Help... using 9.6v pack for a 6v headlamp

OK, be gentle... I am completely new at this. I was looking through some of my old stuff and found an old Everlast headlamp. Just a cheap one, but I remember it was always really bright. I used it for watching wildlife after dark.

Well, I saw what the lantern batteries now cost, and I have a lot of those 9.6v rechargeable packs that go in my kids' remote controlled toys and figured that those would be just the thing... I could use the lamp and rotate the batteries as needed, keeping the cost down. I took the end off of one of the chargers, adapted the headlamp wire to use the end, and 'voila', the battery snapped on.

I shined it for a few seconds in my basement and was impressed with the light output; I then went outside to see how far the beam would throw, and when I turned it on it flashed for a second then went dark. I took the bulb out, and I don't see where it is burned out but I assume that's what happened. It says on it "Norelco PR13, IE4".

So, I was wondering, is there a particular type of bulb I should get to replace the bulb to make it work? I need strong light output and pretty good battery life for this headlamp; several hours per battery.

Any ideas on how I can rig this into my ultimate headlamp?

Digger, Welcome to CPF!
"Why don't you stay for a while"

Let me guess the you got an 8cell 9.6V NiCd pack something in a size of 4"x2"x0.5" with capacity of < 1000mAh.

Normally, most ppls would recommend a Welch Allen 1185 bulb (aka WA1185) for the most light output. However, I don't think your batteries can handle this high output bulb. Besides I don't think you want something that last only for 15 minutes.

I recommend you try a WA1171, WA1306 they should last an hour, however these are bi-pin. Then you have to purchase a PR-bipin adapter, more $$$ wasted.

So in conclusion to keep the cost down and simplify your life try a Carley 601 or 717. Runtime on these should be over an hour. You could purchase them directly from Carley @ www.carleylamps.com

Thanks modamag;

You are exactly right with the battery assessment.

I was hoping for a little more runtime from the system. I was happy with the 6v bulb and the 6v lantern battery output; I was hoping to be able to go with the rechargeable NiCad pack for the battery savings and convenience (lighter weight, and fits in a back pocket). Is there a way I could put an inline resistor or something in the current path to lower the voltage to about 6v, so I could use the bulb that is intended for the lamp? Hopefully that would give me more runtime, and the battery would last longer... or is there more to it than that?