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| Sunday, 11 September 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Farewell, good old dynamo
Anyone who has ever fitted a dynamo-powered light to their bicycle in order to illuminate their front tyre, and half a yard of road at night, will know very well how the rubbing of the generator against the tyre makes pedalling a great deal more difficult than it would otherwise be, had they simply fitted a battery-operated light. They would acknowledge that while the dynamo is environment-friendly and makes a soft thrumming sound that is pleasant to the ear, frankly it feels like you're cycling with the brakes on. Aki Denki, a small Tokyo-based electronics manufacturer, has come up with an ingenious solution to the problems associated with pedal-powered illumination. The firm's Magical Light features a power generator that does not come into contact with the front tyre, and causes very little resistance whatsoever. In the Magical Light set-up, three magnets attached to the spokes of the front wheel pass over a generator attached to the forks, causing a reaction in the coils that generates electricity, in accordance with Faraday's principle of magnetic induction. While the conventional dynamo light uses a filament with poor energy conversion efficiency, the Magical Light employs three white LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) to produce a relatively strong and wide beam of light. To bring the luminous intensity up to Road Traffic Law requirements, Aki developed its own lens for the light. Aki Denki achieved this breakthrough via a process of trial and error, in core and coil design as it sought to reduce magnetic resistance, while supplying energy sufficient to operate the LEDs. It was also necessary to make the intermittent current produced from non-contact power generation level off, and to create a design for the circuit, equipped with low-end capacitors, that produces the power required. This circuit now constitutes part of the patent. Magical Light is attracting inquiries from European and Japanese bicycle manufacturers. The Japan Journal |
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