Magic Fire 40W HID 4000-Lumen 4x18650 HID Flashlight

[Ginseng]

hello guys, i have bought AW's IMR18650 and they fit nicely.

and also, does your light buzz?
mine keeps on buzzing

That's the electronic ballast and it's normal.

Wilkey

 

[chesterqw]

Hello Wilkey,

i see, thanks for the answer!

 

[chesterqw]

i wonder if the light will improve with a better reflector???

http://www.phoenixelectroforms.com/parabolic_standard_products.html

or a recoat of the reflector?

http://niprooptics.thomasnet-naviga...s/reflector-refurbishing/item-1004?&forward=1

 

[Doberman]

Hi nitekayak,thanks for showing the consuptions.This just inspired me to meter the current consumption of my scorpion. It takes 3.16 A (SENYBOR 2800 PCB (5,6A limit)) after stabilizing.I metered at the two ends of the microswitch. Where did you take the points to meter, because you have a much lower consumption with your light.Could this also mean that my scorpion has a much higher beam output or does this indicate a defect ballast ?Your thoughts appreciated RegardsAndy

I finally received a set of 18650 AW3100s. My light works fine with these cells! With the JetBeam 2300mAH cells it would just flicker then cut out altogether. Using the JetBeams, I was almost instantaneously tripping the PCB in one of the four cells. The battery would recover if power was immediately removed. If I left the light on for 2-3 seconds, the PCB would latch and the battery would indicate 0 Volts until it was placed onto the charger. This was definitely not a malfunction and part of the cell's design intent, as it would occur in any one of the 8 cells, as I discovered by rotating the mix. After installing the AW3100s, I measured the current on first strike and found it would peak my Fluke 87 at > 10 Amps. Both 1 msec and 100 msec recording intervals yielded the same result. Once the inrush current would drop off, I was reading ~4.4 Amps at 14.2V (~61 Watts input). As Patriot stated, it appears different manufacturers are using PCBs with varying thresholds. I found a specification sheet for a 3.7V Lion Battery Protection Circuit.This shows one manufacturer's design thresholds and monitoring parameters. I could not find which particular cell size this PCB was designed for:Over-charge protection voltage: 4.300V+/- 0.050VOver-discharge protection voltage: 2.40V +/- 0.100VOver-current protection voltage: 2.2-3.4AMaximal continuous discharging current: 2AMaximal current consumption: 10uAShort circuit protection: Automatic RecoveryProtection circuitry resistance: =< 65mOhm Anyway, I'm a happy camper now that my light turned out not to be DOA after all. I have a set of AW IMR18650s on the way, but since the higher capacity AW3100s are working out, they will be relegated to being my backup batteries. Here are some charts showing how Voltage/Amperage/Wattage vary with time during the startup/warmup phase. The Ballast Output Power assumes 90% efficiency for the electronic ballast. This seems to align with what I've read about low wattage metal halide ballasts.

 

[mohanjude]

That is a even higher reading than my 2.8amps that I meassured. Have you checked the voltage to work out power output (VxA)

If you could let us know the V then it would be helpful to see how much variation there is in the ballast.

 

[Doberman]

Nope, was just a short test.
For voltage metering i´d need to have the battery pack outside the flashlight, this would need a kind of breadboard construction. Or is there a more simple method in metering Current and voltage at one time ?
I do have 2 multimeters.
Rgds

 

[Patriot]

i wonder if the light will improve with a better reflector???

The reflector is pretty decent on this light already. For triple the price one might be able to purchase something that throws a tiny bit better for that given size but it probably wouldn't be an earth shattering difference.

 

[mohanjude]

Nope, was just a short test.
For voltage metering i´d need to have the battery pack outside the flashlight, this would need a kind of breadboard construction. Or is there a more simple method in metering Current and voltage at one time ?
I do have 2 multimeters.
Rgds

If you have 2 Dvm then you can hook them up 1 in series (amps) at the micro switch and 1 in parallel to the positive and negative. I found it easier to take pack out and wire the pack using 'jump leads or test leads.

The other alternative is to meassure the voltage between micro switch and the battery pole closest with the severed track. You get half the pack voltage which should give you a rough idea of the whole pack if all the cells are the same age, brand and have been fully charged.

 

[Doberman]

Just metered it out :

Voltage is 7.32 Volts (<>14,64); Current dropped to 2,91 A (after loading the cells to 100%). This means 42.6 Watts consumption. 42.6*90% =38,3 Watts. So the output seems to align more to 40 than to 35w. But i still wonder, why the current lowered that way compared to the previous meterings..
I tried several times yesterday and it always reached more than 3A (at a cell level of approx. 85%).

 

[mohanjude]

I think there is a variation of amp draw. I tried my own ballast several times and got a variation around 10%. It looks like yours is the highest so far tested.

One of these days I will pluck up the courage to try and dismantle the bulb and meassure actual volts and amps delivered to the bulb.

Until I can confirm with Ric that replacement bulbs are available I don't want to wreck the bulb.

 

[Doberman]

[OT]

Hmmmm The FF3 initiates a "must have" in me. Seems to be the TM11 of the HID´s. Unfortunately the manufacturer does not have any info on his homepage to the FF3. Still a secret project ?
And shoudian.com may be interesting but i can´t read mandarin ..
Any further info appreciated.
If available i will order directly. :wave:

Reviews welcome.
Sorry for OT

[/OT]

The FF3 pictures were out for a few month now, didn't want to post here, yet another unobtainium.

Since it's been brought up. might as well...

Left. 40W FF2, this was what the magic fire templated upon, Magic fire is similar to FF2 in size.

Middle, 35W FF1, the original one that was a small custom run only, before FF turned commercial operations & produced FF2.
FF1 still the slimest of the family, it's already incredibally small for a full power HID!

Right, the 40W FF3. Now, since many of you just got the magic fire, imagine real 40W out at almost half the size? un freakenbeliveable

 

[TEEJ]

[OT]

Hmmmm The FF3 initiates a "must have" in me. Seems to be the TM11 of the HID´s. Unfortunately the manufacturer does not have any info on his homepage to the FF3. Still a secret project ?

And shoudian.com may be interesting but i can´t read mandarin ..

Any further info appreciated.
If available i will order directly. :wave:

Reviews welcome.
Sorry for OT

[/OT]

I like Mandarin oranges, but they are hard to light.

 

[BVH]

Just metered it out :

Voltage is 7.32 Volts (<>14,64); Current dropped to 2,91 A (after loading the cells to 100%). This means 42.6 Watts consumption. 42.6*90% =38,3 Watts. So the output seems to align more to 40 than to 35w. But i still wonder, why the current lowered that way compared to the previous meterings..
I tried several times yesterday and it always reached more than 3A (at a cell level of approx. 85%).

Cutting edge technology ballasts are just reaching 90% efficiency. All of the ballasts we deal with are at best, 80% and probably closer to between 75% and 80% efficient. Yours is probably closer to 34 Watts output.

 

[MDJAK]

Well I did it and was able to center the bulb without doing any significant damage. The base of the bulb is cemented into the ballast...I suspect this is why replacement bulbs aren't available. A bit of the cement did chip off but it didn't seem to affect anything.

Wilkey

Replacement bulbs unavailable? May I ask where you come upon that info? My bulb blew after a month of ownership and I emailed Ric. He said if I'm handy with a solder gun (which I'm not but a friend is), it's easy to replace the bulb and he's going to send me one.

 

[Ginseng]

T

Replacement bulbs unavailable? May I ask where you come upon that info? My bulb blew after a month of ownership and I emailed Ric. He said if I'm handy with a solder gun (which I'm not but a friend is), it's easy to replace the bulb and he's going to send me one.

Let me clarify. He said none available for elective purchase now. On similar point, no battery carriers for purchase at all.
Wilkey

 

[nitekayak]

Just metered it out :

Voltage is 7.32 Volts (<>14,64); Current dropped to 2,91 A (after loading the cells to 100%). This means 42.6 Watts consumption. 42.6*90% =38,3 Watts. So the output seems to align more to 40 than to 35w. But i still wonder, why the current lowered that way compared to the previous meterings..
I tried several times yesterday and it always reached more than 3A (at a cell level of approx. 85%).

Hi Doberman,

It does sound like you received a ballast that draws more current than what's been posted thus far (hopefully you're getting more lumens out the business end). When I hooked up my Multimeters to take Voltage and Current measurements, I used test leads with hook clips (a "J" hook) connected to the gold springs of the battery pack. My Fluke was wired in series to measure the current since it had the highest current measuring capability. My Amprobe is a little guy that has thin non-detachable leads, so I used it to measure the voltage. I kept the battery pack separated from the light and just held the leads on the ballast input to complete the circuit. My ballast efficiency number was based on several articles that I read recently. A decent technical article located here "www.ballastdesign.com/overview.shtml" generalized the efficiency of electronic (vs. magnetic) HID ballasts as follows:
2. Electronic

• very low efficient ( < 85% )• low efficient (85% - 90% )• high efficient( 90% - 93% )• very high efficient( > 93% )​

I just picked the "middle" of the scale because it seemed like a reasonable reference point. These ballasts may be less efficient but I wasn't willing to break the bulb's cement to attempt a reading on the output side as I feared what the outcome might be .

 

[Tain]

[OT]

Hmmmm The FF3 initiates a "must have" in me. Seems to be the TM11 of the HID´s. Unfortunately the manufacturer does not have any info on his homepage to the FF3. Still a secret project ?
And shoudian.com may be interesting but i can´t read mandarin ..
Any further info appreciated.
If available i will order directly. :wave:

Reviews welcome.
Sorry for OT

[/OT]

Here you go, photos of the FF3.
http://www.shoudian.com/thread-252927-1-1.html

 

[Ginseng]

Wow, a completely different return wire placement.

Wilkey

 

[BVH]

Wow, a completely different return wire placement.

Wilkey

Yes! That's how many of the really BIG Boys do it. Maxabeam, my Locators, the expensive ACR marine spotlights, just mention a few.

 

[mohanjude]

Whats the advantage of having the return wire spread out like that? Does it improve the beam profile by reducing the shadow of the return wire?