Cyclops mods

[nitronostrils]

Hi there! Been lingering around for some time and resently purchased a Cyclops, just curious if there are some mods that can be done. Just for fun last night I wanted to see how far the beam could be seen. So I called my brother which lives about 3 miles away, we both live in the country and he said that he could see a faint beam on the horizon. So I turn to CPF for some advise, thanks.

 

[Cigarman]

I have one coming in the mail soon (man these are popular) and Im thinking of modding it with an automobile HID conversion kit from ebay (cheaper) to see how much I can get out of it. I think the biggest trick will be where to mount the ballast but after that it seems like a straight shot.

 

[Ra]

Hi nitronostrils,

Welcome to these forums..

Which Cyclops do you have? There are several models. Can you post a picture of the light? (For me, Imageshack works best, and is totally free.)

In the archives, you can read about many mods: High gauge wiring, changing switch-setup, and several HID-mods (35watt or 35/50watt boost).


Enjoy your stay(s) here..


Regards,

Ra.

 

[lasercrazy]

The basic mods would be to uprade the switches and wiring. The more advanced mods would be the HID conversion and a nimh battery pack, subC for lighter weight or full D for much better runtimes.

 

[Cigarman]

assuming the cyclops Im getting has a 130W halogen bulb in it, would I actually need higher gauge wiring for an HID mod? Im thinking its already pulling some moderate amps already with the halogen. Not to worry since I can always run better cabling!

 

[Ra]

Higher gauge wiring is to lower the resistance of the wires: The standard Thor is not regulated. So you want to transport as much of the voltage as possible to the bulb, with low-resistance wires.

The standard wiring of the Thor is sufficient for HID: Most HID-ballasts are regulated, so a small change of wire-resistance does not affect the performance.


Regards,

Ra.

 

[scott.cr]

The Thor Cyclops uses an H4 lamp, so you can use a "motorcycle" (ie. single lamp) HID conversion kit in it easily. There is plenty of space behind the reflector to mount the ballast.

I HIDed my Cyclops with a scrap H7 kit so I had to machine a lamp adapter. The ballast nestled perfectly between two plastic "posts" inside the flashlight. I was concerned with cooling so I used thermal epoxy to attach a CPU heatsink to the ballast. I kept the stock two-switch configuration using one switch to turn the light on/off and the other switch to turn the cooling fan on/off.

 

[nitronostrils]

I have the Thor platium , 130w halogen.

 

[Cigarman]

The Thor Cyclops uses an H4 lamp, so you can use a "motorcycle" (ie. single lamp) HID conversion kit in it easily. There is plenty of space behind the reflector to mount the ballast.

I HIDed my Cyclops with a scrap H7 kit so I had to machine a lamp adapter. The ballast nestled perfectly between two plastic "posts" inside the flashlight. I was concerned with cooling so I used thermal epoxy to attach a CPU heatsink to the ballast. I kept the stock two-switch configuration using one switch to turn the light on/off and the other switch to turn the cooling fan on/off.

Cooling fan? Where at? Or does it come with one standard?:thinking:

 

[LowTEC]

I just purchased a Cyclops X Colosus, anyone can show some conversion sample would be awesome, thanx

 

[scott.cr]

Cooling fan? Where at? Or does it come with one standard?

The cooling fan is attached to the CPU heatsink that I attached to the HID ballast with Arctic Alumina.

Pics HERE.

 

[Cigarman]

Good shots. That shows me where some of my stuff didnt fit right. I went with a regular D2S automotive bulb from Phillips and the 90 degree socket that clamps on sticks out quit a bit. I ended up not being able to fit the ballast inside there since it hit the connector. Further dumbness added 2 small bumps into the reflector. :hairpull: But after mounting the ballast underneath the battery section and trimming the stiff insulator coating from the HV lamp leads everything worked out ok. I still have to move the lamp back a little further like I have been seeing in these pics to fix the focus to a tighter shot. Interesting stuff tho, and it sure makes people go

 

[scott.cr]

I still have to move the lamp back a little further like I have been seeing in these pics to fix the focus to a tighter shot.

Are you using an H4 lamp? I had to mount my H7 quite a bit further back to get it to work. There is a little stack of shims between my homemade lamp holder and the lamp base so I could "tune" the focus. At the time I didn't really consider machining a whole focusing/collimation mechanism, but who knows, I might do this in the future for poots and giggles.

 

[electromage]

assuming the cyclops Im getting has a 130W halogen bulb in it, would I actually need higher gauge wiring for an HID mod? Im thinking its already pulling some moderate amps already with the halogen. Not to worry since I can always run better cabling!

Most HID set ups are going to use considerably less current. If the one you get is 130W, that means that it's going to draw over 10A at 12V. A 35W HID will only use 10A for a few seconds, then settle down to about 3A.

 

[Cigarman]

Are you using an H4 lamp?

No just a regular D2S lamp with an H4 adaptor to make the whole mess fit. I did install one spacer washer but I think it needs another 1 or 2 for proper laser-like focus.

 

[Niteowl]

Are you using an H4 lamp?

No just a regular D2S lamp with an H4 adaptor to make the whole mess fit............

OK, now I really want to gut one of my S.C. HIDs and mod a Thor "15M" that's been sitting collecting dust.

I was going to do this some time ago then the S.C. HID showed up and I lost interest. Having picked up another at $35, it's now mighty tempting to follow through with it.

Two questions for those in the know.....

Is it worth the trouble for the larger reflector?

Are D2S to H4 adapters commercially available?

 

[Cigarman]

The adapters are commonly available on ebay and other websites. I found mine thru one of the cyclops mod threads. With proper focus, they are throw machines that make people take notice. Also the Thor is just so mondo huge compared to regular flashlights that its just silly fun and easy to do. Just dont dent the reflector like I did mine.

Here's one: http://www.hidexpert.com/producthtml/h4_adapters.html

 

[Niteowl]

The adapters are commonly available on ebay and other websites. I found mine thru one of the cyclops mod threads. With proper focus, they are throw machines that make people take notice. Also the Thor is just so mondo huge compared to regular flashlights that its just silly fun and easy to do. Just dont dent the reflector like I did mine.

Here's one: http://www.hidexpert.com/producthtml/h4_adapters.html

Thanks, Cigarman.....Took a look and now think I need to find another style of adapter. I possibly have an H7? A picture of the SC HID's lamp is HERE, thanks to griff!

So I'm thinking I need to get an H7 to H4 adapter. I have no means to make one myself unfortunately. A hunting I will go.....

Mondo-Huge-Silly-Fun is what I'm after! If I can get just one person to say, "You are just NUTS! I will have succeeded.....Then...if they tell me they want one, Bwaaa-ha-ha-haa....

 

[scott.cr]

I possibly have an H7?

The lamp in the pic looks like an H7 to me.