Has anyone hard wired a light into their Levo?

[grantini]

Lupine makes a light which hard wires into the Brose. It's plug and play. It seems that it might be possible to use the Lupine cable and connect it to another light which would match impedence and output. The Lupine light is A) expensive and B ) doesn't have an off switch so it's not what I would want. I do love the plug and play option though, and didn't realize that this was there. Lupine SL-S Headlight for Brose E-Bike Drive

 

[grantini]

here is a video of Lupine install... of interest is the plug on the motor.

 

[grantini]

And the cable is $12.00

https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/item.asp?PID=597

 

[Hitby]

I think you can turn the Lupine off. I’ve been look at these too but they’re £288 and I think you need to buy the wire on top of that. A bit too rich for my blood. The Lezyne Macro Drive looks decent (1000lumen) and is much more reasonable but I can’t find any compatibility information. It says it’s compatible with the ‘18 Brose but no mention of the 2.1.

Lezyne Macro Drive 1000 eBike Front Light | Chain Reaction Cycles

I’d be interested to know if anyone manages to find a decent light, both for night time single track as well as commuting. Or, if anyone spots the Lupine SL SF on offer anywhere...

 

[Troutwrestler]

I use that cable, a suitable connector, and a £10 Solarstorm X2 head unit. It works perfectly.

 

[grantini]

I use that cable, a suitable connector, and a £10 Solarstorm X2 head unit. It works perfectly.

that's what I'm thinking... I have a really expensive (but out of production) Serfas 1500+ that I love, I've ordered the cable from Lupine and if the impedence etc, match up, I'll splice the extension cable from the Serfas to the Lupine cable and hard wire it.

 

[grantini]

I guess the next question is how do I determine whether my serfas and the output of the brose outlet match up, barring plugging it all together and hoping for the best?

 

[Troutwrestler]

As long as the current and voltage requirements are within the parameters it should be fine. You could probably deal with a higher start-up demand by building in a capacitor, but that is above my ability, and is probably over thinking. It is possible to sub-optimise your life by overthinking...

 

[grantini]

As long as the current and voltage requirements are within the parameters it should be fine. You could probably deal with a higher start-up demand by building in a capacitor, but that is above my ability, and is probably over thinking. It is possible to sub-optimise your life by overthinking...

I'm having a hard time finding that information on their respective websites.... Of course the chances are that they are relatively similar, and as the Serfas is a 1500 Lumen light and the Lupine is 900, I'm guessing that the bike will not send MORE than the light can handle...

 

[Troutwrestler]

Plug it in. Turn it on. Wear eye protection.

I am joking about the eye protection.

 

[Troutwrestler]

The bike doesn't send, the lamp draws. There is a limit on what can be drawn from the bike. If it works, it works, if it doesn't, either use a lower power lamp, or use a battery like you used to.

 

[grantini]

Plug it in. Turn it on. Wear eye protection.

I am joking about the eye protection.

that's what I'm thinking! LOL there might be a youtube video in this

 

[TMS]

Lupine makes a light which hard wires into the Brose. It's plug and play. It seems that it might be possible to use the Lupine cable and connect it to another light which would match impedence and output. The Lupine light is A) expensive and B ) doesn't have an off switch so it's not what I would want. I do love the plug and play option though, and didn't realize that this was there. Lupine SL-S Headlight for Brose E-Bike Drive

A) It might feel expensive if you don't have the money B) by presssing long high/low button you can turn it off.

 

[grantini]

A) It might feel expensive if you don't have the money B) by presssing long high/low button you can turn it off.

I guess I should clarify, I already have a four hundred dollar light!

 

[TMS]

Lupine should work from 6 to 12 volts. The amount of lumens depends from voltage. Brose from 1.3 to 2.1 is 12V and 2A so 24w is the max power. It is a bit expensive but good quality. I have SL SF and my information is based on thst lamp.

I'm not sure does SL S have high/low function or button but I'm sure there is a button to turn it off. I would recommend SF version. 900 to 1300 lumens and high/low switch. Cable also included.
Lupine headlight for e-bikes with Brose drives

I also have over ten years old Lupine Betty light. Cost over 700 euros but it's still working no problems. And it is bright, 2600 lumens.

 

[TMS]

Forgot to ask which motor you have? They have different outputs so it depends what light is good to go.

 

[grantini]

Forgot to ask which motor you have? They have different outputs so it depends what light is good to go.

I have Levo Comp and a Serfas True 1500+, the Serfas is a fantastic light and my preference is to use it.

 

[TMS]

Ok. I assume that original battery is 7,2 Volts. If your Levo is with brose 1.3 or newer you have enough voltage. I'm not sure if the light can handle 12 v. You should also notice that you can't draw over 2 amperes at 12 volts from brose.

 

[grantini]

Ok. I assume that original battery is 7,2 Volts. If your Levo is with brose 1.3 or newer you have enough voltage. I'm not sure if the light can handle 12 v. You should also notice that you can't draw over 2 amperes at 12 volts from brose.

I have a 2020 levo comp, so the most current Brose motor...

 

[Hitby]

I’ve had a good chat about this with BikeScene today - the SL SF which is really expensive for 1k lumens - I’ve pointed out the Lezyne (sp) for 60 odd quid for the same lumens. Apparently there are quite a few people looking for a solution so hopefully they‘ll come up with something.

Personally, knowing that the ports are there to power lights, I want a front and rear plugged in so I never have to worry about them. 1k+ lumens will be more than enough for me for commuting even if its low for trail riding at night. I do that so rarely I’d be happy to add extra on the nights I’m out.

 

[TMS]

SL SF is very good for commuting because of real high and low beam. See The video below. 1300 lumens at high beam is almost enough for trails. There is enough light but it's limited to exact shape. Some situations there will be blind spot ahead. I can live with that and I'm toi lazy to attach 2600 lm Lupine with 22 degree lens to my helmet.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ffceJySQ6p7zsrUKA

 

[Wheelie_King]

I am also interested in a hard-wired front light for night trail riding. I’m not really clued up on electronics so would favour a proven solution rather than something more DIY, unless it’s via a tested guide.
These look good (pricey though), and the fact sheet at the bottom shows the latest Brose motor will likely run the light at 2500 lumens.
Flex E-MTB

 

[Wheelie_King]

SL SF is very good for commuting because of real high and low beam. See The video below. 1300 lumens at high beam is almost enough for trails. There is enough light but it's limited to exact shape. Some situations there will be blind spot ahead. I can live with that and I'm toi lazy to attach 2600 lm Lupine with 22 degree lens to my helmet.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ffceJySQ6p7zsrUKA

I’m a bit out of the loop with lights. 10 years ago I had the Lupine HiD, then a Hope Vision of some flavour. I think the Lupine was about 900 lumens, the Hope about 800. The output in your video looks like more than enough for night riding off road. Really impressive.

 

[TMS]

I am also interested in a hard-wired front light for night trail riding. I’m not really clued up on electronics so would favour a proven solution rather than something more DIY, unless it’s via a tested guide.
These look good (pricey though), and the fact sheet at the bottom shows the latest Brose motor will likely run the light at 2500 lumens.
Flex E-MTB

Very handy that you can use almost anything to power the light.

 

[Wheelie_King]

I spoke to Exposure today. For my purposes of full pitch black mountain biking they steered me away from their own lights powered from the bike on the basis they’re not bright enough compared to their MTB-specific lights. They also mentioned some manufacturers have withdrawn support for a hard-wired light on the basis it’s confusing to customers when their bike range is reduced etc.
Anyway, on their advice I’ve ordered an Exposure MaxxD.

 

[Sparkieboy29]

I have a 2016 levo and I've read a few things that maybe I can use the lupine lead from the brose motor and that's 6 v my hope v2 light works off 7.2v so I'm guessing it would just be a little dimmer hard wiring it into the bike?

 

[grantini]

So I spoke with Serfas, and they said that running my True 1500+ off the 12v output of my Brose 2.1 would definitely burn the light up... so.... it looks like I either need to keep running the serfas with the battery pack OR get the Lupine or other.

 

[TMS]

I have a 2016 levo and I've read a few things that maybe I can use the lupine lead from the brose motor and that's 6 v my hope v2 light works off 7.2v so I'm guessing it would just be a little dimmer hard wiring it into the bike?

Usually led lights do not dimm when the voltage level drops. The driver regulates the voltage until it drops too low and switch it off. But I don't know about Hope v2. Maybe it works maybe not.

 

[rsilvers]

I got the Lupine cable today. It is $20, not $12 once you include the mandatory shipping.

Now I need to get my crank off. The video in this thread does not explain how to do that and skips that step.

The only video I can find only shows how to remove the drive side crank.

For the non-drive side, I cannot tell if you also turn the 8mm socket counter-clockwise, or if it is like a pedal removal and must be turned clockwise.

 

[grantini]

I got the Lupine cable today. It is $20, not $12 once you include the mandatory shipping.

Now I need to get my crank off. The video in this thread does not explain how to do that and skips that step.

The only video I can find only shows how to remove the drive side crank.

For the non-drive side, I cannot tell if you also turn the 8mm socket counter-clockwise, or if it is like a pedal removal and must be turned clockwise.

You need a crank removal tool