Building a short arc searclight

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 :wink:

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 :wink: 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…

Thank you everyone for chiming in and answer my question, and that is a interesting read PolarLi. :slight_smile:

Still, 800mcp equals to about 28km of throw (to 1 lux), and that distance is much longer than most conventional lasers can reach!

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…

These just popped up on ebay. Dont let the looks fool you, these are the real deal. The housings are hardened aluminum, and aircraft paint stripper will take them right down to bare metal. I believe these are AN/VSS-3 (not AN/VSS-3A version)

“:http://www.ebay.com/itm/STD-Searchlight-Tank-Xenon-Projector-/271606524719?hash=item3f3d02ab2f

If interested, ask if they come with the storage box, cables and control head.

Here’s what appears to be a complete kit for $1500 with pics. AN/VSS-3 Search Light - SARCO, Inc

Wow lot of useful comments in the the thread today. I would love to go with one of the non-Chinese brand ballast and PSUs but we also have to keep in mind this is BUDGET light forum LOL. The price of some of the links and suggestions in this thread are starting to go considerably out of my price range.

Polari that article about the laser pointer VS the carbon arc searchlight was quite an interesting read. I still find it peculiar that the laser pointer was brighter and more distracting than the searchlight though. That would mean even the least powerful laser pointers have an equivalent candlepower rating of over 800 million. Thats kind of mind boggling

One of the other issues Im having is that all the used xenon arc microscopes and other arc light sources on ebay just about always use a bulb thats designed to be operated in the vertical position. A bulb that would be suitable for a spotlight would most likely need to be able to accomodate horizontal use more so than vertical use. For that reason Ill most likely have to purchase a new bulb. The stage projectors and other types of searchlight on ebay that use horizontal price ranges are, once again, out of my price range.

Anyway went by the store today and bought some reflector mounting hardware. Stay tuned for reflector mounting pics

I don’t think these common 2*AAA green laser pointers have anywhere near 800mcp at all especially at just a few bucks of price, otherwise I would change my hobby into lasers already lol! :bigsmile:

I think in this case it has something to do with the spectrum and the nature of the beam itself. A common light beam can be dispersed into seven constituent colors, for example by shining it through a prism; Laser beam however is monochromatic and they can only produce one colour, be it red, blue, green, or even pink colour… Well, I’m not sure how these things can explain why laser beam is more disturbing than the searchlights to the pilot, but I think it has something to do with the characteristics of the beam somehow.

Finally got the reflector mounting mechanism made. Made out of 16gauge steel. Need a few more nuts and I can finally permanently mount it and seal off the front of the reflector around the housing. Drilling through that pot was a huge pain. It must be hardened stainless steel or something. Took like an hour and a half to drill 4X1/4in screw hole and broke countless bits in the process lol!

Here are some pics I snapped of mounting mechanism.

Mounting plate

Test fitted.

Was on ebay searching for a used light I could buy to salvage parts from for my light and came across this. Dont know what to make of this as the normal price is nearly $10k.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carlisle-Finch-4441X-RF-500Watt-Xenon-Arc-Searchlight-/401000649534?hash=item5d5d80533e&vxp=mtr

Wouldnt that be a great price? :bigsmile: A C&F was my first xenon arc that started all the madness.
The part# you linked is for the remote focus control station. Youd still need the power supply and searchlight.

http://carlislefinch.com/orig/marine/specs/4441xrfdim.pdf

http://carlislefinch.com/500%20Watt%20Xenon%20Manual%20Control%20Configuration

The VS3 I previously linked is at least twice the light and far better made. If it were made today, I think it would very likely exceed $50k

Ahh false ebay titles. What a disappointment...

More pics of the mounting mechanism. The red stuff is a high temp silicon centering ring for the reflector. It might not be pretty but it does its job very well. Its gonna be covered when the reflector and lens seal is installed anyway so no need to worry about it looking good.

Looking good!

Thank you flashpilot.

I also got the basic bulb mount made. Allows for full, easy, and precise adjustment of the bulb. Probably the most important function needed to be able to get the perfect beam pattern. Got to get my brother to make the bulb holder in his lathe but since I don't have the bulb yet I don't know the dimensions it needs to be.

And for fun here is a cool pic of an automtive HID being used as a test mule in the reflector.

very nice project!

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Great job! As you said, a good lamp adjuster is vital for these SA lamps and you can’t go wrong with springs and threaded rod.

Thanks guys. I thought on how to make the mount for quite some time and I'm actually pleased with how it turned out. Just hope it works as good as it appears to when I actually have a bulbs mounted and all the extra weight it's gonna add. I have several different length and strength springs to fine tune it's performance if need be.

Should work fine. Another option is to focus the lamp with this setup. Measure the height of the adjusting plate on each corner. Then remove the springs and use two nuts on each rod. One over and one under the plate. Since you have the measurement, you will be very close on fist try. That will never move, and you can still adjust it. Just a little bit more inconvenient.

Good idea! That would definitely hold the bulb in the proper place as you said. Ill keep that in mind.

Made the lens holder out of bent L brackets. Used some super glue to glue some rubber onto the bottom of the brackets to keep from scratching the polycarbonate lens. I dont think the outer edges are going to get very warm and thus the super glue should hold up just fine.

So I got really curious and wanted to know exactly how my light with a 35watt automotive HID bulb will stack up against the maxabeam. Since I finally got the lens holder made I was able to take it back outside again tonight without having to worry about beatles going up in smoke from flying into the bulb. Here are some of the images I took. The Maxabeam is on high in all the images.

Maxabeam on the right

Maxabeam on the left

About 150ft away from the lights. Maxabeam on the right.

About 300ft away from the lights. Maxabeam on the right.

The automotive HID is clearly much brighter as is evident in the first 2 pics. The Maxabeam still dominates on throw as is shown by the last 2 pics. I think this reflector is doing a great job at collimating the beam from a bulb with a much longer arc than a short arc. I'm thinking that means this will be a stellar performer once paired with a high output short arc.

That is some beautiful shots! Looks like you have a dark night sky and not too much light polution at your place? As for the beam, you will always get a tight hotspot and a bit of “corona” with a short focal length reflector as yours, but it will definitely collimate a lot more with a shorter arc.

We have the usual what appears to be about a 500watt Metal Halide security light in our yard as well as in several of our neighbors yards. Other than that the nearest bright lights are in the closest town about 5 miles away. Our night time sky is pretty clear. Just after I snapped one of the photos a really bright shooting star went streaking across the sky. One of the brightest I have seen in a while! Wish my camera had still been rolling...

It just kind of suprising to me how the maxabeam's reflector is several times smaller than mine and has a dimmer light yet is still able to out throw it. Arc length must have everything in the world to do with throw.