What's that there for?

[Pale Rider]

I have a question about the lights on my Rose bike.

The factory fit is a front Shimano dynohub wired to front and rear B&M light units.

On the way home this evening, I noticed the rear had stopped working.

A brief investigation found the cause is a tiny switch on the underside of the casing of the rear light.

During my last wipe down, I must have caught the switch with the rag and pulled it across to the off position.

The switch is too small to show clearly on the pic, but is behind the brown wire which you can just about see.

My question is why put a switch on the rear light?

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

 

[Pale Rider]

For wheeling your bike on station platforms.

Could be, the light has a capacitor but I suppose the switch could be wired on the lamp side of that.

The switch is tiny, flimsy and fiddly to reach - it doesn't look like it's designed to be switched often.

I'm reluctant to test the capacitor theory for that reason.

There are also a couple of unused mini spade terminals sticking out of the bottom of the lamp unit.

I can't think why you would want four wires connected to a simple light.

 

[pauldavid]

Could be, the light has a capacitor but I suppose the switch could be wired on the lamp side of that.

The switch is tiny, flimsy and fiddly to reach - it doesn't look like it's designed to be switched often.

I'm reluctant to test the capacitor theory for that reason.

There are also a couple of unused mini spade terminals sticking out of the bottom of the lamp unit.

I can't think why you would want four wires connected to a simple light.

The extra terminals are for connecting your trailer board to when your towing!

 

[martint235]

I have a question about the lights on my Rose bike.

The factory fit is a front Shimano dynohub wired to front and rear B&M light units.

On the way home this evening, I noticed the rear had stopped working.

A brief investigation found the cause is a tiny switch on the underside of the casing of the rear light.

During my last wipe down, I must have caught the switch with the rag and pulled it across to the off position.

The switch is too small to show clearly on the pic, but is behind the brown wire which you can just about see.

My question is why put a switch on the rear light?

View attachment 109581

What brown wire? Is this a brown wire pretending to be a castle?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

It's not a permanent on or low light sensor auto on switcher is it?

 

[Pale Rider]

It's not a permanent on or low light sensor auto on switcher is it?

I looked at the spec of a similar B&M light online, and it does say there is a simple on/off switch which I think is what I have.

As to why, it is presumably for when you really don't want to show a red light, such as on a railway station platform.

I didn't realise that was such a serious matter, but it looks like it is.

The light has a capacitor, so the switch saves you having to wait the few minutes for that to run down.

 

[User16625]

I looked at the spec of a similar B&M light online, and it does say there is a simple on/off switch which I think is what I have.

As to why, it is presumably for when you really don't want to show a red light, such as on a railway station platform.

I didn't realise that was such a serious matter, but it looks like it is.

The light has a capacitor, so the switch saves you having to wait the few minutes for that to run down.

The switch is there so you can turn it off should you want to. I dont get the 'red light at a train station' thing. Whats the significance of red lights and trains?

 

[Globalti]

Obviously because if you happen to be wheeling your bike along a platform at night and a train comes past, there's a strong risk that the driver will mistake yor red light for a signal twenty feet up a gantry and slam the brakes on, sending old ladies crashing to the floor.

 

[Hip Priest]

http://www.mytrainticket.co.uk/travelling-with-bicycles

Most stations will ask you to switch off your rear red light on your bicycle whilst you’re in a station as this can distract or confuse the driver of the train pulling into the station.

 

[classic33]

Obviously because if you happen to be wheeling your bike along a platform at night and a train comes past, there's a strong risk that the driver will mistake yor red light for a signal twenty feet up a gantry and slam the brakes on, sending old ladies crashing to the floor.

Or buffers.