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Author Topic: Quadzilla LED/HID lighting with 12 VDC  (Read 6742 times)

Offline WestTexasKing

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Re: Quadzilla LED/HID lighting with 12 VDC
« Reply #25 on: January 11, 2013, 02:17:51 am »
Have him check the voltage at idle and see what it's running at, then give the system a load (hook up a 55W headlight or something that would approximate the LED you want to run), see how low the voltage drops and record it.
You can stack 5W or 10W turn signal, parking lights, or dome lights together until you get the right watt load (ie three 10W brake lights and a single 5W dome light to approximate a 35W LED lightbar), just wire, solder, or alligator clip them all together.
If it drops considerably, you might not want to run an LED without a battery.
In airplane school it was taught that a generator operating at high load conditions and low RPM (idle) reduces the life of the generator because higher amperage was needed due to insufficient voltage pushing the current.
High amps are responsible for overheating wires and cracking insulation, so it's fair to say the assumption is accurate.
The thing is, a stator rated at 84W and 12V exactly can put out more than 7 amps (do the math), but it won't exceed 84W, so the voltage drops excessively.
If you're pushing more than the recommended amp rating (based on max watt output and voltage), the coils can overheat, short out, or burn up as a result.
So, there's the stator's health to be concerned with while not running a battery...but there's more to consider as well.

Look at the specs on the LED you want to run and see if there's a minimum recommended voltage (probably 9V, correct?).
Check that against the recorded voltage and see if you can maintain the minimum voltage.
If you can't, the LED's are probably going to blink on every now and then when you blip the throttle but for the most part you're going to be blind.
If you're lucky enough to just barely meet that minimum voltage, you'll probably just have a 2-stroke powered strobe light party.
A capacitor might fix the problem if you were consistently getting above minimum voltage to power the lights, however, I seriously doubt the stator will provide enough power.
When you're trail riding, wouldn't it suck if you were hauling balls around a turn, then saw a giant zombie bear-shark fangoriously devouring a viking dude with chainsaw arms and a glass eye directly in front of you, but as soon as you slammed on the brakes to avoid a crash the headlights just.....turned off?

Here's a pretty cheap (and lightweight) option if you don't care to run the lights while the quad is idling or shut off...
Buy two of these packs and wire in series (that means hook one positive wire to positive on stator, then negative on same pack to positive on next pack, then negative on that pack to ground on stator).
You're doubling the voltage on the packs, they're 6.6V and you need twice that much, it's just the same as those fancy lipo packs that they're selling for newer 4-strokes without the fancy hard case.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14075__ZIPPY_Flightmax_700mAh_6_6V_5C_LiFePo4_Reciever_Pack.html
It's a tiny little pack, good for 700mah (will run a 55W light for 8min or a 35W for 14min with two packs in series), the total weight for both packs with wiring and everything would come out to 1/4lb, and your cost would be $5.26 before shipping.
They can be found pretty much everywhere in the RC world, just search google for "RC lifepo4 transmitter pack"
Here's another one:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23822__Turnigy_nano_tech_1450mAh_2S1P_20_40C_LiFePo4_Receiver_Pack_.html
It's a 1450mah, so it'll run basically twice as long as the 700mah above, total weight for two packs and wiring is .375lbs, $15.98.
They're small enough that you can zip tie them to the frame, duct tape them to the bottom of the seat, or velcro them to the underside of a fender.

So, to answer your question, I wouldn't run an LED without a battery.
When you consider the battery options available like these in particular there's no excuse, it would seem silly to NOT run some type of battery, especially if you run the risk of damaging the stator or yourself when the lights stop working.

 

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