Megaray slayer, mod'd MB???

Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

Guess I should put down the crack pipe for it's yet another dose of this forum's lusting after unobtainable or impractically and insanely excess overkill monster outputting arc lights! I was perusing the Ushio website and I got to thinking. The Xenon short arc capsule in the Maxabeam, is this a double-ended capsule, and how long is this capsule? What about the Maxabeam 75w capsule arc gap, anyone know what it is, or if it is a double-ended capsule that could easily be replaced with similar DE capsule? We see that with large reflector Sway has done passable job with 50w over-driven D2S HTI auto capsule /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif . The D2S capsule has an arc gap of 4.2mm. A primer for Sway and others on 'short arc' HID's in this older online article.
http://members.misty.com/don/shortarc.html

In this thread most powerful hid lamp?, we have Leonard; who represents the company that markets the Megaray, giving an impression that it's only possible to have great throw with the lens focusing system used in his product. Now I'm not a optical design expert, but I kind of figure there are more than a few ways to design telescopes and I should think there is more than one way to achieve long throw with different optical designs, when money is no object.
Kenshiro's superlights comparisons at 1,500yds. "MB+(high output mode on the Maxabeam) really shines".

But Ushio has a new variation of arc lamp design that is also 'short arc' but with substantially greater efficiency than standard 'short arc Xenon' currently available.Ushio's EmArc™. All of these are about 90mm (3.5in long) with short arc gaps ranging from 1.2mm in the 200w 10k lm version, up to 3.0mm for the 600w 44k lm. Download the pgf, "specs" to read all about it.

Since these Emarc™ lamps are designed for DC operation, it seems to me you could put together a relatively lightweight Li-Poly batterypack, as done with RC helicopter packs, to replace the standard Maxabeam NiCD battertbox. I would think that the 600w 44k lm capsule would cause massive amounts of heat build up such that you could only run the light for short burst, but even if the beam pattern was inferior to the 75w Maxabeam, it would probably out throw the Megaray at 1,500yds as seen in the Kenshiro superlights comparison shots. Even the 200w version with 1.2mm arc gap, might be able to double the effective long range output of the Megaray.

I would imagine the Emarc™ capsules cost in the hundreds, and who know how much a ballast to run these would cost, not to mention high price of multi-cell Li-Poly high-current batterypack. But I should think you could have the ultimate Megaray slayer, for maybe 1/2 the price of the Megaray, which is designed to be rugged for military missions.


Nikola Testa, the ultimate badass of all Maxabeam mods awaits you and your pocketbook /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drunk.gif

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

I like the idea of a light with Megaray output but at reduced cost! I think you may struggle with your goal but it would be interesting to see the results. I have actually had the chance to use a 175Watt version. Awesome is the only way to describe the output, but this also equally applies to the price. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif

Just a word or warning on the Lithium Polymer battery packs. In RC model use these packs are often used without ANY protection circuits. This is fine as long as you don't overcharge them or over discharge them. Also you must be careful to not get series cells out of balance as overcharging a cell could then be the result on the next charge cycle!

What happens when you do overcharge Lithium Polymer cell?

This does



A temperature of 160 Deg C will trigger the reaction. The reaction produces oxygen which can keep the fire burning under water! So normal methods of extinguishing the fire will not work.

This is one of the reasons that the Megaray uses Lithium Saphion cells which do not have this problem!

If you do use Lithium Polymer cells a few basic precautions should be followed.

1.) Never, Never ever charge them while unattended.
2.) Charge them on a fireproof surface.
3.) Charge them away from anything flammable (See picture)
4.) If a cell shows any sign of damage or puffs up in use DO NOT USE IT.
5.) When storing charged or part charged cells keep them in a fireproof box
6.) If using multiple series cells make sure you set the charging voltage correctly before you charge them.
7.) Keep away from a Lithium Polymer Fire as the chemicals and fumes produced can be poisonous.

Also designing a battery belt with Lithium Polymer cells that are unprotected is not a good idea. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Most UK RC battery suppliers now supply a disclaimer with their instructions that cover most of the above problems.

I hope this give people an idea of the Safety aspects of out hobby and save someone from any nasty accidents.

Thanks

Mark

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

FIRE!!!!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

A similar game can be had with high power fibre lasers... you can start an 'optical fibre fuse' which can best be descibed as avery bright point of light moving along the optic fibre like the fuse at the start of the TV programme 'Mission impossible'. The trouble is that the fuse totally wrecks the fibre and moves at around 1m/sec. (Un)luckily I have not had the opportunity to study one close up! My boss was so transfixed when he first saw it that is burnt out kilometers of fibre!


PEterW

PS Now I've got Firestrter from the Prodigy going round my head!

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

Er,... um,... am I wrong in thinking the standard MB on high, has a better hotspot than the MR? It's smaller, but it clearly looks brighter to me.

cheese

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

The MaxaBEAM is a double ended lamp sorry I don't have any specs on it other thany what we already know /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif



Photo courtesy of phyhsuts

If you really want to really try and mussel your way out to 1500yds look at single ended 150W HMI the arc gap is larger than Ushio's EmArc™ but just a bit smaller than the D2S lamp at 4mm and puts out 15000 Lum. What I found attractive about HMI is mobile news crews use these type lamps so portable DC ballast are available and with enough searching affordable used equipment could be found /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

Later
Sway

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

Just to be annoying,
http://members.misty.com/don/shortarc.html says

Short arc metal halide lamps (HTI/HMI lamps)
Some metal halide lamps have short arc construction. These include most metal halide lamps under 100 watts, as well as the HTI and HMI lamps. However, the arc is larger in a metal halide lamp since the metal vapors in the arc easily glow at lower temperatures than mercury vapor and xenon do. For this reason, the arc is less intense than the short mercury and xenon arcs.
Conventional metal halide lamps of lower wattages have been widely available only in recent years. The arc tube construction often resembles that of a short arc lamp. In the Philips 70 watt metal halide lamp, the arc tube is a small sphere.
The HID lamps used in some auto headlights are metal halide lamps, with some xenon to give usable light output before they have warmed up. For more info, look in my Automotive HID Lamp File.
HMI lamps are special high intensity metal halide lamps used in some followspots and are sometimes used for shooting movies. Larger multikilowatt HMI lamps used in moviemaking have a spectrum with a very large number of lines, and the visible spectral content is close to that of noontime sunlight. HTI lamps are a particular variation of HMI lamps. Although the arc in an HMI lamp is intense, it is not as small and concentrated as the arc in mercury and xenon short arc lamps. In fact, "HMI" literally means "hydrargyrum (mercury) medium-arc-length iodide". When maximum light concentration is required, "true" short arc lamps based on mercury and/or xenon are used.


Still, I'm hoping there is a cheaper solution than the $1900 maxabeam, but I'm not sure,..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gifmaxabeam,..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gifMAXABEAM,....

cheese

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

The reverse telescope collimator is a hard act to follow.

NikolaTesla /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

An Arc lamp is the Spark that takes away the Dark--HID Forever!

New Lights

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

Dear Udamon,
The immutable laws of physics as contained in Gaussian optics will tell you that to keep your light together in a bundle and not to let it spread out in a useless fan (for illuminating purposes - ideal for beacon use) then you have no option but to reduce the size of the object(your illumination source) as much as possible and increase the focal length of the system by as much as possible. You must also use high quality optics and here I also refer to the reflector which is in fact just a positive lens. All this serves to reduce the abberations that will disperse the light rays. The three most common and debilitating abberations are spherical abberation, coma and astigmatism.
The best possible results can only be achieved by using a lens system and the galillean telescope in particular. It is these aspects that the Megaray addresses and to a certain degree accounts for its price.
Regards,
Leonard.
P.S. I manufacture and helped design the Megaray

Re: Megaray slayer, mod\'d MB???

Hey Leonard, do you know how much the new Megaray is?