Just picked up a VSS-3
- Thread starter BravoKilo
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
BVH
Flashaholic
Be sure to find and read all the VSS-3 and VSS-3a "How to" threads in the "Spotlights and HID flashlights" section. There's tons of great info in them including how to work with the cables to get it working (if not already done). Congrats on a magnificent light! This is your first post so I don't have any idea of your experience with very high power flashlights so I'll throw in some cautions just in-case. If you're up on all this stuff then pardon my cautions. Be very careful not to shine the light at anyone/any animal at any time. Permanent eye damage WILL result along with burning of the skin due to IR. These are fun lights if used very carefully and like weapons if not.
Last edited:
I have been working my way through the VSS-3 and VSS-1 threads. I have the manual for the VSS-3 already printed out. I have lots of electricity & electronics experience but zero short-arc experience. Well - zero except that I got run a VSS-1 for a few hours a while ago. I was hooked at that point.
Oh, I have not told my wife about winning this auction yet. But I did tell her about the light. She did say now 4 times to get it - so she must mean that, right? I'll wait to tell her that I bought it after her 2nd drink tonight, that should be safe, right?
Here is what I bought (plus the control box, cable and mounting plate).
Oh, I have not told my wife about winning this auction yet. But I did tell her about the light. She did say now 4 times to get it - so she must mean that, right? I'll wait to tell her that I bought it after her 2nd drink tonight, that should be safe, right?
Here is what I bought (plus the control box, cable and mounting plate).
BVH
Flashaholic
Bill Idaho
Newly Enlightened
Welcome! I own a working VSS-1 and a gutted VSS-3 that I have been trying to refit with a civilian bulb/ballast. (Still looking for a replacement bulb and matching ballast!) The -1 is unreal.
Someday, I hope I can say a refitted -3 is unreal too. And, they definitely are not toys, but they sure bring out the kid in a guy.
Someday, I hope I can say a refitted -3 is unreal too. And, they definitely are not toys, but they sure bring out the kid in a guy.
Is the bulb the same for the -1 as the -3? the manual said that it is rated at 1000w and the same for the -3. But obviously, the -1 is twice as bright in CP output. I am guessing that it is the same bulb but the heat dissipation capability of the -3 is lower and so therefore runs at a lower current. I have not done a lot of research on this yet - so much info to go through here.
Someday I may try to pick up a -3. there is one up for auction now on ebay but I just cannot do that at this time.
Good luck with your ballast. I have a friend with a -1 who used a resistor ballast and he showed it to me but I did not pay enough attention to it - I now wish that I had.
Someday I may try to pick up a -3. there is one up for auction now on ebay but I just cannot do that at this time.
Good luck with your ballast. I have a friend with a -1 who used a resistor ballast and he showed it to me but I did not pay enough attention to it - I now wish that I had.
BVH
Flashaholic
No, the bulbs are not the same. 2.2 KW for the -1 and as you say 1.0 KW for the -3. Some of your post does not read right to me.
"The manual said that it is rated at 1000w and the same for the -3.....".
The -3 is, in fact 1KW and the -1 is 2.2KW.
"Someday, I may try to pick up a -3.......".
This is what you just bought, right?
Not sure I understand what your friend was doing with a ballast resistor and a -1?
I had both of these lights. I would never attempt to modify them in any way and then run them. Both bulbs are under very high internal pressure and it would not take much to literally blow one up. If you have to remove one for any reason (I did), wear a welders thick leather apron, full lexan face mask and be sure every inch of your front is covered. Always triple check polarity of your hook-up. One instance of reverse polarity will fry internal parts. Same with hooking up some of the smaller control wires incorrectly. I think you already have a working cable - that's good.
"The manual said that it is rated at 1000w and the same for the -3.....".
The -3 is, in fact 1KW and the -1 is 2.2KW.
"Someday, I may try to pick up a -3.......".
This is what you just bought, right?
Not sure I understand what your friend was doing with a ballast resistor and a -1?
I had both of these lights. I would never attempt to modify them in any way and then run them. Both bulbs are under very high internal pressure and it would not take much to literally blow one up. If you have to remove one for any reason (I did), wear a welders thick leather apron, full lexan face mask and be sure every inch of your front is covered. Always triple check polarity of your hook-up. One instance of reverse polarity will fry internal parts. Same with hooking up some of the smaller control wires incorrectly. I think you already have a working cable - that's good.
Last edited:
OK - Now I cannot find it among all of the searches I did today. I did find one manual for the vss-1 that I am sure said the bulb was 1000 watts. I will post a link if I ever find it again but to tell the truth, it didn't sound right to me in the first place a lamp running twice the current and CP having the same size rated bulb.
I did indeed get the VSS-3. Lighter weight, portable - it came with a mount plate.
You know, I cannot remember what my friend said about his ballast, but I do seem to remember his saying that he had to convert to a resistor ballast. I could have that all wrong. I think he is a member of these forums and maybe he will see this post and chime in.
I did indeed get the VSS-3. Lighter weight, portable - it came with a mount plate.
You know, I cannot remember what my friend said about his ballast, but I do seem to remember his saying that he had to convert to a resistor ballast. I could have that all wrong. I think he is a member of these forums and maybe he will see this post and chime in.
BVH
Flashaholic
I don't ever recall seeing anything about a 1KW VSS-1 but that doesn't mean there never was one. When you get the -3, be sure to unclamp and remove the back cover. Take a gaze and really admire the ultra-professional looking "insides". It truly looks "spaceage" in there. Clean, sano, professional, and many other adjectives that don't come to mind right now. There is no equal to true military lights!
Did you tell your wife yet?
Did you tell your wife yet?
I did tell hr about the auction before I bid on it. She said "go get it". Well, as any man knows - when your wife says "go ahead" it doesn't actually mean that. So I told her more facts about the light - 3 times, about an hour apart each time. Each time she said "go get it". So I did.
When I got home, I planned to wait until her 2nd drink before I told her. But I didn't even get the first sip down her before she asked "did you get the light?".
I told her I did and she said "Cool". Should I be worried how easy that was?
Yea, when I get it I will take a few pictures and post them for all to see - not like y'all haven't already seen this thing a dozen times over already.
When I got home, I planned to wait until her 2nd drink before I told her. But I didn't even get the first sip down her before she asked "did you get the light?".
I told her I did and she said "Cool". Should I be worried how easy that was?
Yea, when I get it I will take a few pictures and post them for all to see - not like y'all haven't already seen this thing a dozen times over already.
So far, so good.
To make an analogy between bullets and photons, people who fire them 'own' them. I don't know of any civilians whose sight has been damaged by the use of powerful lights in populated areas but I guess there is some small likelihood.
The probability might be down there with the 60 per year shark attacks in the US [out of 330,000,000 people] but I wouldn't want to be the one to harm the vision of some curious child.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attractive_nuisance_doctrine
I have been checking and if I hadn't just blown part of my kids collage education on the VSS-3, I would get the VSS-1 that is still for sale on eBay. - plus my wife's generosity about this would probably come to an abrupt end if I got it anyway.
BVH
Flashaholic
I gingerly swiped a lightly saturated (with 95% Alcohol) microfiber cloth from the center-out all the way around. No weight/pressure was applied. just the weight of the damp cloth. I would never touch a MaxaBeam reflector, nor most reflectors with anything but both my VSS reflectors seemed fairly tolerant of this type of cleaning. I have to believe they saw rough service in real-world use.
Heck, on the 60", I put a good portion of my body weight against the cleaning cloth. But I was removing carbon smoke deposits. They get dirty, fast.
Heck, on the 60", I put a good portion of my body weight against the cleaning cloth. But I was removing carbon smoke deposits. They get dirty, fast.
Last edited:
OK - I have a 20" aperture telescope, the mirror is that big. I cleaned that with water and wadded up pure cotton batting that was completely saturated. The process is to gently slide the batting around but not to push on it.
I have not taken a single screw out of the light, but I can see film on everything shiny. So, I am thinking about a cleaning. That mirror is actually metal, is it not?
I have not taken a single screw out of the light, but I can see film on everything shiny. So, I am thinking about a cleaning. That mirror is actually metal, is it not?
FRITZHID
Flashlight Enthusiast
theres only 1 thing i can say........ 🙁🙁🙁🙁:scowl::scowl::thumbsup:🙁🙁:shrug:
:drunk::drunk::drunk::drunk::drunk:🙁:sigh::sigh::help::help::help::help::bow::bow:😱oo:😱oo:😱oo::thumbsup: :twothumbs:twothumbs:thinking:😗 :santa:?
lucky/kudos!
:drunk::drunk::drunk::drunk::drunk:🙁:sigh::sigh::help::help::help::help::bow::bow:😱oo:😱oo:😱oo::thumbsup: :twothumbs:twothumbs:thinking:😗 :santa:?lucky/kudos!
BVH
Flashaholic
IIRC, the mirror structure is cast aluminum. Looks like you have a great location for some very long throw beamshots without disturbing anyone nor attracting too much attention.
Similar threads
