Spot Blubs

Is there an easy way to find the "brightest" bulbs I can fit in my IPF 960 Spot lamps?

At present they only have 12V 55W ones in (had them spare), but I know they work fine (albeit warm) with 12V 100W Off-Road only rated bulbs. (Bosh make from Halfords)

Obviously running bulbs too big can burn out the loom, and be dangerous, but is there an easy way to find out the limitations without causing a fire?

Any help appreciated.

H.

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H
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Just found this - presume by the spec, 100W are not a problem.

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H.

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H

In article , H writes

No but your wiring almost certainly will be. Read my earlier post.

Regards,

Simonm.

Reply to
SpamTrapSeeSig

It's worth also checking the condition of the bulb holder. I have some Cibie Tangos and I doubt the holder wou,ld cope with 135w bulbs and their generated heat.

Ed

To reply, remove my appendix

Reply to
Ed

In article , Ed writes

Quite so. The previous owner of my 110 has fitted two spots and two driving lamps to the roof above the windscreen (annoying, as there's a full-length roof rack and he needn't have drilled holes :( ).

I haven't yet worked out how to wire them tidily - one big wire + relays in the headlining? I'm wondering how Lara wired hers.

Regards,

Simonm. (off for a cold shower...)

Reply to
SpamTrapSeeSig

I'm hoping to hide my wiring behind the snorkel (a good enough reason to buy one ;-)) Then on to the roof rack as tidily as possible, I'll run an thicker earth wire up and two (something like) 10A positives. I intend to switch the light for different application. The inner pair will point left and right for off roading at night.

The earth cable is to avoid any corrosion being caused in the steel to ally connections.

Just had a clever thought. Maybe the centre pair could have a switched feed which will be taken from the live up to the dash when the diffs are locked. So that they couldn't accidentally be left on while on road. The dash light would only have to power the relay to the lights. So they'd need diff lock and lights to get them working.

Ed

To reply, remove my appendix

Reply to
Ed

In article , Ed writes

I have a snorkel fitted (but I doubt it's got wading plugs - haven't looked yet) That sounds like a plan...

It does need very meaty cable(s): 4 x 50W is around 17 Amps. Any significant wiring resistance will warm up nicely.

Power dissipated is I x I x R, so even if R is small, the current (I) will mean a lot of power lost in the cable if it has appreciable resistance.

I'm thinking of using Neutrik "Speakon" connectors to come out of the body of the vehicle. They're waterproof (inside to outside), rated at

30A continuous (3 milliohm contact resistance) and can take large cables. They are also pretty vibration-proof (being used for loudspeakers), and the common ones have 4 poles, so one connector could do two lighting circuits (three theoretically, but that would put too much load on the earth wire).

Like you, I think a proper earth return is sensible.

Regards,

Simonm.

Reply to
SpamTrapSeeSig

Are you looking at something like the NL4MP

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Although they appear well rated, I've a few reservations as to how they'd actually handle under the load of 4 x 55w lights - albeit with only two on one of the (2 sets of 2) connectors...

I'd also like something which can be made waterproof whilst nothing is plugged into them - as my lights will be going on a roofrack which will not always be fitted to the vehicle.

Reply to
Mother

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