Dixie 6v lights conversion to 12v

[solidstateirons]

Has anybody worked with Dixie rectangular lights?

I just got a pair of them and they run on 6v and I want to know if anybody in the forum has converted these lights to 12v?

Help please!

 

[kshansen]

Any chance of a picture or link to the place that sells these? Not familiar wit "Dixie Lights" but seems like it should be possible to replace the bulbs in them to convert to 12 volts. Actually hard to believe you found 6 volt lights these days unless they came from an antique car shop, but doubt an antique shop would be selling rectangular lights!

 

[solidstateirons]

Any chance of a picture or link to the place that sells these? Not familiar wit "Dixie Lights" but seems like it should be possible to replace the bulbs in them to convert to 12 volts. Actually hard to believe you found 6 volt lights these days unless they came from an antique car shop, but doubt an antique shop would be selling rectangular lights!

Got them from ebay. Those are the lights.

 

[figure8]

Well there's 2 of them and 6v plus 6v equals 12v right? Kidding, I have a similar style light as well. Your best is take the back off one of them and go to the auto parts store. In my case only a certainly style bulb would fit in mine. I'm guessing yours might be similar, the bulb in mine is help in by a retaining clip. That's not to say you couldn't modify the housing to take a 12v bulb. You'll just need to take a look at available options and decide on the best one to make it fit.

 

[mrtwowheel]

Check Napa ballast resistors. There must be one of those resistors that will get you close to 6 volts, just as people do with reducing voltages to coils. My '75 GoldWing has a resistor that reduces the voltage to the fuel gauge to 7 volts. I'm the one that gave the GoldWing world the Volkswagon to GoldWing fuel gauge sender conversion. Volkswagon did a similar thing with its gauges. Get a resistor from Napa, take it home and set up a test circuit, measure the voltage, take it back if it is too high or low till you get the right one. In the real world you'd probably be aiming for something around 7 volts.

Scott

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Those 6v Dixie lights were popular on ol' knuckleheads and panheads, running 6v generators and batteries. Bulb and/or socket swapout shouldn't be too difficult.

Here's figure8's headlight adventure:

http://www.xs650.com/threads/what-have-you-done-to-your-xs-today.32082/page-77#post-442950
http://www.xs650.com/threads/help-me-fix-up-this-headlight-please.44387/

 

[fredintoon]

Hi 'irons,
Figure 8 is right. So long as you are using two of them.
All you have to do is connect the bulbs in series instead of in parallel.
Only problem is, if one filament fails they both go out.

 

[mrtwowheel]

Looks like 2M is on the right trail. What's in back of that glass? Maybe you'll get lucky and there's 12 volt bulbs already in there?

 

[solidstateirons]

Looks like 2M is on the right trail. What's in back of that glass? Maybe you'll get lucky and there's 12 volt bulbs already in there?

Checked and it seems 6v bulbs. Someone said switch to 12v bulbs with new sockets but everything is welded in inside so i would have to re work the whole inside to attach a new socket, somethjng im trying to avoid in this case BUT if thats the only solution, i may just do it!

 

[solidstateirons]

 

[solidstateirons]

Posting from my phone sucks but these are the lights i got...

 

[mrtwowheel]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS...Motorcycle-Headlight-Head-Light-/252350084824

This Dixie lamp comes with a 6 volt bulb and a 12 volt bulb.

 

[solidstateirons]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS...Motorcycle-Headlight-Head-Light-/252350084824

This Dixie lamp comes with a 6 volt bulb and a 12 volt bulb.

The socket isnt the same. Seems like they just provide the bulb but not how to convert it. So far what my intuition and what people has been telling me (because i know shitzzzz about electronics) is that i need to change the socket to a 12v socket taking a 12v bulb.


So far!!!


IF ANYBODY KNOWSSSSSS, something else!!! PLEASE!!! help! I need to get more options before i go for the big change lol

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Can you separate the lens from the reflector?

 

[solidstateirons]

Can you separate the lens from the reflector?

Yes but there is a cover over the bulb thats welded on the reflector

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

That cover over the bulb is attached by 2 legs to a cup that appears to be a snap fit to the bulb base?

 

[weekendrider]

These folks sell them. There is a contact number on the page for questions.
My guess is they will say you need a 12V H3 bulb like this one.
Just a short ride from you 2M?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

...Just a short ride from you 2M?

First I've heard of them. Gruene-Go's.
Gruene (pronounced 'green') Texas, near New Braunfels. About 100 miles east of here.

The name (pronounced 'gringo') is a play on words, means "white guy" in Mexican...

 

[member3480]

Like I told you 6 volt and 12 volt bulbs are different. You have single wire and need dual for 1157 bulb or you can just go with a single filament bulb. If company still around contact them and see if they have a conversion. Any I did was just take those out put new socket in that is 12 volts. No easy way out on them a conversion box for old cars 6 to 12 volts is as big as the light. Nice lights for old chopper look.
Found these on ebay $97.00

 

[solidstateirons]

Like I told you 6 volt and 12 volt bulbs are different. You have single wire and need dual for 1157 bulb or you can just go with a single filament bulb. If company still around contact them and see if they have a conversion. Any I did was just take those out put new socket in that is 12 volts. No easy way out on them a conversion box for old cars 6 to 12 volts is as big as the light. Nice lights for old chopper look.
Found these on ebay $97.00

what I got from the person who sold them to me, he said I just needed to get H3 12v lights so I bought some cheap LED H3 12v bulbs to test out but like you said, there is only one wire. How can I wire that if there is no ground?