# Ken4 SuperLight beats McCulloch X990



## Mr Ted Bear (Sep 2, 2003)

We have presented beam pic comparisons of these lights before. First a SureFire M6/500 at 193 yards.







Only to be clobbered by the McCulloch X990







But now, the bar has been raised...Introducing the Ken4





24 volts, 250 watts, bulb rated at 9,000 lumens in a modified Vector Yellow Banana.


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## Rothrandir (Sep 2, 2003)

*Re: Its a bird... no its a plane.... ITS a Ken4 Super*

*<font color="red">holy god!</font>* (i actually screamed that out loud when i saw that beamshot! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif


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## Zeppert (Sep 2, 2003)

what the ...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif 

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif 

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif




/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif


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## LEDagent (Sep 3, 2003)

Great....i just peed myself...


Please, more details. My goodness....


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## McGizmo (Sep 3, 2003)

Jeff,

If you bring this Kenshiro wonder into the caves, we won't need our jackets; only sunglasses! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

- Don


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## Mr Ted Bear (Sep 3, 2003)

Hows this... at 390 yards


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## shiftd (Sep 3, 2003)

HOLY HECK /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif

dang, that thing is really a night-scorcher


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## Rothrandir (Sep 3, 2003)

fence... (inside joke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif)

that's freaking crazy! de-freaking-tails!


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## K-T (Sep 3, 2003)

Very crazy! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif 

Where could one find more information about that Ken4?


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## jdriller (Sep 3, 2003)

Who said you can turn the sun on at night? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif


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## rumar (Sep 3, 2003)

Wow, So how long do the batts hold out...


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## Kiessling (Sep 3, 2003)

more info please!
and some new underwear!
bernhard


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## McGizmo (Sep 3, 2003)

Jeff,

I assume that the 9000 lumens is out the fron end? If so, we have 9000/250 or 36 lumens/watt. On the HID's, we get say 2000 lumens from 35 watts? Is this a fair figure? So in this case we get 2000/35 or 57 lumens/watt. I assume there are inefficiencies not accounted for in the ballast. I would be curious to just what some realistic figures would be. It seems that the Ken4 is going to be the winner, hands down in lumens per $!!!! On the other hand, those willing to pay a premium for rugged duty and efficiencies may be better served with a HID. This assumes of course that folks can live with the limited luminous output from the HIDs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Can someone provide some number comparisons here? How is the bulb life and battery run time with the Ken4?

- Don


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## jtice (Sep 3, 2003)

OK, lets try this again, I was posting last night when my internet went offline. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

"Holly F**king Crap thats BRIGHT !!!" That was my exact words when I saw those pics. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif

PLEASE more details, its just not right to tease us this way. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif

24V bulb huh? I dont know a lot about HID systems yet. I take it you dont have to feed 24V to it, becuase of the ballast? What batts are running this thing? And what runtime are you getting?
Tell me i dont have to carry 2 12V car batts on my back to run this thing... cuz I WILL !!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif 

Hmmmm, actually, it is plugged into the car huh? It would pretty much have to be I guess. Still cooooool though.


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## Mr Ted Bear (Sep 4, 2003)

The batteries(21 of them)are the key ingredient to the Ken4 light. They are ultra high capacity NiMh, but differ from most as then can sustain a 12 amp load CA-CHING$$$. Also, the battery pack had to be specially constructed as the normal spot welds tabs melted (it's a prototype, remember ?) The problem with the special battery pack, is that it requires a very special charger and power supply CA-CHING $$$

The bulb is as stated before, 24 volt, 250 watts, and 9,000 lumens... Osram Projector Bulb but the bulb holder/socket and how it attaches to the Vector reflector is "different"

The run time is about 15 minutes.

Lastly, it's much lighter than it's former self (meaning, the battery pack weights less that the SLA that comes with the the Vector)

How much did it cost to make? alot...


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## iddibhai (Sep 4, 2003)

i wonder when one of you nutter will get a hold of the IMAX lamps and mod it.


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## Kenshiro (Sep 4, 2003)

Don,
The 9000 lumen is not the output. It's the bulb spec.
So, accounting for various losses you get from a flashlight, the output lumens is probably about 6000 or so.

The original design was using a 10000 lumen bulb, but because I was driving it with 21 batteries(instead of 20, which would have been the "correct" voltage), it kept blowing up the bulb.
Let me be a bit more specific.
When I turned on the light straight off the charger, then the 10000 lumen bulb would blow, because of the higher voltage. If I waited until that "initial voltage" settled down, it would be OK. But the 9000 lumen bulb was rugged enough to handle even the initial voltage straight off the charger.
The specs for the bulb are:
1) 24V, 10000 lumens, 50 hour life
2) 24V, 9000 lumens, 300 hour life

So, as you can see the 9000 lumen bulb is the more "heavy duty" one.

IMPORTANT:
The Ken 4 was not meant to be a "useful" light.
It's more of a insane exercise into seeing just how much photon power I could squeeze into a truly portable body. For those of you who have seen the banana vector, you know how small that unit is(relatively speaking), when compared to other "spotlights". It has a 4" reflector, and the body itself is only about 8" long.
For this reason, I nicknamed the light "mental ward". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Therefore, the run time is very short. If I made the light much bigger maybe with a seperate battery pack, then you could get a long time time if you wanted.

Theoretical run time is about 17.5 mins, but realistically somewhere between 10 ~ 15 mins.
But then again, most spotlights only give you a 20 min run time anyway.

Of course you could put any 24V bi-pin bulb into the light and it would work. For instance, you can use a 100W, 24V bulb, which is "only" 2900 lumen spec, and you would get about 45 ~ 50 min run time.

The truly versatile performer is the Ken 2.
The Ken 2 is on par with other HIDs such as the McCulloch.
Mr. Ted Bear, please post the Ken 2 pictures as well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Both the Ken 2 and Ken 4 are NOT HIDs. They still use "old" halogen technology. But they are the "best" of the halogens available.


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## LEDagent (Sep 4, 2003)

Ken! My goodness...

I remember when the Ken 2 was still a new mystery in the subject of spotlights. Now there is a Ken 4 you've been working on! Absolutely amazing work. You've totally upgraded this light to it's max!

I'm just wondering....You're using a spotlight that is using only a 4" reflector. Judging by the pictures Mr. Ted Bear put up, the Ken 4 is obviously brighter, but does not have the same beam angle as the X990. If you were to use a spotlight using the more common 6" reflector, would you have a tighter beam, or an out of focus spot? 

I remember we had a discussion a while back about modifying spotlights. I wanted to make my own. You told me the hardest part in modifying or creating a spotlight is choosing the right reflector and then positioning it correctly to get a decent spot. 

What are your thoughts on the bigger spotlight reflectors? I have an LSI 1 million candlepower spotlight that i'd be willing to let you experiment with, but would expect returned. It is currently my emergency trunk light, but i find that the Tigerlight makes a better portable emergency light.


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## Kenshiro (Sep 4, 2003)

LEDagent,

How've you been?

The reason why I chose that particular body/reflector is because it was the smallest body/reflector with the requirements that I needed.
Namely, a glass lens & aluminum reflector.

Anyway, after I made the Ken 2, I liked the body so much that I tried to see if I could fit a 21 NiMH cells into it.
Well, it turns out it worked. Although I had to "carve out" a lot on the inside. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I tried several different reflectors, and of many variables, three really dictate the performance.
1) Shape
2) Size
3) Reflectivity

Reflectivity is not really an option, but rather, you must stick with what you get(you can't get the same reflector with several different reflectivities).

But you can get different size and shapes.

To answer your question, yes, a bigger reflector will PROBABLY give you a tighter beam. So long as the shape of the two reflectors are the same.

Again, the Ken 4 is simply an exercise into seeing if I could make something that bright but still be quite small.

Maybe I'll try something larger next time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## iddibhai (Sep 4, 2003)

curious, are the capsules you are using just plain ol' halogen or HIR?


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## BlindedByTheLite (Sep 9, 2003)

poor nocturnal animals.. they wont know what to do!


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## V8TOYTRUCK (Sep 11, 2003)

So this is the Ken4! Was this the same flashlight you had sitting in your minivan Jeff? I thought I heard you say it was an incandescant bulb. 

But, I was amazed by the huge beam of light coming out of that thing. If I remember correctly blew everything away that night. Brute Old Skool power !


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## hula (Sep 14, 2003)

Could we possibly see some pics of the actual unit itself and the batteries it's hooked up to? I've drawn up a light similar to this and incorporated active cooling. I'm talking to someone about the machining soon. 
This light sounds surprisingly like a bike light I referred to some time back see this comical article http://teamsheep.nu/research.html?page=10
Ok they get a little confused regarding linking their batteries in series and believing they also achieve a higher capacity as a result but if they really (no pics?) made their light I'd imagine it'd be pretty damn bright.
Hope something of this nature becomes commercially available - proves there's life left in the old incandescent dog yet.

Hula.


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## Kenshiro (Sep 17, 2003)

hula,

The light you described is quite different from the Ken 4.
Remember, just because you have the same wattage, it doesn't mean you get the same lumens.
The Ken 4 is also very small(relatively).

Please read Quickbeam's excellent review of the original banana vector(which is the same light I used for the modification) here.
http://flashlightreviews2.home.att.net/reviews/vector_spotlight.htm

Remember, I modified a banana vector, but it looks the same from the outside.


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## FalconFX (Oct 1, 2003)

Nice! Very nice! Look at the spill light on the ground. I actually like that as much as I do the spot at the end...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif


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## PeterW (Oct 1, 2003)

OK, others have avoided the direct question....

what would one of these things cost????

PEter

PS Watch out Cones, this thing looks like it'll give your super light a run for its money!!


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## Jerimoth (Oct 24, 2003)

What is the Ken4? Is it related to KenRAD? Please let the unitiated know, and where one can purchase one.


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## LukeK (Oct 24, 2003)

Jerimoth -- the Ken4 is an HID modification to a 1mcp Vector Banana Spotlight. You can buy the original spotlight in stores but the modification was done personally by Kenshiro for fun. I imagine if you wanted to pay him enough money he would do it for you, but he did mention that this mod cost WAY too much.


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## LEDagent (Oct 25, 2003)

The Ken4 isn't an HID modded Vector Spotlight. The Ken4 uses a Vector Banana Spotlight body, but the bulb is still an incandescent but it and the battery system has been upgraded.

The bulb (as stated in the first post) is a 12Volt 240watt bulb. The battery is a custom built NiMH battery pack that'll last only a few minutes...maybe 20 minutes or so.

Cost?...expensive...so i've heard.

I think Kenshiro said that the Ken4 was just an experiment to see if that much power can exist in a package that small. It doesn't sound like something like this will be mass produced because of the work involved.


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## LukeK (Oct 28, 2003)

[ QUOTE ]
*LEDagent said:*
The Ken4 isn't an HID modded Vector Spotlight. The Ken4 uses a Vector Banana Spotlight body, but the bulb is still an incandescent... 

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah yes -- so it is. My mistake. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## Psychomodo (Apr 10, 2004)

I am in the market for a "Ken4" but have virtually no technical knowledge. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Would anyone be willing to make one for me? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif


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## NikolaTesla (Apr 10, 2004)

Darn! It only took 250 watts of Incandescent light to dust a 35 watt self contained practical HID. BOY am I NOT impressed. Sure I could stuff a 1000 watt par bulb or ACL into some rediculous critter too.................????

NikolaTesla /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Is it powered by nuclear 123's with infinate kilojoules of energy? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif


An Arc lamp is the Spark that takes away the Dark--HID Forever! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif
Recent additions to My Lights: *** http://www.tjtech.org/gallery/NikolaTesla/Dscn3236


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## cheesehead (Apr 12, 2004)

Yes, but it WAS dusted and the KEN4 was self-contained. A 35 watt HID can be found in any auto HID and is, er, well, a 35 watt practical HID, yippee.

cheese


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## Ginseng (Apr 12, 2004)

Tes,

You miss the point. Ken built a mod using one of the smallest handheld spotlight bodies available. He stuffed 250W of power into that package for the ultimate sleeper. It's not meant to be all that practical, but then neither is the Aurora. He was the first, and so far the only one to apply that much power in such a compact body.
One might argue that 35W HID systems are so common and easy to adapt as to be quite dull mods. Seriously, why do something dozens of other people have done?

Wilkey


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## udaman (Apr 12, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*Ginseng said:*
Tes,

You miss the point. Ken built a mod using one of the smallest handheld spotlight bodies available. He stuffed 250W of power into that package for the ultimate sleeper. It's not meant to be all that practical, but then neither is the Aurora. He was the first, and so far the only one to apply that much power in such a compact body.
One might argue that 35W HID systems are so common and easy to adapt as to be quite dull mods. Seriously, why do something dozens of other people have done?

Wilkey 

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree completely with Ginseng...except Sway's 50w HID boosted beam sure looks purdy at a hundred yards or so!

Now if cost were absolutely of no consideration at all to Kenshiro(as in Maxabeam/Megaray territory), it might have been possible to cram in a pared down ballast for a Osram 200w HMI. The 200w SE HMI capsule at $200, would be the least expensive part, industrial strength Arri 200w ballasts cost $1,500(time to search e-Bay for used 200w film/video HMI ballasts), and you'd need a Li-Poly or Li-Phosphate battery to conserve weight/space. Still, the 200w HMI is more efficient(Whopping 16,000 lumens!) than the 175w Xenon short arc tube in the Megaray, with an arc gap of comparably short mm's, the medium arc 35w auto HID's are 4mm; Xenon 'short arc' tubes are all over 4mm when you get into wattages over 250. Anyone willing to fund Kenshiro's next megalight project? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif 

Of course it would also be nice to have a portable 200w HMI that focuses from flood to narrow spot, so you can keep up with the search lights they use on the police helicopters.

Cpt. Kirk: "Scotty, we need more power!"

Scotty: "Captain, I'm giving her about as much as she can take, if I push her any harder she may blow"

Cpt. Kirk: "Do it Scotty"


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## Sway (Apr 13, 2004)

udaman

I would really like to discuss HMI especially this lamp Osram HMI may be we could take it to this thread started by Wilkey /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. With enought of us working together we sholuld be able to come up with the parts to build one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif 

Later
Sway


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## Nitro (Apr 13, 2004)

Sway, you can count me in.


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