[Closed] Has anyone modded tesco torches.....

If you possess the technical know how to achieve what you want then a simple google search on this site will not be beyond you. There has been loads on the subject over the last 2 years.

I helmet mounted mine using the mount provided with my Hope 1 light. Worked pretty well - long but narrow beams goes well with the wider Hope one.

If you use rechargeable AAs, you need to peel the "skins" off or they won't fit.

I just strap the 1W's to my helmet, with tie-wraps - and run a proper light on the bars.

The tesco torch created a bit of a stir, initially, but that was a year or two ago now, IIRC.

You could cut them down and run them from a seperate battery pack, or as already suggested, run them as is.

I've never minded using two-fish lock-blocks for mounting torch lights in a budget stylee, to the bars or the helmet. But some complain that they allow the torch to wobble around too much.

I'm not sure, but aren't the latest ones just 1W now ?, I have one in the door bin of my car which is the AA powered 3W.
Handy for when the rear box of your exhaust decides to nearly drop off, on a Dual carriage way, at 5am, and you need to see where the noise and sparks were coming from...

Very narrow beam though.

There are better 2 x AA torches on Deal Extreme for £8-10 (280lum)

If you possess the technical know how to achieve what you want then a simple google search on this site will not be beyond you. There has been loads on the subject over the last 2 years.

Blimey, could have swore this was a forum, Mods, shut the site down, no need for it, if everyone can just Google instead from now on

It is a forum, which will die if everyone has to answer the same question over and over because johnny come lately can't be arsed to do 30 secs research and find what the last johnny come lately got told. I suppose you might get someone with nothing better to do than do the searching and posting for you.

i use one strapped to the lid with re-useable zip ties. its ok but i'd like better. i use it in conjunstion with crap bar lights.

It is a forum, which will die if everyone has to answer the same question over and over

apart from Q's on tyre choice, helmet wearing, and cheeky trails.. 🙂

like this?

[img] [/img]

I attached my Tesco light/my Fenix (at different times) using a velcro strap purchased from Ikea. Very effective and some packing round the torch body to angle gets the light where you want it.

Not everyone has mastery of the advanced search tool (including me sometimes). If you can't be helpful, then at least be silent eh?

Not everyone has mastery of the advanced search tool (including me sometimes). If you can't be helpful, then at least be silent eh?

but thanks pook for your exact answer to my question and request for pics which no doubt took some time out of your no doubt busy day.....

My ire wasn't directed at you Pook.

BTW. I secure mine on my helmet by threading a friction strap through the vents.

[If you use rechargeable AAs, you need to peel the "skins" off or they won't fit]

Does this not short out the batteries? I thought this outer skin was there for a reason or am I wrong?

Don't read this bit DeVs,

You could cut them down and run them from a seperate battery pack

Anyone got a link to (simple) instructions?

Nail varnish stops the shorting out.

Sigh..

Open google and type singletrackworld tesco torch mod. The 2nd hit is this
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/that-783-tesco-aa-remote-battery-option ]http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/that-783-tesco-aa-remote-battery-option[/url]
The last post has lost its image which explained things better but the narrative explains it well. I'm sure there are many others in the google list too. HTH.
I am exhausted now, I may have to go and have a lie down 🙂

And the award for taking more time to type a cheeky assed answer than just helping the guy out goes to....

Well ..... I found this useful too 🙂

Sorry. I've been around on the internet for a long time and I'm an engineer by trade. You get a bit tired of helping people who are too lazy to do a bit of research. It's really not hard. I've got heaps of time to help those that will help themselves and get stuck but those that expect everyone else to do things for them get my goat. So yes, I probably do get more pleasure out of not helping them. Sounds bad doesn't it? especially as I spend loads of my time helping people out. I hope that your taking time out to point out my flaws instead of helping the OP has given you a warm glow too.

I've modded a couple of the 3W ones to run off battery packs (to mount on helmet) - it was about a year ago though, so apologies if description isn't quite accurate (in theory would be fine though!)

What you need is:
Wire - twice as much to run from your desired mounting position to wherever you want to put the battery pack.

A battery pack - I use 3*AA Cells for rechareable batterys - explained in more detail later. about £2 for 5 inc postage off ebay

Battery snaps - bits of wire with a connection on the end to fix to the battery pack. again a couple of quid for half a dozen on ebay

If I remember correctly, the torch splits into 3 pieces, the bit with the LED in which i'll call the head unit, the bit which holds the battery (battery tube) and the end cap switch bit.

You want to ditch the battery tube bit - it's bulky and makes the torch long and unwieldy (for a bike light that is!)

At this point you may want to play about with the head unit and the battery to make sure you know which part of the metal is positive and negative!

Effectively, you can then push the head unit and the switch bit together and it will fit fairly snuggly.

I then cut a small hole (with a hacksaw - which was much more time consuming than I imagined it would be) out of the head unit, it needs to be big enough for a couple of pieces of wire to fit through once the 2 parts are pushed together.

You then need to solder the wire onto the appropriate part at the back of the head unit.

I seem to remember one bit was fairly easy to solder as there was a big enough gap to solder onto.

The other wasnt so easy. I had to bend and trim the battery spring on the switch bit so that it would touch the other connector once the two bits were pushed together. This then enabled me to solder the wire to the springy bit.

Once that was done you can wire a battery pack to it and make sure it works before you glue the two parts together. I used araldyte and haven't had any problems yet. I also used a lump of miliput over the hole which helps to keep the wires in place and to waterproof the hole.

You can then solder on the battery tab and connect to battery.

As for batterys they are designed to work off 2*AA which run at 3 volts. Rechargeable batterys run at only 1.2v so if you are running the torch off of rechargeables it is not running at full capacity. Without knowing the technical details, you can run the torch off 3 rechargeables (3.6v) without many problems, you will be overdrivin the torch, but I haven't had any problems doing that.

Hopefully provides enough description if you fancy a go.

here's mine from a year or so ago

[IMG] [/IMG]

[IMG] [/IMG]

basically these were the 3w C-cell tescos units as i already had 2 of the 3W-AA cell units on helmet mount duty.

all that was done was to cut down the body to make them shorter, remove the standard driver circuit and use some cheap e-bay drivers with a better voltage range, on/off switch mounted on end of body, then hooked both up to a 7.2V 4200mAh battery pack from e-bay

cost all in was about £35-£40 and it got me up and running for night riding - now use the infamous DX bastid light, but this set-up is still going strong on my winter road bike

cheers - U.Z.

What are those fancy holders you got there young man?

What are those fancy holders you got there young man?

I was just about to ask that question too! 🙂

So in theory, I could take 2 x [url= http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ULTRAFIRE-TORCH-WF-502B-CREE-LED-320-LUMENS-FLASHLIGHT-/250652259723?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches ]320 Lumen ultrafire[/url]

[url= http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/7-4V-5000mAh-30C-Li-poly-RC-Battery-Pack-/130414860482?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN ]RC Battery Pack[/url]

And fairly easily cobble together a twin light setup for around 50 quid or so that puts out 600 lumens.

What are those fancy holders you got there young man?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15642

And fairly easily cobble together a twin light setup for around 50 quid or so that puts out 600 lumens.

...or spend £50 on a [url= http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30864 ]bastid[/url] and get 900 (ish) lumens.

Cheers for the links and instuctions, I've got a C cell and AA one so can feel a bit of tinkering coming on.

Do those ultrafirre ones have any flood? or are they a regular narrow torch beam??