First Modded light - Idea Not yet abandoned...

[kfarrar]

So I was buying some some supplies and picked up some CR-123 batteries (4) to have as spares for my Inova T1.

When I got home I connected them (with electrical tape) + -|+ -|+ -|+ -| and tapped + wire to the + and - wires of my 50 W 12v Halogen and Voile, the light came on.

I am wondering what kind of run time can I expect from this configuration?

 

[Fallingwater]

Decent CR123 cells have something like four and a half watt-hours each (IIRC). In that configuration you'd thus have 18 watt-hours. With a 50 watt bulb, you'd therefore have a runtime of slightly more than 20 minutes.
Realistically, the voltage would probably slump nearing the end of the cells' life; this would make the bulb draw less current (and make a lot less visible light) for longer.

 

[kfarrar]

So that means I could run pair of 3 watt LED's for 3 hours, or 3 X 3 watt LED's for 2 hours right? I just might be learning something

If the above is True, then why would my Inova XO with a 4.8 watt LED and 2 CR123 post a suggested run time of 5 hours, wouldn't it only be around 2 hrs. Hmmmm????

I'll try and take a picture of my light housing tonight post the dimension to get some suggestions.

Kevin

 

[kfarrar]

So I resoddered everything up and tapped up my batteries again and the light worked great. However, I did notice the batteries got warm within seconds of use. Is this normal? I'll try to get a picture tonight

I am powering a 50 watt halogen from 4 3v CR123's.

With my first light mod complete, I think I'd like to take the 50 W halogen and replace it with something else. The 50 W flood is nice, but probably more spill than I need. Any suggestions for more spot, less spill, and less watts? I would also like to increase my run time.

 

[Fallingwater]

They're being worked very hard, and they aren't of the rechargeable type; it doesn't surprise me that they're getting hot. Note that after your 50W bulb stops delivering useful output, the cells are likely to have a decent amount of energy still left in them. Put them in a LED flashlight ("vampire" lights are especially good at this) and they'll deliver hours of runtime at reduced brightness.

 

[kfarrar]

My Inova XO should be perfect for this. I plan on taking the light out to with me tomorrow night skiing. I'll post back total running time as I should be out for around two hours and will use my XO to light my way home. Or maybe my xenon light will arrive in time.

 

[Fallingwater]

Nononono. No two-cell lights for vampire mode on CR123s. They can reverse the cells, and reversed CR123s have been known to go kaboom.

 

[kfarrar]

Nononono. No two-cell lights for vampire mode on CR123s. They can reverse the cells, and reversed CR123s have been known to go kaboom.

Thanks for the heads ups about that.

 

[Blindasabat]

If the above is True, then why would my Inova XO with a 4.8 watt LED and 2 CR123 post a suggested run time of 5 hours, wouldn't it only be around 2 hrs. Hmmmm????

Because the Inova's LED is rated at 4.8Watt, but the LED is not really driven at 4.8 Watts. Early on Inova over-spec'd wattage and lumens, but was usually spot-on for run-time. The next year they changed that with spot-on lumen spec and over estimated run-times. New marketing people I guess.

 

[kfarrar]

Well my Big Ed Xenon light arrived yesterday and it was Big Bust. Not the light I expected as it had great throw, but very little spill. The Big Ed is already packaged for the return.

So far, my homemade halogen is the working well with 4 Cr 123s, but I know it will not run long. It really fills a room with light and I think this is what I need for night skiing.

My goals for my next homemade light.

1. Increase brightness and spill for objects farther away (25 meters)
2. 2 hour run time minimum
3. Have a high and low (what are you using?)

Is there a halogen solution out there or should I just suck it up and really go to LED's?