (think light house - fade in/ fade out) 
* Low(1 LED, *60lm/55 hrs*)
* Medium(2 LEDs, *300lm/12 hrs*)
* High(3 LEDs, *1000lm/3 hrs*)
* Turbo(3 LEDs, *2000lm/2 hrs *)
* Beam Throw - 380m
* Light Intensity - 35,000cd
* Impact resistance - 1 m
* Switch: Magnetic Ring Control switch - 1-3 LED control
* Battery life indicator (4 x amber LED indicator)
* Circuit design: constant current circuit, constant brightness
* Working voltage range: 6-12.6V
* Waterproof to IPX-8
* Weight 396g (excluding batteries)
* Case materials - Stainless steel & aluminium (type III hard anodized)
* Dimesions: 145mm (L) . Main diameter of the tube measures 47.5mm (1.87") but flares out to 51.4mm (2.02") at the base and 61.8mm (2.43") at the widest point of the head.

*Thermal management:*
Built in protection - decreases to 60% output when greater than 80 degrees (celsius). Reverts to original power setting when temperature drops belwo 70 degrees. Over heat protection can be overridden if required.

*Battery management:*
* Built in power indicators (4 x amber LED indicator)
* Built in protection - Defaults to low power mode when power is < 6.9V and auto shuts off @ 6.0V.

*LED Management:*
Always picks the next successive LED when you turn light off/on:

*Performance:*
Currently have :
* Lupine Betty @ 1830 Lumens
* Troutie 7 Up @ 2300 Lumens (approx)
* Magicshines @ 900 & 1400 Lumens (nominal)
* Cygolite Trion @ 600 Lumen.

So how does it rate? - Great :thumbsup:

Easily matches if not surpasses the Lupine Betty & Troutie 7 up. Regretfully no beam shots to MTBR night photo specifications. Going by MK1 eyeball standards there should be no complaints regarding throw and spread of light. Can easily ride challenging terrain at speed @ 1000 lumen setting, and you are vapourisng your own trail @ 2000. :devil:

*Pros: *
* Great solution for *less than $300 *(can easily bring this down to approx $250 if you shop around)
* Looks good (subjective)
* Also functions as a dedicated torch/flashlight
* All accessories included
* Easy to carry extra batteries if required

*Cons:*
* Weight ? (not an issue for me)
* Size / profile

*Unknowns:*
* Longevity of light
* Durability of bar mount/hardware solution

Ready for the photos?????? :drumroll:


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## OldAusDigger (Apr 8, 2008)

For the money that's awesome.
Are you using an Exposure mount there?


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## deematic (Dec 28, 2007)

Subs


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## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

OldAusDigger said:


> For the money that's awesome.
> Are you using an Exposure mount there?


Yep its the Exposure bracket & cleat.

I also have the Nitecore TM11 and think I have come across an aluminium clamp mount which may work for bike work.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Interesting....but I think there is a point when something can simply take up too much room on the bars. IMO I think you have reached that point. 

A while back I considered using a torch that used 26650 ( 4000mAh ) cells. It would have had good run time but the trade off was that it was...well...hunky. In other words it just looked too big sitting on the bars. Since it put out the same amount of light as any other XML torch I had I decided to stay with my single 18650 cell torches. Just keep extra cells if needed. Rarely have I had to switch cells on a ride anyway. A good compact three mode XM-L torch is a thing of beauty.


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## Magicshine Australia (Jan 22, 2012)

Fury, can I please have some beamshots of this Frankie light. Use whatever settings but please let me know the exposure time and ISO. Imagine it'd eat the MJ-878 dive torch for breakfast.


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## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

*BEAMSHOTS.....coming soon*

Hi All,

I will hopefully be able to post up some comparitive beamshots per MTBR camera settings for the following lights:

Magicshine @ 900 Lumen
Magicshine @ 1400 Lumen
Cygolite Trion 600
Troutie 7 Up 2634 Lumens (4 x XPG R5 & 3 x XPE R2 ) 
Lupine Betty 1750 Lumen
Nitecore TM11 2000 Lumen (3 x XML T6)
Niteye Eye30 2000 Lumen (3 x XML U2)


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Can't wait to see the beam shots. There is one short-fall of this set-up though. If you use this as your bike light you will likely find yourself going home and having a real pressing desire to watch a couple old "Battlestar Galactica" episodes. :smilewinkgrin:


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## AlisterG (Nov 14, 2008)

You can go a lot cheaper for fugly megabright torches, but not hit that spec. And they are pretty lumpy for bar lights. IMHO they are just too chunky to be bar mounted, big output lights are better off with a separate battery.

DRY 3xCREE XM-L T6 Cool White / Warm Tint 3000-Lumen 3x18650 Hi power Flashlight_XM-L T6 Flashlight_Flashlights_Flashlight Retail-FREE SHIPPING

SKY RAY king 3xCREE XM-L T6 4x18650 2000-Lumen Super Power Flashlight_SKY RAY Flashlights_Flashlight Retail-FREE SHIPPING also on DX as well i think.


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## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

*Beamshots as promised*

Hi All.

*CONDITIONS: *Dark Night @ 21 degrees celsius approx 9pm.

*CAMERA SETTINGS:*
CAMERA USED: 
* CANON EOS 5D MARK-II
* FIRMWARE v2.1.2 (latest version as at 2012-APR-20)

LENS USED: 
* CANON ZOOM LENS EF 70-200mm 1:2.8 L IS II USM

CAMERA SETTINGS:  
* APERTURE = f4
* SHUTTER = 6 seconds
* ISO = 100
* WHITE BALANCE = Daylight

LENS SETTINGS: 
* FOCAL LENGTH = 100mm
* FOCUS = MF (MANUAL FOCUS)
* IS = IMAGE STABILIZER (IS) = OFF

*LOCATION:* Dirt track with markers set every 10 meters (30 Feet)

*SEQUENCE OF PHOTOS:*
Control
Cygolite Trion 600: Low 150 Lumens / Med 300 Lumens/Med - High 450 Lumens /	High 600 Lumens
Magicshine MJ808 (DIY Upgraded P7 Bin): Low 500 Lumens / High 900 Lumens
Magicshine MJ816: Low 500 Lumens / Med 900 Lumens / High 1400 Lumens
Troutie 7 Up (4 x XPG R5 & 3 x XPE R2 Khatod PL1211xx 7 up - 6 degree optics): Med 1580 Lumens / High 2634 Lumens
Lupine Betty 1750 Lumens (7 x XPG @ 16/22degrees): Med 1050 Lumens / High 1750 Lumens
Nitecore TM11 (3 x XML T6): Low 200 Lumens / Med 550 Lumens / High 1100 Lumens / Turbo 2000 Lumens
Niteye Eye30 (3 x XML U2): Low 60 Lumens / Med 300 Lumens /	High 1000 Lumens /Turbo 2000 Lumens


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## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

*Beamshots cont ...*

Set 2


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## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

*Beamshots cont...*

Set 3


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## Fury25 (Oct 22, 2008)

*Compared to the Lupine 2600 Lumen*

Found these beam shots on a German website - not sure of camera settings


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