was the E3 really like this?

Savvas

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
222
Hi Folks,

I've resurrected my old bike from it's hook in the shed. It has a Schmidt E6 halogen headlight which I'm hoping that some here may remember and perhaps even occasionally still use. I'm pretty sure the light has a 3W bulb as I was using it without a dyno tail light. Powered by a Shimano LX dyno hub.

I haven't used this bike or the light for several years. I've noticed now that the E6 flickers extraordinarily from very low speeds up to about10km/h. At this speed the flickering doesn't actually stop - the pulses just start to merge into each other! This is not how I remember the light at all. It's certainly as bright as ever but I recall being impressed when I first got it with how smooth the E6's illumination rapidly became as you got going. I don't remember this pulsating, persistent flicker at all! In fact it's so pronounced I'd now consider it unusable!

Can someone with an E6 maybe tell me:
- if this flicker is actually 'normal' and it's my faulty memory that's just telling me how good this light was?
- if it's not normal and something is wrong?

Based on my experiences building my own LED lights it looks to me like it needs a big smoothing cap across the rectifier outputs. I'm wondering if the cap that Schmidt no doubt installed in the circuit inside may now be a bit old and no longer doing its job? Possible? Anyone else had this experience?

thanks,

Sam.
 

Savvas

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
222
Don't worry E6 aficionados - I've discovered it's not the light that is faulty. Just my growing, age-related general dopiness! Years ago - maybe when I first put the bike away - I must have experiments with a Nitelite side-emitting LED bulb. Discovered it was still in the light! There's obviously some unsatisfactory interaction between the light's circuit and that inside the bulb! I've substituted a proper halogen bulb and all is fine. What a great light it is/was! Beautiful looking too, even if it does remind you of your last visit to the dentist! Makes the Cyo look positively ugly and even the current E3 looks a bit understated next to it.

Sam.
 

Steve K

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 10, 2002
Messages
2,786
Location
Peoria, IL
I was going to comment that I just finished throwing out some old Lumotec headlights and don't recall any flicker issue. Glad to hear that the underlying cause has been identified! :)

Also... can anyone use some old 3 watt bulbs? I can't imagine that I'll use them myself... although I still have an old Schwinn generator set and an old uni-block dynamo.
 

Savvas

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
222
Steve,
I would gratefully use them if you don't get any interest closer to home - I intend keeping this E6 going on my purple shopping bike as long as I can. I'd need to ask how many bulbs you have, if they are new and what postage costs might be to the land of Oz?
ta,
Sam.
 

Steve K

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 10, 2002
Messages
2,786
Location
Peoria, IL
I've 7 of the Philips HPR64 3 watt bulbs. They all look new, but I'm not sure how you would tell if they had some use. I took a few pictures, and could e-mail them if you are interested.

A check of the USPS site says that it would cost $13.75 for a package to Australia. If you can pay the postage, you might as well have the bulbs.
 
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