I've been watching Ebay and waiting for a few years for one of the Holy Grails of Short Arcs to show up. The fruits of my labor paid off recently. For what seems like a year or more, there have been 3 Spectrolab NightSun junction boxes (power supply, boost power and part of the ignitor circuit in a metal box) listed. Two have always been listed at about $3,500 each and one for $5,200. That is just too rich for my blood. And besides, what am I going to do with a NightSun power supply?
About 3 weeks ago, an SX-16 NightSun canister (main light body and internals, minus the gimbal) appeared on Ebay with a starting price of $1,250. I was going to participate in the bidding but so as not to disappoint myself too much, I told myself it would probably end up going for at least $7,000 to $8,000. After all a new SX-16 is over $25,000 from what I can gather. To make the chance of acquisition even less, the seller indicated "local pick-up only" and was located in Florida. The light had a cracked front window and was listed for "parts, not working". I watched it until it had 5 hours to go – with no bids, and communicated an offer to the seller with the condition that the lamp was not physically damaged and same for the reflector and canister and that he would be willing to ship it. A day went by with no answer and finally he responded that he would sell and ship it for my offer and that all my conditions were met with regard to no damage. So immediately to PayPal I happily went. Keep in mind that I still didn't know if everything in the canister worked.
July 3
Now after years of waiting, I had a NightSun light body on the way and I needed a junction box (power supply) and a hand controller box. So I did my research on all the Spectrolab revisions of the junction box and found all the technical Service Bulletins that had been issued on them. Based on this info, I made an offer to the seller of the two boxes – for the newest one of the two. A day went by and finally he declined my offer. I was very disappointed but had expected this result based on my low bid. So I said "what the heck, I've got nothing to lose" and made the same offer to the $5,200 box seller. To my surprise, he accepted it. And I realized shortly thereafter, that this box had all of the technical service bulletin work done already. As with the light body, I still didn't know if the box actually worked.
So there I sat on July 3 with two major SX-16 NightSun components paid for and awaiting shipping. To pass the time, I downloaded the NightSun operator manual and read it cover to cover a couple of times hoping for some info on an electrical schematic since I would have to wire in a control box when I finally found one or make my own controller. Naturally, there was no schematic online that I could find. I did find a technical service bulletin for a Eurocopter NightSun installation that showed the pinout of the hand controller as it terminates on a terminal block in the junction box. Based on this, I believed I had most of info that I needed to get one wired up or made.
While I waited for the components to arrive, I emailed Spectrolab for some parts costs. I knew everything would be super expensive so when the prices came back, it was no surprise – except for the front window. It is only $146.00 plus shipping. But the controller box is a whopping $1,850!! It's basically two toggle switches – one for Off/On/Start and one for Left-Right/Up-down and one momentary push button for focus. Maybe there's a logic board or some other goodies in there, but it can't be much. All of these are housed in a small metal box with a coiled cord and connector. That's it! I can't afford to pay nearly two grand for it. In my email, I took the time to explain who I am and about my Short arc collection hobby. I mentioned that my use for a NightSun is definitely not on an aircraft nor for any commercial purposes. I then asked if the company ever had used/reconditioned or salvaged parts for the light.
I continued to re-visit the controller terminal block diagram and photos of the inside of the junction box. After hours of research, I came to the conclusion that it was possible that I didn't have to find the hand controller right away to operate the light. I thought that I could make the two cables I need and my own controller. If I was reading the very basic controller block diagram right, the controller box and in-turn, the three switches simply provide make-and-break power connections to the focus, azimuth and elevation motors and the ignitor. I wasn't 100% sure without having the components in my possession though.
I finally ended up seeing a sentence in the operators' manual mentioning that there is a maintenance and troubleshooting manual in existence. Since it had been a few days since my first used parts inquiry, I emailed my contact at Spectrolab again saying I definitely wanted to order the glass window and asked him if I can purchase the manual. I also asked again about used parts. A few hours later, I got a very nice response from my contact. He said he was catching up his desk after the long holiday weekend and that he had wanted to "go out into the shop" to see about some used parts but hadn't had time yet. He asked me to be patient and give him some time. Of course I emailed back saying to take all the time he needed. He mentioned that it MIGHT be possible to find some used items at a cheaper cost.
July 8th - the junction box arrived.
I spent a couple of hours removing some of the components so I could thoroughly clean up the insides. Everything "looks" in good condition but of course with electronic parts, it's impossible to know if they are all functioning by looking at them.
So now I'm just waiting on my Spectrolab contact to give me some good news!
The Junction/Boost Power Supply Box
July 15 – No return email yet but the Light Body Arrived, Excitement - Disappointment - Excitement!
The box arrives looking reasonably good. I open it up, carefully remove the foam padding and lift the bubble wrapped light onto my bench. I can hear broken glass. Not good. The seller said in the Ebay ad that the front window has a crack. Well now the crack is a few shards of glass remaining in-place and the rest is on the bottom of the light. And upon further inspection, the shards have hit the lamp during transit and it's ruptured. Oh my gawd – how's the reflector??? A quick close look and I'm surprised how good it looks. Yeah, there's a few little dust strike looking spots with minute scratches but…..hmmmmmm….. you know what……I think this is a new reflector! There's absolutely no fine scratch marks like all "cleaned" reflectors show. No burned on blue haze as I see on all Short Arc reflectors. And you know what??? The black crinkle finish on the outside of the can is, well, new looking. The connector threads look untouched. The safety cable is brand new looking. The yolk mounts look untouched. OK! This is looking better. Let's open up the back end and take a look to see if all the electronic parts and focusing motor are there. I take the 4 screws out and pop it open. My gawd!!! This IS a new light. Everything is pristine! All the military white cables are blinding white in color. Heck, the white grease on the focusing motor cam is not even spread around the cam and the original glob on the movable assembly is pretty much untouched. There's not a spec of dust on the fan blades. There's absolutely no heat marks anywhere. This is a New, Old Stock Light! Did I get lucky or what!!!
I knew I needed the front window. I planned on getting a bulb anyway so in reality, no harm done and I've got a brand new NightSun light body!
Just a little interesting technical observation. I wonder how many "miles" the spark plug is good for??? What??? Yes, there's an NGK AP7FS in the starting circuit. This is the first time I've seen an over-the-counter or any special spark plug used in a Short Arc ignition system. The first thing that comes to mind is the term Spark Gap. I've seen numerous Spark Gaps in Short Arc ignitor circuits but they are directly in line with the lamp current. The NGK is not in the main current circuit. There's also something called a Vibrator that looks sort of like a capacitor. I've seen them in older electrical devices but don't know what they do.
That's it for now. I need to get a new lamp, a front window and nail down the control box and cabling. But I can say that I'm a Happy Camper now. Even though this has been a Holy Grail for me, there's still another More Holy Grail to obtain - The Night Sword!
Back cover removed shows the Focus motor and cooling fan
Moving Reflector ***'y is the Black, three-sided piece and the white board supports the lamp and electronics
Ignitor Box
NGK AP7FS Spark Plug
Poor arc chamber with its' hole. Hows that for a Big Arc Gap?
The poor Anode was rolling around in the can. Can't believe it physically broke in two pieces.
About 3 weeks ago, an SX-16 NightSun canister (main light body and internals, minus the gimbal) appeared on Ebay with a starting price of $1,250. I was going to participate in the bidding but so as not to disappoint myself too much, I told myself it would probably end up going for at least $7,000 to $8,000. After all a new SX-16 is over $25,000 from what I can gather. To make the chance of acquisition even less, the seller indicated "local pick-up only" and was located in Florida. The light had a cracked front window and was listed for "parts, not working". I watched it until it had 5 hours to go – with no bids, and communicated an offer to the seller with the condition that the lamp was not physically damaged and same for the reflector and canister and that he would be willing to ship it. A day went by with no answer and finally he responded that he would sell and ship it for my offer and that all my conditions were met with regard to no damage. So immediately to PayPal I happily went. Keep in mind that I still didn't know if everything in the canister worked.
July 3
Now after years of waiting, I had a NightSun light body on the way and I needed a junction box (power supply) and a hand controller box. So I did my research on all the Spectrolab revisions of the junction box and found all the technical Service Bulletins that had been issued on them. Based on this info, I made an offer to the seller of the two boxes – for the newest one of the two. A day went by and finally he declined my offer. I was very disappointed but had expected this result based on my low bid. So I said "what the heck, I've got nothing to lose" and made the same offer to the $5,200 box seller. To my surprise, he accepted it. And I realized shortly thereafter, that this box had all of the technical service bulletin work done already. As with the light body, I still didn't know if the box actually worked.
So there I sat on July 3 with two major SX-16 NightSun components paid for and awaiting shipping. To pass the time, I downloaded the NightSun operator manual and read it cover to cover a couple of times hoping for some info on an electrical schematic since I would have to wire in a control box when I finally found one or make my own controller. Naturally, there was no schematic online that I could find. I did find a technical service bulletin for a Eurocopter NightSun installation that showed the pinout of the hand controller as it terminates on a terminal block in the junction box. Based on this, I believed I had most of info that I needed to get one wired up or made.
While I waited for the components to arrive, I emailed Spectrolab for some parts costs. I knew everything would be super expensive so when the prices came back, it was no surprise – except for the front window. It is only $146.00 plus shipping. But the controller box is a whopping $1,850!! It's basically two toggle switches – one for Off/On/Start and one for Left-Right/Up-down and one momentary push button for focus. Maybe there's a logic board or some other goodies in there, but it can't be much. All of these are housed in a small metal box with a coiled cord and connector. That's it! I can't afford to pay nearly two grand for it. In my email, I took the time to explain who I am and about my Short arc collection hobby. I mentioned that my use for a NightSun is definitely not on an aircraft nor for any commercial purposes. I then asked if the company ever had used/reconditioned or salvaged parts for the light.
I continued to re-visit the controller terminal block diagram and photos of the inside of the junction box. After hours of research, I came to the conclusion that it was possible that I didn't have to find the hand controller right away to operate the light. I thought that I could make the two cables I need and my own controller. If I was reading the very basic controller block diagram right, the controller box and in-turn, the three switches simply provide make-and-break power connections to the focus, azimuth and elevation motors and the ignitor. I wasn't 100% sure without having the components in my possession though.
I finally ended up seeing a sentence in the operators' manual mentioning that there is a maintenance and troubleshooting manual in existence. Since it had been a few days since my first used parts inquiry, I emailed my contact at Spectrolab again saying I definitely wanted to order the glass window and asked him if I can purchase the manual. I also asked again about used parts. A few hours later, I got a very nice response from my contact. He said he was catching up his desk after the long holiday weekend and that he had wanted to "go out into the shop" to see about some used parts but hadn't had time yet. He asked me to be patient and give him some time. Of course I emailed back saying to take all the time he needed. He mentioned that it MIGHT be possible to find some used items at a cheaper cost.
July 8th - the junction box arrived.
I spent a couple of hours removing some of the components so I could thoroughly clean up the insides. Everything "looks" in good condition but of course with electronic parts, it's impossible to know if they are all functioning by looking at them.
So now I'm just waiting on my Spectrolab contact to give me some good news!
The Junction/Boost Power Supply Box
July 15 – No return email yet but the Light Body Arrived, Excitement - Disappointment - Excitement!
The box arrives looking reasonably good. I open it up, carefully remove the foam padding and lift the bubble wrapped light onto my bench. I can hear broken glass. Not good. The seller said in the Ebay ad that the front window has a crack. Well now the crack is a few shards of glass remaining in-place and the rest is on the bottom of the light. And upon further inspection, the shards have hit the lamp during transit and it's ruptured. Oh my gawd – how's the reflector??? A quick close look and I'm surprised how good it looks. Yeah, there's a few little dust strike looking spots with minute scratches but…..hmmmmmm….. you know what……I think this is a new reflector! There's absolutely no fine scratch marks like all "cleaned" reflectors show. No burned on blue haze as I see on all Short Arc reflectors. And you know what??? The black crinkle finish on the outside of the can is, well, new looking. The connector threads look untouched. The safety cable is brand new looking. The yolk mounts look untouched. OK! This is looking better. Let's open up the back end and take a look to see if all the electronic parts and focusing motor are there. I take the 4 screws out and pop it open. My gawd!!! This IS a new light. Everything is pristine! All the military white cables are blinding white in color. Heck, the white grease on the focusing motor cam is not even spread around the cam and the original glob on the movable assembly is pretty much untouched. There's not a spec of dust on the fan blades. There's absolutely no heat marks anywhere. This is a New, Old Stock Light! Did I get lucky or what!!!
I knew I needed the front window. I planned on getting a bulb anyway so in reality, no harm done and I've got a brand new NightSun light body!
Just a little interesting technical observation. I wonder how many "miles" the spark plug is good for??? What??? Yes, there's an NGK AP7FS in the starting circuit. This is the first time I've seen an over-the-counter or any special spark plug used in a Short Arc ignition system. The first thing that comes to mind is the term Spark Gap. I've seen numerous Spark Gaps in Short Arc ignitor circuits but they are directly in line with the lamp current. The NGK is not in the main current circuit. There's also something called a Vibrator that looks sort of like a capacitor. I've seen them in older electrical devices but don't know what they do.
That's it for now. I need to get a new lamp, a front window and nail down the control box and cabling. But I can say that I'm a Happy Camper now. Even though this has been a Holy Grail for me, there's still another More Holy Grail to obtain - The Night Sword!
Back cover removed shows the Focus motor and cooling fan
Moving Reflector ***'y is the Black, three-sided piece and the white board supports the lamp and electronics
Ignitor Box
NGK AP7FS Spark Plug
Poor arc chamber with its' hole. Hows that for a Big Arc Gap?
The poor Anode was rolling around in the can. Can't believe it physically broke in two pieces.
