sLEDgehammer

The sLEDgehammer is an interactive light challenge that harkens back to the classic carnival Sledgehammer game. But here, the aim is to convert your peak power output to a beautiful light display. The sLEDgehammer is accurate, motivating, and visible from anywhere in the venue. It’s a fun way to get your event participants thinking, cheering, and breathing.

The 9.5′ to 11′ Tower and Stand are a great way to show pedalers their power.

sLEDgehammer red gen pro

sLEDgehammer green gen pro

sLEDgehammer blue gen pro

sLEDgehammer orange gen pro

Customize the color of the Generator Pro Frame.

The sLEDgehammer can be purchased as a single-player challenge or a dual:

 

Above: Get multiple sLEDgehammers to add a competitive element and a larger presence at your event.

Rules of the game:

Pedalers must overcome the challenge phase in order to see the reward sequence. The faster they pedal, the more lights turn on, making it harder and harder to keep increasing the system voltage. If they push the lights all the way to the top of the tower, and keep them on for 3 seconds, they beat the challenge and win the game. Their stored energy is then used up in a dazzling display of light.  A difficulty knob makes the game easier or harder. The peak effort required to win is about 200W for the Easiest setting and 600W for the Hardest. In the Dual sLEDgehammer, everything is the same. To decide the winner, you start the two riders at the same time and give the win to the one who pushes the lights higher in the tower or gets the victory sequence to display first.

Watch this video to see pedalers compete for sLEDgehammer victory at the 2016 Democratic National Convention!

The elements of a sLEDgehammer:

• An efficient bicycle generator, such as the Generator Pro.
• The sLEDgehammer circuit, which comes complete in a strain-reliefed enclosure with an Ultra Capacitor and all power cables.
• 5 colored LED panels standing to a height of 11 feet tall.
• Halogen lights at the top to win the game.
• A wide base untippable tripod stand.
• User manual Here.

The Bike: Any of our hub generators will do. But more than our other activities, pedalers on a sLEDgehammer tend to use their whole body to try to beat the game. You may benefit from the additional stabilization of your generator. The Electric Fender Blender Pro, with its 3′ wide stance, is particularly well-suited to this application.

The Circuit: The sLEDgehammer circuit is the brains of the operation, calculating watts as you pedal. The sLEDgehammer comes in an enclosed, strain-relieved circuit capable of handling 1500-Watt surges in power. Depending on how many LEDs you connect, you may need all that power handling. People will try to break this machine. The sLEDgehammer circuit runs cool, calm and collected even when your participants pedal their hardest.

The sLEDgehammer runs on an Arduino Pedal Power microcomputer, using the open-source Arduino platform. What this means is that you can optimize or change certain parameters to improve the activity.

***

Custom Installations:

The sLEDgehammer can be installed in several ways. Our favorite method is doing large custom installs like the ones shown on this page. They can either be done for a single event or on a semi-permanent basis. Custom installations use the same components: bike, lights, and circuit; and can be tailored to your event, activity, or facility. We work with you to design and implement the sLEDgehammer. We then provide either full installation and crew at your location or help and guidance for your crew prior to the event.

Recommendations for output devices, i.e. Light:

Please see above about “rules of the game”. There are two lighting segments of a sLEDgehammer — the Challenge Phase and the Reward Sequence. To make the Challenge Phase truly challenging, you need to connect at least 200 Watts of lighting, perhaps as much as 500 for the fittest riders.  The most impressive way to achieve this and the best option for a large space is to use LEDs for both the challenge phase and the Reward Sequence. This makes the Challenge Phase visible to much larger groups of people, which increases the crowd interaction. A lower-cost substitution is to use incandescent bulbs for the Challenge Phase, which has the benefit of highlighting the comparative energy efficiency of newer lighting technologies. With incandescents, you can make the Challenge Phase truly challenging. Incandescents will cost less* because you need far fewer of them to achieve the Wattage goals of the Challenge Phase. (* That’s also the reason they are worse for the environment.)

 

Costs:

11 Foot Tall Tower, Tripod Stand, and Circuit: $3,600.00

Assembled dimensions:  

• What Style Wheel Do I Have?

  When ordering new wheel covers OR an Icycleta Ice Cream Bike Attachment it’s important for us to know what style wheel you have. Not sure how to tell? Let us help you find out. “What wheel cover style is compatible with my wheel?” Ordering new wheel covers?  We need to know which wheel you have so [...]

• What kind of vehicle should I use to transport the Pro frame?

  Most hatchback style cars can usually fit at least one partially disassembled Pro frame inside. You’ll want to use a car with a large trunk; it’s even better if the back seats fold down to extend the trunk space. A pickup truck can carry 2-4 fully built Pro frames in the bed. Most SUVs can carry a [...]

• Are there sponsorships and grants available for my Nonprofit?

  Bike Blending in action at Longfellow Elementary’s Spring Carnival Our Nonprofit Discount Program grants awards of 10% off your purchase and 15-20% off the rental of Rock the Bike gear to a limited number of nonprofit or educational applicants per quarter and has a simple application process. Requirements: – Proof of nonprofit status (501c3) – [...]

• Your Name in Lights!

   

  

  LightBox in use at the 2018 New York State Fair. We calibrated it to be a fun challenge and attraction for kids. 3 kids working together can do it.

  Fun, challenge and teamwork in action are the main benefits of our newest Pedal Powered Activity, the LightBox, an 8 x 8 Pedal Powered custom illuminated light sign that could be a hit for your org or company.

  Having a multi-person activity like the Light Box leads to genuine teamwork moments at your events. We’ve seen this so many times in our concerts that it got us excited to create a team light challenge. It’s visible from hundreds of feet, making it an attraction. As people get closer they’ll see the bikes and get excited to take a turn. Coaching it is easy. Just help the riders on and use your hands, voice or a PEDAL! sign to start each challenge. You’ll see people high fiving as they bring your name to light.

  

  Each logo requires its own individual creative approach to get the most from the available pedal power. For the NY State Fair we divided the classic I heart NY logo into its four letters/symbols, then wired each to one of the outputs of a sLEDgehammer circuit. When people pedal, more of the symbols turn on until they all enter a ‘party mode’ for a few moments. Then the game resets for the next group.

  (more…)

• Combining RTB activities to engage crowds at conventions and other large events

  This latest video, shot by our friend and partner, Natan Lawson of Wheely Good Smoothies in Baltimore, shows how eight of our rental activities created a large cohesive space with a large exhibit at the recent Democratic National Convention in Philly.

   

  Producers of large events are used to working in large spaces. Spaces that are typically empty and in need of shape, definition and life when they arrive. Just as it is the job of the wedding producer to remember the flowers, it is the job of our customers and rental clients to plan for both the visual impact and the function of everything in their spaces. (more…)

• York Catholic School Board remixes Toaster Challenge at energy awareness assembly

  

  Sitting on the stool on the right side of this photo is an unassuming white form, but push the lever on it and you have a beast of a challenge — match the energy needs of an electric toaster by pedaling your hardest on an efficient bicycle generator. (more…)

• The sLEDgehammer has escaped the tube.

  

  Our Pedal Powered lighting challenge, the sLEDgehammer, has escaped the tube.  We’ve both advanced the circuitry and the creativity of this piece of gear, making it even more of a crowd pleaser.

  The sLEDgehammer is a Pedal Power game where you have to pedal really hard (but not for very long) to win. When you win, the power you’ve built up by pedaling gets unleashed in a dazzling light sequence. In the example above, a river appears to flow down the courtyard away from the pedaler, then the Peace & Love sign lights up. The 9-segment ‘reward’ sequence lasts only a couple seconds. When someone wins the game and sees the sequence, there’s a palpable release of energy. The celebrations are awesome to see. At the holiday party where we set this up, people were shouting “Peace & Love!”

  (more…)