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Any interest?

P

PeterL

Guest
Guest
Greetings all;

My 2008 C14 has been getting pretty-well farkled. But I ran into a seemingly-common problem when installing my latest anti-personnel armament, otherwise known as silly-bright LED bars. Really Kawi, just how hard would it have been to give us ONE handy/reasonably plumb mounting site?

Never annoy an engineer, not even a retired one. We're arguably the worst, having all that time on our hands. My first try was crude and hand-carved, but suited to let me dial in the geometry. The mirror mounts were the obvious location, but being off camber no matter what direction you look at it from, I went through several revisions before I was satisfied. (Picky. We're also VERY picky).

At this point, I've been running my 'final' mounts for the last six months. My C14 is my primary/only vehicle (wife has the SUV which she kindly loans me occasionally, if I ask REAL nice), and it lives outside year round in the NorCal mountains. I'm pretty comfortable with the longevity of these at this point.

My question would be if anyone would be interested in such a mount were I to produce a few? I printed mine from "ABS plus" filament for it's UV resistance, and embedded a metal coupling nut for attaching the lights to.  The lights I'm running now are normally found on truck bumpers, but I've had no problems with weight or aiming issues.

Thanks for your time. I'd welcome any feedback you might have.

Peter Lindquist
Cobb, CA
 
Yeah, yeah...

I may be many things. A talented photographer is NOT on that list. At least when trying to take detail pics of black plastic...  I'm attaching a solid model from my design file for the moment.

My starting point was a wedge, profiled to intersect with the mirror mount profile and extend downward. This looked good in theory, but just would NOT print cleanly. I then cut to a cylindrical form as the base (similar to what PCA did with their design), subtracted along an angled plane to give me a flush bottom surface for the mount face. I added three raised plugs that insert into the mirror mount holes to insure a stable positioning. The three original mirror mount screws are replaced with longer SS items which sandwich the mirror, the base, and the light mount into one solid unit. I used a dab of blue Loctite just because I can be as anal as anybody (hah!), but this was probably overkill.

As long as you remember to insert the nut BEFORE assembling (don't ask. just...don't), you then have a solid structure capable of mounting and holding pretty much any light you might want to stick on your C14.

Before you ask- no, it is NOT a solid block of plastic. The internals are an intersecting webwork, giving a roughly 20% infill. That means I use roughly 80% less filament while maintaining excellent rigidity. Also means they can be produced for a lot less than a hundred bucks a pair. With my current printer, it takes me about a day to print ONE puck at high quality settings, but they come out looking cast, not printed. Layer lines are almost invisible.

I'm getting some colored filaments in soon. Once I can make a piece in something other than black, I'll try to photograph again.

Cheers,

Peter
 

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Looks like a pretty clean design, I can see how it works but a simple picture of them with lights mounted on your bike would go a long way.
 
Other than looking at their website and noting their use of the 'hockey puck' form, I have no experience with PCA's product. The design was from scratch on my end. I do NOT copy other's work. If PCA has patented the cylinder, it's news to me. I started with a wedge, designed to blend into the mirror mount seamlessly, leaving a plumb horizontal surface for mounting the lights. This didn't work well enough, as I had many problems with the base surface not laminating correctly or warping when printing. I took that model and basically used a 'cookie cutter' routine to pull just the central geometry out. I then added the three plugs to locate into the screw recesses. Initially I'd left a plain hole in the center, and drilled/tapped the metal mirror mount piece with an 8mm opening. I didn't feel like this was robust enough for the long haul, so I incorporated the coupling nut into the core. This is buttressed six ways from Sunday, so I am pretty confident the mount will still be intact long after I'm embarked on a new career inspecting horticulture from the wrong perspective. Six months ago or so I ran my current units with "ABS plus" filament. This is supposed to be even more UV resistant than standard ABS, and it is actually both more forgiving to print with and WAY less fume-y. When the printer is running for 15+ hours, being able to breathe at the same time is rather nice.

Sorry, but I take great exception to the copying of anyone's intellectual property. Not an ethical thing to do at all, and this is rather a big thing for me. I've known too many people like that over the years.
 
I wasn't calling you out, but more so, just wanted to make sure that you were aware of a very similar item.
Also, I don't know if PCA has patented on theirs, but if they do, your's is IMHO more than 10% different.
I do like that you designed in the capture for the nut.
So, keep up the good work.  :great:
 
Interested.  But really would appreciate seeing some pics of the mounts on the bike with  lights mounted.

To me, that would really be the starting point.

gr
 
Count me in as interested! Would love to see some actual photos of what yours looks like. All I can go for now is what others referenced from PCA-1. Or if you're ok with sharing your design like I've found on thingverse.com, I can print my own from a buddy's printer or at work. Just my two cents...

Thanks,
Robert
 
PeterL,
Great job!  I am interested, but in your drawings.  Would you consider selling the CAD drawings so I can print a set on my own printer?
Thanks!
Gilbysan
 
Been waiting for more info on this, but seems to have died??

Why do I feel like we're getting punk'd??  :pokestick:

To the OP:  interested.  Are you still out there??

gr
 
GR, received a message earlier that he's out of state from his home and will return after the holidays.


ghostrider990 said:
Been waiting for more info on this, but seems to have died??

Why do I feel like we're getting punk'd??  :pokestick:

To the OP:  interested.  Are you still out there??

gr
Click to expand...
 
Well, its jan 12th, long aftr the 'holidys' and we'd STILL like to see some pictures mounted on the bike with lights attached. 

Us farklers want more....now, especially if it involves a safety element. 
 
Greetings all;

Apologies for dropping the ball on this. My best and oldest friend died in December, and that stress precipitated my own health crisis.

I'm out of rehab, staying with a friend for a week until my followup. If all goes as planned, I'll be back at home on my mountaintop on March 5 or 6. I solemnly promise that the FIRST thing I do will be to take and post the requested pictures. Well, maybe the second thing. #1 is going to go for a ride!

Cheers,

Peter L
Cobb, CA
 
PeterL said:
Greetings all;

Apologies for dropping the ball on this. My best and oldest friend died in December, and that stress precipitated my own health crisis.

I'm out of rehab, staying with a friend for a week until my followup. If all goes as planned, I'll be back at home on my mountaintop on March 5 or 6. I solemnly promise that the FIRST thing I do will be to take and post the requested pictures. Well, maybe the second thing. #1 is going to go for a ride!

Enjoy the ride, I was going to ride over to Cobb area  a few days ago but dropped my bike and broke a few things, now I wait for parts, do you know Dave Moss?

Cheers,

Peter L
Cobb, CA
Click to expand...
 
Just an update to all- I'm home later today. Will take and post the long-awaited pictures tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Peter
 
Welcome back

Glad y0u are going to continue to develope. As choices narrow it is good to see innovation and technology fill the gap. When you get pics you might start a new topic or change the title of this thread to show what you are asking about. I am seriously looking at going this route once the snow clears.
 
Alright, alright. You've been more than patient. As a bonus (and because it's not raining today) I pulled the mount off the bike to show the details. Photo #1 is the base unit. #2 has the coupling nut inserted. #3 shows the underside, where the light mounts. And last is the light as mounted.

Getting the geometry right meant that the light goes right to the edge of the puck. I made a copy that extended out, but I thought the lip protruding past the end of the mirror mount was less attractive.

I'd love to make and sell a few of these. My wife would love it even more! This whole "fixed income" thing is a lot harder than it looks. But I don't want to run afoul of the moderators here. Any suggestions from those wiser than myself (likely most of this group) would be gratefully received.

I hope this was worth the ridiculous wait. Sorry again folks...

Peter
 

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Thanks for the responses. I'm still worried about crossing a line the moderators would take amiss.

I made up an ebay listing for these. If a keyword search doesn't yield results, please PM me for a link.

There. I hope that was sufficiently obtuse to keep everyone happy. Sheesh!
 
Right. Well, if I am banished, my spirit shall haunt (and critique) you forever.  Thou hast been warned!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/123684052937#shpCntId

I've tried to price these to cover their cost and not a whole lot more. It takes over a day to print a set, and I honestly have NO idea what the power costs are. I hope these will appeal to a few. (It will give my 'hobby' a bit of legitimacy in my wife's eyes)  Being retired has NOT meant my brain shut down completely, and I find it engaging to create things like this.

Peter
 
PeterL said:
Thanks for the responses. I'm still worried about crossing a line the moderators would take amiss.

I made up an ebay listing for these. If a keyword search doesn't yield results, please PM me for a link.

There. I hope that was sufficiently obtuse to keep everyone happy. Sheesh!
Click to expand...

Bought your last set.

Thank you
 
OK, it was NOT my last set, as I can keep printing as long as someone can sell me the supplies. What it was, in fact, was me thinking a listing quantity of TWO, meant two pieces per set, not two in the whole world. Oops!

I relisted here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/113680847477

And by suggestion, I've created a new thread here:
http://forum.cog-online.org/accessories-c14/auxiliary-light-mounts/
as it seems to be an actual product now.

Thanks to everybody who have pushed this project along,

Peter
 
Very nice
Well since the competition has closed shop, you have a special product here.
You may want to ask about becoming an industry support here on the site, if your going to keep making these.

Great Item!
 
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