Modify LED Headlight Beam ? ?

I'm starting to experiment with ways to alter the beam light dispersion of the typical LED bike headlights.

Most of them put out a "pencil beam" and not enough dispersed or scattered light to be something you can really ride with.

I have had this experience with Cateye EL300 and EL500 and with the Nite Hawk LED Emitter (non-digital).

Initial experiments are with a flat Fresnel plastic lens, of the type commonly sold as a flat plastic pocket magnifying lens. (The one with the rings of grooves that trick the light into thinking it is hitting a single curved surface, more or less.)

Holding it over the front of the light, any of the above, really spreads the light out.

Variations eventually will include slicing the Fresnel lens into parts and covering part of the headlight so as to allow some of the beam to stay "pencil beam" and yet disperse some light for better near bike visibility, particularly for turns.

If one had Fresnel lenses of different focal lengths, one could probably tailor the light beam into something much more useful than the simple "pencil beam" that is really bright.

I find that in turning a corner, it is riding into the darkness off of the bright pencil beam.... and that is no fun.

Tonight I am off with the three lights mentioned and a roll of clear tape to experiment.

I already know that the beam is more dispersed with the whole headlight face covered with the Fresnel lens.



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Relevant Pages

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