maglite bulbs in cycle lights?

[Ben]

Hi

I have a 6 volt cycle light with a bulb rated at 0.5 amps. I'm looking 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. Does anyone know what the current rating of these bulbs is?

Cheers

 

[Tony W]

"ben" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hi
>
> I have a 6 volt cycle light with a bulb rated at 0.5 amps. I'm looking 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. Does anyone know what the current rating of these bulbs is?

Divide the Watts rating by the Volts

 

[Mr R@T \ -Lsqco]

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.

> 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.

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.

 

[Ben]

Tony W wrote:
> "ben" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>>Hi
>>
>>I have a 6 volt cycle light with a bulb rated at 0.5 amps. I'm looking 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. Does anyone know what the current rating of these bulbs is?
>
>
> Divide the Watts rating by the Volts

Neither the bulb nor the packaging states watts or amps, just number of cells. I eventually found
the rating of the 4 D cell bulbs on rec.bicycles.tech

"I though surely Maglite would have a more powerful bulb, but Maglite's 4-D cell light uses a
Krypton bulb rated at 4.8 V, .64A -- not much more than the 0.5A Cateye HL-1500."

Not really worth replacing a 0.5A bulb with a 0.64A one.

 

[Ben]

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.

 

[Mr R@T \ -Lsqco]

In news:[email protected], ben <[email protected]> typed:

>>
>> The regulation 3W lamp.
>
> Is that "regulation" as in BS6102?
>
Indeed - although apparently the letter of the law is that provided you deploy a BS6102 cycle light
you may use any other auxiliary lights; and I certainly have never heard of anyone being busted for
*too much* light! I doubt a copper would be able to tell the difference between a 3W and 6W lamp,
and I suspect some of the bikes issued to local bobbies have 10W lamps on them!

> 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 one I purchased was imported and distributed to the LBS by Reflectalite, who have a website at
www.reflectalite.com according to their packaging. The lamps themselves are Japanese. Reflectalite
are also have a telephone support line on 0870 904 2432 (and one would hope could point you in the
direction of a local supplier).

Alex