Tales from today's commute....

[skudupnorth]

fascinating!

One of the best things they ever built around here, it gets you off some dodgy roads and links the Roe Green Loop Line either to Bolton or into Manchester City centre or deepest Cheshire and beyond

 

[palinurus]

Good sunset on the ride home yesterday.

Had another tinker with my dead Hope Vision II today.

Well, I'm getting the expected 8.4V from the charger and 7.4V from the battery pack, nothing obviously adrift in the light unit.

Took the lamp apart and inspected it with the lab microscope. No obvious faults (build quality of the electronics looks pretty good). Applied 7.4V from a DC bench power supply at work to the lamp unit and had no luck so perhaps it's banjaxed (as my motorcycle-restoring colleague would say).

I'm sure I'll tinker with it again before hoofing it in the electronics waste bin, but the hoofing time might not be far away.

It's done more than 9 years of service and the original battery was giving excellent run time recently.

 

[palinurus]

Not going to be seeing the sunset tonight, sadly. Grey as fark.

 

[ianrauk]

Good sunset on the ride home yesterday.

Had another tinker with my dead Hope Vision II today.



Took the lamp apart and inspected it with the lab microscope. No obvious faults (build quality of the electronics looks pretty good). Applied 7.4V from a DC bench power supply at work to the lamp unit and had no luck so perhaps it's banjaxed (as my motorcycle-restoring colleague would say).

I'm sure I'll tinker with it again before hoofing it in the electronics waste bin, but the hoofing time might not be far away.

It's done more than 9 years of service and the original battery was giving excellent run time recently.

Why don't you send it back to Hope see if they can fix it.

 

[palinurus]

Why don't you send it back to Hope see if they can fix it.

I thought about it. They have done a couple of free fixes on it for me a while back (once when it wasn't accepting charge and another time when I managed to pull the cable out of the lamp!)

They do have a section on their website about lamp units over five years old:

"This includes HID Mk 1 and Mk 2, Vision 1 LED Mk 1, Vision 1 LED Adventure Mk 1, Vision 2 LED Mk 1 and Mk 2, Vision 4 LED, District rear light Mk 1, R1, R4 Mk1.
These are not covered under warranty and we are no longer able to carry our any repair work due to spare parts being discontinued. PLEASE DO NOT SEND THEM BACK TO US.
If we receive any of these lamps, no work will be carried out and they will be sent back"

 

[palinurus]

Might check eBay for some 'spares or repairs' units.

 

[palinurus]

Good ride home, only soggy during the final section. Padlock on the alleyway gate was jammed so had to drag bike through the flat.

Got it sort of working with Plusgas but it's not very reliable- at least got it open. Pain in the arse because it might mean buying a new lock and a bunch of keys to distribute to nearby neighbours. Again!

 

[ianrauk]

I thought about it. They have done a couple of free fixes on it for me a while back (once when it wasn't accepting charge and another time when I managed to pull the cable out of the lamp!)

They do have a section on their website about lamp units over five years old:

"This includes HID Mk 1 and Mk 2, Vision 1 LED Mk 1, Vision 1 LED Adventure Mk 1, Vision 2 LED Mk 1 and Mk 2, Vision 4 LED, District rear light Mk 1, R1, R4 Mk1.
These are not covered under warranty and we are no longer able to carry our any repair work due to spare parts being discontinued. PLEASE DO NOT SEND THEM BACK TO US.
If we receive any of these lamps, no work will be carried out and they will be sent back"

Ah shame. Great lights. Love the 2 I have and will be miffed if or when they fail.

 

[Andy in Germany]

On the way into work today, I was astonished to see this:

That's genuine daylight that is.

On the way back it wasn't quite as pretty though:

On the other hand it's nice not to be picking my way back with a headlight...

 

[ianrauk]

What time was that in the morning @Andy in Germany
This mornings commute I didn't need lights. I left at 7.30am.

 

[Andy in Germany]

What time was that in the morning @Andy in Germany
This mornings commute I didn't need lights. I left at 7.30am.

That would be soon after seven in the morning: I aim to be at work by 07:15.

 

[Lovacott]

That would be soon after seven in the morning: I aim to be at work by 07:15.

I leave at 5.45 am and I saw some chinks of daylight in the east just before getting in to work at 6.45am.

The commute home is getting lighter though. Another couple of weeks and I shall be arriving home in daylight.

 

[Lovacott]

On the way back it wasn't quite as pretty though:

I'd give a kidney for a stretch of road that flat and straight.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'd give a kidney for a stretch of road that flat and straight.

It's also closed to motor vehicles (as are many similar roads).

I know: I have it better than I deserve and probably shouldn't be complaining about anything, least of all the "Dull" weather...

 

[Andy in Germany]

I leave at 5.45 am and I saw some chinks of daylight in the east just before getting in to work at 6.45am.

The commute home is getting lighter though. Another couple of weeks and I shall be arriving home in daylight.

I've noticed before that the daylight difference is less extreme here, I'm well south of the most southerly part of the UK, and often the amount of daylight we have is noticable shorter at this time of year.