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09-12-2005, 07:49 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC, USA
Posts: 505
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1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Hi everyone,
Here is something fun I picked up earlier this year, and just got working a couple of months ago. It is an AN/VSS-3 1kW xenon arc tank searchlight with remote focus and infrared mode. The light is a nice compact case at approximately 16" square in front and maybe 24" deep and 65lbs or so (says 75lbs on top but feels much lighter). It took a long time to find the correct military connectors, make the cables, and find a suitable supply, but it was worth it. I just thought the folks here might enjoy some beamshots:
These lights have been showing up on ebay frequently lately. This one was brand new, packed in 1980, and still in original crates with waterproof airtight foil bags around everything. The supply I found is a 28v 60amp DC unit used by the Marines to power a big radio set. It is the most incredibly overbuilt and indestructible component I have ever seen. I honestly believe you could send it down a flight of stairs with no ill effects (to the supply that is!). Gotta love ebay!
cfb
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"It is better to light one multi-kilowatt xenon arc megalight than to curse the darkness."
Last edited by lotsalumens; 11-05-2008 at 01:24 PM.
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09-12-2005, 08:02 AM
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*Flashaholic*
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 7,654
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Im still crapping my pants as I type this... 
I LIKE it ! muuuhahahahaha
Now, the qustion is,,, how much was it? :grin:
What voltage and amperage is the PS drawing?
~John
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09-12-2005, 08:07 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: CA
Posts: 3,183
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
whoa, the ultimate light saber 
i want one!!!!!!!!!!
ticey, get me one 
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09-12-2005, 08:11 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,251
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Holy Snikes!
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09-12-2005, 08:21 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC, USA
Posts: 505
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
I'd guess the supply is pulling somewhere around 1,800 watts maybe? Not that much compard to a hair dryer or toaster. It will run on a 15 amp breaker for a a few minutes before tripping it. A 20 amp breaker seems to handle it fine. Price was $450 for the light (with 2 remote control panels etc), and $225 for the supply. The connectors got pricey since they are not that common. Shipping on the light also wasn't cheap since it was packed in an enormous wooden crate with all the components separately boxed inside. I'll see if I can dig up a photo of the remote.
The light is sort of like a mini version of an advertising searchlight and can be moved around very easily.
cfb
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"It is better to light one multi-kilowatt xenon arc megalight than to curse the darkness."
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09-12-2005, 08:26 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC, USA
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
p.s. The neat thing is that the beam really looks like that (i.e. it's not just the camera exposure). We first fired it up at a house my wife and I share with my sister and our dad. The house is on a harbor and my wife and dad drove to the other side of the harbor (about .75mi away) to see what it looked like. They said that even at that distance the beam just kept going up and up.
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"It is better to light one multi-kilowatt xenon arc megalight than to curse the darkness."
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09-12-2005, 08:27 AM
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Flashaholic
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 434
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
__________________
PR-T, HDS 60U, U2, ARC LSHFP, Lion Heart, ARC AA-A, Alephs, TriStarPhazer, Pila GL3R, L4, PT EOS, Petzl Tikka+, Inova XO...
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09-12-2005, 09:47 AM
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Silver Moderator  |
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Bellingham WA
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Hello Lotsalumens,
Wow... That's simply awesome...
Tom
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Behind every Great man there's always a woman rolling her eyes...
Most batteries don't die - they are tortured to near death, then murdered...
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09-12-2005, 09:58 AM
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Flashaholic
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Hannover, Germany
Posts: 280
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
can you post a lux reading ... lets say at 100m ??? 
impressive beam ... 
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09-12-2005, 10:04 AM
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*Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Back from the dead
Posts: 6,907
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Holy facking cow.....
That's not a light, that's an energy weapon with some of the most awe-inspiring beamshots I have ever seen. 
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09-12-2005, 10:11 AM
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Flashaholic
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Posts: 268
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
The ultimate nightvision killer?
Zelda
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09-12-2005, 10:13 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Shenandoah Valley
Posts: 1,691
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
So THAT's what kept making the moon so bright last night!
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"Notorious collector of things that glow, shine, or blink"
CPF # 9435
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09-12-2005, 10:21 AM
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Flashaholic
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 204
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Well I'm totally impressed, it's just what I need to spot things that go bump in the might. Wife said OK, now I have to find one cheap. I never thought you would get this light up and going. Good work. Buy the way, did you have to clear this with "Homeland security"?
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09-12-2005, 10:32 AM
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Moderator  |
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Germany, Old World
Posts: 16,994
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Yikes! 
I see that pic in the 2006 calendar ...
What a light!
Can you hold your hand in front of it without reducing your skin to ashes instantly?
bernie
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It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black.
My shoes are too tight. But it doesn't matter, because I have forgotten how to dance.
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09-12-2005, 10:54 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Germany
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
[QUOTE=Kiesslin
Can you hold your hand in front of it without reducing your skin to ashes instantly?
bernie[/QUOTE]
You'd already know that, if you had been to the 2004 get-together in Landau. Lampenkaiser had one of those with him.
Great output, but not really pocketable... 
Chrisse
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09-12-2005, 10:55 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC, USA
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Kiessling
Yikes!
I see that pic in the 2006 calendar ...
What a light!
Can you hold your hand in front of it without reducing your skin to ashes instantly?
bernie |
I tried aiming it at a board about 8 feet away or a couple of minutes. The board got warm, but nothing major. The advertising lights you typically see outdoors are a few kW more powerful than this thing. What's neat about it though is how tiny and portable it is, and the insanely collimated beam in produces. It just never spreads out.
The other neat thing is that it is sort of like a giant Maxabeam in that it has internal servos and a remote that can move the bulb in and out of the reflector to adjust beam width. The wide beam is still only a few degrees.
cfb
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"It is better to light one multi-kilowatt xenon arc megalight than to curse the darkness."
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09-12-2005, 11:34 AM
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*Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Missouri
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
This is a true "bird cooker". I bet any moths that go into the beam, only come back out spiraling to the ground! This light looks REALLY cool too. It shines so far you'd need binoculars to see what your'e lighting up!!
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09-12-2005, 11:38 AM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: California
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
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09-12-2005, 02:39 PM
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Flashaholic
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Bloomington, Minnesota
Posts: 192
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Quote from lotsalumens in another thread:
"Ralph,
I have one of these lights. To avoid hijacking your thread I just posted some beamshots and details in a new thread. They are really incredible lights and well worth the effort to get working (bearing in mind some of exposure and explosion hazards of xenon arc lamps!)."
 You have totally destroyed my thread but so what. I bet you are the person that bought the first of two of these from the same eBay seller. The seller said he had sold one previously. They were both brand new (never used). For me, he unpacked the crate and shipped it in two boxes via UPS.
This is the best possible outcome of my original posting in the other thread. Your beam shots make me really want to get this thing working. I hope you can take a few minutes and tell me EVERYTHING. If there is any info that you would only send in a private message, I do accept e-mails.
. How did you get the cables?
. Have you tried the infra-red mode?
. Where do you get the power supply?
. Where can we get replacement xenon lamps?
. I was going start by using two big marine batteries hooked in series. Do you think that will work or should I get a power supply right away?
Will it reach the clouds? When I get mine working, I want to see if it will light up the base of the clouds. We must be careful with these lights. If we accidentally pointed one at an aircraft, they will probably come and cart us away!
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09-12-2005, 04:11 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: South Jersey
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Quote:
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Originally Posted by RalphRussell
Quote from lotsalumens in another thread:
Will it reach the clouds? When I get mine working, I want to see if it will light up the base of the clouds. We must be careful with these lights. If we accidentally pointed one at an aircraft, they will probably come and cart us away!
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I can guarantee you that it will reach the clouds. If mini versions of it can, then that thing will probably vaporize them
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High Intensity Delusions 
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09-12-2005, 04:55 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 2,257
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
The biggest EDC yet! The bad news is you will need someone to help carry you key ring around.
Great job on this and excellent beam pics!
Paul
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09-12-2005, 05:00 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Milwaukee, Wi. USA
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Very, very nice. When your neighbors stop talking to you, and start putting there homes up for sale, I'll buy it from you. Larry.
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Collins Dynamics CD-12, CD-12 Magnum, Microfire Warrior, Iluminator HID, Costco HID, ,Maxabeam, Polarian Helios, RayzorLite ,BarnBurner,and a bunch of small lights.
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09-12-2005, 06:08 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,125
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
OMG!!! Pass me some paper!!!
Last edited by AlexGT; 09-12-2005 at 06:11 PM.
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09-12-2005, 07:07 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 1,482
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Wow! I'm impressed. Now all we need is for someone to shrink this into a mag 4d body ...
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09-12-2005, 07:09 PM
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*Flashaholic*   |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Posts: 5,866
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Truely cool!
Larry
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So much for not being able to find my happy a** with both hands and a flashlight! (Do not look into Tank Searchlight with remaining eye!)
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09-12-2005, 07:14 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Spore / Dubai
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Quote:
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Originally Posted by shiftd
whoa, the ultimate light saber
i want one!!!!!!!!!!
ticey, get me one |
That Beam would have made Darth Vader look like a Bangkok lady boy
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Another one of those ARC Mania and McGizmo lights addict 
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09-12-2005, 10:09 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC, USA
Posts: 505
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
Ralph,
Did yours come from that surplus dealer in Texas? If so then you are correct, I bought their first one. Unfortunately they did not want to separate mine and ship UPS. The truck freight shipping ended up costing almost as much as the light! Anyway I will send you a PM so that we can talk about cables etc by email.
cfb
__________________
"It is better to light one multi-kilowatt xenon arc megalight than to curse the darkness."
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09-12-2005, 10:50 PM
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Unenlightened
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 19
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
I'm so friggin, friggin......friggin, jealous.
I hate you guys.
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09-12-2005, 10:58 PM
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Flashaholic*
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,789
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
lotsa!
Thats amazing
When is the group buy going to happen 
Later
Kelly
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Re: 1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light
