VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt 36 lights

wondering how many amps the headlights pull.almost never use my lights but wondering how munch amps are used if I do use them. thanks

Here is a quote from JYD concerning a 946C generator:

"Your generator at driving speed, with nothing on, should put out between 10 and 12 amps max. Of course that will decrease some as you turn on your lights and etc. At idle with nothing on the output should be about 2 amps or so. At idle with the headlights, dash light and taillight on you should have a discharge of about 2 to 5 amps, maybe even a little more depending upon the condition of the generator. Driving at speed with the lights on the ammeter should read around 0 or 1 or 2 amps on the charge side."

Depends on the size of the head light bulbs. The 1936 Standard had like only 21 candle power bulbs. Most of those have been replaced with the brighter 32 C.P. bulbs. also the tail lap bulb was only 3 C.P. and mant have installed a 15 C.P. + added a right side lamp. This would alost double the original amount of amps used.

21CP filament is approx 18 Watts, so 3 amps current draw.The stop light on a modern car (not led) is also 18 Watts,so imagine that stop light being used as a headlight in your '36 and wondering why the lights are poor.I am going to uprate my headlamp globes to 50 CP as I battle to see at night. I fitted a 6V VW regulator on my generator to control the output.