Million candlepower torch

benp1

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You see these all the time, 1 million, 2 million, 4 million etc.

How powerful are they really and do they compare to any normal torches? I know the terms are often different but I was hoping might be able to give me a quick explanation

Thanks!
 

adirondackdestroyer

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benp1 said:
You see these all the time, 1 million, 2 million, 4 million etc.

How powerful are they really and do they compare to any normal torches? I know the terms are often different but I was hoping might be able to give me a quick explanation

Thanks!

Well... they have TONS of throw!!! A 1 million CP spotlight will out throw every single flashlight on the market (minus maybe a couple HID's). It has a very tight spot with some sidespill, but is made mostly for spotting things at very far distances. You will most likely be amazed by how much throw they have. The beam seems to go on forever.
 

Rando

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I've often wished that there was a calculator or something to compare, apples to apples, the different measurements in candela, lumens, and candlepower.
 

Illum

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well, I wish they make bigger batteries for these million cp beams, as automotive headlamps they are rather underused in there applications...when your looking at a 40 minute runtime.

Rando said:
I've often wished that there was a calculator or something to compare, apples to apples, the different measurements in candela, lumens, and candlepower.

Well, esentially speaking, candela [size=-1]is a unit of luminous intensity, describing the intensity of a light source in a specific direction. A luemen is a unit of luminous flux, [/size][size=-1]or total light output from electric sources. A uniform source of one candlepower placed in a sphere emits 12.57 lumens or mean spherical candela equals to 12.57 lumens. and candlepower [/size][size=-1]is the basic unit for measuring luminous intensity from a light source in a given direction, its nickname is candela.

The calculator doesnt exist...its like trying to compare an apple to an orange and an orange to cherries... candlepower represents intensity of the light and Lumens represents the flux aka the amount of light passing through the observation point in one second, hence "total" light.

Open to suggestions, constructive critcism strongly appreciated...
[/size]
 

Rando

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That's the problem, one manufacturer lists the output as 40 lumens for product X, another as 100,000 candlepower for product Y and there's no way to quantitatively compare the two... It's frustrating sometimes. :scowl:

Usually, that's when someone says, "Anyone have beamshots?"
 

Jay R

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One of the DIY shops over here in England has 1 million, 3.5 million and 5 million spotlights for sale. Really they are just big yellow torches. Funny thing is, if you look at the spares rack the larger bulbs have "Spare bulb for 3.5 and 5 million candlepower spotlights" printed on the packet.

The thing is, if they both run the same bulb on the same 6v lead acid battery ( which they do ) how come one is rated 50% more candlepower than the other!!!! The only difference is a bigger reflector on the large torch.

A bit of a rip off ????
 

Illum

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Jay R said:
One of the DIY shops over here in England has 1 million, 3.5 million and 5 million spotlights for sale. Really they are just big yellow torches. Funny thing is, if you look at the spares rack the larger bulbs have "Spare bulb for 3.5 and 5 million candlepower spotlights" printed on the packet.

The thing is, if they both run the same bulb on the same 6v lead acid battery ( which they do ) how come one is rated 50% more candlepower than the other!!!! The only difference is a bigger reflector on the large torch.

A bit of a rip off ????


If its direct drive, chances are its either a rip off or a marketing hype, normally no one would buy all three and compare the lights unless your from this forum.
If its regulated, perhaps the 5 millions have a DC-DC boost circuit that provides more power for the lamp to consume and inversely...lower runtime.

If they all use the same bulb, I suspect you can DIY the 1 million by adding a regulator to drive it at 1 million, but dont take my words for it, Im simply responding to you based on what you've stated.

Forgot to add:
Many halides [halogens] lamps look identical, but you can never be sure unless you look at the serial or the input voltage/current printed on the bulb..:grin2:
 
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Noxonomus

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Jay R said:
One of the DIY shops over here in England has 1 million, 3.5 million and 5 million spotlights for sale. Really they are just big yellow torches. Funny thing is, if you look at the spares rack the larger bulbs have "Spare bulb for 3.5 and 5 million candlepower spotlights" printed on the packet.

The thing is, if they both run the same bulb on the same 6v lead acid battery ( which they do ) how come one is rated 50% more candlepower than the other!!!! The only difference is a bigger reflector on the large torch.

A bit of a rip off ????

The larger reflector of the 5 million allows its beam to be more focused, and candlepower is a measurement of how much light passes through a single point. So the 5 million has a smaller brighter spot of light and the 3 million has a wider less intense spot so it will light a larger area but not from as far away. its not really a rip off unless they want a great deal more for the big one. They are simply meant to meet slightly different needs.
 

Jay R

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Illum_the_nation said:
Many halides [halogens] lamps look identical, but you can never be sure unless you look at the serial or the input voltage/current printed on the bulb..:grin2:

It's just one bulb in the packet with " For 3.5 million and 5...." on the label. I had one of the spotlights for a while and it's just wires and a switch inside, no circuits. I think it's just dodgy marketing and a bigger reflector. Thing is, most people won't know any different and think that the bigger one actually gives out 50% more light.
 

idleprocess

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Rando said:
I've often wished that there was a calculator or something to compare, apples to apples, the different measurements in candela, lumens, and candlepower.

You make such a simple-sounding request without knowing the implied complexity. Putz around with photometry much and you'll realize that nothing involving light is so simple.

Lumens are a derivative of candlepower. I think that the definition of a lumen is 1 candlepower distributed evenly over a sphere (been a while since I last researched the topic). If you know intensity and beam geometry, you can approximate lumens.

The "LEDDB" link in my signature uses a fairly simple (and innacurate!) formula to calculate lumens from peak candlepower & beam angle. Here's the source: Excel .XLS OpenOffice .SXC.

I tried to develop a spreadsheet that would analyze peak candlepower along points in a radiation pattern. It's still in a rough state with plenty of "vestigial" information in the table. You can try your luck with it here: Excel .XLS. This spreadsheet is based on work by jtr1962 by the way.
 

simonsays

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Jay R said:
One of the DIY shops over here in England has 1 million, 3.5 million and 5 million spotlights for sale.

Would that be B&Q? I remember seeing a inquisitive child of about 7 years fiddling with the controls of the 3.5 mcp version in the shop. I didnt realise that the battery was fully charged. Neither did he...... He hit the switch and POW! His face was virtually pressed against the lens when it turned on and the shock bowled him over!

I was so impressed I bought one:laughing: Not a bad bit of kit for £16. Dunno if the 3.5mcp claim is accurate but it *is* bright and it *does* throw.

Simon
 
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