Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - LED bulb at higher voltage question.
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gazelle
08-26-07, 07:19 PM
Hello,
I currently run a home made light set up using a 18V DeWalt battery which runs a maglight with a 18V bulb in it. I know that there are new LED replacement bulbs for maglights described as able to fit various number of battery lights therefore various voltages. My question is can I run one of these at 18V? If not how can I reduce the voltage to make them suitable?
Thank you in advance for your help,
Scott
Zero_Enigma
08-26-07, 09:49 PM
Hello,
I currently run a home made light set up using a 18V DeWalt battery which runs a maglight with a 18V bulb in it. I know that there are new LED replacement bulbs for maglights described as able to fit various number of battery lights therefore various voltages. My question is can I run one of these at 18V? If not how can I reduce the voltage to make them suitable?
Thank you in advance for your help,
Scott
No affiliation.
www.taskLED.com get a Nflex or blex. The regulator is a 'buck' meaning you need more power then the LED's requirement an the regulator wilbuck the voltage down to the right voltage and you get more run time.
WIth a 'boost' regulator then you can use less voltage and the regulator will bump the voltage to the right higher voltage if my understanding of this is correct bu tyou lose on run time.
Frankenbiker
08-27-07, 05:48 AM
+1 ZE
You would need to use a buck to drop the voltage/current down to what the LEDs can handle. The package for the Maglite LED drop-in says it is specifically designed for use with alkaline batteries and not to use rechargeable batteries. However some people have used Nimh successfully. The package also says that overvolting can cause premature burnout, shorting, overheating and other hazards.
The Maglite LED puts out a lot of heat and has a thermal management circuit inside that reduces output as it heats up. The light will rapidly dim to about 35-40% after ten minutes of use. So, its use as a headlight for bicycling may be limited.
At $18 for the lamp plus $30 for the buck plus shipping I think it's also a relatively expensive upgrade to extend the runtime, but with less light if used more than ten minutes.
For an excellent technical review and more information than you probably wanted to know:
MagLite 2C/2D 4D 3W LED drop-in Technical Review
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=119665&highlight=mag-led