En Lighten Me

[morton]

Recently got a Maglight LED upgrade module (bulb to me). Package indicated it was for a 2 or 3 cell light. No new wiring or any other mods needed, just replace and go.

The difference was amazing. I thought my Maglight was pretty good, but this module dramatically increased the distance and brightness.

My question is, are there bulbs/modules available for bike lights that don't require rewiring or other add ons to work? I have a couple of the what I call pumpkin lights that could sure use something like this.

 

[tripple3]

I say yes.
I have seen them but don't have a link.
LED is the best upgrade ever.

 

[deepsouth]

Superbrightleds.com. has a 1 watt LED bulb that is a direct replacement for regular bulbs.

 

[Duchess]

Yes, if you know which style bulb you'll need, you can very likely find a replacement with resistors built in. Battery life will improve dramatically.

 

[morton]

Superbrightleds.com. has a 1 watt LED bulb that is a direct replacement for regular bulbs.

Thanks for the link.

Here is the page for flashlights: https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/flashlight-bulbs/ Still a bit pricey though. Maybe less as time goes on.

One of the questions I forgot to ask concerned heat. I thought I read somewhere that they are hotter than regular bulbs?

 

[gymmanager]

@morton I’ve been wanting to convert a few lights to LED but at nearly $10 a bulb, was always scared off by the price. Did some digging and found these a few days ago for $3.77 plus shipping for 3 bulbs and figured at that price there wasn’t really anything to lose. Not as bright as the $10 Superbrightleds.com. bulbs (25 lumens vs 110 lumens) but they’re about 1/10 the cost too! What I like is these are rated at 1.5 -3 volt, in other words they will work for lights with either 1 battery or 2 batteries, so they’re pretty versatile. I got them in the mail today, threw them in and they are killer - at least 2-3 times brighter than stock.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/153057796/new-bright-25-lumens-led-upgrade-bulb?ref=hp_rv-2
Here’s the copy from the guys ad: This set of THREE LED conversion bulbs are for vintage viewers or any old flashlighst that you want to upgrade to the safer, longer lasting led technology! This drop-in LED Replacement Bulb will convert most 1 and 2-cell flashlights that use a 222 or 112 bulb (E10) into an LED flashlight. This screw base bulb is rated between 1.5 to 3.0 volts. It works with any size batteries. A,AA,AAA,C, D cells, even the tiny watch batteries as long as the voltage does not surpass the 3.0 Volt mark.
Much brighter than the original bulb and lasts about 10 years or 10,000 hours of use.

Here the same seller offers 65 lumen bulbs for $3 if you want a brighter light. To be honest I’m happy with the 25 lumen jobs but if you have doubts, pay a bit more and get the brighter bulb. With shipping included it works out to about $5 a bulb for the brighter model - still expensive for what it is, but at least it’s not $10 each, plus shipping.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/449973...ade-bulb-222-112?ref=shop_home_active_5&sca=1

 

[piercer_99]

These are pretty sweet, 3v (2 D batteries), 5 LEDs on it, daylight is the color and bright.

About $2.00 each on Ebay





Here is one in my wife's Elgin's Delta Winner

 

[Brutuskend]

I have modded several lights from incandescent to led bulbs. Also from D cell batteries to C cell batteries.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

For a bicycle light, a first step is to determine the batteries supported by the fixture. Typically these are two (2) D-cell batteries in series, or 3 volts total. One may use battery adapters to convert each D-cell to three (3) AA cells at 4.5 volts per cell or 9.0 volts total, (with two adapters). But these are only a higher power option.

From there, one may choose from either a low power 3-volt LED bulb replacement, or the ~9 volt version with the adapters, (or any other particular combination of battery volts that add-up to the voltage rating or range specified by the LED bulbs).
Also one needs to check the mechanical interfaces of the bulbs, I believe E10 is for a candelabra screw, and something else for the thread-less type. Draco Products is a seller who I have bought from.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_ssn=draco-product
Another factor is the reflector. Some lower-power LEDs aim light in the forward direction only, so any parabolic reflector might not be employed to focus the light; some bulbs (post-7) emit light sideways to be used with parabolic reflectors.

 

[piercer_99]

also, not all led replacement bulbs are equal.

some you need to turn your batteries around as the continuity for negative and positive are reversed on them.