8/22/15 1:11 PM

Zipcar has 3 bike ideas: A loop to talk to lights, signal arrow gloves and a helmet design

8/22/15 1:55 PM

And that red matches my Scott Addict LTD accents and red tires and red striped tape too. ;)

8/22/15 2:49 PM

I wonder how well the loop really works. Steel bikes don't always set off the sensor so why would the loop? The loop in the ground has nothing to do with weight as alluded to in the article. It is a MAD (magnetic anomaly detector) it senses the ferrous metal via the disturbance in the magnetic field set up by the loop. Bikes just don't mess with the field enough to set off the sensor.

8/22/15 3:10 PM

My Scott would not set them off at all. Until the Pacenti SL23 Wheels went on. The HED Belgium alloy reacts less to an eddy field?

8/22/15 4:30 PM

Even something as big as my SUV doesn't always set them off.
Sometimes I have to reverse and try again.

I wish there was a button you could press.

Sandiway

8/22/15 4:43 PM

In my neck of the woods there are only buttons for crosswalks on the military base. Everywhere else, you wait on a car or jump the light when clear.

8/22/15 4:44 PM

I was unclear, but referring to the Scott not triggering the ones for bikes. Luckily there is not many places here where a provision is missing for ped/bike that would warrant you sitting in the left lane waiting.

It makes me realize how good cyclist have it in Portland, taking it for granted perhaps already. ;)

8/22/15 5:30 PM

I even tried a speaker magnet on a string for a few rides when I used to cross US-1 at a remote intersection. Obviously it failed or I'd promote it. Loved the ride, hated that light.

8/22/15 6:56 PM

I understand the NEO magnets may have a better chance of the task.

I had a tank bag for my motorcycle with four 3" NEO discs that were unreal in sticking power. I also have a 15" NEO speaker that weighs 6.4 lbs as compared to a 15" JBL Alnico Magnet that is 16 lb, and a EVO 15" Ceramic magnet speaker that is 21 lb. They all handle roughly the same amount of 150+ watts.

Elaine made some curtains to cover windows in the OR for scope work to cut down ambient light and screen glare. She sewed in ceramic magnets and the surface tension lost by the layer of material made them just fall off from the weight.

She came home all bummed and thought a do over was in order. I went to home depot and got some NEO 3/4" disc and stuck them to the ceramics thorough the material and you could hardly peel them off. I said now go stick your curtains on the metal door and window jambs. She had tested that they were not aluminum before hand. ;)

Someone must have tried these for bike use, search it maybe...

8/25/15 4:11 AM

quote:

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I wonder how well the loop really works. Steel bikes don't always set off the sensor so why would the loop? The loop in the ground has nothing to do with weight as alluded to in the article. It is a MAD (magnetic anomaly detector) it senses the ferrous metal via the disturbance in the magnetic field set up by the loop. Bikes just don't mess with the field enough to set off the sensor.

---

8/25/15 9:41 AM

quote:

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It is a MAD (magnetic anomaly detector) it senses the ferrous metal via the disturbance in the magnetic field set up by the loop.

---

8/25/15 1:16 PM

Is that device using a self-contained electric power source (battery) to perhaps send a brief pulse of sufficient magnetic field intensity so as to trigger a not-so-sensitive "disturbance detector"?


When all else fails, and when perhaps it is (hopefully) not so hilly, ride American STEEL or stay home!
OMG, those rims @1150 grams each (bare), that .020" thick frame tubing, handlebars, that forged steel fork, crank..., THAT derailer...

8/25/15 3:45 PM

JohnC is correct. The sensors in the ground are inductive loop sensors, just like in a metal detector. If there's not enough metal, or if the metal is too far from the ground (like some SUVs), the sensors might not trigger the traffic signal.

The Veloloop, which is the name of the red antenna device that this thread is discussing, triggers the sensors not be just being a piece of metal close to the ground, but by electromagnetically disturbing the sensor so it thinks that a car is present. The electronics, btw, are in the black box, along with two AAA batteries.

There's a two-part process to make the Veloloop work. Once it detects that you've stopped, it searches all the legal frequencies (10K to 200KHz, minus a disallowed band from 90K to 100KHz) to see which frequency the particular sensor is running at. Once detected, it sends an electromagnetic signal that will disturb that frequency, which the sensor interprets as a car present. If no loop is detected, like if you're at a stop sign, it stops searching after 20 seconds.

Magnets do not disturb the sensors' frequency, because magnets have static fields. Likewise, magnets don't affect microwave ovens, cordless phones, cell phones, or anything else that runs at high frequency. However, magnets are made of metal, so if the magnet is large enough and close to the ground, its metal will get detected by the traffic signal.

Currently we are beta testing models for motorcycles. Once the motorcycle units are ready, we will introduce them, and re-introduce the bicycle version, on Kickstarter. In the meantime you can see a video about the Veloloop at veloloop.com, or ask questions here.