Jay,
I was one of the guys who contributed to the Radio Shack bulb
correspondence.
Experimentation with the 7.5 volt bulb (#50) demonstrated great
illumination, so bright that the rheostat could be turned down almost to
the miniumum setting. That was necessary anyway, to reduce voltage and
extend life of the bulbs. They didn't last very long, so I next tried a
14v bulb with 2.00 MSCP (brightness), (#1449). This bulb is in the
catalogue, but not in the local RS stores. I found it at an electrical
warehouse, at half RS price.
The #1449s seem to be working well. With rheostat in its full bright
position the instruments are legible unless a sport ute is close behind
with its lights on. There is no need to dim them, since they aren't too
bright, but they are working OK. My '72's instruments were taken apart,
cleaned, and painted white inside the casings. The bulbs have now lasted
about twice as long as the #50s, which is not surprising since the 7.5
was considerably over its rating, and since these are under their nominal
rating they should go their full rated 250 hours.
Bob
On Fri, 5 Nov 1999 13:21:42 EST ATWEDITOR@aol.com writes:
>The LBC guys are offering 5 and 10-watt halogen light bulbs they say
>will
>work well in dash instruments and provide a lot of light. I remember
>a past
>list string in which certain bulbs from Radio Shack were recommended,
>but due
>to a voltage mismatch there were doubts about bulb life. Has anyone
>had any
>experience with halogen bulbs to boost dim instrument illumination?
>Are they
>bright and do they last? Given their high price they should do both
>to be
>justified.
>
>Jay Donoghue
>72 B
>66 Mustang
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