Re: For those who believe in electricity

On 4/7/2025 2:58 PM, Zen Cycle wrote:

On 4/6/2025 10:22 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

I'm not an electronics guy. But speaking of problems, I think I mentioned a few days ago that on a recent night ride, my headlight (B&M Eyc N plus),  powered by my good old sidewall generator, was randomly and sporadically blinking off. I put the bike on the workstand, checked out the wiring (it’s original and pristine), and spent some time spinning the front wheel. Sometimes the headlight worked, sometimes not, and it changed state at random without having been touched. I was suspicious of the tiny on/off switch hidden behind a rubber plug, in part because I felt no satisfying click.
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I substituted a different (lower quality) LED dynamo light, which seemed to work perfectly and probably absolved the generator. I eventually talked by phone to Peter White, who sold me the light far longer ago than I remembered - ten years! I asked if he had clues on diagnosing the problem. He did not, but suggested that the identical light without the possible failure point of an  on/off switch is just $35. (A sidewall dyno doesn't need a switch.) Still, I opted to open the light to see if I could spot anything because I have a compulsion about fixing things - but a headlight has to be really, really reliable.
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Here are photos of the electronic guts, with a vernier caliper for size (and to educate Tom!).
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Bottom view. The downward facing LED is at the top of the photo, the suspicious switch is the tiny white box at the photo’s bottom. https:// www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/54435279894/in/dateposted- public/
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Top of the circuit board. The large copper pad is part of the heat sink system, contacting a metal casting that forms the top of the headlamp body. I’ll probably add some heat conducting goop when I reassemble:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/54435279589/in/dateposted- public/
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 Just as a matter of personal interest, can you read the numbers off the 16 pin IC?

It has no numbers or other codes at all! It's solid black with a sort of fine stippled finish.
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- Frank Krygowski