N30 First Impressions

[BlueBeam22]

Hi can both the mega illuminator and the N30 cloud bounce? was thinking of getting the N30....

The N30 can't cloud bounce unless the clouds are VERY low. It doesn't have the laser like throw of either the Power On Board HID or Mega Illuminator.

I own the N30 and the Vector Power On Board HID. The Power On Board HID has quite a bit more throw than the N30 and puts a bright spot on mid-low level clouds, as it has an extremely concentrated laser like beam.

If you are just looking to get a super powerful light for cloud bouncing/lighting up objects out to 1 mile, I recommend you get the Vector Power On Board HID on eBay for around $50.

Or, you can get the Mega Illuminator for $160 which will be much better than the Power On Board in many ways, which are:
Much longer runtime
More light output and better color rendition at 4200K (close to pure white) than the Power On Board HID's's 6000K (blue)
Better construction
Even more throw than the Power On Board HID.

I highly recommend either one.

 

[Illum]

word of advice

if you ever head out to the beach with the N30, don't point it way the heck out into the water to try and spot a ship...there maybe coast guard patrol out there and are generally not impressed when you light up their bow and may go into defensive mode and activate their AN/VSS searchlights your way

also, do not point the sucker on to condos late at night, granted you couldn't miss one if you try but still...:shrug:. Never venture into an RV park with one lit, even when pointed straight into the sky...dogs will bark, men will swear...and its generally not a good thing at all....

better yet, do not tote your N30 on primary to the beach at all:green:

 

[Flashanator]

and may go into defensive mode and activate their AN/VSS searchlights your way

That would be bad news for a newbie Flashaholic.

 

[Illum]

where I live facing east the beach is on the right, flanked by a canal on the left that bisects the shoreline, beyond the canal is an air force station. The canal was built for the sake of a barge that carries oil to the port and powerplant inland, what most people don't know is that the canal is deep enough for subs to come in and for such reasons the securitys always been pretty tight. I was half a mile from the said canal...the N30 was awesome while it lasted, illuminating the splashes all the way out as far as the eyes can see...then I saw a ship with a slab of orange paint and I bolted. Yuppers, I dunno what sort of light they were using but its mounted between the bridge and the bulkhead and combed the beachline like it was mounted to shore

No sirens, thank god

 

[Patriot]

where I live facing east the beach is on the right, flanked by a canal on the left that bisects the shoreline, beyond the canal is an air force station. The canal was built for the sake of a barge that carries oil to the port and powerplant inland, what most people don't know is that the canal is deep enough for subs to come in and for such reasons the securitys always been pretty tight. I was half a mile from the said canal...the N30 was awesome while it lasted, illuminating the splashes all the way out as far as the eyes can see...then I saw a ship with a slab of orange paint and I bolted. Yuppers, I dunno what sort of light they were using but its mounted between the bridge and the bulkhead and combed the beachline like it was mounted to shore

No sirens, thank god

Funny story Illum. It also plays to the sheepish fear that I have when turning on the brighter HIDs in my neighborhood. They definitely scream "Here I Am" and "Look At Me." There is no way to keep a low profile when using these lights. Once I was shining the Maxabeam down to the end of the street but the beam crossed a main drive. Some car that was coming down that drive slammed on the brakes and stopped as if the beam were a solid object. I just knew in my mind that it was a cop so I imediately shut the light off, hopped into the backyard over the wall and waited to see what transpired...which turned out to be nothing. Sometimes we don't mean to cause a scene but it still happens.. I don't shine the MB across thru streets anymore after that.

 

[Flashanator]

hehe I know what you mean Patriot. :twothumbs

I recently went for a ride on my Mountain Bike @ night to see what my Mini HID could do. Its small & lite enough to hold with one hand while holding the handle bars. I wasn't riding fast or anything.

Well there were a few of us & it was more then enough light for the other riders sided near me. I LMAO at the sheer output of a little light. The riders in front of me had plenty of light on the pitch black dirt road too.

But from a distance it stood out real bad . And being on a Sat night it caught the eye of a group of young ppl (at least 6-7). Looked like they were asking for trouble as they approached us, so we took off.

 

[BlueBeam22]

When ever I use my POB in public it draws a lot of attention due to it being so bright, the blue 6000K color, and the huge blue lightsaber it makes in the sky.
In the past when I was shining my POB up into the sky, cars have slowed down at the sight of the huge blue laser beam.

When I use my green laser in public and in my neighborhood it REALLY draws attention. :laughing:

 

[Illum]

I wonder...does the 6000K HID lamp have a special purpose for color rendition on the blue side of the spectrum? Say marine purposes?

Since retrofitting a 4200K lamp in the POB isn't all that expensive as per the forums opinions I don't really understand why some people choose to stick to the blue side unless of course they found a suitable purpose for the said configuration.

For the heck of it I used the N30 to shower at night...the verdict was quite clear for the efficiency, two 60 watt globes are no match for a 30 watt HID
and... :green: :sick2: I found mold around the shower stall I've missed last time I tried scrubbing under conventional lighting.

the N30s fairly splash resistant on the front, the battery's charging port is my primary concern for "splashable" rating toward the back:sigh:

 

[Flashanator]

for me, the only reason I like 6000K in a spotlight is for the more noticeable Beam in the night sky. The Illumination is quite poor compared to low 4000'SK IMO.

But I have too many lights, so 1 or 2 6000K lights is different.

Hehe, love how you showered with your N30, thats great. :thumbsup:

 

[Team Member]

Now I have read alot of cheers for the N30 but I haven´t really seen any size comparison pics of it with some other light. I just need to see how big or small the light really is before I buy it.

Maybe a size comparison with a Surefire M6.......? Or any other Surefire..

 

[Northern Lights]

Now I have read alot of cheers for the N30 but I haven´t really seen any size comparison pics of it with some other light. I just need to see how big or small the light really is before I buy it.

Maybe a size comparison with a Surefire M6.......? Or any other Surefire..

CPF search function: N30 HID Amondotech
Heavy in picks:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=156617&highlight=hid+n30+amondotech

The ether is pretty poor for photos-- I googled the key words and actually came up with a picture of ME! Quite disturbing but somehow Google link a photo of me to those terms, maybe because I have discussed it.

 

[Team Member]

Thanks Northern Lights :thumbsup:

 

[BVH]

2D mag, N30, Amondotech illuminator (POB)

 

[Team Member]

oo:

It´s not bigger than that??

Amazing, I have to get me one of those asap...

Excellent pic BVH :twothumbs

 

[Northern Lights]

oo:

It´s not bigger than that??

Amazing, I have to get me one of those asap...

Excellent pic BVH :twothumbs

You bet. A 80-90 minute light too! I love it so will you.
And this is a soooo EZ mod to get a all around light out it:
IMPROVE THE N30 HID add a 225 Lumen R2 LED area light and GLOWING LED locators

It is small enough, notice I threw a shoulder strap on it. It goes on walks. It goes fishing. It is rugged too. Both the R2 and HID cover anything you need. Long run time and little temperature.

That has bothered me all week, temperature. I have some high output LED and Incan mods but the temperature is reaching max before my run time is up but not with this HID..

 

[SCEMan]

A 80-90 minute light too!

Wow! You've got one great battery. I just did my 10th battery full drain-charge cycle and only got 50 minutes...

 

[Northern Lights]

Wow! You've got one great battery. I just did my 10th battery full drain-charge cycle and only got 50 minutes...

Here is the official run time, I am corrected to 70-80 minutes

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showpost.php?p=2153193&postcount=3

 

[Illum]

You bet. A 70-80 minute light too! I love it so will you.

that part gets me....
I've ran the N30 on primary beam for about 15 minutes and I'm already down to 3 LEDs instead of 4 on the battery meter, I guess its just how the meter is set up. It's definitely not 75% remaining capacity but its not full.

I've always wondered why people who make battery meters can't throw in like 10 LEDs, 7 3mm greens, 1 3mm yellow, 2 3mm reds:shrug:

 

[Northern Lights]

that part gets me....
I've ran the N30 on primary beam for about 15 minutes and I'm already down to 3 LEDs instead of 4 on the battery meter, I guess its just how the meter is set up. It's definitely not 75% remaining capacity but its not full.

I've always wondered why people who make battery meters can't throw in like 10 LEDs, 7 3mm greens, 1 3mm yellow, 2 3mm reds:shrug:

You see I posted a correction, I was 10 minutes off.
One thing I noticed is you must take care of the battery and condition it according to www.batteryuniversity.com instructions.
Read the whole article, the information is spread out. This chart will help set up new NiMh batteries:
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-14A.htm
There are several sections, if you follow instuctions you will get better service and longer life from Nickel batteries.
I use a BC-6 charger and did a round of initial break in like suggested and then it performed as it should. I did at least one full discharge/charge cycle as it looked like it had a memory and would not run but a short time.
I by pass the built in circuit and connected the BC 6 to the electrodes. Check it with a DMM. You may need to run the cycles through it.

 

[Illum]

:thumbsup: