yankeedoodlepigeon Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 My lamp is not up to much so I ordered a new battery a 6.5ah 6v sealed battery. Its not much better I get around 10 mins of light out of it. So I thought what if I changed the bulb for a 12v one and tried my rotary 12v battery on it. I would rather ask on here rather than burn it out. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad93 Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Nope you'll probably end up blowing the bulb, or even melting some wiring. I believe a higher current battery will give you longer operating time and possibly more light output. Failing that use both your battery packs wired in parallel to double the current but not the voltage. Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) My lamp is not up to much so I ordered a new battery a 6.5ah 6v sealed battery. Its not much better I get around 10 mins of light out of it. So I thought what if I changed the bulb for a 12v one and tried my rotary 12v battery on it. I would rather ask on here rather than burn it out. Thanks in advance. 10 minutes, from a full charge?? Something doesn't sound right here! Edited July 10, 2011 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotland rifles Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 the cable used for 6 volts may not handle the higher amps needed to run a 12 volt bulb,(depending on the watts af the bulb used) the switches used may also suffer the same fate, and the battery life will drop by about 1/3rd at least. the other thing you have to consider is will the new 12 volt bulb give you a good beam, as the reflector in the lamp was built to take a 6 volt bulb it my change when you load a 12 volt bulb in it. i have been running a 12 volt 100 watt lamp in a old light force 140 and it makes the socket on the cable get very hot, it has also discoloured the reflector as it was prodicung to much heat. save up and get a new lamp, then sell the old one. bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk1 Man Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 There would more than likely be a heat issue as the lamp body on the tracer atom isn't very big. The 12v lamp will generate more heat when in use and would need a bigger housing to dissipate it. Switches and connectors wise, I'd say you would be ok as they are usually rated at 10A 16v or so You're better off getting a new 12v lamp TBH rather than faff about trying to adapt your existing one because if it doesn't work you'll be left without a lamp at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_R Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 So long as whatever bulb you fit is the same wattage then you will have no problem with heat. Also, the current will halve so the wiring and switch will be fine. You might find the bulb has the filament in a different place, so it will sit in the wrong place in the reflector, and thereby not focus correctly. In short, what you want is possible but might need some experiment. Dekers is right though, why do you only get 10mins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 So long as whatever bulb you fit is the same wattage then you will have no problem with heat. Also, the current will halve so the wiring and switch will be fine. Yes! Was about to correct the electrical discrepancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeedoodlepigeon Posted July 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Thanks all. I'm getting a little longer now as I keep running the battery down and charging it back up again so a few more and I should have enough for a outing. As for the 12v battery I was thinking of using I left it on a car battery charger all night its now 1 1/2 times its size it was a used wheelchair battery I used for the rotary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.