webley445
Flashlight Enthusiast
Found a couple of old "tap lights" tucked away. These used 4AA. First I ran a wire between two of the batt terminals so that it is 3AA powered @ 4.5v, then took it apart via 4 tiny tiny screws in the base. Have done two of them so far and about to do the third, they originally came in a pack of four [can only find three though, bummer]. Used a white led for the first mod. Normally these lights use a small threaded incan bulb, which incidentally ran the batts down quickly and only offered a 2-3 hour runtime. I spliced in a wire off of the connections that were already there that ran to the socket for the original bulb. This allows for the light to be able to use original bulbs if so desired. Next wired the white led direct. There was a small gap in the formed plastic base of the light, so I was able to just "stuff" it in place and reassemble. This light is not made to handle heavy abuse, though a drop on the floor certainly won't destroy it. It works great and has a decent output when used in the dark. As with all led's, the darker it is, the better output you will have. It is great for in the middle of the night to provide soft lighting to make your way out of a room or whatever you need to do. The translucent plastic "shell" difuses the led's beam nicely, making the light soft and even, good for filling a room.
The second one utilizes one of those multi colored flashing leds that I got from Fiber Optic Products. This time though I just cut the wires going to the bulb's socket and hard wired the led to them, stuffed in place, and reassembled. Did the same modding in the batt compartment. The led flashes and changes colors a little faster than I would like, but it gives a great "rave" effect and makes a good "love light" if ya know what I mean /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I'll post pics as soon as I have the time to do so and add the whole mod process to my web page too.
This is a simple project that takes little time and effort but can really impress folks. I did it mainly for the longer runtime of the leds after my experience with the stock incan bulbs. I also saw some of these lights at Staples for $1.99, but they are two AA configuration, I suppose one could use a lower voltage led for them. I'm thinking of taking a closer look at one of them to see if maybe I can use a different power source. Hopefully a 9v can fit in there, and although many don't like using them, I am having great success using 1.5v or 3v wafer batts as an alternative power source in units that cannot fit or be modded to utilize different batts.
The second one utilizes one of those multi colored flashing leds that I got from Fiber Optic Products. This time though I just cut the wires going to the bulb's socket and hard wired the led to them, stuffed in place, and reassembled. Did the same modding in the batt compartment. The led flashes and changes colors a little faster than I would like, but it gives a great "rave" effect and makes a good "love light" if ya know what I mean /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I'll post pics as soon as I have the time to do so and add the whole mod process to my web page too.
This is a simple project that takes little time and effort but can really impress folks. I did it mainly for the longer runtime of the leds after my experience with the stock incan bulbs. I also saw some of these lights at Staples for $1.99, but they are two AA configuration, I suppose one could use a lower voltage led for them. I'm thinking of taking a closer look at one of them to see if maybe I can use a different power source. Hopefully a 9v can fit in there, and although many don't like using them, I am having great success using 1.5v or 3v wafer batts as an alternative power source in units that cannot fit or be modded to utilize different batts.
