12v 100w hunt light from car 12v socket

Thread Starter

prerakk

Joined May 21, 2015
50
Hello friends

I have lightforce company 12v focus light which come default with crocodile battery clip . To make it work i have to open the car bonnet everytime .so i decide to do some modification and use it directly with car inbuilt 12v charger socket.

I have already cut the wire from bottom and put cable connectors .

The problem i am facing is the lighter socket i bought online , is making the spring inside it Hot and therfore melting the plastic inside . For ref i have attached the image .

Hope you guys understand and will let me know the appropriate solution.

Also the bulb inside the lamp , from my research is 12v100w


Thanks in advance
 

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Delta Prime

Joined Nov 15, 2019
1,311
Hello there :)
The lighter socket you bought online cannot handle the 8.3 amps you're hunting spotlight draws. Look for a lighter socket that can handle 10 amps and you'll be okay.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,061
While a lighter socket is convenient it is not really suited for high power applications like this light. The wire in the harness may also be overheating and that can lead to a fire in the wire harness, quite a bad show! There are higher current rated plugs and sockets available, and so the next question is do you want to use the light inside the car or outside? An outside connector needs to be rainproof, and that can be a challenge. Higher current DC connectors should be available at trailer supply shops, and possibly at auto parts stores.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,061
Certainly AG is correct, BUT the TS already owns the light on hand, AND an LED light of that power level is not cheap, especially in some areas. So I can understand the motivation to have it be usable. Sometimes cost and availability are issues, and there are parts of the world where some items are not available, or horribly expensive if they can be found.
In addition, For use a few minutes at a time, from an automotive system, the lower efficiency is not going to matter much.
 

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,829
I had one of those lamps a hundred years ago (seems like). Mine plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. Back then the sockets were designed for a cigarette lighter that consisted of a coiled Ni-Chrome wire that would get red hot. The smoker could light a cigarette easily. Today those "Power Outlets" are not designed for such high currents and temperatures.

As is already obvious, the plug body you're using to plug into the "cigarette lighter" is too small for the load. 100 watts divided by 12 volts (sometimes as high as 14.5 volts and usually 13.8 volts while running the engine) is 8.3 amps of current. Higher voltages at 8.3•••A will result in higher wattage lamp operation. Which in turn means more heat.

LED lamps are not that expensive and may be a better solution in the long run. But I sure had a blast with my old plug in lamp. Bright as a son-of-a-gun.
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,781
I had one of those lamps a hundred years ago (seems like). Mine plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. Back then the sockets were designed for a cigarette lighter that consisted of a coiled Ni-Chrome wire that would get red hot. The smoker could light a cigarette easily. Today those "Power Outlets" are not designed for such high currents and temperatures.
That was my thought as well. If it can supply the current for a miniature stove top element, surely it can supply enough for this lamp? I believe the typical fuse value for the lighter outlet has always been 15A or 20A?

Has the standard changed? Or was there ever a standard? Are the "power outlets" no longer capable of supplying the cigarette lighter they were originally designed for?

I suspect the problem is a poor quality 12V "power outlet."
 

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,829
That was my thought as well. If it can supply the current for a miniature stove top element, surely it can supply enough for this lamp? I believe the typical fuse value for the lighter outlet has always been 15A or 20A?

Has the standard changed? Or was there ever a standard? Are the "power outlets" no longer capable of supplying the cigarette lighter they were originally designed for?

I suspect the problem is a poor quality 12V "power outlet."
Not sure myself, but yes, either 15 or 20 amp fused.

Now-a-days people don't find cigarette lighters in their cars. More often they are called "Power Outlets" for the purpose of charging a cell phone or a small laptop computer - or other small demand circuits such as Garmin or whatever. I haven't seen a cigarette lighter in a new car in many many years. Maybe going back 20 years, but I guess at that number.

Standards? I don't know. I would guess they are using lighter materials to get the overall weight of the car down, which translates to higher gas mileage. Now, it may seem like 'how much weight are you going to save changing from 15 to 10 amp service on a power outlet?'. Well, not much. But if you reduce the amount of weight of each and every circuit just a little, over the course of the design the weight does drop. A friend of mine used to go to the drag strip. For each race he would remove the rear seat and take the fan belts off the motor for each quarter mile pass. With the advent of electric fans, racers could turn them on and off to control how much electric load was being generated by the alternator. Every little bit helps. Enough little bits and you have a winning combination.

The flood light? With the right plug on it, it should work in your car's "power outlet". I believe today they are wired for 10 amp service.
 

Thread Starter

prerakk

Joined May 21, 2015
50
Hello there :)
The lighter socket you bought online cannot handle the 8.3 amps you're hunting spotlight draws. Look for a lighter socket that can handle 10 amps and you'll be okay.
Thanks i have already done some online search to find those plug , unfortunately, they are not available in my country :( at last if couldnt find any other solution i will have to order from other country

While a lighter socket is convenient it is not really suited for high power applications like this light. The wire in the harness may also be overheating and that can lead to a fire in the wire harness, quite a bad show! There are higher current rated plugs and sockets available, and so the next question is do you want to use the light inside the car or outside? An outside connector needs to be rainproof, and that can be a challenge. Higher current DC connectors should be available at trailer supply shops, and possibly at auto parts stores.
If it's feasible you could hardwire the green pigtail to the 12 volt receptacle.
Plausible.
Another option is to wire the pigtail at the fuse box.
thanks but i cant do any modification or changes to the cars , as its not for my own but for my friend . he request me to do it .i am trying it in my own car (hyundai i10) . and he is going to use it in BMW / FORTUNER

It looks like an old fashioned incandescent light bulb that wastes a lot of current making heat. A modern LED light would draw much less current and focus its light better.
thanks , i have tried to find the alternate LED lamp for replacing the original halogen but they are equivalent to 20w bulbs (bulb type - G4). again as i said , those bulb are not available in my country and i have to order it from other , where i have to wait for 30-50 days and also if whenever i will get , i am not sure if it will produce same focus and brigtness as the ones compared to original ones.
Certainly AG is correct, BUT the TS already owns the light on hand, AND an LED light of that power level is not cheap, especially in some areas. So I can understand the motivation to have it be usable. Sometimes cost and availability are issues, and there are parts of the world where some items are not available, or horribly expensive if they can be found.
In addition, For use a few minutes at a time, from an automotive system, the lower efficiency is not going to matter much.
correct

That was my thought as well. If it can supply the current for a miniature stove top element, surely it can supply enough for this lamp? I believe the typical fuse value for the lighter outlet has always been 15A or 20A?

Has the standard changed? Or was there ever a standard? Are the "power outlets" no longer capable of supplying the cigarette lighter they were originally designed for?

I suspect the problem is a poor quality 12V "power outlet."
That's also a possibility. The contacts inside could be corroded or rusty.
the socket is clean and rust free

Not sure myself, but yes, either 15 or 20 amp fused.

Now-a-days people don't find cigarette lighters in their cars. More often they are called "Power Outlets" for the purpose of charging a cell phone or a small laptop computer - or other small demand circuits such as Garmin or whatever. I haven't seen a cigarette lighter in a new car in many many years. Maybe going back 20 years, but I guess at that number.

Standards? I don't know. I would guess they are using lighter materials to get the overall weight of the car down, which translates to higher gas mileage. Now, it may seem like 'how much weight are you going to save changing from 15 to 10 amp service on a power outlet?'. Well, not much. But if you reduce the amount of weight of each and every circuit just a little, over the course of the design the weight does drop. A friend of mine used to go to the drag strip. For each race he would remove the rear seat and take the fan belts off the motor for each quarter mile pass. With the advent of electric fans, racers could turn them on and off to control how much electric load was being generated by the alternator. Every little bit helps. Enough little bits and you have a winning combination.

The flood light? With the right plug on it, it should work in your car's "power outlet". I believe today they are wired for 10 amp service.
i tried it in my hyundai car , which in fuse box says 15Amps of fuse for cigar lighter (find the attached image)

Thanks again everyone for replying and helping me so far :)
 

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Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,829
Remove the fuse from the tip and wire directly to the plunger. Then make a cross connection (jumper) from one of the spring wings to the other. As long as the wire is heavy enough for the load you won't have a heating problem. Make sure there's no chance of shorting the two green wires.

1613417528347.png
 

Thread Starter

prerakk

Joined May 21, 2015
50
Remove the fuse from the tip and wire directly to the plunger. Then make a cross connection (jumper) from one of the spring wings to the other. As long as the wire is heavy enough for the load you won't have a heating problem. Make sure there's no chance of shorting the two green wires.

View attachment 230520
i was thinking of the same , but i am afraid if it will hurt the interior wiring (the one that connect from battery to female socket)

The fuse for the lighter socket in my last few cars has been 6 amps.
if you says , i will make sure if the cars its gonna use is provided with 10+Amps
 

Thread Starter

prerakk

Joined May 21, 2015
50
i guess replacing the bulb inside with LED one would be better option as it will save the energy and effort , but i am not able to find one that will give same or more brightness and lumens.
following are the ones i found so far :
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

but they are just 15w and not sure it it will produce same focus

if anyone knows proper alternate , please let me know

thanks
 
Last edited:

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,829
Have you considered rechargeable hunting spotlights? Here is an inexpensive one with over 3000 reviews and a 4 1/2 star rating. Rated at 6000 lumens. I can't attest to how powerful it really is - but it does have high reviews. And no, I didn't read any reviews; only that it has 4 1/2 stars.
 
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