1kW Xenon Arc Tank Light

[lotsalumens]

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

 

[jtice]

Im still crapping my pants as I type this... :green:

I LIKE it ! muuuhahahahaha
Now, the qustion is,,, how much was it? :grin:

What voltage and amperage is the PS drawing?

~John

 

[shiftd]

whoa, the ultimate light saber :D

i want one!!!!!!!!!!

ticey, get me one :p

 

[nemul]

Holy Snikes!

 

[lotsalumens]

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

 

[lotsalumens]

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.

 

[X33]

:awman::goodjob::D:twothumbs:thumbsup:

:bow::bow::bow::bow:

It's the biz! AWESOME!

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Lotsalumens,

Wow... :D That's simply awesome...

Tom

 

[rantanplan]

can you post a lux reading ... lets say at 100m ??? :crackup:

impressive beam ... :kewlpics:

 

[KevinL]

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. :bow: :bow: :bow:

 

[zelda]

The ultimate nightvision killer?

Zelda

 

[zespectre]

So THAT's what kept making the moon so bright last night!

 

[dwminer]

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"?

 

[Kiessling]

Yikes! :ooo:
I see that pic in the 2006 calendar ... :D :D
What a light!

Can you hold your hand in front of it without reducing your skin to ashes instantly?

bernie

 

[chrisse242]

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... :naughty:

Chrisse

 

[lotsalumens]

Yikes! :ooo:
I see that pic in the 2006 calendar ... :D :D
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

 

[IsaacHayes]

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!!

 

[blahblahblah]

:crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup: It gives me the giggles

 

[RalphRussell]

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!

 

[MaxaBaker]

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!

I can guarantee you that it will reach the clouds. If mini versions of it can, then that thing will probably vaporize them :D