Luxos U continuously turning on and off by itself - have anyone experienced this?

[Helton Moraes]

I have recently purchased a Luxos U (USB model), manufactured by Busch & Muller, for night randonneuring and year-round commuting.

I have already had two episodes when the light keeps blinking on and off by itself when the remote jack (headphone-style) is connected.

The first time, I thought it was a "feature", but pushing the remote button didn't have any effect. When I removed the jack, the light worked normally, responding to clicks in the button located on the back of the headlight. I ended up turning it off and going home, and the problem went away by itself.

After that, there have been some episodes that I left the bike in the kitchen turned off, and some minutes later I noticed that it had turned on by itself. That happened at least one time.

Then, yesterday, after some rainy conditions here, the flashing started again. I noticed the flashing emulates keeping the remote button pressed, which keeps sending the "switch mode" signal to the headlight. Again, the remote was unresponsive, leds in the remote turned on in meaningless ways, and the only way to bring it back to normal behaviour was to unplug the jack. Then the headlight worked properly via the back button, with correct led color and proper work of taillight.


I was very concered and went to the internet, where I surprisingly found a lot of similar reports and even a video showing exactely the same symptoms:

http://vimeo.com/77681341

Also, it looks like Bush & Muller themselves updated the construction, making the remote hard-wired to the headlight body, allegedly because of the possibility of water getting in:

http://www.bumm.de/news/detail/article/luxos-u-lieferbar-mit-neuem-tasteranschluss.html

The fact is, while I was researching, I removed the rubber cap from the remote and left it drying behind the CPU fan (slightly warm, dry wind), and by the end of the day the remote was working properly again.


So my questions/consideratoins are:

1) have anyone had the same problem?

2) have anyone OPENED this headlight to look for water inside, or just to "see inside" because of sheer curiosity? Does it seem fragile electronically?

3) since it doesn't suffer so much when you remove the jack and plug back the rubber cap, maybe during rainy randonneurs it would be a fine strategy to just put the remote inside a plastic bag and give up USB recharging altogether, at least while the rain is falling?


For the sake of completeness, I ride full fenders, the light is mounted below the stem, and it is in the correct vertical position.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Helton

[russell...@yahoo.com]

No help with your situation.  My only recommendation is to contact Busch Mueller directly and see if they maybe have a new version of the light and will replace your light.

[Rich Mulvey]

I have a Luxos-U with the detachable cable as well, and while I haven't experienced the problem myself, I've ready many reports of the same issue.

My solution has been to plug the cable in, and then put a small ring of coaxial sealing compound ( http://www.amazon.com/protects-types-cable-moisture-corrosion/dp/B0002ZPINC  ) around the jack. I haven't had any issues with water getting in, though I do have to occasionally re-seal the jack as the plug moves around.

 

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[Ryan Golbeck]

Hi Helton,

I ordered two of these lights a bit over a year ago for my friend and I, and we both experienced this problem as well.  I returned the lights to the distributor we got it from (bike24) with no issues at all for a full refund (they didn't offer a replacement).  I'd suggest getting a refund or replacement rather than working around the problem since the whole point I got the light at least was to be able to charge USB devices easily.

We both got edelux IIs as replacements.

-ryan

[dougm]

I'm using the Edelux 2 with the Sinewave Cycle's Revolution USB charging device. So far so good but I have only just begun to test it. The Revolution is incredibly tiny and probably weighs as much as a single AA battery (but this weight comparison is only a guess).

[j schaller]

I had a first generation Luxos U that after a year of use and travel started to blink during night rides. I contacted the dealer I bought it from and they kindly replaced it with a newer version which has the switch cable permanently attached. No problems since!

[Lynne Fitz]

I drowned my first-gen Luxos U on a very wet and windy 200k (seriously, 200k of downpour, with 80 miles of stiff headwinds. Lost will to live). It went into blink mode and I could not turn it off. Days later, same thing. Dealer replaced it, no issues there.

Lynne F

[Bill Watts]

My experience matches what others have said.  I got the Luxos U shortly after it came out last spring.  It worked well at first, but after a heavy rain on London Edinburgh London, it became increasingly unreliable, and finally quit working altogether.  I returned it to merchant, Star Bike in Germany, and eventually got a replacement.  For a while, the Luxos U was out of stock, so it took several months for me to get the new version, with the cord attached.  All of this suggests that you need to return your Luxos B for a replacement.  Every indication is that B&M is automatically replacing the original version of the model.

I've had the new version for about a month, and it has worked flawlessly.  But I have not yet ridden through any terribly heavy rains.

Bill Watts

RUSA 5365

[Dave Thompson]

I've used the Luxos U from May 2013 onwards, often in monsoon conditions, without any problems (knock on wood).  I keep a USB cord permanently attached to the remote and to my Garmin 705, which it keeps charged.  I have the USB/Remote in a small plastic bag sealed to the cords with electrical tape.  I did not do anything special where the remote cord plugs into the light itself.

[Helton Moraes]

Dave Thompson, your answer is very interesting.

Interesting because it suggests there is no "certain death" for the luxos riding in the rain. Also, it suggests that the REMOTE being wet might be the source of the problem, and not necessarily water getting into the main unit.

I have already requested a replacement, so I have another question regarding your GPS unit: you did mention you ALWAYS ride with your Garmin plugged via USB? That is even in rain? That is even when it is fully charged?

Thanks for your interest!

Helton

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[Tim C.]

Does anyone know if this problem is only on the Luxos U or are there reports on the Luxos B?

Thanks.....

-Tim in New York.

[Yiping Lin]

On Thursday, March 20, 2014 10:29:37 PM UTC+8, Helton Moraes wrote:

Also, it looks like Bush & Muller themselves updated the construction, making the remote hard-wired to the headlight body, allegedly because of the possibility of water getting in:

http://www.bumm.de/news/detail/article/luxos-u-lieferbar-mit-neuem-tasteranschluss.html

Two of my friends have the newer model like the one shown at this link (now remote jack, but hard-wired).
However, after heavy rain, they still experienced the same blinking problem.

Yiping

[Helton Moraes]

Yiping Lin, that's what it seemed to me from the beginning: a short in the contact that turns the light on and off, caused by a WET REMOTE...

Looks like plastic wrapping is the way to go if that happens...

--

[Toshi Takeuchi]

The blinking light happened to my friend on a wet 400k this last
weekend. I did just fine using a tip in this thread by putting the
coaxial cable tape/putty at the junction to keep the water out.

Thanks for the tip!
Toshi

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[mbwp...@comcast.net]

OK, this is of some concern - this is the first I have heard of the newer models with this problem. Anyone else have knowledge of the hardwired style with problems in the rain? Mine has not displayed this problem, but I have only ridden in heavy rain once for about 15 minutes, and the switch is somewhat protected by a handlebar bag. Perhaps the cover of the USB port is not sealed in the rain?

Mark Watson

RUSA #1848

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From: "Helton Moraes" <helto...@gmail.com>
To: "Yiping Lin" <wild...@gmail.com>
Cc: ran...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2014 1:12:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Randon] Re: Luxos U continuously turning on and off by itself - have anyone experienced this?

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[Yiping Lin]

Just want to add few words in my friends' cases (using the new model, ie hard-wired version).

It was a heavy downpour over 10km. Of course she did not charge her Garmin during the rain and the cover of the USB port was closed.
After the rain stopped, she then connected Garmin to the USB port. It was charging all right for half an hour, and then stopped working (no red light shown in USB connector). At that time the headlight and the remote control were fine. The blinking problem and non-working remote control came later in the ride. This certainly was NOT good to ride on mountain roads at night!

Another friend got the problem after a 200k brevet. He noticed the condensation inside the lamp, and then the headlight showed the blinking symptom. He sent Luxos U back to the dealer for repair, and the dealer lent him Luxos B to use instead. He did not have problem in using Luxos B in the rain during his recent 1000k brevet. He suspected that the problem may come from the remote/USB connector in Luxos U.

Yiping

[Dave Thompson]

Still with the non-hard wired version -- after almost a year, I decided to replace the little plastic bag covering the remote with the continuously plugged-in usb cable.  I put the bag on quite tight over the control, went out for a local ride for a few hours and noticed that the light was turning itself on.  I turned it off but it came on again.  After the ride, I replaced the bag, tying it looser this time, and then did a 400k on the weekend without incident.  I suspect that the very tight bag was putting some pressure on the switch.

On that 400k, about half of it was in full monsoon conditions, heavy downpour.  Many, many hours in heavy rain.  The usb was plugged in all the time, covered by the plastic bag, of course, and the 705 was being charged continuously.  That's how I always ride.  No issues. 

I suspect that the little plastic thingy that is supposed to seal the usb remote when there's nothing plugged into it doesn't seal very well.  Slight temperature changes and/or capillary action could draw water into the usb female end.

Dave.

[Eric Keller]

after the initial reports of problems, I used dielectric grease both the usb and the connector on the light itself.  I haven't had issues, although I don't ride fast enough to get much charging. 

[Jeff Dilcher]

I simply don't understand why people keep buying these lights.

Against my better judgement, I bought one of these Luxos U lights last year, thinking it would be the best since sliced bread.  For me, not so much.  I felt like the whole thing was flakey at best, large and obtrusive, and very ugly!  When mine failed completely after a month, after getting wet, I returned it, got and Edelux, and never looked back.

Well, maybe I do understand the allure-  the nerd in most of us hungers for the usb charger.  But, if these lights fail as frequently as it appears, and you are riding brevets with these, does the geek factor of a usb charger light makeup for a light that is not robust and is going to leave you in the dark?

If you are charging a garmin, you can buy a lipstick sized 2600mAh external battery to plug into your unit for about 7 bucks.  This past weekend my Garmin Edge 800 was powered solely by one of these batteries for almost 19 hours, and never even rolled over to use the internal Garmin battery.  It was a 400k, but I supposed I could have gotten through a 600k with the one small battery and the (12hr?) battery inside the Edge 800. 

I hope for the people that feel they must have this light, that the manufacturer fixes the issues.  For me, and the brevets I ride,  I am going to follow the Keep It Simple Stupid principle.  No flakey, computer chip controlled, failure prone lamps, and no worrying whether,  when darkness falls, if I'm going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

[Eric Keller]

I bought my light before the reports started.  I also really like the light, although I suppose others are just as good now.

I would be interested in the lipstick battery thingy, I have a battery box, but it's big, 4 AA cells.

[Jeff Dilcher]

Erik,

I don't have anything to do with this seller, but I've bought about 5 of these, and they work well for me:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181280368001?var=480304494970&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

[Steve Rice]

On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 2:32 PM, Jeff Dilcher <jeff.d...@gmail.com> wrote:

I simply don't understand why people keep buying these lights.

Against my better judgement, I bought one of these Luxos U lights last year, thinking it would be the best since sliced bread.  For me, not so much.  I felt like the whole thing was flakey at best, large and obtrusive, and very ugly!  When mine failed completely after a month, after getting wet, I returned it, got and Edelux, and never looked back.

Even the Edelux has had its problems with water.  I had one die about 2 miles into a 400K as a result of a very wet 300K a few weeks earlier. 

[randonnerd]

Jeff - I agree 110%, although I'd ditch the Garmin and any other of those high faultin' things that require an external power source.  For randonneuring applications, my Edulux works just fine and for my commuter which probably sees more challenging conditions, my Supernova E3 "triple" have never failed me...and since, my intermodal commute requires that I remove the front wheel to fold the "Purple People Eater" to take it onto the train, I disconnect/connect the cable from the hub AT LEAST 4 times each day, and I've used this set-up for the last 4 years (daily except when I've been on vacation riding 1200's.)

Willie

[Roland Bevan]

Everything new can be expected to have issues - both the Edelux and Supernova when they first came out had problems with water leakage. 

http://ncrandonneur.blogspot.com/2009/08/schmidt-edelux-water-issues.html

In a couple of years we'll be complaining about the latest awesome light's problems and touting the ultra-reliable Luxos U.

  -Roland

[Tim Hancock]

Reviving this thread as I was able to fix this issue with my light.  (updated sealed remote model)

Return to the manufacturer if you want to play it safe but I saw nothing "tamper evident" when opening the case.

The issue: water gets in quite easily from underneath, no problem when rain is exclusively falling downwards but sometimes water gets a bit crazy.

There is a small drain hole in the bottom but a more significant issue is where the spade connectors are at the back is completely unsealed, no rubber just air.

You need to remove both the circuit boards to dry them properly, the one attaching to the top part of the light would never dry by just blowing air through it and this one seems to be the main culprit for blinking light syndrome, the hardest part is reassembling and packing those huge capacitors back in neatly while sandwiching the lens/reflector in the right order.  I've included some photos that *should* help.

Stage 1: off with it's head! (2 Torx screws, no sign of leakage though I guess it's possible)
Where those spades poke out the back is nothing but fresh air.

Stage 2: Partially dismantled *DO NOT TOUCH CONTACTS* unless you want a kick from a capacitor, no idea if they are powerful enough to have an effect but that's your warning <---

I dried the clearly visible board first and things improved, but see the smaller one up under the reflector? That's the one you want to get out, there was a small pool on top.

Step 3: Reassemble! This is the bit I always gave up on as a kid, pack the capacitors something like this:

Then pop the lens/reflector assembly back in without letting the capacitors jump out of place, it may take a few attempts but all fits neatly with no forcing/squashing. Once you've failed a few times you'll notice the black cable bundle behind them needs you be coiled out of the way like so:

Step 4: Go ride in the rain more! It's been 1 month since I did this repair and the light is performing as new.  If yours is positioned where wheel spray can hit the back contacts I suggest you move it or shield it.

[Greg]

I was careless washing once with the original model, and it also did the continuous random blinking thing. I opened it up and let it sit out drying in the sun for a couple of hours, and it's been fine since.

I seem to recall reading that the Luxos uses cache batteries, not capacitors? I don't recall what's printed on those components.

-Greg

[Remmi Demmi Semmi]

Hey guys, Google brought me here. I have the same problem as you guys. It started with an uncontrollable blinking. Now, the two upper LEDs of the headlamp are always on. However, the other functions are working properly: Switching it on activates the main light, switching it off deactivates it (except the 2 LEDs). Also the USB charging works. However, I would love to have this fixed, as I always have to cover the headlamp when wildcamping. Otherwise it would shine all night long. Also, it costs some valueable USB charging power.

What I already did, was to open the headlamp and look for signs of water/moisture. But it was all dry. From what I have read here and on other sites, I suspect the culprit is the handlebar remote switch. There may be moisture trapped in it. Can somebody tell me how to open the handlebar remote switch? I see no screws.

[Jeff Cannon]

The remote switch is glued closed, so you have to pry it open and then reglue it closed. I had to do this when I rewired the USB connector because it broke off. The final product will be a function of your gluing skills...

[Greg]

Apologies if this was already mentioned in the zillion previous posts in this thread...buuuuut a dodgy/shorted-out USB charging cable (your cable, between the switch & the device you're charging!) can make the light go nuts.

IMHO, it's just an extension of the theme of looking for water or shorts along the whole chain from the head unit through to the switch -- just don't stop your search there. :)

Good luck!

-Greg

[Remmi Demmi Semmi]

Thank you very much for your answer, Jeff. I now pried the remote open. But did you manage to separate the platine from the remote? It seems pretty good connected, but there may be water trapped under the platine.

[Jeff Cannon]

You may have a different version than I do. Mine only has a wire exiting the remote that then has a separate connector for the USB plug. For me, the circuit board came out pretty easily when I opened the casing.

I recall that earlier versions had the USB connector directly inside the remote, though. I'm not sure what to do in that case, but maybe you could blow some compressed air under it or something to dry it out.