Frequently asked questions

To use your light with a GoPro mount you’ll need the Magicshine® Garmin to Gopro Adapter, or probably Magicshine® MJ-6273 Garmin to Gopro Adapter with Screw Handle

The Garmin to Gopro Adapter come by default in the packages of following lights.
MJ-900S
MJ-906S
Allty 400
Allty 600
Allty 800
Allty 1000
Allty 1500
RN 1200
Allty 2000

For Monteer series lights, both adpater is availbale for purchase separately.
Monteer 3500S
Monteer 5000S
Monteer 6500S
Monteer 8000S

Sure, you can always upgrade to a larger battery than what your light originally came with. The runtime will be extended.
 
HOWEVER, we don’t recommend downsizing your battery, e.g. using the Magicshine 6500S/8000S with the MJ-6112/MJ-6116.
 
Operating a higher wattage light with a lower rated battery may exceed the current limits of the battery, causing overheating and            trigger the protection feature to kick in.

How to maximize the life of your Li-ion battery pack?

1. Charge your battery pack after every use. Do not allow to become fully discharged.

2. Do not leave on the charger for more than 24 hours. (The protection circuit will cut off the charge but a small amount of current still leaks through.)

3. Do not attempt to fast charge your battery pack.

4. Avoid excessive heat. (Leaving it on the dash of your car on a hot summer day will shorten it’s life)

5. The best conditions for long term storage (over the summer) are in a cool place and with a 50% charge. (A full charge puts more strain on the cells) You can even store the pack in a zip-lock in the refrigerator if you have the space. If stored for more than 3 or 4 months you should check the charge state and top up if necessary.

6. Do not allow your battery to be short-circuited. If the wire becomes damaged, repair before use. All our battery packs have an internal circuit breaker that will shut the battery off if a short occurs. The breaker is reset by attaching the battery to the charger.

7. A battery that has been over charged or discharged can become unstable and result in high temperatures or even fire. For extra safety when charging the battery-pack, remove from the bike, and place in a fire proof container. Always charge in an isolated area, away from other flammable materials. For instance a wooden work bench, carpet etc.

8. Another safety issue is cold temperature charging. Li-ion batteries cannot be charged when they are below 0°C (32°F). Although the packs appear to be charging normally, plating of metallic lithium occurs on the anode while on a sub-freezing charge. The plating is permanent and cannot be removed. If done repeatedly, such damage can compromise the safety of the pack.

9. The battery will become more vulnerable to failure if subjected to impact, crush or high rate charging.

Batteries are considered hazardous waste in California when they are discarded. This includes AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9-volt, and all other batteries, both rechargeable and single-use. All batteries must be recycled or taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility, a universal waste handler (e.g., storage facility or broker), or an authorized recycling facility.

 

With Seemee 100, 180 and 200 bike tail lights. Constant and most flash modes will only last 1.5 to about 3 hours. Only certain the flash patterns can last longer than that. Also having the brake sensor active on a busy road will likely run down the battery as well. For maximizing runtime on your Seemee 100, 180 and 200, please consider turning the brake sensor off and use either the Interactive or the Flash patterns.

To turn on/off the brake sensor: With the light off, press and hold the power button. The light will come on, ignore it. At the end of the 5th second you might notice a change in light pattern. If the light on constant after 5 seconds= brake sensor turned ON. Fast flashes after 5 seconds= brake sensor turned OFF.

Please note: double pressing the power button will switch between the 3 main lighting modes, CONSTANTFLASH and SMART modes(in that order). Single press to cycle options within the mode, this will cycle brightness under CONSTANT, and flash patterns under FLASH. Under SMART mode, single press does nothing as there are no additional options. The light sensor in this mode works automatically based on ambient light. It is not considered one of the main flash modes. The SMART mode can last up to 3 hours at night and way longer during the day.

When the light is on CONSTANT mode, double press to enter FLASH mode, under which, single press to cycle between the 4 main flash patterns, Breathe, Comet, Flash, and Interactive(in that order.) Breathe and Comet are slow and gradual patterns, fading in and out, lasting in the neighborhood of 2-3 hours,  while Flash and Interactive are fast and instant, offering longer runtime on Seemee 100, 180 and 200 models.

What is FL-1 Standard?

ANSI  FL1 Standard – these specifications can be found on the packaging of most LED lights. It is a set of LED light performance guidelines.

Here are how the rating are defined:

Light Output [Lumen]
Light output is a measurement of luminous flux using an integrating sphere. The unit of luminous flux, lumen, is a measurement of energy.

Peak Beam Intensity [Candela]
Peak beam intensity is a measurement of luminous intensity at the middle of the flashlight beam. The unit of luminous intensity, candela, is a measurement of energy.

Beam Distance [Meter]
Beam distance is defined as the distance from the flashlight where illuminance is equivalent to a full moon on a clear night.

Runtime [Hours]
Runtime is defined as the amount of time, rounded to the nearest quarter hour, until output drops below 10%.

Water Resistance [IPX Rating]
Water resistance is stated using the IP rating system, and three ratings are used.

  • IPX4 – water-resistant, or water splashed from all directions
  • IPX7 – water-proof, or temporary submersion at 1 meter for 30 minutes
  • IPX8 – submersible, or continuous submersion at some specified depth for 4 hours

Impact Resistance [Meter]
Impact resistance is tested with drops onto a concrete surface at the specified height with all intended accessories, including batteries, installed.

Are Magicshine lights FL1 certified?

Yes! Most of our newer headlight models including Allty, Monteer series, and RN 1200 have all adopted the FL1 Standard.

For MJ-6112MJ-6116 and MJ-6116C

These batteries can be charged via Magicshine MJ-6072 wall charger as well as most mainstream USB charging bricks via Micro USB, protocal for these battery units is 5V/2A. The two available ports are USB-A(for powering other devices) and Micro-USB(for charging the battery itself).

For MJ-6118 (7.2V 10Ah)

Compatible with Magicshine MJ-6072 wall charger as well as most mainstream USB chargers via USB Type-C, protocal for this unit are 5V/3A, 9V/2A and 12V/1.5A. Only one available USB Type-C port for input and output.

We recommend an 18W charger for MJ-6118 to minimize charging time.

There are currently two versions of the Monteer 6500 bike headlight, one with round plug the other 4pin plug.

1)Orange 4 pin plug with 10500 mAh capacity battery (purchased pre July 2020)

This version of the Monteer is only compatible with MS-632 extension cable and MJ-6106D battery pack.

2)  Round shaped plug type with 10,000 mAh capacity battery (purchased post July 2020)

This version of the Monteer is currently only compatible with MJ-6275 extension cable and MJ-6118 battery pack.

The battery packs themselves however, are compatible with any Magicshine lights with the same plug type.

To maintain a high lumen output, high amount of heat is to be expected. During normal use, temperature of the area around the lens is expected to go up to 75C degrees. In cases where heat dissipation is affected, throttle threshold is set to be 90C, at which point the light output will drop immediately to make sure no damage to internal components can occur. This is more so the case for higher output lights. We designed them so that under ideal conditions, with adequate airflow, such as riding moderate to high speeds, the heat can be dissipated fast enough so that the advertised max output can be maintained consistently.

The PC material we use for the optical lens has a 130C degree max allowance before deformity could potentially occur, melting point is much higher. In any case please refrain from turning on the light with the front lens and/or its surrounding metallic shell covered up, such as turning the light on in your pocket, as heat build up in this instance could be extremely fast. For an instant it may push the temperature past the melting limit.

First of all, the Magicshine TTA out front style bike mount is compatible with all Garmin quarter turn style devices. For some of our lights that are not Garmin compatible we have made special adapters that will replace existing mounting mechanisms. Current Magicshine lights that will be compatible with TTA mount are MJ-900(Mount connector), MJ-902(Mount connector), MJ-906 (Mount connector), Allty 400, Allty 600, Allty 800, Allty 1000, Allty 2000, RN1200, Monteer1400(Mount connector), Monteer 3500S, Monteer 5000S, Monteer 6500s and Monteer 8000S.

For better waterproofing, the USB charging port in the back of the light is sealed by a thick rubber pad held tightly by a couple of strands, which will get into the way of the USB plug. To enable full contact by the USB, please pull the rubber pad out all the way like indicated in the photo. The light will indicating it is being charged by lighting up periodically.

IP stands for “Ingress Protection” and measures how well a device is protected from both solid objects and liquids. The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof. An IP rating may look something like this:

IP57

There are two numbers after the IP, first number indicates its protection rating against solid objects/particles, while the second number its rating against liquids. The higher the numbers, the better a product is protected.

IP rating is only officially given to a product that undergoes special testing by a certified agency.

Protection from solids and dust.

IP0X: The product is not protected against any physical contact or objects.
IP1X: Only protected from objects larger than 50 mm. Pill bottles, plush toys, snow globes, watch your fingers.
IP2X: Protected from any object larger than 12.5 mm. Keys, small coins, definitely watch your fingers.
IP3X: Protected from things above 2.5 mm, sharp, pointy tools and thick wires.
IP4X: Protected from anything bigger than 1 mm. At this point pretty much only dust can get through.
IP5X: Dust resistant. Small amount of dust may get through, but it won’t be enough to cause harm.
IP6X: This product is fully dust proof.

Protection from water.

IPX0: The product offers no special protection from water.
IPX1: Can resist water that drips vertically onto the product.
IPX2: Can resist water that hits the product at a 15° angle or less.
IPX3: Can take water sprays of up to 60°.
IPX4: Is resistant to water splashes from any direction.
IPX5: Can resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray.
IPX6: Can resist high-pressure, heavy sprays of water.
IPX6K: Can resist water jets of extremely high pressure. Rarely used.
IPX7: Can be submerged up to 1 meter in water for 30 minutes.
IPX8: Can be submerged deeper than 1 meter. The exact depth is specified by the manufacturer.
IPX9K: Resists high-pressure, high-temperature sprays at close range. Rarely used.

Lumens are the most commonly reported value for bike light brightness. Lumens measure total luminous flux, in other words the total output of a light source in all directions that it points. Lumens are measured using an integrating sphere, a scientific instrument that uses a reflective sphere to normalize the light beam and measure its intensity.

Lights should be positioned as far apart as possible. The further two points of light are away from each other, the further away the eye can distinguish them. Separating lights vertically also ensures that you will be seen by people in low and tall vehicles alike. For headlights a good setup is to have a primary handlebar mounted headlight, and a secondary light on the helmet. Good helmet lights should have a narrow beam and not be too bright – you want to be able to light up a specific area where you’re looking without blinding everyone around you.

For taillights, a rack or seatpost mounted light in addition to a helmet light provides good coverage.

Daytime riding: In broad daylight there is a lot of ambient light, so a steady burn light is unlikely to stand out. During daytime riding, it’s a good idea to use your lights on the brightest, most attention-grabbing pattern they have, because it’s easy for drivers to judge your position when your whole bike is visible, and you want to grab attention quickly.

Riding at night: High-intensity forward-facing lights should not be flashed alone at night, especially if they put out over 200 lumens. You run the risk of disorienting oncoming traffic (be it on 4 or 2 wheels), and make it difficult to estimate your position and speed. Having one flashing light and one steady light is a good compromise — you can grab drivers’ attention but the steady light helps improve distance estimates.

Disconnect the light and battery pack.

Press and hold both buttons on the remote for 2-3 seconds till a faint blink becomes visible on the buttons.

Connect the light and battery pack and quickly press the front light control button on the remote. The light should flash 3 times indicating successful pairing.

The 2.4g remote is compatible with MJ-902, 906 and 908 while the Bluetooth remote is compatible with MJ-900B 902B and 906B.

Step 1  Clean your light. Over the years we’ve found that a dry tooth brush is the best way to get rid of any mud or debris, Nick our repair man swears by them! Please don’t be tempted to jet wash your light, although waterproof to IP67 this is surely a step too far and really not necessary. A quick rub down with a damp cloth and then a thorough dry with one of those lovely microfibre cloths will do the job perfectly! If you do still have one of the older style batteries with a bag, it’s a good idea at this point to check it for wear and tear and replace if necessary. Remember a damp battery bag is bound to rot over the summer and will not do the battery terminals any good at all.

Step 2  Fully charge the battery. Lithium ion batteries need to trickle out a small amount of charge at all times (even when not in use). If your battery is left empty or with very little charge for any length of time it will enter a state of deep discharge and you will not be able to recharge it next season. If you are thinking of leaving the battery unused from now until the Autumn, We would seriously suggest diarising to recharge your battery every month or so to keep it in tip top condition. It will not last for 6 months without charge.

Step 3  Disconnect the battery from the lighthead. Check the cables for wear and tear, make sure they are free from mud and are perfectly dry. If you leave the battery connected to the lighthead you may find it impossible to recharge. Disconnect it now!!!

Step 4  Store the lightset in a cool place. It is important to store your lightset in a cool, dry place whilst it is not in use, preferably inside the original packaging so it is properly protected. Temperature is the single most important step for prologing the life of your battery and therefore your lightset. The cooler the better, in fact the fridge is ideal, one word of warning your shed may be freezing in the winter but often they’re a sun trap in the summer! Never allow your battery to freeze – it will render it useless.

Run times will vary depending on ambient conditions and the power output of your lights. Broadly speaking you can expect between 2.5 and 3 hours on a 900 lumen output light. However these are lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion provides very high power over extended periods of time and they are also flexible in terms of re-charging. However they are similar to the batteries in laptops and mobile phones. We provide instructions on how to charge, frequency etc but one of the features of this type of battery is that their output will diminish over time – as laptop and mobile phone batteries do.