# Bought a Dinotte 140 Tail Light and a Charger



## cpcritter (Sep 24, 2008)

I bought the Dinotte after reading all the aclaim feedback. I use a MiNewt for a headlight and plug it in when I get home and put it back on in the morning for the commute, I like the NightRider "smart-charge" feature so I can leave it unattended. So, I also bought a smart charger and 8 batteries. My thinking is to charge a set while I have the other 4 in the light. Is this what you do to keep the light charged? My Cateye is good for a long time between battery changes. How much effort does it take to switch out the batteries in the Dinotte?

Thanks.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I've got a Dinotte 140 and I charge the batteries about once a week. I commute about 4 days/week about 90 minutes total each day. So recharging is not a lot of effort for me. I also use a Planet Bike Superflash as a backup tail-light because it's easy to forget recharging. The PBSF holds a charge forever.


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

I use a DiNotte 200l headlight with 4-AA batteries. I have multiple sets of batteries like you are planning. It works fine. Budget 2 minutes to change batteries. It really is no big deal. You can get extra battery holders from Radio Shack. 

One tip, I have found creating 1/4" wide rubberband out of an old inner tube works great as insurance to hold the batteries within the holder. Without the rubber band I have had a battery shake loose crossing rail road tracks on occation.


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## cpcritter (Sep 24, 2008)

Great tip. I will also rubber band the batteries. Thanks. 

I was was thinking that the run times were a lot shorter, 3 hours on high? This covers my commute both ways but not my longer road rides. My commute is roughly 2.5 hours daily total.

Tarwheel2, it sounds like you are getting longer run times from the 140. I was going to leave my Cateye 1000 on the rack also, just in case.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

I've been running the 200L since about September last year. For a while it was handlebar mounted and then I moved it to my helmet when I got my Ayup. I run it in flash mode and charge it daily. My commute is about 50 minutes each way so this is actually overkill considering I am running it flashing.

Charging is easy and fast. I have two holders and two sets of batteries but I find I don't need the second set. I also have an extra charger at work that I had laying around in case I forget to charge at home.

FWIW...I did a fair amount of research and found the Sanyo 2700 mAh batteries are about the best in terms of burn time. If you need shelf life, get the Eneloops or a similar hybrid battery.


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## djetelina (Oct 9, 2007)

Have a Dinotte tail light w/ AA's. Really functions well. Only thing I would add is:
1_ Use two rubber bands (or old inner tube slices). One to hold the AA's in their battery pack (as suggested). Use the other to sucure the electrical connector to the battery pack.
2_Have a La Crosse Technology AA-AAA charger. REALLY impressed w/ its performance. Getting one of these will most likely entail an Internet search. (it ships w/ 4 AA and 4 AAA cells)
:aureola:


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

The quality of batteries you use makes a big difference in their run times. I did an internet search for battery ratings, and found that Sanyo 2700 and Maha 2700s were rated highest, so that's what I bought. I always carry spare batteries because sometimes you lose a charge when you least expect it.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

fyi, if you leave the AA version of the Dinotte lights physically plugged into the batteries they'll slowly drain the batteries. I know because I experienced it, and then the Dinotte guy told me that was the case. So leave them unplugged after you switch them.


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## cpcritter (Sep 24, 2008)

*What about the durability of the rubber o-ring mounts?*

I have never heard or read a complaint about the rubber o-ring strap mount. Does that o-ring mount really hold the $100+ light securely in place?


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

cpcritter said:


> I have never heard or read a complaint about the rubber o-ring strap mount. Does that o-ring mount really hold the $100+ light securely in place?


Yes. I've had mine for 3 years and both my front 200L and my rear 140L have never, ever had a problem with staying on. And I say that having lost two blinky lights off the back of my bike, so let's just say I'm not exactly a smooth, reserved rider, you know?


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Dinotte included at least 2 extra rubber o-rings with my light. Plus you can buy replacements if needed.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

djetelina said:


> Have a Dinotte tail light w/ AA's. Really functions well. Only thing I would add is:
> 1_ Use two rubber bands (or old inner tube slices). One to hold the AA's in their battery pack (as suggested). Use the other to sucure the electrical connector to the battery pack.
> 2_Have a La Crosse Technology AA-AAA charger. REALLY impressed w/ its performance. Getting one of these will most likely entail an Internet search. (it ships w/ 4 AA and 4 AAA cells)
> :aureola:


The LaCrosse charger is outstanding. It's available at Amazon packaged with some pretty decent batteries.

http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Techno...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244773849&sr=8-1


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## holy cromoly (Nov 9, 2008)

cpcritter said:


> I have never heard or read a complaint about the rubber o-ring strap mount. Does that o-ring mount really hold the $100+ light securely in place?


I have had my tail light since 2006 and the rubber rings are still plenty strong, no signs of drying and cracking.

If anything, they are easy to lose so always make sure you store the whole taillight kit together to avoid misplaced rings or velcro straps etc.

The taillight is secure in that it will not come off while you are riding. However, if you mount the taillight onto the black plastic mount, it can be pushed to the left or right if you bump into the light with your legs.

Overall, it's one of the best bike products I have purchased in all my years riding, one that will no doubt help save my life.

It's quite easy to pop the batteries in and out of the carrier body, no more difficult or easy than replacing batteries in a remote control for the TV.

It is true that the light engine will discharge the battery if left plugged in continously when not ridden. This is true for many electronic gadgets, like my Sigma DP1 camera.


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## rugger (Mar 1, 2005)

I will concur with the issue of the battery holder. On bumpy roads, two things can happen, the batteries jar loose from the holder, or the cable pops off the holder. I use some tape to wrap around the battery holder, and snug the battery holder in position tight so the top tube keeps the cable plugged in.

I feel that in flash mode, the Dinotte light system to provide a degree of visibility even in daylight, or especially when it's raining (like today). I think it's an attention getter, and people are less likely to cut me off through town, or hopefully, catches the attention of some nit wit on his cell phone. 

Then again, there are the real pricks who don't like cyclists period, not much we can do about them.

I also use the planet bike superflash, I am amazed how long the batteries last, I put in a set last October, and they are still going strong.


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## cpcritter (Sep 24, 2008)

*Are the "AA" batteries convenient?*



rugger said:


> I use some tape to wrap around the battery holder


I have used the Dinotte last week I have both the headlight and the tailight. They supplied a little strap to wrap around the battery pack before slipping it into the case. It seems like a tight fit because the strap hangs on the case material.

I charged my lights every evening, which means removing, charging, reinserting twice (two lights and 4 cell charger). I can't imagine adding a tape process to this daily regiment. 

Am I missing something regarding the convenience factor of using rechagable "AA" batteries? Should I ride a couple days per charge, 2.5 hours of commuting a day. Do I now need to consider a 8-cell chager or an additional 4-cell chager to handle both lights a once?

What do othe Dinotte users do?


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

cpcritter said:


> I have used the Dinotte last week I have both the headlight and the tailight. They supplied a little strap to wrap around the battery pack before slipping it into the case. It seems like a tight fit because the strap hangs on the case material.
> 
> I charged my lights every evening, which means removing, charging, reinserting twice (two lights and 4 cell charger). I can't imagine adding a tape process to this daily regiment.
> 
> ...


To be honest, I practically bought the lithium ion version just so I wouldn't have to deal with all these battery issues, haha. I own the Dinotte 200L AA version which I now use it as my headlamp.

With the lithium ion batteries, I actually keep my bike inside and keep the charger(s) plugged in right next to where I keep the bike. To charge them I don't even have to take the batteries off the bike - I only have to unplug the battery from the light and plug it into the charger instead. It's pretty slick. However, both the lithium ion lights and the replacement batteries are definitely more expensive than the AA versions.

As mentioned I still have Dinotte 200L AA light that I use as my helmet light. I agree with the other guy - when the batteries were mounted on the frame I needed to wrap a velco strip around the batteries in their case to keep them from jostling loose. But I couldn't stand the routine you're describing either. With one set of 4 batteries I have one charger that charges them all and an extra set of batteries. After a ride I swap - take the batteries in the charger and put them in the battery case for the light (though I leave the light disconnected, as mentioned before, so I don't run down the batteries), and take the batteries that were in the light and leave them in the charger until I do the swap again.


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