This is killing me! I really NEEEED a few of these to experiment with. For instance, a modified HID maglight (3 cell). Anybody found a source for a reasonable price? Alternatively, how many of you guys are interested in a group buy? I don't know if we can mix and match lamp types.
Looks neat...but I am being slow again and don't totally get it.
Something said it was a solid state bulb...as in doesn't burn out?? Where's the best place to get myself up to snuff on these...I'd serarch but I wouldn't know what to search for [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Not a solid state bulb, and about as fragile as a fliament type lamp when operating. Uses an high voltage arc to ionize a gas and deliver photons. I don't know the details of the physics. I have a dive light using the 10 watt module. I took it outside the other night to hunt scorpions, and was absolutely stunned! It was bright, to be sure. Somewhere between a 35 watt and a 50 watt halogen (filament type) light. The thing that I hadn't expected were the colors. Trees were green, granite was pink, scorpions were absent, and grass was, well, this is Arizona and I don't have any freaking grass!
Anyway this module strikes me as almost ideal for a handheld light. The efficiency is amazing (500 lumens for 10 w) and the beam pattern is awesome. My dive light is a battery pack/lighthead configuration, which is cumbersome out of water. I want to either build a relatively compact handheld, or buy a LC100. I am very intrigued that that module+bulb can be had for as little as $40. Wow.
Ok, so do you imply that is is less fragile when off? I guess the real question is...does fragile mean you can break it, or do you mean fragile as in just as will eventually burn out and have to be replaced which will probably cost as much as the unit cost in the first place?
Us old timers recognize a slide projector lamp when we see one! The cheap and dirty way to experiment with these is to salvage a flea market slide projector. All the electronics are in it. Bulbs up to 55W are available cheap. Only a small group of people(generally professionals) shot slides anymore so the units are available at give away prices. When the bulbs die people dump the whole unit.
Jim Brown
Hmmm, Jim, I don't think so. Yes, they use a similar reflector design to the common family of fixed focus hallogen bulbs commonly used in film and slide projectors, but they have one signifigant difference. They are HID bulbs. They have no filiment. They use a tiny high intensity arc discharge to produce light. They're a good deal more efficient than hallogen incandesants, but a bit more expensive and harder to feed--hence the dedicated ballasts. There are a good number of halogen lamp projects--given the availibility of 6V and 12V bulbs, but these guys should not be confused with them.
Hi Jim. Willmore is correct. The MR11 and MR16 reflectors are used with a wide variety of bulbs. I do have light heads which use these bulbs, but I need a 50 watt to compare to the 10 watt HID. That lets me carry a whole lot less battery pack on a dive.
You were on the right track with the projector approach. The current generation of PC projectors (Proxima, etc) use an HID bulb, with associated electronics. That means that careless handling of one of those units can cost $300 for a new bulb. Yikes.
Saaby, I honestly don't know how fragile, or what the failure modes are. The bulb is a glass capsule with electrodes. Lack of filament should make them more rugged than something with a hot thin wire. On the other hand it is a high voltage, high energy density device. I am nervous about thwacking anything that fits that description. Mostly the bulbs cost so much to replace that everybody treats their lightheads like a carton of eggs. I would love to see some failure data. I took a dive trip a couple of years ago where my dive case was dropped so hard that it broke the filaments in all of my dive lights (I had no HID then). I am assuming that it happend in a baggage handling. Fortunately it was on the return trip, so it did not ruin my night dives. Needless to say the HID head goes in the carry-on.
Painless, how many you want? I would have to unload about 90 of these things! Alternatively, if enough people are interested, I can try talking some of the companies that actually use these modules to see if they will cut us a deal. I think that I can convince them that I am a harmless goofball, and not a competitor [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
..... certain un-named flashlight manufacture has made/used the SolarARC and acompanying electronics. Their findings? Got to have a stable power supply; output is linear relative to power source so a batteries go down, so does the SoLAR-ARC
No problem. I don't like any of the input voltages to the ballasts, anyway. I'd have to rig up a step-up switching power supply, anyway. I'm thinking a 5D mag light with a missing battery (fifth cell replaced with ballast + step-up).
I was going for the sleazy approach: 10 AA NiMH cells pack pretty neatly into a 3 cell Mag body (4+4+2+fuse). I don't know if the ballast will squeak into the body without machining. Haven't figured out the switch yet either. May have to move to the tail cap.
I think I saw one of these 'in the wild'. I was at a bicycle store with my GF looking for a new bike for her. So, I'm boared. I start looking around and what do I find? A handlebar mount headlight that's a little 10w HID. They're made by a company called 'nightrider' or some sort. I looked them up on the web and they want nearly $400(USD) for one. *laugh* Sure, okay. I've got a 2D maglight to sell you for $50. Any takers? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
They're smaller than I thought they would be. They'd fit well with a C cell profile. Hmmm. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
if you like to hunt scorps get a flourescent
camping light with a forward directing reflector.remove the lense and put in a blacklight tube.makes them glow nicely.
just dont get stung.been there done that and it hurts.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gerG: Not a solid state bulb, and about as fragile as a fliament type lamp when operating. Uses an high voltage arc to ionize a gas and deliver photons. I don't know the details of the physics. I have a dive light using the 10 watt module. I took it outside the other night to hunt scorpions, and was absolutely stunned! It was bright, to be sure. Somewhere between a 35 watt and a 50 watt halogen (filament type) light. The thing that I hadn't expected were the colors. Trees were green, granite was pink, scorpions were absent, and grass was, well, this is Arizona and I don't have any freaking grass!
Anyway this module strikes me as almost ideal for a handheld light. The efficiency is amazing (500 lumens for 10 w) and the beam pattern is awesome. My dive light is a battery pack/lighthead configuration, which is cumbersome out of water. I want to either build a relatively compact handheld, or buy a LC100. I am very intrigued that that module+bulb can be had for as little as $40. Wow.
I would be interested in one of these, too. But only the 6° M10P001 (but I doubt we'll get enough people together to make that a 40$ deal [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] ) (I am very pessimistic today [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] )
Klaus.
edit:
If we cannot get enough people together we could maybe get one of these developer kits and split the 5 units that are inthere. Just as an idea.
Have been doing 100-500km adventure races using the mentioned NiteRider 10W HID light. Might be that I'm looking at these light different but they are worth every cent! I get 4 hours continious runtime from the 4Ah 13.2V battery pack (after the pack has been cycled 6-8 times). Used with handlebar mount in temperatures down to -8 (with battery thermal isolation sleeve, rain and mud. Light has been dropped from 2m height onto concrete without problems. Going at 30km/h down a moutain pass is simply not possible with any other light. On good gravel roads, one light caters for up to 12 riders! Expensive, but rugged. Superb light quality
After inspecting the UK 100 Light canon i noticed how small the actual light and ballast really are. Therefore i have the following question:
Would it be feasable to machine a "spacer" of some sort to make this puppy fit onto a 4 lithium cell SF tube ?
Please let me know what you guys think and don`t be shy i am new to this stuff.
Sőlarc™ Lamp
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