AnthonyL wrote:
On Fri, 15 May 2020 11:53:41 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Friday, 15 May 2020 12:26:51 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
On Thu, 14 May 2020 16:37:00 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr wrote:
On Thursday, 14 May 2020 22:47:49 UTC+1, Martin Brown wrote:
On 14/05/2020 12:41, AnthonyL wrote:
On Wed, 13 May 2020 13:17:15 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 13 May 2020 12:47:09 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
I have an old battery (6 x D cells) torch which has a fluorescent
tube, a spotlight and a flashing light behind a red (plastic) glass.
So THAT'S where it went. If you ever come round maybe you could bring it back
snip

Are you sure you want it back?
Well, it is rather modern, why don't you keep it. I'll stick with my prewar stuff.


Well would you Adam & Eve it! It works. I cut the wire for the power
supply and swapped them over to make it centre -ve and:

1) The torch beam works - well it did before
2) The flashing light works - presumably a diode so the polarity had
to be right
3) The fluorescent tube lights up, quite a dark patch one end but it
lights up so a new one will no doubt work.

It must be decades since I last saw it on and even if I chuck it now
there is a sense of satisfaction.

But I've still got to try it with battery cells to call it 100%
success so that means doing something with the corroded spring
connection.

It's pretty hard to make battery springs as a DIY.
A metal that makes a good spring, makes a poor
battery contact, and has to be plated up with other
metals to make a good finish. This also leaves
the spring susceptible to corrosion from
battery "fluids".

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/batte...contacts/?pn=2

Random sample solution: £0.343 bag of ten contacts D sized, they say.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/batte...tacts/1724915/

The problem with any of these, is how to affix electrical
connections. You could use, say, a #2 screw and a solderless
terminal to go under the backside of the spring. But what
usually happens with solutions like this, is the screw ends
up protruding out of the plastic housing, as there isn't
usually room for a retrofit.

(sample of materials, not a ready-made solution for you, shows #2 screw)

https://i.postimg.cc/63g7pmmD/conn-to-spring.gif

Solder never sticks all that well, or the
result is brittle and some wire snaps off later.
(Like if you tried a kind of silver solder.)

You would need to see how much the spring compresses,
to see whether a screw-head would fit in the end terminal
area. That's why a #2 might be all that works.

Paul