Need tighter hot spot, more throw-Mag 85

Sorry, I don't have pics yet. I hope to post them after I get my film back next week. I just made a Mag 85 and its pretty bright but the hot spot is fairly large and doesn't seem to be too useful past 100 yards. Up to 100 yards, it lights up a decent sized area. At around 50 yards or so (however large a college gym is) our SL 20X department lights have a brighter, tighter hot spot than my mag 85 but the mag 85 lights up more of an area. I'm using the FM dual function SMO reflector, 9 energizer 2500 in FM holder, mag charger bi pin socket in original switch, Borofloat lense and 1185 bi pin. I screwed the bezel all the way down and backed it off untill the hot spot was as small as I could get it. I've seen some other's pics of their mag 85's and it seems like they all have fairly small, bright hot spots. I've heard these lights (with SMO) will reach out 300 yards. Mine won't even get close (that I can tell). Do you think I have a lack of power or something else? I'm at work now so I don't have my DVM to check output voltage but I plan on doing that when I get home in the morning. I hope to get the KUI socket, a regulator and CBP 1650's when they become available but shouldn't this light throw a little more even with the simple setup I have? I'll post pics when I get them next week. I'm not complaining about it at all, pretty bright light, just trying to figure out how to get it to throw farther. Thanks

I think the culprit here is the size of the opening in your reflector. I have tried the FM's dual function, Litho123's (Carly 1940?), and ModaMag's M2 reflectors. These are in order of decreasing opening size and increasingly tight hotspot and throw when used with a bipin Mag85 bulb. Although there are differences besides opening size, the black hole that appears as you move away from spot focus seems to suggest that it is the main culprit in degrading the beam. I try to use the reflector with the smallest opening I can that will still fit the bulb. I use the M2 with WA bipin bulbs and the 1940 with ROP bulbs. The only time I use the FM dual function is where I need to change between "standard" Mag bulbs, which are too large for even the 1940, and hotwire bulbs which need a metal reflector.

What you really want is Fivemega's 3-inch head and reflector replacement.

ditto ... wait amended

What you really want is Fivemega's latest 3-1/2" head and reflector replacement.

Throw is a function of the following (in order of influence)
- reflector profile (parabolic, elliptoid, yes even straight edge), it's how well you direct those little photons and forcing them to travel in a parallel to each other.
- ream size - smaller is ultimately more light out the front. More light out the front will equate to more throw. But due to the nature of the long incan filament it will sometime cause the batwing affect.
- coating, mirror (smooth) will have the best affect on throw but at the cost of artifacts.

Just my $0.02 from wingging it.

Guys,

You missed something:

"At around 50 yards or so (however large a college gym is) our SL 20X department lights have a brighter, tighter hot spot than my mag 85 but the mag 85 lights up more of an area."

There isn't ANY way an SL20 is going to come CLOSE to a Mag85 at 50 yards, I don't care what reflector you are using!!

Something is wrong with that Mag85! An SL20 gets killed by an 1160 MagCharger, and should be obliterated by a Mag85!

The hotspot should be bigger, whiter, and WAY brighter. You shouldn't be able to even see the SL20 spot inside the Mag85 spot at 50 yards.

Bill

Good point Bill, I don't have a SL20 so dunno much about that.

I think I found the culprit ... 9 energizer 2500
Aaron, you put dirty diesel into your F-22A Raptor (latest stealth fighter) ...

modamag said:

Good point Bill, I don't have a SL20 so dunno much about that.

I think I found the culprit ... 9 energizer 2500
Aaron, you put dirty diesel into your F-22A Raptor (latest stealth fighter) ...

Click to expand...

Hahahaha Goodone Modamag!!

Weren't the old energizer 2500s rebadged Sanyo 2500s though ? IIRC, the Sanyo 2500s were the next best thing behind CBP1650s. Or maybe it's the new energizer 2500s in the light...

I was wondering if it might be the energizers. I just had one blow on me last night and they are all only a few weeks old. Strangest thing happened. I was at my parent's house out in the country and was testing out the mag 85 and my AE. I was in the driveway and I heard this noise like air rapidly comming out of something and the rubber switch on the mag went flying. I took the batteries out and put them in the charger and the charger said one was bad. I put in 9 other batteries and it seemed to work fine, still had the large hot spot though. When I had tried it the time before (when the battery went out), I was wondering why the light didn't seem near as bright as it should have. Do you think its just the batteries or do I also need a reflector with a smaller opening? Thanks

It could be the stock switch setup. A KIU bipin switch mod (they are available now in B/S/T, btw) will dramatically reduce the resistance of the switch and allow more power to the bulb.

I was reading last night about it (also just got a Mag85) and the stock switch can drop something like 8-10W!!

I use the energizer 2500s along with Titanium 2400s and both seem to put out the same amount of light when I use them.

dragoman

Yeah, I hope to get the KUI sometime, also a regulator would be nice too. And I still want to try the CBP 1650 when I can find some. After finding out that one of the energizers was bad, it seems pretty bright now. Brighter than my vehicle headlights on low but the hot spot is still very large. Well, larger than what I was thinking it would be. It lites up a large area pretty good. For instance, it will lite up the entire side of one of the three story apartment buildings from about 75 yards. I might try one of those M2 reflectors to see what that does. Does any one else with the FM dual function SMO reflector have similar experiences with theirs?