Electric bike bell.

[imatfaal]

I fancy making a touch operated electric bell for my bike - I use the bell all the time on my daily commute (on a canal path shared with runners and pedestrians for about 7-8 km a day).

 

I ride with drop handlebars and I tend to have my hands on the body of the lever - a picture or two to demonstrate.

 

 

Now the closest place I could mount the bell would mean moving a hand to the centre of the handle bars and back every time I wished to ring the bell; but the situations in which I want to ring the bell are those in which I want both hands steering and ready to change gear and more importantly brake.

 

Electronics - especially practical electronics was never my strong suit - but I still fancy trying to build a system that has a nice button on the top of the left lever which when pressed strikes a bell mounted elsewhere.

 

Of course I would want to keep everything very light and I would need to be able to scavenge or ebay the bits required - any ideas?

[pwagen]

Well, assuming you can live with a battery operated horn instead of a mechanical bell, http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-High-Quality-Loud-Electronic-MTB-Bell-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Horn-Black-/160829664438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257231ecb6

 

Buying that would, of course, take all the fun away. But it should be fairly simple to construct. What you'd need is a button, some wire, a horn and a battery. Then it's as simple as connecting it like this:

 

 

The only trick is to make it a closed circuit when you press the button, and break it when the button is lifted. The only thing I'd worry about would be mounting it all. Especially if you get a horn without an enclosed battery. Friend with a 3D printer maybe.

 

If you want a mechanical bell, I'm not sure. You'd need some motor to hit the bell, I'd think. Maybe it would be simpler to drag a break wire from the bell "trigger" to where your left hand is. If you'd still want it electric, maybe something like they've done inside a wind-up clock would do?

 

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/inside-clock.htm

[Acme]

Push-button switch, i.e. momentary contact. Door bell scavenge.

+ Mechanical bell. Got it.

+ Wire. Get some.

+ Electric toothbrush. Scavenge.

+ ingenuity.

Glue and/or tie springy-clapper-thingy to turning toothbrush doohickey & position so it clanks on bell whatzit when button jigger is pressed. Toothbrush already has battery holder so not necessary to construct battery-holder thinga-ma-bobber.

Badda-bing means no badda-boom.

 

= Priceless.

[Phi for All]

Do you wear a helmet? You may not have to put the horn/bell on the bike.

[Enthalpy]

Rainproof is the difficult part of it.

Some buzzers draw very little power and are extremely loud.

Your bike horn sound should be recognizeable as such: if it sounds like a bus horn, people will search for the bus and not pay attention to you.

[imatfaal]

Well, assuming you can live with a battery operated horn instead of a mechanical bell, http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-High-Quality-Loud-Electronic-MTB-Bell-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Horn-Black-/160829664438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257231ecb6

 

Buying that would, of course, take all the fun away. But it should be fairly simple to construct. What you'd need is a button, some wire, a horn and a battery. Then it's as simple as connecting it like this:

 

bikehorn.png

 

The only trick is to make it a closed circuit when you press the button, and break it when the button is lifted. The only thing I'd worry about would be mounting it all. Especially if you get a horn without an enclosed battery. Friend with a 3D printer maybe.

 

If you want a mechanical bell, I'm not sure. You'd need some motor to hit the bell, I'd think. Maybe it would be simpler to drag a break wire from the bell "trigger" to where your left hand is. If you'd still want it electric, maybe something like they've done inside a wind-up clock would do?

 

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/inside-clock.htm

 

Buying complete set-up defeats the object On the wind up side - I had started to consider that; maybe I should switch back

Push-button switch, i.e. momentary contact. Door bell scavenge.

+ Mechanical bell. Got it.

+ Wire. Get some.

+ Electric toothbrush. Scavenge.

+ ingenuity.

Glue and/or tie springy-clapper-thingy to turning toothbrush doohickey & position so it clanks on bell whatzit when button jigger is pressed. Toothbrush already has battery holder so not necessary to construct battery-holder thinga-ma-bobber.

Badda-bing means no badda-boom.

 

= Priceless.

 

I am not so sure you understand the stupid and obsessive length cyclists go to in order to keep weight down. My electric tooth brush weighs in at 160grams - that's over 2% of the weight of the whole bike! I am really not a weight weenie and on my touring bike or commuter I wouldn't care (but they can have sensible bells) - but on my cyclocross bike which gets carried up hills and over obstacles I need to shave grams. I do now have a name for the finished construction tho! Love it - "Badda-bing means no badda-boom."

Do you wear a helmet? You may not have to put the horn/bell on the bike.

 

It's the movement of my hand off the brakes that I want to avoid - so unless I got mouth operated helmet mounted wouldnt work. That said I am having an road to emmaus moment...

Bell on hat somewhere - simple air tube from near mouth, blow on tube (not so easy when lungs already on fire but...), action through as yet unknown mechanism rings bell, very gentle spring returns system to ring-readiness.

 

or even more revelatory ...

small air bladder (think camera bulb) on brake lever/ handlebar and air tube to bell

Rainproof is the difficult part of it.

Some buzzers draw very little power and are extremely loud.

Your bike horn sound should be recognizeable as such: if it sounds like a bus horn, people will search for the bus and not pay attention to you.

Rainproof definitely problem - and because of cross-country nature of river path I get home quite soaked even if no rain during ride but puddles still standing. Will look at buzzers - the power drain thing is of course important. Though i do have a supply of good batteries - 3.7 volt 850 mAh - they are the rechargeables for my reserve light.

 

Will investigate buzzers. And on nature of noise - this is really for the canal path and a bus would be quite spectacular as the path is only about 1.5metres wide. On the actual streets the traffic noise is such and car insulation so good that bells are not that effective - still good for pedestrians though. And the bell really just needs to jerk them out of their reverie - so if they think a bus is hooting them all the better

[pwagen]

 

Buying complete set-up defeats the object On the wind up side - I had started to consider that; maybe I should switch back

 

Sometimes, the journey really is the goal. I really think you should give it a go, just for the hell of it. That doesn't mean you can't use premades as a source of informationor inspiration.

 

But one thing; if you decide on a buzzer or horn, don't place it on your helmet unless you're sure it won't cause permanent hearing damage.

[Phi for All]

This is what you want, right? Waterproof too.

There's a fine line between DIY and brain damage. I prefer the homemade solutions too, but sometimes you find that so many others share your need that someone has solved the problem for you.

Shame, too. I was really looking forward to hearing about your dental switch to activate your HelmetHorn^TM.

[imatfaal]

There's a fine line between DIY and brain damage. I prefer the homemade solutions too, but sometimes you find that so many others share your need that someone has solved the problem for you.

 

Shame, too. I was really looking forward to hearing about your dental switch to activate your HelmetHorn^TM.

 

As the whole bike was bought in bits second-hand from ebay and its ilk I think I can say that I have already crossed the fine line between DIY and brain damage. It is quite exhilarating to slowly build up a pile of disparate bits and then after a mad day's assembly ride it home through London; building a wheel is the most fun an obsessive can have.

[Enthalpy]

For the buzzer hypothesis: some integrate the electronics, so their narrow resonant frequency is already well served. I googled:

buzzer site:murata.com

and got for instance that

http://www.murata.com/products/sound/selection_guide/piezo_sound/index.html

other manufacturers exist, mainly the ceramic producers like TDK, and once you know what you want, a reseller is a better place to make the final choice, one example being

http://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/ce/

[Acme]

...

[Acme]I am not so sure you understand the stupid and obsessive length cyclists go to in order to keep weight down. My electric tooth brush weighs in at 160grams - that's over 2% of the weight of the whole bike! I am really not a weight weenie and on my touring bike or commuter I wouldn't care (but they can have sensible bells) - but on my cyclocross bike which gets carried up hills and over obstacles I need to shave grams. I do now have a name for the finished construction tho! Love it - "Badda-bing means no badda-boom."

...

I used to appreciate the weight business but that was weigh before 8000gm bikes. These days I trundle along on an 80's Columbia tricycle and my signaling to pedestrians is a "sorry!" shouted over my shoulder. I'm glad I was able to contribute something to your venture; happy trails.