# Cabela's dual power headlamp upgrade?



## Germ (Nov 15, 2007)

I'm the official flashlight nut at work  One of the guys dropped off a Cabela's dual power source rechargeable headlamp and asked if I could do something with it. This is what it looks like:







And the bulbs:






Cablela's link

I know what you are thinking, "$19.99? Forget it and get another headlamp." He has another headlamp, he just wants this one to be more usable, as in brighter. I like a challenge and I hope you all can help.

The light uses a 5v bi-pin lamp. The power sources are either 4 AA batteries or the rechargeable pack that has 5 batteries in it and says 6v. There is a smaller bi-pin lamp too (looks like it would work in a AA MagLite), but he is really only concerned with improving the larger lamp. Runtime with the large lamp is 1 hour. The light is not very bright and the beam is awful.

Can anyone think of some suitable bi-pin replacement candidates? Could there possibly be any LED bi-pins that would drop in? I suppose a LED could be directly driven by using 3 AA's and a dummy.

I checked and the reflector from a D cell MagLite will drop in perfectly if the cam is taken off. The guy said he can live without the small bulb, so using a Mag reflector might be an option for cleaning up the beam some.

I imagine this light is a re-brand. Does anyone know who makes this light?

Thanks for any help!


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## Gunner12 (Nov 15, 2007)

How much space do you have within that front part of the headlamp?

If there is enough space, you could place in a chunk of metal and a driver connected to a two stage clicke for high and low, or a multimode driver.

I don't know if the light is rebranded or not.


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## Germ (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks Gunner12. It is pretty roomy inside the front part. It is about as roomy as inside a D cell Mag head.

It looks like the headlamp was made by "Ultimate-Lite". The owner said it is about a year old.

Where is a good place to look for bi-pin lamps? I assembled a Mag 2C using 2 18500 batteries and a 6 cell Xenon lamp for the same guy and he likes that light. Since he likes that one that is what I'm shooting for for output with the headlamp.


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## Gunner12 (Nov 17, 2007)

I was actually thinking of a more maglite like mod. A heatsink, a buck driver(Multimode?) and a Seoul P4.

I don't think there are any Bi-pin drop-ins that will work for this situation.

I don't know anything about this light so everything I say is guesswork.

About the 2 18500 mod you made for him, I've think that a 5 Cell bulb would be brighter(slightly overdriven). I have a 2D light with 2 18650 batteries and the 5-Cell Maglite Magnum bulb in the light and it seems to work well, pretty white too.

A Seoul driven at around 1 amp might be close to it's(the 2 18500 mod) output.


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## Germ (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks again Gunner12. Do you have any links for the LED components and perhaps some how-to's?

I asked the guy and the budget is probably around $20 max for the upgrade. We have access to a machine shop and computer aided drafting equipment.

All the mods I've done so far have been just assemblies. I haven't done any soldering yet. I always like whatever I do to be reversable and non-destructive to the existing components.


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## Gunner12 (Nov 17, 2007)

Humm, $20 price range. A reversible mod of a headlamp would be hard, even with a higher budget.

Seoul P4, How does the light turn on? Clicke I presume. If yes, reverse or forward. This would help determine the driver used.

Also is it possible to upload a picture of the insides of the headlamp?

I'd suggest practicing soldering a bit before trying this mod. The 2 Weeks to a month shipping time from DX should give you enough time to practice.


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## Germ (Nov 18, 2007)

Thanks Gunner12. It is a reverse clicky. The big lamp comes on first, then the little lamp, then off. Here is a pic of the inside:


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## Gunner12 (Nov 18, 2007)

I think a Maglite Reflector would work better since there will be less artifacts from the small reflector.

Is the switch a two stage clickie or is there a separate switch for the smaller lamp?

If it is a normal on-off clickie, that would make it easier to change modes. If not, then there would have to be some way to work around that(Two LEDs?).

I think a correctly sized metal disc would work as a heatsink.


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## Germ (Nov 18, 2007)

There is one switch for both bulbs. It is a reverse clicky. First the big bulb comes on, then the small bulb, then off.

If I go with LED's I was thinking to replace the small bulb with a red LED or maybe a white one. Could the small LED be direct driven by the 4 cells, or would that overdrive it too much?

What circuit would you recommend for the big LED?

The owner was probably thinking that I would just replace the big lamp with a more powerful bi-pin lamp. I could go for that too as it would be a simpler upgrade. Maybe frost the bulb to cut down on artifacts.


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## Gunner12 (Nov 18, 2007)

6V will be too much for a single die LED. So you can't direct drive the LED.

Kaidomain does have more powerful 6V bulbs, but you'll also get shorter runtime. First page of the Flashlight DIY.

If you want to surprise him with LEDs, this driver(Or this one if you don't need four drivers) with a Seoul P4 should work fine as the main bulb replacement. Maybe two 5mm white LEDs in series as the small lamp replacement.


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## jzmtl (Nov 18, 2007)

Mod the battery pack to 12 volts and put in a bi pin halogen bulb (the type for desk lamps)? They come in from 10 up to 50w.


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## mdocod (Nov 18, 2007)

Um.... I have a diffrent solution to this...

My gut tells me a standard G4 bi-pin lamp will fit in that sucker just fine.

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3793

get a reflector something like that to help clean up the beam on it.

have your friend try out these:
http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3075
run it on 3xAA NIMH (alkaline won't work here, too much current). Eneloops probably a good bet here. ..

If that doesn't satisfy, try out a Magcharger bulb on the 5 cell pack, use NIMH here to increase runtime (I assume the stock pack is a low capacity NiCd). Don't forget to replace lens with something glass if you can, as this power class might start to melt things.... If it IS a G4 bi-pin (check to see that pin spacing is about 4mm) then you have a lot of options... but some of them might be too much for what that little plastic housing can handle... theoretically, 1500+ bulb lumens is possible there with the right bulb and enough juice. But that might be a bit overkill.


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## Germ (Nov 18, 2007)

Thanks guys.

The light uses a plastic lens that doesn't appear to be replaceable. It looks like it is glued in and the has rubber molded over it.

jzmtl, what were you thinking of to modify the battery pack to 12v?

Are there any moderate output 5v bi-pin lamps? I don't think extreme output is the goal. The owner uses the light while deer and boar hunting.


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## mdocod (Nov 18, 2007)

but I thought you said:


> I checked and the reflector from a D cell MagLite will drop in perfectly if the cam is taken off.


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## Gunner12 (Nov 18, 2007)

The reason I suggested the LED mod was for good output and relatively good runtime. But yes, it might be more complex then it needs to be.

A moderate output incan, if the bulb is a G4 bulb, then this bulb might work.


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## Germ (Nov 18, 2007)

mdocod said:


> but I thought you said:


 
Sorry mdocod, I wrote "reflector" in my last post when I meant to write "lens". I must not be getting enough sleep. The reflector pops right out and can be seen in the pic showing the insides of the light. The lens is plastic and doesn't look like it is removeable.

Gunner12, using LED's is a fantastic idea, but may be out of my league. I'm definately thinking about it though.


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## jzmtl (Nov 19, 2007)

Germ said:


> jzmtl, what were you thinking of to modify the battery pack to 12v?


 
I was just thinking out loud. But now that I thought about it again, the heat from halogen bulb would be unbearable if it's right on your forehead, so that idea is out.


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## grundan (Jan 2, 2008)

i know this is an old thread but, i have this same light and was wondering what size the small bulb is and a good place to order them


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## Germ (Jan 2, 2008)

grundan, If you just want to replace the small bulb with the stock one it looks like Cabela's still sells the large and small bulb together for $2.99:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&rid=&parentType=&indexId=cat20160&hasJS=true

I haven't done anything on this project because of Christmas. I took a look at the large bulb, and duh, it says 6V 5W on it. If I wanted to keep the headlamp incandescent it looks like a 6 volt 7.5 watt lamp from a Princeton Tec Surge or Torrent would work ($6.95 at Brightguy). lightbulbemporium.com has a 6 volt 6 watt and a 6 volt 8 watt G4 lamps made by Ushio for $3.50. Any more than 8 watts would probably melt the plastic reflector.

The light has a awful beam though with huge artifacts. I don't think the beam would be acceptable unless I frost the bulb, sputter the reflector, put a diffusing filter on the lens, or get an orange peeled reflector.

To really do the light right I think a LED setup would be best, I don't know if it would be worth it though. The owner told me this morning that he will probably get something else and that I could have this one if I wanted. Personally, I think I would just get something else unless I just wanted to do a project.


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## grundan (Jan 2, 2008)

thanks, i should have looked there in the first place. i have went everywhere here in town i could think of looking for that small bulb and it must be an odd ball bulb or something.?

this is a cool site, ive been reading a lot on here today. thanks again


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## Germ (Jan 3, 2008)

grundan said:


> thanks, i should have looked there in the first place. i have went everywhere here in town i could think of looking for that small bulb and it must be an odd ball bulb or something.?
> 
> this is a cool site, ive been reading a lot on here today. thanks again


 
From what I've seen you'd be hard pressed to find bi-pin bulbs like these in a brick and mortar store.

Candlepowerforums is an incredible site. Hold onto your wallet though! No one will steal your money, you'll just see so many toys (er, I mean tools) that you will want to buy.

I sputtered the reflector with a couple of light coats of Rustoleum crystal clear enamel and that helped blend out the artifacts. Later I realized I could adjust the beam by not tightening down the head all the way so I can focus a real round hotspot instead of the horseshoe hotspot you get when tightened down all the way. The beam is starting to look respectable.

I tried swapping four Energizer lithiums for the four Duracell alkalines thinking that would up the voltage a tad, but that didn't brighten the light any. The light is brighter on the five cell rechargeable pack. Maybe I'll have LuxLuthor make a five cell Eneloop pack. I could also wire one more battery battery in series in the loose pack to make that one five cell also.

Can anyone guess the base type of the small bulb? I want to order the 6 and 8 watt G4 lamps from lightbulbemporium.com. They have a $10 minimum order, so I may as well order a spare, maybe brighter, small bulb too.


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## TMorita (Jan 3, 2008)

I've done 5-6 incan-to-headlamp conversions, and here's a list of steps I go through to do a conversion.

The first phase is to determine whether the headlamp is suitable for conversion or not.

The first step of this phase is to determine the focal point of the reflector. You want to look a the filament of the bulb, and check where it is in relation to the bottom of the reflector. If it’s pretty low, you can probably use a small .030 spacer from the Sandwich Shoppe and it will be an easy conversion. If it’s pretty high, then you will need to either stack multiple .030 spacers or build your own, which is more complicated.

The second step of this phase is to determine if there’s room to mount a star in the headlamp. Ideally, you don’t want to mount the star flush with the headlamp body for better heat dissipation. I usually check to see if I can mount the star with a few washers behind it as spacers.

If there’s room to mount a star, you can drive the emitter at 350ma and it’ll be fine. If there’s not enough room to mount a star and you can only use a bare emitter, then you’ll be limited to about 150 ma of drive current to avoid overheating the emitter.

The third step of this phase is to consider if there’s room for a driver board. I usually consider four choices: a Micropuck, a DealExtreme driver board, a Sandwich Shoppe driver board, or just a bunch of resistors.

If there’s a lot of room, and cheap Micropuck is an option, and it can be drive in any of buck, boost, or buck/boost modes, so it can work with 3v to 6v headlamps very easily. If there’s not enough room for a Micropuck, then I check if a DealExtreme driver board will fit, which are 0.8 inches (I think) in diameter. If there’s not enough for that, I consider a Sandwich Shoppe board, which are 0.55 inches (I think) in diameter. If the headlamp battery is 4.5 volts or 6 volts and space is extremely limited, then it may be possible to use a one or more resistors to do current-limiting instead. If cost is a limiting factor, then the resistors may be the best option.

After these steps, I know pretty much how the conversion can be done, and decide whether to do it, and the second phase is to actually do the conversion.

The first step of this phase is to modify the reflector. I usually ream it out with a reaming tool. I hold the reamer in my left hand, and put the tip through the reflector, then slowly turn the reflector with my right hand while keeping it perpendicular to the reamer. I usually try to go slowly, because otherwise the hole will wind up not centered in the reflector. I ream out enough so the black base of the emitter will go through the hole, then I clean up the edges of the hole with small round needle file and remove any excess bits of reflector coating.

The third step of this phase is to modify the emitter and star, if using the star. I remove the emitter from the star, then bend the leads flush with the body so the entire base can go through the reflector, if necessary. I then use a bench power supply (set at 3.0 – 3.5 volts) to power the emitter and check how high the emitter needs to be in the reflector to focus properly. If you don’t have a bench power supply, you can build a 3 volt power supply, either from a single CR123 cell or two AA cells. I build a spacer at this point from either copper or aluminum (because it transmits heat well) and use thermal epoxy to attach it to the bottom of the emitter, then use thermal grease between the bottom of the spacer and the star, then solder the emitter down to the star. After it’s built, I power up the LED again and check for focus, and if necessary, build a taller one or shorter spacer and remount it.

The fourth step of this phase is to mount the star in the headlamp body (if using a star). Some headlamps have three screws in the right position (like the Ray-o-vac Sportsman’s headlamp) but for most headlamps you need to create your own mounting holes. It may be necessary to remove some bits of plastic to create a flat surface to mount the star. I usually put a small piece of masking tape on the lamp body, then press the star against it and use a marker to mark three hole positions. I then use a small finger drill from Radio Shack and drill three very small holes, then ream them out with a small round needle file just enough so that three M2x6 screws will self-tap into the holes. 

The fifth step is to mount the driver board in the headlamp body (if using a driver board) or calculate the resistor values and build a resistor array (if using resistors) and solder all the wires.

The final step is to install the battery and check the headlamp focus. If you have a donut in the beam, then you need to determine whether the emitter needs to be higher or lower, then remove the star from the headlamp, remove the emitter, adjust the height of the spacer, and reassemble star and reinstall in the headlamp, and keep doing this until you have solved the donut problem. This is a really time-consuming step.

So, that’s a fairly quick guide to how I usually do headlamp conversions. I hope this helps you with yours.

Sorry about the weird font - I had to write this in Word and paste it in because I kept accidentally aborting the message, and it selected a weird font, and I couldn't figure out a way to select the default font again.

Toshi


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## TMorita (Jan 3, 2008)

The only bi-pin bulbs that I can think of which would be better quality are the bulbs used in the Black Diamond headlamps. However, I think they are 4.5 volt bulbs, and to use them on a 6 volt lamp you'd need a bunch of resistors otherwise you'd instaflash the bulb.

Anyway, here's the link:

http://www.bdel.com/gear/headlamp_accessories.php

Better picture here:

http://www.buckscountyoutfitters.com/store/product/31969/Black-Diamond-Superbright-Xenon-Bulb/

I've seen the bulbs stocked in REI stores, so if there's one near you, you can check the size in person.

Toshi


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## Germ (Jan 3, 2008)

Wow, thanks for the detailed instructions TMorita. Where is a good place to buy the Micropuck? Is that just a one power board? I'd prefer something with just one setting and no high, medium, low, SOS sort of thing.

What about ditching the stock reflector and using another reflector or optic?

Do you know the wattage ratings for the Black Diamond lamps? I didn't see any ratings for them, or am I blind?


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## TMorita (Jan 3, 2008)

Germ said:


> Wow, thanks for the detailed instructions TMorita. Where is a good place to buy the Micropuck? Is that just a one power board? I'd prefer something with just one setting and no high, medium, low, SOS sort of thing.
> 
> What about ditching the stock reflector and using another reflector or optic?
> 
> Do you know the wattage ratings for the Black Diamond lamps? I didn't see any ratings for them, or am I blind?


 
http://www.leddynamics.com/LuxDrive/micropuck.php

I usually prefer to keep the stock reflector on headlamps. It's usually difficult to find another reflector which will work, because headlamp reflectors are usually shallow, and aftermarket reflectors such as the IMS, McR, Khatod, etc are designed for flashlights and are deeper.

The Black Diamond "SuperBright" LEDs are about 0.1-0.2 watt, and the "HyperBright" LEDs are 1 watt.

Toshi


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## Germ (Jan 3, 2008)

Do you know how many watts the Black Diamond Xenon lamps are?

I was thinking to use a small reflector for the main beam so I could keep it round. Outside of the small reflector I was thinking of using a couple of small red LED's for the low beam.


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## Germ (Jan 5, 2008)

I believe I'll just replace the larger 5 watt bulb with a 8 watt one.

I'd also like to replace the small bulb. It could be a little brighter and I'll probably have a minimum order to meet, so I'll have to order more bulbs anyway.

From what Cabela's says about runtimes I think the smaller bulb is about 1 watt. The bulb is about 5/32 inch (5.5mm) in diameter, making it a T1.75 bulb I think, and has wire leads about 9/16 (14mm) long.

I'm having trouble finding a replacement for the smaller bulb. I'd appreciate it if anyone could help me find a 5 to 6 volt T1 to T1.75, wire lead, 2 to three watt bulb and tell me where to get it. Please, it will help me keep what little sanity I have left :duh2:.


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## half-watt (Jan 14, 2008)

TMorita said:


> The only bi-pin bulbs that I can think of which would be better quality are the bulbs used in the Black Diamond headlamps. However, I think they are 4.5 volt bulbs, and to use them on a 6 volt lamp you'd need a bunch of resistors otherwise you'd instaflash the bulb.




older BD SuperNova bulbs, BD SpaceShot and SpaceShot II, and the newer Vectra IQ bulbs are all +6VDC headlamps, so their bulbs would suffice.

old BD Gemini, and newer Helion bulbs are +4.5VDC bulbs.


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## mdocod (Jan 16, 2008)

so did you ever try the magcharger bulb in this one? should work fine on that stock rechargeable 5 cell pack.


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## Germ (Jan 17, 2008)

mdocod said:


> so did you ever try the magcharger bulb in this one? should work fine on that stock rechargeable 5 cell pack.


 
Hey mdocod. No, I didn't try that yet. Isn't the Magcharger bulb 11 watts? That'll melt the plastic reflector, right? The owner said he would be using the lamp for extended periods, say 10 to 30 minutes at a time.

I recieved a 6v 6w Ushio lamp. No significant increase in brightness over the 6v 5w lamp and the beam is yellower :green: I was using the fully charged 5 cell rechargeable pack.

I also ordered a Eiko 6.3V .2A T1.75 wire lead lamp and got 100! I figured this lamp would be no brighter than the stock small lamp, but I am having a heck of a time finding lamps to replace the small one. Turns out the wire leads are thinner than the stock bulb's leads, so I guess it isn't really wire lead base. The T1.75 bulb is bigger than the stock lamp, so the stock lamp is a T1.5 or smaller I guess. The Eiko lamp was only $1.00, unless I got charged the $100 for all the lamps I got 

Anyone got a link to a website with a really good search engine for bulbs? Donsbulbs is the best I know of. I'm still considering replacing the small bulb, but I've just about given up. I'd like something like a 5V to 6V, 2W to 4W, small bi-pin with 9/16 long leads, and a T1.5 or smaller bulb.

If the 6V 8W Ushio bulb I ordered doesn't pan out as a replacement for the big stock bulb I'll get a 7.5W Princeton Tec Surge lamp. If that isn't satisfactory I need to give up on the incan idea.

Edited to add: I checked the small stock bulb and using 5.8 volts (4 alkaline Duracells) it drew .26 amps. That think that calculates to 1.5 watts.


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## Germ (Jan 18, 2008)

I got a pair of Ushio 1000878 JC6V-8W/G4 halogen lamps today and these are a good upgrade to the stock 5 watt bulb. Overall brightness is increased and the beam color is good. The fit in the headlamp is tighter than the stock bulb which is good. The bulbs were $3.50 each from Lightbulbemporium.com. I chose them mainly because they promptly answered my email inquiries.

The lamp was equally as bright using the 5 cell rechargeable pack or when using 4 lithium batteries. The lamp was almost as bright when using 4 alkaline cells which surprised me.

I think I've learned a little bit about buying lamps. I'll pay more attention to color temperature in the future. Not all lamps list the color temperature, but the Ushio 6W lamp is rated at 3085 and the 8W at 3168. I'm not sure what color temperature you are supposed to be looking for, but hotter is whiter. I believe this is also related to bulb life. A bulb with a long life will probably run cooler and have a yellower beam. The 6W bulb is rated at a 100 hour lifetime and the 8W bulb at 50 hours.

Now hopefully someone can help me understand what I'm seeing. Using the 8 watt lamp the headlamp is not as bright as my SureFire E2D using a 6 watt (per Flashlightreviews.com) Strion bulb and a 17670 battery or my 2C MagLite using a 5.8 watt (per the Carley Lamps catalog) 6 cell Magnum Star bulb and two 18500's. Those are both Xenon bulbs and I think that helps. I'd like for the headlamp to be as bright as these flashlights.

The headlamp is almost where I want it to be. I want to try the 7.5 watt Princeton Tec Surge/Torrent Xenon bulb next. That may be a while because no one has one in town and shipping costs nearly as much or more than the bulb if you buy one online :duh2:

I'll do some extended runs with the 8W lamp and see how the plastic reflector holds up.


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## Germ (Jan 19, 2008)

It looks like I need to forget the Princeton Tec Surge or Torrent bulb. I asked for a picture on this thread:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/186854

louie says the Surge bulb has a .1 pin spacing. G4 spacing is 4mm or .16 inch.


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## Germ (Jan 19, 2008)

OK, tried the 6V 8W bulb for 8 minutes. The plastic tower the bulb plugs into is starting to melt. The sputtered reflector looks OK, but I don't know how much more it can take.


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## Germ (Jan 21, 2008)

Even with the sputtered reflector the beam still didn't seem right. There is a hot spot, a big dark donut around that, and then a bright ring. I wish I knew how the reflector was creating that kind of beam. This beam was not very useful.

I got some Armour Etch and frosted the 5 watt bulb. The bulb now has what I would call a light to medium frost on it and the beam is pretty even. As I tried increasing the frosting I could see the dark donut filling in. The beam now has a big hotspot and an even floody spill. I didn't try partially frosting the bulb, I just frosted the whole thing.

The Armour Etch was $10.99 for 3 ounces at a Michael's arts and crafts store. It was on the mosaic glass isle. I thought they only had the larger bottles, but then looked up and saw the 3 ounce bottle hanging on the wall which is plenty for this. I also got a natural hair brush for $1.49.

Note: this stuff is a nasty acid that seeks out calcium (bone). There are several threads on frosting bulbs. Wear latex gloves, glasses, and work in a well ventilated area. I didn't notice a smell, but some have commented on that.

You just paint a thick coat of the compound on, leave it on a while, and then wash it off. Frosting the 5 watt bulb was a pain. It must have taken at least six 15 minute sessions. This sounds normal for the big bi-pin bulbs from what I read. I frosted a 6 cell Magnum Star MagLite bulb to about the same level of frost in one 3 minute session. The Maglite bulb frosted more evenly than the bi-pin bulb too. Warning, once you start frosting you will want to do it to all of your bulbs.

Some people mentioned sanding the bulb, but I like the nice even frosting that the etching compound gives.

A diffusing film or Wright Right might be the best and fastest way to diffuse this light.

If I had it to do-over, I'd try just a heavy frosting on the 5 watt bulb and leave it at that. With the beam evened out the light is much more useful.

I haven't wanted to go LED with this light because it is so darn big. I'd rather just go buy a good LED headlamp.

I probably can't resist still fiddling with the headlamp. Can anyone recommend a good machinable material to make a heat resistant bulb tower out of? I don't think I'd want to use metal since it would conduct heat and still melt where it was mounted to the plastic housing.


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