Old Kel-lite... What to do

Rocketman223

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Jan 22, 2008
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Just found my old Kel-lite in the garage.:) Sure can fit alot of C cells in there. Give me some suggestions on mods, what would you do?
Thanks
Ed
 

Chrontius

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What kind of bulbs does it take?

The reflector plastic or aluminum?
The window polycarbonate or glass?
 

Chrontius

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That's good, since a metal reflector would be harder to find than a glass window for something out of production.

Potted bulbs give good flexibility, when you consider the bi-pin adapters out there.

Could go find some LSD NiMH C-cells (More than 2500 mAH! Those are just AA cells with spacers!) and make a really, really long running ROP - this would be fairly cheap, and a good starting point.

Alternately, you could get some of AW's lithium C cells, and find some highish-voltage bulb (22.2 for 6 cells, 18.5 for 5 - AW cells are a little longer than normal cells.) - this could be something simply blistering.
 

BreathingMeat

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I need to resurrect this thread...

I, too, just ran across an old 5 x C-cell Kel-Lite while "cleaning" the garage.

Question is: What's the hot ticket for a 7.5V. PR-12 led replacement bulb these days?

(don't need to start fires with it, really more interested in run time)

Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.

<edit> I'm looking at the Terralux TLE-6EX, but I'm not sure what sort of beam pattern to expect as this drop-in was meant for a variable focus Mag and the Kel-Lite is fixed.
 
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swampgator

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You could go with a ROP bulb but at 5 Cells (6V) you wouldn't be overdriving it any, so I'm not sure what the lumen output would be.

Edit: LexLuthor's Bulb Destruction Thread shows 290 lumen for the ROP low bulb & 600 lumen for the ROP high bulb at 6V. However you'd need a high drain rechargeables to handle the current draw.
 
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BreathingMeat

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You could go with a ROP bulb but at 5 Cells (6V) you wouldn't be overdriving it any, so I'm not sure what the lumen output would be.
...

Interesting. Not being a flashaholic, I had to read up on the whole ROP thing. Looks like I'd need to find a 43 or 44mm glass lens from somewhere. Doesn't appear to be a common size. The reflector is metal, so I've got that going for me at least.

<edit> Darn it! Now you got me thinking... What would be the recommended battery type (in a C-cell) for this sort of thing?
 
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