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Red light changer

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by kd5uzz, Dec 11, 2008.

  1. kd5uzz

    kd5uzz Member

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    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GREEN-LI ... ccessories

    Do these things actually work? Most traffic lights use a coil of wire and are able to detect a car because the coil's inductance changes, right? The only way I can think to do that is to simply have more metal. I don't think a magnet (what I think that is) would do it.
     
  2. T0MCAT

    T0MCAT New Member

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    TRUE STORY MAN......GOT ONE ON MINE

    NO MORE WAITIN AT LIGHTS ANYMORE.
     
  3. flash1259

    flash1259 Member

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    Rare Earth Magnets - Glue to frame under bike or glue on the soles of your riding boots better yet take the long way home that does not have lights

    cheaper
     
  4. TheHound

    TheHound Active Member

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    I'm getting one for christmas.
    I asked for a rare earth magnet.
    I was asked how many pounds of pull it should be, so I did some research.
    Best I could find is you need somewhere between 15 and 35 lbs of pull.
    I had just given dimensions in inches.
    From those dimension she had bought a 250lb pull magnet.
    I told her that was over kill and I would worry that it would effect other things on the bike.
    So I will get a store bought one.
     
  5. corgitwo

    corgitwo Member

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    These rare earth magnets you refer to are actually Neodymium magnets. (Neodymium Iron Boron). They are the strongest magnets on earth. I own several. One I have is 1" square. It has a 78lb pull strength. I use it on my work bench to hold things. It is so strong that I cannot pull it off the metal surface of the bench. To remove it I must slide it to the edge and pivot it to remove it. I also use it to pull metal shavings from my magnetic screwdriver bit. I also have a cylinder shaped one measuring 1/2" diameter by 1/2" long. It has a 20lb pull strength. They are very strong indeed.

    You may purchase them at K&J Magnets, Inc

    http://www.kjmagnetics.com.
     
  6. corgitwo

    corgitwo Member

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    I just checked the EBAY ad out for the Green Light Changer listed by the original poster. I'm puzzled by the need for adhesive tape and a twist tie. If these are indeed rare earth (Neodymium) magnets, there should be no need other than the magnets magnetism to hold it to the bike. They are that strong.
     
  7. corgitwo

    corgitwo Member

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    RE: Rare earth magnets. I just priced a magnet at K&J Magnetics.com in the 30-35lb pull range. Cost is about $5 plus $5 for basic shipping. Using the cheaper basic shipping, I had mine in 2 days. pretty fast for ground shipping I thought.

    Also, there are different grades of the magnets. Grade N42 is strong. Grade N52 is even stronger. Although N52 cost a little more.
     
  8. oldgrouch378

    oldgrouch378 New Member

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    where do you put this so it doesn't affect anything else.
     
  9. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I don't know; if the magnet is that strong are you gonna end up attracting any metal road debris you might pass near like a Wil-e-Coyote scheme gone wrong? I'd hate to arrive home after the long outbound commute and find a clump of metallic junk stuck to the bottom of my exhaust collector.
     
  10. corgitwo

    corgitwo Member

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    BigFitz52 has a point. You might collect metallic road debris. Of course you could recycle the debris as scrap metal for profit. LOL
    The 1" square cube shaped magnet I spoke of in an earlier post is strong enough to grap an ink pen's metal at 8" away. How much ground clearance does a motorcycle have?
     
  11. Zookie400

    Zookie400 Active Member

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    something that strong should be able to pick up a dollar bill. if you cant do that its not strong enough.

    i dont have any issues with lights around here.......?
     
  12. tommyrhodes

    tommyrhodes Member

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    Oh how often the simple solution evades us. Just run the light. In fact, why even stop in the first place? You ride a bike for the freedom of the road? Well how much freedom do you really have if every time "the man" blinks a red light you immediately bring your bike to a screeching hault and wait patiently for him to turn green. So I said fight the man. Run red lights.
     
  13. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    According to my manual, for the 550 Seca it's 5.9". I ride in and out of downtown Detroit. I can see it now: Ball point pen springs, an old spoon or two, half a dozen used needles, a pair of eyeglass frames, a couple hose clamps, various nuts, bolts... I think I'll pass. Isn't there a way to do this electronically, like some sort of circuit that charges up and "pulses" a coil to create a magnetic "burst" when you need it to trip a light but isn't magnetically vacuuming the road the rest of the time?
     
  14. flash1259

    flash1259 Member

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    many states have passed a law allowing a biker to go through a red light as if it were a stop sign. just don't get stupid.

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... laws_N.htm
     
  15. shorter4

    shorter4 New Member

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    Does the magnet have to be mounted on the very bottom of the bike or can you mount it higher so it doesnt vacuum the road ?
     
  16. flash1259

    flash1259 Member

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    mine is mounted on the center stand the side facing the ground when I ride. mine hasn't picked up any debris off the road .
     
  17. corgitwo

    corgitwo Member

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    A couple of years ago I saw a schematic of a home-made flasher that would signal the traffic light to turn green. Here where I live, emergency vehicles use this technology to get all green lights on the way to the emergency. As the vehicle aproaches the intersection, the little strobe fires a burst of flashes at the right frequency to trigger the small sensor that hangs by the traffic light. Of course local law enforcement would frown on non-emergency vehicles having this ability. It would most likely be hard to hide it's use from others on the road. Then you wouldn't even need to stop at the intersection.
     
  18. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    ya, i think that if you stuck the magnet under your front fender it would work good, although it couldnt be very thick
     
  19. TheHound

    TheHound Active Member

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    This is illegal in NY for sure.
     
  20. bill

    bill Active Member

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    I doubt it wound be effective that far from the sensors.

    In NC a bike can turn left on a red after waiting 3 minutes. The one left I have issues with is a blind corner so this is a bit risky to say the least.
     

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