Amondotech Illuminator 35 Watt HID Searchlight

[dca2]

Has anyone found a suitable case to store this thing in? By suitable I mean: somewhat padded, holds both chargers and maybe extra battery, and cheap. (water resistant/proof wouldn't be bad either)

Thanks,
Dave

 

[havand]

My plan to use it is different.
I want to use it as the flood light for playing tennis at night.
We have 5 public courts outdoor but no light.
Any suggestion on how to make the beam wider? (adapter, filter or reflector of some sort??)
I can set it perhaps up to 100 feet away if needed.

Thanks....
:candle:

Err, maybe a few halogen floodlights or even a few of these hooked up to a carbattery or two?

 

[TooManyGizmos]

...


How often should we charge the battery in this when it's not in use ???

How quickly does a batt. like this .... self-drain ???

thanks ...... TMG..

.

 

[havand]

I have a strange request...Could someone measure the diameter of the ballast? I want to know if it'll fit into another shell for a project i'm thinkin about.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

 

[SmithB]

I received mine today. Very nice. I can't wait to try it out tonight.

 

[Ra]

Hi TMG,

I presume its a Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery: You should keep it charged all time: They have no memmory effect and to prevent the forming of sulfates you should charge it after every use, no matter how short!

I don't know if the lamp has internal charge electronics, I mostly recommend the use of a constant-voltage charger connected directly to the battery.
SLA's may not be charged with voltages over 14.2 volts! And for maintenace-charging not higher than 13.8 volts

You cannot charge SLA's with constant-current like Nicads: If the SLA is fully charged it allowes the voltage to rise. If it rises above about 14.4 volts the SLA forms gas inside, causing permanent capasity loss!

I kept SLA's in perfect condition for 7 years keeping them connected to a constant voltage charger at 13.6 volt/600milliamp.

Mostly it is sufficient to charge the battery every four weeks when not in use.

Ra.

...


How often should we charge the battery in this when it's not in use ???

How quickly does a batt. like this .... self-drain ???

thanks ...... TMG..

.

 

[DonX_Fi]

I've got My AI on Monday. What can I say:

It has not perfect beam, but who cares ! NOT ME !
HID Power

!
I'm also interested in carry case for this.

 

[jfong]

I've got My AI on Monday. What can I say:

It has not perfect beam, but who cares ! NOT ME !
HID Power

!
I'm also interested in carry case for this.

I use a Nike "Mini Duffel" (B4.2). Fits very well, and has a pocket to carry the charging cords. eBags carried it a few months ago, but it looks like they don't anymore. Another duffel bag from the local sporting goods store might be suitable, however.

 

[DonX_Fi]

This was taken about 15m distance.

 

[AmondoTech]

HI All,

We are planning to put together marketing material to promote AmondoTech HID illuminator. I need your help.

Please email [email protected] what you use the illuminator for or any special incident the illuminator has been tremendously helpful? Any comments and photos are appreciated!

Regards,
Wayne

 

[Chris_S]

My illuminator is DEAD! I worked fine when I got it. Now, it just flickers....

The battery check feature shows green still when I push it, but just flickers! When I plug in the charger, it does NOT indicate charging anymore!

WTF?!?

 

[gnubee]

My illuminator is DEAD! I worked fine when I got it. Now, it just flickers....

The battery check feature shows green still when I push it, but just flickers! When I plug in the charger, it does NOT indicate charging anymore!

WTF?!?

first thing to check is the battery. a voltmeter will tell you if it has charge.

if it is low, charge it directly with a car battery charger. then try the light.

if the battery is ok the next thing to check is the wiring connections inside the light.

if none of this helps someone here knows how to troubleshoot the ballast and bulb i am sure.

 

[shelly]

In your post #143 of 06/07, you said

On another note, just in case I did not mention this before, this order only has about 20 left. Wayne is not putting them on his web site yet because the second order will take some time to get here. The current order will stay $130 total cost (price + shipping). Of course us lucky CA residents pay sales tax too.

Due to increased shipping and related costs from Shanghai to Sunnyvale
then next order will have two different prices.
There will be an ongoing CPF special price of $135 total and the regular web site price of $145 total.
These prices are good for the continental US.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

I ordered the AI 1352 today for $129.05 + $6.95 s&h (and, lucky me, CA sales tax) for a total of $136 (not ounting tax).

Can I assume that this newer price reflects a light from the newer shipment with the revised charger?

Also, where can replacement batteries be found?

Thanks.

Shelly

 

[Archangel]

The charger is being revised?

 

[shelly]

The charger is being revised?

Here is the entire post #143 from mtbkndad, which is why I assumed there might be a revised charger. I'm not trying to start any false rumors.

Shelly

06-07-2006, 08:05 AM
mtbkndad
Flashaholic*

Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 942
Re: Amondotech Illuminator 35 Watt HID Searchlight
I have some answers for the different problems that some people have reported regarding the battery charging issues.

1. One person reported the light would not charge at all, ever, with multiple batteries. DEFECTIVE unit. I believe it was replaced.

2. Somebody reported that the light would not stop charging.
3. A few others reported that the light would sometimes stop charging and other times not stop charging until the plug was unplugged and put back into the socket.

The circuit is very simple and has a relay that cuts off electricity when the voltage gets to somewhere arountd 14.6 volts(I say somewhere around because 14.6 is the target but different lights may have slightly different cutoff say from 14.4 up to 14.8). The problem is that charger is a relatvely slow charger that only supplies a little over 15, I believe 15.5 under ideal conditions, volts. Now if the general electrical load of an area is high, the engineer said a circumstance where the charger is not supplying enough voltage to get the battery to 14.6 volts could happen until the load in the area decreases. The net effect would be a slower then normal charging cycle.
I am not an engineer and we were having a three person conversation through (like the party game telephone)
Wayne on two different lines relaying information so I may not get every detail right.
The engineer said the charger that was supplied with the lights will vary slightly in it's output if the current supplying it is subject to fluctuations.
It seems the current the charger supplies is close enough to the target cutoff of the relay to give the appearance that battery is not charging when, in effect it isn't

I know in my area all of the lights in my house get noticeably brighter after around 11:30 PM.

I pointed out that the Costco and Harbor Freight HID have had similar problems reported.
The issue seems to be that nothing is technically defective. Rather there seems to have been a slight design oversight with a charger that supplies voltage so close to the cutoff voltage of the relay even under ideal conditions.

The reason the plug can be unplugged and then replugged back in and have the light turn green is because the charging threshold for starting charging is around 12 volts( I forgot the exact amount). If the light is in a charging cycle and is over 12 volts but is not yet at 14.6 volts it will stay on till the target voltage is reached. If you unplug the chord and plug it back in it will not start charging again if it is over 12 volts, however it is more then likely not at full charge since the target shutoff voltage was never reached.

Wayne asked if a charger could be supplied with the next order that will supply more voltage to the circuit so the relay will always have a battery getting to it's target voltage. The engineer said that should not be a problem. Wayne asked for this to be tested to make sure one fix does not create other problems.


My personal long term solution will be one of the following

A. Keep the screws out of the tail cap, buy an external charger and several spare lead acid batteries since they are cheap, and use the setup like a crude cartridge battery system. (One light 3 batteries = 3 to 4 1/2 hours of run time)

B. Make some NiMH packs and charge them externally.

For the mean time I just charge them overnight since my one "occaional problem" prototype has always behaved when charging overnight.

On another note, just in case I did not mention this before, this order only has about 20 left. Wayne is not putting them on his web site yet because the second order will take some time to get here. The current order will stay $130 total cost (price + shipping). Of course us lucky CA residents pay sales tax too.

Due to increased shipping and related costs from Shanghai to Sunnyvale
then next order will have two different prices.
There will be an ongoing CPF special price of $135 total and the regular web site price of $145 total.
These prices are good for the continental US.

Take Care,
mtbkndad

 

[Chris_S]

It would be REALLY great if Amondotech would ANSWER MY EMAILS about my product that failed after less than a month (and basically no use).

Really disappointing to buy a product from someone recommended by CPF and get such bad support!

 

[Chris_S]

How the heck do I get the back cover off anyhow? I removed the two screws and turned counter clockwise, but it doesn't go very far, only about half way to the marks and it sticks...

Ideas?

 

[Archangel]

I don't think they check e-mail daily. If an option, calling would be a good idea.

 

[rdh226]

How the heck do I get the back cover off anyhow? I removed the two screws and turned counter clockwise, but it doesn't go very far, only about half way to the marks and it sticks...

Ideas?

Remove two screws, twist (1/8 to 1/4 turn), pull back, it should come straight off.

Be careful and don't let the battery fall out and drop on your toes! (With mine, the
battery is snug and has to be pulled out...)

-RDH