Hello all,
In my quest for quality MG lighting products, I've been
everywhere, but Radio Shack seems to be the best. *snicker snicker*
Seriously, I have been using the number 50 lights religiously in my
dash. Today, four went out in five minutes, so I went over to my
friendly (yeah, right) Shack to get some new bulbs.
After waiting a half hour for the sales lady to finish her phone
conversation, I found that when the product is not out on the rack,
it is also not anywhere in the store. (If I knew I could find bulbs
that would work at Wal-mart, I would have left.) Maybe I'm crazy,
but it seemed to me that our friendly customer service rep had no
idea what she was talking about...
I asked if there were any packages of bulb #50 in back. She
said no, they didn't keep bulbs in stock but there would be more
available by Saturday. Thanks, says I, but I need something now. I
asked her what would cross-reference and still work in my car. She
looked at the rack and showed me a pack of #48 bulbs. They would
not work in an MGB dash, without a doubt. When I expressed
concerns, she reasoned that #48 was closest to #50, and they should
be very similar. Uhhh huh.
I got a bulb from the dash and tried to get a similar voltage
and amp rating. Instead of the #50 7.2 volt bulb, I got a #40(I
think) with a 6.3 volt rating. The amps on the #50 were .22, while
the amps on the #40 were .15. These new bulbs seemed brighter, but
I could be wrong. Any electrical wizards care to explain how long
these bulbs will last and if they're better or worse for our
application?
Here's the breakdown again, in table form:
Bulb # Volts Amps
50 7.2 .22
40 6.3 .15
Thanks. I should be doing some nighttime driving, so I'll
report on the life and times of the new bulbs.
P.S. - And while I'm at it, I'm going to be SERIOUSLY searching for
other appropriate sources for good bulbs. These Radio Shack sales
people make me sick.
*Off Topic Rant* - While in the store today, I watched the sales
lady try to help a fellow buy speakers for his home stereo system.
Her first and only question was "What color is your furniture?"
When the guy told her that it was dark brown, she suggested a set of
dark woodgrain speakers because, "They would match your furniture."
Thankfully, he left with a puzzled look on his face and no speakers.
Michael S. Lishego
http://www.mgb.bc.ca/virtualgarage/
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