Firemen 12 volt Handheld NightFighter Spotlight

Hi forum,

I had the chance to get my hands on a retired, Julian A. McDermott handlight recently and felt you'd all appreciate how this project evolved to what it turned out to be. The fact it was used at one time by the New York City Fire Department, made it a must have for for this flashaholic.







This is a photo of what it looked like prior to being shipped
to me.







This is what the shipping damage was after our post office had it in their
possession for only 2 days. The ABS above the piano hinge was cracked and
the light housing, which is 1/8 thick ABS was smashed from its fixed position
mounting brackets.








The center portion between the cracked holes was also badly cracked.







The casing arrived with a large crack up the rear which also stretched
underneath the curve, not shown, right up to the base of the
NYC emblem. From the inside, if you gently pushed in that area,
the crack opened up 1/8. Incredible!






Two of the 3 screw ears that hold the bezel to the light housing
were completely cracked loose. I wasn't aware of this until
I unscrewed them to remove the 12v 50 watt Par 36 halogen,
which actually still worked.







The left side had no damage and was perfect.







I had a decision to make, do I simply discard it or try to fix
it? The Julian A. McDermott Corp. turned out to
be a very discourteous company and refused to respond
to my email requests, finally placing my email
address on their spam list after only two email attempts
to inquire about purchasing replacement parts or a brand new
handlight from them. Although I paid $64.00 for this light,
it's my opinion this company likely charges upwards of
$500.00 or more for this light brand new to Fire Departments,
Police, and other emergency service agencies.

Being a flashaholic, I decided to use my skills and rebuild it
from the ground up. The actual battery/hand box and PAR 36
light head are McDermott exclusive components, so it was necessary
for me to actually repair them rather than take the easy road and
simply replace, at least the light head, with a Grote brand head.

After a month of work part time on this spotlight, it's finally in useable and new looking condition sporting a restored "sun yellow" color
paint job, but with a few little modifications :thumbsup:

It wasn't my intention to make this a super thrower at all. I wanted it to be a useful close-range floodlight without any hint of a hotspot.
I also needed to use this for when I have my car up on ramps when changing the oil or some other service to perform. My normal flashlights
tend to roll around and don't serve this purpose to well. During blackouts, this light will really come in handy for us and will
likely be one of the first lights I grab.





Any holes that were predrilled by the factory, not
needed for my purposes were carefully filled with a special
autobody repair filler specifically designed for plastics
and fiberglass. From the before photos, some of the holes
in the body were likely used for truck mounted quick release
brackets or for aerial bucket mounting to the fire truck to illuminate
where the water was being sprayed. The result of this was
a really great clean look with completely invisible repairs.





Rear view showing the new DPDT switch.







The business end. The original 12v 50 watt
halogen lamp was replaced with two CREE Par 36
high end 100 LED, 38 degree flood lamps featuring
5500k color rendition. They consume only 6 watts of
power each and produce a flood beam equal to 35 watts of
light each for 70 watts total output. Each is rated for 500 lumen
output for a great 1000 lumen flood monster. Obviously this setup will
now produce light for 7-14 hours, depending on having one
or both turned on. You just can't beat the power efficiency of LED lamps.






A shot for scale. All screw fasteners were replaced with
exactly the same to maintain the original flavor of the light.
The original external charging port was also replace with
a new one.






I added a 9/11 "Firemen" tribute to the original NYC emblem. I witnessed first
hand the events that terrible day and won't ever forget.







The last thing I did was create a bracket to hold a second
PAR 36 CREE LED lamp housed inside a Grote brand fixture.
This bracket was built to resemble the stock bracket and also
connects to it, flanking the left side of the light. I made it specifically
to appear as if the light was originally equiped with it. I also
modified the orignal bracket for the top light, so now
rather than the head being in a fixed position, I can manipulate
it for 120 degree positioning without causing any damage to the finish.

Below are a few beam shots for comparing the original spotlight to its present configuration.
Camera was set to 2.5, F2.8 at a distance of 15 feet.





Photo shows the original 12 volt PAR 36, 50 watt halogen spotlight.






Photo shows the second best generic 12 volt PAR 36, 126 LED spotlight lamp at 6000k
color temp. This LED lamp is not a sealed beam like the CREE lamps and has
no reflector behind the LED's. I need to find a use for this one on a different project.





Photo shows one of the actual 12 volt CREE PAR 36, 100 LED spotlights turned on.






Here are both CREE PAR 36 LED lamps turned on. They produce a wonderful and
super clean, and very white flood beam thanks to the built in LightEcho polished
specular mirror reflector. This reflector also evens out the light output. Heat is
also not a problem with its built-in aluminum heatsink.

Was that the Broken down Thing you had before downtime?

srfreddy said:

Was that the Broken down Thing you had before downtime?

Click to expand...

Hi SRFred,

If by that you mean was this posted just before the forum went down, yes. Less than 24 hours after I original posted about this light, the forum had crashed.

Are those 5mm leds or SMD?

srfreddy said:

Are those 5mm leds or SMD?

Click to expand...

Hey Freddy,

The 126 LED lamp, 6000k incorporates 5mm LED's and costs $29.99 each plus shipping. I can't tell what the CREE version uses, but I'd guess it's likely the same. The CREE version had the better color temp of 5500k and better features even though the CREE only uses 100 LED's. But there is nothing wrong with the 126 LED version, and I'm going to find a use for it. Both lamps are also of the Bi-lug design. Below are a couple of photos of the 126 LED version.




PAR 36, 126 5mm LED's, 6000k. Note the open-air design with no reflector
or lens. This LED lamp is a bit more money than the CREE
version and costs $29.99. The CREE version is $25.99, but you must purchase
two of them.






Rear view. Like the CREE version, the Bi-lug design makes wire hook-up
very easy.

Ritchie, the cree's produce a very pleasing environment in which to be working or playing. What is runtime with one/both?

BVH said:

Ritchie, the cree's produce a very pleasing environment in which to be working or playing. What is runtime with one/both?

Click to expand...

Bob,

As near as I can tell using a PowerSonic PS-1270, 7Ah/84 w/h battery, runtime should be in the neighborhood of 12-14 hours using just one of the CREE lights. They really just sip power from the battery. I've only used it for upwards of 4 hours and very little power was drained.

I am in the process of switching out the heavy (4.8 lb) Powersonic to install either two Li-on 6800 mAh batteries for 13,600 mAh of power, or just a single Li-on rated at 9,800 mAh of 12 volt power. Either way, runtime will be enhanced far greater than what I actually require and the Nightfigher will be even lighter in weight.

Hi folks,

Anyone that may be wondering why I decided on rebuilding this hand-held with two light heads is because I wanted to create my own version of a similar light the Mcdermott company produces, only customized to suit my personal needs, including extremely long runtimes. Several of my favorite lights they produce are pictured below.

Photos are the property of Julian A. Mcdermott Corp






This is their top tier hand-held featuring
a single PAR 46 spotlight on top, and their standard
PAR 36 flood on the bottom. I was going to
duplicate this for mine, but the PAR 46
lamp housing seemed to large and out of place
sitting on such a small casing. I'll bet this one is
many hundreds of dollars brand new.






They also make one with just a PAR
46 rated at 160,000 CP.






They still make the one I restored, but
with an updated enclosed hand-grip. As
you can also see, I did away with the front
protruding wires and ran them directly through
into the handle on mine for a cleaner look. Still,
a great looking and compact hand-held they still
produce meant for all business.

Richie086 said:

Bob,


I am in the process of switching out the heavy (4.8 lb) Powersonic to install either two Li-on 6800 mAh batteries for 13,600 mAh of power, or just a single Li-on rated at 9,800 mAh of 12 volt power. Either way, runtime will be enhanced far greater than what I actually require and the Nightfigher will be even lighter in weight.

Click to expand...

Ritchie, a 9800 mah Li Ion isn't too common so I want to be sure you're not looking at one of those blue, ebay units that come with a plug-in charger and on/off switch with a part number of T-9800? I posted on CPF somewhere a few weeks ago that I picked one up and after 3 or 4 cycles at 400 ma load, the best I could get was about 2.4 to 2.5 AH total. I think you may have responded in that thread but just in case it wasn't you, I wanted to give warning.

BVH said:

Ritchie, a 9800 mah Li Ion isn't too common so I want to be sure you're not looking at one of those blue, ebay units that come with a plug-in charger and on/off switch with a part number of T-9800? I posted on CPF somewhere a few weeks ago that I picked one up and after 3 or 4 cycles at 400 ma load, the best I could get was about 2.4 to 2.5 AH total.

Click to expand...

Bob,

With the forum having been down, I was forced to do my own research without being able to get opinions, so it looks like I'm likely screwed. One of the "lots" I purchased was using my AliExpress membership and purchased this lot of three (3) of these at this link:
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/100673350.html


The second one I purchased from Ebay, which is the one rated at 9800mAh from this seller:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250671005591&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

According to my research from the Ebay seller feedback, everyone that purchased any of their battery packs, liked them. I did find some information somewhere that they may actually be about 20% less than the advertised capacity for safety reasons so they can't actually be run down to dangerous levels. If true, I felt this would be okay.

I knew I should have simply gone with the LIFEPO4 pack I originally wanted, but it was nearly $100.00. When I get both shipments, I'll be sure to post about them, even if my money ends up being wasted on them. If anything, just to stop anyone else from making my mistake. Thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to let you know how this turns out.

Ritchie, I complained to the seller and he proposed sending me another unit to placate me. I had originally assumed before I bought, that based on size alone, it couldn't be anywhere near 10 AH so I went in knowing that I would be disappointed. So I agreed to take a second one as a remedy. It just arrived and as soon as I am over this damn flu, I'll do some testing. Also of note, the discharge wiring is at best, I believe 22 awg, maybe even 24awg, so no significant current rates can be drawn. IIRC, the seller said under no circumstances, to pull more than 1 amp. You might be able to change it out but not without tearing into its nice "package". I also noted very spontaneous, uncommanded, erratic discharge rate changes (on my Schulze charger) when drawing more than about 600 to 700 ma rates. There's just something flaky going on in there. Maybe it's just the one I got, but we'll see with the second one. It seems as of now, it's one of those "To good to be true" things.

Just went to your links. The blue one is the same thing as mine just theoretically less mah. The one in the hard case looks a little different but I'd guess it's the same thing. Be curious to see your results.

BVH said:

Just went to your links. The blue one is the same thing as mine just theoretically less mah. The one in the hard case looks a little different but I'd guess it's the same thing. Be curious to see your results.

Click to expand...

You took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to ask you if you had purchased from either of those two sellers, but even if you didn't, I figured they'd all be the same junk regardless...LOL

The NightFighter floodlight only requires 400 ma-800 ma depending on using one or both lamps, so current draw is on the low side. My problem is going to be with the new PAR 46 hand-held spotlight I'm assembling right now. The LED bulb is of the professional grade and requires 12 volts and 2.3 amps of current to produce its rated 2000 lumen output. In fact, this is the project I purchased the 9800 mAh pack for. So I'm going to have to make other arrangements to power it. Using two PowerSonic 7 Ah batteries will make it too darn heavy. I have a link in my files for what I think is a nice LIFEPO4 pack in mind for it. When I'm ready, I'll run it by you to see what you think. If you're curious about this PAR 46 I'm purchasing, here is Sirennet's link below to it. Thanks again Bob for all your help and opinions, I really appreciate it. Hope you feel better real soon.


http://www.sirennet.com/snsl1.html

I still have a little hope for my 2nd T-9800 but just don't have the energy to go out to the 50 degree garage and set up a few charge/discharge cycles. But the realist in me says it will be no different.

I've been buying some new Blue Lipo and GensAce Prismatic packs (recommended over at RCGroups - but no built-in protection) Lipo from Hobbypartz dot com for some really descent prices. If you have a means of protection, they offer very cheap, high power sources.

I parallel'd a pair of 14.8/5000 mah into my twin 75 Watt Vector. There's so much run time provided in them and I use them for such short periods, that I will never get down anywhere near 3.0 Volts per cell to worry about running them too low. They also have balance taps and I have the new Cellpro FM8 with built-in balancer so they are always balanced. (A great $275 charger!)

I also modded a single 14.8/5000 pack into my Costco. I have had a no-name, PCB protected, 13 AH pack for some time and finally modded it into my AmondoTech 3152 (POB). I now get about 4 hours run time at a bulb power level of 50 Watts. I used one of my original Costco 6000K bulbs and at this power level, I think I'm seeing 5000 to 5500K color which I love.

My last mode is putting a pair of 6S/5300 packs Serialed into my old LarryK14 with a JimmyM 70V-40Amp regulator. Instead of 7-8 minutes of bright run time with the old Nimh 4500 cells, I should get maybe up to 15 minutes of very bright, constant brightness.

A bit off-track, sorry.

BVH said:

I've been buying some new Blue Lipo and GensAce Prismatic packs (recommended over at RCGroups - but no built-in protection) Lipo from Hobbypartz dot com for some really descent prices. If you have a means of protection, they offer very cheap, high power sources.

Click to expand...

Not a problem, all of the information you've provided helps me with the last step to complete the hand held spotlights I'm working one. Wow, you have been really busy making some wonderful power upgrades to all your high power flashlights. I love the prices of the packs you recommend, but I'm a bit concerned about them not having any built in protection. I'm going to have to find some packs that have the protection circuits built into them. Can you check the following packs I have linked below and tell me what you think? My 12v Nightfighter spotlight requires 400ma-800ma of current and the new 12v PAR 46 I'm building requires 2.3 amps. I'm hoping either of the following packs can be purchased in pairs and wired in parallel too.



http://www.batteryspace.com/customizelifepo426650battery128v2600mah396wh7aratewithmaletamiyapcb.aspx


This one below I'm not so thrilled about having some many (12) 18650's wired together.
http://www.batteryspace.com/lifepo418650battery128v4050mah5184wh7aratewpcb.aspx



http://www.batteryspace.com/lifepo426650battery128v68ah8704wh14aratewithcarlightersocket.aspx

BS used to offer lots of packs with the PCB that protects in addition to self-balancing the pack during and for 30 minutes after charge. Looking thru the 4-cell Lifepo4 page, there's nothing that has the balance function included although they have the protection circuit. How would you balance the pack? I would call them and ask the price for exactly what you want, including the balancing pcb. (Here's their 4-cell balancing pcb but in quantities of 100!

http://www.batteryspace.com/PCM-for-4-cells-12.8V-LiFePO4-Battery-Pack-at-12A-limited.aspx

I wish I had pack-making equipment to make my own!

Maybe ask them for a customized pack of these with PCB:

http://www.batteryspace.com/limnnirechargeable26650cell37v4000mah10arated148wh.aspx

I've looked at many different Li-on and Lifepo4 setups and the pricing is just way to high. I want at the very least, the same runtime I can get using 1 or 2, 12v 7ah AGM batteries. When the lot of 3, 12v 6800mAh Li-on's and the one 12v 9800mAh Li-on arrive, if they end up being junk, I'm just going to go back to the 7ah AGM's I'm using and deal with the weight issue and be done with it. I'll be sure to post in a few weeks regarding all of this and let everyone know whether to stay away from the dealers I've purchased these Li-ons from.

Hi gang,

Just an update on a wholesale lot of manufacturer rated 12 volt, 6800mAh Li-on battery packs I purchased using my Aliexpress.com account I have. At $23.23 each, for a total of about $69.00 delivered, I was hoping they'd really be great.

Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what to make of the actual output when used in this McDermott handheld. They each arrived with a static voltage of 11.6v. I was happy to see that each came has its own battery charger. When viewing the wholesalers page, I had the impression only one charger came for all three of the packs. The chargers all worked perfectly and two of the packs charged fully to 12.29v and one charged fully to 12.20v. Please check the photos and descriptions below for further details.





In case any of you consider purchasing these packs, or something similar,
I thought you'd appreciate a photo for scale, so I tossed a pack of cigarettes
in the picture for size reference. Externally, each pack appears meticulously
assembled, especially the shrink wrap, and all labels were installed perfectly straight
and wires neatly bundled. I can only hope what's under the shrink wrap was assembled
with just as much care.





Charging the packs from 11.6v to fully charged, which is about 12.29v, required well
over 4 hours. The chargers are rated at 12vdc and 500mA. I wasn't sure
if this was good or bad considering the amount of time required to charge them.
I assume this is a good sign they have decent capacity, but I'm not sure.
BTW, each pack is less than half the thickness of a pack of cigarettes.






The 2.1 x 5.5mm DC Power Pigtail Female Plugs are mine
and did not come with the batteries.

Also, I did try one of the batteries in the McDermott light with both LED lamps turned on. Each PAR 36 is rated to use 400mA of current for a total of 800mA. I only performed this test for two hours and fifteen minutes. At a starting voltage of 12.11v, several minutes off the charger, the end voltage after just over 2 hours was 9.46 volts. Falling that many volts in that amount of time, clearly this battery isn't 6800mAh. But light output was still fine and switching off one of the PAR 36 lamps made no difference in output for the one left turned on. The packs have an over-charge/over-discharge circuit built in, but I don't know what the limits are. I seem to recall similar packs rated to run down to perhaps 8 volts, but I can't be sure. I'm going to wire all three of the packs in parallel and use them in the McDermott light and simply recharge them separately. For safety reasons, I think it's a good idea to add a "Stinger" brand digital volt meter to this one like I did the larger lantern.

One things for sure, there is no way I'm testing one or several of these batteries in my much larger PAR 46 halogen, amp-hungry lantern. Not knowing the circuit limits these packs are rated for, I don't want to risk damaging them, or something worse happening.

Any comments or suggestions regarding how far I can discharge these batteries would be appreciated. Thanks.

I ended up taking both mine apart. The individual cell wiring size is even smaller than the 22 or 24 AWG output wires. At one amp, the internal wires were warm. At 1.2 amps, they were warmer (exposed and cooled) than I was comfortable with. I really would not load these down with more than 800 ma continuous or 1 Amp for say.... 15 minutes. Each cell has an extremely thin and small pcb with a chip or two on it and all of them aggregate at some point inside some goop.