Frequently Asked Questions

What does it look like when riding? Do the patterns fill the whole wheel?	It varies depending on how fast your bike is going, and how many m132s' you have. With one m132s: The patterns appear at about 8mph (12kph) in a section of the wheel. As you go faster an increasing amount of the wheel is filled with graphics, at about 20mph (32kph) the graphics fill the entire wheel. With two m132s': The patterns still appear at about 8mph (12kph), but now in two sections of the wheel at once. As you go faster the whole wheel is filled with patterns at about 12mph (20kph). Below 8mph (12kph) the row of LEDs on the m132s will be very bright and visible going around the wheel, and the lights and colors on it will change and move. If you rarely bike above this speed you can configure low activity level settings which will give you several choices for the moving colors and lights you will see as you ride - it still looks great!
How many M132S's do you recommend using? Can I attach two M132S's to a single wheel?	We recommend either 1 or 2 units on a wheel. One unit looks great. With 2 units the visual effect and activity level can be increased beyond what can be done with a single m132s. Two units do not synchronize with each other so some combinations of patterns can look amazing while others may just look muddled - its up to you to experiment with the graphics synthesizer settings! It usually makes more sense to try two units if you want the most lit up bike around, or you ride at slower speeds where the effects from the two units will not overlap visually. If you use two units at higher speeds - try simpler pattern settings so that when the patterns overlap it still looks sharp.
Does it come pre-configured for the best graphics?	Yes! The m132s comes programmed from the factory to display all patterns and all colors, and with fairly high activity settings. You can use the control buttons if you want to change it to display only certain colors, or certain patterns, or different activity levels. The control buttons let you reconfigure in seconds anytime, anywhere - after a bit of experimentation the printed tip sheet is rarely needed.
How bright and visible is it?	Very! Check out the photos in the m132s gallery - notice the spread of light on the pavement on either side of the wheels. There are 32 full color ultra-bright LEDs on the m132s, its much brighter than most front and rear bike lights. The graphics patterns are highly visible at dusk, at night, and in cloudy conditions or indoors. The patterns are not visible in direct sunlight.
How does it attach to my bike? Is it easy to install?	It attaches to the spokes with 3 standard nylon Zip-ties. It takes about 5 minutes to install. Photo instructions are included in the box, and we also have an install slideshow online with many examples.
Will it fit my bike?	It fits all common bike wheels found on Road, Mountain, BMX, Cruiser and City bikes. Specifically: any spoked bike wheel 20" and larger, with between 18 and 36 spokes. Many other wheels can be fit as well if you are a little creative. For example - very low spoke-count wheels and "Mag" wheels can sometimes be fit if you supply long zip-ties or rope. Wheels with a great many spokes can sometimes be fit with the m132s on the outside of the spokes (possibly with extra rubber spacers), or by removing a spoke during installation and replacing it after.
Can I use it on a motorcycle or car?	No, it is not designed structurally for speeds above 30mph.
Can I use it on a wheelchair, baby stroller, or other slow-moving wheel?	Yes, if you can find a way to mount it. The length of the device is about 160mm (6.5") - so your wheel needs to be at least 200mm (8") diameter. You may be able to mount the unit across the middle of a small wheel. The m132s has 10 slots which fit a standard zip-tie, giving you a bit of mounting flexibility. The mounting slots can also be drilled for screws if needed (this will void your warranty).
Is it environmental?	Yes! As an electronics and product designer and manufacturer we are comitted to being a leader in environmental design and awareness. The m132s is manufactured using a lead-free process and conforms to the EU RoHS standard. In addition, our all-weather construction does not use a cheap plastic enclosure, reducing overall waste volume when disposed. We also designed the m132s to take best advantage of NiMH rechargeable batteries, they will provide greater light output and similar lifetime to non-rechargeables. We also hope the m132s will make you want to ride your bike more! Every mile you ride instead of driving is perhaps the biggest environmental contribution you can make.
Will it make my wheel off balance?	It can. Our more casual test riders can't tell the difference when riding. As with any product you attach to your bike wheel or bike - it can affect the handling especially at high speeds. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the handling of your bike after installing the m132s. Any imbalance is more noticeable on high-performance lightweight wheels, and at faster riding speeds. If this is important to you there are a couple things you can do: (1) mount the m132s closer to the hub of the wheel - this will dramatically reduce any imbalance, (2) remove the batteries when you are not using it. the bare unit is only 65g, the batteries usually add another 100g. (3) mount a second m132s, or similar weight, on the opposite side of the wheel.
Is it durable? Can it handle daily riding and bad weather? Can it handle mountain biking?	YES! The m132s was designed and tested from the start for daily use, bad weather and rough riding. Instead of using a cheap plastic case we developed a ruggedized construction built to last. We started with a high strength fiber composite mounting plate and used that for the entire structure of the device. We coated the LEDs with a waterproof clear hardcoat, and used an extra layer of matrix fiber over the electronics - all the electronics are literally embedded into the fiber composite construction. Then we developed our 3-point vibration-proof mounting system featuring custom 4mm thick solid 55A rubber shock-mounts, all strapped to the spokes with standard UV-resistant zip-ties that can't jiggle loose. Lastly the batteries are strapped in with a double-sided hook-and-loop strap - secure yet with easy access. But don't take our word for it - check out the wet-weather photos in the m132s gallery. The narrow end of the m132s can be submerged in deep puddles, and if it gets covered with dirt you can hose it off no problem (remove batteries first). Please keep in mind the device is not fully waterproof - the battery holder and batteries will corrode if left wet for long periods. You can ride in the rain, but we recommend against wet outdoor storage.
Can I create & download my own patterns from my computer?	No. The m132s graphics synthesizer is very configurable using the on-board control buttons, but it does not support downloading text or bitmap graphics from a computer. If you are interested in a Do-It-Yourself project, we recommend the SpokePOV Kit from Adafruit. It is a kit project requiring you to solder all the electronics together yourself, when completed it allows you to download your own bitmap graphics and display them on your bike wheel. SpokePOV currently only supports single-color graphics, and does not have a graphics synthesizer - it only supports downloaded bitmap graphics.
How long do the batteries last?	The m132s uses 3 x AA batteries. It has two power settings: high efficiency mode lasts 15-30 hours, and high-brightness mode lasts 3-6 hours. NiMH rechargeable batteries provide best performance especially in the high-brightness mode. High efficiency mode lasts 4-5x longer but the visibility is still very good because the LEDs are more efficient at lower brightness.
Will it work on a playa (alkaline desert)?	Yes. Our prototypes have been tested in playa conditions and survived in good condition. Most of the unit is completely water and dust proof. The exposed metal on the batteries and battery terminals will corrode like the rest of your bike under these conditions - not so bad if kept dry, fairly badly if it gets wet with dust all over it. The gold trim should not experience any corrosion since it is real gold plating. Cleaning: after return to civilization, spray-clean all the dust off with a hose or faucet.
How does it work?	The graphics display is based on the Persistence Of Vision (POV) effect of the human eye. The LEDs on the device are blinked very rapidly by the on-board computer. When the wheel rotates, this blinking is perceived by your eye as a complex graphical pattern. In order to see the effect the wheel must rotate faster than about 8-10mph (10-15kph). The visibility of the graphics also depends on whether you are looking directly at the device - the eye's persistence effect is more sensitive in the sides of the eye. At very slow speeds you may notice that you can see the effect only when you don't look directly at it.
Have I seen this before?	Maybe - Wheel lights have been around for several years, but the m132s offers a much higher level of performance and functionality than any previous product. The m132s is the only product offering full color, it also uses superior LEDs that are far brighter than anything else you may have seen. The m132s is also the only product designed for the demands of all-weather daily urban cyclists, and it has practical controls to customize it and get the look and style you want.
Where did you get the idea for this? How did this product come about?	The idea for this type of lighting system has been around for a long time - however the technology to make a good implementation is recent. I've seen several one-off versions made by hardware hackers over the years, especially at the MITERS lab at MIT where it seems to be almost a coming-of-age ritual to build your own. Way back in 1994 I built a frisbee with integrated LED persistence of vision (POV) display - at the time it was cutting edge! There have also been commercial implementations of POV in clocks, fans, frisbees and wheels - almost all of them more toys and gadgets than practical, professional lighting systems. I was inspired by the earlier devices, and saw that the technologies had advanced a lot so it was possible to build a quality device with far better lighting and graphics effectiveness than anything that had come before - a device that would be practical for daily bike commuters and others. Of course I also had several new ideas to further enhance the device that nobody had tried previously. In 2005 I built my first prototype, it was at that time intended only as a one-off artwork. Riding it around the streets of Oakland and San Francisco, people would literally run down the street after me asking where they could buy it, sometimes crowds would just cheer unreserved as i passed by. In 2007 after the founding of Instructables and the other Squid Labs companies, I finally had time to start working on commercializing what has become the m132s and m464q devices. -dan-
Could this be powered by the energy from the spinning bike wheel?	Yes - but easier said than done. Hub-integrated generators are made by a few companies including Shimano, you can find them for sale on the web if you look around. They are fairly pricey (more than the cost of an m132s). Connecting the hub-generator to the m132s will take a bit of Do-It-Yourself ingenuity because all the ones we have seen have the output power wires on the non-rotating side of the generator, while the m132s is on the spinning side of the generator. You will also need to add a 3.6V to 5V converter/regulator since most hub generators output either 6V or 12V, which will fry the m132s if directly connected. The m132s is most efficient running at 3.6 - 4.0V.