Rechargeable flashlights for the car.

[JonSidneyB]

I am trying to force myself to only use rechargeable lights in the house. I am only partially successful in this but I am trying none the less. These were built from the ground up as rechargeables with charging cradles.

Now in the car, I have never used rechargeables since I want to be able to replenish my batteries anywhere I am. but the bigger reason is that I don't know where to put the thing. I do not know if a rechargeable will ever be added to my car or not but if I do.

Here are the questions:

Where to put the thing? I drive a Sebring Convertable. I have looked around the car and do not see a good place to put it.

Can the charger be set up so that I am not using the lighter as a plug? My cell phone is there in a lighter mounted cradle. I do not want multi lighter plug there. Perhaps it can be wired in like the power for the radio?

Maybe I should stick to nothing but battery powered lights for the car. I just don't know.

 

[Roy]

You didn't say just what kind of flashlight and or batteries you wanted to use in the car. Take a look at the Streanlights. They offer DC chargers for their rechargable lights. Don't know about the other brands.

 

[JonSidneyB]

I have lots of battery powered lights in the car. I just have been thinking of adding a rechargeable to the mix. Just don't know if I should or not.

 

[ZENGHOST]

I'm lucky, if I want to add a rechargeable I have three lighter outlets. One in the front console, one in the backseat console and one in the trunk. Had been thinking about the G2 rechargeable kit but don't know if it's worth getting.

 

[Rothrandir]

well...whereever you mount it...don't make it visable. dam thieves /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[NeonLights]

It should be relatively easy to either cut off the cigarette lighter plug and wire the charger in directly, or wire in a new cigarette lighter jack, available at Radio Shack. Just make sure that either way you do it, you put a fuse inline with the positive wire.

-Keith

 

[Blackbeagle]

Warnings and things to consider.

#1. I have three lighter outlets and NONE are live when the ignition is off. Whatever is plugged in won't charge unless the key is in and switched to accessory or on. Anything plugged in charges only during the daily commute or if I'm running around during the day.

#2. I use a flashlight daily. I have the slow chargers rather than fast chargers. The problem is that if I manage to burn the battery completely down, I'm dead for 10 hours for it to recharge (5 days at 2 hours commute time per day.) You may want to consider using a fast charger which would charge you up during a single commute.

#3. If you plan to keep it in the charger for emergencies only, a slow charger should be okay. Another option is to use something like the Streamlight piggyback and keep a spare battery charging. Best is to have several of the same light and swap them.

#4. Where you mount it - make sure a collision or panic stop won't send it flying around the passenger compartment like a missile.

#5. Sticking it in the trunk or somewhere else not accessible denies you the use of it for immediate needs. Like illuminating house numbers at night, looking for that $20 you dropped at the drive through, punching out the glass if you crash or jacklighting that slightly strange individual coming at you that your instincts are warning you about.

#6. Glove compartments are good places to hide smaller lights. Come on, you needed to clean it out anyway. And why are you holding receipts for that battery you replaced two years ago anyway, the oil change three years ago, and the drive through restaurant receipt?

#7. Look for "Vampire" taps. They clip over a hot wire and provide a plug. You then plug in a standard .250" male blade type connector. With a vampire or bridge tap, you don't need to splice or cut wires. You just clamp it over and it pierces the insulation by itself. You can use the mount screws for the charger as the ground assuming you screw into metal. Otherwise, find the nearest small screw going into metal and use a ring terminal on the ground wire.