# Older Niterider, worth the time/$ to get new battery?



## Back2MTB (Jun 4, 2014)

So, this light has been in the basement for a few years and the battery was a big mess.

Would it be fairly easy and worth the $ to get it going again or am I better off just buying newer technology? Anyone know what kind of battery/charger I would need and get the best results out of?

Anyone know the model # for this old girl?

Any help is appreciated!


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## PUZZLE (Jun 21, 2014)

its more than likely 15 to 20 years old like mine,, i bought and love the new nightrider Lumia 750


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

It looks like an old halogen model. You could build your own battery pack for $3-$5 a cell. It's probably not worth the effort though. You will end up with a heavy system with not-so-great running time. 

The new led lights, even the really cheap Solarstorms and Yindings are way superior.


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## hankering (Dec 28, 2014)

We had one of those and asked the same question.
While the big old NiMH cells are available, they're a hassle to replace, and the light you get isn't worth the effort compared to today's good ones, if you shop around.
So far we're happy with http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/original-real-yinding-yd-2xu2-found-941540.html


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## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

Buy a new one. Lighter weight, longer run time, more lumens.


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## Mtns2C (Jan 28, 2015)

I loved my old trail rat but I just bought two solar storms for $18 a piece and there is no comparison. They made my truck headlights seem dim after my first ride.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

I had an old set of Jet lights with he same problem. Dead Ni-Cd batteries. New batteries were way too expensive. I just bought a cheap Chinese LED off eBay and have never looked back. Thehnology has come a looooong way in 15 years.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

Old halogens lamps have a good use. Replace the bulb with a 12V bulb, and mount on your Jeep, truck, or SUV as utility light.


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

I wonder if you could just use one of those constant voltage circuits from amazon to bring old halogen lights back to life. I've seen boost circuits that could be used with regular 7.4V lithium packs. The output of the circuits could just be set to the voltage of the old battery pack. The main downside would be short runtimes, efficiency losses in the circuit, and you would have to build some sort of enclosure for circuit itself.

Amazon.com: DROK® LM2596 Adjustable DC Voltage Switching Regulator 4.0-40V to 1.25-37V DC Converter 36V to 24V to 12V to 5V Volt Stabilizers Car Battery Step Down Buck Variable Volt Power Supply with Red LED Voltmeter Display: Electronics

What do you guys think? Would this work?


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## find_bruce (May 8, 2011)

Lot of effort to run the lower output of a halogen. IIRC halogen's are specced at 6v. One of the simple mods was to run them at a higher voltage & get more light - I paid ~AU$200 in the 90s for a twin halogen set up which I used to run off 6 AA's in series - at the cost of slightly shorter bulb life.

While nimh AAs are nominally 1.2V, just like li-ion they operate through a range - 1.4-1.1 V, so 6 x = 8.4 - 6.6v, ie a regular 2s2p pack will work just fine.

I still wouldn't bother though, for the simple reason that the current LEDs produce much more light & can be had for $20-$30


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## Mtns2C (Jan 28, 2015)

Good idea flamingtaco. My trail rat will be getting resurrected in my suzuki samurai.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

find_bruce said:


> Lot of effort to run the lower output of a halogen. IIRC halogen's are specced at 6v. One of the simple mods was to run them at a higher voltage & get more light - I paid ~AU$200 in the 90s for a twin halogen set up which I used to run off 6 AA's in series - at the cost of slightly shorter bulb life.
> 
> While nimh AAs are nominally 1.2V, just like li-ion they operate through a range - 1.4-1.1 V, so 6 x = 8.4 - 6.6v, ie a regular 2s2p pack will work just fine.
> 
> I still wouldn't bother though, for the simple reason that the current LEDs produce much more light & can be had for $20-$30


Well said Bruce. I think when it comes to upgrading from halogen to LED the biggest advantages are Brightness level and the ability to easily modulate the output. With the old halogen bulbs you simply didn't have that option. Not to mention that LED's are more efficient and will generally last much longer than the old halogen bulbs.

...And speaking of LED's...A couple weeks ago I finally got around to replacing the newer fluorescent bulbs I was using in my home lamps with the new LED bulbs. I've now have three new LED bulbs for my inside-the-house lamps and I'm just loving it. While the fluorescent bulbs were pretty efficient they really didn't last as long as they were suppose to. The new LED bulbs for house lamps are great and prices have come down! The adding plus is that they are even more efficient than the fluorescents and you don't have to wait till they warm up to get full brightness. Yep, they even sell them for the smaller "candle type" bulbs as well. :thumbsup: I figure if these last more than a year I've gotten my monies worth...hmmm....I seem to recall saying that somewhere else...


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## jimmy (Jan 19, 2004)

Those bulbs are pretty old, I have a couple. Prob. not worth it. However, I am thinking about a new battery for my older Blowtorch HID light. That is a very bright 4 hr run time lamp. New batteries ate $159. Anybody done that?


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

My old halogen light used either 12 V or 13V, I don't remember exactly. So for those light would need a boost circuit in order to use lipo batteries.

I agree it's not worth the effort as opposed to just buying new led lights, but it might be fun to bring out the old lights just for sake of nostalgia. Most of us have two or three halogen lights sitting in box along with now-expired batteries. This circuits would be at least make them usable again, and you could loan them out to get someone into night riding.

jimmy:
if your old HID light used nimh or nicad batteries, you can just buy the sub-c cells and solder them together. 
Something like this
NiMH Rechargeable Cell: Sc size 4200 mAh Flat Top - 30A rate (1 PC)


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## jimmy (Jan 19, 2004)

thanks, although I would have no idea how to do that project.


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