Fortunately this is not too late, as there's not much demand for
them. (Also see point two, below) It's been a long thread on tap-
l. They are hand held Hg-silica discharge lamps powered by four AAA
cells. The current is rather high -- 280 mA* (somewhat greater than
the maximum recommended by Radio Shack for their alkaline --175 mA)
The point is they're reduced twice to ~$10!
The second point is I bought too many and must unload most of them.
I also purchased too many fuel cell autos (Hydrocar). (Also
discussed on tap-l.) They are ~ $ 24.
More: It is labeled warning against exposure to eyes and skin, plus
switches off if turned with lamp facing up. A pain, I bypassed the
switch and also removed the unnecessary "cute" ceramic magnet for use
elsewhere.
* With "fresh" cells; with well used (OC = 5.8 V.) 260 mA. The load
is significant, so the potential drops v. ~ 20% in three minutes
(fresh cells) for v. not fresh, the drop is v. ~ 4%. The device is
rather sophisticated as it shuts of after ~ three minutes and is
"reset" by switch off. The approximately three minutes is true for
both new and old cells, also with NiMH.
bc must cut down on his retail therapy.
p.s. A plug for the Vernier "Quest", which I used, rather
conveniently, to collect the data "standing alone".