Need advice on a poor mans HID light rig

Well, I am kind of ready to bite the bullet. Seems 300 bucks or about is the range to jump in. I hope to come up with a poor mans way of making an hid battery powered light and make a few bucks too.

From what limited shopping i have done online, seems the cheapest way is to buy a helmet light, 13 watt hid model for 140 bucks with ballast and wiring. Then just make a battery pack for it and do something secret with the head so its an all in one unit.

Step two, buy an h3 hid lamp, use an h3 lamp holder and use the matching ballast/ignitor with it for 200 bucks.

Are there any other ways? I thought about buying a setup from a hardwore store, but then I would need 110 volts where now I just need 14.4 volts.

how big to you want it to be?

how many do you want to make/sell?

The hid thor is back if you want to try it.
www.harborfreight.com

Enter item # 93175

Just under $140 shipped and ready to go with both ac and dc chargers.

Man, that thing is massive on the harbor site. I was looking for something smaller.

I was thinking of making an HID light like the old tube radios. Open wooden body with a handle and open jumper blocks to hook up other stuff. I cant mill or machine any metal like the other guys here, but I can work with wood.

The cheapest thing assembled with a lamp complete with reflector was 140 bucks. The halogen bulb up grade with ballast is 200 bucks total. I was thinking along the lines of getting some h3 fod light kits. Both projector style for spot and flood ones, convert them, mount it to the board, ballast, terminal blocks, battery pack or leave it open for user battery pack.

Looks like these are similar to floursant lamps. Need to get a ballast to match the bulb. My big problem is the lens, lamp housing and reflector. If I can get that ready made, just a matter of mounting it.

Try a UK Light Cannon LC100, I think I've seen those in the $150 range.

my 35 watt hid vector mod cost me under 200 bucks.

it weighs a little over 4 pounds has a 5.25 inch reflector and it runs for 85/90 minutes on its internal nimh battery.

it was pretty easy to make.

I got my parts and fired it up. Lets just say alklines wont cut it. I got out my old project battery, a ua wet cell lead acid deep cycle 12 volt battery.

Man, it was like a monster had come to life. It kept getting brighter, brighter, brighter. I can imagine how the person who invented the first jet engine felt as their beast whirled to life. After about 15 seconds it quit getting any brighter. I could see the dust particles in my room at 330 in the afternoon with window blinds open and a lamp on.

I grabbed my 3 watt led light and p62 moded one. Both lights I could see their beam within the hids beam, but neither of them illuminate fog in their beam profile. I think a better reflector will help the hid with that.

Now, how useful will this be having to wait 15 seconds, when I normally use my lights for a quick flick to check for monsters under my bed, in closets or reading specs off my cheat sheets at work?

I think the 10MCP Thor is sleek looking and while big, it's not monsterous like the 15mcp and HID models. I think it has a nice size to it.

You could mod it to HID with car ballast/bulbs. You could find a good deal on spares on ebay and peice it together. I always wanted a Thor 10mcp in straight black (not the grey everyone says is black. I have seen them in pure black at parts america).

It will still be usefull as it puts out a lot of light on first start up still right?

Do you have a host yet, wooden, or not? Seems like you need a nice big ol reflector. 10mcp Thor?

cobb,

well, what parts did you get?

I thought about buying one of these
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1393

And using it to make a nice modular portable system.

I think JimH made a really ,, really cool one with two of those and a Pelican case.

~John

John, I think you need to make a shoulder mount for it instead. One for each shoulder actually. Batteries would fit in your backpack.

IsaacHayes said:

John, I think you need to make a shoulder mount for it instead. One for each shoulder actually. Batteries would fit in your backpack.

Click to expand...

hmmmmmmmmm :thinking:

Why does that sound so firmilar?

~John

I just bought the bulb, ballast for h3 bulb and use a lamp fixture from my wheelchair. I need to get to wally world and get a projector fog lamp or an illegal off road only one.

I dont know or understand why you guys like those thors or thor like lights. I would of jumped at the costco light if it didnt weigh 12 lbs or what ever it weighs.

I rather use dual sets of 4 cr123s to power it.