Vector/Power on Board Mods

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TypeR632

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 11, 2007
Messages
23
Location
Birmingham, AL.
Hello Everyone, I'm new to the forum. I came across here looking for the name of a handheld spotlight used in the movies. It's called a maxabeam, very nice but I like being married for the moment so we won't get into the prices. Obviously you guys know that. I went over to the local sams and bought the Vector. Very nice, would be nice to trim a little weight off. I've been lurking for a few weeks now looking for do it yourself mod threads, and really anything to do with HID's.
I believe BVH said in one of his posts he was modding a costco. This would be the same principles, right? I would really like to practice on this light. Let me know what you think. Any threads or reading you guys could throw my way would be appreciated.
Also has anyone tried to convert a mag into a HID themselves? I know Mac makes them, but I missed out on the order. And I think it would be fun to do it yourself. Thanks Everyone, Eddie:candle:
 
Welcome to CPF!! :)

Maybe contact, send a private message to cpf member LuxLuthor. He makes battery packs and might be able to recommend a special battery pack for you. Li-ion would be the best because it produces the most energy per weight as far as flashlight applications go.

By the way, this http://batteryjunction.com/n30-3161.html is a fairly small and light HID powered by NiMH batteries. It's lighter than the power on board light.
 
Thanks Patriot36. I guess the question is, is anybody going to mod their vector. Please, any and all input would be great.
 
Simple mod on mine. Rip out the existing SLA battery pack and put in a lighter weight battery pack. The Vector is surprisingly light without the SLA battery pack.

I am not sure about the onboard electronics on the circuit board. I'm still working out whether I have to remove those to make this mod happen. I'm concerned about negative interactions with a battery of a different chemistry. I'll also have to build my own charging port.

My plan is to pop a 4S1P lithium phosphate (A123) pack into it. Li-ion has its own concerns and could be really nasty if things go wrong. I really like lithium phosphate because of its inherently safe chemistry.

Last HID I built out of a regular "100W" spotlight used NiMH. 2500mAH high current "A" cells, pack of 10 or 11 (can't remember).
 
Have you decided what your going to do, other than the battery? Could this light be capable of double the output?:naughty:
 
One could swap the 35W ballast to a 55W version and get lots more lumens. But I am not sure how long the bulb would then last. Might even go :poof: instantly.
 
What about buying a bulb (4200K range) and ballast (good quality) and replacing it. Would this be a simple swap or is there anything else involved? Someone chime in and explain, and also where I can get a bulb and ballast assembly. Thanks, Eddie

P.S. Can someone explain what the coated wire running along side the bulb is for. Is this something you have to live with, because it messes the beam up.
 
ditto on the last post - I'm getting a Sam's 35W POB HID soon, and the thought of making this bright light even brighter and warmer tinted makes me, well, excited =)
 
TypeR632 said:
P.S. Can someone explain what the coated wire running along side the bulb is for. Is this something you have to live with, because it messes the beam up.
Click to expand...

That wire is just part of the electrical circuit. It is definetly needed. I have heard some have removed the coating to make it thinner. But that is not recomended.
 
Thanks guys. Can someone give me a name of a good ballast and bulb, to fit this light.

I will worry about a battery when I find the above. The head presents a problem, with their custom head screws. Seems like the lense is plastic, that may be another problem. Let's hear the comments and ideas.
 
I am curious about a 4200K lamp and ballast for the POB as well.:thinking: I just ordered this light (still in the mail) and while I'm fairly certain that I won't have a problem with the 6000K lamp, it would be great to know where I could get ahold of one that renders natural colors better. Does anyone know if these can be purchased in automotive stores or big home stores?
 
Yeah, so the page wasn't loading when I first typed my message, so I tried to post 3 different times and apparently it posted my message all 3 times!:stupid:
 
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Yeah, it's not acting right with me either. Everytime I click on a sub category I have to reload. Obviously something is wrong.
 
Hello all,

I've been using a Vector Power on Board HID, which I've modified to use this 2400 mA/h Lithium Iron Phosphate battery from Battery Space http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3932

This particular 10 ounce (4s2p) pack is rated for handling loads of up to 14 Amps for short intervals, hence they easily meet the demand of starting and running the HID balast. It safely runs the 35 watt lamp in the 'Power on Board' at full power for 30 minutes plus. I have tested it to 37 minutes, but this runs the battery well below the recommended cutoff threshold of 10 volts, or 2.5 volts per cell. The LiFePO4 pack remained only comfortably warm for the first 30 minutes, and became very warm when run past 35 minutes. Due to differences in battery chemistry, I do not use the light's internal battery charger which was made for the 6.5 lb 7 A/hr lead acid battery. Interestingly, this little LiFePO4 does actually yeild 50% of the original (1 hour) run time charactaristic of the stock lead acid battery. This is mainly due to the method battery manufacturers use (C/20) to rate capacity of lead acid batteries.

LiFePO4 has proven to be inherently safer than other lithium chemistries such as the more common 3.7 volt Lithium Manganese, or Lithium Colbalt Oxide type cells. I've used much larger LiFePO4 cells on my electric bikes with great success. Unlike their 3.7 volt cousins, the LiFePO4 3.2V nominal potential per cell makes an ideal building block for many devices requiring "12 volts".
 
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Thanks guys, I wonder if Mac would know where to get the aftermarket HID bulb and ballast from. Or maybe another "Modder" that I don't know about. I saw in a post from him that he used Welch-Allyn in one HID build. I don't know if he uses them exclusively. I searched for them on the net but couldn't come up with anything. Seems like Philips or Panasonic are the best. Anyone?
Thanks Eddie
 
I finally got around to taking mine apart and came to a halt when I found the front bezel is assembled with tamper resistant tri-slot screws , and the wires to the battery are so short, you cant even get to the terminals

Unless I was hallucinating, I recall a thread here where someone completely disassembled theirs along with pics of the project, anyone had better luck than I tearing a POB-HID down?
 
Spark Gap said:
Hello all,

I've been using a Vector Power on Board HID, which I've modified to use this 2400 mA/h Lithium Iron Phosphate battery from Battery Space http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3932
Click to expand...

Are you using any sort of BMS? How are you charging?

Is the LiFePO the chemistry used in the Milwaulkee V28 battery? Reason I ask is that I have a friend who owns a factory authorized service center and he's passing on to me all the warranty replacement V28 batteries. Invariably they the pack has one bad cell but the rest are OK.

I've kinda held off building packs for my HID lights because of a combination of round tuit shortages and a concern about using the cells without a BMS.

John
 
Hi John,

The LiFePO4 battery pack sold by BatterySpace does not include any BMS circuitry. The pack is made up of (8) 1200 mA/h 18650 cells wired in series/parallel (4S2P). Since the pack did not include a BMS curcuit, and was relatively cheap at $51, I figure I'll see how well this works as is. New cells are available for $6, should I have the need to repair the pack at some point. Maybe short series strings do not need the BMS? If BS sold a BMS board, I would be interested, but for now at least, this is not an option. Anyhow, the pack works fine with no problems so far as I can tell, though I'd have to cut it open to measure the individual cells to really be convinced.

Not sure about the Milwaukee tools using LiFePO4. I heard DeWalt is using the A123 cells in their 36V line. Easy enough to check by looking at the tell-tale cell voltage. LiFePO4 should read 3.5 volts when fully charged, as opposed to 4.2 volts for typical lithium secondary cells. Ironically, DeWalt/ Black and Decker, and the Vector 'Power on Board' light are actually made by the same parent company.

I bought a 12 cell, 12 amp/hour battery from an outfit in China this past summer for powering an electric bike project. The pack arrived damaged by shipping, and the seller was good enough to send me a second battery (with BMS) at no charge. I recently cut apart the damaged battery and took individual cell measurements. I then regrouped the cells to form two individulal matched sets of four, with three good cells as spares. (One cell had to be tossed due to damage). I soldered and heat-shrinked the new battery groups forming two 13.2 volt, 12 A/h batteries, again with no BMS. I'm presently using one pack to run portable compact fluorecent DC ballasts in wirless table lamps I've put together, and the other is running Ham radio equipment. I charge these batteried with a regular Batteryspace 1.5 amp, 16.6 volt (4 cell) lithium battery charger, but have installed two silicon diodes in series to drop the terminal voltage by 1.4V, for meeting the lower voltage required for charging LiFePO4 batteries.

If you are interested, I can provide pictures, however I'm new to this forum and do not know how to put up images. Be happy to email if need be.

Cliff
 
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