wrote:

I am an EE. I recommend that you buy B&M front and rear lights.
There's more to lighting than simply the electronic circuit.
Optics play a crucial role.

Optics do play a crucial role, and they've gotten much better since I put the
existing system together around 2007. My choice of a dh-3n72 was driven
mostly by availability and a sub-$90 price on Amazon. It'd have been closer
to $80 had I not lost the whack-a-mole game that must be won to secure
free shipping.

You already went the expensive route by going with a hub dynamo,
Well, at least I didn't get a Schmidt 8-)

when you could have used a bottle generator.

I'm unaware of any well-made, modern sidewall generators for bicycles.
For many years I used an old Soubitez roller dynamo, replacing it only
after plastic mounting parts started cracking. In performance terms I
think it's better than a hub dynamo (less weight, better output, acceptable
drag) but they are no longer in production and scarce on Ebay. The one
bottle dynamo I tried got hot to the touch at 10 mph.

I will admit that the quietness of the dh-3n72 is very nice. It also
contributes mightily to the illusion of minimal drag......

The setup I'm posting about is now used mostly for exercise and isn't
ridden much at night. The extreme flicker came as a surprise when first
seen and greatly annoyed me. As I think it over, and look at the options,
it may be best just to live with it. The goal there is daytime conspicuity,
and that is satisfied in spades.

If I get a B&M headlight, it'll probably go on my UpTown 8 grocery chaser.
It's hard to find bulbs for the halogen front light, and that bike is at
least occasionally ridden in earnest at night.

Thanks for writing,

bob prohaska