Originally Posted by EricDJ
Anyone who is an electonics person with amps and volts out there. Wondering if there is a way to update some old lighting that I have had since 89/90. The front light takes a Halogen Bulb that is 2.5V - 0.5A. The rear is a small screw in style that is 2.5v and 0.3amp. Is there a way to get a brighter bulb like an LED? I'm getting new lights for the road bike, but If these can keep on going, why not use em. They are ok as is, but if they can be improved, i'm all for trying it.
I'm surprised those things still work for you. If you open them, especially the rear light, you will see several chromed springy steel connectors that also happen to act as wires to bring power to the bulb, and at least two of them are held together with a small melted plastic post! That's very very cheesy, and if you so much as look at the contact too much, it stops working.
What I'm driving at is, the moment you start hacking the thing, it'll stop working. If you solder something to the steel connector, it'll pop right off, and/or stop working. If you make a LED-based replacement with the butt of an old bulb, yes, it's doable, the circuit is really simple (one LED and one resistor), but it's not worth the effort. As for the front light, you'll never get something brighter than a single bulb with a single led without a well-designed reflector.
In short, get yourself a nice LED front light (my choice would be the Cateye EL-500: it's amazingly bright, long lived, and affordable) and some cheap rear LED light (Walmart is good enough if you're cheap). For under $50, you'll have more than adequate lighting.