Schlagwort: Bike Lights

  • Ride safer with these DIY bicycle lights

    Ride safer with these DIY bicycle lights

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Many people around the world live in cities designed for cars, with bicycle use being a distant afterthought. That makes cycling dangerous and lights can do a lot to make riding safer. That’s why Giovanni Aggiustatutto designed this DIY system that includes headlights, a taillight, turn signals, and even an integrated odometer/speedometer. 

    Aggiustatutto wanted this system to work with most bicycles, so he designed the front lights and controls to clamp onto the handlebars. The rear light pod attaches to a cargo rack and should be compatible with a wide range of models. There are two bright white LED headlight arrays on the front with integrated yellow turn signal LEDs. Also on the front is an OLED display that shows the speed, time, and odometer, as well as three buttons. The back lights consist of red taillight LEDs and yellow turn signal LEDs in a single 3D-printed enclosure.

    An Arduino Nano board controls everything, directing power to the LEDs from an 18650 lithium battery through IRFZ44N MOSFETs. A DS3231 RTC module helps the Arduino track time accurately and that gives it the ability to monitor speed — and therefore total distance — with the help of a Hall effect sensor. That sensor detects the passing of a magnet attached to a spoke, so the Arduino can count each rotation. The Arduino then displays the results on a 0.96” 128×64 monochrome OLED screen. 

    Finally, Aggiustatutto tucked the Arduino and battery into an enclosure disguised as a water bottle to prevent theft. 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7lJhk-3xcM?start=2&feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The post Ride safer with these DIY bicycle lights appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Super compact motorized turn signals for a bike

    Super compact motorized turn signals for a bike

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamMay 24th, 2021

    cycling turn signals project

    Turn signals are becoming more and more popular with cyclists. So it’s no surprise that we’re seeing more and more Arduino projects that give people the tools they need to ride safely on our busy roads.

    Motorized Turn Signals

    The first question you might ask about Tom Ouwerkerk’s latest Arduino project is why it’s motorized. His objective was to make a turn signal unit that’s as compact as possible. When you consider the amount of space you have on a bicycle frame, it makes a lot of sense.

    His solution was to use two 8-LED Neopixel strips, side-by-side. The small housing they’re mounted in has a servo that’s driven by an Arduino Uno. The servo slides the LED strips side to side as Ouwerkerk make a turn signal.

    The LEDs run in the turn direction to add a bit of movement to the signal as they slide to the side. It’s a great way to draw a bit of extra attention to the lights from the vehicles behind. This means the LED strips return to the center position to work as a break light when not turning. All of this in a 3D-printed unit that’s no wider than the bicycle’s saddle. So you’re not going to kick (and break) as you get on and off.

    3D Printing Practice

    As much as a turn signal project, this was a 3D printing design project for Ouwerkerk. He was experimenting with creating herringbone gears, which transfer power smoothly with excellent torque. But creating the chevron pattern is tricky, due to the precision required.

    Clearly Ouwerkerk nailed it, though. You can see from the video of his turn signal project that the servo is moving the LEDs easily and smoothly.

    We’d be interested in seeing the controls Ouwerkerk’s using, too. Presumably handlebar mounted switches or buttons for the turn signals and brakes. It’d also be interesting to know if it’s something that can run from batteries and a dynamo.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L-Wy_X-B-k?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • This bike blinks brightly to the beat!

    This bike blinks brightly to the beat!

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This bike blinks brightly to the beat!

    Arduino TeamOctober 14th, 2020

    Natasha (AKA TechnoChic) is a member of a bicycle club that goes for rides at night during the summer, and while off-the-shelf lights are fine, she wanted something a bit more interesting. To accomplish this, while learning more about the technologies involved, she decided to equip her bike with an array of addressable LEDs.

    The bike frame’s NeoPixels run on an Arduino Nano 33 IoT, which is connected to a boombox via a 3.5mm jack that enables the LEDs to react to the music. Two other Nano 33 IoT boards are used to drive the lights on each of the wheels, with the eventual goal of linking them wirelessly for central control. The system is powered by a 10,000mAh battery pack along with a pair of 2000mAh LiPos for the wheels to keep things glowing for several hours.

    More details on the project are available in TechnoChic’s tutorial here.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj4wwsllfUU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Synchronized bike lighting inspired by nature

    Synchronized bike lighting inspired by nature

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Synchronized bike lighting inspired by nature

    Arduino TeamJune 18th, 2019

    Having a light on your bike at night is important for safety, but what if those headlights could talk to others sharing the road with you? Well now it can, using the [Bike] Swarm by Alex Berke, Thomas Sanchez, and Kent Larson from the MIT Media Lab.

    Their device—or collection of devices—controls a bicycle’s lighting via an Arduino and LED driver, and features an nRF24L01 wireless module to communicate with others in the vicinity. When another rider is encountered, the bikes sync their lights up automatically. 

    The team has already designed and fabricated prototypes, then strapped them onto local city bike share program bikes for testing. 

    It’s an interesting effect when two bikes pass, but as shown in the video below, things get much more fascinating when a handful of bikes can coordinate both their direction and light pattern.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUl-CHJ6DK0?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    As bikes navigate city streets after dark, they are often equipped with lights. The lights make the bikes visible to cars or other bikers, and the hazards of traffic less dangerous.

    Imagine that as solitary bikes come together, their lights begin to pulsate at the same cadence. The bikers may not know each other, or may only be passing each other briefly, but for the moments they are together, their lights synchronize. The effect is a visually united presence, as groups of bikes illuminate themselves with a gently pulsing, collective light source.

    Website: LINK

  • Smart bicycle saddle developed with Arduino

    Smart bicycle saddle developed with Arduino

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Smart bicycle saddle developed with Arduino

    Arduino TeamMarch 25th, 2019

    Riding a bicycle can be a great way to get around, and/or even to get some needed exercise. When you mix in automobile or foot traffic, though, things get a bit more complicated. This could be blamed, in part, on the fact that bikes don’t have the same running lights, turn or brake signals as motorized vehicles. 

    To address this problem, BLINK!’s patented Integrated Lighting System (iLS) has been designed to provide a visible communication solution that’s easily understandable by other road users. 

    This custom saddle—which was prototyped using an ATmega328P-based Arduino— features lighting for 270º visibility, and brightens automatically for braking when deceleration is detected. In addition, iLS includes a pair of remotely activated turn signals. This allows the rider to indicate direction changes without removing his or her hand from the handlebars to awkwardly point. 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbUra757A_k?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    BLINK! has been embedded into a wide range of saddles and installation should be fairly straightforward. Not only will it certainly help enhance road safety, iLS will look fantastic while doing so.

    Website: LINK