OK... YA'LL's Fault!

[FRITZHID]

one day, i looked at a "spotlight" i saw on AVP..... that led me to CPF.... there i found that the spot light i was looking at was +$2000.... so.... i lurked a bit... bought the stanley, and got lucky.... it worked... and still works...... then i saw LEDs... HIGH POWER LEDs. and acquired some nice Rockys from Sams Club.... and while at it...my son loved my stanley HID so much i bought him the 520lm LED for xmas..... and THEN.............................................. ....
i decided to start my own.... The HAND-SUN HID... and it's a work of art if i don't say so myself..... i put alot of research into it... and it does WAY better then ever expected!................. (my wife is now LIVID at all the damn HID's around the house, so PLEASE BUY ONE and SAVE MY LIFE!!!)
.................. and here.... at the final end..... (and maybe the end of my life)..... i bought a Maxabeam.
yes..
i did...
i can't afford it..
(unless peeps buy)
but i HAD to have one!!!!!!

it's a GEN II...
with a well cared for Nicad pack...
and low hrs...
best i could/not afford....
got it for $500 on ebay...
light, batt, charger.

.....
i have a MAXABEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah i know... all'yall have better, newer, and prob cheaper....
but i have my 1st SA spotlight! and it's a respected light!
it may have cost me my soul.... (and marriage) but i have 1! and i am proud!


so.... at this point.... if anyone has any advice or ..... well (anything cheap) that will benefit my "new" MB Gen II light... i welcome them!!!! i'd LOVE to have a Collmanatining lens and i'd KILL for a UV lens!!!!
..... and needless to say (again) PLEASE BUY/SPREAD WORD of my Hand-Sun spotlights so i can fund my MB!!!!! lmao


(yes i know... bad juju to promote my sales, but i HAVE to do something! :/ )

[ma_sha1]

Now it's time to upgrade the bulb

[FRITZHID]

well..... i'm limited cause of $. not to mention i'd LOVE the new reflector and board! lol (WAY beyond my budget now!!)

[ma_sha1]

FYI, modified HID usually doesn't sell well on CPF due to smaller amount of people into HID spotlights vs. led flashlights.

You may want to try put it on ebay, you may get a few bucks less but you'll get faster cash flow, which will help to make your hobby sustainable...

Not trying to drag you in deeper, but stock Gen II MB only does 2-3 million cps...

[Echo63]

Not trying to drag you in deeper, but stock Gen II MB only does 2-3 million cps...

With a Ushio UXL-75XE in parker VH adapters it can easily double that - mine (with SLA battery) did 7.2million measured at 165 metres

Congrats on the new light, the Maxabeam is one of those lights that makes you giggle when you fire it up
I believe the current models are still the worlds furthest throwing commercially available handheld light (though i could be wrong)

[FRITZHID]

well, i'm gonna hazard a guess and say it's the stock bulb.... if anyone knows where i can get a better bulb, new OR used, DIRT Cheap, (and i mean dirt), please let me know. hopefully some day i'll be able to afford the gen III board!
i'll have pix up thurs when it arrives!

[BVH]

The waiting part is terrible unbearable!

[bshanahan14rulz]

Fritz, congratulations! You like lasers, you like flashlights, why not mix the best of both worlds ;-)

[FRITZHID]

Fritz, congratulations! You like lasers, you like flashlights, why not mix the best of both worlds ;-)

ty Bsh.
ya know, it's funny that you say that because when i 1st saw a Maxabeam in use in a movie, based on the color, and the super tight and clean beam it made, i thought to myself "hmmm... i wonder if they dident just expand and un-collamate an argon ion laser for that light (and with the cord hanging out the back, i thought, maybe fiber optic, since i never put anything past tv/movie FX guys to "make it happen" in a film). wasen't till i did some searching around (and stumbling upon CPF, surprise surprise) that i learned they were actual lights, of HID type.... and thus my addiction began!

[djans1397]

Congrats on the MB Charles. I've wanted one of those for a while now... as all flashaholics have! I'm still wanting to try out one of your lights! I wished they were a tad smaller though as my only reference was my Barn Burner. But hey... bigger reflector... bigger throw! I'm sure they light up a field no problem though. I'd love to see more beam shops if you have any though. Enjoy your new toy

Dan

[FRITZHID]

Congrats on the MB Charles. I've wanted one of those for a while now... as all flashaholics have! I'm still wanting to try out one of your lights! I wished they were a tad smaller though as my only reference was my Barn Burner. But hey... bigger reflector... bigger throw! I'm sure they light up a field no problem though. I'd love to see more beam shops if you have any though. Enjoy your new toy

Dan

well, now that i have a MB, i'm sure i'll be out to the farm again with even more comparison shots! did u have some specific shots you'd like to see?

[FRITZHID]

ok, after watching UPS.COM ALL DAMN DAY!!!!! it finally arrived a few mins ago. the batt was just charged enough to fire it up, but that was about it, so its on the Trickle charger :/
i'll prob makeshift a small pack to play with it tonight using the cig lighter adapter.
anyone know what size cells are in the pack?
it has the strait tube (as opposed to the bubble shape)
all the features seem to work fine.
it's alot smaller then i would have thought, but def throws a tight bright beam.
gonna have fun play'n with the programming, thats for sure!
it's clean, cept for some small wiring issues that i can take care of over the next few days. it's all normal wear and tear.
looks like theres some sand stuck around the bezzle/lens section, not sure how i'm going to clean that out without scratching anything.
it seems like it may have some bulb focusing needed, almost like when it goes in to tightest focus, it's un-focusing.
looks like the x/y seems to be pretty good tho.... not that i have anything to compare it to, lol.
now.... just waiting for the darkness

[BVH]

Congrats! Pretty sure Gen2 can move the bulb beyond peak focus but you should be able to program that limit and where the bulb goes to when powered up. Maybe some of that is in Gen3 but don't remember. Compressed air to blow sand out? You got your laser!

[bshanahan14rulz]

when i 1st saw a Maxabeam in use in a movie

I just rewatched Jurassic Park this past weekend, and that was the first time I noticed that they were using MBs

i never put anything past tv/movie FX guys to "make it happen" in a film

No kidding! You've probably seen this link, but wow! http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/...-laser-siting/ And to think today you can go to DX and get a cheapo laser sight for $10 that has more output and adjustability.

[FRITZHID]

I just rewatched Jurassic Park this past weekend, and that was the first time I noticed that they were using MBs
No kidding! You've probably seen this link, but wow! http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/...-laser-siting/ And to think today you can go to DX and get a cheapo laser sight for $10 that has more output and adjustability.

you probably haven't seen any of my laser works, but i built a GRY X-Y servo laser scanner a while back, got some GREAT pix with it, was a fun toy to build and play with. i've been working with lasers for years now, everything from small HeNe's and red diode, all the way up to 6kW co2 and some other (i can't speak of it or i'd have to kill ya) systems as well. always loved lasers, even if they arn't strap'd to a sharks head. lmao

[FRITZHID]

hmm.. anyone have any spare MB connectors? i think i'm gonna find myself needing to make a few diff power connectors.

[BVH]

I bought a small "kit" from Annie at PB. Comes with some male and female pins and some plastic connector bodies. I don't think you'll find the pins anywhere else, I could not. I think I also got one of the bodies that has the round connection nut.

[N10]

anyone know what size cells are in the pack?

not sure which pack you're talking about but if you have the large..ish square plastic battery(i have no idea of the code or model) i think there's 10 Ni-cd F- cells in there..i've read some threads about cpf maxabeam owners upgrading those batteries or making their own Li-ion batteries so just do a little search and you will probably get lots of info on maxabeam batts..

[FRITZHID]

I bought a small "kit" from Annie at PB. Comes with some male and female pins and some plastic connector bodies. I don't think you'll find the pins anywhere else, I could not. I think I also got one of the bodies that has the round connection nut.

okies, i'll be sending her another email then! tnx Bob.

not sure which pack you're talking about but if you have the large..ish square plastic battery(i have no idea of the code or model) i think there's 10 Ni-cd F- cells in there..i've read some threads about cpf maxabeam owners upgrading those batteries or making their own Li-ion batteries so just do a little search and you will probably get lots of info on maxabeam batts..

Yeah, it's looking like i may be heading down that road soon, i don't think the pack i have has much life left in it. anyone know the max V for these? i'd like to build a pack that will have optimum duration yet remaining light. (not to mention doing away with the 18h charge time would be nice!)

i DID ofcorse take it for a spin tonight... in a word... Jesus! what a beam! not much in the flood area, almost any light can beat it in total lumens out put, but the focus is Crazy!!!! and i had NO idea the bulb got that hot, it glows orange/red for a long ass time after shut down!
its amazing how clear and clean the beam is, can almost "see" the arc itself when on a wall, the shimmer is kinda neat to look at as well.
its to bad they haven't come up with something to do away with the anode wire shadow yet.
all in all, i'm happy! love my new toy.
the clouds dissipated so no bounce tonight, but bet ur ass the next cloudy night i'll be out there! until then it's play'n with streetlights and annoying the neighbors.
i'll post the next batch of beam shots when i go back out to the farm with the Hand-Sun.

[N10]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...CD-NiM-upgrade

[BVH]

I believe there was a post a year or so ago by Robert @ PB about the use of the non-PB Ushio 75 Watt bulb. In this thread, I think was mention of maximum pack Voltage around 14.4 with no fudge factor above that number (what ever number he posted, not necessarily the 14.4 I THINK he cited)

[FRITZHID]

hmmm..... ok, tnx guys.

[BVH]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...=1#post3686607

(Pack Voltage recommendations from PB - 13.8 running)

4 x's LiFeP04 (@ 3.6V max) in series is 14.4 and that's what's in my PB LifeP04 pack.

[FRITZHID]

lol, yep,.... was reading it as you were posting. so i guess the lipo i got from Lips would work... not quite the right shape tho... maybe i'll go up to Batts + on monday and see what they have to play with that will fit in the case.
until then, i guess i'll play with the dieing nicads and belt hung sla or lipo with a cig adapter. damn thing gets awfully hot tho, lol.
so.... anyone put a glow-o-ring in one of these yet????
(ya i know, just got it, and already thinking of mod's for it... yeah... i don't have an issue with lights! )

[BVH]

Lips pack is too much Voltage - 4S is 16.8 hot off the charger.

I've always wondered what PB's Lithium battery is comprised of. Must be 3S or implement some type of Voltage regulation.

Also during my search, I read a couple posts from PEAKBEAMSYSTEMS (member name) about limiting High mode on Gen2's so as not to overheat the board and possibly damage the lamp.

[FRITZHID]

yeah, i was thinking of a VR in there, but donno if i have one that will handle 10A.

[Colonel Sanders]

"it seems like it may have some bulb focusing needed, almost like when it goes in to tightest focus, it's un-focusing."

As mentioned by BVH, if it's like the Gen IIs and IIIs, this is programmable. Do you have the manual for yours? I'd be glad to pass on to you what it says in my manual about this if you don't have yours but I have no idea if yours works like mine.

[FRITZHID]

oh i have the manual, i've just noted that it can travel farther that the tightest spot point. was just wondering if this was normal

[Parker VH]

Here are some pin connector part #'s that I ordered from Mouser
# 571-206430-1, 4 pin connector like the one on the battery itself
# 571-206429-1, 4 pin male connector that screws onto the battery.
# 571-66105-4, female pins that fit the above connectors
# 571-66103-4, male pins that fit the above connectors

[FRITZHID]

Great! TY Parker!