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Dynamo Head Lamp Repair Busch Müller Luxos U [Solved]
#1
I ruined my expensive dynamo powered front headlamp. This is the kind that adjusts to motion and knows what time of day it is as well as having a built in ability to charge my phone and other electronics. I was ecstatic when I hooked it all up and went out on my first night ride with it through Forest Park in Portland, OR with four other buddies. I was over the moon in the early morning commutes to work when cars would flash their high beams at me beckoning me to adjust my own lamp, which doesn't dim. Then it happened. One Saturday in November as I was working a side job delivering food downtown I rode past the Portlandia statue and decided to take a picture. My father had taken one similar when it was first reveled sometime in 1980 or '81. As I walked away from my bike that I'd leaned against a nearby tree, I had Portlandia in my sites and my camera in my hand. As I brought the shutter to my eye I heard my Breezer Radar Expert hit the ground. Disheartened I finished taking my photos and walked over to pick up Peggy Steel, yes, I name my steeds. My heart sank, my stomach turned, my bank account cried in agony!!! The on/off switch had been ripped out of the bottom of the lamp. It was now flashing. Life. Was. Over.

Two months later I am at the aviation department at a local school talking to a buddy of mine about the lamp and how we were going to fix it. He has been working on aircraft and mechanical, electrical, carpentry, and whatever else it is to make everything work for the last 30 years I'm sure. He took out some note cards and made a little sketch of the motherboard. We looked at how the wires were ripped out and tried to establish how the four of them lined up and solder them back. The only wire we could determine that way was the red and the rest were educated guess using an ohm meter. I wanted to share the information with everyone because I couldn't find anything about Busch Müller and customer service is none existent for the folks on the west side of the Atlantic and Peter White reps couldn't really help me out either. Here are a few pictures of how we were able to put it all back together as well as an image of the note cards and the schematics for the wiring. So without further delay and for whatever it's worth:
   

   

   

   

   
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#2
I feel your pain!
And cool that you posted this fix. Thanks!
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#3
I used to have personal favourite rear light (Cateye brand, reliable and strong) a decade ago and it stopped working after a crash (wet road, downhill, braked too rapidly on a sharp corner). I also opened it and tried to fix it with basic electronics knowledge, but unfortunetely it did not work for me. Glad to see that you had different experience. Thank you for sharing, this will help others!
Autobahn
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#4
(01-11-2020, 01:28 PM)Joe_W Wrote:  I feel your pain!
And cool that you posted this fix. Thanks!

Thanks! I hope it helps someone.

(01-12-2020, 08:29 AM)G_M Wrote:  I used to have personal favourite rear light (Cateye brand, reliable and strong) a decade ago and it stopped working after a crash (wet road, downhill, braked too rapidly on a sharp corner). I also opened it and tried to fix it with basic electronics knowledge, but unfortunetely it did not work for me. Glad to see that you had different experience. Thank you for sharing, this will help others!

Yeah I had a lot of help but it made sense and I am really happy it worked. I really do hope this helps.
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