Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Reviving an old Niterider 6v System

I dug up an old 6V (non-digital) system I used several years ago. I tried putting some alkalines in the bottle pack but no joy. I finally figured out the barrel connector going into the headlamp was bad. But I found the the tail light and used that wire on the headlight and it works! I'm thinking of going with a 7.2v pack and putting this thing back in service. I have a question that's important, especially since I'm planning on over volting the thing. Are there any inexpensive replacement lamps (I believe they're MR11) I can use that will fit in the NiteRider head or am I stuck with buying their $20 bulbs? If the latter is true, then I'll probably just go with a small pack so I can use the tail light--it's pretty damn bright and would make a good companion for my SuperFlash.

I dug up an old 6V (non-digital) system I used several years ago. I tried putting some alkalines in the bottle pack but no joy. I finally figured out the barrel connector going into the headlamp was bad. But I found the the tail light and used that wire on the headlight and it works! I'm thinking of going with a 7.2v pack and putting this thing back in service. I have a question that's important, especially since I'm planning on over volting the thing. Are there any inexpensive replacement lamps (I believe they're MR11) I can use that will fit in the NiteRider head or am I stuck with buying their $20 bulbs? If the latter is true, then I'll probably just go with a small pack so I can use the tail light--it's pretty damn bright and would make a good companion for my SuperFlash.

Battery Space sells very good MR11 bulbs in several wattages. BulbEtc.com is another good source. The bulbs are usually around $4 each.

Call these guys. http://www.batteryspace.com/ I see someone else has already mentioned them.
I got a 6 volt MR11C 15 watt bulb for my niterider digital HeadTrip light (it's not shown on their site, so you have to ask them for it) part# HL-6V15W12DEGS. $2.99 plus shipping. It's the 12 degree spot.
They also have a 24 degree floodlight bulb, I got one , but I think it's way too broad of a beam.
They're very helpful, and I had it in 3 days.
Also got a replacement battery pack from them. 6 volt, about $28. It's working like new now, I couldn't be happier! I love the light.

Good luck,
2Fer

If you are technically inclined maybe you could look into the possibility of modifying the lamp and fit it with a Cree LED or something else. they use less voltage.

I appreciate the pointers to batteryspace.com--they seem to have a good selection. So is it safe to assume that all those 2-pin MR-11s will fit in the NiteRider head unit without having to do some modificaiton? I figured the $20 price tag on the NR bulbs was due to some proprietary set-up. That will be great if I can just drop a $3.00 bulb in there--that will allow me to experiment between a spot and a flood.


If you are technically inclined maybe you could look into the possibility of modifying the lamp and fit it with a Cree LED or something else. they use less voltage. I'm from the Tim Taylor school of D-I-Y if you know what I mean! :)

The NiteRider 6V bulbs are actually custom 4.8 volt bulbs ( have never been able to find them on the web). They are over-volted by 20% with the 6V battery pack. They are also a 10° spot. If you are going to go with the 7.2V battery pack then the regular 6V MR11 bulbs you can get on the web can be used which works out to 17% over-volting.

If you go with the available 6V MR11 bulbs from batteryspace and your original 6V battery pack you will be very disappointed with the light output.

I appreciate the pointers to batteryspace.com--they seem to have a good selection. So is it safe to assume that all those 2-pin MR-11s will fit in the NiteRider head unit without having to do some modificaiton? I figured the $20 price tag on the NR bulbs was do to some proprietary set-up. That will be great if I can just drop a $3.00 bulb in there--that will allow me to experiment between a spot and a flood.


Yes. The MR11 from BatterySpace will fit the socket. I've used their bulbs in this application before. Do get a 7.2V battery for best results (BatterySpace sells them too). The bulbs are cheap enough you can experiment with higher wattage bulbs too. Less run time but more light.

The NiteRider 6V bulbs are actually custom 4.8 volt bulbs ( have never been able to find them on the web).

How about here?:

http://www.niterider.com/store_bulbs.shtml

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll go with 8.4v or 9.6 or .........:)

The bulbs are cheap enough you can experiment with higher wattage bulbs too. Less run time but more light.

Yea, I like that aspect. I don't need a lot of run time. My morning commute (I start at 0545) is only 20-22 minutes unless we have a front passing through (like now) and I have to fight a 15-20mph headwind. But even then, I'm looking at 30 minutes tops. So I'm hoping I can use one of the fairly inexpensive AA based battery packs. I used an RC pack from Radio Shack for a lighting system several years ago but they don't seem to have as many on their website as they used to (or they are hiding them from me). I may just try something real cheap as a test--use my existing stash of rechargeable AAs with some inexpensive battery holders.

Thanks again to all!

I've run into a slight sticking point. I can't figure out the right tool to open up the lamp head. They appear to be hex-head bolts but I've tried both my metric and standard sets and nothing seems to fit. With the metrics, the 2.0 is too small and the 2.5 is too big. Similar result in the other set. Any ideas?

My old Niterider dual lamp (12w & 20w) light head takes a 7/64 Allen wrench. May be different fasteners than yours though as on mine a 2.5mm is too small and a 3mm too large. Double check that yours is not something like Torx head fasteners.

How about here?:

http://www.niterider.com/store_bulbs.shtml

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll go with 8.4v or 9.6 or .........:)


Other than the NiteRider ($20) or TurboCat ($28) stores is what I mean. A place like batteryspace.com with $3 replacement bulbs.

My old Niterider dual lamp (12w & 20w) light head takes a 7/64 Allen wrench.

That's sounds like what I may need because my set goes from 5/64 (too small) to 3/32 (too big). I'll check the tool room at work today to see if we have one. Thanks!

Other than the NiteRider ($20) or TurboCat ($28) stores is what I mean. A place like batteryspace.com with $3 replacement bulbs.

Once again I deserve the oft heard reply from my granddaughter: "Duh, g-pa!":)

If you really feel like messing around, you could probably find a CREE high-output LED from a site like www.dealextreme.com and get more output/better battery life than the original...

Once again I deserve the oft heard reply from my granddaughter: "Duh, g-pa!":)

When you use the bulbs from BatterySpace, take the heat shield off the back of the Niterider light. You can put it back on the new bulb with a little high temp silicon sealant. It helps keep the wires inside the lamp body a little cooler.

Yea, I like that aspect. I don't need a lot of run time. My morning commute (I start at 0545) is only 20-22 minutes unless we have a front passing through (like now) and I have to fight a 15-20mph headwind. But even then, I'm looking at 30 minutes tops. So I'm hoping I can use one of the fairly inexpensive AA based battery packs. I used an RC pack from Radio Shack for a lighting system several years ago but they don't seem to have as many on their website as they used to (or they are hiding them from me). I may just try something real cheap as a test--use my existing stash of rechargeable AAs with some inexpensive battery holders.

Thanks again to all!

BatterySpace (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=703) is your friend;)

My old Niterider dual lamp (12w & 20w) light head takes a 7/64 Allen wrench. .

We have a winner!!! 7/64 turned out to be the lucky number. Thanks for the help!

I'm going to order both spot and flood 15W lamps for my first test.

BatterySpace (http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=703) is your friend;)

Yea, I've been all over that page as well as the 8.4v page. Lot's of possibilities there.

My light is operational as of tonight and it cost me about $4.00. I bought a battery holder from Radio Shack that holds eight AAs. I also bought a pack of 9v snap connectors. I wired up the plug, put in eight NiMH AAs, and fired it up. Wow! But since CigarDad identified the NR bulb as actually being 4.8v, I figured it probably wasn't a good idea to overvolt it by 50% for long. So I put a jumper in the battery pack so that I could take out two of the batteries. The resultant output seemed to be similar to what I get from my Romisen flashlight. I'm looking forward to trying this out with some higher wattage bulbs.

Now to work on a helmet mount for the Romisen.