lightcrazed
Newly Enlightened
My first mod is up and working! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I had a Bosch 3310 cordless drill which had died mechanically,about 6 months after I bought 2 new batteries for it-90 bucks.When I found CPF I started thinking about what I had on hand to modify,and this was a great candidate-it had been sitting in the garage unused for a year.I took the motor and gearbox out of it,cut down a 3D mag body to a length I liked,removed the switch and tailcap,and bored an extra hole in the body to pass the wires up from the drill trigger( it's a T-handle drill). With the encouragement of Quickbeam and Chief Wiggum /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif I installed a 50 watt low voltage(to the lighting industry,but not here /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif)MR16 bulb. The MR16 fits right in a Mag head,and the fixtures in my kitchen ceiling came with tempered glass covers which hold the bulb snugly in the Mag.Turn it on and look out-this sucker is bright! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif It throws a 24 degree beam quite a distance. Naturally I wanted to try something narrower,so I picked up a 15 degree bulb and put that in.(There are many different MR16 bulbs,and they all just plug in to a socket.) Now my light throws hundreds of feet, and still illuminates a pretty wide area.Wahoo! I decided to check the runtime-it's drawing 4.2 amps-and put a rubber band around the trigger.The light was not real bright,and I wondered if the battery was dying. Then I realized that the drill was variable speed,trigger controlled,and when I squeezed it hard it went back to pain bright. (Don't get excited /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif) On a fully charged battery it runs 20 minutes before starting to dim,putting out a very white light.I have 2 batteries and a charger,plus a case I can hack a bit to make it fit. I'm happy. She ugly,but she sho' can cook!
Thanks for letting me share. I will admit that the Mag head got too hot during the runtime test,which I did with a small clamp on the trigger.50 watt MR16s run hot.That wouldn't be an issue during normal use.I would like to figure a way to switch it on,other than holding the trigger constantly. I'd also like to increase the runtime. I'm thinking about switching to LEDs,but have no experience with them. There are some commercially available LED MR16s,but I have the feeling they're not real bright.Does anyone here know? I've been thinking about using one of Wayne J.'s 3X3 LS lights,but in PM I've been having a hard time explaining what's going on. I know he's also busy turning out his fine instruments. I've been having a lot of fun with this. Glad I found CPF.
John
Thanks for letting me share. I will admit that the Mag head got too hot during the runtime test,which I did with a small clamp on the trigger.50 watt MR16s run hot.That wouldn't be an issue during normal use.I would like to figure a way to switch it on,other than holding the trigger constantly. I'd also like to increase the runtime. I'm thinking about switching to LEDs,but have no experience with them. There are some commercially available LED MR16s,but I have the feeling they're not real bright.Does anyone here know? I've been thinking about using one of Wayne J.'s 3X3 LS lights,but in PM I've been having a hard time explaining what's going on. I know he's also busy turning out his fine instruments. I've been having a lot of fun with this. Glad I found CPF.
John
