bike light info needed

Unless the bulbs are identical they cannot be wired in series. There would be no particular advantage in doing so even if it worked. Wire them in parallel and all question of what voltage to use is answered simply and is 12 V. The fuse to use is a value that is slightly larger than :

Total watage divided by 12

well is i got another big light to replace the small one,

how many volts would i have to put in?

If you wire the lights in parallel then they should all be labelled as 12 Volt bulbs and any of them may be replaced with any 12 Volt bulb of any size (brightness). The voltage to use will always be 12 volts regardless if the number or brightness of bulbs. When/if you change/remove any bulb, the only thing you might have to change is the fuse and it should always be slightly larger than the total wattage divided by 12 Volts.

A word of warning. The larger (brighter) the bulbs, the more current they draw. Your battery has limited capacity to deliver that current. The capacity of a battery is directly proportional to its physical size and weight. To get larger capacity (ability to light your bulbs for a long time), you must carry a large weight.

Battery capacities are usually rated in ampere-hours. Your 35 watt bulb plus the small bulb would draw a minimum of - (35+unknown)/12Volts=3+amperes. To operate the lights for two hours, you would need a minimum battery capacity of 6+ ampere-hours. That would be approximately what you would get from a battery of 24 NiCa cells of the AA size configured as 12 Volts. In other words, you are going to have to drag around a lot of weight to fire these bulbs. You would be smart to look into some of the more efficient LED lighting methods.

well im not worryed about the batterys weight

this is a motorized mini bike project in processess.

ok i saw this battery in radio shack and its perfect because its 12 volts. the only problem is its under rechargable batterys but dosn't say if it is rechargable.
is this a rechargable battery?

here is the link

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F009%5F011%5F005%5F000&product%5Fid=23%2D007

and if this is rechargable what type of charger should i buy?

ok never mind i got a different type of battery and its rechargable
its a lead-acid battery 12vdc 5ah and i need a charger for it.

the box says a 15 volt charger is needed

where can i get one?

any car accesories store should be able to sel you one since they sell chargers for 12V car batteries.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Duckwah
any car accesories store should be able to sel you one since they sell chargers for 12V car batteries.

And don't get too concerned when they tell you it is a 12 Volt charger. 12 Volts is a nominal number and charging can go as high as perhaps 15 volts.

sorry i missed somthing printed on the box

"NOTE: charge battery with a charger designed for 12-volt non-spillable lead-acid batteries. DO NOT use an automotive/marine type charger".

so i guess those ideas are out

right?

and the Maximum initial charging current is 1.5A

wich one would be the best of these (if any)

http://www.action-electronics.com/chargers.htm

The EDC-021-0128 looks like it will do a fine job. Its big advantage is that it will not harm the battery if left "charging" for an extended time. The others will work but they are hard on the battery if left on continuously.

does it matter that the charger is a 1.25A
when the battery recomends 1.5A?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by moody
does it matter that the charger is a 1.25A
when the battery recomends 1.5A?

No, it does not matter. They recommend 1.5 A as a MAXIMUM. The 1.25 is well under that and, in fact, it is unlikely it will ever charge at that rate except for a very short time at the start of a charge cycle and then only if your battery is very discharged. This charger looks like it will be foolproof in your environment and will recharge your battery nearly as quickly as possible.

Okay, on a similar note, do the batteries that come with most halogen systems have a "memory"? Are they plauged with
the same problems camcorders used to have?

I commuted to work almost daily last year, so I fully discharged, then recharged my light almost daily. Then I moved, now I want to start commuting again, but I'm having trouble holding a charge. I have to get into a regular charge, discharge cycle as a final check. I'm only using my light on a casual basis. It may be losing charge while it is idle. Thanks

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by mike booth
Okay, on a similar note, do the batteries that come with most halogen systems have a "memory"? Are they plauged with
the same problems camcorders used to have?

I commuted to work almost daily last year, so I fully discharged, then recharged my light almost daily. Then I moved, now I want to start commuting again, but I'm having trouble holding a charge. I have to get into a regular charge, discharge cycle as a final check. I'm only using my light on a casual basis. It may be losing charge while it is idle. Thanks

The type of load on the battery has no effect except if it is too heavy (short and deep discharge cycle).

Only NiCa batteries have any type of memory problem and the memory problem is not usually the problem with them. Sealed lead acid batteries such as the previous poster has are much more rugged and more tolerant of charging conditions. They are however, slightly heavier than NiCa for a given capacity.

Regardless of the type of battery, they all have a limited number of charge/discharge cycles in them. Deep discharges are particularly hard on them. With age and abuse they begin to exhibit reduced capacity (won't hold a charge). Replace them. Don't abuse them. Even new batteries will discharge by themselves when not under load such as in storage over winter. It is very hard on a battery to let it stand in a discharged condition. Stored batteries should be discharged and recharged occasionally.

ok thanks

these things are expensive

i wonder why?😕

these things are expensive

i thought they would be around $20-$25.