Mr R@t (2.3 zulu-alpha) [comms room 2] wrote:
> In
news:[email protected], ben <
[email protected]> typed:
>
>>Hi
>>
>>I have a 6 volt cycle light with a bulb rated at 0.5 amps. I'm looking
>
>
> The regulation 3W lamp.
Is that "regulation" as in BS6102?
>
>
>>to put in a more powerful bulb, and I'm guessing the 4 * D cell maglite bulbs have a higher
>>current rating but neither the bulb nor the packaging actually say.
>
>
> I'm not sure about the Maglite lamps [1], but bike shops (and no doubt electronics supply places)
> regularly sell 6W and 12W lamps, halogen lamps of a type that are the same fitting as many torches
> and hand lamps (flange fitting, no sniggers at the back please).
>
> You do not state whether you are using primary (i.e alkaline, non-rechargeable) or secondary
> (rechargeable Ni-
> Cd/NiMH or PbSO4) cells to power your cycle light; bear in mind the 12W lamps draw 2 amps from the
> power supply and would exhaust primary cells quickly beyond the point where this sort of power
> source was economically or environmentally viable. A 6W lamp may be useable even with primary
> cells for short commuter rides.
This was my assesment exactly - a 1A 6W lamp is what I'm looking for. I get about 2 hours from a
0.5A lamp (with NiMH cells) but 1 hour would be fine. The only thing I've found in the shops so far
is replacement maglite bulbs, but hopefully I'll find a 6W halogen lamp somewhere.
>
> Alex
>
> [1] I was always told by older engineers that *lamps* are what you should call an incandescent
> light bulb - the bulb being only the glass bit of this assembly; or a seed of certain plants
> that you would plant in your allotments.
Quite correct. I am pedantic enough to refer to cells rather than batteries, so I should apply the
same standards to lamps.