6v BA15 LED headlamp bulbs?

[JonE]

THis thread is a few years old now. What is currently best practice for good lights for scuttle type lamps on 6V? I've just found a spotlamp with similar dual pole and wondered what the latest trials with LED have led to, for users on the road actually testing out these things...

[Parazine]

I found these recently on eBay from China and ordered a pair for the Top Hat, which had headlamps like glow worms. They turned up after about 4 weeks and give much, much, much (that's three times better!) brighter lights. I haven't tried it on the road yet because there's too much salt down, with no rain to wash it away so I don't know what they're like for driving with. But I was so impressed with the driveway test that I ordered two more for the Chummy, especially after the return from Stonehenge on the Boxing day run........


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[JonE]

Thanks. So you are presumably taking an additional earth from the bulb holder? And perhaps circumventing the original switching type?

[Parazine]

There's an earth wire connection to the reflector in the R510 - I use triple armoured cable for the headlights, side, head and earth to each one.

These lights are installed with a Lucas SM3 panel, which is (was) wired to supply two 3W filaments on sidelight position and switch to two 18W (12W originally) filaments on main light position, so they are direct replacements for the 3/18W filament bulbs with no change to the wiring.

I believe the CAV panel, used until Autumn 1926 was arranged to work with two single filament bulbs, putting them in series for sidelights and in parallel for main lights. These LED lamps would not work with the wiring arrangement for the CAV installation.

Apparently, in times gone by, the way out of this was to get an Austin 12/4 CAV panel from the scrapyard (it has a 20-0-20 ammeter) as this is internally wired to support conventional, twin filament bulbs, like the SM3. Last time I checked, my local scrapyard was fresh out of Austin 12/4's 

[David Cochrane]

There seem to be two versions of the CAV push-button which were fitted to Austin 7s; both have 16-8-0-8-16 ammeters and buttons marked DYN LTS DIM. The earlier version works with single filament bulbs and the DIM button switches the filaments from being connected in parallel to being connected in series; this version is shown in the early Handbooks' wiring diagrams. The later version of the 3-button switchpanel has the right-hand switch configured to work with twin-filament bulbs.

[Extrareach]

Hi, I know this is an older post but how are you getting on? 
Do you have the link or description name of the bulbs that you brought?
I need some I had dual filament 23w/3w for headlamps and side but the only ones I can find are not any good They work but not properly
I have chummy scuttle lamps and the switch is OFF H S and with my dual filament bulbs worked fine.
The recommended replacements were the same wattage each filament so stayed the same brightness not dimming so need two different wattages.

Many thanks

[Frank Stoll]

Hello everyone,
certainly one of the main problems when taking my car onto German roads... no light on longer tours, even when going through tunnels I had to be careful to not run out of power. Although I checked many different sources for potential LED lights, I never dared to order them, simply because German MOT (TÜV) and insurance reasons made me shiver.
One of the sources that seems very professional and well stocked, is:

https://www.oldtimer-elektrik.eu/led-leuchtmittel.php

Unfortunately it is a homepage in German, but it might help.
Regards
Frank

[Parazine]

Do you have the link or description name of the bulbs that you brought?

The LED bulbs I used are here:

1x 6V 6 VOLT 56SMD LED BULBS BA15D 1142 MOTORCYCLE MOTORBIKE SCOOTER DUAL LIGHT | eBay

They may or may not work for you, depending on your wiring and switch but they are good with standard SM3 and wiring.

[AustinWood]

"no light on longer tours, even when going through tunnels I had to be careful to not run out of power."

In the 1960s I used to drive between Cambridge and Dundee which is 400 miles in a 1930 Austin Seven. The car had Lucas profocus headlights and were 35 watts.
In winter we would start at about 4:00am on headlights until it got light at about 8:00am. Drive through the day until it got dark then back on to headlights.
One journey took 17 hours and on that one the headlights did get noticeably dim by the end, but normally no problem.
However long are you tunnels?

[Frank Stoll]

Not a question of length ;-) but power...
Seriously, with all lights on (German MOT requirements) the system is always close to breakdown.