Is there a well accepted definition of what a "hotwire" is? I see the term "Hotwire Mag" quite a bit but after 20 minutes of searching a clear definition and example escapes me.
I use it generally to describe anything where you upgrade the battery to give more power and upgrade the bulb to use that power. Example, replacing 2 D cells with 6 AA NiMH cells and upgrading the stock bulb for a 6-cell bulb. However, I have no idea if I'm using the term "Hotwire" correctly here. I assume things like ROP ang M@g85 would qualify.
Hotwires generally put out a lot of light in a small package. The bulbs are overdriven so that the current exceeds the bulb maufacturers rating. The idea is to drive the bulb to the ragged edge. The light output is extremely bright and white. Take any standard flashlight from any manufacturer and put a higher output bulb and higher current batteries in it and you have a hotwire. I would say to qualify as a hotwire the bulb must have a filament, otherwise it woud be a hotemitter.
Ah...just as I thought. Has slightly different meaning from person to person but same general principal. I liken it to "overclocking" one's PC by adding voltage and increasing cycles in the CPU, FSB or GPU. This I'm familiar with.
A more correct analogy is replacing your old CPU with a more powerful CPU or the most powerful CPU that your mother board can handle, and then over-clocking it.