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How I Modernized a Delta Torpedo and What's Wrong with Most New Bike Lights

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@piercer_99 yes 3D printed and painted. Here‘s an exploded view of all the parts that make a Photon.
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Really nice work. Your internal work is a lot neater than mine when I was converting lights. My go-to was converting British Miller type lights to LED using a "cree LED" kit that I would adapt to the light. Mine certainly had a more "tree shade work" inside. Converting the lights cleanly and reliably is no small task. I made a few converted Millers over a couple years and then decided just to buy retro LEDs like the Soma or Kiley lights. I still think yours looks better in the end.
 
Thanks @SirMike1983 The lights you’ve upgraded have been some of my favorites, since they still look so retro. I’d be happy to work on any lights for you in the future.

I took the Delta Torpedo out for a shake down ride tonight. Went over some rough terrain trying to see if there were any cold solder joints or latent faults hiding in the light. It worked great, shining bright the whole ride.

It passed the HOV Lane sign light up test from the overpass. 😃
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This section of the path with no street lights gives a good idea of the brightness of the beam at full blast.
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Time to wrap it up and put it up for sale.
 
What's your selling price on these & how many do you have f/s
OR
$100 if interested parties send you a light to convert?
Sorry for all the questions.
 
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Hi @Hoagie57. I built just this one for sale right now. Price for this Delta is going to be $240 + shipping. That covers what I paid for the lamp originally and all the parts and labor I put into it. You will receive the lamp and the charging cable and USB wall wart. It’s not cheap but it’s fair for a hand made piece of bike electronic art IMO. The lights are fully serviceable and when the Li Ion battery finally reaches its end of life, years from now, it can easily be replaced. My goal is to have these lights continued to be used and passed down for another 70 years.

Cost to restomod a donor lamp depends on how hard it is to mod. If it’s another Delta top loader torpedo like this one, I’ve already got it figured out and parts designed. If it’s a different lamp, I’d have to evaluate it. What shape is it in. How realistic is it for me to make it work well? How much work will it take to figure it out? How much mechanical moding is necessary, etc. I’d like to charge about $100 to mod a donor light. I have a Seiss torpedo I’m working on right now but my son really wants to keep it for night rides on his bike. It has a little more room inside but it’s a front loader. Once I finish it I will have a good idea what it takes to mod Seiss torpedos. I’ve got parts in hand to mod another 2 lights before I need to revise and buy a new run of printed circuit boards. @piercer_99 has already PMed me about working on another light for him. If you are really interested in me working on your lamp, please PM me and we can start to figure out what you need and how long it will take.

I will guarantee any of my lights for a year for any failures not the result of abuse. Owner pays shipping back to me and I fix and ship back for free. If you get a light and you don’t like it, you can send it back to me in the first 30 days and I’ll refund the money you spent on the original purchase, as long as it comes back to me in original condition.

I want to be fair with the community but I also don’t want to deal with unreasonable expectations. I will be doing this in my free time so I can’t take on a bunch of lights all at once.
 
Very good info & business practice. Plus, a very fair warranty. Not ready @ this time but I appreciate you explaining it and your time.
Tommy
 
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Another light @Miq hooked me up with, about 4 years ago today. The New World Torch & Lantern Co. Spark tail light. It was finished being built on the 4th, in 2019. It has been on 3 of my bikes over this time, and worked flawlessly. I have had to charge it 3 times now.

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I have nothing but good to say about the lights he has built for me. Excellent quality and detail.
 
Love that Spark taillight I built for you @piercer_99 ! Fake patina paint job and cracked case still look great. Hard to believe it has been 4 years already. Thanks for showing it off! I call that version a U-dot. It's like the old hot rod tail lamps with a "blue dot" except I used a UV LED in the center of red LEDs. 🤩
 
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