Nice mod! Thanks for sharing this!
Regarding the camera, it didn't actually adjust anything. At least both wind sock photos were 1s, f/3, ISO250. But the HID is still clearly brighter, see the mouse-over-trick below (mouse over for HID)
Thanks _the_. Looking at the properties of the raw files, I can see youre right. There must be something else in the camera that automatically balances the pics because these dont even come close to showing a good comparison. I guess I should start looking at better cameras again. Every time I buy a descent one, I wind up destroying it within a year. Same thing with expensive sunglasses. Buy the cheap stuff and they last for years... just my luck.
Move your mouse over the image...
H1, not very commonly found on nowadays hosts I guess.
I use H3 on my Sanmak SM5200. H4 on the Amondotech.
Hella offroad lights use H1 in their top of the line lights while their midrange lights use H3. Its ridiculous that they dont share just one standard. At least HID bulbs are cheap and use simple plug-in connectors. I may convert a set of incandescent offroad lights for my pickup truck next. I wonder how HID's would tolerate being turned on and off several times to prevent blinding oncoming traffic? I wonder what would blow out first - the ballast or the bulb? I drive in the country a lot at night and could definitely use a lot more light. So far Ive been lucky not to hit any large animals but Ive had several close calls.
Great work! Boy that's nice. I could see me getting myself in a lot of trouble with that thing. I had a Stanley HID3000 but it got stolen, so my truck is sadly underpowered in the light department.
Build your own. Its very easy, inexpensive and the output is amazing.
Nicely done FlashPilot. I'm currently still going through the DHL/seller fiasco after DHL lost my HID package.
I have been tempted to make a similar cigarette lighter socket powered lamp to keep in the car for a while. Nice job! I will keep an eye out for that host.
Thanks. They still havent coughed up your refund yet? Give DHL CS a call and explain to them that you need an immediate refund and cant wait any longer. Maybe they'll cut you a break. If you used paypal, I think they have the primary responsibility for insuring the delivery of your package.
If I find another host, I'll PM you. I like this one because its not a pure spot beam. It provides a descent amount of controlled flood with the 100W HID bulbs. Browsing the completed bids on ebay, they seem to be going for around $50... not bad considering the quality of the host. There were a few similar coleman variants and they all appear to use the same reflector and lens.
DHL needs to refund the seller since they were the shipper. Once that happens he will reship the order.
Very very nice mod Flash. Those beams look like they're coming from space! Do you have a Jeep Wrangler?
Looks like you could have lit up the top of that ridge as well.
Nice work!
I thought a 100W HID should keep cooler than a 100W halogen since it's more efficient?
It reaches the top of the ridge with ease. Its only 350' high and 3000' away. If the reflector were more focused, it would put a massive spot out there. I much prefer this reflector since it still gives a good hotspot with descent spill... you see everything, not just what the hotspot is illuminating.
Good catch! I thought so too, but then there was that funny hot plastic smell I detected before I drilled the holes in the host. In the dark, I did note that when I turned off the 100W incandescent bulb, it dimmed quickly as the filament cooled. With the HID at turn-off, the entire quarts tube & envelope were glowing bright orange-hot for several seconds. Thats some pretty darn hot glass. I would guess that the surface temperatures (for at least this particular model HID) far exceed the 100W halogen it replaced. If the host were mounted on a car bumper moving through the air, I wouldnt be concerned because it takes a while to reach full operating temperature. I built this light with the intent that it could remain on as long as desired without worrying about a melt down. As a bonus, the host is threaded from the factory for a standard camera tripod, so I'll be using that option as well.
Not only you have your own plane, you also have your own airport :-)
Well not quite, but Im very lucky to have private access to such a great beautiful place.
I showed the searchlight to a police man last night. He was so impressed with it that he almost wouldnt give it back to me. LOL!
5Amp draw @ 12Volts = 60Watts consumed less losses your output to the globe will be around 50Watts unless it breaks the laws of physics there is no way your light is feeding a 100Watts to the globe, but still probably as bright as a 400 Watt incandescent globe.
A 35Watt HID consumes around 42Watts and output is about 3500 Lumens just guessing you may be seeing 5000 Lumens.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
No bad news at all.... only good. Its at least 3 times brighter (spill, range and apparent brightness) than the 2 x 35W HID's with 5" reflectors in my friends aircraft landing lights... everyone agrees its probably even more than that. Amperage draw are manufacturer claims. My DMM only goes up to 10 amps so I have no way of verifying what is actual.