ZizzyDizzyMC
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2016
- Messages
- 2
It's been a long while since I've posted on candlepower forums. This is the original thread for anyone interested in catching up: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?415589-35W-HID-Long-Throw-Is-it-possible
I've just recently got the correct materials together to finally build my custom flashlight, and I've got to say: MAN IS IT BRIGHT.
I've cut down the plastic reflector in an old Ever Ready 6V lantern-battery powered flashlight to a point where I could safely insert an HID bulb with enough clearance as to not melt the plastic. The reflector was designed for a very short distance of bulb insertion so I had to use a piece of plastic to space the bulb deeper into the housing. Inside I cut apart the wires going to the bulb and battery from the switch built into the light. The switch was surprisingly beefy for what it is in. After some testing to make sure the switch was up to the current (20m bulb run test) I soldered the switch in-line to the HID ballast. The wires of the ballast run out the back of the light and will be soldered into an EC5 connector for direct-connecting to a portable lithium-ion jumpstarter unit. (Conveniently rechargeable by USB!) Still some plans left for this and would love some input!
Pics of the unit:
It's not the greatest, but it works!
Beam and light-up shots.
It has a short range beam of death for any and all things that fly too close:
I was thinking about putting a plastic cover over it about an inch away from the bulb and running a clear plastic hose into and out of it on the bottom. Going to a fan that would be side mounted to blow into the light. The fan's intake would be ducted down below the unit into a flat base with holes to minimize any dirt / dust / bugs / moisture.
Any ideas or suggestions for improvement? The bulb I used in this build is one of 4 I bought at a yard sale for $5, unrelated to the OSRAM bulbs I had in the previous post. These bulbs appear to be semi-rejects, not as bright as the OSRAMS and slow to start. Perhaps they are not actually 35W HIDs but instead are just labeled that way.
I've just recently got the correct materials together to finally build my custom flashlight, and I've got to say: MAN IS IT BRIGHT.
I've cut down the plastic reflector in an old Ever Ready 6V lantern-battery powered flashlight to a point where I could safely insert an HID bulb with enough clearance as to not melt the plastic. The reflector was designed for a very short distance of bulb insertion so I had to use a piece of plastic to space the bulb deeper into the housing. Inside I cut apart the wires going to the bulb and battery from the switch built into the light. The switch was surprisingly beefy for what it is in. After some testing to make sure the switch was up to the current (20m bulb run test) I soldered the switch in-line to the HID ballast. The wires of the ballast run out the back of the light and will be soldered into an EC5 connector for direct-connecting to a portable lithium-ion jumpstarter unit. (Conveniently rechargeable by USB!) Still some plans left for this and would love some input!
Pics of the unit:
It's not the greatest, but it works!
Beam and light-up shots.
It has a short range beam of death for any and all things that fly too close:
I was thinking about putting a plastic cover over it about an inch away from the bulb and running a clear plastic hose into and out of it on the bottom. Going to a fan that would be side mounted to blow into the light. The fan's intake would be ducted down below the unit into a flat base with holes to minimize any dirt / dust / bugs / moisture.
Any ideas or suggestions for improvement? The bulb I used in this build is one of 4 I bought at a yard sale for $5, unrelated to the OSRAM bulbs I had in the previous post. These bulbs appear to be semi-rejects, not as bright as the OSRAMS and slow to start. Perhaps they are not actually 35W HIDs but instead are just labeled that way.
