15MCP Cyclops Conversion

[bradpr]

Hi CPF!

I've been doing some research on your fine site and am ready to pull the trigger on an HID upgrade for my defunct cyclops.

2 questions:
1. Most of the H4/9003 conversion kits are 35W bulbs, although I do see some 55W bulbs. Are the do those extra 20W translate to equivalent extra lumens?

2. I found this kit on Ebay:
http://tinyurl.com/nm8tfz
Is this a good/smart buy or do I need to shell out the $$ for a $200 kit?

Thx very much!

 

[Mettee]

Keep looking there are many places online that sell a kit for much less than $200.

Just found a kit for $85-95 depending on ballast and you can chose bulb type.

http://understeer.com/onlinestore-lighting.shtml

Many people buy from this site on motorcycle forums so I know they are safe to buy from.

 

[bradpr]

Thx for the response

For clarification, I didn't pick up a $200 kit

The kit I'm purchasing is around $65 which is really cheap for a 2xbulb and light HID package especially at 55W

I saw a thread that mentioned that some of the Asian kits are deceptive in that they measure the 55W at the input as opposed to the output current

Am I throwing away my money on this $65 kit?

 

[BVH]

Most, if not all of the Ebay type kits are rated "input" power consumption, not Watts to the bulb. The typical 55 Watt ballast is going to give you about 42 Watts to the bulb. They are not the most efficient with a 25 - 28% loss through the ballast.

 

[Patriot]

42W is good for the price though. That's going to make for a powerful light.

One last consideration you might want to think about is whether you wan't a bulb in the 6000 Kelvin range or the 4300K. Most of us here prefer 4300K since typically they produce more lumens and bring out colors better. Most Asian kits sold on ebay are 6000K kits but a small percentage are 4300K if you look for them.

 

[Mettee]

there is a guy in here that showed how to mod a ballast to get 60w(ok I just looked in the thread....he gets over 100w)I think, I know its around here some place. I will look.

here

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=204342

 

[bradpr]

Update

I received the cheap HID conversion kit today, and the ballasts are labeled that they provide 50W at the bulb.

I think I got a good deal on this, unless I shouldn't believe the labeling.

How can I verify what's being produced at the bulb? I have a basic multimeter, but think that only measures voltage and resistance.

I've already installed the ballast & bulb in my Cyclops - the ballast fits nicely in the area under the reflector, and the bulb has a H4 adapter on it, so the mod was super ez. The light appears pretty bright in the daylight. Can't wait to light up the darkness with it.

 

[BVH]

Without an induction/clamp-on AC/DC Ammeter, you're pretty much out of luck measuring current in the high voltage wires.

An alternate: Some multi meters, as does my 25 year old Radio Shack meter, have a third socket in which to move the positive meter lead so that you can put the meter "in series" with the load. Most of these will only do 10 Amps DC max and that will not be enough for "starting Amps. In this case, you're out of luck. If you have higher capability - 15 Amps or more, then make the connections, fire up the light and record the Amps drawn after about 25 seconds and the starting/warm up cycle is over. Shut down and then re-connect the meter for Volts fire it up and go back and measure Voltage. Volts times Amps = Watts.....but you'll need to reduce the Watts by a full 25% as this is the typical efficiency level of common ballasts.

You need a AC/DC induction (clamp-on) Ammeter to measure actual current going to the bulb. Your Voltage measurement in this case will also be across the two wires going to the bulb. Probably 80 to 100 Volts.

 

[bradpr]

So, I am happy with the light - next I need to tweak with the position of the bulb in the reflector.

Also, since I bought an automotive HID kit, I have another 50W HID and ballast. I planned to keep these as spares, but now I'm getting the light bug, I want to use the other bulb for something diabolical.

Can I turn this light source into a laser?
Can I pick up another econospotlight like the cyclops, but with a better reflector?
What is the best use for a spare 50W HID?

 

[M@elstrom]

Have you considered modifying a driving lamp housing and bolting it up you your daily ride?