I'm looking for solutions to piece together a custom electronic bicycle bell using components that are as plug-and-play as possible.
Problem: Pedestrians on local bike trails wear ear buds, talk on cell phones and are distracted by pets. In many cases traditional voice call-outs such as "On your left!" are wholly inadequate to get their attention until I am right behind them. This is problematic on an E-bike with thumb throttle wherein speeds near 20 MPH (legal) are typical. I also operate in territory with lots of tunnels whose portals open up directly into sharp, blind curves.
Existing solutions all produce sounds at very high frequencies which modern earbuds are remarkably efficient at attenuating.
Solution: Assemble a very loud, forward-facing speaker unit capable of projecting reasonably crisp locomotive bell sounds. The idea being it will serve as a gentler, "less-lethal" tool that I can employ before escalating up to a car horn. It will also serve to provide a steady, continuous warning when approaching tunnel portals and blind curves.
Example:
What are my most efficient options for realizing this project? Electronic locomotive bells are already a reality, but the genuine article is prohibitively costly and bulky - neccesarily having been ruggedized for railroad service. The application is a 52V E-bike with 1kWh battery, so power is not a limiting factor. Would it be possible to modify an existing bicycle bell by reprogramming it's audio bank and upgrading the speaker & amplifier? Or would it be easier to start fresh with something like an Arduino and build from the ground up?
Problem: Pedestrians on local bike trails wear ear buds, talk on cell phones and are distracted by pets. In many cases traditional voice call-outs such as "On your left!" are wholly inadequate to get their attention until I am right behind them. This is problematic on an E-bike with thumb throttle wherein speeds near 20 MPH (legal) are typical. I also operate in territory with lots of tunnels whose portals open up directly into sharp, blind curves.
Existing solutions all produce sounds at very high frequencies which modern earbuds are remarkably efficient at attenuating.
Solution: Assemble a very loud, forward-facing speaker unit capable of projecting reasonably crisp locomotive bell sounds. The idea being it will serve as a gentler, "less-lethal" tool that I can employ before escalating up to a car horn. It will also serve to provide a steady, continuous warning when approaching tunnel portals and blind curves.
Example:
What are my most efficient options for realizing this project? Electronic locomotive bells are already a reality, but the genuine article is prohibitively costly and bulky - neccesarily having been ruggedized for railroad service. The application is a 52V E-bike with 1kWh battery, so power is not a limiting factor. Would it be possible to modify an existing bicycle bell by reprogramming it's audio bank and upgrading the speaker & amplifier? Or would it be easier to start fresh with something like an Arduino and build from the ground up?
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