The depth of this reflector has had me a little worried since the day I bought it. Probably about the deepest reflector I've ever seen, and that had me seriously questioning how effective it would be at focusing the beam into a spot as tight as I was hoping to get. Flashpilot raised the issue again and so it sparked my curiosity even more, so even though I was super tired from work this evening I had to go test out this reflector with one of my automotive HID bulbs.
With me I took a Morimoto(aftermarket) 35watt H1 HID bulb powered by a Toyota Denso 35watt ballast, FF4 65watt, my TN32, Extech LT300 light meter, and a laser distance measurer. According to my laser distance measurer I was 28.3 meters (92.8 feet) away from the wall I used for my beam shots. I held the HID light inside the reflector by hand since i had no way of mounting it yet and tried my best to keep the beam focused on the light meter. I probably never got it perfectly focused so the number I got from my lux meter are probably very low. On top of this my lux meter has consistently read lower than many of the other guys on this forum who have the same lights as me, so the actual lux of all the lights tested are probably quite a bit higher than what I tested them at. Any way here are the numbers I got.
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Distance the lux is measured at is 28.3 meters.
Formula used to calculate lux at 1 meter is ...... (distance^2)xlux=lux at 1 meter.
Lux for the 3 lights is listed below:
TN32 on turbo =193 lux @28.3meters = 154,571.77 lux/1meter
FF4S on 65watts =353lux @28.3meters = 282,714.17 lux/1meter
Beam Shots. Camera was set to manual and all the setting remained the same.
TN32
FF4S
35watt HID in reflector
The wire on the side of the bulb is causing a major shadow there but overall the beam profile is very nice. Seems like it is very much capable of tightly focusing the light produced by a short arc bulb. And the center of the beam is so intense it actually appear to be rivaling my Maxabeam LOL! I'm highly satisfied with the performance of this reflector! Never seen anyone get 2.4 million lux from a 35watt automotive HID bulb LOL!
It looks like you’ve got a winner! That must be quite a relief. Just imagine what it would do with the 100W HID (3500 lumens vs 9000). If the wire shadow becomes an issue in your final build, you can index it to the bottom and it will go mostly unnoticeable as you shine it on targets. Check My 100W HID beam shots for reference.
[quote=FlashPilot]
It looks like you've got a winner! That must be quite a relief. Just imagine what it would do with the 100W HID (3500 lumens vs 9000). If the wire shadow becomes an issue in your final build, you can index it to the bottom and it will go mostly unnoticeable as you shine it on targets. Check "My 100W HID":https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/4293 beam shots for reference. Did you receive my emailed with the VSS3 manuals?
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I did get your email. Thanks so much for sending them. I sent you a pm about it.
After I looked over the link Polari sent me I'm thinking about going with their 500watt ballast. Osrams 500watt Xenon short arc bulbs are about 13000 lumens so they would beat a 100 watt Metal Halide in brightness and intensity!
Has anybody tested the results of having the wire on the side of bulb follow the bulb envelope(like automotive HID) vs running along the glass window and down the side of reflector like the maxabeam? I wonder which way would create a bigger shadow.
Sure, it’s http://www.proteus-electric.com/ But I can’t guarantee you anything. Have neither tried any of the products or bought from them. But it seems legit and I did get a quote from them. You will also find more of the same style PSU’s on Aliexpress.
I sent them an email about their 500 watt ballast. If anyone is interested I'll post their reply. If the price is not too high I might take a chance and order from them. Im willing to be a guinea pig
IMO, the prices seem quite high for Chinese no name brand electronics. I was also surprised that they offered a non PFC PSU at that power level. That would speak “bottom shelf” in the world of AC to DC conversion LED drivers. All the name brand ones I have are PFC equipped and always run at 99-100% power factor when I test them. A quick search for “Proteus Electric” Ltd. only turned up advertisements. I stopped digging after the second page. There’s no telling what you might get without several reputable reviews from others. I went with the 100W HID set (I mentioned earlier) based upon the several reviews of others who beat the living hell out of them off-road without incurring any failures.
An option: if you search ebay for xenon-arc, there is always a decent supply of unused, new old stock (NOS), high output name brand xenon arc bulbs, etc., for pennies on the dollar. Pick a bulb and search by part number to find its specs and requirements for an ignitor & PSU. Then purchase those parts separately on ebay if you cant find them together. Stay away from used tubes and any that don’t come in the original boxes. They have a service life typically counted by an hour meter (hobbs meter) on the head unit and don’t like being touched by bare hands. Service life effects both luminosity and the integrity of the envelope (you don’t want it to explode while you’re anywhere near it and should change it out before max service life has been reached). You’ll also need to inspect the anode and cathode for damage and excessive wear periodically, but should see good service life in the name brand sets if powered to spec.
Are you sure you want to limit your light to operation while plugged into an extension cord? I think you’ll become bored with it very quickly, regardless of its range/output. For those who have seen my VSS3 on the boat while resting on anchor, the wow factor lasts for all of about 2 minutes. And half of that was while playing with the remote focus and pan/tilt system. While on the move through the water, the fascination was limitless, with lots of hoots and hollers from everyone. Several crazy bicyclists have built mega powered HID lighting systems for their bikes. Maybe check out some of those threads as well.
A stationary mega thrower is similar to viewing one of the 800 million candlepower Sperry carbon arcs at the county fair. Its interesting for all of about 5 minutes, while the operator is there to explain its operation and maintenance pitfalls. Now if they’d fire that thing up and throw a couple of rednecks (like me) into the back of the truck and take it for a long high speed drive while I aimed it, that just might be something Id write home to BLF about. :bigsmile:
I have a irrelevant question. It is illegal to point our high powered laser pointer to the sky because it may possibly blind a pilot, but why these 800 million candlepower monsters are allowed to shoot upward in the night sky at the country fair?
Beyond that, there are still many gray areas and much speculation. Don’t aim your lights/lasers at aircraft and stay out of jail… that includes moderately powered flashlights.
Maybe the non PFC version is considered their budget friendly version and the other their more premium product. As always with China there are sacrifices that have to be made to keep the prices low. Not sure if would like to deal with a poor quality ballast in such a light as this though. I have looked on ebay and I have not had much luck finding a a ballast over 150 watts for a very affordable price. Most of the time they are bundled with a lot of other equipment that totals +$700. Gonna have to keep searching till I find the perfect deal.
And bibihang maybe the reason it is not illegal to shine a searchlight into the sky, and especially one with 800 million candle power, is because generally idiots are not the ones operating them LOL!
As I said, I can’t give any guarantees on the product. But I have not found new Xenon supplies in this very compact and lightweight package for less. There are some on aliexpress for about the same, but no brand on them either. I did find a shop in Australia Deuterium Lamp Power Supply - Spectrolamps that sell the exact same style PSU for almost twice the money. I would not be surprised if they came from the same factory
A comment to the limit with an extension cord. I don’t really see the problem with that now days, with so much portable power available. As long you keep the power on the light below 2-3 kW and the light actually is portable and not too heavy. You can get compact battery inverters and run it of one or several 12 volt batteries. Or make a custom lightweight battery pack and have it in a backpack. For longer run on a vehicle you obviously need to upgrade the charging system accordingly. But my personal favorite is the small inverter generators. 1-2 kW output in a handheld package. Useful for a lot of other things too. All you need is 2 quarts of gas. I have a 14” 70.000 lumen short arc spotlight. (BTW I believe it use the same reflector as the VSS3 tank light). And while my light need 1 kW mains power, this light only weigh 10 kg or 22 lb complete with ballast and everything. To illustrate I clipped it on my belt… Now, with a Honda EU10 in my other hand, I could walk around 4-5 hours with this monster lit, before I need another 2 quarts of gas. So pretty much a stationary stockpot light made handheld and portable with a $5 door handle bolted on.
One explanation is that these monster light really isn’t that dangerous for aircrafts in the first place. Of course, high cost and limited availability helps too Here is part of a long report where they compared various big searchlight, including the famous 60” carbon arc light, to a tiny 3.5 mW laserpen. The laser was actually more problematic than any of the searchlights: Laser Pointer Safety - Comparison of searchlights with lasers
Full report: http://www.laserpointersafety.com/LPSFiles/files/TNO-DV%202009%20C264.pdf
Obviously, it still just as illegal to aim such a light on a aircraft, but as flashpilot said, that goes for a big flashlight too…
IMO, avoid the Chinese equippement all together and purchase good used or NOS name brands. You’ll eventually find a set with prices in the same ballpark or less. If you find a complete light source (endoscopy, film projector, lab equippement, etc) you’ll also have a myriad of parts to help complete your project. Things like bulb holders, fuses and fusable links, structural parts, wires, connectors, etc., can all be robbed to help convert the project. You’ll also gain something that performs to spec, rather than buying something with wildly exaggerated claims. When I was researching 12V HID’s, most of the Chinese ballasts tested far below their advertised wattage ratings, coupled with low quality bulbs that cut even further into lumen efficiency.
Then there comes size (length and diameter of the envelope) and positioning. The position of the 12V HID you tested will tell you where the envelope needs to reside in the reflector to focus properly. You’ll need to measure the opening at that point in the reflector and decide how large you can go with the bulb and maintain clearance. Im not sure if its an issue in your deep reflector, but dont forget to leave enough room around the envelope for the light to escape unimpeded by its own structures.
Im not trying to be argumentative, but the realities are far different than spec sheets. The Honda EU1000i is 1000W max rated for short periods of time and has a difficult time sustaining 900W continuously for any length of time. Running them at that level will shorten their life considerably. Ive owned 2 of them that failed, and they do much better @600W or below. They also suck fuel tanks dry at an alarming rate above that level. At $800 dealer cost and a weight of 27 lbs, its probably not something anyone would ever consider taking for a walk. Also, the engine isnt designed to be ran in an unlevel postion. If a device is verified to actually draw 1kW AC from mains power, you’re going to need a 2kw generator to run it reliably for any length of time. 1kW arc lights draw a good amount more then 1kW during ignition. Also, power inverters are not that efficient at converting energy. Like generators, its recommended that you size them at least 2x above their intended total max load requirements. True Class A continuous duty rated inverters are also comparatively expensive and heavy. The Chinese are notorious for affixing grossly overated specs on most equippement not built for major OEM’s and backed by ISO certification process assurances, so dont believe anything that hasnt been independently tested and confirmed by a reputable source. My friend owns a Honda cycle and power equippement center and I still own 3 of their generators. You will again match or exceed that cost for a quality inverter and again in cells that can convert and sustain 1kW AC for more than 15-20 minutes. Ive already been down that path with a SAR spec 450w Searcher HID aircraft pod (which I sold for over $12k). After an external 500W AC ballast and ignitor conversion, it ultimately required an EU2000i to run a 2kw continuous duty marine inverter to ignite and power the light without overheating the gen or inverter.
My VSS3 requires 4 huge fully charged high density commercial marine deep cycle cells (about 400 lbs total battery weight) to power it for about 25 minutes before it starts to dim (not recommended and hard on the electronics) so I limit it to 5 minute test runs on battery when necessary. Thats just enough to fully heat the envelope before a proper shutdown. There’s also a huge difference between full rated power (watts x volts) vs anything less. For instance, my VSS3 is at least 50% brighter with the engine running to provide max rated current and voltage without sag. A huge custom modified military alternator with external programmable high performance digital regulator handles the power requirements. Anything less simply wouldnt provide the continuous max power and overhead the light demands, which would equate to far less lumens OTF and potentially damaging the light and controller. In all, my total power system far exceeds the cost of my 3 x VSS3’s by a substantial amount. But it will far outlast all 3 lights and extract maximum performance and service life from each.
Nice light and thanks for sharing. I dont think your reflector is from a VSS3. Have you plugged it into a kill-o-watt meter yet to observe the current & wattage draw and power factor? It would be interesting if you could write a thread about it with a parts list when you have a chance.
I had my hooks into a complete new FLIR installation package with cryo unit, power converter and wiring harnesses for a F15-C, but I think Uncle Sam pulled the bid before it completed. :_( Probably for the best…
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