Magneto Head lights

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Magneto Head lights
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Holland, Utah on Friday, June 27, 2014 - 10:43 am:

My magneto puts out 20 volts AC at speed. The Vendors sell a 24 Volt light for magneto cars, but I just get a glow. I have new sockets and new wires. the 24 volt bulbs are DC, but the Magneto is AC. Does anyone sell a true magneto headlight bulb for a 1916?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Friday, June 27, 2014 - 11:21 am:

Originally magnet bulbs were 9v connected in series giving a 18V rating. On 1915-17 cars bulbs tended to go out at the most inconvenient time = when going fast, so Ford introduced a dimmer coil during 1918 that reduced the risk for high spikes in voltage so the bulbs lasted longer.

Nowadays it's hard to find 9V bulbs so you can either try connecting three 6V bulbs in series for 18V rating in combination with a dimmer coil from a 1918-26 unelectrified Ford - or you can "cheat" and use a battery with regular 6 or 12V bulbs.

If you go the three bulb series way, maybe the third bulb can be put to use in the rear?
We need to be seen from behind, a flickering kerosene light isn't enough on a dark road with modern traffic


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Georgetown TX on Saturday, June 28, 2014 - 08:05 am:

Here's my 17 torpedo runabout with original magneto bulbs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h51z8Ir3Yz0


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Menzies on Sunday, June 29, 2014 - 03:37 am:

Perhaps the 24 volt bulbs would be ok if they were wired parallel


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Haynes on Sunday, June 29, 2014 - 08:49 am:

Kevin, several vendors sell NOS magneto bulbs, but they are pricey. I burned through a dismaying number of them before I was tipped to a stash of 12v double contact, single filament bulbs and, wired in series on the mag-only 1915, they work great. True, at idle, they are "dark yellow", but at any street speed they are quite bright and above 35 mph they are brilliant white. Trying to power 24v bulbs wired in parallel will put a very heavy load on the mag and I doubt it will even run at low speeds.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Georgetown TX on Sunday, June 29, 2014 - 08:55 am:

24V bulbs will be dim if wired either series (really dim) or parallel. They have more resistance than 12V bulbs and will draw less current and thus emit less light than proper 9V "Mag" bulbs.

If you wire a 6V tail lamp in series with two 6V headlamps it is similar in resistance to the original pair of 9V headlamps, but you also have a 50% greater chance of losing all lights if one bulb fails.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Sunday, June 29, 2014 - 07:50 pm:

I use 1142 bulbs from McMaster Carr on my wife's '18 Touring. They've been in there for over three years and haven't burned out yet. We don't do a lot of night driving, but I do run the lights in daylight fairly regularly. They are bright enough to see to drive at night, in my opinion. However, my opinion may be different than others. They are no comparison to modern headlights. I feel that many who badmouth Model T headlights expect too much from them. I can see where I'm going with these at 30-35 MPH. I've not experienced REAL magneto headlight bulbs, so I can't compare, but these are good enough for my purposes. You have to buy 10, but you can't beat the price. I keep the box with the other 8 under the seat in case one burns out.

Something to consider with properly wired magneto lights......If one burns out, the other goes out. Also, they dim to practically nothing when you shift from Low to High, but it's only for a couple of seconds. That's just another one of the T's interesting features to me. Some may find it inconvenient. Others, unsafe. To me, it's just part of the "Experience".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Holland, Utah on Monday, June 30, 2014 - 01:38 pm:

Dan, What vendors sell magneto headlights? Most of these lights they sell are 24 Volts.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Haynes on Monday, June 30, 2014 - 03:24 pm:

Since they're NOS, supplies are limited, But I bought several pairs from Chaffin's Garage in Corona. If your car doesn't have the resistor, winding out the engine in low pedal make them really, really, really bright just before it gets really dark again.

I don't know what number the bulbs are that I got, but they are seemingly indestructible. The '15 has a great mag (it made short work of those NOS bulbs I am sad to say, at $10 a pop), but it has never killed one of those 12 volt ones. To be expected, I suppose, since I have a raft of them.


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