My first HIDs

[PayBack]

Ok thanks to you *******s going on about the cheap Sams Club HIDs and how many crates full were sitting unbought I snapped, and bought two. Despite being in New Zealand (freight being nearly as much as the light itself) and having to get them from Ebay, they only cost NZ$200 for the first and NZ$170 for the seconds, and that's not too bad at all. I could have bought one locally for more cost than both those together.

I have a question though. They come of course with US plugs and 110v power supplies. The output is 13v 750mA. I can get a stepdown transformer but I already have a ton of big lights (Thor copies etc) and power supplies.

I charged my first one with a 12v 500mA power supply and it seemed to charge ok but I was wondering if I was doing any damage. I also have a 12v 1000 mA but thought less would be better rather than risk burning something out (though it's 1v less despite being 250mA more.. so would that be so bad?).

Anyway my questions is do I have to get the transformer or would either of the chargers I've got be ok?

Great light by the way.. living in town I haven't been able to have a good look at the throw as even the spill lights the neighbours houses more than I want to

 

[tebore]

The 12volt 500ma would be "fine" however your battery will not be as full.

 

[MIKES250R]

I'm sorry...

 

[LukeA]

That adapter will only charge the battery to 12v instead of twelve-point-something like the 13v adapter would.

 

[PayBack]

OK so I'm guessing that would affect the brightness? Damn I'll get a stepdown tonight then!

 

[mtbkndad]

OK so I'm guessing that would affect the brightness? Damn I'll get a stepdown tonight then!

HID's keep the same light output throughout the battery run time.
This is because the batteries power the ballast that can work at a range of input voltages and supply consistent power to the bulb. When the voltage of the battery drops too much the light flickers as the ballast looses power and goes right out.
Brightness should not be effected, but run time will if you are not fully charging the battery.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

 

[PayBack]

Ah cool... that's not quite so bad as it's runtime is way more than my "10 mill" incans... though wouldn't a lower power charger just take longer to get it to a full charge rather then not full charge it at all?

Anyway I got a stepdown transformer and the damn thing has a lip for all mounting meaning the block plug won't plug in lol. Hacksaw time I think.

 

[BB]

HID brightness may depend on battery voltage too... The little Welch-Allen ballasts are not regulated and are available based on input voltage (~10 volt and ~12 volt modules are both available--the 10v used with 8x Alkaline "C" C cells will blow its protection fuse when used on 12v lead acid batteries).

Automotive HID Ballasts are, I am sure, regulated for use with automotive power systems.

-Bill

 

[mtbkndad]

PayBack,

The relay in the Sam's lights cuts off at around 13V. A 12V max charger will never get the battery high enough to trip the relay that will stop charging and turn the green LED on. You would likely have to do your charging in a timed basis.

Your step down transformer is definitely the better choice.
I had a similar problem with a Rayovac charger I used to use.
The Powerizer C NiMH batteries I purchased had nipples that were too short
reach the recessed contacts in the charger. I ended up using a rotary carving tool to remove the excess plastic on the charger.

BB,

You have a good point. The ballast in the Sam's HID and Amondotech Illuminator can work under a pretty wide input range themselves. People that have made
14.4 V NiMH packs report quicker start times and brighter light .
They also report 3+ hours of run time.

The thing is that the brightnes varies with the Sam's HID/Amondotech Illuminator based on the battery type and voltage under load capacity of the pack.
Using any given battery pack consistently in one of these light will yield consistently even bright light for that pack/bulb/ballast combination.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

 

[rdh226]

...
I have a question though. They come of course with US plugs and 110v power supplies. The output is 13v 750mA. I can get a stepdown transformer but I already have a ton of big lights (Thor copies etc) and power supplies.

I charged my first one with a 12v 500mA power supply and it seemed to charge ok but I was wondering if I was doing any damage. I also have a 12v 1000 mA but thought less would be better rather than risk burning something out (though it's 1v less despite being 250mA more.. so would that be so bad?).

Anyway my questions is do I have to get the transformer or would either of the chargers I've got be ok?

Wow, lotta`, um, interesting replies...

Most of your adapters will probaby work just fine. *12V vs 13V -- Pah, probably indistinguishable.

What is the "open-circuit"*voltage*of*your*"12V"*adapter?*(i.e,*plug*adapter*into*AC*outlet,*measure*voltage*appearing
across inner and outer conductors.

Anything over 15V means you're almost certainly golden.

Note: yes, this means a "car 12V" jack will NOT suffice! Car's 12v is too small a "12" V.

100mA, 250mA, 500mA, *ALL* will charge your battery, as long as the voltage is 15V or so open circuit. *100mA will
just take 6 times longer than 500mA to do the job . . .

Real test: plug your charging source into the light, and monitor the battery. You need to see the voltage across the
battery terminals rise slowly to about 14.6 volts. This is the "fully charged" point (for practical purposes). *At this
point, a smart charger will then drop to 13.2-13.4-13.6 volts to "sustain" the battery at full charge. *If it's a "dumb"
charger, the voltage will continue to asymptotically approach the above-measured open-circuit voltage, and slowly
(or not so slowly, as the case may be) procede to cook (read: "kill") your battery.

Many cheap lights may light up a green LED to indicate something (like it's around 14V or so), but NOT actually
disconnect the charging circuit. *They rely on a smart user to unplug the charger when the battery is charged. *Fooey!

Fortunately, 12V SLA batteries are cheap.

Have fun with your photon lance! (Way too heavy to call it a mere "light saber"!!)

-RDH

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[mtbkndad]

The Sam's HID and Amondotech Illuminator have cutoff
relay switches.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

 

[PayBack]

Yeah it switches to green when charged then occassionally goes to red for a few seconds (keeping it topped up I guess).

 

[PayBack]

PayBack,

The relay in the Sam's lights cuts off at around 13V. A 12V max charger will never get the battery high enough to trip the relay that will stop charging and turn the green LED on. You would likely have to do your charging in a timed basis.

Your step down transformer is definitely the better choice.
I had a similar problem with a Rayovac charger I used to use.
The Powerizer C NiMH batteries I purchased had nipples that were too short
reach the recessed contacts in the charger. I ended up using a rotary carving tool to remove the excess plastic on the charger.

With my 12v 500mA charger it does switch to green after a while, then occassionally switched to red for a few seconds then back to green.