The *Perfect* Segway Light [Archive]

dhugger

10-05-2003, 12:55 AM

Today, I found the perfect light for my Segway...

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/seg_light/hand.jpg
It's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand...

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/seg_light/bright.jpg
It's bright enough to use on faster night glides...

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/seg_light/under_on.jpg
Just snap it on...

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/seg_light/under_off.jpg
...or snap it off.

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/seg_light/seg_light.jpg
It almost looks like it was designed for the HT. Its low profile design allows it to be placed under the Segway, rather than on the control shaft. And, since it uses 3 internal AAA batteries, there are no ugly wires or external batteries to deal with. Also, since the light is so low to the ground, it casts quite a bit of shadows, making obstacles much easier to see in comparison with lights that are high on the control shaft.

Installation took about 10 minutes. I attached the mounting bracket with velcro.

It can run up to 350 hours on 3 AAA batteries... and the best part... it was only $12.77.

-Derek Hugger-

10-05-2003, 01:09 AM

cool!

where'd you find it?

kthxbye.

q.

http://www.pcisys.net/~qwhew/segway/jpg_segway_sfest_08312003_sunday_3g.jpg
(plz click image to enlarge.)

//

IndyFIRSTengineer

10-05-2003, 01:09 AM

HOW CAN YOU POST THIS without information on how/where to find them ??? ;)

Thanks for the info - it does look like the perfect light ... [8D]
Do you have any of the availability details??

Stuart Bloom - Rolls-Royce Corporation
FIRST Team 1018 - Pike High School "RoboDevils"

“Who goes out and says, ‘You have a better probability of winning the state lottery than making a nickel in professional sports. And by the way, last year two million exciting technical jobs went unfilled in this country because you weren't there to take that job. And it pays you 10 times as much as flipping burgers, and it's fun and it's exciting and you get to create things and build things and help make the world a better place and help make yourself a better living.’ Who tells them this?”
Dean Kamen, founder - FIRST Robotics

dhugger

10-05-2003, 01:22 AM

Sorry, I guess I should have thought it obvious to post where I got the light... Wal-Mart! It's a Garrity 2 LED Headlamp... designed to be one of those strap-on-your-head lights for camping... but minus the head strap, it is *perfect* for the HT ;)

Oh, and it has a "5 Function Switch" which will allow for:
1. 100% brightness (86 hour battery life)
2. 50% brightness (172 hour batter life)
3. 25% brightness (350 hour battery life)
4. Slow flash
5. Fast flash

...and it has a battery monitor: green=good, yellow=low batteries, red=replace batteries

-Derek Hugger-

IndyFIRSTengineer

10-05-2003, 01:30 AM

THANKS - Wal-Mart HERE I COME ... well I'll probably wait until tomorrow ...

Thanks again D ...

Stuart Bloom - Rolls-Royce Corporation
FIRST Team 1018 - Pike High School "RoboDevils"

“Who goes out and says, ‘You have a better probability of winning the state lottery than making a nickel in professional sports. And by the way, last year two million exciting technical jobs went unfilled in this country because you weren't there to take that job. And it pays you 10 times as much as flipping burgers, and it's fun and it's exciting and you get to create things and build things and help make the world a better place and help make yourself a better living.’ Who tells them this?”
Dean Kamen, founder - FIRST Robotics

Jackier

10-05-2003, 05:08 AM

That is sooooo cool! Thanks for the great pictures!

Not quite sure how you attached it with the velcro tho! Can you elaborate a bit for me? Do you attach the bracket to the seg battery only with the Velcro? Won't it jiggle off while gliding? Is it safe to have batteries attached to other batteries?

Thanks!

Jackie Seg-Away

"The people are always more inportant then the task at hand"

dhugger

10-05-2003, 11:01 AM

Jackie, the velco backing is self-adhesive... and it's got some good stick to it. I If you look closely at the 3rd pic, you can see that there are 2 strips of velcro behind the bracket and one that loops over it. I'm not worried in the least about it falling off.

-Derek Hugger-

Brooster

10-05-2003, 02:44 PM

Derek, looks like a great light, I'd like to try one. I've looked on Garrity's Web site, but can't seem to find it. If you still have the package, could you give us the model number please? Thanks!

Brooster

GlideMaster

10-05-2003, 04:59 PM

If I can find these lights I'll put one on the left and one on the right and one in the middle. I should be able to light up the sidewalk with that; or maybe I'll just put four across the front and four across the back.

At the Fest someone else had some cool lights from Wal-Mart that were attached to the bottom of their glider and they were great.

<center>http://www.segwaychat.com/forum/avatars/glidemaster.gif</center>

Brooster

10-05-2003, 05:18 PM

I found it ... like Derek said, it's called the "2 LED Headlamp." Thanks again Derek, I'll check it out.

http://www.garritylites.com/site/retail_details.php?recid=84

Brooster

Jackier

10-05-2003, 05:44 PM

Thanks Brooster! I was hunting too! A couple of Colored bulbs (blue)would be pretty, if putting 4 or more lights on! Wonder if that would be a replaceable bulb choice.

Jackie Seg-Awaaaay

"The people are always more inportant then the task at hand"

Brooster

10-06-2003, 12:16 AM

Well, I picked up a few of these today at the local Wal-Mart. Like Derek said, they're $12.77 each (at least here in the Chicago area). Our local Wal-Mart had them available in two "finishes," silver and sort of a dark charcoal gray--almost identical to the color of the Segway's mat and batteries ... maybe just a tad darker. I opted for the gray ones.

Boy, this is one VERY cool little light. Light-weight and very bright, with sort of a "blue-ish/white" glow. It seems very well weather-sealed. I bought three ... thinking I'd first experiment with one, and add others later if desired. I'll tell ya, it's bright enough that one mounted in the center, as Derek has done, may well be enough.

Derek, before I mount it, a few questions if you have time ...

--The light seems like it pivots pretty freely in the bracket, making me wonder if it "pivots down" when going over bumps. I realize that the bracket (because it's intended to be head-mounted) has a slight curve to it, and that once it's mounted "flat" on the battery, the "pinchers" will hold the light in position tighter. Any pivoting problems when going over bumps? Do you have to keep re-adjusting the angle of the light to keep it from pointing down?

--I've looked at your pictures, but don't quite understand how you Velcroed it on; particulary the "two strips of velcro behind the bracket and one that loops over it." Any chance we could get you to post a more detailed description and/or a close-up picture? What sort of Velcro did you use? I know there are various "grades" of Velcro, with varying "hook and loop" holding capacities. I'm thinking about using some "marine grade" self-adhesive Velcro that I bought at West Marine.

--Is it maybe better to not use the pivoting bracket at all; to somehow shim the "flat side" of the light for "optimal" angle and maybe Velcro it directly to the front Seg battery?

Thanks again Derek. I'm intrigued by the posibilities here.

Brooster

Poindexter

10-06-2003, 12:30 AM

Very cool little light.

Aren't you concerned with the under-deck mount though? It seems like it would get trashed by stuff passing under the Segway. Looks really good to have the light underneath though. Gives it that kind of low rider hovering off the ground look.

Could you mount it to the facsia of the deck just above the underneath panel? Looks like that bracket would allow it to swing 90 degrees. Does that bracket hold the unit tight enogh that it doesn't change angles when you hit a bump?

"Anyone who wants to be a New Urbanist has never been Old Urbanist." Michael Poindexter (critic)

Jackier

10-06-2003, 12:36 AM

Great questions Brooster!

I've called all the stores that Garrity mentions on their website + Walmart. Can't find the light anywhere in Honolulu so far! I've emailed Garrity to see if they can help. I'll be interested in the help with the questions you've asked too.

I did find Tireflys (Walmart), but not the right angle adapters yet!

Jackie Seg-Awaaaay

"The people are always more inportant then the task at hand"

IndyFIRSTengineer

10-06-2003, 03:45 AM

Thanks again DH ... I also picked one of these up today at my local Wal-Mart (yes, also just $12.77). I wanted to try out the lighting capability before doing any 'permanent' modifications, and I think I stumbled on a good alternative mounting. I stretched the headband over the handlebar then slid the light down to the bottom of the control shaft. After adjusting the elastic headband to its smallest possible size it fits snugly around the control shaft base (just above the SEGWAY logo on the front rubber trim piece. The elastic band also works well to hold the battery charging cover in place. I went for a short spin in my neighborhood and the bracket seems to hold the light tight enough to maintain adjustment. This mounting scheme also eliminates any concern for reduced ground clearance.

http://www.angelfire.com/mech/indyfirstengineer/images/SegLight1.jpg http://www.angelfire.com/mech/indyfirstengineer/images/SegLight2.jpg

Stuart Bloom - Rolls-Royce Corporation
FIRST Team 1018 - Pike High School "RoboDevils"

“Who goes out and says, ‘You have a better probability of winning the state lottery than making a nickel in professional sports. And by the way, last year two million exciting technical jobs went unfilled in this country because you weren't there to take that job. And it pays you 10 times as much as flipping burgers, and it's fun and it's exciting and you get to create things and build things and help make the world a better place and help make yourself a better living.’ Who tells them this?”
Dean Kamen, founder - FIRST Robotics

BenBethel

10-06-2003, 06:27 AM

That is the BEST light yet!

www.benbethel.com

Brooster

10-06-2003, 06:47 AM

I gave a single one ... Velcroed under the front battery as Derek did ... a pretty good test tonight along the breakwater here in Chicago ... in a spot where it's pretty good and dark.

I ditched not only the head strap, but the soft rubber piece that accompanies the bracket, and used the marine grade Velcro straight between the battery and the hard plastic part of the bracket. That worked great, and gave the bracket enough "pinch" that it held the light right in position ... even after a couple of curb-drops.

I wouldn't say this light "lights up the world" ... but it definitely has the "coolness" factor going for it 110%. I'd say it's a good augmentation to the lights we have, and it definitely does show the shadows due to its low angle of incidence (when mounted as Derek suggested).

This one gets the major Brooster's "thumbs up." Good bang for the buck.

Brooster

dhugger

10-06-2003, 12:31 PM

It's kinda hard to explain the velcro "configuration" in words, so i made a quick animation. The blue represents the mounting bracket, and the green is the velcro... also, there is velcro on the bracket (which is not in the animation)

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/velcro.avi
(If you don't have the divx codec, you can get it here: http://www.divx.com/divx

-Derek Hugger-

fireballfive

10-07-2003, 01:58 AM

Good item Hugger, I just bought one of these for city use but I'll mount it around the control base as I have with my old "Streamlite" headband light. That one's so bright people say it looks like a train coming, but it's only 12 inches tall!
Strapping it around the control base keeps from tearing them off when I run over possum and dead raccoon!

Fireball Five

jgassor

10-07-2003, 05:04 AM

Thanks for the suggestion Derek, I got the last one at Walmart, priced $12.77 as you stated. Rayovac have a similar light on the shelf too that may also work. Although I felt that my lighting solution is adequate for my needs, I decided to add your suggestion as a backup light (and it looks cool!). I adapted your idea slightly and moved my light location to the center of the Segway chassis so as not to obstruct battery removal. I also used Velcro to hold the light in place and to ensure that the light does not move while being impacted from the ride. This tip may help you out Brooster.

Here are my Hi-Res shots of the light as I attach to my Segway. Warning, 4Mb download. http://www.gassor.com/Garrity.zip

Jim

Live life to the full, get Tivo and get a Segway! http://segway.gassor.com

Brooster

10-07-2003, 11:17 AM

Thanks for the animation Derek, and for the pictures Jim. Jim, I see you decided to lose the soft rubber piece as well. I think that's a good idea bedcause the rest of the bracket can shake out of it, and leaving it out allows you a bit more clearance.

Brooster

jgassor

10-07-2003, 02:08 PM

Hi Brooster, yep, I did remove the soft rubber, but only after a first days trial, the light stayed in place with the rubber jacket but it was very loose. I also found that the Velcro strips did not adhere as well to the rubber as it does to the plastic bracket. It had occurred to me that this too shaved off a millimeter or two in clearance!

Jim

Live life to the full, get Tivo and get a Segway! http://segway.gassor.com

SegwayLongIsland

10-10-2003, 12:39 AM

Thanks everybody...they work GREAT!! I use one facing forward and the other in back facing down to light up the groung below the segway to look cool.

I didn't use typical cloth velcro. I used the stiff plastic fasteners sold in Radio Shack. They work much better than cloth Velcro. The light frame has a curve to it (to match the curve of your forhead if you use it as intended). But this allows the light to pivot too easily.

But with the Radio Shack Velcro, it straightens out the curve, squeezing the light tighter between the brackets so it won't move; even bouncing off of curbs!

And the tape has 20 lbs per sq. inch sticking power!!

Radio Shack part # 64-2360. "Hi-Temp/Hi-Strength Superlock Fasteners"

Thanks again!!!

Wayne

Jackier

10-10-2003, 04:26 AM

Hey! Anyone know where I can find this light to order on-line?? My Oahu Walmart doesn't have it and none of the stores listed on the Garrity website have it either. I really want one, or two! Help!

Jackie Seg-Awaaaay

"The people are always more inportant then the task at hand"

IndyFIRSTengineer

10-10-2003, 09:23 AM

Jackie,

Email me and we can discuss getting one to you. My local WalMart had several. I would be glad to send you one at my cost. Should be less than $20 including shipping.

Stuart Bloom - Rolls-Royce Corporation
FIRST Team 1018 - Pike High School "RoboDevils"
WINNER OF THE SEGWAY RAFFLE AT SEG-FEST 2003!

“Who goes out and says, ‘You have a better probability of winning the state lottery than making a nickel in professional sports. And by the way, last year two million exciting technical jobs went unfilled in this country because you weren't there to take that job. And it pays you 10 times as much as flipping burgers, and it's fun and it's exciting and you get to create things and build things and help make the world a better place and help make yourself a better living.’ Who tells them this?”
Dean Kamen, founder - FIRST Robotics

god1138

10-12-2003, 04:24 AM

I picked up one of these lights at Wal-Mart this evening, attached it and got great results.

I velcroed the light to the rubber "Segway"-imprinted 'bumper' on the front and it does a great job there without having to place the light under the platform and worry about ground clearance and the like.

Derek... thanks SO MUCH for the heads-up on this one. This is a very useful light and the price is unbeatable for the amount of light it projects. This will work VERY well on some of my notorious late-night glides!

All my best,

-Robert
"BORN TO GLIDE"

shermanus

10-12-2003, 01:25 PM

Hi everyone !
I found a similar (Head) light at Target. It has a flat rear (cut off the straps). Wal-Mart sells a cheap magnet to attach Cellphones to a dashboard. Stick the magnet to the Segway and the little metal plate to the lamp. Now you can pop your light on or off as you need.

Sherman

Cruzan Glider

10-12-2003, 10:51 PM

Thanks for the suggestion. I just got the light from my local Walmart. I mounted it just like in IndyFIRSTengineers pictures. It worked great! The light is a winner.

Mike

[8] Bringing the future of transportation to central Ohio

Brooster

01-01-2004, 07:44 PM

After my little New Year's Day cruise, I decided to reconfigure my Garrity lighting system. I'd bought three of these lights, but had only been using one, mounted in the center of the forward battery pack, which did a pretty good job.

I stopped by West Marine the other day and bought three packages of a clear-colored and supposedly super-strong "Velcro-like" product called the "Marine Reclosable Attachment System," manufactured by 3M. Part of my problem before had been the curvature in the "bracket" that holds the light, and with the weaker "marine grade" Velcro, the center of the bracket kept wanting to pull away from the adhesive.

This time I bent the bracket back on both sides of the headstrap slots--almost to the point of breaking--in order to make it as flat as possible. This worked pretty well, and I cleaned the surfaces really well with rubbing alcohol before peeling back the backing paper and affixing the adhesive.

I've now mounted two lights on the outer edges of the front battery pack and a third in the center of the flat surface between the battery packs. The third one, I figure, can face forward, straight down or even slightly back ... to create sort of a "spray effect" coming out the aft end of the machine.

With the two lights mounted outboard on the forward battery pack, I can again put my "parking block" right in the center of the forward battery pack. With the brackets lying flat, they really "pinch" the lights well, and hold them in place nicely. Time will tell, but so far I'm really impressed with the 3M product. Seems rock solid. As mentioned earlier in this thread, if you're mounting these lights, you definitely want to ditch the soft rubber piece that comes affixed to the bracket.

After I have a good recharge from my afternoon glide, I'll have to head back out tonight and see how it works out! Should work well, look really cool, and be plenty bright. These lights seem to last a really long time on their 3 AAA batteries, and stay nice and bright.

Brooster

Sal

01-01-2004, 10:52 PM

Brooster, if it's not too much trouble, can you post a couple of pics of your configuration? I'd really like to see what it looks like.

Thanks,
Sal

Think Different
www.apple.com

Answers that Matter
www.lilly.com

Murray Fisher

01-01-2004, 11:32 PM

Brooster, What do you mean by Parking Block? I suspect it might be what I use now and then....I had a 4x6 block of wood about 8 inches long and just drop it down in front of the Seg and drive over it. When I shut it down it just tilts forward and it rests on the battery case. Works great. I have built several stands and none are very practical. The main problem is explaining to people what that block of wood is for on "Waynes" carrier and WHY Segway didn't design a proper working stand for it.
Murray

quote:Originally posted by Brooster

After my little New Year's Day cruise, I decided to reconfigure my Garrity lighting system. I'd bought three of these lights, but had only been using one, mounted in the center of the forward battery pack, which did a pretty good job.

I stopped by West Marine the other day and bought three packages of a clear-colored and supposedly super-strong "Velcro-like" product called the "Marine Reclosable Attachment System," manufactured by 3M. Part of my problem before had been the curvature in the "bracket" that holds the light, and with the weaker "marine grade" Velcro, the center of the bracket kept wanting to pull away from the adhesive.

This time I bent the bracket back on both sides of the headstrap slots--almost to the point of breaking--in order to make it as flat as possible. This worked pretty well, and I cleaned the surfaces really well with rubbing alcohol before peeling back the backing paper and affixing the adhesive.

I've now mounted two lights on the outer edges of the front battery pack and a third in the center of the flat surface between the battery packs. The third one, I figure, can face forward, straight down or even slightly back ... to create sort of a "spray effect" coming out the aft end of the machine.

With the two lights mounted outboard on the forward battery pack, I can again put my "parking block" right in the center of the forward battery pack. With the brackets lying flat, they really "pinch" the lights well, and hold them in place nicely. Time will tell, but so far I'm really impressed with the 3M product. Seems rock solid. As mentioned earlier in this thread, if you're mounting these lights, you definitely want to ditch the soft rubber piece that comes affixed to the bracket.

After I have a good recharge from my afternoon glide, I'll have to head back out tonight and see how it works out! Should work well, look really cool, and be plenty bright. These lights seem to last a really long time on their 3 AAA batteries, and stay nice and bright.

Brooster

Murray Fisher

Brooster

01-01-2004, 11:44 PM

Wow ... friggin' AWESOME! I'd more or less charged from my earlier glide (fast blink), so I took the HT back down along the lakeshore and onto the seawall where it's good and dark. What a difference! The three lights were more than bright enough, and with the low angle of incidence I could see every little crack, stick or piece of seaweed well before I came up upon it.

Even with only the front two lights aimed forward, I had more than enough light. I tried aiming the single center light (the one that sits center and further aft) rearward at a roughtly 45-degree angle, and it looked like a jet of blue-ish light on the ground coming out of the back of the Seg. I got a few oohs and aahs from people as I zipped past. With the eerie blue/white glow coming from underneath and behind the HT, it looked like I was riding some sort of energy field. Very cool!

This is definitely a great way to go, as long as you're not doing any extreme "off-road" riding where ground clearance is a major issue. Going through grass, it shouldn't be a problem at all. The 3M stuff is still rock solid, the brackets are lying good and flat, and the pinchers on the brackets are holding the lights good and tight. I did a pretty good sized curb-drop, and all three lights stayed right where I'd aimed them. They didn't move a bit.

Sal, I don't have a way to host pictures, unfortunately, but I could probably e-mail you a few if necessary. It'd be best to take them during the daytime. The configuration is basically exactly what I described above. Two lights near the outboard bottom edges of the front battery, facing straight forward, and one mounted in the center of the flat area between the two battery packs ... just slightly aft of center. Not a big job ... just grab three lights at Wal-Mart, three packages of the 3M stuff (West Marine, the boating store sells it, and I'm sure you can phone order it from them), a paper towel and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a pair of snips to trim the excess "velcro" around the bracket, and you're in business!

Brooster

Brooster

01-01-2004, 11:49 PM

Murray, that's basically what the parking block is ... I have a few of them made out of various materials (styrofoam, bass wood, stiff foam rubber), made for me by GlideMaster and RRSchnell. You can ride up onto it ... there's a cutout that follows the curvature of the front battery case, so you can just step off and it'll support the Seg standing upright.

Brooster

beckpm

01-02-2004, 09:53 AM

Hi Brooster,
I sure would like to see photos of your light set up and the parking block. Let me offer an idea. If you get Frank to set up a photo album for you on this site, you can upload your digital photos there. Then when you make a post you can use the [img] commands to put the photo into your post. The way the site works it doesn't care if you reference a photo posted on an external website or in the photo albulm - but you need to include the full http address to the photo. In order to get the photo album set up you need to contact the administrators of SC. Hope to glide Chicago again someday - it sure was fun during SegFest (even in the rain that last Day) Peter

Peter Beck
Arlington, Virginia

Murray Fisher

01-02-2004, 01:13 PM

Broo, Great idea, so now figure a way to put an on/off switch on the instrument panel on the handlebars!! Ho Ho. I think I would just use the brightest setting so would not need anything but an on off switch maybe. I don't bend over and get back up very well any more to turn them on and off!
Murray

quote:Originally posted by Brooster

Wow ... friggin' AWESOME! I'd more or less charged from my earlier glide (fast blink), so I took the HT back down along the lakeshore and onto the seawall where it's good and dark. What a difference! The three lights were more than bright enough, and with the low angle of incidence I could see every little crack, stick or piece of seaweed well before I came up upon it.

Even with only the front two lights aimed forward, I had more than enough light. I tried aiming the single center light (the one that sits center and further aft) rearward at a roughtly 45-degree angle, and it looked like a jet of blue-ish light on the ground coming out of the back of the Seg. I got a few oohs and aahs from people as I zipped past. With the eerie blue/white glow coming from underneath and behind the HT, it looked like I was riding some sort of energy field. Very cool!

This is definitely a great way to go, as long as you're not doing any extreme "off-road" riding where ground clearance is a major issue. Going through grass, it shouldn't be a problem at all. The 3M stuff is still rock solid, the brackets are lying good and flat, and the pinchers on the brackets are holding the lights good and tight. I did a pretty good sized curb-drop, and all three lights stayed right where I'd aimed them. They didn't move a bit.

Sal, I don't have a way to host pictures, unfortunately, but I could probably e-mail you a few if necessary. It'd be best to take them during the daytime. The configuration is basically exactly what I described above. Two lights near the outboard bottom edges of the front battery, facing straight forward, and one mounted in the center of the flat area between the two battery packs ... just slightly aft of center. Not a big job ... just grab three lights at Wal-Mart, three packages of the 3M stuff (West Marine, the boating store sells it, and I'm sure you can phone order it from them), a paper towel and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a pair of snips to trim the excess "velcro" around the bracket, and you're in business!

Brooster

Murray Fisher

dgbint

01-02-2004, 08:41 PM

Hi

The nearest Walmart is 10,000 miles from here so I went hunting on eBay.

I just won this auction item.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3647543368

I'll make a further post when it arrives.

I also had a look at the front of my iSeries to see how to mount it.
The rubber trim ( with the Segway Logo ) just pops off and is secured with velcro.
I intend to wrap the band around this trim and re-velco it back on.

Michael

solarseg

01-02-2004, 09:23 PM

People --- there is a photo album on THIS site to post pictures!
Take a look at the top left is say PHOTO ALBUM

terryp

01-03-2004, 03:31 PM

quote:Originally posted by Brooster

it looked like a jet of blue-ish light on the ground coming out of the back of the Seg. I got a few oohs and aahs from people as I zipped past. With the eerie blue/white glow coming from underneath and behind the HT, it looked like I was riding some sort of energy field. Very cool!

That DOES sound cool, and it gave me an idea - chemical light sticks. Attach one of those to the bottom with a piece of duct tape at each end, and it would produce the perfect 'energy field' glow!

Practicing safe Segs in Seattle