On 8/4/2022 9:27 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
> AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>> On 8/4/2022 4:51 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
>>> AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Yes, that was once an actual product:
>>>> http://www.yellowjersey.org/soustan1.jpg
>>>> http://www.yellowjersey.org/soustan2.jpg
>>>>
>>>
>>> The pictures are completely baffling to me.
>>> What does it do, and how?
>>>
>>> Thanks for writing!
>>>
>>> bob prohaska
>>>
>>
>> Well, image #2 does have two popular languages.
>>
>> It mounts between dynamo and lamp(s). If there's no AC
>> current, the lamps light by the battery inside the round
>> case. Otherwise known as a 'steady lamp' system. Modern
>> units use a capacitor to light an LED when stopped.
>>
> I'll admit up front that I missed the English fine print 8-)
>
> Now I'm a little less confused. The pictures give no
> sense of volume. But the descriptions imply batteries,
> some electronics and a relay inside. When was it offered
> for sale?
>
> bob prohaska
>

Around 1981~1985 if I recall

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 8/5/2022 2:12 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:
> Am Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:54:56 -0500 schrieb AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>:
>
>> On 8/4/2022 8:36 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:
>
> ....
>
>>> Times have changed, both hub dynos, battery lights and led lamps became
>>> reliable and cheap enough to replace halogen bulbs and bottle
>>> generators.
>>>
>>> I wouldn't mind retaining an old bottle dyno as a "Schutzmanntroester"
>>> (policeman comforter?) on an oldtimer used mostly by daylight.
>>>
>
>>
>> Yes, that was once an actual product:
>> http://www.yellowjersey.org/soustan1.jpg
>> http://www.yellowjersey.org/soustan2.jpg
>
>
> Actually not. Asista may have copied the design from Soubitez, though.
> Thanks for the link!
>
> I got both the idea and the case from a product made by Asista. Have a
> look at this picture and my article again.
>
> My text
> <https://www.mystrobl.de/ws/pic/standlicht/standle.htm> mentions Asista
>
> "Some years ago, I bought some steady-lights made by Asista, for my
> childrens bicyles."
>
> and the picture of the device shows it too.
>
> <https://www.mystrobl.de/Plone/radfahren/technik/komponenten/licht/lichtc1.jpg/image_preview>
>
> Actually, I originally wrote that on tripod, in 1998.
>
> <https://web.archive.org/web/20000409002615/http://members.tripod.de/WStrobl/asista/standl.htm>
>
> :-)
>
> From that article:
>
> <snip>
>
> Some years ago, I bought some steady-lights made by Asista, for my
> childrens bicyles. I paid about DM 15, (<$10), initially, which is
> comparatively inexpensive, for such a device. It's built into simple
> plastic box of about 9 cm diameter, with room enough for 4 AA sized
> cells, and a 3x5cm printed circuit bord (PCB) located below the
> batteries. The box has to be mounted on the generators socket, below the
> generator. A wire coming out of the box has to be wired to the
> generator, and the wire normally connected to the generator goes to a
> simple knurled nut on the back of the box (not visible in the picture to
> the right). The ground connection goes through the socket.
>
> The device switches the lamp between the generator and the enclosed
> batteries. As long as there is some input from the generator, it just
> lets the generator feed the lamp. If the generator stops, it supplies
> current from the batteries for about 10 to 15 seconds. If that's too
> short (it usually is), the cycle can be restarted by just moving the
> bicycle a little bit.
>
> The advantages are: the device is cheap, very easily mountable, it uses
> standard cells and has no switches to be operated. The disadvantage
> (besides the relatively primitive design of the box and the connectors)
> are: the timing isn't adjustable, and, more important: it doesn't give
> any light when the bicycle is slowly moving, and the generator isn't
> delivering enough current to light the lamps.
>
> Lately, my children complained about the steady-light "eating"
> batteries. In one case, it emptied a set of batteries in less than a
> week. Instead of trying to buy a replacement, I decided to build my very
> own version of the circuit for switching between generator and
> batteries, this time. Given that I only barely managed to get a second
> Asista steady-light for my other son, when he started to cycle to school
> (Asista obviously doesn't build or sell these lights anymore, or perhaps
> the local dealers don't carry them, anymore), I didn't have much of a
> choice, anyway.
>
> ...
> <snip>
>
> Acutally, "some years ago" was in 1994, the original device was used for
> about two years on my childrens bicycles, then I ripped the original
> electronics out and installed my own microcontroller based design. Both
> used their bicycles for riding to school, early in the morning, around
> the year.
>
>
>>
>> Despite various complaints about tire drive dynamos, these
>> never sold well.
>
> Sure. Around here in Germany, most cyclists had put up with unreliable
> lights that failed often, especially in snow and rain. Not me.
>
> Fun fact, if you consider that funny: the helmet craze started about
> that time, targeting children. "Think of the children!!" was the battle
> cry. I rememember parents trying to talk me into forcing my children to
> wear bicylce helmets, while I tried to get them aware about their
> childrens broken head- and taillights and other safety hazards. Without
> success, of course.
>
>
>

Thank you.
Yes it looks like the same unit.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 8/5/2022 3:12 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:
>
> Fun fact, if you consider that funny: the helmet craze started about
> that time, targeting children. "Think of the children!!" was the battle
> cry. I rememember parents trying to talk me into forcing my children to
> wear bicylce helmets, while I tried to get them aware about their
> childrens broken head- and taillights and other safety hazards. Without
> success, of course.

To me, that's always an important question: What to emphasize? It's
fashionable to discuss "the elevator talk," meaning giving information
so concisely that it can be delivered during an elevator ride. It's
valuable to think about, because many people seem to have attention
spans of less than 60 seconds. You have to get your main point out quickly.

Sadly, for 30 years now anything about bike safety has been dominated by
"Always wear a helmet!" Millions of post-millenial parents have treated
that as the absolute and the ONLY essential truth.

I think "Working lights!" is a more important message, or at least much
more important than hat styles. But sadly, it's now extremely rare to
see anyone riding a bike at night in my area of America. I've gotten
astonished comments on my night riding.

But I'm also sad to report that "Always wear a helmet!" now seems
replaced, in many contexts, with "Nothing but a protected bike lane is
safe!"

There is _SO_ much "dangerizing" of ordinary cycling!

--
- Frank Krygowski