To build a torch or flashlight like the one illustrated below was out of necessity. First and foremost, the need was to collect as many as possible discarded standard size 1.5 V batteries from old radios in the village, have them checked for some life in them, and discard the dead ones. I made a box out of old plywood to hold 6 batteries of 1.5V each and used a 9V bulb, fitted with a reflector and rear spring salvaged from an old out-of-commission torch, and a miniature on-off switch purchased from Auto Popular in the nearby town of Mapusa. The switch was fitted on top of the wooden box. As the torchlight got dimmer, it was better to compensate for the decreased light output by changing the bulb to 6 volts.
This was the most powerful torch in our village in those days, with its powerful beam reaching about half a kilometer (across the perimeter of our ward). Electricity came to the village in the late1960's, but my torch still held on to its glory in emergencies and during power-cuts until much later.
There were different types of torches or flashlights in various households, 'Eveready' being the common brand. There was also another popular brand called 'Winchester' brought in mostly by Goan people working in the Arabian Gulf. They required standard 'D' size batteries and miniature incandescent light-bulbs that used a tungsten filament.The bulbs used for torches were as follows, and I was an self-taught expert at this.
A 2-battery torch used a 2.8 volt bulb,
A 3 battery one used a 4.2 volt, and
A 6 battery contraption like the one I made would need a 9 volt bulb.
This was the most powerful torch in our village in those days, with its powerful beam reaching about half a kilometer (across the perimeter of our ward). Electricity came to the village in the late1960's, but my torch still held on to its glory in emergencies and during power-cuts until much later.
There were different types of torches or flashlights in various households, 'Eveready' being the common brand. There was also another popular brand called 'Winchester' brought in mostly by Goan people working in the Arabian Gulf. They required standard 'D' size batteries and miniature incandescent light-bulbs that used a tungsten filament.The bulbs used for torches were as follows, and I was an self-taught expert at this.
A 2-battery torch used a 2.8 volt bulb,
A 3 battery one used a 4.2 volt, and
A 6 battery contraption like the one I made would need a 9 volt bulb.
