My 3.5 million candlepower spotlight is but a glimmer

[Christine]

Just a quick question from an electricity dork: (OK, I'm just a girl)

 

 

I had a 3.5 million candlepower spotlight as a present and last year used it for tunnels, trips to the pub at nigfht and generally gooning about. Unfortunately I put it away in the boating box and didn't recharge it every 3 months as the label clearly states.

 

Now it will charge but tis but a glimmer for 5 minutes or so. I have taken it apart and find that it's got 2 mini lead acid batteries inside. No doubt they have sulphated but if I keep charging/discharging them will it improve matters or am I ...er....bu****ed?

 

Is it cheaper to buy a new one for 17 squids Screwfix (I keep losing my blooming pound sign from my keyboard) than replace the batteries? (2 x 6V, 4Ah sealed lead acid batteries)

 

edited to add link

Edited September 6, 2007 by Christine

[RobinJ]

Now it will charge but tis but a glimmer for 5 minutes or so. I have taken it apart and find that it's got 2 mini lead acid batteries inside. No doubt they have sulphated but if I keep charging/discharging them will it improve matters or am I ...er....bu****ed?

They don't like heat and don't like not being charged!

Dim light after charging, chances are at least one of the batteries has a cell gone (voltage will be low <4V).

Bright light for short period of time, chances are capacity of batteries has suffered (voltage may be over 6V).

Can replace the batteries, but price wise, more likely to be cheaper to buy a new light!

[Supermalc]

The curse of the recharable battery one of the main reasons most houses have drawers full of defunct mobile phones, garages full of cordless drill, saws etc. etc.

 

Then you find you are ripped off when you try buy a replacement battery.

[Christine]

Thank you Robin - I'll stop bothering with it.

 

Chris

[Dr Bradley]

Without being a battery expert, would it not be worth trying a bit of overcharging which may clear sulphation. If not, does anyone know where I can buy such things as it appears the batteries on my Dad's invalid scooter are dud?

[chris w]

Without being a battery expert, would it not be worth trying a bit of overcharging which may clear sulphation. If not, does anyone know where I can buy such things as it appears the batteries on my Dad's invalid scooter are dud?

 

Maplins have a good range of sealed lead acid batteries for scooters and large torches etc.see http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criter...rce=15&SD=Y

 

Chris

 

Is it cheaper to buy a new one for 17 squids Screwfix (I keep losing my blooming pound sign from my keyboard) than replace the batteries? (2 x 6V, 4Ah sealed lead acid batteries)

 

A new torch will probably be half the cost of replacing the sealed lead acid batteries.

 

Chris

Edited September 6, 2007 by chris w

[John Orentas]

Thank you Robin - I'll stop bothering with it.

 

Chris

 

 

Christine.

 

Don't just chuck it out, if it is a 12 volt job wire it directly to your boat electrics. It's too bright to take to the pub anyway.

[bottle]

Christine.

 

Don't just chuck it out, if it is a 12 volt job wire it directly to your boat electrics. It's too bright to take to the pub anyway.

 

I think they are 6v but you could use the 'in-car' charger that comes with them and wire it via that.

 

Probably be slightly over voltage for the lamp (bulb) but will still last for sometime.

[DHutch]

Or try and get some 'used' sealed lead acids, load of them get chucked out after a year in emergency lighting aplications.

- We got a stack of little sealed 6volt units for free at school for a project. Would proberbly be just the ticket for your torch.

 

 

Daniel

[Christine]

Thank you for all your thoughts.

 

Cap'n Tim is a lighting guy at the Theatre Royal, Brighton and has some! Thanks Daniel for that idea.

 

(Reports of the Land of the Midnight Sun will be coming in from the Avon area next week)

[Big Steve]

Without being a battery expert, would it not be worth trying a bit of overcharging which may clear sulphation. If not, does anyone know where I can buy such things as it appears the batteries on my Dad's invalid scooter are dud?

 

Try golf shops, golf cart batteries usually fit scooters and the big discount places sell them for about £30, 12v 20Ah. Failing that try Valley Batteries , Dewsbury. Very helpful, will do any battery known to mankind. Phone 01924 466035, they will probably do mail order.

 

 

For the torch try lead acid burgular alarm batteries, usually cheap and easy to get.

 

Hope this helps

[chris w]

Without being a battery expert, would it not be worth trying a bit of overcharging which may clear sulphation.

 

One has to be very careful with sealed battereies because overcharging can vent gasses. Although they are supposed to be "sealed", for safety reasons they would normally incorporate a built-in overpressure release valve. If this fires off, then any contents that are lost cannot be replaced (unlike wet lead acid versions of course) and hence the capacity of the sealed battery is reduced. My advice would be not to try to give an overcharge to sealed batteries.

 

Chris

[Dr Bradley]

Chris and Steve, thanks for the info - the Maplins ones don't look the right size for the compartment, but will take a look (and measurements) next time I'm in Leeds. The Dewsbury contact is just down the road so will be useful.

[pagan witch]

Without being a battery expert, would it not be worth trying a bit of overcharging which may clear sulphation. If not, does anyone know where I can buy such things as it appears the batteries on my Dad's invalid scooter are dud?

 

Try cpc.co.uk they sell all manner of stuff including batteries for golf buggies / scooters etc. You don't need an account, they deliver and you can order on-line.

[bargeeboy]

Now it will charge but tis but a glimmer for 5 minutes or so.

 

Seems as if you are getting more than sufficient light for a sociable tunnel light. I used a candle in a jar on the deck lid for many years.

[RLWP]

Ours, although only 0.5Million candlepower has the same disease, so I took the side off so as to enlighten the curious:

 

 

Black bit is a 6V lead acid battery, black bit in centre is a microswitch.

 

I quite like the circuit board thingy which is labelled 12-6 and seems to be the bit that drops the voltage. Its a bunch of diodes and resistors.

 

Richard

Edited September 11, 2007 by RLWP

[chris w]

Ours, although only 0.5Million candlepower has the same disease, so I took the side off so as to enlighten the curious:

 

 

Black bit is a 6V lead acid battery, black bit in centre is a microswitch.

 

I quite like the circuit board thingy which is labelled 12-6 and seems to be the bit that drops the voltage. Its a bunch of diodes and resistors.

 

Richard

 

 

If the battery is a 6v type, why would the voltage need to be dropped??? The circuit board is probably used to ensure the correct charging characteristics. Have a look on your charger, its output may be low voltage ac, not dc, so the diodes will be used to rectify the ac to dc and the resistors to set the correct charging current.

 

If you post an in-focus (!) close-up photo of the board I'll tell you exactly what it's doing.

 

Chris

Edited September 12, 2007 by chris w

[RLWP]

If the battery is a 6v type, why would the voltage need to be dropped??? The circuit board is probably used to ensure the correct charging characteristics. Have a look on your charger, its output may be low voltage ac, not dc, so the diodes will be used to rectify the ac to dc and the resistors to set the correct charging current.

 

If you post an in-focus (!) close-up photo of the board I'll tell you exactly what it's doing.

 

Chris

 

In focus is asking a lot of my mobile 'phone in the sun. The charger is just a lead that plugs into a 12v lighter socket. I'll have a go at scanning the circuit board for you.

 

Richard

[chris w]

The plug may just be a 12v cigar-lighter type or it may contain a switched-mode power supply (SWPS)- they are tiny nowadays. My TomTom SatNav unit has this. Normal looking cigar lighter plug but inside a SMPS giving out a stable 5v to run the TomTom.

 

If it is just a lead with no SMPS then yes the board will be delivering the correct voltage (and current) at which to charge the flashlight battery. I misunderstood and had assumed it had a mains charger.

 

Chris

[Big Steve]

Just found this lot while searching for some sub C's to repair a cordless drill, much cheaper than anywhere else I've looked (< 1/2 price of Maplin)http://www.eurobatteries.com/sitepages/sla.asp

 

Steve

[DHutch]

Did you get some sub-c's?

[Big Steve]

Did you get some sub-c's?

 

Not yet, 'cos my sister has a dodgy horse shearing thingy which is dead. When she brings it to show me next week , it might just have sub c's in it, and if I can get the order over 20 then I get 20% discount. So I'm waiting a bit, but at £1.75 each they are a bargain!

 

Steve

[DHutch]

Yeah sounds fair enough, i used to have a source of sub-c batterys, but i looked after i posted and the company seams to have folded.

 

They where a small matching company, who bought a large batch of batterys from gp, ran them though a matching system to skim the best 10% of the cells to make rc car packs out off.

- There then sold on the remain batterys at a very reasonable price, having also removed the worst 10% of cells.

 

 

Daniel.

[BigRoj]

I have one of the 3.5million candle power torches and had it apart to see what was what, as you do .

The 2 6v 4ah batteries occupy the same space as a 12v 7ah battery, so I bought and fitted one (£15). The bulb is a 12v 100w H3 type, so to increase the time between charges I bought a 12v 55w H3 bulb (£2), as fitted in most car spot and fog lights. The decrease in light output is barely discernable with such a big reflector. If you're using the torch a lot it is a well worthwhile mod.

 

Next thing is to see if a HID and slimline ballast will fit, as they come in pretty colours too (Downside is it would cost about £60, for what is essentially a 'toy')

[Big Steve]

Next thing is to see if a HID and slimline ballast will fit, as they come in pretty colours too (Downside is it would cost about £60, for what is essentially a 'toy')

 

 

What's that then?