moisture in dynamo light - am i screwed?
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Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)
Sep 12, 2022, 11:59:46 AM9/12/22
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I noticed my B&M IQ-X wasn't working this morning and then discovered there's moisture inside the body of the light itself (see pic below). Anyone have experience with this? Will it dry out itself or should I try to take the light apart and dry it out? Super high humidity today so I'm wondering if that's come into play. I can see that it's flickering when the wheel rotates so it isn't a connection issue. It just doesn't fully illuminate beyond the flicker.
Eric Norris
Sep 12, 2022, 12:06:00 PM9/12/22
to Eric Norris
Justin:
Your light is mounted upside down, which may be causing the moisture problem. The two LEDs go at the top. Loosen the bolt holding the light on and rotate it 180 degrees. That might help get the moisture out, if the light body is designed to drain from the bottom.
You should see much better performance from the light as well. The IQ-X projects an asymmetrical beam that’s flat on top and shines down toward the ground. In this way, it’s like modern car headlights. It also helps keep from blinding oncoming traffic.
Your light, being upside down, is working exactly the opposite, shining up toward the sky while directing very little light downward toward the road.
Note: The more expensive Edeluxe light comes in two distinct versions for sitting above or below the mounting point. The IQ-X has the advantage of being able to be rotated to work in either situation.
On Sep 12, 2022, at 8:59 AM, Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY) <thesix...@gmail.com> wrote:
I noticed my B&M IQ-X wasn't working this morning and then discovered there's moisture inside the body of the light itself (see pic below). Anyone have experience with this? Will it dry out itself or should I try to take the light apart and dry it out? Super high humidity today so I'm wondering if that's come into play. I can see that it's flickering when the wheel rotates so it isn't a connection issue. It just doesn't fully illuminate beyond the flicker.
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lconley
Sep 12, 2022, 12:08:57 PM9/12/22
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It looks to be mounted upside down. The wire is supposed to come out the bottom of the light. The light can be rotated within the housing. From Peter Whites site:
Laing
Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)
Sep 12, 2022, 12:12:56 PM9/12/22
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Ah! okay, yeah I had rotated it to use in the upside down position but I guess I didn't have it mounted correctly. I'll rotate it around and see if this helps. Thanks guys!
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Eric Norris
Sep 14, 2022, 4:37:45 PM9/14/22
to Eric Norris
Or, mount it correctly and sit it out in the sun for a while (keeping close watch over the bike, since you *are* in Brooklyn). See what the moisture situation looks like after it’s had a day to dry out.
On Sep 12, 2022, at 11:12 AM, 'Sean, PNW' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:In addition to mounting it properly, I would remove and submerge it in some silica gel/rice/etc to try and draw out as much moisture as possible.To my mind, continuing to use it w/internal moisture increases the odds of a short and/or more significant damage.
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Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY)
Sep 15, 2022, 9:53:20 AM9/15/22
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I got it mounted properly and the ambient humidity has dropped considerably here over the last two days. Still moisture inside the light and it's not work at all. But I may take it off the bike and try to submerge in a bag of rice or silica gel. Not high hopes for it, though.
lconley
Sep 15, 2022, 10:00:52 AM9/15/22
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May want to take it apart and clean it with some isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips, if it can be taken apart. I once had success cleaning a circuit board of a Hilti laser rangefinder that had a battery leak. Also a hair dryer on low may speed up drying.
Laing
Peter Adler
Sep 15, 2022, 8:08:37 PM9/15/22
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The purer the isopropyl (i.e., the higher proof, more alcohol/less water), the better; water leaves trace deposits of minerals on circuitry, which can cause damage when current is applied.
The wide distribution of high concentration alcohols at relatively low price is one of the few collateral benefits of the COVID Era. 70% has replaced 43-50% at the cheap end, and 91% is common. I've occasionally found pint bottles of 99% alcohol for $3 at my local Safeways and Walgreens; I used to pay $18 per liter for 99% alcohol electronic cleaner at my local electronics hobby shop, now sadly driven to extinction by that same COVID plague.
Naturellement, you'll want to let the alcohol evaporate as much as possible before applying any kind of heat (hair dryer at absolutely lowest heat setting). Heat + alcohol = FIRE.
Peter Adler
Berkeley, CA/USA
jeffrey kane
Sep 16, 2022, 6:51:04 AM9/16/22
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I had the same thing happen to that exact model after a couple of years of use - mind you I rode nearly 10 hours straight in the rain the day before I noticed it (5 Borough bike tour May 2019). My solution in the end was the trash bin, sorry to say. I've been running an Edelux ll ever since with no issues. The bonus is a better spread of light though, so there's that.
On Monday, September 12, 2022 at 11:59:46 AM UTC-4 Justin Kennedy (Brooklyn, NY) wrote:
jeffrey kane
Sep 16, 2022, 6:56:13 AM9/16/22
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One other thing: I mounted mine to hang as well but did have it rotated properly (wires hanging downward - lensing in the correct position).
Garth
Sep 16, 2022, 7:52:48 AM9/16/22
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Is the IQ-X similar to the XS version ? If so, check out ifixit for disassembly. Ifixit is also a fine place to go to see how to replace a cell battery on phones that aren't supposed to be replaced.... hah hah !
This also this, it's in German and translations kinda suck, but the images are great and you'll get the gist of it.
If you have or can get some Deoxit D5 contact cleaner spray, lightly spray all relevant points and let it dry at least 24 hours, longer, like a week if you have the time. I've used it before on a stereo amp, fired it up right afterwards and it didn't do squat. I then forgot about it for a week or two, fired it up and all the crackling was gone. I know that doesn't help if you need it yesterday..... and hope deferred sucks.... so .... may as well just be happy regardless.
Eric Norris
Sep 16, 2022, 11:05:08 PM9/16/22
to Eric Norris
That light looks quite different from the IQ-X.
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