Ray-3a General Operating Instructions

WARNING: The Light unit can get very HOT! A Light unit soon reaches 70°C if left running indoors. KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN!!

Even though it is very unlikely that the light could be turned on accidentally, due to the “double push” turn on, it is always advisable to unplug the light from the battery when in transit.

There is no need to worry about over heating the LED’s and electronics. This is because there is inbuilt temperature monitoring that will reduce the output current to a safe level (i.e. dim the light), until the temperature has reduced to a preset safe value. This could possibly occur on a very hot day where the light is left on full power and the rider is stationary for a long time.

Fitting LED Light Unit to Helmet

Depending on the type of helmet air vent system, there are various options available to achieve the best fit for your helmet. The standard setup is using the velcro strap, which is passed through the helmet air vents and back through the buckle, as shown below.

NOTE: Ensure the light assembly is securely held in position with the velcro strap i.e. foam pad under bracket is compressed by approx 50%. A loose light on a fast rocky downhill is not advisable…!!

Finally fit the adhesive velcro cable guide to the rear of the helmet and pass the cable through it.

Cable Routing

There are several ways that the cable assembly can be routed, depending on whether you use a Camelbak/hydration pack, bumbag or just a standard riding top with rear pockets. Although the battery and electronics are completely sealed and therefore waterproof, we recommend the battery sits in your Camelbak. The cables then pass out of the Camelbak with the drink-tube and over the right hand shoulder. The three o-rings on the harness are used as a cable tidy and can be slid down the two cables to a point where the cables part, to keep them out of the way of stray branches. The switch and cable clip can then be clipped to your jacket or the central chest strap – whichever you prefer.

Light Operation

The Ray-3a uses a simple non-latching pushbutton switch to operate the light. The light has THREE power levels Hi/Med/Low and each setting includes battery life indication. This is displayed by the two red LED’s, one in the rear of the light housing and one in the end of the pushbutton switch. The main LED will also flash as indicated. See “Battery Life” details.

Connecting up the Light

• The preferable way is to connect the main harness to the light unit FIRST and then connect to the battery, noting the keyway notches on each mating half of the weather proof connectors – it will only fit one way and may be slightly stiff when new.

• To Switch On the light, double press the button not less than 0.3sec between presses.
• The light will then switch on to either the Mid or High setting – which ever was the last setting when the light was switched off previously.
• A quick push on the switch just toggles between the Mid and High settings.
• To move down to the Low setting just keep the button pressed and the light changes from Mid to Low or High to Mid to Low and does a single flash to indicate Low setting.
• To move back up again, just a quick push on the button goes back to the Mid setting.
• To Switch Off the, just keep the button pressed at any level (either High/Mid/Low) and the light will flash to indicate it is about to turn off. Keep the button pressed and the light turns off. If this is done from the High setting, next time it is switched on, it will light up in the High setting. This is the same for the Mid setting. If it is switched off from the Low setting, it will turn on at the Mid setting next time.

Thermal Protection

The electronics incorporate thermal protection to protect the LED’s and electronics from overheating. This has been set to trip if the electronics internal temperature is > 75degC.  This situation could possibly occur if the light is left on indoors for a prolonged period or possibly outdoors on a hot night and the rider is stationary.

When this occurs the light will dim to the Mid setting which will allow the light to cool very quickly. If you try to go to the High setting before the light unit has cooled, it will return to the Mid setting again. In normal UK riding conditions it is very unusual for this to occur as the outer bezel would have to at over 70degC.

Battery Life

The light has THREE power levels High/Med/Low and each setting includes battery life indication.

During operation, the microprocessor is constantly monitoring the battery and will give an indication for >50%, <50%, <15min and <1min warning of battery life left, on each of the power settings.

This is displayed by the two Red LED’s, one in the rear of the light housing and one in the end of the button. The main LED will also flash as indicated:-

Battery status Indication

> 50% Battery life left => Red LED’s OFF

  < 50% Battery life left => Red LED’s ON/main LED flashes 5 times @ 50% point.

< 15/20mins Battery life left => Red LED’s Single flash/main LED Double flashes until “turn-off” point is reached.

Saftey Cut-off => Red LED’s will Double flash/main LED Triple flash for 1min. Battery cut-off voltage reached & light will TURN OFF to prevent damage to battery.

To get the most run-time out of a battery, when the light first starts to flash, change down to a lower setting. This will reduce the current and increase the run-time. Mid setting uses 50% less current than the High setting.

If the light is kept on, eventually when on the Low setting, it will start to flicker again and as it's already on the lowest setting, then you have approx 15mins until the light finally goes out!

Normal operation of the light will probably be used with a combination of the High and Mid settings i.e. High/Mid setting for most off road cycling and the Low setting for easy fire trail or road cycling. In this way the battery life is maximised and car drivers don’t screech to a halt as you look up for the next bridleway sign!

With a fully charged 2.6Ahr battery, run times are as follows:--

• High Power setting => 3hrs50min
• Medium Power setting => 14hrs
• Low Power setting => +20hrs

 Li-ion Battery Care and Maintenance

Important: - The Ray-3a will NOT allow the battery to run flat, but will turn off at a pre programmed level to protect the battery. The turn off point is indicated by the light “flickering” in the last 15mins of the battery discharge. The Li-ion cells are not like Ni-Cad or SLA and will only dim in the last final minutes of the discharge curve. This means you get maximum run time from your battery. Allow battery to cool and then recharge as soon as possible.

FIRST CHARGE: Charge for 24 Hours before use with fast charger to properly condition battery.

General Battery Care

Li-ion cells have different requirements than Ni-Mh. If the pack is not going to be used for a while, it is best to leave the battery partially discharged, i.e. NOT completely discharged and NOT fully charged. In this way battery life will be prolonged.

Fast Two Stage Battery Charger

The charger is specifically designed for Li-ion batteries, a NI-Mh or Ni-Cad charger will NOT work for these cells. These cells require the correct charge termination mechanism or their performance drops rapidly. Also this charger is intelligent enough to handle the charging of a partially discharged battery. The two-stage charger, fast charges until 90-95% full then automatically switches to pulsed trickle charge - so no worries about overnight charging. Charge time is approximately 3 hours for a fully discharged battery. A constant red light indicates main charge in progress, a green light indicates main charge complete and trickle charge initiated and the pack is ready for use.

Storing over Summer

Over long periods of no use or during the summer it is worth cycling (charge/discharge) the battery every few months if it is not being used. Doing this maintains all the cells at the same level and reduces the chance of cell imbalances in the pack, (if a weak cell is allowed to develop and the battery is then run low, the weaker cell can go into reverse causing problems and necessitating a repair). Remember to leave the battery partially discharged, (NOT completely flat and NOT fully charged), which will prolong battery life.

Store battery in a cool environment, 0-20°C.

Trouble Shooting

If the light does not switch on as usual it could be because the battery protection circuit may have tripped:-

Firstly, connect the charger (without battery) to the mains socket and turn on the 240V supply and the green LED on charger should be lit. This proves the charger is working ok. Now connect the battery and if the LED remains green the battery is fully charged. This process also resets the battery protection circuit (in the battery) if a fault condition has been detected.

Guarantee

Our total confidence in LiteOption products means that we can offer you a reassuring guarantee. The light unit, harness, battery and charger are all guaranteed for a period of one year from date of purchase, against any manufacturer's defects occurring during normal use, (original purchaser only). Should any problems occur during this period, we will replace/repair the item free of charge. However if you have a problem at any time do not hesitate to contact us.

 If you are not happy with the RAY-3a for any reason, return it within 10 days for a full refund.

 Sales@LiteOption.com