# Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights (Part 2)



## Mr Ted Bear

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

Continued from Part 1

Intro and Overview

So based on the reports from cpf member rala, I decided to make a trip to Walmart after dropping off my kids at school (about 815am) I made my way to the automotive department, and started looking for the Stanley HID light, but only could find the Stanley1365 Halogen. There was a price tag on the shelf, but no light. Actually, the light was there, I just didn’t see it because it was behind the Halogens.






Being Friday, I had to head to the office to prepare payroll, so I did not have much time. I cut open the blister pack, squeezed the trigger, and the light flashed on for about 15 seconds and died , pretty much what I expected; batteries needed to be charged. Off to work I went. returned home just after 12 noon, and the charging indicator was green (maybe 3 ½ hours had passed). Time to PLAY !!! But before I continue, let’s look at some pics.


Here’s what the package looks like





Inside the package, this is what you get, AC Charger, DC PowerCord, and wrist strap. Oh, there’s an instructions sheet.






Size comparison






The top has 3 leds (gee, where have we seen this feature before?)






The reflector on the Stanley is 3 ¾ inches, ¼ larger than the N30/L35






The back has an AC charging connector, charge indicator and Hi/Low switch (italics) (much more on this feature too follow)





*Inside the package, this is what you get*. I couldn’t help myself. I felt compelled to void the warranty. Seems I have this responsibility, obligation….. Anyways, it has a 12 volt /3amp sealed lead battery. Take a close look, an 8,000k bulb, and note that the ballast has 10 wires (much more on this feature too follow). The construction is similar to cordless power tool, nicely done, IMHO.




To be contunued


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## Mr Ted Bear

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*



Illum said:


> two stage ballast?
> :thinking:
> 
> Whats the TO-220 doing there behind the trigger? and whats under the handle? an accessory plug?
> the SLA room looks big enough to stuff some IMR cells in


 
I called the deisgner/importer of the Stanley HID in Deerfield Beach, Florida 2 times on Friday. It's more like a 3 stage ballast (expalnation in part 2). At the base of the pistol grip is a "12volt DC charging port" per instruction book. The instruction book clearly states that the included DC power cord may be used to "operate the unit"... the instruction book has a section about recharging the light using the 12 volt charger, and in parenthesis (optional accessory). The second sentence of this section reads "plug the double tip of the supplied 12 volt charger".... Bottom line, the DC cord can operate, and/or recharge the battery.





With regards to the TO-220 (Semiconductor Controlled Rectifier) in the base of the handle, it's wired in series with the DC charging port, the third leg leading to the pc board in the end-cap of the unit. My guess is that the TO-220 is being used to regulate current? Sorry, graduted in Physics, not electircal engineering


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## Mr Ted Bear

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

The hii/low switch does do some thing... read part 2

Part 2 - How It Works & Thinking Outside the Box

Quoting myself, “this light ROCKS.”, “…It's more like a 3 stage ballast”, and “This light, with it's pistol trigger, is very unique.” , it is now time to offer an explanation for these comments .In post #24, I stated that the light “flashed on” the very first time I squeezed the trigger. I chose my words carefully when I made that statement. Un-like any other HID, when you squeeze the trigger, the light is “ON”; there is not the 1-2 second delay to ramp up to “useable light levels”. The lumens are there, instantly. As I cycled the light, I noticed, the light would come on instantly, and then throttle back after a couple seconds. So, for what ever reason, I associated these two distinct levels as the “high/low” , but the problem was, I had not touched the switch. Time to call the factory !

This is what the factory had to say. It was by design that the light starts up as fast as it does. The immediate start up is accomplished by overdriving the bulb by “30 or so” watts. A slow start-up was one of the stigma’s they wanted to do away with when they designed this light. (this “boost” is number two of three light levels/stages for the ballast)

Please view these two you tube videos taken in slow motion, The clips are 12 seconds long, but in real time, they are 3 seconds. The first clip is of a Polarion X1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhjCknVG5tQ. The second clip is that of the Stanley HID. What appears to be a slight drop after the initial burst is sensor lag in my video camera. Towards the end of the clip, you can see the distinct drop in output http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB0ZN5AVqao

In my discussion with the factory, we talked about the high/low switch, I noted that when _I _operated the switch, I could not see a difference in light levels. And the explanation… when switching from high to low, there is so much energy stored in the ballast, that it can take up to two minutes to dissipate so there wont be any noticeable drop. Time for more time lapse photography. .. Forget the camera, easier to breakout the light meter

I set the Stanley up at one end of the hallway, light meter 25-30 feet away. I waited 5 minutes for the Stanley to stabilize, and took the first measurement. Damn, something wrong with my light meter…. I could see the numbers dropping 7.05, 7.03, 7.00, 6.99 …. 6.3 BOING 7.05 7.03 7.00 ….6.3 repeat repeat repeat EACH CYCLE ABOUT 40-45 SECONDS. There is no way for the human eye to realize this drop Could it be that is some kind of pulse modulation to save energy?

Finally after two minutes, did the light dissipate the extra energy in the ballast. Down to 3.86…3.55, nearly the same percentage change as in high mode ., same slow modulation. High /Low would be the third stage/level for the ballast, but this slow modulation make it a multilevel balast

Now you know why this light ROCKS, is unique, has outside of the box thinking in it's design, and is not like any other HID that I have ever seen.
 
Part 3 - Exttra Credit (Stanley with a 4300k bulb) back in an hour


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## Mr Ted Bear

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

Part 3 Extra Credit - Stanley with 4,300K Bulb Photos courtesy BVH




BVH said:


> Picked up their only two. Tools out and ready to go to work.





Lips said:


> 4300k bulb, hmm sounding better and better Should be more lumens going out the front than the 8000K for sure... Crush that return wire cover !!!
> Waiting for the sun to go down





Richie086 said:


> I can't tell what type of bulb it has from the photo, but I totally agree the bulb is easily replaceable and should be upgraded to a warmer color temp....


 
*MAKE IT SO !*

But first a quck review...
Wide angle L35 and STANLEY Lots and lots of upfront spill





and another, this time N30 and STANLEY (photo's from BVH)





Nice pics bvh... show us more Here is the N30 solo





STANLEY 8,000k 





and now the STANLEY with 4300K bulb





Stanley 4,300K and Stanley 8,000k





and in gif Stanley 4,300 and Stanley 8,000





Wow, that 4300K bulb makes a big difference. Still not convinced ?
Here's the N30 and Stanley 8,000 in gif


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## JetskiMark

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

Mr Ted Bear, excellent work as always.

I made an animated gif from your first two shots comparing the L35 to the stock Stanley with the 8000K bulb.

I really don't need any more lights, (major understatement) yet I feel compelled to check my local Walmart for the Stanley.

If the flashaholics don't snap them all up, they might be marked down after sitting in the store for a few months.

I wonder if I could shoehorn in my 100W ballast and some LiPos?


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## DM51

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

This is continued from Part 1, which had reached >400 posts. 

I have copied across Mr Ted Bear's posts and the gif rotating image from JetskiMark, as these give a useful intro to the light, but obviously there is a good deal of discussion and other useful detail remaining in Part 1.


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## Mjolnir

I just fired up my Stanley HID today, and could illuminate the bottom of the clouds with it. The cloud height was apparently about 1,000 feet, which seems well within the range of this light.


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## richardcpf

can't wait to get mine....


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## Mach1

I'm interested to know why people on this forum are concerned with color rendition and swap 8,000K bulbs for 4,300K.

How many of you use HID spotlights for photography? I see no need to swap out the 8,000K bulb in my Stanley. In fact, I find the 8,000K more useful for actually locating things in the dark.


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## Mjolnir

I tried to take some beamshots tonight, but there was an incredible amount of moisture in the air (basically fog), which made it a little difficult. I also have no idea what settings to use to photograph an HID at night. I tried different F-stops as well as different shutter speeds, but I kept either getting some loss of color, or an overexposed beamshot (it looked brighter than in real life). 
I have a Nikon D90, so I should be able to adjust it enough to take some adequate beamshots, once I figure out the settings. 

So I can have a starting point, what settings did you guys use to take your beamshots?


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## StarHalo

Mjolnir said:


> I tried to take some beamshots tonight, but there was an incredible amount of moisture in the air (basically fog), which made it a little difficult.



Fog will completely screw up your beamshots (unless you just want really well-defined pictures of a beam itself), the ideal beamshot conditions are with dead calm and bone dry air.

Settings will vary from different cameras and conditions; the best way to resolve it is to experiment until you find the setting that, according to the display/viewfinder, produces the image that's closest to what you're seeing, then take several more shots with settings that are near that. So for example, I get a shot that looks about right with a 10 second shutter speed. I'll then also take a couple that are one and two steps higher, then a couple more at one and two steps lower. That way when I review the images on an actual computer monitor, I have a range to choose from that look closest to what I saw. Just be sure that all the pictures you finally post have the same shutter speed, for proper comparison.


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## Jarski

And try to use as low ISO as possible, because with long exposure times the noise is more noticeable than lower exposure times. ISO 100 or 200 should do it.


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## Benson

Mach1 said:


> I'm interested to know why people on this forum are concerned with color rendition and swap 8,000K bulbs for 4,300K.


I don't think most of us are concerned about color rendition -- the 4300K is brighter, which is the only reason I changed.


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## BVH

IIRC, my best settings were around 5 to 6 seconds at f3.5 to 3.2. Yep, more lumens is the reason for the 4300K swap. I actually like 5000K for color.


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## dwminer

Yesterday there were 4 of the Stanley H.I.D. lights at the Federal Way WalMart in WA. For $69 I couldn’t past on one. No disappointment here. 
Dave


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## redsticx7

you guys are killing me.. read this thread and have the light in my hands an hour later... going outside to light up the nightlife!


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## Mach1

Benson said:


> I don't think most of us are concerned about color rendition -- the 4300K is brighter, which is the only reason I changed.



I wonder why the pictures in this thread do not indicate a higher brightness with the 4300K bulb? In allthe photos, 8000K looks brighter


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## Benson

Mach1 said:


> I wonder why the pictures in this thread do not indicate a higher brightness with the 4300K bulb? In allthe photos, 8000K looks brighter


Essentially, because cameras aren't eyeballs. I can assure you that in real life, the 4300K _are_ brighter, as the numbers indicate.

For me, at least, this _did_ come at a cost in warm-up time, and the beam looks weirder (more color shifts and jumps) as it warms up. (Others have reported no warm-up increase, so this is probably just the particular variety of cheap bulbs I bought.) In my second HID (a POB), although I've got a second 4300K, I haven't changed it in yet for that reason. I'm thinking of a 5 or 6 kK replacement now.


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## richardcpf

MINE JUST ARRIVED!!! ​ 
*All I can say is wow.*

Here are some bad and quick shots so you can get the idea. *Will post more night shots and size comparison when I get back from work.*

*Size comparison. *






Reflector has a adequate size.







*LEFT:* MY BRIGHTEST FLASHLIGHT, WF-1000L P7. *RIGHT*: STANLEY HID SPOTLIGHT RIGHT OUT THE PACKAGE, NOT EVEN FULLY CHARGED.






It came partially charged, but still able to put out amazing output. Just FYI, the WF-1000lP7 is about twice as bright as my TK11R2. I guess 600lumens. The stanley hid is about 4x that. You can see the spot at 30yards away in plain daylight. And that wasnt fully charged yet (I hope it can will get even brighter when charged). So you get the idea...


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## Mjolnir

I was under the impression that the stanley HID didn't dim because of a voltage drop. Since the light needs thousands of volts to run, then the ballast will have to raise the voltage several orders of magnitude either way. I don't think that a slight voltage drop from a partially charged battery makes a difference. Was I wrong?
I have not noticed any dimming as the battery gets low, but this light is so bright that I probably wouldn't notice it anyway.


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## Mach1

Benson said:


> Essentially, because cameras aren't eyeballs. I can assure you that in real life, the 4300K _are_ brighter, as the numbers indicate.
> 
> For me, at least, this _did_ come at a cost in warm-up time, and the beam looks weirder (more color shifts and jumps) as it warms up. (Others have reported no warm-up increase, so this is probably just the particular variety of cheap bulbs I bought.) In my second HID (a POB), although I've got a second 4300K, I haven't changed it in yet for that reason. I'm thinking of a 5 or 6 kK replacement now.



I hate to ask the obvious, but if pictures do not represent the brightness of the bulb, what's the point of all these comparative beam shots?


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## richardcpf

Mjolnir said:


> I was under the impression that the stanley HID didn't dim because of a voltage drop. Since the light needs thousands of volts to run, then the ballast will have to raise the voltage several orders of magnitude either way. I don't think that a slight voltage drop from a partially charged battery makes a difference. Was I wrong?
> I have not noticed any dimming as the battery gets low, but this light is so bright that I probably wouldn't notice it anyway.


 
The battery was almost dead when I took it out of the clamshell, so it dimmed after few minutes of use and gave me the impression that it increased the brightness when connecting it to the car.

Now that it is half charged, the brightness difference is barely noticeable (maybe just a flicker) but with it connected to the car socket it would ramp up faster. It will provide instant lumens and ramp up for 4 seconds, after few more seconds it will switch to a lower mode.

I will center the hid bulb and take a new beamshot once it is fully charged.


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## Mjolnir

I tried to center my bulb as well, but there really isn't any way to angle the bulb differently, because of how it fits into the reflector. The best I could do was rotate it so the return wire shadow was facing up, which soothes my obsessive compulsivenessivity. The reflector isn't really perfect, and it has a few little dimpled areas on it (does anyone else have these?), so it won't look perfect either way.

The light definitely ramps up faster if it has already been on, so that might have had something to do with it. I also noticed that the light sort of "rotates" its brightness while it is turned on. It dims very slightly, then goes back to full brightness, then dims again. It is barely even noticeable, especially outside.

Mach1, beamshots can show relative brightness, but only if they are taken with identical camera settings. I would think that it would be better to take 2 separate beamshots with the same settings instead of only one to reduce any "interference" from either light. Different aperature, ISO, and shutter settings can also sometimes affect the color, which may make it appear different. Keep in mind that the two bulbs have peaks in different wavelength ranges, so it will be more difficult to tell conclusively which is brighter. Also, these lights are so bright either way that a difference in brightness could be somewhat difficult to notice.


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## richardcpf

Mjolnir said:


> I also noticed that the light sort of "rotates" its brightness while it is turned on.


 
Yeah that is one cool effect. Looks like the spot is "filling up".

By the way do you feel the 3 leds very dim? My guess is about 25 lumens. I'm going to replace the center led with a P4 at about 1 watt, and the other two as beacon or standby leds if possible.


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## StarHalo

richardcpf said:


> By the way do you feel the 3 leds very dim?



They're "about right" when walking down an unlit street at night, though they do definitely get much dimmer as the battery drains. Near the end of the usable battery life, they don't come on at all.

I carry my EDC with me (as always) in the event that I've run the battery down too far.


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## Mjolnir

richardcpf said:


> Yeah that is one cool effect. Looks like the spot is "filling up".
> 
> By the way do you feel the 3 leds very dim? My guess is about 25 lumens. I'm going to replace the center led with a P4 at about 1 watt, and the other two as beacon or standby leds if possible.



Actually, I was trying to describe the slight fluctuations of the brightness of the light while on, not the startup. Perhaps "rotate" wasn't the right word. 

Now that you mention it though, the "filling in " of the hotspot on startup is pretty neat. Do all HIDs do this? Is it caused by the salts or something?
Also, sometimes a section of the hotspot has a reddish tint, which I assume is from the salts as well.

I sort of like how the LEDs dim, which functions as a sort of secondary battery indicator (but it gives you a better idea of how much battery is left than the normal indicator does). The LEDs are not all that useful for illumination IMO, at least not compared to any decent LED light.


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## crisg

hi everybody, sorry for my intervention here,in this topic but I don't know where to post regarding this !
I would like to buy this light,it would be a great help for me,boating,fishing and all this kind of "boaring" stuff and no chance to get this ,only from amazon and they don't ship overseas...
Is anybody available and kind to buy this beauty for me and to ship it to an us adress that I will provide?
From walmart,amazon,doesn't matter...(10bucks,2xre...)!
I can pay via ppal cc!
If there's a man who want to help an addicted fisherman,please pm !
I learned a lot from this forum, 2 years of almost everyday reading.....and I really want to have one!
kudos everybody who gives world more lumens!!!


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## richardcpf

Stanley HID vs Eagletac M2XC4 Cool Turbo.

My stanley came with an UGLY turquoise tint which makes people skin look like dead when shinning on them. Already ordered a 4300K bulb to replace it.


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## erlon

Please, Someone knows any place that sells this Spotlight and ships to other countries ?


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## Mjolnir

The stanley definitely has a strange tint, but I don't really find it worth it to replace it. It is insanely bright, and I don't really care about the color temperature. 
My car has 4300K HID headlights (which I just discovered the other day), which definitely seem warmer than the stanley. However, I really think that it is fine as is. 
Mostly, I am too lazy to open up the light and figure out how to replace the bulb.


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## MasterBlaster

I have been looking for a HID, and following these forums. I like the features and bang for buck of the Stanley. All the Walmart's in my area were out, so I waited. Finally, Amazon got them back in stock, and I just received mine today.

Initial impressions. Slightly heavier than I expected. Partially charged when I got it, but I drained it and then fully charged it. I am glad the fast start is variable, depending upon how long it has been since you last pressed trigger. I like the trigger lock, works for locking off or on. The LEDs will not work when HID is on, but you can leave them on, and then a quick trigger press will switch from LED to HID. My unit buzzes a loud high pitch when in fast start, but not afterwards. In general, I am happy, but I wish the reflector had some orange peel and the the beam had a bit less throw.

Anyone know where I can get different reflectors or diffusers?

The low and high power switch is pretty much useless, so I will probably hotwire it to always be on high, and I may use the switch to force it to always be in fast start mode, though I realize this mode could only be maintained for seconds, not minutes.


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## BVH

The hi-low switch is very useful for getting an additional 5-7 minutes of runtime with no perceptible decrease in light (to the human eye, anyway). Percentage-wise, that is very significant. I agree, it's useless for varing light output.


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## ninjaboigt

Really really really really stupid question...Surefire claims their HIDs are " never to be replaced or have any filaments to break or burn out"

Is this true for all hids? specificly the stanley one? im very very intrested in the stanley hid, but i want to know if i will ever have to replace the bulb.

and with the batt pack, how many recharges can we get off of it? till i need to get a new one?


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## Mjolnir

Obviously surefire isn't correct, since everything will need to be replaced eventually, even LEDs. HIDs will last way longer than incandescent bulbs will. I believe that their lifespans are on the order of a few thousand hours, but I don't know the exact numbers. I doubt you will have to replace the bulb in the near future, and it shouldn't be too hard to do. 
I'm not sure how long the battery will last, but I'm sure there are replacement batteries that can be bought. By the time the battery does die, there will probably be better chemistries that you could retrofit it with for way more runtime.


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## Patriot

ninjaboigt said:


> Really really really really stupid question...Surefire claims their HIDs are " never to be replaced or have any filaments to break or burn out"
> 
> Is this true for all hids? specificly the stanley one? im very very intrested in the stanley hid, but i want to know if i will ever have to replace the bulb.
> 
> and with the batt pack, how many recharges can we get off of it? till i need to get a new one?







The literature states,* "And because HIDs have no filament to burn out or break, they can endure the vibration, shock and recoil found in combat conditions and typically never need replacing"*



It's true there is no filament to burn out or break. I underlined "typically" because it is a conditional statement. Most people will never have to replace a HID bulb when used in a spot light or other hand held type of portable HID lighting. They are exceptions but we're talking about averages here and I think Surefire was doing the same.


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## ninjaboigt

Thanks alot Mjolnir and Patriot! 

Just when i thought i dont need any more flashlight, Stanley comes out with this cheap HID! 

=D this will be my first HID i purchase..thanks for the information again!


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## Patriot

You're welcome....and regarding the battery life span, SLA's are typically good for 3-5 years in my own experience.


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## ninjaboigt

Whoa thats crazy, Are they good under extreme temps? the way lithium or NiMH are?


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## nhoj_yelbom

picked one up today before finding this thread, nice light. i have a diy hid spotlight ive had for over a year and this one has a better beam and onboard power! two walmarts in pensacola are loaded with these


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## Tanker

Picked up one of these a few weeks ago and I'm already having a couple of problems. First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly. Second, it now flashes slightly and then the red light comes on (it was fully charged), if you try to charge it goes right to green but still only gives you a short flash when the trigger is pulled. Anybody else having problems? Just an FYI, the company that Stanley licences their name to "make" these is Baccus Global in Florida.


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## dwminer

Tanker said:


> Picked up one of these a few weeks ago and I'm already having a couple of problems. First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly.


 
Normal


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## Tanker

So normal that I had to return it and get another one that worked...............


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## rala

Tanker said:


> First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly.


 
Thats normal. It quickly ramps up (60 watts), then drops back down to it's regular operating state (35 watts) to rid itself of the typical slow start up time that's characteristic of HIDs.



Tanker said:


> Second, it now flashes slightly and then the red light comes on (it was fully charged), if you try to charge it goes right to green but still only gives you a short flash when the trigger is pulled..


 
This I dont think is normal.


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## Tanker

rala said:


> Thats normal. It quickly ramps up (60 watts), then drops back down to it's regular operating state (35 watts) to rid itself of the typical slow start up time that's characteristic of HIDs.


 
Thanks I didn't know that and the new one does the same, the first time it was used it dimmed twice. So can you put a better bulb in these?


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## rala

Some members have changed their bulbs out for a 4300k with good results. Check Part 1 as it has lots of good info.


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## Beamhead

I just scored one of these for $29.88.:naughty:


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## ninjaboigt

howwwwwwwwwwwwww


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## Beamhead

Grand opening of a SuperWallyWorld and they had them mis marked. I told them and one of the brass in suits said thanks and told the sales associate to give me one at the mis marked price.


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## Patriot

That was very nice of you to inform them of the mistake and it still paid off for you unexpectedly. Very cool!


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## Beamhead

OK I can't see a difference between high and low, maybe I need to get out in the middle of absolute nowhere with zero light pollution and objects greater than 800 feet away? :tinfoil:


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## StarHalo

Beamhead said:


> OK I can't see a difference between high and low, maybe I need to get out in the middle of absolute nowhere with zero light pollution and objects greater than 800 feet away? :tinfoil:



Nope, you'll have to set it to low, then leave the light running for a few minutes, then maybe you'll notice the small difference.

It takes a while for the light to "cool down" to the lower output level, which is not that much lower than high. But there is some runtime gain, if you need it.


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## BVH

You'll be very hard pressed to ever see a difference with your eyes. The camera might. The best use for "low" is to give you more run time - about 5-7 minutes IIRC with no visible difference in output.


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## MikeF

They had 5 HID 3000 at the Walmart in Englewood Colorado yesterday.


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## ninjaboigt

lol thats pretty cool! lol


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## BlueBeam22

Beamhead congratulations on getting your Stanley HID! I think you will really enjoy this light.


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## HamboneOR

You guys are troublemakers. Forced me into Walmart to buy one of these. It's charging as I type!:twothumbs


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## BVH

We pride ourselves on being "troublemakers"!


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## m1ruf

hi,

I have a top notch ROP (2x aw c-cells, all the resistance mods done, contacts progolded etc. MOP reflector).

Is the Stanley HID much brigther than a ROP and does it throw farther?

If anyone could post distance beamshots of a ROP (or SF M6, or mag85) next to the Stanley HID that would be great!:thumbsup:

thx


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## Mjolnir

The Stanley will be significantly brighter than an ROP, and will throw significantly farther. I don't have an ROP, but I doubt you will get over 1000 OTF lumens from one. The Stanley easily has 2000+ lumens out the front, and a lot more when it starts up in its "overdrive" mode. It also has a much larger reflector than a maglite, so it will throw much farther (like 1000+ feet). Since it is an HID light, it probably also has a smaller light source than that of an ROP bulb, since the light actually comes from an arc, not a larger sized filament.


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## BVH

I used to have a Mag85 and a Mac's Torch. Believe me, these don't hold a candle to the Stanley in Lumens and throw. But any 30 Watt HID is going to easily outperform these hi-perf incans. They're just in a different class.


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## Patriot

+3 to what the previous posters stated.

The ROP, Mag11, even the Mag85 are small change compared to a 30W HID. They're not even comparable.


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## BlueBeam22

I agree with Patriot, Mjolnir and BVH.

The Stanley HID will illuminate objects over 1/2 a mile away and outputs 3000 lumens. I don't think any light except for another HID searchlight or giant reflectored Incan spotlight will match it in throw. The Stanley HID has no problem out throwing average 100 watt halogen spotlights, and by a significant amount. Not even my Sharper Image 100W 7’’ reflector 10 million candlepower spotlight can match the Stanley in throw.


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## m1ruf

Should the SLA battery die some time, is it easily replacable (whats the cost?)


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## Mjolnir

I believe it wouldn't be too hard to find a replacement SLA battery for it. I know there are sites that sell them, but I don't know specifically what SLA battery the Stanley would need.


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## Vinniec5

m1ruf found 1 on *bay http://cgi.ebay.com/Stanley-HID-Spotlight-HID0109_W0QQitemZ250446125724QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4fc09a9c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50


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## m1ruf

delete


----------



## Vinniec5

There's a cpl on Amazon.com not sure about their shipping policies though


----------



## m1ruf

delete


----------



## justaddwata

m1ruf said:


> amazon dosen't ship to my country, unfortunately.
> I guess for the time being there's no Stanley for me.


 
You cannot track down someone to buy it and ship it to you?? Even worst - case list one on e-bay with international shipping for you. 


I ordered one for myself tonight from Amazon since the wife had no luck at our WM tracking one down. 

Defninately am thankful to this forum for bringing this light to my attention as I was eyeballing a few other (possibly lesser) HIDs. :thumbsup:


----------



## DM51

m1ruf said:


> amazon dosen't ship to my country, unfortunately.
> I guess for the time being there's no Stanley for me.


 You could place a WTB here in the Marketplace. You might well find a member who had found his Stanley didn't quite suit his purposes and was prepared to sell it and ship it to you.


----------



## Mjolnir

justaddwata said:


> You cannot track down someone to buy it and ship it to you?? Even worst - case list one on e-bay with international shipping for you.
> 
> 
> I ordered one for myself tonight from Amazon since the wife had no luck at our WM tracking one down.
> 
> Defninately am thankful to this forum for bringing this light to my attention as I was eyeballing a few other (possibly lesser) HIDs. :thumbsup:



Another fellow Connecticutian (apparently that is an actual term)!
I'm not sure what town you live in, but I got my Stanley from the Hartford Walmart, since the store nearest to me didn't have any. I would guess they probably still have some if you have another craving...


----------



## rala

The Stanleys have been plentiful at most of the walmarts in my area (562, 714 area codes).


----------



## brightnorm

m1ruf said:


> Thanks guys that's good to hear!
> 
> Now I just have to figure out how to get one, since amazon dosen't ship zo my country and there are none listed on *bay...


 
If you have a friend or cooperative CPF member in an Amazon-shippable country, he/she can buy it and ship it. A friend living in another state did this for me with an "illegal in NYC" item.

Brightnorm


----------



## Vinniec5

m1ruf 1 on *bay http://cgi.ebay.com/Stanley-HID-3000-0109-Spotlight-NIB_W0QQitemZ350217359114QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_comp_laptop?hash=item518a94cf0a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50 says shipping will be higher if not in the US


----------



## Yadao

Picked mine up Saturday. Shimmed the bulb and removed the cover on the electrode wire. I also gave the yellow case a coat of paint while I had it apart, I wasn't too fond of all the yellow.







It doesn't look right in the picture, but it's more of a dark gray color.


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

Nice job Yadao-that's the colour it should be to begin with.


BTW-welcome to CPF:welcome:!!!


----------



## Patriot

Yeah, that color does look really nice together with the silver and black. 

Nice Job! :thumbsup:


----------



## Alaric Darconville

I had seen these at my local Wal-Mart for some time, and was highly tempted to get one then-- but once I read these threads I knew it was a MUST HAVE in my Toyota Previa.

I did take the time to make sure that the one I got looked like the bulb was well-aligned and the ceramic insulator was positioned at 6 o'clock (some had strange rotations), and that the packaging looked like it hadn't been dropped too many times.

All I can say is: "FANTASTIC!"

My wife thought that the pics of the refinery on page two of the first thread were photoshopped-- I can say now that they clearly weren't. This light delivers!

Well worth the $69.something for sure! (They tried to sell me a 1yr replacement warranty at the register at Wal-Mart, but I declined to spring for it since it already has a 1yr warranty. Found it odd that they tried to pull a Best Buy by selling additional warranties.)


----------



## Mjolnir

The Walmart that I got mine from also tried to get me to buy a one year warranty, and tried to convince me that it didn't already have one...


----------



## brightnorm

Ordered one from Amazon, will arrive monday.
Yadao, gorgeous paint job! (sprayed?). 

Brightnorm


----------



## m1ruf

delete


----------



## Yadao

brightnorm said:


> Ordered one from Amazon, will arrive monday.
> Yadao, gorgeous paint job! (sprayed?).
> 
> Brightnorm



Yeah, just used a can of "hammered" rustoleum.


----------



## brightnorm

Is the Stanley regulated; if so is it constant or slightly dimming before cut-off? Apologies if this has already been answered.

Brightnorm


----------



## BVH

No dimming before cut-off. Full brightness till the end.


----------



## Mjolnir

Aren't all HIDs essentially "regulated?" Since the bulb requires a voltage that is much higher than the battery voltage, then the ballast already has to increase the initial battery voltage. Why should it matter if the cell is 14 volts or 10? (or whatever the difference is between fully charged and nearly depleted)
Shouldn't every HID stay at its full brightness until the low voltage cutoff of the battery?


----------



## BVH

The vast majority are regulated. As voltage falls, Amperage increases providing the same Watts to the bulb. There may be a more technical explanation of what's happening but someone more knowledgeable than me about electronics would need to jump in here. 

However, and I'm racking my brain to remember, there are some that actually dim as battery voltage falls. Maybe it's the old 10 Watt WA Solarc? Just think of a two-stage ballast. When you're making the switch from low to high, you're changing something in the ballast. Not sure what it is but the end result is that it is being dimmed.


----------



## Patriot

You're correct in theory that they are, but how flat the regulation actually is depends on the ballast and how tightly regulated it is. My WE Boxer, Microfire Warrior, Jil EZnite and Mac's 10W all have noticeable drop off. The Solarcs and Boxer have the most drop, at up to 35 percent between turn of and shut down, according to the light meter. The 35W SLA automotive lights and better 24/25 watt lights seem to run much flatter. The EA lights for example seem to drop very little before shutting down. All the ones I've checked with the meter drop a slight amount including the Polarion. If I ever get around to posting graphs, it would be revealed clearly there.



*EDIT:* I see that Bob covered it already while I was still typing. There must be something going on with the solarcs which causes them by design to drop more than the others. Mac or Dan probably know exactly what's going on there but it's technically beyond my knowledge.


----------



## BVH

Some HID's don't have low voltage cut off. Not a rule but you can usually see some flickering going on during the last 2-5 seconds of run time. The Oracle 24 I believe does not have the cutoff as it high-speed flickers for about 5-6 seconds before going out.


----------



## Mjolnir

Doesn't the Oracle use a Lithium ion battery pack? Isn't the pack itself protected?


----------



## BVH

Yes, see the pics I just posted showing the battery pack disassembled.


----------



## thermal guy

Just picked up the Stanley H.I.D! Now i know why people have said that when you start using hid lights all your other lights will start collecting dust! This thing is amazing.Took it to my old school late last night and lit stuff 500 yards away with NO problem.Only problem i had was trying to explain to the local police what i was doing there


----------



## Patriot

Congrats TG. It usually follows that you'll be wanting an compact aluminum tube HID of some type shortly after. That's what happened to me anyway after I got my X990 and Costco. Having that kind of output coming out of something smaller and lighter is addictive. 

You know, it's practically mandatory now for new hid owners to post a couple of beamshots....:kiss:


----------



## StandardBattery

Yadao said:


> Picked mine up Saturday. Shimmed the bulb and removed the cover on the electrode wire. I also gave the yellow case a coat of paint while I had it apart, I wasn't too fond of all the yellow.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It doesn't look right in the picture, but it's more of a dark gray color.


 
Looks like a beautiful paint job. 

Certainly makes it look like a more serious, or professional, light. Ok course once you switch it on no one really notices the case anymore.


----------



## Yadao

Haha, true. I showed it off to a couple of my buddies last night, I almost didn't get it back.


----------



## brightnorm

Those initial few ultra-bright seconds are really astounding. If only there were some way to prolong it.

Brightnorm


----------



## Mjolnir

BVH said:


> Yes, see the pics I just posted showing the battery pack disassembled.



Wait, so if the pack _is _low voltage protected (I only had a minute to skim over your thread, but it doesn't seem to conclusively say), then why did you say that it does not have a cutoff? Am I misreading/misunderstanding something?
Now I am confused... :thinking:


----------



## Patriot

Mjolnir said:


> Wait, so if the pack _is _low voltage protected (I only had a minute to skim over your thread, but it doesn't seem to conclusively say), then why did you say that it does not have a cutoff? Am I misreading/misunderstanding something?
> Now I am confused... :thinking:




It was before he took it apart and realized that it did.


----------



## Benson

BVH said:


> The vast majority are regulated. As voltage falls, Amperage increases providing the same Watts to the bulb. There may be a more technical explanation of what's happening but someone more knowledgeable than me about electronics would need to jump in here.


They're all "regulated" in a sense (more properly, ballasted), because a discharge tube is a negative resistance device, that is, as voltage drops the current increases. This doesn't result in balancing for constant power, but runs away, so some drive circuit is needed to stabilize the desired operating point by controlling the current.



> However, and I'm racking my brain to remember, there are some that actually dim as battery voltage falls. Maybe it's the old 10 Watt WA Solarc? Just think of a two-stage ballast. When you're making the switch from low to high, you're changing something in the ballast. Not sure what it is but the end result is that it is being dimmed.


Yep, the old Solarcs are the only unregulated ones I'm aware of; they apparently control the arc current proportional to the input voltage (or something like that), so the brightness falls off as the battery drains. This also permits overdriving them somewhat for more brightness off fresh batteries, as in the typical setup with 3x3.7V driving a 10.4V ballast. I don't know if anyone's done it, but you could probably also use it to rig a low mode with a two-level buck convertor; I know they'll light up from a 9V battery, which is probably down around 7.5V under load... :thinking:


----------



## BVH

Patriot said:


> It was before he took it apart and realized that it did.



Correct! Thanks, Paul


----------



## brightnorm

Patriot said:


> Congrats TG. It usually follows that you'll be wanting an compact aluminum tube HID of some type shortly after. That's what happened to me anyway after I got my X990 and Costco. Having that kind of output coming out of something smaller and lighter is addictive...:kiss:


Do you mean something like a Boxer or Microfire 3500?

Brightnorm


----------



## Patriot

Something like that Brightnorm...lol. At the time it happened to me, only the Boxer and AE24 were available. I sold the Boxer but still own the AE. Nothing terribly wrong with the Boxer except the output fell off as the batteries ran down. What I did like about the light is that you could use your own 18650 batteries. Now you have a few more choices including the Tactical24, Oracle, Microfire, & Xenide. I sort of put them in the class of "walking" lights, the kind of lights you could hold in your hand during a 30 minute walk without them feeling awkward or heavy. I'm off topic now but wanted to answer your question.


----------



## brightnorm

Thanks for answering. I'm disappointed in the Boxer; I thought it was regulated. It could have been (could be?) a great light: only the size of a Tigerlight FBOP, batteries as you said, belt-carryable (I did it for a whole day and easily got used to it). All it needs is full regulation, a lower Kelvin bulb and quicker ramp-up. (OTOH we could make apple pie if we had apples).

Brightnorm


----------



## Beamhead

Is mine a dud, my POB's blow it away?


----------



## Patriot

Beamhead said:


> Is mine a dud, my POB's blow it away?





Do you have any other 1500-ish lumen lights to compare it to? The POB is a pretty darn good performer, so it doesn't surprise me greatly that there's a big difference between the two. I didn't own those two lights at the same time but the small OP reflector is no match of the large SMO one. 

How old is your Boxer?







*Brightnorm*, it wasn't bad little light at all. I owned one from the 1st or 2nd batch from PTS flaslights so mine was a 1st gen. There was a lot of talk about failing battery packs due to poor balancing so I thought it wise to sell mine even though I hadn't experienced any problems yet. The regulation wasn't terrible but the color temp was pretty blue. I suspect it would have warmed acceptably if I would have put more run-time on it. The newest version looks nice but I don't think I'd pay over $300 for one until that improve the color.


----------



## brightnorm

Beamhead said:


> Is mine a dud, my POB's blow it away?


Does that include the Stanley's initial high voltage surge that produces amost twice the brightness of its "normal" power? I don't have a POB, but I'm surprised that one 35W HID would actually "blow away" another, unless the POB's beam is more concentrated than the Stanley's. Do you mean total brightness (lumens) or lux? If the former then I would say either that your POB is freakishly bright or your Stanley isn't functioning up to spec. Perhaps both.



Patriot said:


> ... I suspect it would have warmed acceptably if I would have put more run-time on it...


 I forgot about that featutre of HIDs. Any idea of how "warm" it might get? (I'm not sure which boxer generation; possibly not the first).

Brightnorm


----------



## Beamhead

I have 4 of the POB's and the worst of them is far brighter than the Stanley, the Stanley comes close when first fired up but quickly gets stomped.
Must be the opposite approaches to firing up, one blasts higher then settles while the other blasts high and gets higher.

The POB's have a larger reflector so that must be part of the difference.


----------



## brightnorm

POB sounds like a great light for the money. Where is the best place to get it online? (It's unavailable on Amazon).

Brightnorm


----------



## Patriot

brightnorm said:


> I forgot about that featutre of HIDs. Any idea of how "warm" it might get? (I'm not sure which boxer generation; possibly not the first).
> 
> Brightnorm





Probably not that much warmer but possibly enough to make them acceptable for me. If I was to make a wild guess......maybe 5500K. My AE lights for example are much better now that they both have 20-40 hours on them. Also I'd say that I have a bit more blue tolerance than many CPFers. The main point that I intended to make is that the regulation, although not rock solid, wasn't terrible, wasn't noticable to the eye and wouldn't be a deal breaker by itself.







Graph by Quantile.


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

brightnorm said:


> POB sounds like a great light for the money. Where is the best place to get it online? (It's unavailable on Amazon).
> 
> Brightnorm



This time last year you could have bought one on E-Bay for under $30.00.I paid $39.99 for mine and I thought I overpaid at the time.Now there are non(on E-Bay) and the last one I saw was over $100.00.The supply has dried up and the prices are going through the roof.

I'll bet Beamhead paid less than $200.00 for all four of his POB's.


----------



## brightnorm

Thanks Patriot and Andreas

BN


----------



## ColoradoStoneman

Well, after reading this thread I decided I would see if Walmart had any. 

They had four, but unfortunately I picked one with a bad battery. Pulled the trigger and no go. Plugged in the AC charger and the green light came on but no go. It would fire up plugged into DC. I tore it apart, and found 7 volts on the 12V battery, and it wouldn't draw current on an external charger. So the battery was fried.

Just got back with a second unit, and this one seems OK. The hot spot on the beam is also centered better then the defective unit. It's on the charger now, and I await nighttime for serious neighbor irritation. :twothumbs

I have been pretty happy with the throw on the Jet M1X I just got, but this plastic beast makes a lot of light. Mucho lumens for $69.95. 

All that said, it is a bit heavy, and not exactly something I want to carry around, but it will be great for the fishing boat at night. 

All in all, I think anyone looking to play with HID, will enjoy this light. Even if you don't have a use for it, you can still have some fun for cheap.

It could use some improvements, and has room for some mods.

I don't like the cold bulb much, but I'm not sure I want to spend $50 to replace it with a 4200K bulb. Taking out the SLA battery and replacing it with LIPO or A123 would help with the weight, but I think I will save that money toward a TITANIUM N30, when they get some in stock. The N30 is about perfect for the price. I would use an N30 alot more then this beast.

So beyond the bulb color and the weight, this sucker does throw some light. Point it at a white wall at 5 feet, and it will burn a dot in your retinas. :mecry:


----------



## MikeF

ColoradoStoneman, Welcome to CPF. Are you a Stone Mason?


----------



## Beamhead

brightnorm said:


> POB sounds like a great light for the money. Where is the best place to get it online? (It's unavailable on Amazon).
> 
> Brightnorm


Brightnorm, if you are in the US shoot me a pm.


----------



## Yadao

My Stanley seems to have went to crap one me. I took it out camping with me, it worked fine the first night. The next day, it wouldn't work. The led on the back just flashed red. When I got home, I charged it, and it still didn't work, only this time the led turned green after a second or two when I hit the trigger. 

No chance of getting a replacement, I shimmed the bulb, removed the coating on the electrode wire, and painted it... warranty = void lol

The top three led's still work though, but they flash on dimmly when I hit the trigger. :shrug:

Edit: I also lost my favorite customized flashlight while on a four-wheeler. It wasn't a good weekend.


----------



## ColoradoStoneman

Mike F, no I'm not a stone mason.

Yadao, for a quick check of the battery, you can read the voltage with a VOM on the 12V socket on the bottom of the pistol grip. You should see 13+ volts with the battery charged.

I am just speculating, but after the problem with the first unit I got, I have a feeling that the battery they are using is poor quality.

If you take it apart, I am wondering if you could measure the battery. We may need to start searching for a quality replacement battery.


----------



## BVH

Try running off the 12 V adapter to bypass the battery.


----------



## Yadao

Thanks for the advise, I'll try these suggestions when I get some time. Probably this weekend.


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

I see one seller on E-Bay is selling a Stanley HID for only $50.00-but only ships to the USA.:mecry:

Item number: 230355311065


----------



## brightnorm

My only disappointment is the return to cruising speed after a brief wild ride. I almost prefer the initial gradual brightening.

Brightnorm


----------



## ColoradoStoneman

BVH said:


> Try running off the 12 V adapter to bypass the battery.


 
That worked on my first one with the low voltage battery, but if the battery has internal shorts, it may load the 12V supply to the point that there is not enough voltage.

Since there is voltage on the pins at the bottom of the pistol grip, it would seem that the 12V adapter connects directly to the battery. Not the greatest way to do it, as a shorted battery will take the light out of commission even when using the 12V supply.

I am going to leave it stock for a while, to see how the ballast holds up, along with the other components. For $70 it is a bargain, but like most things, you get what you pay for.

I have a prediction that the battery is going to be the problems we see in the future. The question for me is if the rest of the components are robust enough to justify a battery mod.


----------



## Mjolnir

I have had no battery issues at all with mine...

I was under the impression that the 12V adapter could be used without the battery, so that may mean that it does not go through the battery to the ballast. You should probably be able to replace the battery. However, It doesn't really make sense that you got 2 lights in a row with bad batteries, while no one else here has had issues. Are you sure it is not another problem? Perhaps you just have very bad luck...


----------



## ColoradoStoneman

Mjolnir said:


> I have had no battery issues at all with mine...
> 
> I was under the impression that the 12V adapter could be used without the battery, so that may mean that it does not go through the battery to the ballast. You should probably be able to replace the battery. However, It doesn't really make sense that you got 2 lights in a row with bad batteries, while no one else here has had issues. Are you sure it is not another problem? Perhaps you just have very bad luck...


 
If you are refering to me, only the first one had a bad battery. The second one is fine. As for battery bypass, there is none, as the jack on the bottom of the pistol grip is connected directly to the battery. Hook up a VOM to the jack, and you will read the battery voltage there. If you read the manual, you will note that they say that the charge light "Does Not" come on when using the 12V cord. That is because the 12V jack doesn't use the charge circuit, but is connected directly to the battery. At the least, it should have an isolation diode, as plugging a charged Stanley into a battery with a lower voltage, will suck the charge out if the Stanley's internal battery. For now, I am going to leave it be, but there are improvements that can be made.

We will see how the OEM SLA batteries hold up. I hope they are OK. A quality SLA should last for 3+ years as long as it is kept charged. Time will tell.


----------



## BVH

Someone physically took out their battery, insulated the connectors and and ran the light only by the cord. An easy way to drop 2 or 3 pounds if you're always around a 12 V source.


----------



## ColoradoStoneman

BVH said:


> Someone physically took out their battery, insulated the connectors and and ran the light only by the cord. An easy way to drop 2 or 3 pounds if you're always around a 12 V source.


 
Mine will be used in the boat, and I plan on building a 12 NiMH pack using AAs for it. It will be plugged in most of the time, so even 20 minutes of battery run time will be fine. Getting rid of 2 lbs would make this a very nice light.


----------



## Patriot

ColoradoStoneman said:


> Mine will be used in the boat, and I plan on building a 12 NiMH pack using AAs for it. It will be plugged in most of the time, so even 20 minutes of battery run time will be fine. Getting rid of 2 lbs would make this a very nice light.




Maybe it's a case of already haveing the 12 NiMN cells that you need but there are lighter, more compact alternatives with higher energy density. You could use 4 x A123 safe cells for example. You'd drop more than than just two lbs while increasing run-time up from the SLA.


----------



## ColoradoStoneman

Patriot said:


> Maybe it's a case of already haveing the 12 NiMN cells that you need but there are lighter, more compact alternatives with higher energy density. You could use 4 x A123 safe cells for example. You'd drop more than than just two lbs while increasing run-time up from the SLA.


 
That is a great idea. My wife picked up the Stanley, and didn't like the weight at all.

As a matter of fact, she described it using words that aren't proper for a public forum. :mecry:


----------



## Alaric Darconville

ColoradoStoneman said:


> ...the jack on the bottom of the pistol grip is connected directly to the battery. Hook up a VOM to the jack, and you will read the battery voltage there. If you read the manual, you will note that they say that the charge light "Does Not" come on when using the 12V cord. That is because the 12V jack doesn't use the charge circuit, but is connected directly to the battery. At the least, it should have an isolation diode, as plugging a charged Stanley into a battery with a lower voltage, will suck the charge out if the Stanley's internal battery. For now, I am going to leave it be, but there are improvements that can be made.



Interesting... I wonder if it could supply enough current to boost a not-quite-dead car battery and make the difference between a slow crank and actually starting the car.

One could also wire up a 12V socket to plug in to the spotlight and run a cellphone charger or a very small inverter (say, 50W) for a short time. Just one additional feature from an already nicely-appointed spotlight.


----------



## BVH

Car starters draw in the neighborhood of 150 to 250 Amps. The little 3 Amp battery will not even be noticed.


----------



## RyanA

How does the charging system work. Does it trickle charge after topping off?
I'm guessing it does but hoping it doesn't.


----------



## BVH

Some of us obtained different results. Most of my testing showed it shut off.


----------



## RyanA

Thanks BVH, does it cut off at a particular voltage. I'm thinking a few IMR C cells might not be a bad option to cut weight.


----------



## BVH

That's going back a ways for my memory but I think it may have been 14.4x. Have you looked back at my postings on the part one of the thread? I think there may have been some postings from myself and another on our observations and I may have mentioned more specifics.


also, I think I posted battery compartment measurements. It seems to me that fitting enough C's in there might be difficult.


----------



## Patriot

Ryan, you wouldn't want to use the stock charger with li-ion or IMR set-up regardless. Max voltage for 4 cells would peak at 16.8V which couldn't be accomplished by the stock charger. If you do choose to mod it, you'd want to use a specific charger.


----------



## RyanA

So NiMH or NiCAD might be more practical? It's going to be a dog walking light for my brother. He lives in the woods with his girlfriend, a sheltie, a pack of chihuahuas, and four million fishercats. I'm thinking about lightening it up a bit so it gets used more often.


----------



## Patriot

RyanA said:


> So NiMH or NiCAD might be more practical?




Um...no.  I was sort of backwardly suggesting that you'd want to use a different charger. 4 x 26650s would make probably make a nice, safe power supply with reasonable run-time. I'm just not sure what the ballast's max input voltage is. I don't think 3 cells would expend all their energy before the ballast's low voltage circuit turned the light off.


----------



## BVH

I don't think anyone was brave enough to find the upper limit of input voltage from what I remember.


----------



## m1ruf

thanks to the help of a kind CPFer I got mine also:wave:! Plenty bright!

Runtime on high: 22:16 minutes
Runtime on low: 26:33 minutes

Is this normal?

Charging time with dc charger: about 4 1/2 hours


Whats the runtime on your sampels (is mine an underperformer, battery wise that is?)

Might "progolding/deoxiting" the charger and charging socket or any of the internal connections/components help to squeeze out a few minutes more runtime?


----------



## BVH

I think I was getting about 29 - 30 on high and about 33 -35 on low.


----------



## Patriot

m1ruf said:


> Runtime on high: 22:16 minutes
> Runtime on low: 26:33 minutes
> 
> Is this normal?
> 
> 
> Might "progolding/deoxiting" the charger and charging socket or any of the internal connections/components help to squeeze out a few minutes more runtime?




After your charger shuts off and the light is indicating a full charge, plug it back in after a while and see if the second charge helps. Also, if that battery has been sitting for a while sometimes a few cycles improve performance a little. Cleaning the charger connector certainly won't hurt anything but it's also unlikely to help.


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

Patriot said:


> After your charger shuts off and the light is indicating a full charge, plug it back in after a while and see if the second charge helps.



I been doing this with my POB since I first received it.After the indicator reads full I run the light for a couple of minutes and then plug it back in.It makes a noticeable difference in runtime.Can anyone explain why?


----------



## BVH

Some charging circuits have low and high voltage protection circuits AND they sometimes have timer circuits that are set to shut off all charging after a pre-determined amount of charging time regardless of the state of charge. Kind of a safety feature.

Some early N30's have the same issue.


----------



## Patriot

....and even a voltage circuit only works well if a charge is being fed for sufficient duration. This is especially true for smaller batteries that get to the cut off voltage rapidly. Let's say the charger cut off voltage was 13.5V. If the charger doesn't hold that final charge above 12V long enough the battery quickly sags once the charge is removed. By holding the charge at 13.499V for a while the battery sags very little once the charge is stopped. Holding voltage at or just under cut-off can only be done with a sophisticated charger which usually isn't the case with inexpensive SLA lights & wall warts. So, even in the case of voltage circuits cut-offs a second plug-in, after the battery rests a bit, usually helps. The larger the battery and the slower the charge, the less the 2nd plug in helps (in the case of voltage cut-offs). 

Timed chargers on the other hand can really send the voltage quite high. It's not uncommon to see a 12V SLA approach 15V. Usually, this over-voltage is what helps SLA's achieve decent run-time, especially in the case of HID where the draw is much less than incan. The negative is that it reduces battery life some.


----------



## m1ruf

thanks for the suggestions, i'll try charching a second time after the first time is finished, and report back here...


----------



## rala

Stanley doesn't like baths. He doesn't even like to get his feet wet. I was walking down a secluded stretch of pitch black beach when my Stanley was lightly splashed by a breaking wave. I quickly wiped it with my shirt and all was still good. The second time, I wiped it dry then pulled the trigger to make sure all was still good. It lit up, :thumbsup:. But when I released the trigger, it was still on. It wouldn't turn off. It eventually shut off 2 minutes later, :shakehead. I brought it home, and opened it, and it appears as thought the battery had shorted, not sure on the ballast yet. I guess it will now live on my project bench for now.


----------



## richardcpf

rala said:


> Stanley doesn't like baths. He doesn't even like to get his feet wet. I was walking down a secluded stretch of pitch black beach when my Stanley was lightly splashed by a breaking wave. I quickly wiped it with my shirt and all was still good. The second time, I wiped it dry then pulled the trigger to make sure all was still good. It lit up, :thumbsup:. But when I released the trigger, it was still on. It wouldn't turn off. It eventually shut off 2 minutes later, :shakehead. I brought it home, and opened it, and it appears as thought the battery had shorted, not sure on the ballast yet. I guess it will now live on my project bench for now.


 
Sorry to hear that. The problem shouldnt be at the ballast since they are sightly water resistant, the internal components are glue covered. It might be the switching mechanism...

I've used mine under the rain for few minutes and it is still working nice. I get short runtimes tough... somewhere 20-25 mins. But I keep like 4 flashlights in my car so nothing to worry about.


----------



## m1ruf

I tried charging the Stanley for a second time. After it had already fully charged. The charging indicator LED showed green immediately. Left it on the charer for another hour.
Tested the runtime o high, still just 22 minutes.

Charged it fully up again, let it run for 4 minutes. Charged it untill the indicator LED showed green, tested it, same result.

Also progolding the charging contacts didn't help.

I guess I have to live with mine having a slightly shorter runtime.

Maybe someone who already opened his or her Stanley can look whats the exact part/model number of the SLA battery thats used in it, so I could get a quality replacement battery!


----------



## BVH

Here's a positive way at looking at your short run time....your ballast is probably putting out more power to the bulb so you light is probably brighter than most.


----------



## StandardBattery

BVH said:


> Here's a positive way at looking at your short run time....your ballast is probably putting out more power to the bulb so you light is probably brighter than most.


 
That's a good way to look at it!

One more thing to check, is remember that these are meant for vehicle charging where the input is 13.8 on average. What are you using as your input DC voltage?


----------



## BVH

IIRC, I used my variable power supply to see if the ballast was regulated. I think I remember it was so input voltage wouldn't have any significant effects.


----------



## m1ruf

"Originally Posted by *BVH* 

 _Here's a positive way at looking at your short run time....your ballast is probably putting out more power to the bulb so you light is probably brighter than most."
_


If thats really the case then I can live with a few minutes shorter runtime:laughing:


_

_


----------



## lightheway

is jetskimark participating in this thread cause if he is tell him to check his private messages
thanks


----------



## flasherByNight

*Proper Useage and Recharge methods?*:

So what I've gleaned from this thread: (Please correct me if I'm wrong)
Recharging:
-Charge takes anywhere from 3-4 hrs.
-Should charge an additional 30 mins after green light comes on (debateable?)
-Should _not_ be left on charger after fully charged
-Should or Should not run down till dead? (before recharge)
-Useage _while_ plugged in (and charged) more or less is an even loss?

Useage:
-Should not/Cannot use for 20 seconds following trigger release
-How long at a time _can_ it be used for? max/min length of time?
-Run time is approx 30 mins ("low" gains an additional 5 mins of run time)
-light "blooms" for first few seconds (overdriven), then tapers to normal brightness (for instant-on ability)

Thanks BVH!


----------



## dharmaone

whats the best place to get this in the UK?

If anyone has got a spare one, or is willing to buy one from the US - i'm happy to pay asking price + shipping to the UK

thanks guys!


----------



## mfranke

I couldn't resist and picked one of these up while at a remote installation job in N.W. Ohio a few weeks ago (I was up from Tampa, FL).

Found it at the Wal-Mart, for $69.88 plus tax, and was cutting the package open while walking to the truck. Came pretty well charged, and since it was midnight (thanks, Wal-Mart 24 hours), started blasting it all around the parking lot. 

Impressive light for the money. Not perfect, but for the price, possibly the best HID value out there. 

Went on to finish the remote job, with assist from the HID, then put it in my backpack (I never check luggage), carried it right on to the plane, and flew home.

I've found zero fault with this thing since, and will probably buy another to keep in my work truck as well.


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## sygyzy

Is it available anywhere else besides Wal-Mart? I don't live near one. I checked ebay and it's not there (at least when I checked).


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## StarHalo

sygyzy said:


> Is it available anywhere else besides Wal-Mart? I don't live near one. I checked ebay and it's not there (at least when I checked).



Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U04MEY/?tag=cpf0b6-20


----------



## sygyzy

Thanks StarHalo. This kind of help is why you're on my Hall of Fame!


----------



## StarHalo

np, you'll dig it.


----------



## flasherByNight

flasherByNight said:


> *Proper Useage and Recharge methods?*:



Any thoughts? .....


----------



## BVH

So what I've gleaned from this thread: (Please correct me if I'm wrong)
Recharging:
-Charge takes anywhere from 3-4 hrs.
-Should charge an additional 30 mins after green light comes on (debateable?)
-Should not be left on charger after fully charged Some of my tests indicated charging does shut down completely. I don't hesitate to leave mine on the charger.
-Should or Should not run down till dead? (before recharge)I run mine down till it flickers off.
-Useage while plugged in (and charged) more or less is an even loss?

Useage:
-Should not/Cannot use for 20 seconds following trigger release I hot re-strike mine 
-How long at a time can it be used for? max/min length of time? I've run mine continuously many times for the full battery discharge time.
-Run time is approx 30 mins ("low" gains an additional 5 mins of run time)
-light "blooms" for first few seconds (overdriven), then tapers to normal brightness (for instant-on ability)


----------



## SunFire900

One thing to keep in mind is that when you run the battery down, you need to recharge it as soon as possible and not leave it in a discharged state for an extended period or the horrors of sulphation will set in, weakening the battery and shortening its life considerably. Recharge after each use!

From what I have been able to gather, these particular batteries (that come in the Stanley) are not readily available. I haven't tried to contact the supplier yet, though. 

Reason:
The manual says that the battery should last for the life of the light (?). I hope this is not true, but it would be nice if it would.


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

BVH-thanks for some very useful information!:thumbsup:




SunFire900 said:


> The manual says that the battery should last for the life of the light....



I've had some SLA batteries last for more than 5 years but I've never had one outlive the light!


----------



## TechnoBill

Simple question: *When plugged in to the AC charger, and the utility light is activated, from what does the utility light draw?* AC charger, battery which is being charged, or gluons? ***
 

***I haven't the slightest grip on physics, but I like to occasionally sprinkle my communication with utterly unrelated words  like the little bald dude Vizzini in _The Princess Bride_ to whom Mandy Patinkin's charachter {The "Hello. I am Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." guy} said _"I do not think that word means what you think it means." :laughing:

 _Thanks again to Mr. Ted Bear, Star Halo, HJK & Co. lovecpf


----------



## SunFire900

I give up! What's the answer?


----------



## HKJ

TechnoBill said:


> Simple question: *When plugged in to the AC charger, and the utility light is activated, from what does the utility light draw?* AC charger, battery which is being charged, or gluons? ***



I would guess the battery, because I doubt that the charger is delivering enough power to drive the light.


----------



## Hammer Train

If anyone is able to pick one of these up for me and ship to the UK pm me please!

Pete.


----------



## TechnoBill

HKJ said:


> I would guess the battery, because I doubt that the charger is delivering enough power to drive the light.


By "utility light" I meant, but did not make explicit, the three leds on the top of the unit, not the HID lamp.

What I'm getting at, indirectly, is *"Would running the utility LEDs while the Stanley is on the AC charger, keep the SLA 'trickle charged'*,for instance while sleeping prior to Zero.Dark.Hundred departure*?

*Thanks HKJ! The Stanley is a killer value for the hobbyist. As an aside, the one thing I would bring to the table, _generally_ in CPF discussions regarding specific implements, is the question _"How will you be using the illumination device?"_ This is the first question/response when novices inquire after firearms and/or support gear if their query does not specify "Hobby", "Home Defense", "Licensed Concealed Carry" or for example _"My primary use will be building clearing in Iraq" _or _"Three to two hundred yards, exterior, no light, in A'Stan."

_A search and rescue operator upon whose tools lives depend will simply not be shopping the Stanley for work. For his/her family vehicles, sure. Even though I don't begin to understand the technical discussions here, it is wonderful to have a place to observe them, which from my perspective is staring "uncomprehendingly, like cows at a passing train" {Don Henley}. But also you "dumb it down" for the folks like me whose, seriously, main addiction lies with other tools.

For the likely market, WalMart wanderers or CPF folk on a mission to Wally for a monster hiding in plain sight, the Stanley is quite simply one bad little piece of hardware. For our armed self defense it's Surefire, Gladius/Typhoon, and Surefire, because if God forbid they are called on for their intended use, the gear must be dead nuts reliable, for lives will hang in the balance and the human element, not the least of which is me, is where the real challenge lies.

But for secondary and tertiary illumination needs, the trove of first hand experience and validated data available here at CPF is fairly consistent in that it is far more empirical than some of the soberest content regarding pistols, long guns, and accessories. "Religious Fanatacism" tends to creep in even to the commentary of battle hardened combatants, particularly when they mistake "what works for them" and the literally life and death situations that hardware has seen them through, with the first and last word on a piece of gear.

Yes, I could have said this more briefly. A lot of the reviews here could be more brief as well. I am *glad they are not*!
lovecpf


----------



## jagster936

Ok I am having a lot of trouble with this lite. I think there are shelf life issues at walmart. So I picked the first one up, and put it on the wall charger and it turned green in like 20 minutes, and then I ran it for about 1 minute and it went out. Then I charged it overnight with same results 1 minute and it ran out. 

I got another lite, charged it until it went green in about an hour and ran it it only ran about 15 minutes, definately not 25-30. I was wondering how old these lites are. I asked the bozos at walmart how long it was on the shelf and they did not know. He did tell me, however, that it could have been at the warehouse alike for months on end no one knows. So lead acid batteries you can't just keep on a shelf for a long time they will degrade and sulphate and become crap. 

So my question is, no one else has had any bad runtimes with these things? Should I maybe try amazon or somewhere where it might be neweR? I can't find any info on stanley tools website about the light, do thy still currently manufactur these lights? I would like to buy one that just shipped from factory..with good battery. Or is it more worth it to just replace the silly thing with a brand new lead acid battery of the same type, assuming it takes standard ones for spotlights available anywhere like basspro etc. 

I got both of these lights from Huntsville, TX walmart. The guy said they had indeed been there a while. Maybe shipping straight from walmart warehouse is better idea? Was wondering if anyone else had these problems, sigh.

Thanks!


----------



## SunFire900

Welcome to CPF, jagster936!

None of my local Wally's had the light in stock and didn't know when or if they might get them. I bought mine from Amazon. Cost was only a few bucks more and it works as advertised. Came quickly, too.

You're right about shelf-life and lead acid batteries. If the voltage gets too _low_ for too _long_ it will deteriorate quickly, never to to be its normal self again.

Stock turnover in some stores may be too slow, so the batteries can go "stale". After all, not too many regular folks are out looking for $70 HID lights at discount department stores.

Edit:
There is a possibility that the batteries were _not_ the problem, but finding two lights with the same problem from the same store seems unlikely to me.


----------



## BVH

These lights first appeared in Walmart stores about mid March this year. Give a month or two for shipping from China. So the batteries are probably 9 months old.


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## alpg88

thank you guys for the thread, it saved me $70, 
i was gonna buy it, but 30min of run time, is not appealing to me.


----------



## SunFire900

TechnoBill said:


> By "utility light" I meant, but did not make explicit, the three leds on the top of the unit, not the HID lamp.



I knew what you meant and you deserve a reasonable answer, Bill.

The little wall-wart puts out 500mA and will easily power the "utility lamps" and keep the battery at full charge as long as you do not use the HID, of course.

If the battery was low and you ran the U-lite while charging, it would probably slow the charging process a little, but not much IMHO.

It would take a time-consuming test to be able to factually prove this, but from my experience...............If I'm wrong, someone will soon set me straight.


----------



## SunFire900

peterthomson said:


> If anyone is able to pick one of these up for me and ship to the UK pm me please!
> 
> Pete.



I thought Amazon would ship to GB. Can't you get one that way?


----------



## SunFire900

alpg88 said:


> thank you guys for the thread, it saved me $70,
> i was gonna buy it, but 30min of run time, is not appealing to me.



If you can't find what you're looking for in 30min, then you may need professional help...from a more professional light, that is.


----------



## alpg88

SunFire900 said:


> If you can't find what you're looking for in 30min, then you may need professional help...from a more professional light, that is.



lol, i have 6mcp(was 6mcp) light that i converted into hid with an auto hid kit, it has about 45min of runtime, had to buy super slim ballast kit, frankly not impresed with the beam it is bright and all but too ringy, one day i'd like to get a maxabeam, not that i need it, just for the hell of it.


----------



## jagster936

Hmm thanks for the info, yea I may consider buying online from Amazon, I was hoping to find one at walmart that works good, and I like the reflector in the current one it has a nice tight spot but 15 mins run time. I was gonna swap batteries if the one that was good indeed had bad focus.

No one has tried replaecing the batteries? I'm too lazy at the moment to open it up if I'm paying all this money I expect functioning batteries! 

I suspected mid march and those batteries from manufactur..geez who knows how old they are if assembled in China and maybe even on a shelf there. I don't even know where to find these batteries new. In past I have bought them from bass pro shop. If it just has simple spade connections you can use those. 

I have a friend in college station pikcing one up for me and charging and testing it, if bad he will just return too haha. I will find the light with the correct battery, if it takes me my life :/

PS: great forums, I have read a LOT of info on here just never posted , have P7 from Elektrolumens on order, got the EDC didn't like the spread (no focus) and swapped from maglight ultrathrow, so should be good!

If I can't figure out this crazy problem with this other one my friend has that will be 3, may opt for amazon. But then its a pain to return! Walmart is so eaaasy 

Does anyone know if they still manufactur these lights I guess? Do any walmarts still order them? From what I've seen they all have 3 or 4 which have been on shelf since march if no one bought...I was thinking of going to a ritzier/richer part of town where people would be more likely to KNOW about HID tech and buy them and walmart would be forced to restock. Stanley's website gives no info on the light, hmm. Was wondering if they still make.

Thanks!


----------



## jagster936

When you say it performs as advertised from amazon do you mean 25 minutes runtime or 35 like they claim?


----------



## jagster936

No one has tried placing a brand new SLA battery in it and testing? Isn't this battery a standard spade type you can find in any handheld spotlight. You can find these at various places. They are usually 2.8amp hour though. I don't know if that would make that much difference but that would probably be the best bet for these walmart lights. Or others, if they are shipped from China with unknown backgrounds. Siigh

Thanks!


----------



## SunFire900

I have tried to find an exact replacement battery for this light, but to no avail. It is marked UN3-12. I tried many prominent battery sellers and found that there are few 3Ah batteries available and none of them have the UN3 designation. 

Look at the battery yourself. It can be seen in the Part I section, post #24 by Mr Ted Bear. You could open up your light and take a look, but I wouldn't unless it's important for you do so.

To me, it looks like an odd-ball type with the tabs located under an overhang on the top of the battery. Another battery might fit, but I think it may be troublesome. A larger battery probably would not fit in the designated space.

MR TED BEAR! Where are you? He may have an answer for both of us.

As to runtime, I haven't ran a timed test yet*, but I will soon. Let you know what I find.

* I know... I should have already done this before saying it performed as advertised. I just like the light. The battery is something else.


----------



## Mjolnir

Any idea if the Stanley 2M series halogen spotlight uses the same battery? IT seems to have a very similar body. If it uses the same battery, it might be possible to cannibalize its battery and use it in the HID. However, it does cost $30 (but its still cheaper than buying a new HID).


----------



## jagster936

Ha well I have seen thise types before worse comes to worst than I will make my own connections and get a new common 12V spotlight battery. I have seen the type elsewhere you speak of. Yea trying number 4 today at walmart haha. I was thinking a walmart in a nicer area where people would buy the light a lot and they would restock more often. Hmm


----------



## jagster936

They claim a 35 min runtime on full power has anyone achieved this?


----------



## SunFire900

I think they fib a lot. Very few flash/spot lights run as long as the hype claims. I got 32.5mins on mine this afternoon....then I realized I had it set on the low level.:sick2: That means I would likely get about 25mins or so on high.:ironic: I will verify later.

This doesn't bother me too much. If you use this light to walk your dog at night, in a residential neighborhood, the police would probably question you before the battery gave out.






I also did another battery search. Found nothing anywhere. This is a specialized battery which was, possibly made specifically, on special order by the light factory. You may be right about buying the Stanley SLM09 just to extract the battery (which may or not be any better) and us it in the 0109. I think that would be a little goofy, though.

The light is-what-it-is. Without stuffing it full of li-ion's ($$$) and figuring out how to charge them effectively I don't think you can do much better.


----------



## jagster936

Yea but I cannot even achieve 25 min! Got my 4th one a while ago will test later tonight. I have had 1,15,18 min so far. At least they are going up . I know we can use standard lead acid 2.8 ah batteries available anywhere. Just cut and splice I'm sure they are very close to same size. Someone needs to design converter charger for nmih or lithium . Or just charge manually no big deal. Nah I just want the freakin 25 everyone gets. Where did you get yours sunfire? Walmart is appearing to be a dead end.


----------



## jagster936

Oh sorry been using blackberry hard to look in history you got at amazon. Do they still manufacture these lights? Every walmart I have been to seems to have the old ones from march all covered in dust lol.


----------



## ducksface

I'm having a problem with a modification. I am putting all the goodies from the Stanley into an old aluminum scuba housing called an Allen Buglight. 

No big deal with one exception; Due to the internal size of the buglight I need to use a smaller battery than the 3 amp that comes with the Stanley. I have a 1.3 amp that fits perfectly, but the Stanley flickers about 10 times and then goes dead when hooked to that battery.
I have tried tricking the system by hooking the external 12 volt power to the battery leads AND the external power [car battery under my workbench], and it flickers about 10 times and goes dead. So it must measure amperage and won't work if too high, or too low. 
There is a small board inline between the external 12v positive and the internal battery positive. It says ;20U6OCT 0816 34 on it. There is a diagram sort of like this; ->|-.-|<- and the circuit board it is connected to has three leads on it. The solder tells me external power goes to lead one and three and the middle lead goes to the internal battery AND the power board for the lamp. If it weren't for that circuit board in the power line, the internal battery is just pigtailed into the external 12 volts. The light will not work without the battery.
I use an outside power source for all of my dive lights and scooters, so the battery life is unimportant, but 5 minutes or so would be great.

I haven't messed with the external ac supply. I understood from previous posts that the light would work on strictly external 12 volts but NOT work when plugged into ac.

Help a guy out here. I have minimal talents, but I will cut up things, I have test meters, a mill.... I just want a dive light at 35 watts....:sigh:


----------



## jagster936

Haha wow these things are incredibly inconsitant and unreliable. So found a walmart where guy said they were in only for 2 weeks. One of them turns green immediately and won't run at all. The other has pretty terrible beam quality. One I do have that I haven't tested yet (charging now) has great tight spot in center, amazing. But don't know battery don't have much faith. One with terrible beam that is new from today will test both of these and see if they work, haha crazy.

Hmm very interesting ducks. Yea these lights are so crazy spuratic I wouldn't even rely on it working properly. If that is the case I would love to see the schematics of this thing if anyone can scrounge them up, or detailed circuit operation. Nonetheless, I will find a good battery if I have to buy and return all of walmarts spotlights in the city of Houston, haha


----------



## ducksface

I have this thing all spread out on the workbench. If anyone need a picture or a measurement or anything like that, let me know and I'll get you some pictures/measurements.

About the factory battery questions from earlier;
mine weighs 1lb, 15.9 oz. it is 104 mm [4.09 in]{99.5mm [3.91in] at the base. It has a 'head' on the battery where the posts are}x48mm [1.88in]x70.09mm [2.78in].
A SLIGHTLY larger battery will fit in the housing, tell me if you want measurements.

so....4.09 [or 3.91]x1.88x2.78 inches.

It is date branded on the top 081226. I assume this is dec 26 2008. I bought it about 2 months ago. I had to; the POB is just too damn big to fit in anysort of housing that wouldn't need a winch to get it in the water....

Has anyone used one of those Checker auto offroad lights? I think the 7 inch is $119 and the 4 inch is $99. Seems pretty compact....


----------



## SunFire900

Thanks for the battery measurements, ducksface!

I think we need to be a little more fair minded about this light. 

We can't blame the light just because we have a hard time finding one that meets all its claims or your guidelines and we can't blame the light if we gut it for a personal project.

There are a lot of seasoned CPF'rs and myself that think this is a great light for the money. Very doggone few lights (costing less than 2 grand) satisfy everyone in every way.

If we decide to go for a "better" HID entry-level light we will have to add a hundred dollars to this price.

I will concede that the light, with a good li-ion pack, would be worth the extra cost if it were available. We might also want to add a "clicky" trigger switch so we wouldn't have to hold it in or lock it to keep the light on.

I'll check the run-time on high tomorrow.

Good luck


----------



## jagster936

I know it can't satisfy everyone but it should at least have a decent battery...runnin two side by side now the one in the '2 week inventory' and the other one I got elsewhere, the 2 week inventory one has a slightly less blue temperature, which is interesting. I like it better. The other though has a better focused spot. Hmm. Depends on what is what I might have to mix and match what I like then return the other . 

So the one with the tight spot ran 18 minutes and it has the bluer beam. The crappier focased one ran about 20 minutes and had a slighter whiter beam. 

This has become an obsession!!!


----------



## jagster936

I found this one:

http://www.apexbattery.com/sel-battery-sealed-lead-acid-batteries-sel-batteries.html

But its soo rediculously expensive!!

This isn't the right one? Right style anyway and I know I have seen these batteries with the spade connections like this elsewhere can't remember where though


----------



## jagster936

Ok after some obsessive research, cross referencing optronics batteries, I knew I had seen it duh. They use these similar batteries, same size exact (except 2.8AH) on their regular spotlights. You can buy these spotlights at basspro for like 25 bucks. Not sure how good the batteries are. But you can also get them new online for cheaper than 75 I think like 30-40. 

Optronics A5312 or A5512. They seem to be the same thing or different model but same type of battery. 

http://www.optronicsinc.com/spotlights.htm

Bottom right. 

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/OPT/OPTA5512.html

I have one of these batteries at home, in my mostly discharged spotlight lol but its pretty old by now. I will have to do some tests with it. Either way they can be bought anywhere optronics batteries are sold.


----------



## SunFire900

Frustrating, isn't it? You're a little more obsessed than I am (at the moment), but sometimes you have to be. You don't want to spend more on a battery than you did on the light.:shakehead

These lights should be built around a more powerful battery and not the other way around. The light is already heavy and a 4Ah battery probably wouldn't add that much more weight, but we're not the engineers or designers.

Keep pluggin'.

Add: Ran run-time test this morning and got 22mins! That's 10mins less than on Low.


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

Hi guys, I ordered mine from amazon a week back (still making its way to my place) and I'm getting worried after reading some of the recent posts regarding the battery issue (good thing is all came from walmart). Did anybody try/test a Stanley HID from amazon yet?
-Thanks!


----------



## SunFire900

LOUSYGREATWALLGM said:


> Hi guys, I ordered mine from amazon a week back (still making its way to my place) and I'm getting worried after reading some of the recent posts regarding the battery issue (good thing is all came from walmart). Did anybody try/test a Stanley HID from amazon yet?
> -Thanks!



Yes, mine came from Amazon. Couldn't find one at Walmart.

Battery is an issue unless you think 23mins on High and 32mins on Low is good. Think about it, though. No matter how you slice it, it's only a 3000mAh battery! The light cuts off when the battery voltage gets a little under 12v!! Mine showed 11.82v immediately after cut-off.

Great light, otherwise.


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

SunFire900 said:


> Yes, mine came from Amazon. Couldn't find one at Walmart.
> 
> Battery is an issue unless you think 23mins on High and 32mins on Low is good. Think about it, though. No matter how you slice it, it's only a 3000mAh battery! The light cuts off when the battery voltage gets a little under 12v!! Mine showed 11.82v immediately after cut-off.
> 
> Great light, otherwise.


Thanks! Seems no matter what we gonna do, under 30mins on high is what are get, then I'm okay with that 
Great light with Great price :thumbsup:


----------



## jagster936

Yea that's cool 22 min make me feel better I rest in peace now. I got 20 with one I bought. Will stick with that for now. I was using the 25 mins as my reference but may not be realistic. Spotlights are for intermittent use this is not a search light. 25 is ok and it keeps full brightness which is great improvement on halogen bulbs. 15 min though like many of them is unacceptable for a new product that should get more! So I would say expect 20 min minimum. 

Maybe sometime ill get new optronics and run that and see what happens. 

What is that freakin rectifier (they only use one diode) in the handle for?! You are charging with 12VDC!! :/


----------



## Mjolnir

I have really had no issues with this light. I haven't tested the battery life, because I really have no need to run the light for more than a few minutes at a time. For 70 bucks it is a very good "wow light," considering most HID spotlights are 200+ dollars. I don't really mind about the battery capacity, since I can plug it into a wall or car outlet and run it from that if I really need to.

Mine has had no startup issues; it always starts up fine, and doesn't flicker or do anything out of the ordinary for an HID light.


----------



## clintox

I bought my Stanley HID two days ago at Walmart after I saw this thread. So far I am very happy with it and there seems to be no issues. I ordered a couple 4300k bulbs from ebay. Hopefully, my startup time isn't messed up by a new bulb.


----------



## jagster936

Cool let us know how the 4300k's work in your light!


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

jagster936 said:


> Cool let us know how the 4300k's work in your light!


+1
I would also like to know if there will be modding needed to replace the bulb. Thanks!


----------



## jagster936

Someone needs to not be lazy and figure out how to mode in a LIPO and charger circuit into the light, cooome on can't be that hard . Duck tape laptop battery on top and feed it, 6AH double the run time and half the weight, if that!


----------



## BVH

No modding to replace the bulb - as long as you buy the short version of the H3, not the long version which is the most common. Look back in the thread - Part 1, I think, for a description of my replacement with a 4300K bulb.


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

Thanks! Found the thread reg the bulb replacement. Tried looking one from eBay but no luck


----------



## Spotlightshep

How do you replace the bulb with a new one?


----------



## Mjolnir

There are some directions in the original thread about bulb replacement and shimming.


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

Hi guys, can any of you who owns this Stanley HID spotlight 35W tell me the exact current rating of the A/C charger? I lost my A/C charger 

Thanks!


----------



## BVH

Label says:

12 Volts DC, 500 ma
Center of pin is +


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

BVH said:


> Label says:
> 
> 12 Volts DC, 500 ma
> Center of pin is +


Thanks!! :wave:


----------



## TheInvader

Got mine today! HID3000 (0109) on sale for $16. Walmart couldn't sell them. I saw it and almost ..... my pants on the price!

Scooped it up and it's the brightest thing in my town. Charging now.


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

TheInvader said:


> Got mine today! HID3000 (0109) on sale for $16. Walmart couldn't sell them. I saw it and almost poop my pants on the price!
> 
> Scooped it up and it's the brightest damn thing in my town. Charging now.




Geez...I wish the Walmarts up here in Canada carried them...especially at that price!


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

TheInvader said:


> Got mine today! HID3000 (0109) on sale for $16. Walmart couldn't sell them. I saw it and almost poop my pants on the price!
> 
> Scooped it up and it's the brightest damn thing in my town. Charging now.


Grats!! 
I would like to know the run-time you are getting from it. Mine is just 12 mins on low setting :tired:


----------



## TheInvader

My runtime is pretty horrible too...

Can you replace the ..... SLA with 10 NIMH????
(10 [email protected]=12v, 14.4 under no load.)

That's over 20Ah(if you use Eneloops, 26.5Ah with newish Duracells), compared to 3Ah. 
More than triple the runtime.
Or does the SLA/AGM battery allow more current draw? 
At the rate of his runtime, (i haven't tested my HID yet), it's drawing about 4 amps constantly. That would allow around 4-6 hours of runtime on nimh charge. A nimh can typically give 1C constantly, and I would guess the surge required for the ballast would be okay on quality nimh AAs.

(For anyone confused/buying .... NIMH: mAh is simply milli-amp hours. Ah is amp hours. 2000mAh=2Ah.
The Stanley HID3000(0109)'s battery is about 3000mAh=3Ah.)

The runtime does really suck with these, but I'm not opening this without confirmation that it will work with AA nimh. 
Using aa would also reduce the weight, and this is one heavy beast.


----------



## alpg88

what size nimh are you talking about???
10aa will give you 12v, under load of 4 amps pbly like 8-10v, and no matter how many cells you connect in series, you still have capacity of a single cell.
so 10aa would still be 2000mah but 12v.

not to mention you need at least 12aa in series, and you still wont get longer runtime, you will actually decrease it.


----------



## Mjolnir

There isn't really a lot of room for other battery options, and i'm not sure if that many Nimh cells will fit. I think that a Lithium ion option might work, but you will have to figure out a charging solution, and the voltage won't be exactly 12 volts. I believe that there were some posts in the original thread about what voltages the ballast could take.


----------



## TheInvader

Just did an "official" runtime test. 
Will post and edit results for High.
SLA/AGM stock battery has been cycled once (fully dead, recharged for 4 hours until the light went green). 
Runtime is based on the "Low" mode for now(switch is on right, but I can't see a difference.)
Stopwatch was with my cell phone; on split.

Right off the charger:
LED status was off the back of the HID. 
"Green" (full voltage according to the HID) 5 min 16 sec
to Orange (normal working voltage, about 50 to 100 lumens lost) for 14 mins 26 sec. Total time: 20 mins, 6 sec. 
Spotlight was manually turned off after the LED turned to red. Red LED means to charge immediately, and will probably lose power fast after that.
The "area lights (LEDs)" on top didn't even turn on at this point. They require about 3v, so their regulator is probably not as good, possibly a pwm circuit.

*The spotlight's output was still usable after 21 minutes*, but it needed to cool down. The plastic was pretty hot at the front. 
I wouldn't be surprised if the HID would have lasted another ten minutes. The ballast seems to regulate extremely well. 
With only a 3000mAh AGM battery, I am very surprised. 

I will try again tomorrow after a full charge on High (switch on the left.)
lovecpf and this spotlight!!!!!!!!!


Does anyone know what current this spotlight draws?
Or the wattage? The bulb is rated '35' watts, but at that calculation, it's drawing about 2.9 amps from the 12v battery. Either the battery needs to periodically rest, or the ballast draws more than 2.9 amps to create the same
power @ 35w to drive the bulb, possibly 6-8 amps..


----------



## BVH

TheInvader said:


> Does anyone know what current this spotlight draws?
> Or the wattage? The bulb is rated '35' watts, but at that calculation, it's drawing about 2.9 amps from the 12v battery. Either the battery needs to periodically rest, or the ballast draws more than 2.9 amps to create the same
> power @ 35w to drive the bulb, possibly 6-8 amps..



Pretty sure I posted all that info back in the Part 1 of the thread.

IIRC, 27 to 28 minutes on high and about 33 on low was run time when these first hit the shelves. Look at the complete Part 1 of this thread. There are very descriptive posts of performance, regulation, differences in High/Low etc. Great info for those of you just learning about this light.


----------



## TheInvader

So I probably could just use High for everything; it does not make a load of a difference?

I'm probably just going to use this as a WOW light, and possible hunting/camping. It won't be plugged into a wall 24-7, but the car plug is doable. 
So as long as the car/12 cig plug is plugged in, I can run this without the Stanley battery going dead?


----------



## Robocop

TheInvader welcome to CPF and it seems as if you are pretty well up to date on much of your lights as well as our other shared interests on CPF. With such a large site we can not always catch everything however at times we do notice some with borderline issues of language. 

We have many young members and in general try to keep a decent site for all to enjoy. Looking back at many of your posts it seems as if you often include harsh language in many of your posts. It does sound as if you are a rather educated person and surely can get your point across without the cursing and harsh words. I have edited a few of your recent posts and ask that you please make an effort to understand why I take this stand on this issue and to also tone it down a few notches in the future.

We do have an underground section aimed more towards adults and which also has much less moderation and restrictions. Try it out and again welcome to CPF.


----------



## mwaldron

TheInvader said:


> Got mine today! HID3000 (0109) on sale for $16. Walmart...



I've been wanting to try out a HID for a while now so I checked out my local Walmart today, They had 2 in stock (hidden behind the non-hid version on the shelf) but they still wanted 69.88 for them.

Bummer, I had to leave it there...


----------



## bretti_kivi

Mjolnir said:


> There isn't really a lot of room for other battery options, and i'm not sure if that many Nimh cells will fit. I think that a Lithium ion option might work, but you will have to figure out a charging solution, and the voltage won't be exactly 12 volts. I believe that there were some posts in the original thread about what voltages the ballast could take.


using the measurements Lux posted in a previous thread, I figured that 18 17670s should fit, 19 ought to be possible and then you need 1 more for 10s2p. That would be 12V @ 7800mAh.... I will ask for one of these to come over in the medium term so I can play 

those measurements: 108x71.5x47.6mm (4.25 x 2.75 x 1.875")

In fact, 47.6 should be interesting for five stacks... hmmmmmmmm.....
Bret


----------



## TheInvader

Robocop said:


> long post



Got it
Thanks for editing my language, I am a big Zoklet member so I didn't realize I was going a bit too strong.


----------



## TheInvader

SLA/AGM stock battery has been cycled *twice *(fully dead, recharged for 4 hours until the light went green). 
Runtime is based on the "*High*" mode.(switch is on *left*, but I can't see a difference.)
Stopwatch was with my cell phone; on split.

Right off the charger:
LED status was off the back of the HID. 
"Green" (full voltage according to the HID) 2 min 19 sec 
to Orange (normal working voltage, nearly no light lost) 15 mins 37 sec.
Test stopped at 18 minutes. Nearly no lumens were lost at all from the High mode. I wonder if this is the tradeoff, constant light or better runtime..
The "area lights (LEDs)" on top didn't even turn on, again. 

*The spotlight's output was still usable after 19 minutes*.

lovecpf and this spotlight!!!!!!!!!


----------



## jar3ds

Mjolnir said:


> There isn't really a lot of room for other battery options, and i'm not sure if that many Nimh cells will fit. I think that a Lithium ion option might work, but you will have to figure out a charging solution, and the voltage won't be exactly 12 volts. I believe that there were some posts in the original thread about what voltages the ballast could take.



just got my first HID, cannot believe it has taken me this long to actually finally move to HID...  ... however, very impressed and excited! 

anybody know what post/link would talk about the voltage options for the ballast? I'm looking into an LiON sollution... :thinking:

anyone have any good links for info on just how HIDs and ballast's operate in detail ? :wave:

lovecpf


----------



## TheInvader

mwaldron said:


> I've been wanting to try out a HID for a while now so I checked out my local Walmart today, They had 2 in stock (hidden behind the non-hid version on the shelf) but they still wanted 69.88 for them.
> 
> Bummer, I had to leave it there...



Let's see...
USPS wants around $15 Parcel Post to ship a 5lb package from Ottawa IL to Des Moines IA ...
(No idea what town you're in, I guessed DM for Iowa shipping)

PM me if you're interested. $39 or make an offer..
I can ship you one and help ya out


----------



## bretti_kivi

jar3ds said:


> anybody know what post/link would talk about the voltage options for the ballast? I'm looking into an LiON sollution... :thinking:
> 
> lovecpf


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2890678&postcount=211

thenk


> My testing with a DMM showed it cut out somewhere between 9.8 and 9.0.


 from https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2894035&postcount=228


that help?


----------



## Patriot

jar3ds said:


> anybody know what post/link would talk about the voltage options for the ballast? I'm looking into an LiON sollution... :thinking:




6x18650's would probably work best in a 3s2p configuration and provide well over an hour of run-time. 

A 3s1p 5000-6000mah Li-po would be something else to consider. They weigh less than a pound.


----------



## jar3ds

Patriot said:


> 6x18650's would probably work best in a 3s2p configuration and provide well over an hour of run-time.
> 
> A 3s1p 5000-6000mah Li-po would be something else to consider. They weigh less than a pound.



http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8579 would be sweet... 

wow... there are a lot of good powering options.... i envision making a portable 12v vehicle power outlet in a backpack w/ a ton of different battery sources using an extension wire to charge the battery * power it...

what is the ~approx current draw from this light at start up and constant?


----------



## mwaldron

TheInvader said:


> Let's see...
> USPS wants around $15 Parcel Post to ship a 5lb package from Ottawa IL to Des Moines IA ...
> (No idea what town you're in, I guessed DM for Iowa shipping)
> 
> PM me if you're interested. $39 or make an offer..
> I can ship you one and help ya out



Now this is tempting.... Let me think about it over night.


----------



## bretti_kivi

it's answered in the thread. from BVH: 



> For this test, I hooked up the light to a 28 AH SLA from one of those emergency car starting units using the supplied car charger/operating cord. I wanted controlled values so I essentially took the lights battery out of the equation although electrically it is in the circuit.
> 
> On High power: This light is a TRUE 35 Watt light as advertised!
> 
> Output to the bulb
> 
> Initial starting Amps………………………………. 2.4
> Turbo Boost start drop out Amps..……….. .9 (7 seconds to drop out)
> 
> Steady running after 3 minutes…………… .42 Amps @ 88.1 Volts AC = 37.00 Watts
> While running steady after 3 minutes, I noticed a .05 Amp cycle up and down as Mr. TB has indicated in his description of how the ballast cycles.
> 
> Input power to the ballast 3.5 Amps @ 12.6 Volts DC = 44.1 Watts
> 
> Ballast is 84% efficient – not bad as compared to a lot of ballasts out there running at 75 to 80% efficiency.
> 
> Low Power
> 
> Steady running after 3 minutes…………… .37 Amps @ 88.1 Volts AC = 32.60 Watts
> 
> Time to cycle from High mode to Low mode after moving the switch – 52 seconds – based on Amp draw
> Time to cycle from Low mode to High mode after moving the switch – 15 seconds – based on Amp draw
> 
> Of note – When I measured input power, I measured the Amps being contributed by the alternate power source as a separate test. In this test, the lights battery was contributing 2.5 Amps while the alternate source was contributing 1 Amp. The power source Amps rose over the 3 minutes I watched it. As the battery is depleted, the alternate source will provide the needed difference.
> 
> The SLA battery weighs 2 lbs, 1 oz. Almost half the weight of the light.


----------



## BVH

I'd speculate an initial INPUT Amp draw at about 8-9 Amps for a very brief period of time.


----------



## bretti_kivi

My experience with automotive HIDs says that 15A is enough there, but 10A fuses blow. Those are 35W ballasts, too.

Bret


----------



## alpg88

Patriot said:


> 6x18650's would probably work best in a 3s2p configuration and provide well over an hour of run-time.
> 
> A 3s1p 5000-6000mah Li-po would be something else to consider. They weigh less than a pound.



how????
3s2p 18650 will give you 11,1- 12.6 v at about 5000mah, or less, stock 3000mah drives the light for 25min on avarige, so with these liion batts run time should be about 35- 40min tops.

lipo, is a great batt for rc toys, but for flashlight, idk, those batts you mentioned are about 50-70 a pop, plus self discharge rate of lipo aren't too great for aplication. it is fine for rc, you charge it, than discharge it hours later, they can't keep charge for too long, at least the ones i used didn't. also you really don't want to discharge them deep, like you could SLA, lipo don't like it, and sometimes burst into flames rather violently.


----------



## jar3ds

so what is the max Vin for the ballast?


----------



## BVH

I don't think anyone has done any destructive testing, IIRC. Automotive charging systems can see 14.4 to maybe 14.6 so I would think these are OK. Would it take 4 Lithium-Ions at 16.4 hot off the charger, taking into account Voltage sag, I don't know.


----------



## killerwhale

Hi, guys. After reading all the good reviews about this spotlight, I decided to buy it. The only problem is that it cannot be bought in France. I did post on the cpfmarketplace with no reply as yet. Are these lights still sold in the US?


----------



## StarHalo

killerwhale said:


> The only problem is that it cannot be bought in France. I did post on the cpfmarketplace with no reply as yet. Are these lights still sold in the US?



Yup, order yours here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U04MEY/?tag=cpf0b6-20


----------



## killerwhale

StarHalo said:


> Yup, order yours here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U04MEY/?tag=cpf0b6-20



Unfortunately, they don't ship overseas ("*Shipping: *Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.")... :mecry:
The lack of reply I got on the cpfmarketplace means that I will have to forgo this solution and buy some other HID light within the same budget, though Stanley was perfect for me (in-car use, mainly).


----------



## BlueBeam22

killerwhale said:


> Unfortunately, they don't ship overseas ("*Shipping: *Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.")... :mecry:
> The lack of reply I got on the cpfmarketplace means that I will have to forgo this solution and buy some other HID light within the same budget, though Stanley was perfect for me (in-car use, mainly).


 
Since you mention that you are interested in buying a different budget HID light, I would recommend the SunForce 25 Million Candlepower HID Rechargeable spotlight. It is actually more powerful than the Stanley HID (more throw) and has a longer runtime. The downside to it is that it is much larger than the Stanley and not nearly as convenient a form factor, although it does have a longer runtime (a little over 40 minutes).

I recommend the SunForce because its supplier, NorthernTool, ships overseas, and I have owned it for a while so I know it is an excellent light. The SunForce 25 Million Candlepower can run directly from its 12V car adaptor cord, using its lower switch.

Since I am posting in the Stanley HID thread, I would like to mention that I still use my Stanley HID all the time and it has proven to be a very reliable and durable light. It is my favorite out of all of my HID lights in terms of form factor, and its throw for its size is unbelievable. Since I own a total of 3 HID lights with much larger reflectors than the Stanley, I must state that I am amazed at how well it competes with them for being so much smaller.


----------



## killerwhale

Thanx for the suggestion. That's exactly the light I consider buying (there's not much choice in this price range anyway). I was just wondering what bulb it uses--I mean, whether it is some kind of common automotive bulb or some exotic type.


----------



## BlueBeam22

killerwhale said:


> Thanx for the suggestion. That's exactly the light I consider buying (there's not much choice in this price range anyway). I was just wondering what bulb it uses--I mean, whether it is some kind of common automotive bulb or some exotic type.


 
The SunForce uses a 12V 35 watt HID bulb, and its output is about the same as that of the Stanley; the SunForce's beam is just much more concentrated. I think you will be very satisfied with the performance if you do get one.


----------



## Larbo

Just got home with my new Stanley HID. I found a W*lmart nearby that had them (two are left). Checked that it worked in the parking lot and had it charging on the way home, for some reason my wife thought that was funny.:shrug:
Now someone please turn off the sun so I can play outside.....


----------



## ANDREAS FERRARI

I was cruising around E-Bay looking to bid on another Stanley HID when I came across this...

 Magnalight-HL-70W-CP-Handheld-Spotlight 

Anyone know anything about this light?


----------



## erlon

Hello.

I just received and Stanley Hid that I bought from a CPF fellow member, but I guess the Hid has some kind of a problem.

I´ll try to explain with my poor english (sorry about that) what´s going on.

When I turn it on, a few seconds after the warm up and the HID is on full power, the brightness declines about 35% (my guess). Is visible the loss of power.
Before the loss of brightness, when the hid is really bright, I heard some noise (high frequency noise) and when the brightness decline, the noise disappears.

I´ve already try it plugged in a 12V dc and the behavior is exactly the same.

So, anybody have a clue of what´s going on with my Stanley Hid ?

Any help is appreciate.

Thank you in advance.


----------



## TheInvader

My Stanley does that also.

I wouldn't call it a buzz, it's more of a whiney noise.

If you read the first part, someone said that the ballast overdrives the bulb up to 60-70 watts (bulb is 35 watt rated). Normal HID's take a while to warm up, while this one has a bunch of lumens instantly.


----------



## erlon

Thanks TheInvader.

I read the first page of the topic and realize that is really normal.

Regards.


----------



## BVH

All the things you mention are 100% normal with the Stanley. In fact, it is quite an inovative light by using overdrive to solve one of HID's shortcomings.



erlon said:


> Hello.
> 
> I just received and Stanley Hid that I bought from a CPF fellow member, but I guess the Hid has some kind of a problem.
> 
> I´ll try to explain with my poor english (sorry about that) what´s going on.
> 
> When I turn it on, a few seconds after the warm up and the HID is on full power, the brightness declines about 35% (my guess). Is visible the loss of power.
> Before the loss of brightness, when the hid is really bright, I heard some noise (high frequency noise) and when the brightness decline, the noise disappears.
> 
> I´ve already try it plugged in a 12V dc and the behavior is exactly the same.
> 
> So, anybody have a clue of what´s going on with my Stanley Hid ?
> 
> Any help is appreciate.
> 
> Thank you in advance.


----------



## erlon

Thanks for the info, BVH.


----------



## JWBlack

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*



Mr Ted Bear said:


> Part 3 Extra Credit - Stanley with 4,300K Bulb Photos courtesy BVH
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *MAKE IT SO !*
> 
> But first a quck review...
> Wide angle L35 and STANLEY Lots and lots of upfront spill
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and another, this time N30 and STANLEY (photo's from BVH)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice pics bvh... show us more Here is the N30 solo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> STANLEY 8,000k
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and now the STANLEY with 4300K bulb
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stanley 4,300K and Stanley 8,000k
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and in gif Stanley 4,300 and Stanley 8,000
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, that 4300K bulb makes a big difference. Still not convinced ?
> Here's the N30 and Stanley 8,000 in gif


It's just a personal taste, but based on what WE can see from your experiment I prefer the higher whiter white beam it does not appear to be quite as diffuse as 4300K, it remains tight and concentrated, but I also have to add that I have very limited experience, I have 4 flashlights that receive sparse usage AND I am afraid of taking them apart. What I am interested to know is; does the human eye pick up that 8000K OR that 4300k light better?


----------



## GSMGuy

I have one question...

WHERE in the UK can I get one, as none on Ebay, and I REALLY want one.....

Mike


----------



## jar3ds

so where are ya'll getting the warmer temperature HID 'bulbs'?


----------



## LOUSYGREATWALLGM

JWBlack said:


> What I am interested to know is; does the human eye pick up that 8000K OR that 4300k light better?


Hi JWBlack, the 4300K bulb has the better color rendition than the 8000K bulb. In other words, you will be able to see the subject better. 



GSMGuy said:


> I have one question...
> 
> WHERE in the UK can I get one, as none on Ebay, and I REALLY want one.....
> 
> Mike


PM sent.


----------



## Barrie

Hi GSMguy 
i have been trying to track one of these lights down for some time with no luck like most good things they just don't seem to be available in the UK :shakehead


----------



## GSMGuy

LOUSYGREATWALLGM said:


> Hi JWBlack, the 4300K bulb has the better color rendition than the 8000K bulb. In other words, you will be able to see the subject better.
> 
> 
> PM sent.




And replied to....

Mike


----------



## GSMGuy

Barrie said:


> Hi GSMguy
> i have been trying to track one of these lights down for some time with no luck like most good things they just don't seem to be available in the UK :shakehead




I know, even though they usually convert the prices in $ to £'s - Still no joy...

Mike


----------



## BVH

My WalMart in cent coast CA still wants $70.00 for these. I was hoping to see them closed out as someone reported a month ago or so for next to nothing.


----------



## Sol

Barrie said:


> Hi GSMguy
> i have been trying to track one of these lights down for some time with no luck like most good things they just don't seem to be available in the UK :shakehead


 
If you want one of these in the UK it can be done quite easily.

This is not a plug just some friendly advice on how I shipped one to to the UK hope that's OK.

I setup an account with Bundle Box who give you a personal shipping address in the US.

I then just ordered from Amazon.com and set the delivery address to my personal Bundle Box US address. 

Bundle Box tells you when a delivery arrives. You can bundle other deliveries into one package to save shipping costs, I couldn’t wait so as soon as they told me it had arrived I shipped it to the UK. So the Flashlight cost £60 and it cost £57 to ship to UK (including duty, all handled by BB) this did include the Bundle Box one off setup cost of £20. So any future shipments will be less. 

I can recommend the service, it took 8 days from the Amazon order to delivery to my home. Expensive but worth it – I couldn’t buy a better HID torch in the UK for less? Hope this helps any UK buyers out.

Oh – nearly forgot you get a US charger so that was another £10 at Maplin for a 240 to 110 adaptor – still worth it!


----------



## killerwhale

Got mine today. It's been charging for 8 hours now and it still blinks red. Wonder if it's the same issue of old batteries. 


Sol said:


> Oh – nearly forgot you get a US charger so that was another £10 at Maplin for a 240 to 110 adaptor – still worth it!


You don't *really* need that (I mean a 240-to-110 adapter). You could just use any AC-to-DC adapter that delivers 500 mA DC at 12V and has a standard barrel plug, tip positive.

EDIT: A 12V-DC switching power supply won't do, though, since it would have too good regulation. The battery will never charge beyond 12V this way. A 15V-DC adaptor would be a solution, I guess. Or else, a regular 12V-DC transformer-rectifier unit (15-16V quiescent voltage).


----------



## tstartrekdude

....well at 3:15 am today my wal-mart had two stanleys...at 3:30 it had one....i hate you guys.


----------



## GrnXnham

Does anyone here know if the Stanley HID3000 is brighter than the Thor Cyclops 15 million candlepower light that Costco sold about three or four years back? I believe Costco sold it for about $30. I have no clue how many lumens the Thor puts out but it's a BEAST to carry around!

Right now, it's the brightest thing I have and I was wondering if the Stanley was brighter? It certainly looks smaller and lighter than the Thor.


----------



## BVH

Yes, IIRC, the Thor puts out maybe 1800 Lumens where the Stanley should be doing around 3000 - 3200. I have both and the Stanley is definitely "carryable" where the Thor is....well...somewhat carryable.


----------



## BlueBeam22

GrnXnham said:


> Does anyone here know if the Stanley HID3000 is brighter than the Thor Cyclops 15 million candlepower light that Costco sold about three or four years back? I believe Costco sold it for about $30. I have no clue how many lumens the Thor puts out but it's a BEAST to carry around!
> 
> Right now, it's the brightest thing I have and I was wondering if the Stanley was brighter? It certainly looks smaller and lighter than the Thor.


 
I have both the Stanley and the "Thor 15 million cp" light that you are asking about. The Stanley puts out more overall light than the Thor, but the Thor 15MCP Thor has more throw due to its large reflector. The difference between these two lights is a little over 500 lumens. The Stanley HID is definitely the brighter of the two, and I would recommend it over the Thor for its versatility and excellent regulation.


----------



## tbarb169

I just picked up the Stanley HID @ W*lmart for $70. WOW:candle:. Neighbor this morning asked what I was doing last night. I wasn't even pointing the light at his house, but the woods behind us:naughty:. Man what a light for the price.


----------



## BlueBeam22

tbarb169 said:


> I just picked up the Stanley HID @ W*lmart for $70. WOW:candle:. Neighbor this morning asked what I was doing last night. I wasn't even pointing the light at his house, but the woods behind us:naughty:. Man what a light for the price.


 
tbarb169, welcome to CPF!

I am glad to hear you are so happy with it. It is a really amazing light for the price, especially since it is such an extreme thrower.

+1 to what BVH said above, by the way. The Thor 15mcp is over twice as heavy as the Stanley HID, yet the Stanley outperforms it and is much brighter.


----------



## racer91

my stanley smells horrible. anyone got some spare ballasts laying around? lol. i bought mine as a birthday present, it worked great all this summer, but this winter it wouldint work. so i took it apart, and the silver thing which i think is a ballast? smells like its done when i pull the trigger


----------



## SUPERFLASH

Hi All
Looks like I have come to the right SPOT for info on HID lights and stanley HID 0109. What I would like to know is has anyone done any upgrade to LiIon on this unit?
I am goimg to open up this stanley and do some voltage and current measurments. I got this one at a Goodwill store so there is no warranty. It operates about 27 minutes on low . Could that be because battery is week?
Have any of you done or thinking of doing a battery upgrade

Also I ran across the HID bulb out of a military tow missle assembly. Electronics was smashed but bulb and small reflector is ok. Anyone have any info on this item. It looks just a little bigger than the one in the stanley.


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## TheInvader

27 minutes on low is actually pretty good for this light. 
The bulb draws a LOT of amperage so you'd have to use low resistance and high quality batteries.
My runtime tests for my HID is not much more than 25 minutes.


----------



## SUPERFLASH

TheInvader said:


> 27 minutes on low is actually pretty good for this light.
> The bulb draws a LOT of amperage so you'd have to use low resistance and high quality batteries.
> My runtime tests for my HID is not much more than 25 minutes.


Many Thanks INVADER. I talhed to customer service at the company and asked why the light came on bright then dimmed down. His reply was that the circuit jumped up the wattage to get the bulb to fully ionize. Have you done any mods to HID lamps. 
Ben


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## BVH

I posted power measurements back in part 1 somewhere. My two Stanleys ran about 31 - 32 minutes on low and about 27 - 28 minutes on high when they were new, just released at Walmart.


----------



## SUPERFLASH

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

Hi
Yiu seem to ne very knowledagable about HID lamps. Is there a site that deals with the electronics that drives the lamp/bulb. I think that if I can get a schematic diagram of the circuitry I could modify or build a ballast that would be more compact than the Stanley I have. What I would like to attempt is to use a supercapacitor as power. These things are improving every year. They don't loose power when not used and have other characteristics.Regards


----------



## JohnnyAirtime

Yadao said:


> My Stanley seems to have went to crap one me. I took it out camping with me, it worked fine the first night. The next day, it wouldn't work. The led on the back just flashed red. When I got home, I charged it, and it still didn't work, only this time the led turned green after a second or two when I hit the trigger.
> 
> No chance of getting a replacement, I shimmed the bulb, removed the coating on the electrode wire, and painted it... warranty = void lol
> 
> The top three led's still work though, but they flash on dimmly when I hit the trigger. :shrug:





ColoradoStoneman said:


> That worked on my first one with the low voltage battery, but if the battery has internal shorts, it may load the 12V supply to the point that there is not enough voltage.
> 
> Since there is voltage on the pins at the bottom of the pistol grip, it would seem that the 12V adapter connects directly to the battery. Not the greatest way to do it, as a shorted battery will take the light out of commission even when using the 12V supply.
> 
> I am going to leave it stock for a while, to see how the ballast holds up, along with the other components. For $70 it is a bargain, but like most things, you get what you pay for.
> 
> I have a prediction that the battery is going to be the problems we see in the future. The question for me is if the rest of the components are robust enough to justify a battery mod.



Hmmm....

Got some technical questions for you all that might be having the same issues as myself. I removed the cover, and mod'd in a nice 4300K H3. Put it back together, and once I pull the trigger the light would stay on. No matter if I let go of the trigger or not. Remained on.

I ended up pulling the battery lead to shut it off, and found that once plugged in all was well. Until I pulled that trigger again. Light remains on. And this went on for some tests. Now, I've narrowed it down to a possible bad ballast or the little circuit board with the high/low switch (which isn't much but a resistor, fuse... and some solder joints.

I do know, the light isn't supposed to work when on the AC Charger (says so in the instructions, and follows suit with my similar items in nature). Mine did... for a bit. Hmmm... kind of odd. 

Now, I can't get it to light for bit maybe 5 seconds... and thats lucky.

Any ideas?!?!? Is it Fubar? (I'm about to bypass that fancy dancy ballast... and put my own in). But I don't know if I should dig in just yet, and figured I'd consult with the experts here - first!


----------



## Patriot

I'm not an expert but I don't think it's your ballast. I going to go with your other guess of the circuit board. Just to eliminate the possibilities, you might reinstall the other bulb again if you haven't already done that. I think it's pure coincidence but worth covering the bases.


----------



## JohnnyAirtime

Patriot said:


> I'm not an expert but I don't think it's your ballast. I going to go with your other guess of the circuit board. Just to eliminate the possibilities, you might reinstall the other bulb again if you haven't already done that. I think it's pure coincidence but worth covering the bases.



Thanks Patriot... but, when I do my due dilligence, it seems 12V shows up everywhere I need it to. I'm just not sure about readings at each point on both components (where's the wiring diagram when ya need one!?)

... as for putting in original bulb, I'm not sure thats even worth the effort. I soldered in the 4300K. And can't see why at all, it'd be the bulb itself (unless resistance of some sort could be a cause). 

Also, I see some noting the red LED blinking. Mine did the same, and when I plugged the light into 12V or AC, the status of the LED didn't change. Just kept blinking.

TO give a tad bit more insight, with battery disconnected.... the (white) LEDs on top will work when plugged into AC. I unplug the AC, they go out. So, when I reconnect the battery the LEDs won't light at all. This was another reason "circuit board" came to mind, as the white LEDs run through that little circuit board.

I don't like when something dies on me, and it's new, and I've altered it (voiding warranty). :thinking: So, if by sometime tomorrow there's no better ideas... out with the circuit board... in with my components.


----------



## gsxer

Just a quick note but I was at the Circleville, Ohio Wal-Mart last night and they had three Stanley 3000's on the shelf.


----------



## TheInvader

Well, I'm really unimpressed with the battery life on my Stanley.

I think I will acquire some laptop batteries and stack three 18650's two or three times. That would at least increase the runtime to 30-40 minutes on a charge.


----------



## Isthereanybodyoutthere

How are you going to charge the 18650´s ??


----------



## Fird

well, this afternoon one of the two local wallyworlds (Rochester, MN) had 3 Stanleys on the shelf. Now they have two, and I have one.  Spent about $74 on it with tax Knowing that stock-rotation is a common part of retail sales, I picked up the 'back' one on the shelf, hoping to avoid some of the battery issues. Well, I suspect that all 3 lights came in at the same time, I got maybe 15 minutes out of my first charge, and thats after re-lighting it 3 or 4 times after it conked out. The battery voltage at shutdown was still 11.5+ volts. I'm going to cycle the battery a couple of times and see if we get any more runtime out of it.

I threw the AC charger on it and let it cook for a while, but it was vereh slow, so I used the DC cord to connect it to one of my 35A 12v supplies (ham radio has its advantages in the 12v department). That sped up the charging time considerably, and yes I was monitoring it for excessive heat. 

Lighting it up, it blows away my former biggest thrower, the infamous DBS (obviously), and puts a beam of light as far out as practically usable in my area, I can't see anything beyond that range anyway. I'm guessing 2000 meters or so is totally doable. This is without any bulb shimming, on the stock 8000k. Yes its my first HID, w00t! 

I like the instant start feature, even at 20deg Farenheit it starts and goes to full brightness quickly. Incidently this is probably part of the reason the battery only lasted 15 minutes, 'tis cold out there! The light can hot-restrike if it hasn't been on for too long, I've seen delays anywhere between 5 seconds and 20 seconds depending on how hot the bulb was, its a normal part of HID operation and I just have to think twice before shutting the light down.


If I could, I would definitely install a momentary pushbutton for 'turbo' mode on the back of this light, its plenty bright as it is, but when SHTF... I'd like to have that option . :twothumbs Oh, I love the fact that this light has a 'safety' on it lol, it really will do eye damage if you strike it when someone's looking into the business end, so its a good idea to prevent both accidental blindness and accidental activation leading to dead batteries. 

The LED's are useless after the HID goes out, I was actually able to restrike the HID and run it for 30 seconds longer after the LEDs were completely out. Probably a large resistor in the LED circuit, 's definitely not regulated. 

Finally, the clicky trigger switch seems like its going to need replacing. I'm guessing it has high resistance somewhere in its travel because I was able to re-strike the light and run it for several more minutes by holding the trigger all the way in, instead of using the lock-on feature.


----------



## Fird

oh GRR, ok how common is a mis-fire? like, pull the trigger (on a charged battery) and nothing happens except the little red LED blinks on the back? 

Cold bulb, hot bulb, doesn't matter, I'm getting between 3 and 5 mis-fires per successful ignition.


----------



## BVH

Have you tried running it off of the 12 Volt power cord and a cigg adapter in your vehicle? See if that makes a difference.


----------



## Fird

Yes, I get mis-fires there too, just as common. Voltage anywhere between 11.5 (seems to be the low point for this light) and 14.4 give equal mis-fires.

--EDIT-- it also appears to go out randomly, just as its operating normally, about a minute or two after starting the light. I've also observed with a DVM that when the light goes out, the ballast continues to pull significant power, even though the bulb is extinguished. The last time around it held 11.74v until the trigger was released, then it immediately climbed to 12.2v. Bad connection possibly? Doesn't seem to be battery, switch, or impact related (at least not light taps on the side of the light), the bulb just decides to go out. Alternately, anybody know of an internal thermal cutout? maybe the ballast is just getting toasty...


----------



## BVH

I just re-read your first post. Take it back and pick up another one. Don't fool around. It's probably the ballast or possibly the bulb but it doesn't matter. You're covered at Walmart.


----------



## Fird

mkay, that's what I figured 

--Edit--

Got 'er replaced, we'll see how the second one goes. Got some great questions at the customer service counter "Whoa, what you gonna do with that?" 

answer: "I'm basically a card carrying geek, its mostly just a toy"

other person: "wow, $70?"

me: "yup, its hard to explain..."

I'm planning to leave this light stock until I'm at least out of the 30 day easy-return policy at wally-world, it appears if its going to fail, its going to fail early... After that this thing is in for lithium, 4300k, a turbo button if I can figure out how to wire it, and focusing/shimming. 

One thing, is there any indicators on the light that would give away that its been opened? I'd focus the bulb right now if I can get in and back out without voiding the return policy.


----------



## jcw122

Where do I buy 4300k bulbs? What prices can I expect?


----------



## mikekoz

I just picked up one of these yesterday, and I have a few questions. I have read many of these posts, but I can not read them all as there are too many!! First, what is "shimming" the bulb? What is a POB? I see some have replaced the bulb. What is involved replacing them, where do you get them, and how much are they? This is my first HID light. I have looked at others every now and then, but they are way too much $$$$. So far, for me, the jury is still out on this light. 

1. The light has poor runtime
2. I did not think it was that much brighter than my TK40 on turbo
3. The dimmer does nothing noticable. Why bother putting this feature on the light if you can not notice a difference, and get maybe 5 more minutes of runtime? 
4. The instructions say that the green light should be on while using it to indicate the battery is running at full capacity. On my first test last night, it was orange or red. I did remove the charger after the indicator turned green. I did plug it in a bit more, and after that, the green light stayed on after I turned it back on, so maybe the battery needs conditioning. 

Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## StarHalo

mikekoz said:


> 2. I did not think it was that much brighter than my TK40 on turbo



This needs to be straightened out first - make sure you're testing/comparing your flashlights outdoors at night, in a fully open area. Once you see the Stanley light up an object half a mile away, you'll better appreciate the difference between 600 and 3000 lumens.


----------



## mikekoz

StarHalo said:


> This needs to be straightened out first - make sure you're testing/comparing your flashlights outdoors at night, in a fully open area. Once you see the Stanley light up an object half a mile away, you'll better appreciate the difference between 600 and 3000 lumens.


 

Good point! I was tesing the light in our back yard, which is only about 30 yards long, then all woods. I have 90 days before Walmart will not take it back. I will be taking it out in the country (farmland, woods) during the Christmas holidays and will give it much better test then!:thumbsup: Thank you!


----------



## TechnoBill

mikekoz said:


> I just picked up one of these yesterday, and I have a few questions. I have read many of these posts, but I can not read them all as there are too many!!
> 
> 3. The dimmer does nothing noticable. Why bother putting this feature on the light if you can not notice a difference, and get maybe 5 more minutes of runtime?




Do you have muscular degradation or neural damage to your eyes? Being unable to read them all must be very frustrating. A lot of folks run into macular degeneration as they age. It really impacts their independence and can even lead to depression.

Try reading Post #1. It will provide the answer to your third question.


----------



## mikekoz

TechnoBill said:


> Do you have muscular degradation or neural damage to your eyes? Being unable to read them all must be very frustrating. A lot of folks run into macular degeneration as they age. It really impacts their independence and can even lead to depression.
> 
> 
> HUH??? What in the heck are you talking about????:thinking::thinking::thinking: I meant that there are so many posts, I could not take the time to read them all.


----------



## jcw122

TechnoBill said:


> Do you have muscular degradation or neural damage to your eyes? Being unable to read them all must be very frustrating. A lot of folks run into macular degeneration as they age. It really impacts their independence and can even lead to depression.
> 
> Try reading Post #1. It will provide the answer to your third question.



Congrats, you just got your post reported.


----------



## TechnoBill

mikekoz said:


> TechnoBill said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have muscular degradation or neural damage to your eyes? Being unable to read them all must be very frustrating. A lot of folks run into macular degeneration as they age. It really impacts their independence and can even lead to depression.
> 
> 
> HUH??? What in the heck are you talking about????:thinking::thinking::thinking: I meant that there are so many posts, I could not take the time to read them all.
> 
> 
> 
> Ah... You said you couldn't read them all. I thought you meant that literally. I've had to adapt some users' workstation configs and/or hardware due to issues related to variables of legibility due to bi-focals and ergonomic issues of tilting neck to accommodate reading through a particular portion of their glasses ('lineless' bi-focals, etc.) With a lot of Baby Boomers using PCs, and high resolution screen settings, fonts can end up hard to read depending on the user's particular situation. Same thing can happen at home. Headaches, neck strain, etc.
> 
> In short.... never mind.
Click to expand...


----------



## mikekoz

TechnoBill said:


> mikekoz said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ah... You said you couldn't read them all. I thought you meant that literally. I've had to adapt some users' workstation configs and/or hardware due to issues related to variables of legibility due to bi-focals and ergonomic issues of tilting neck to accommodate reading through a particular portion of their glasses ('lineless' bi-focals, etc.) With a lot of Baby Boomers using PCs, and high resolution screen settings, fonts can end up hard to read depending on the user's particular situation. Same thing can happen at home. Headaches, neck strain, etc.
> 
> In short.... never mind.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dont worry about it! lol....I figured it was some sort of misunderstanding.
Click to expand...


----------



## TechnoBill

mikekoz said:


> TechnoBill said:
> 
> 
> 
> Dont worry about it! lol....I figured it was some sort of misunderstanding.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. At the time of that post, my German Shepherd Dogs {5 yr. old female is 75 lbs. 8 MONTH old male is 83 lbs., all muscle and GROWING} were plopping their muzzles on my keyboard in the _"We Can FORCE You To Play With Us."_ maneuver, so I didn't get to finish which would have included the "new" vision issues of bi-focals and computer ergonomics.
> 
> What for some is a mere annoyance, and easily compensated for, is to others a particularly vexing limitation that reduces amount of time per sitting, concentration compromised due to discomfort and inconsistent focus, etc.
> 
> Applications don't seem to be as much of a problem as platform independent stuff like browsers, Java applets, etc. There are a great many medications that monkey with vision, but for distance stuff or reading hard copy, the physical and neural components of vision seem to be able to compensate for them. But web stuff apparently has so much visual stimulation going on, emoticons, those irritating animated advertisements, etc. that the brain can't get a nice consistent set of variables and compensate for them.
> 
> I HATE bi-focals for driving, because for non-analog dash components I have to tilt my whole head down, taking not only my eyes off the road, but increasing the amount of time to _return_ them to the road.
> 
> People who are old enough to be encountering age induced degradation, but who became accustomed to PCs (or MACs) then began relying on them for web access to the outside world, are encountering "Senior Moments" that previous generations didn't, and it can be a genuine source of recurring frustration and worse. High blood pressure can monkey with your eyes, and high blood pressure medicine can monkey with your eyes. There are a LOT or retired people, for whom their computer is a component of their social interaction. Screw that up just a little and you've got people who can't interact on the fly with grand kids and all sorts of things that sound like small potatoes but are real life style/satsifaction problems.
> 
> And as my eyes are fuzzing in and out a little, FATIGUE can do it too.
> 
> Post #1. It's pretty much all there or in the next few.
> 
> The Dogs are snoozing, so I've actually been able to finish typing this response.
Click to expand...


----------



## DM51

TechnoBill... your post was reported by 2 members, but having read your subsequent posts and mikekoz's reply, it is plain that you did not mean to be rude - you just have a rather wacky sense of humor.

That's fine, but please just be aware that such things can be taken the wrong way, and as your posts are going to be read by more than just the person you are responding to, there is room for misinterpretation. 

Perhaps it would be best to avoid jokey comments about physical infirmities or disabilities - such posts tread on thin ice and can easily be taken as offensive.


----------



## TechnoBill

DM51 said:


> TechnoBill... your post was reported by 2 members, but having read your subsequent posts and mikekoz's reply, it is plain that you did not mean to be rude - you just have a rather wacky sense of humor.
> 
> That's fine, but please just be aware that such things can be taken the wrong way, and as your posts are going to be read by more than just the person you are responding to, there is room for misinterpretation.
> 
> Perhaps it would be best to avoid jokey comments about physical infirmities or disabilities - such posts tread on thin ice and can easily be taken as offensive.


Well put, and absolutely right!

Using uncharacteristic brevity as an indicator of sincerity:

*My sincere apologies to ALL* for comments easily seen as offensive and for taking thread Off Topic.


----------



## Northern Lights

Hi, yep, I'm back been a while and there are tons of recent new members, wow. A whole new bunch of like minds to get to know. During the hiatus haven't modded any hot wires and have been sittin' on unfinished LED mods but got an itch to do some wiring and soldering with HID. So I wandered back into CPF.

I have plowed through this thread and it really has not answered my questions that would justify another HID purchase (ludicris, justifying buying a light for a flashaholic?).

How does the Stanley and N30 compare?

So far I see to be worth while the stanley needs to shim the bulb and change the bulb to a better color temperature, but it is about 1/2 the cost of the N30.

I put an R2 in the N30 for the secondary light which the Stanley does not have and also added another cell. 
N30 HID, rebuilt 5 Ah, 72 watt pack and upgrades 
That is a heck of a burn time at 250 lumes. The extra cell increased the voltage and the HID lumen output and likely the HID run time (since the mod newer batteries having ever increasing capacity have appeared on the market and I could better that run time now it appears)! Run time is at least 90 minutes now, Stanley I see is 45 minutes?

So the price is half the N30 for the Stanley and Stanley is about half the instrument. Is that what I am seeing? For the money Stanley is OK but the N30 is superior? Is that a true statement?

Thanks.
NL


----------



## BVH

Run time on high for the Stanley is realistically only 28 - 30 minutes at best. About 4-5 minutes longer on low. If the extra money is not that big of a deal, I'd always recommend the N30 over the Stanley.

Welcome back!


----------



## jcw122

Northern Lights said:


> Hi, yep, I'm back been a while and there are tons of recent new members, wow. A whole new bunch of like minds to get to know. During the hiatus haven't modded any hot wires and have been sittin' on unfinished LED mods but got an itch to do some wiring and soldering with HID. So I wandered back into CPF.
> 
> I have plowed through this thread and it really has not answered my questions that would justify another HID purchase (ludicris, justifying buying a light for a flashaholic?).
> 
> How does the Stanley and N30 compare?
> 
> So far I see to be worth while the stanley needs to shim the bulb and change the bulb to a better color temperature, but it is about 1/2 the cost of the N30.
> 
> I put an R2 in the N30 for the secondary light which the Stanley does not have and also added another cell.
> N30 HID, rebuilt 5 Ah, 72 watt pack and upgrades
> That is a heck of a burn time at 250 lumes. The extra cell increased the voltage and the HID lumen output and likely the HID run time (since the mod newer batteries having ever increasing capacity have appeared on the market and I could better that run time now it appears)! Run time is at least 90 minutes now, Stanley I see is 45 minutes?
> 
> So the price is half the N30 for the Stanley and Stanley is about half the instrument. Is that what I am seeing? For the money Stanley is OK but the N30 is superior? Is that a true statement?
> 
> Thanks.
> NL



I'm not familiar with the N30, but the Stanley is brighter than the N30. I think the general consensus is that the Stanley is a very powerful light, but doesn't have a great build quality or runtime. It's just a cheap, powerful HID and not much more. But still very cool.


----------



## Fird

Well, I seem to have torched my second Stanley. Worked great about a week ago the last time I lit it up, it lived in my car for a few days (-10deg F possible) and even after I brought it in to warm up, charged it, etc.. there was no light :sigh: Light does make a whiney noise like usual, just as though the bulb was starting, but not so much as a flicker from the bulb itself. Returned the unit to WM, I have now cleaned out their supply as there was none left to exchange it for. I'm sure I could've torn into it and possibly fixed the problem, but then I wanted to be able to return it too. 

I'm thinking its possible the lamp could be arcing internally, but its quite hard to tell without ripping it open. Ahh well, for now I shall put my HID money towards Christmas gifts instead I think.


----------



## jcw122

Fird said:


> Well, I seem to have torched my second Stanley. Worked great about a week ago the last time I lit it up, it lived in my car for a few days (-10deg F possible) and even after I brought it in to warm up, charged it, etc.. there was no light :sigh: Light does make a whiney noise like usual, just as though the bulb was starting, but not so much as a flicker from the bulb itself. Returned the unit to WM, I have now cleaned out their supply as there was none left to exchange it for. I'm sure I could've torn into it and possibly fixed the problem, but then I wanted to be able to return it too.
> 
> I'm thinking its possible the lamp could be arcing internally, but its quite hard to tell without ripping it open. Ahh well, for now I shall put my HID money towards Christmas gifts instead I think.



Humidity? You need to be very careful bringing ANY kind of electronics in from below freezing temps. Condensation can form when you come inside. I'm not sure if this is what actually happened, but I know people in the photography community keep an eye on this by putting their cameras into ziplock bags before coming in, or at least not taking them out of their packs before the pack warms up.


----------



## BlueBeam22

Fird, that is unfortunate news about your second Stanley HID. I just wanted to mention, however, that the $30 Stanley 2M Series Incan is also an amazing and extremely powerful spotlight, and if you pick one up you will have both an excellent new super powerful searchlight and $40 left over to put towards Christmas gifts. Just a thought/suggestion to consider.


----------



## Northern Lights

jcw122 said:


> I'm not familiar with the N30, but the Stanley is brighter than the N30. I think the general consensus is that the Stanley is a very powerful light, but doesn't have a great build quality or runtime. It's just a cheap, powerful HID and not much more. But still very cool.


 The Stanley certainly has an interesting concept to overdrive it on start up, quite the opposite of the CPF philosophy of soft start drivers for hot wires to say the least. I understand how that is brighter. 

I wonder, though, and will not be able to tell until I can come up with a Stanley to run side by side how that comparison will fare with my N30 that has the extra cell. 12 cells to the 11, OEM, or 14.4 V ~ 13.2 V. 

After WM returns to normal next month, maybe I will have to "borrow" one on their return policy. :nana: A legit return, if I return it (it has some admirable qualities). I would say the reason for return: Not bright enough. .


----------



## elumen8

BlueBeam22 said:


> Fird, that is unfortunate news about your second Stanley HID. I just wanted to mention, however, that the $30 Stanley 2M Series Incan is also an amazing and extremely powerful spotlight, and if you pick one up you will have both an excellent new super powerful searchlight and $40 left over to put towards Christmas gifts. Just a thought/suggestion to consider.


 
Bluebeam, have you by any chance tried the Stanley 2.5M at Waldomart yet? Its $20 in the auto department. I almost pulled the trigger on that one but I didn't know if this was an old model or brand new. I noticed it while trying to exchange my HID on a battery issue. (they were all out of the HID again)

JB


----------



## Fird

> Humidity? You need to be very careful bringing ANY kind of electronics in from below freezing temps. Condensation can form when you come inside. I'm not sure if this is what actually happened, but I know people in the photography community keep an eye on this by putting their cameras into ziplock bags before coming in, or at least not taking them out of their packs before the pack warms up.


I did think of that, and gave it plenty of time to 'dry out' before I hit the go-button inside, but it still failed to respond.



> Fird, that is unfortunate news about your second Stanley HID. I just wanted to mention, however, that the $30 Stanley 2M Series Incan is also an amazing and extremely powerful spotlight, and if you pick one up you will have both an excellent new super powerful searchlight and $40 left over to put towards Christmas gifts. Just a thought/suggestion to consider.


I saw it on the shelf there and got | | that close to buying it as well, but naturally I don't ~need~ either one of these lights lol, decided that I can pick one up after Christmas, or whatever else comes out next, I'm not in a hurry. 

Ahh well, I'm sure its a fantastic light, it works GREAT when it works, the hot-start feature is amazing (much good for 'wow' factor too..) and I've heard of stranger things than 2 lemons in a row, I'll give it another try if/when there are more in stock.


----------



## BVH

Northern Lights said:


> The Stanley certainly has an interesting concept to overdrive it on start up, quite the opposite of the CPF philosophy of soft start drivers for hot wires to say the least. I understand how that is brighter.
> 
> I wonder, though, and will not be able to tell until I can come up with a Stanley to run side by side how that comparison will fare with my N30 that has the extra cell. 12 cells to the 11, OEM, or 14.4 V ~ 13.2 V.
> 
> After WM returns to normal next month, maybe I will have to "borrow" one on their return policy. :nana: A legit return, if I return it (it has some admirable qualities). I would say the reason for return: Not bright enough. .



I have run my N30 a few times right off my 50 Amp variable power supply and I cannot detect, with my eyes, any brightness increase when dialing up the Voltage to as much as 15.25 Volts running and lowering it to 10.5 Volts.


----------



## BlueBeam22

elumen8 said:


> Bluebeam, have you by any chance tried the Stanley 2.5M at Waldomart yet? Its $20 in the auto department. I almost pulled the trigger on that one but I didn't know if this was an old model or brand new. I noticed it while trying to exchange my HID on a battery issue. (they were all out of the HID again)
> 
> JB


 
That is interesting news! I have never seen a 2.5M Power Series Stanley light before. What did it look like compared to the 2M 1365 lumen halogen? Did it have a lumen rating?


----------



## Northern Lights

BVH said:


> I have run my Stanley a few times right off my 50 Amp variable power supply and I cannot detect, with my eyes, any brightness increase when dialing up the Voltage to as much as 15.25 Volts running and lowering it to 10.5 Volts.


 
My understanding is that the Stanley uses quite a different ballast system, ramping up then going back down once warmed up. It susggest that they maybe using a constant output driver circuit. I do not think you can necessarily get it to change.

I believe the two ballast systems work very differently. 

Whereas the N30 uses the old standard ballast, output is proportional to input to some degree. The N30 shows some difference within a range because there is a cutout point when the voltage drops to a certain point and I believe I read that it can only handle a certain amount of input voltage. So there is a small range of output voltage that can be had from it. 

What do you think? You have a lot of experience and knowledge here I can hang on. Another consideration is the batteries I am using are a quality NiMh and they are still breaking in (batteryuniversity.com) and are increasing their V out and realized Ah, soon they should reach and equalibrium and theri peak performance. 

Maybe the information is in the N30/L35 discussion. Darn, maybe I can find it in my PMs because when I started the project I was in contact with the folks and MTBKDAD (sp) maybe even you, BVH, I just dont remember now but a conclusion was reached that I would get a little more out of it with the extra cell. And happily the built in charger had originally been designed for the 12 or 13 battery pack, as expected it charges the new pack OK.

The N30 bulb is underdriven in the OEM configuration, the stats are in one of the threads on it. I believe it is the thread that first compared the N30 and L35, same bulb different inputs. By adding another battery brings it up towards if not to its operating design potential.

The increase of brightness on the bulb I would think is a parabolic increase and not a linear when the voltage is increased. That is why I really would not even guess what the one I modified is doing now, I can only say it it brighter than when it was on the OEM pack; there is a slight output difference I can only wish I measured it when it was apart. 

I know the Stanley is bighter than the N30, but by how much? And does increasing the input voltage 1.2 volts on the N30 increase the light output enough to make a difference against the Stanley? Donno! The only way is to put 'em up side by side.

At any rate the difference is not important, at the output of both it is the other features that should be considered against one's wants and needs. The Stanley instant on is wonderful. I have an old Vector 12V with rotating pistol handle and H4 bulb by my back door. I use it everytime the coyotes and a bob cat come up to the house to try to make a meal out of my ankle biters! The light sends them packing. That Stanley has a job waiting for it here. The N30 takes too long to get the light I need to get those fleeting glimpses of the fleeing wildlife.


----------



## BVH

Woooppps!! I meant to say N30! Not the Stanley! I edited my above post! Must be the 3 hours of sleep I got last night after driving 250 miles round trip to see the 12:01 AM premier of Avatar at an IMAX, 3_D theater!

When I get some time, I will run the N30 again off the PS and use my new light meter to detect any or no increase in brightness. I'll also hook up my Volt and Ammeters to verify that it is regulating total Watts to the bulb - I don't quite remember if it's full, partial or no regulation. If none, then I would have expected to see a huge increase in brightness with a 5 Volt swing.


----------



## Northern Lights

BVH said:


> Woooppps!! I meant to say N30! Not the Stanley! I edited my above post! Must be the 3 hours of sleep I got last night after driving 250 miles round trip to see the 12:01 AM premier of Avatar at an IMAX, 3_D theater!
> 
> When I get some time, I will run the N30 again off the PS and use my new light meter to detect any or no increase in brightness. I'll also hook up my Volt and Ammeters to verify that it is regulating total Watts to the bulb - I don't quite remember if it's full, partial or no regulation. If none, then I would have expected to see a huge increase in brightness with a 5 Volt swing.


 I do not know how far down you can take it, but please remember I am comparing what I am seeing from my new 12 battery pack to an 11 battery pack that was very bad, one cell almost dead. The difference between 11 good cells and 12 good cells may not be visible it may only be in the run time.
It may not be so much how many volts different as much as efficiency, at the death of the first pack, the ballast refused to work so at some point there was just enough voltage to operate the ballast. It was at the bottom of the limit and therefore the bulb was not operating nearly at spec. 
That is the diffence I see with it now, I have never seen the difference between a good OEM pack and the mod pack. That is one reason I would need other lights to compare.
I appreciate you going through all that testing, I will be watching for the results. Rats, my modem will not arrive until Monday and once I leave this machine in the next hour I will be internet icognito for three days. 

I just have not got the ambition or energy I used to have. Funny how when you are all worn out you just settle for the way things are. Good luck!


----------



## BlueBeam22

I have both the Stanley HID and N30. They seem around the same in brightness - perhaps the N30 is putting out a little more light due to being 4200K, but the Stanley generates a little more lux/throw.


----------



## fisk-king

just purchased my first H.I.D. & it's a Stanley. Wally-mart has it here for $19. Couldn't pass it up.


----------



## BVH

Northern, N30 results

Ballast input Volts.......Bulb Volts.......Bulb Amps.....Watts..........Lux @ 23' (garage lights on and outside light present)

11.0.........................80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........6235 (rechecked 3 times)
12.0.........................80.6.............. .36............ 29.822..........5800
13.0.........................80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5865
14.0........................ 80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5830
15.0........................ 80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5760

Both meters fluctuate about .1V/A so I picked the predominant number. This ballast is 100% regulating.

My stab in the dark as to why it is emitting more light at 11 Volts is that maybe the ballast Voltage is below it's ability to regulate so it is in some sort of direct drive?


----------



## JetskiMark

fisk-king said:


> just purchased my first H.I.D. & it's a Stanley. Wally-mart has it here for $19. Couldn't pass it up.



At that price, I would buy every one they had. How many were there? I have yet to find one at my local Walmart. Want to make a few bucks?


----------



## jawpaul

Just picked one up as a present for my Father-in-law.

However I was "forced" to open it tonight and charge it since we just got over a foot of snow and the power is flickering.

Bought it @ Lowes, and I noticed it doesn't have the High - Low Switch. Not listed in the manual either.

Will it damage it to charge it from a Higher amperage 12 volt DC power supply? (Shouldn't as the car adapter is higher amperage).


----------



## Apollo Cree

JetskiMark said:


> At that price, I would buy every one they had. How many were there? I have yet to find one at my local Walmart. Want to make a few bucks?



Be sure to look in both the sporting goods and the auto department. I've found spotlights in both places, but the HID is usually in autos.


----------



## Patriot

BVH said:


> Northern, N30 results
> 
> Ballast input Volts.......Bulb Volts.......Bulb Amps.....Watts..........Lux @ 23' (garage lights on and outside light present)
> 
> 11.0.........................80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........6235 (rechecked 3 times)
> 12.0.........................80.6.............. .36............ 29.822..........5800
> 13.0.........................80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5865
> 14.0........................ 80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5830
> 15.0........................ 80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5760
> 
> Both meters fluctuate about .1V/A so I picked the predominant number. This ballast is 100% regulating.
> 
> My stab in the dark as to why it is emitting more light at 11 Volts is that maybe the ballast Voltage is below it's ability to regulate so it is in some sort of direct drive?





Excellent data here Bob. I love your work! 

Great to see this thread so active again. It's been one of my favorites to read over time.


----------



## fisk-king

Apollo Cree said:


> Be sure to look in both the sporting goods and the auto department. I've found spotlights in both places, but the HID is usually in autos.


\


it turns out they were the spotlights not the H.I.D.'s
I gave it to my uncle for a gift.:candle:


----------



## jcw122

Just bought one. I tried it out while it's snowing, so it kinda limited the range, but BOY DOES IT LIGHT UP A ROOM! WOW!

Also, I want to add that it does have a 1 year warranty, dunno if this has been mentioned.


----------



## elumen8

fisk-king said:


> \
> 
> 
> it turns out they were the spotlights not the H.I.D.'s
> I gave it to my uncle for a gift.:candle:


 
Fisk-king, did you accidently buy the new Stanley 2.5M spotlight for $19.99? Did it happen to mention the lumen rating? I saw it at Waldomart but was in to much of a hurry to pay attention.

JB


----------



## FroggyTaco

jcw122 said:


> Just bought one. I tried it out while it's snowing, so it kinda limited the range, but BOY DOES IT LIGHT UP A ROOM! WOW!
> 
> Also, I want to add that it does have a 1 year warranty, dunno if this has been mentioned.




Hey JCW..Nice to see a fellow OCF'er in CPF.


----------



## Pellidon

The $19 Wal Mart 2.5 mcp Stanley does not list lumens. 

It has a 6v 75 watt lamp from what I see before cracking it open. 

It is yellow like the 5 watt LED light. Charges directly off the 110 volt mains like the vector/B&D lights. Plus a car charging cord. 

Big like the HID but balanced well for its size.


----------



## BlueBeam22

Thank you for report on that, Pellidon. It sounds like it might be Stanley's new longest throwing incandescent light. I would guess that the 2.5M is only $20 vs. $30 for the 2M since it is a 6V light and can't be run directly from its DC adaptor. Otherwise it sounds like an incredible budget thrower spotlight knowing the excellent quality of Stanley products.


----------



## jcw122

FroggyTaco said:


> Hey JCW..Nice to see a fellow OCF'er in CPF.



Hey, good to see you here too!


----------



## Patriot

I was at the Walmart Superstore today in Scottsdale and there were no Stanley HID's. I found the 1M incan spot and the 5W LED spot but that's it. There wasn't even a price tag on the shelf for it. Nothing over in sporting goods either.


----------



## KD5XB

Wow, I just DASHED down to Wal Mart to get that HID for ~$20 and it was still !$70! NOW I come back and read the rest of the thread...


----------



## Northern Lights

BVH said:


> Northern, N30 results
> 
> Ballast input Volts.......Bulb Volts.......Bulb Amps.....Watts..........Lux @ 23' (garage lights on and outside light present)
> 
> 11.0.........................80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........6235 (rechecked 3 times)
> 12.0.........................80.6.............. .36............ 29.822..........5800
> 13.0.........................80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5865
> 14.0........................ 80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5830
> 15.0........................ 80.5.............. .37............ 29.785..........5760
> 
> Both meters fluctuate about .1V/A so I picked the predominant number. This ballast is 100% regulating.
> 
> My stab in the dark as to why it is emitting more light at 11 Volts is that maybe the ballast Voltage is below it's ability to regulate so it is in some sort of direct drive?


(BTW-- I am having fits with AT&T, they are not getting the DSL outage fixed for a couple weeks and want to blame my wiring or the ISP and all our test indicate the problem on their side!--I am limited when I get to CPF now)

In that I have monkeyed with the power supply, we really will not know what mine is doing unless we test it. You did turn up quite an anomally with that jump at 11 volts. I wonder what tolerances they held the regulation to? Like I said though I know I had bad cells before I made my visual comparison.

In all the difference is so slight it is only a curiosity point to us "techno nuts" anyway. Thanks for doing that. 

I tried to pick up a Stanley HID yesterday, my super WM does not seem to even carry them. No shelf space for them. 

I walk 4 miles in the early morning predawn darkness with my N30 slung under my arm, I look like a slow motorcycle to the observer!

My neighbor came out, stopped me to ask where did I get that light and what in the world was it! He wants one! I would like to turn him onto the Stanley because unless you are somewhat of a flashaholic the N30 seems expensive.

Merry Christmas all.
NL


----------



## jcw122

Can someone tell me what size of HID bulbs the Stanley takes? And will a replacement bulb simply plug in, or do I need to do something special? Thanks.


----------



## mikekoz

I will be returning mine. It is bright, but it was not that much brighter than my father in law's 2 million candlepower spotlight. This may have been somewhat misleading as his spotlight had a much warmer tint, but I was not as "wowed" as I thought I would be. I am also not impressed by the runtime, the lack of functionality of the dimmer, and will just not use it that much. I would rather have one of the smaller HID's that are made like my LED lights. I just do not know why they are so expensive. What is the cheapest hand held unit on the market these days?


----------



## jcw122

mikekoz said:


> I will be returning mine. It is bright, but it was not that much brighter than my father in law's 2 million candlepower spotlight. This may have been somewhat misleading as his spotlight had a much warmer tint, but I was not as "wowed" as I thought I would be. I am also not impressed by the runtime, the lack of functionality of the dimmer, and will just not use it that much. I would rather have one of the smaller HID's that are made like my LED lights. I just do not know why they are so expensive. What is the cheapest hand held unit on the market these days?



I don't know much about spotlights and HIDs, but I got the vibe that this is the cheapest HID light available lol


----------



## fhenixlynx

mikekoz said:


> I will be returning mine. It is bright, but it was not that much brighter than my father in law's 2 million candlepower spotlight. This may have been somewhat misleading as his spotlight had a much warmer tint, but I was not as "wowed" as I thought I would be. I am also not impressed by the runtime, the lack of functionality of the dimmer, and will just not use it that much. I would rather have one of the smaller HID's that are made like my LED lights. I just do not know why they are so expensive. What is the cheapest hand held unit on the market these days?


i also returned my Stanley H.I.D.the only wow i seen was at start up for about 5 seconds very bright then it was like someone hit the dimmer switch on the back of it:mecry: i would still have this light if it ran that bright at start up!!!!


----------



## KarstGhost

Anybody else have problems with theirs out of the box? Mine says it is not charged (red light) when I pull the trigger. I plug it up and it automatically goes to green. I charged it for 8 hours (it says not to exceed that in the instructions) and it will blink dimly for 2 secs and go back off. Should I return it to Wally World?


----------



## fhenixlynx

sounds like a defective battery i would take it back try another one


----------



## mikekoz

KarstGhost said:


> Anybody else have problems with theirs out of the box? Mine says it is not charged (red light) when I pull the trigger. I plug it up and it automatically goes to green. I charged it for 8 hours (it says not to exceed that in the instructions) and it will blink dimly for 2 secs and go back off. Should I return it to Wally World?


 

Mine will turn orange shortly after I turn it on, which I think is normal. It only stays green when the battery is at or near full capacity. It gets run down so quick, the light turns orange, indicating that it is not operating on a full charge. Yours may have a defective battery.


----------



## mikekoz

jcw122 said:


> I don't know much about spotlights and HIDs, but I got the vibe that this is the cheapest HID light available lol


 

I believe you are correct. It seems to me a light like this can be made for about 150.00 give or take a few bucks, that can have a metal casing, and be more like a standard flashlight. I am going to search for one over the next few weeks. I will try to get help from folks on the forum, but will have to post that in another area, as it would be out of topic here.


----------



## BlueBeam22

mikekoz said:


> I will be returning mine. It is bright, but it was not that much brighter than my father in law's 2 million candlepower spotlight. This may have been somewhat misleading as his spotlight had a much warmer tint, but I was not as "wowed" as I thought I would be. I am also not impressed by the runtime, the lack of functionality of the dimmer, and will just not use it that much. I would rather have one of the smaller HID's that are made like my LED lights. I just do not know why they are so expensive. What is the cheapest hand held unit on the market these days?


 
For a wow factor light, consider the Professional's Favorite 20+ million candlepower spotlight for $60 from Advance Auto. Easily out throws the Stanley HID and blows away the 2M Series. As far as smaller HIDs go I recommend the Titanium Innovations N30; others will be able to recommend even smaller flashlight style HIDs for you.


----------



## jcw122

Does anyone know what the size designation is for the bulbs for this light? I'm on eBay and there are like 15 different size types.


----------



## Mjolnir

It seems to be an H3 bulb. BVH posted more information about bulb replacement in the original thread for this light.


----------



## funkymonkey1111

KarstGhost said:


> Anybody else have problems with theirs out of the box? Mine says it is not charged (red light) when I pull the trigger. I plug it up and it automatically goes to green. I charged it for 8 hours (it says not to exceed that in the instructions) and it will blink dimly for 2 secs and go back off. Should I return it to Wally World?


 
mine is doing the exact same thing


----------



## scout24

Got one this morning, WallyWorld in Monroe, N.Y. now has two left... hoping for a good one out of the box. charging right now, we'll see. FWIW, they offered me a 1yr. replacement warranty for $5.88 or some such. Seems like a good idea. This balances nicely when held, I thought it would be much more top heavy. This is my first HID, and I fear not my last... :twothumbs


----------



## Benson

BlueBeam22 said:


> Thank you for report on that, Pellidon. It sounds like it might be Stanley's new longest throwing incandescent light. I would guess that the 2.5M is only $20 vs. $30 for the 2M since it is a 6V light and can't be run directly from its DC adaptor. Otherwise it sounds like an incredible budget thrower spotlight knowing the excellent quality of Stanley products.



As I don't have a 2M to compare, I can't say anything conclusively, but I suspect you'd be better off with the 2M than the 2.5M. The 2.5M may or may not have a throw advantage, but the coarse "corkscrew" filament on the 6V 75W bulb makes a very ugly beam, and it has a 6V 4.5Ah (=27Wh) SLA, whereas the HID has a 12V 3Ah (=36Wh) battery, which I presume is shared by the 2M.

As for the DC adaptor issue -- correct that it can't be run from it, but I don't think that's why it's 2/3 the price. Looking at my HID and the 2.5M side-by-side, the HID is jam-packed with the battery, ballast, charging/control panel, LED board, and SLA, the 2.5M looks half-empty, with a smaller battery, plenty of space all around, and the bizarre choice of the exact same wall-wart as the 5W LED and the HID use, permanently mounted inside the back cover. I think it's 2/3 the price because it's only 2/3 full.

But hey, for $20, I'm not complaining. I think this one's likely to become a host for some experimentation -- definitely a nice Li-ion battery pack of some sort, and either an HID kit, a PAR36 ACL, or (if I come by obscene amounts of cash) a CSM-360 LED.


----------



## Arnulf

I just bought one off ebay....my first HID....accept for a CJ-7 that I put HID off road lights on.....hope its not a lemon.


----------



## Jay611j

I decided the Stanley HID is a must have for me after all the threads on this thing. Looked and looked at ALL the Wally Worlds down here with no luck! Finally found one on Amazon for $69.99 with free shipping! I hope it compares to my Chicago Power Tools (HF) 35w HID monster in terms of light output. :naughty:


----------



## skwei

Hi, i'm freshie to HID and CPF too ! 

My buddy just bought this Stanley Hid 3000 for me from Lowes store but the model no. written in the packaging is HID 0109L. Is there any diffences between HID 0109 and HID 0109L. Both look indentical and it's the 35W version but there's isn't any 2-way dimmer switch at the back of this 'L' version :thinking:

Would really appreciate some clarification from Stanley HID owner here. :thumbsup:

Ooh, and where can i get the 4300k bulb from?


----------



## Apollo Cree

Jay611j said:


> I decided the Stanley HID is a must have for me after all the threads on this thing. Looked and looked at ALL the Wally Worlds down here with no luck! Finally found one on Amazon for $69.99 with free shipping! I hope it compares to my Chicago Power Tools (HF) 35w HID monster in terms of light output. :naughty:



Walmart seems to carry them in the auto department, not in sporting goods with the other spotlights and flashlights. Hope you enjoy the light.


----------



## Locoboy5150

I also looked in the local Bay Area Wal Marts for the Stanly HID and gave up after going to about 3 different stores. I also bought one for a gift from Amazon.


----------



## Jay611j

Apollo Cree said:


> Walmart seems to carry them in the auto department, not in sporting goods with the other spotlights and flashlights. Hope you enjoy the light.



I looked in both areas of the stores, and you're right about them being in the automotive section, but they only had the Stanley 5W LED Spotlight and the Stanley 1365 lumen Spotlight. I even pulled out the lights to see if they were hiding in the back, but no HIDs in sight.


----------



## Jay611j

So, I got my Stanley HID today and there is no hi/lo switch on the back. All it has is the AC charging port on back and DC port on the bottom of the handle. What gives? Anybody else have one like this?

Oh.... and I just tested it (BRIGHT) and I don't see the boost kicking in at all. When I turn it on it just gradually gets bright and stays bright (about 7-10 sec to full brightness). I left it on for about 2 minutes and saw no drop in brightness.


----------



## cccpull

Weird. :thinking: Are there now 2 different models?


----------



## kramer5150

Jay611j said:


> So, I got my Stanley HID today and there is no hi/lo switch on the back. All it has is the AC charging port on back and DC port on the bottom of the handle. What gives? Anybody else have one like this?
> 
> Oh.... and I just tested it (BRIGHT) and I don't see the boost kicking in at all. When I turn it on it just gradually gets bright and stays bright (about 7-10 sec to full brightness). I left it on for about 2 minutes and saw no drop in brightness.



Sounds like they made a design change. Can you post up some pics? Mine (at least) has an abrupt drop in output, and then it ramps all the way up in 3-4 seconds. Yours sounds like an automotive ballast, the way you describe it.


----------



## Jay611j

kramer5150 said:


> Sounds like they made a design change. Can you post up some pics? Mine (at least) has an abrupt drop in output, and then it ramps all the way up in 3-4 seconds. Yours sounds like an automotive ballast, the way you describe it.


As requested.... No HI/LO switch on the back. Notice what it says on the back of the unit, I also put a link to a video of it starting up, I used it for about 10-15 minutes on a walk and noticed a slight flash when activated, but hardly even noticeable. 

*Video of startup --->* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeZnj8rWi84


----------



## Arnulf

Stanley arrived today BBT.


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## Natedog100

Interesting. That is definitely different than the one I just purchased from Walmart. Out of curiosity, what type of runtime did you get with the new design? After my first charge I only was able to get 16 minutes on high. I am thinking about returning it for the low battery life. I would be much happier at 25 minutes.

I think that some people on here have the Stanley 2.5 million candlepower spot light in addition to the HID. Is the light output between the 2.5 million and the HID in the same ballpark or is the difference major? I am starting to think while it is cool to have an H.I.D. for $70, with a 16 minute runtime it might make more sense to have 50 to 75% of the lightput for $19 instead.


----------



## Arnulf

Natedog100 said:


> Interesting. That is definitely different than the one I just purchased from Walmart. Out of curiosity, what type of runtime did you get with the new design? After my first charge I only was able to get 16 minutes on high. I am thinking about returning it for the low battery life. I would be much happier at 25 minutes.
> 
> I think that some people on here have the Stanley 2.5 million candlepower spot light in addition to the HID. Is the light output between the 2.5 million and the HID in the same ballpark or is the difference major? I am starting to think while it is cool to have an H.I.D. for $70, with a 16 minute runtime it might make more sense to have 50 to 75% of the lightput for $19 instead.



I just got it...it was heck getting it out of the plastic container.......it ran for about 7-8 pulls of the trigger then the battery died....I got it charging now....its as heavy as a brick....I did not know that mine was a new design?


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## Natedog100

Sorry Arnulf, I was referring to the new model that Jay611j has. I know what you are talking about regarding the packing job. It looks like the new design omits the hi-low switch. either way I would be curious to hear what your runtime is when you test the light out tonight. I wonder if mine is a dud.


----------



## Arnulf

Natedog100 said:


> Sorry Arnulf, I was referring to the new model that Jay611j has. I know what you are talking about regarding the packing job. It looks like the new design omits the hi-low switch. either way I would be curious to hear what your runtime is when you test the light out tonight. I wonder if mine is a dud.



I like a hi-lo feature....if its not running full bore it will not suck the battery dry as fast. 

Yeah....I will go out back with my GSD and let him have a run and I will play with my new HID spotlight.....see how long it will run until the battery dies.


----------



## cccpull

Arnulf,

Which did you get , with or without hi/lo?


----------



## Arnulf

cccpull said:


> Arnulf,
> 
> Which did you get , with or without hi/lo?



Mine has the hi-lo switch.


----------



## Natedog100

Ok, the 2.5 Million candlepower Stanley was on clearance for $19 so I went ahead and picked it up for comparison's sake.

HID: Weighs 4.6 lbs, cold blue light, deep reflector giving a more focused longer throw with less spill (though what little spill it does have is plenty bright), easily lit up trees as far as 300 yards, dead at 17 minutes on high with no loss in brightness for entire burn, $70.

2.5M: 3.2 lbs, warm yellow light, shallow reflector producing more of a flood than a long throw beam, easily lit trees at 100 and 200 yards dimly lighting trees at 300 yards, goes strong for 10 minutes, notice dimming at 11 minutes, dead by 12 minutes, $19

I must admit that the HID is a heck of a lot brighter. The sustained output to the end was nice too. With both lights I could squeeze out about a minute more if I let them cool off for a few minutes. Fit and finish is the same on both lights which is impressive at $19 and a little underwhelming at $70. 

That's my two cents...


----------



## Arnulf

I wonder if the cold weather here in MI. will make the run time even worse?


----------



## Jay611j

Natedog100 said:


> Interesting. That is definitely different than the one I just purchased from Walmart. Out of curiosity, what type of runtime did you get with the new design? After my first charge I only was able to get 16 minutes on high. I am thinking about returning it for the low battery life. I would be much happier at 25 minutes.


Haven't tested it all the way to the end in one shot yet, i'll do it tonight and see what it gets for runtime.


----------



## Roberts30

Jay611j said:


> Haven't tested it all the way to the end in one shot yet, i'll do it tonight and see what it gets for runtime.


 Thanks, I'll join in and test mine tonight too.. I'll post back with results tommorow..


----------



## Jay611j

skwei said:


> Hi, i'm freshie to HID and CPF too !
> 
> My buddy just bought this Stanley Hid 3000 for me from Lowes store but the model no. written in the packaging is HID 0109L. Is there any diffences between HID 0109 and HID 0109L. Both look indentical and it's the 35W version but there's isn't any 2-way dimmer switch at the back of this 'L' version :thinking:
> 
> Would really appreciate some clarification from Stanley HID owner here. :thumbsup:


Just noticed your post, don't know why I didn't see it before:shrug:. Mine also has no dimmer switch on the back. But mine doesn't have the "L" in the model number like yours does:thinking:.


----------



## Roberts30

I got exactly 20 minutes of runtime, on high. I haven't yet tested it on low, but I will tommorow after I charge it back up.


----------



## Jay611j

Roberts30 said:


> I got exactly 20 minutes of runtime, on high. I haven't yet tested it on low, but I will tommorow after I charge it back up.


Sounds good to me:thumbsup:. I'm just waiting for mine to charge up:sleepy:.


----------



## Jay611j

My Stanley HID runtime results: 32 minutes total runtime.

Green light: 0-9:58 minutes 

Orange light: 9:58-24:38 minutes
Red light: 24:38-32:03 minutes


----------



## Natedog100

Wow Jay611j! That is awesome. Where did you buy yours without the dimmer switch? Mine is going back to Walmart.

Mine starts on red from the second that I pull the trigger. I just tried it again using the dimmer switch and achieved 20 minutes and 11 seconds.


----------



## Jay611j

Natedog100 said:


> Wow Jay611j! That is awesome. Where did you buy yours without the dimmer switch? Mine is going back to Walmart.
> 
> Mine starts on red from the second that I pull the trigger. I just tried it again using the dimmer switch and achieved 20 minutes and 11 seconds.


I got it on Amazon.com for $69.99 and free shipping. Pretty much the same price as Wal-Mart. I just wonder why it's different than the others, but the runtime is great!


----------



## Arnulf

_I got 14 lousy minutes out of mine.....what a rip-off. _


----------



## Natedog100

Arnulf said:


> _I got 14 lousy minutes out of mine.....what a rip-off. _




Ugh! I know how you feel. I just returned mine. I am tempted to buy on through amazon but there is no telling which model I might get. I want the version with 30 minute plus run-time! Why is there such a difference from one unit to the next?


----------



## Arnulf

Natedog100 said:


> Ugh! I know how you feel. I just returned mine. I am tempted to buy on through amazon but there is no telling which model I might get. I want the version with 30 minute plus run-time! Why is there such a difference from one unit to the next?



I cannot return mine I bought off ebay and the seller has a 3 day you pay return....today is the 3rd day.....7hrs of charging just to get a 14min runtime.....the brinkmann is only 700 lumen but at least it runs for 5hrs....I guess the stanley will only be able to be used when plugged into a cigarette lighter....$70 for this poj.

I tested it twice because I could not believe it....first time 13 minutes....2nd time 14 minutes on a 7hr charge.:sigh:

Which version has a 30 minute run time?


----------



## Natedog100

Arnulf said:


> I cannot return mine I bought off ebay and the seller has a 3 day you pay return....today is the 3rd day.....7hrs of charging just to get a 14min runtime.....the brinkmann is only 700 lumen but at least it runs for 5hrs....I guess the stanley will only be able to be used when plugged into a cigarette lighter....$70 for this poj.
> 
> I tested it twice because I could not believe it....first time 13 minutes....2nd time 14 minutes on a 7hr charge.:sigh:
> 
> Which version has a 30 minute run time?



Man that stinks! Maybe you can have some re-course from Stanley directly? It seems that the version without the dimmer switch has a longer run time. I think that they just updated/ simplified/ improved the design and the only external evidence is the omission of the switch.

I was reading through all of the post and it seems that the lead/acid battery in these lights do not take kindly to sitting long periods in the discharged state. I bet you and I both ended up with lights that were manufactured a year ago (battery long dead from the original factory charge). In my light's manual it specified that the light needs to be recharged at least every 120 days to maintain the battery.

I am guessing that the version without the dimmer switch may just be getting it's longer run time because it is fresher off the production line.


----------



## Arnulf

Natedog100 said:


> Man that stinks! Maybe you can have some re-course from Stanley directly? It seems that the version without the dimmer switch has a longer run time. I think that they just updated/ simplified/ improved the design and the only external evidence is the omission of the switch.
> 
> I was reading through all of the post and it seems that the lead/acid battery in these lights do not take kindly to sitting long periods in the discharged state. I bet you and I both ended up with lights that were manufactured a year ago (battery long dead from the original factory charge). In my light's manual it specified that the light needs to be recharged at least every 120 days to maintain the battery.
> 
> I am guessing that the version without the dimmer switch may just be getting it's longer run time because it is fresher off the production line.



Thanks for the info...I don't think I will trust a company that its the luck of the draw whether you get a good one or not.:thumbsdow


----------



## Natedog100

Arnulf said:


> Thanks for the info...I don't think I will trust a company that its the luck of the draw whether you get a good one or not.:thumbsdow



I guess I don't hold Stanley responsible but I will think twice before I buy another device with an internal lead acid battery. You never know how fresh the battery is. Frankly, without this forum I would have had no idea that the light is designed to run for closer to 30 minutes than 15 minutes.


----------



## Arnulf

Natedog100 said:


> I guess I don't hold Stanley responsible but I will think twice before I buy another device with an internal lead acid battery. You never know how fresh the battery is. Frankly, without this forum I would have had no idea that the light is designed to run for closer to 30 minutes than 15 minutes.



Yeah....and I thought that 30 minutes was a short run time.


----------



## rickypanecatyl

Natedog100 said:


> Ugh! I know how you feel. I just returned mine. I am tempted to buy on through amazon but there is no telling which model I might get. I want the version with 30 minute plus run-time! Why is there such a difference from one unit to the next?


 

Isn't there a huge difference in lead acid batteries when it is cold outside? Is it possible that those with the longer runtimes did theirs indoors or in warmer climates? I'd be curious to see the difference in the same light done outside at 10 degrees and inside at 70 ...


----------



## Arnulf

rickypanecatyl said:


> Isn't there a huge difference in lead acid batteries when it is cold outside? Is it possible that those with the longer runtimes did theirs indoors or in warmer climates? I'd be curious to see the difference in the same light done outside at 10 degrees and inside at 70 ...



The first time I checked run time was outside at about 23 degrees....the 2nd time I sat the stanley on my desk while browsing this forum....13 minutes outside and 14 minutes inside....the battery drained so fast it probably did not have time to get cold.


----------



## Roberts30

I tested my HID on low tonight and got 27 minutes of runtime compared to the 20 minutes on high.


----------



## liteitup

Arnulf said:


> The first time I checked run time was outside at about 23 degrees....the 2nd time I sat the stanley on my desk while browsing this forum....13 minutes outside and 14 minutes inside....the battery drained so fast it probably did not have time to get cold.



you got a crappy battery... it can happen with everything being made in china. sometimes things fall through the cracks.

if it were me id tell ya what id do if i couldnt return it. Id crack it open get some rechargble lithiums and more then double (nearly triple!) the BEST stock run time.... when i tested my stanley it would draw 44 watts off the battery. if you made a 4s2p 18650 pack with some quality true 2200mah 18650's(4400mah in parallel) you would have anywhere from 80-85 minutes run time... assuming you already have a charger capable of charging lithiums this would be fairly cheap upgrade considering the amount of run time.

just saying... make the best out of it!!


----------



## Jay611j

Natedog100 said:


> Ugh! I know how you feel. I just returned mine. I am tempted to buy on through amazon but there is no telling which model I might get. I want the version with 30 minute plus run-time! Why is there such a difference from one unit to the next?


Here is the link where I got mine if you're interested.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U04MEY/?tag=cpf0b6-20


----------



## Arnulf

liteitup said:


> you got a crappy battery... it can happen with everything being made in china. sometimes things fall through the cracks.
> 
> if it were me id tell ya what id do if i couldnt return it. Id crack it open get some rechargble lithiums and more then double (nearly triple!) the BEST stock run time.... when i tested my stanley it would draw 44 watts off the battery. if you made a 4s2p 18650 pack with some quality true 2200mah 18650's(4400mah in parallel) you would have anywhere from 80-85 minutes run time... assuming you already have a charger capable of charging lithiums this would be fairly cheap upgrade considering the amount of run time.
> 
> just saying... make the best out of it!!





Thanks for the idea...but I have no electrical training.....have no idea how to do what you are saying.....I have already put $70 into this 13 minute spotlight...the idea of putting more into it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.....I suppose if I had detailed instructions with pictures showing me how to do it I might give it a try.....I am mechanical... I am a hobby gunsmith and hobby knife maker....and a hobby photographer...that is where my skills are.


----------



## Arnulf

Roberts30 said:


> I tested my HID on low tonight and got 27 minutes of runtime compared to the 20 minutes on high.



I tested mine on low and got 18 minutes.


----------



## Jay611j

Arnulf said:


> I tested mine on low and got 18 minutes.


18 minutes on low?:shakehead Yeah, I'm hoping someone else will pop up with one like mine without the dimmer switch and do a runtime test.


----------



## Arnulf

Jay611j said:


> 18 minutes on low?:shakehead Yeah, I'm hoping someone else will pop up with one like mine without the dimmer switch and do a runtime test.



You thinking maybe the ones without the switch hold a better charge?

Yeah..I should have bought my stanley at walmart instead of ebay....at least I could have taken it back then.....but it is 30 miles to the nearest walmart...and when its cold and snowy its easier to order online.


----------



## Jay611j

Arnulf said:


> You thinking maybe the ones without the switch hold a better charge?


Well I don't know, I haven't seen any other runtimes like mine. BUT, I could have just gotten lucky. That's why I would like to see another one like mine tested.


----------



## Jay611j

Roberts30 said:


> I tested my HID on low tonight and got 27 minutes of runtime compared to the 20 minutes on high.


Now that sounds alot better!:twothumbs If you can't tell the difference, I'd run it on low.


----------



## liteitup

Arnulf said:


> Thanks for the idea...but I have no electrical training.....have no idea how to do what you are saying.....I have already put $70 into this 13 minute spotlight...the idea of putting more into it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.....I suppose if I had detailed instructions with pictures showing me how to do it I might give it a try.....I am mechanical... I am a hobby gunsmith and hobby knife maker....and a hobby photographer...that is where my skills are.



i dont blame you for not wanting to put more money into it... i dont have any pictures and i dont know if you could demonstrate it through pictures either. Do you know how to solder?

have you tried contacting stanley for warranty? If all else fails go to walmart buy a new one, and figure out the rest


----------



## Arnulf

liteitup said:


> i dont blame you for not wanting to put more money into it... i dont have any pictures and i dont know if you could demonstrate it through pictures either. Do you know how to solder?
> 
> have you tried contacting stanley for warranty? If all else fails go to walmart buy a new one, and figure out the rest



I bought it off ebay....it was nib with the warranty card.....but since I am not the original purchaser?
I do not think walmart would take it back?
Man...I am through with ebay.....I won an auction for a Fenix TK11 R2 LED......and the seller sent me a Fenix TK11 Q5.


----------



## Roberts30

Jay611j said:


> Now that sounds alot better!:twothumbs If you can't tell the difference, I'd run it on low.


 That's exactly what I was thinking! To my eyes, I can't tell a difference between high and low. I'm amazed at the amount of light everytime I pull the trigger.


----------



## Northern Lights

Ouch. That is horrible that you spend that money and it does not give you any reasonable value. And if you are not a modder then the light is worthless.

I thank you all brave souls for your trials here. I was going to buy one as a stash it, forget it light but I think you have convinced me to shop elsewhere. I do not even consider it a good host for modding in my experience as some suggested from the reports here.

I guess value is one reason why we mod on CPF. The N30 is considered reasonable value with the cpf discount and yet we mod it too. Mine runs 110 minutes nearly 2 hours on each pack, is brighter (3500 lumens?) now then when new, the area light is a powerful 220 lumen LED spot but all said and done it is total for the light and two upgraded packs about $350. It is a fine instrument but was it worth it? And I had to risk money to mod it, no one knew if it could be done at first. I did it with NiMh batteries, no lithium risks.

N30 HID, rebuilt 5 Ah, 72 watt pack and upgrades 

IMPROVE THE N30 HID add a 225 Lumen R2 LED area light and GLOWING LED locators

At $70 you should not have to spend more. If you have to repair it or buy 2 or more to get one to work then maybe the next level, the N30 is a better way to go or other options if you consider the running around you got to do to get the Stanley to work. If you get one that works, with the quality issues reported, just how long will it survive and work?

The N30 on a CPF discount is a better buy than that if you consider what you get without having to mod it, repair it or exchange it. If you wanted to spend a little more, more upgrade there is a lithium version and the vendor, a CPF supporter has other HIDs.

I found HID metal flashlights that run 2 hours at 3500 lumens, have two levels and a case on cpf and ebay for the cost of the Stanley plus the hassles. 

I do not know what anyone should consider as the anchor price for a good HID but with a little imagination and GOOGLE you should be able to do better than the Stanley light for value. I found HIDs from importers that for a reasonable minimum were exceptional buys, group buy anyone? I also found many vendors selling a variety of HID spots. Although slightly more than $70 I would think you would not have to spend more to get the value you are looking for by chasing around to find one that works or really having to repair it or upgrad it.

Thank you all for your honest evaluations. It has helped me with my next purchase.


----------



## Arnulf

I sorely regret buying the poj.....stanley burned me for $70....and I will never buy anything with stanley on it again.


----------



## Apollo Cree

*High vs. low*

Be careful on the high vs. low comparisons. I think someone pointed out that when you switch from high to low or vice versa, the light output gradually changes over 10 seconds or more. 

By the way, I love my Stanley HID.


----------



## Roberts30

*Re: High vs. low*



Apollo Cree said:


> Be careful on the high vs. low comparisons. I think someone pointed out that when you switch from high to low or vice versa, the light out put gradually changes over 10 seconds or more.
> 
> By the way, I love my Stanley HID.


 Yep, I know what your saying. You really have to watch close for the light to "Ramp Down." And I also love my Stanley HID, it beats all of my other lights on output. And it all depends on what you want to do with this light, such as for me I check my horses with it from 300 yards while sitting in my warm truck. I always have it plugged in when I'm driving around, so I don't see the battery life as a big issue. I just keep it charged and if I ever need to pull it from the truck's power, I know I have at least 20 minutes of time before I need to return it to the charger and run off it. :thumbsup:


----------



## Jay611j

*Re: High vs. low*



Roberts30 said:


> Yep, I know what your saying. You really have to watch close for the light to "Ramp Down." And I also love my Stanley HID, it beats all of my other lights on output. And it all depends on what you want to do with this light, such as for me I check my horses with it from 300 yards while sitting in my warm truck. I always have it plugged in when I'm driving around, so I don't see the battery life as a big issue. I just keep it charged and if I ever need to pull it from the truck's power, I know I have at least 20 minutes of time before I need to return it to the charger and run off it. :thumbsup:


So, it won't overcharge when plugged into 12v power? I know that a few people mentioned that theirs doesn't terminate charge when the light is green (on A/C power).


----------



## liteitup

Northern Lights said:


> Ouch. That is horrible that you spend that money and it does not give you any reasonable value. And if you are not a modder then the light is worthless.
> 
> I thank you all brave souls for your trials here. I was going to buy one as a stash it, forget it light but I think you have convinced me to shop elsewhere. I do not even consider it a good host for modding in my experience as some suggested from the reports here.
> 
> I guess value is one reason why we mod on CPF. The N30 is considered reasonable value with the cpf discount and yet we mod it too. Mine runs 110 minutes nearly 2 hours on each pack, is brighter (3500 lumens?) now then when new, the area light is a powerful 220 lumen LED spot but all said and done it is total for the light and two upgraded packs about $350. It is a fine instrument but was it worth it? And I had to risk money to mod it, no one knew if it could be done at first. I did it with NiMh batteries, no lithium risks.
> 
> N30 HID, rebuilt 5 Ah, 72 watt pack and upgrades
> 
> IMPROVE THE N30 HID add a 225 Lumen R2 LED area light and GLOWING LED locators
> 
> At $70 you should not have to spend more. If you have to repair it or buy 2 or more to get one to work then maybe the next level, the N30 is a better way to go or other options if you consider the running around you got to do to get the Stanley to work. If you get one that works, with the quality issues reported, just how long will it survive and work?
> 
> The N30 on a CPF discount is a better buy than that if you consider what you get without having to mod it, repair it or exchange it. If you wanted to spend a little more, more upgrade there is a lithium version and the vendor, a CPF supporter has other HIDs.
> 
> I found HID metal flashlights that run 2 hours at 3500 lumens, have two levels and a case on cpf and ebay for the cost of the Stanley plus the hassles.
> 
> I do not know what anyone should consider as the anchor price for a good HID but with a little imagination and GOOGLE you should be able to do better than the Stanley light for value. I found HIDs from importers that for a reasonable minimum were exceptional buys, group buy anyone? I also found many vendors selling a variety of HID spots. Although slightly more than $70 I would think you would not have to spend more to get the value you are looking for by chasing around to find one that works or really having to repair it or upgrad it.
> 
> Thank you all for your honest evaluations. It has helped me with my next purchase.



your over reacting big time. its not like the stanley doesnt work. Mot runtimes are around 25 minutes. Out of a SLA battery this is normal. One guy has got a bad battery that runs for 13 mnutes, thats the worst ive heard, and it doesnt seem like he wants to pursue warranty. Perhaps the fact that he got t off ebay is part of the problem. Whoever owned it before him could have drained the battery and not charged it right after. This is bad for SLA batteries. The only part of this light that keeps the cost down to 70 is the fact that it has the sla battery. Everything else of this light is top notch. There arnt too many hids out there, especially at 70 bucks that overdrives the bulb on start up for faster lightup


----------



## Northern Lights

liteitup said:


> your over reacting big time. its not like the stanley doesnt work. ...


I admit that the start up is very ingenious and every other maker of hid portable lighting should take notice of it and look into upgrading their products. That is an excellent cure for the big draw back of HID. The quick start alone is something to consider the entire light for power pack up grade even if the cost surpasses another brand or model, that feature is very admirable for many applications of the light.

A chain is only as good as its weakest link. You confirm what I have said. The light needs a mod to the power supply. I agree the electronics are likely top notch. The entire system is no better than the part that fails. That is not an over reaction but a caution to consider for the purposes I intend it for. I see that another poster dislike it. I dont dislike it, it just doesn't fit for my intended use. That is what is good about these discussions. We all have different uses, needs and wants and know its not a condemation, just application consideration.

OOps, I was writing by the light of my N30, just came in from my pre-dawn walk, it went out. 110 minute run. I was cycling the new NiMh again. Looks like they are pretty constant for 110 minutes and I mean right on the minute too. BJ advertises those sub C's as matched and they are!

You are so correct about batteries on ebay. I got several Emolie 26700 that have now failed and crashed several of my mods. I got them from a CPF member who got a load of them off ebay. You have to ask yourself why some one would take apart battery packs and sell the parts on ebay.
Good thing AW now has some substitutes.

I bet there is some there that would fit a mod of the Stanley, and as I said the quick start feature justifys spending some money on it to bring it to the next level of dependability and quality. But you gotta mod it to get there.


----------



## Arnulf

liteitup said:


> your over reacting big time. its not like the stanley doesnt work. Mot runtimes are around 25 minutes. Out of a SLA battery this is normal. One guy has got a bad battery that runs for 13 mnutes, thats the worst ive heard, and it doesnt seem like he wants to pursue warranty. *Perhaps the fact that he got t off ebay is part of the problem. Whoever owned it before him could have drained the battery and not charged it right after*. This is bad for SLA batteries. The only part of this light that keeps the cost down to 70 is the fact that it has the sla battery. Everything else of this light is top notch. There arnt too many hids out there, especially at 70 bucks that overdrives the bulb on start up for faster lightup



I got the stanley hid off ebay....it was sealed in the package never opened and had a charge on it like the instructions said it was not fully charged and to go ahead and charge it the rest of the way....this I did....everything was done according to the instructions....it will only hold a charge for 13-14 minutes.


----------



## liteitup

Arnulf said:


> I got the stanley hid off ebay....it was sealed in the package never opened and had a charge on it like the instructions said it was not fully charged and to go ahead and charge it the rest of the way....this I did....everything was done according to the instructions....it will only hold a charge for 13-14 minutes.



sla batteries go dead after 4-5 months of sitting and need to be charged... regardless if the light is used or not. With a lead acid battery if the voltage drops below 11.6 volts the lead plates start to sulfate and battery capacity is lost. if this was very old stock id expect problems. did you buy it from a dealer or just an individual? if its an authorized dealer get warranty service. if its a individual file a complaint with him and/or leave negative feedback if he doesnt correct it or allow you to return it. it clearly is not performing as designed. Or like i mentioned before, go to walmart and buy another one and figure out the rest........


----------



## my#1hobby

Jay611j said:


> My Stanley HID runtime results: 32 minutes total runtime.
> 
> Green light: 0-9:58 minutes
> 
> Orange light: 9:58-24:38 minutes
> Red light: 24:38-32:03 minutes


Just got a Stanley HID as well and mine also has no dimmer switch, I got 34 minutes of run time:naughty:. I'm happy with mine so far! :thumbsup:


----------



## liteitup

very interesting. we need someone who has this new style to open it up so we can do some comparisons! i went to walmart tonight and it seems as though they stopped carry the hid. still have the incan versions though.


----------



## Jimbo13

I picked one up tonight, Lakewood, WA 98409 wallyworld had 5+ of the HID and the 1365, mine has the dimmer.

I'm not really in to flash lights but this thing is fun, I bought this to re-purpose it as a fixture in a science project.

Can I use something like this with the car adapter to keep it plugged in? I'd really like to remove the battery 
and just have it as a plug in light but I need to keep it in returnable condition until I know that mod can be done.


----------



## Arnulf

There is a stanley hid on ebay and someone asked the seller this question....how much you wanna bet its a fellow CPF member? 



> Q: Does it have a hi/lo switch in the back? Thanks
> A: yes it does


----------



## cccpull

Arnulf said:


> There is a stanley hid on ebay and someone asked the seller this question....how much you wanna bet its a fellow CPF member?


No kidding! :wave:


----------



## Arnulf

cccpull said:


> No kidding! :wave:



Ha ha.....:thumbsup:


----------



## andyw513

I was almost convinced to buy both the 2.5 Million as well as the HID, but I only dreaded carrying them both through the store! The HID is so incredibly heavy!


----------



## HunkaBurninLove

*Try Fry's if Walmart doesn't have*

In case your Walmart doesn't carry these and if there is a Fry's Electronics near you, I saw two of the Stanley HID lights for $79.99 each.


----------



## Arnulf

I got another stanley......this one runs for 20 minutes before it shuts off.....a little better than 13 minutes like the other one....but these lights just have a crappy runtime.


----------



## cccpull

Arnulf said:


> I got another stanley......this one runs for 20 minutes before it shuts off.....a little better than 13 minutes like the other one....but these lights just have a crappy runtime.



You know I gotta ask this:

Does it have a hi/lo switch in the back?


----------



## CDP930

Picked one up at Frys (went for a totally different reason but I couldnt pass it up). First HID and man this thing is saaaaaweeet.

Lot of open pasture and coyotes around that like to hide....not anymore.

So this is the best light there is and every will be, right??????


----------



## Northern Lights

Arnulf said:


> I got another stanley......this one runs for 20 minutes before it shuts off.....a little better than 13 minutes like the other one....but these lights just have a crappy runtime.


I realize everyone wants to save money and that is why they buy the stanley in the first place. Finding a sla battery with more Ah to fit is a big problem. 

Run time costs. No matter what battery type. The cheapest you can get away with for run time or translated to Ah is NiMh, if space is a problem then sub C NiMh is the way but there still is another amazing solution. If you decide it is worth the cost here is one heck of a good way to get a long burn.

I understand Stanley are 12 V, (N30 is 13.2 but will take another sub C in the pack for a 14.4 volts at 5 Ah, run time 110 minutes) 

There is a new offering in a tested formula available now. For $44 you can up grade to 4 Ah and a little bit more Voltage, or $33 and a little less voltage, runtime by watts is 44 or 59 watt/hours. If the Stanley runs at 35 watts then that is 1.25 or 1.6 hours of run time. I bet there is enough room to run another 3 or 4 parrallel and double the run time.

These are safe lithium, the type that do *not need to be balanced*, can be charged in series with a Lipo charger and at 6.5 amp it takes only 36 minutes from a dead battery, not all night! *do not burst into flame*, etc. You would need a different charger, a lithium Lipo charger, or hobby charger as they are sometime called. If you get deep into lights and have a bunch of different chemistries you can get chargers like BC6 and BC8 that do 6 or 8 different chemistries, DX has their version about 1/2 the price of a BC. One of these the first day I got it replaces 8 chargers so it was a money saver.

These batteries are almost but even better substitute for the LiNiCo Emolie we were getting from Milwaukee tool packs and running the heavy draw hot wires on. Lux Luthor, Jim Jones and I posted a lot about these mods a couple years ago, Lux and Jim had a heck of a conversation going on Emolie. These more than handle the load, have high capacity, fast charge, safe lithium chemistry and 5 mm shorter being 26650 in liue of the emolie 26700.

Lots of lumens and long burn times is what I mostly seek in my lights, the bright two minute lights dont do me any good nor does 20 minutes.

Just drop these in.
http://www.batteryspace.com/limnnirechargeable26650cell37v4000mah10arated148wh.aspx


----------



## Arnulf

cccpull said:


> You know I gotta ask this:
> 
> Does it have a hi/lo switch in the back?



Yes...it has the hi-lo switch...they had 4 of the hid stanleys and they were all the ones with the switch.


----------



## StuGatz

Picked up an HID and the 2M series spotlight. The HID has a definite high pitched hum when activated. The 2M is still charging...

The high/low switch does not appear to have any actual effect but I have not had the opportunity to check it in dark outside conditions yet.


----------



## Arnulf

I put a full charge on mine...and the next day it needed charged again...the red light was blinking.....these lights would be decent if someone knew how to modify them with a good battery....the battery that comes in them is not worth a sh#t. imo


----------



## KLowD9x

Jimbo13 said:


> I picked one up tonight, Lakewood, WA 98409 wallyworld had 5+ of the HID and the 1365, mine has the dimmer.
> 
> I'm not really in to flash lights but this thing is fun, I bought this to re-purpose it as a fixture in a science project.
> 
> Can I use something like this with the car adapter to keep it plugged in? I'd really like to remove the battery
> and just have it as a plug in light but I need to keep it in returnable condition until I know that mod can be done.



No, you can not use that wall to car power adapter to run your Stanley.

Those typically put out about 6 watts of usable power, some 12.

You are going to have to go for a high wattage unit. I recommend a 50 watt AC to DC adapter so you have some overhead for startup currents.


----------



## Northern Lights

Arnulf said:


> I put a full charge on mine...and the next day it needed charged again...the red light was blinking.....these lights would be decent *if someone knew how to modify them with a good battery*....the battery that comes in them is not with sh#t. imo


 
*HELLO!*

click this link or just scroll up ---> POST #*408* and see what a good battery for the Stanley is. Many of us have used these type of cells in spots lights and hot wires and even P7 LED lights, at least I have.

I just put that battery in a 12V rechargeable spot light today. It uses an H7 automotive bulb rated, 55 watts, 500 hours, 1500 bulb lumens

I just got 2650+ bulb lumens which is @ 1725 torch lumens, the HID at 3000 bulb lumens is 1950 torch lumens. 

Some people say you cannot tell 200 lumens by eye, I say you can, but never the less this battery in the HID will do wonders.

By formula torch lumens is 65% of bulb lumens which is a standard developed on CPF years ago. For some of the new folks, I can see that by post count, I used the Hot Rater calculating spread sheet to find the out put of this Hot wire now runnin g 14.4 volts on a OEM of 12 Volts. It aint perfect but it is the best calculator on out put we have. By substituting, cut and paste you can continute to expand hot rater entries. I know I am not the only one with copies.

The stanley is a 35 watt light, 4 of these cells is 14.4 V and 57 watt/hours of power. You could run your Stanley 1.64 hours or 98 minutes. 

*The Stanley is a good light if you give it a good battery*.


----------



## Arnulf

Northern Lights said:


> *HELLO!*
> 
> click this link or just scroll up ---> POST #*408* and see what a good battery for the Stanley is. Many of us have used these type of cells in spots lights and hot wires and even P7 LED lights, at least I have.
> 
> I just put that battery in a 12V rechargeable spot light today. It uses an H7 automotive bulb rated, 55 watts, 500 hours, 1500 bulb lumens
> 
> I just got 2650+ bulb lumens which is @ 1725 torch lumens, the HID at 3000 bulb lumens is 1950 torch lumens.
> 
> Some people say you cannot tell 200 lumens by eye, I say you can, but never the less this battery in the HID will do wonders.
> 
> By formula torch lumens is 65% of bulb lumens which is a standard developed on CPF years ago. For some of the new folks, I can see that by post count, I used the Hot Rater calculating spread sheet to find the out put of this Hot wire now runnin g 14.4 volts on a OEM of 12 Volts. It aint perfect but it is the best calculator on out put we have. By substituting, cut and paste you can continute to expand hot rater entries. I know I am not the only one with copies.
> 
> The stanley is a 35 watt light, 4 of these cells is 14.4 V and 57 watt/hours of power. You could run your Stanley 1.64 hours or 98 minutes.
> 
> *The Stanley is a good light if you give it a good battery*.



Yep...I read your earlier post....I am sure you know what you are talking about.....but I do not have the knowledge to do what you suggest....I use em...I don't build em.


----------



## FrankJ

Jimbo13 said:


> I picked one up tonight, Lakewood, WA 98409 wallyworld had 5+ of the HID and the 1365, mine has the dimmer.
> 
> I'm not really in to flash lights but this thing is fun, I bought this to re-purpose it as a fixture in a science project.
> 
> Can I use something like this with the car adapter to keep it plugged in? I'd really like to remove the battery
> and just have it as a plug in light but I need to keep it in returnable condition until I know that mod can be done.


 
That converter probably doesn't handle more than 1A, if that. The Stanley overdrives the bulb at startup, to get instant-on, and is probably pulling around 5A (possibly more..) during the first 10 seconds. Something like the Black&Decker 6A converter maybe enough to get through the startup until the ballast settles down into the normal mode.

http://www.boatandrvaccessories.com/CV6B.htm


----------



## Northern Lights

Arnulf said:


> Yep...I read your earlier post....I am sure you know what you are talking about.....but I do not have the knowledge to do what you suggest....I use em...I don't build em.


 At the moment, I am back logged, I would otherwise build one for you. There are others like me that would be flattered and honored if you asked for help to build one. 
Try posting a request. 
The reason is that quite a few folks are here because the hobby it building, and you can only build so much for your self then you look for others to help so you have the opprotunity to build and play with the electronics. 
I have an idea, lets move this to a PM, shoot me a pm is you think you would like someone to build a pack for you.


----------



## liteitup

the stanley draws 44 watts in normal running. 35 watts is the output rating. input is 44 watts. As far as startup it draws 90 watts. I would also offer to build a battery pack but it is a big liability even with the saftey the the LiMnNiCo cells, so i would say spend an extra 10 bucks and install this already setup  http://www.batteryspace.com/limnni26650battery37v16ah592wh40aratewopcb.aspx just ask them to make it in series instead of parallel.


----------



## Northern Lights

liteitup said:


> the stanley draws 44 watts in normal running. 35 watts is the output rating. input is 44 watts. As far as startup it draws 90 watts. I would also offer to build a battery pack but it is a big liability even with the saftey the the LiMnNiCo cells, so i would say spend an extra 10 bucks and install this already setup  http://www.batteryspace.com/limnni26650battery37v16ah592wh40aratewopcb.aspx just ask them to make it in series instead of parallel.


 considering my last PM, this is a wonderful idea as it meets the needs of someone who would just like to be able to change a battery as you do with all lights at some point.
My compliments on an excellent idea and, liability is an issue.

Thanks for bailing us all out.

Arnulf, my friend, you can disregard the chatter about how to fix things up for you and other suggestions,this is your best solution. 
11:26 PM


----------



## liteitup

no problem 

the only thing is that im not so sure this will just be plug and play. still need a charging solution. will also need to isolate the battery from the 12v power source if your going to run it from the cord at all.

heres the thing with the stanley. For 70 bucks its a VERY good light that will run for 25 minutes on avg. If you want that additional runtime you gonna have to pay to play. For around another 80 bucks(charger+battery) you can convert it to get an hour and a half runtime. For 150 bucks total you get a nice light with awesome runtime. Im just not a fan of the big thor type hid's. i dont think they are practical with real world use, too big and heavy, and i dont like the handle setups as the way its designed allows you to only hold it at waist height comfortably. For a pistol grip hid there just isnt another hid option as good as the stanley.


----------



## liteitup

Arnulf said:


> I put a full charge on mine...and the next day it needed charged again...the red light was blinking.....these lights would be decent if someone knew how to modify them with a good battery....the battery that comes in them is not worth a sh#t. imo



are you sure you didnt leave the led on? the led shuts off when the main light is on. Actually at end of the battery life the led doesnt even light up so its hard to know if you left it on or off. The battery shouldnt die overnight if you just got 20 minutes run time out of it. Also that 20 minute run time will increase to probably 25 minutes when you get 10 cycles or so on the battery. My first runtime was 21 minutes, and the green led would never light. With some cycles the green led stayed on for about 5 minutes and i picked up about 4-5 minutes run time total.


----------



## Arnulf

liteitup said:


> are you sure you didnt leave the led on? the led shuts off when the main light is on. Actually at end of the battery life the led doesnt even light up so its hard to know if you left it on or off. The battery shouldnt die overnight if you just got 20 minutes run time out of it. Also that 20 minute run time will increase to probably 25 minutes when you get 10 cycles or so on the battery. My first runtime was 21 minutes, and the green led would never light. With some cycles the green led stayed on for about 5 minutes and i picked up about 4-5 minutes run time total.



No I did not leave the LEDs on top on. 
When I charge it and the LED is green....then the next morning it is red again...the battery is not dead....it has just lost some of its charge.


----------



## liteitup

Arnulf said:


> No I did not leave the LEDs on top on.
> When I charge it and the LED is green....then the next morning it is red again...the battery is not dead....it has just lost some of its charge.


i see well try and put some cycles on it and see if it improves. When i first got my stanley it took 10 or so cycles of the battery for the green light to stay on for 4-5 minutes.

22-25 minutes is about the normal runtime of the stanley with the hi-lo power. If your getting 20 minutes now it may improve with cycles. I also started to leave my charger plugged in 6-7hours after the light turns green and that seems to improve the runtime also.


----------



## Arnulf

liteitup said:


> i see well try and put some cycles on it and see if it improves. When i first got my stanley it took 10 or so cycles of the battery for the green light to stay on for 4-5 minutes.
> 
> 22-25 minutes is about the normal runtime of the stanley with the hi-lo power. If your getting 20 minutes now it may improve with cycles. I also started to leave my charger plugged in 6-7hours after the light turns green and that seems to improve the runtime also.



Yep...lets hope it gets better with use. 

I cannot tell the difference between hi and lo...so I am gonna run it on low....when it first starts up it really draws on the battery.

What is that eeeeeee sound they make?


----------



## WaveMechanic

Northern Lights said:


> considering my last PM, this is a wonderful idea as it meets the needs of someone who would just like to be able to change a battery as you do with all lights at some point.
> My compliments on an excellent idea and, liability is an issue.
> 
> Thanks for bailing us all out.
> 
> Arnulf, my friend, you can disregard the chatter about how to fix things up for you and other suggestions,this is your best solution.
> 11:26 PM


 
Northern Lights, replacing the HID's SLA with LiMnNi cells is a great idea. I hope what follows stimulates further discussion of this approach.

Liteitup is spot-on when he says this is not plug-and-play. He links to a BatterySpace 4P pack and suggests asking for them to make it 4S, but I think BS would say that wiring LiMnNi cells in series without a PCB is "playing with fire" and recommend their 4S pack with pre-wired PCB, at: http://www.batteryspace.com/limnni26650battery148v4ah592wh10aratewithpcb.aspx

With a 4S pack, using the car cord as-is would be problematic: current could flow from a fresh HID battery back into the car's battery and alternator. A forward-biased diode (10A or better) in series with the cord would ensure that current only flows the right way, from car to HID. BTW, the 3S approach would definitely be out: 14+ volts from the car could exceed the pack's maximum voltage (think smoke, flames).

Of course the OEM AC charger won't work with the new battery. BS's charger at http://www.batteryspace.com/smartcharger60afor148vli-ionpolymerrechargeablebatterypack.aspx or equivalent would be needed. But I'd venture that you could reuse the plug from the Stanley charger.

It would certainly be interesting to see what run time this provides: Northern Lights, if you have any real-world testing results please share!And, importantly, the HID would be 25% lighter (over a pound) after replacing the lead battery. On a long hike, that alone might be worth spending 2x the original cost to do the upgrade...

...but, and please excuse me, a newbie here, if in the interest of safety I ask everyone be careful about using these high-energy batteries, and add, "Just remember - only you can prevent Lithium fires!"


----------



## Apollo Cree

Arnulf said:


> Yep...lets hope it gets better with use.
> 
> I cannot tell the difference between hi and lo...so I am gonna run it on low....when it first starts up it really draws on the battery.
> 
> What is that eeeeeee sound they make?



I wonder if the high/low switch affects the initial current draw? I wouldn't be surprised if the starting current is the same either way until the circuitry gets the bulb started and settles down. 

The battery provides low voltage DC. 6V? 12V? or something like that. 

A HID bulb requires a much higher voltage. There is circuitry that changes the DC to AC and then runs the AC through a transformer to get the high voltage the HID bulb requires. 

The transformer or other parts of the AC circuitry tend to vibrate and produce noise. The AC frequency is higher than household AC and makes the high pitched noise. 

(Note: it might not be an actual transformer, but the concept is the same.)


----------



## KarstGhost

I apologize if this has already been covered...there is a lot to read through about this particular light. 

Has anybody confirmed the OTF lumens for the Stanley HID?


----------



## Arnulf

Apollo Cree said:


> I wonder if the high/low switch affects the initial current draw? I wouldn't be surprised if the starting current is the same either way until the circuitry gets the bulb started and settles down.
> 
> The battery provides low voltage DC. 6V? 12V? or something like that.
> 
> A HID bulb requires a much higher voltage. There is circuitry that changes the DC to AC and then runs the AC through a transformer to get the high voltage the HID bulb requires.
> 
> The transformer or other parts of the AC circuitry tend to vibrate and produce noise. The AC frequency is higher than household AC and makes the high pitched noise.
> 
> (Note: it might not be an actual transformer, but the concept is the same.)




Cool....thanks for explaining it to me.


----------



## Northern Lights

WaveMechanic said:


> Northern Lights, replacing the HID's SLA with LiMnNi cells is a great idea. I hope what follows stimulates further discussion of this approach.
> 
> Liteitup is spot-on when he says this is not plug-and-play. He links to a BatterySpace 4P pack and suggests asking for them to make it 4S, but I think BS would say that wiring LiMnNi cells in series without a PCB is "playing with fire" and recommend their 4S pack with pre-wired PCB, at: http://www.batteryspace.com/limnni26650battery148v4ah592wh10aratewithpcb.aspx
> 
> With a 4S pack, using the car cord as-is would be problematic: current could flow from a fresh HID battery back into the car's battery and alternator. A forward-biased diode (10A or better) in series with the cord would ensure that current only flows the right way, from car to HID. BTW, the 3S approach would definitely be out: 14+ volts from the car could exceed the pack's maximum voltage (think smoke, flames).
> 
> Of course the OEM AC charger won't work with the new battery. BS's charger at http://www.batteryspace.com/smartcharger60afor148vli-ionpolymerrechargeablebatterypack.aspx or equivalent would be needed. But I'd venture that you could reuse the plug from the Stanley charger.
> 
> It would certainly be interesting to see what run time this provides: Northern Lights, if you have any real-world testing results please share!And, importantly, the HID would be 25% lighter (over a pound) after replacing the lead battery. On a long hike, that alone might be worth spending 2x the original cost to do the upgrade...
> 
> ...but, and please excuse me, a newbie here, if in the interest of safety I ask everyone be careful about using these high-energy batteries, and add, "Just remember - only you can prevent Lithium fires!"


 There are 4 lithium chemistries, the Lipo is the most flamable. The lithium, nickel, cobalt which these are is one of the least.

It will not flare or flame and can be charged in series without pcb. 

And strange as it seems, it charges on a Lipo system-lol


----------



## Benson

Northern Lights said:


> There are 4 lithium chemistries, the Lipo is the most flamable. The lithium, nickel, cobalt which these are is one of the least.
> 
> It will not flare or flame and can be charged in series without pcb.
> 
> And strange as it seems, it charges on a Lipo system-lol



Li-poly is not a separate chemistry -- it's the same LiCo reaction as "normal" Li-ion cells. AIUI, the main reason it's more dangerous is that the bag construction makes it much more prone to mechanical damage than cylindrical cells....


----------



## Northern Lights

WaveMechanic said:


> ...but, and please excuse me, a newbie here, if in the interest of safety I ask everyone be careful about using these high-energy batteries, and add, "Just remember - only you can prevent Lithium fires!"


Trying to get caught up here. If you Google cpf, look for the Milwaukee tool pack battery, Emolie, mods, same battery, I have used it for hot wires and LED. It has a higher voltage than other lithiums and it can handle incredible loads, this cell can take bursts to 40 amps, most shut down at a couple amps. They also can be charged at incredible rates, they charge on Lipo chargers. At 3.7 volts they are perfect for P7 D bins with a 3.75 Vf and since they do not sag under load the output graphs look like a regulated light when they are direct drive. They held up well on 5 amp 5761 mods too. But the 5761 often has a bulb voltage limit of 7.2 volts and on the emolies I often got 7.6 so had to not only use a soft start but had to regulate the constant voltage. 

Lux Luthor, Jim Jones, Missionaryman and myself are a few that played with these when they first came out. You should dig for those posts. A123 and Emolie type cells are very safe. The only consumer problems is that they are high amps, you short them and you will deliver a lot of power which can heat things up but these do not reach runaway temperatures and do not flare.

Happy hunting. The work has been done, it is deep in the archives.


----------



## StuGatz

This post is only FWIW and as a few of you that I have already met know, I am no techie but a simple user of this kind of equipment... :candle:

After my recent purchase of the HID & 1365 and the full charge of both, I have been able to run a consecutive comparison test of the HID, 1365, and an approximate 5 year old Vectorlight 1.5 million candlepower pistol grip spotlight similar in appearance to the Stanley lights but with a metalic body.

All three tights were charged to full capacity and activated with the lock on device within 5 seconds of each other.

The Stanely HID ceased function after 13 minutes. It would turn on again but for only approximately 5 seconds and is now back on the charger.

The Stanley 1365 has decreased to a visual estimation of 20% to 30% of it's original thrown light as of approximately 20 minutes after activation.

The approximate 5 year old Vector (with original bulb and battery) is at approximately 60% to 70% of the original light output from activation time.

Wow... just wow...


----------



## StuGatz

30 minutes after activation the Stanley 1365 was at less than 5% original light output so I turned it off to recharge the light.

34 minutes after activation the Vector is down to approximately 10% to 15% of original output... I am more than a little impressed.


----------



## Northern Lights

StuGatz said:


> 30 minutes after activation the Stanley 1365 was at less than 5% original light output so I turned it off to recharge the light.
> 
> 34 minutes after activation the Vector is down to approximately 10% to 15% of original output... I am more than a little impressed.


 I love my vector, although only an H7 bulb now with the IMR26650 and 14.8V it has gone from 1500 bulb lumens to 2650+, an increase of 176%. and an hour run time.

The spot light btw, being incadescent has a better color than the HID, the slightly warmer color gives better contrast so things look sharper and clearer even that gives an impression of more light because you see more detail.

Really, what this thread has turned to is not so much what light or which one is best. This discussion is all about batteries and power.


----------



## StuGatz

Northern Lights said:


> Really, what this thread has turned to is not so much what light or which one is best. This discussion is all about batteries and power.



My point being that both of the Stanley lights appear to have mediocre batteries and/or power... 

I will run another test after the recharges but if there is no improvement in run time they will both go back to the store.


----------



## Northern Lights

StuGatz said:


> My point being that both of the Stanley lights appear to have mediocre batteries and/or power...
> 
> I will run another test after the recharges but if there is no improvement in run time they will both go back to the store.


 I agree, looks like they are "fixer uppers" from the very start. Not what you really want in value for your money.


----------



## liteitup

WaveMechanic said:


> Northern Lights, replacing the HID's SLA with LiMnNi cells is a great idea. I hope what follows stimulates further discussion of this approach.
> 
> Liteitup is spot-on when he says this is not plug-and-play. He links to a BatterySpace 4P pack and suggests asking for them to make it 4S, but I think BS would say that wiring LiMnNi cells in series without a PCB is "playing with fire" and recommend their 4S pack with pre-wired PCB, at: http://www.batteryspace.com/limnni26650battery148v4ah592wh10aratewithpcb.aspx
> 
> With a 4S pack, using the car cord as-is would be problematic: current could flow from a fresh HID battery back into the car's battery and alternator. A forward-biased diode (10A or better) in series with the cord would ensure that current only flows the right way, from car to HID. BTW, the 3S approach would definitely be out: 14+ volts from the car could exceed the pack's maximum voltage (think smoke, flames).
> 
> Of course the OEM AC charger won't work with the new battery. BS's charger at http://www.batteryspace.com/smartcharger60afor148vli-ionpolymerrechargeablebatterypack.aspx or equivalent would be needed. But I'd venture that you could reuse the plug from the Stanley charger.
> 
> It would certainly be interesting to see what run time this provides: Northern Lights, if you have any real-world testing results please share!And, importantly, the HID would be 25% lighter (over a pound) after replacing the lead battery. On a long hike, that alone might be worth spending 2x the original cost to do the upgrade...
> 
> ...but, and please excuse me, a newbie here, if in the interest of safety I ask everyone be careful about using these high-energy batteries, and add, "Just remember - only you can prevent Lithium fires!"



the stanley already has a protection circuit (mosfet) built in to keep the battery from draining through the cord.  What i worry about is isolating the lithium battery from the unmetered 12v power source. I dont know what effect this would have on the lithium battery.

You could most definately reuse the stock barrel plug for the charger (i used this on a another custom HID light to charge a LIPO, along with an installed balance connector), just need to direct wire it to the battery pack and bypass the electrics for the SLA.


----------



## Northern Lights

liteitup said:


> the stanley already has a protection circuit (mosfet) built in to keep the battery from draining through the cord.  What i worry about is isolating the lithium battery from the unmetered 12v power source. I dont know what effect this would have on the lithium battery.
> 
> You could most definately reuse the stock barrel plug for the charger (i used this on a another custom HID light to charge a LIPO, along with an installed balance connector), just need to direct wire it to the battery pack and bypass the electrics for the SLA.


I under stand. I would not connect the 14.8 v pack to the power cord, which sounds like it is a simple parallel connection for the 12V sla. You would be drawing down the Li pack the entire time it is hooked up. It is possible to overdraw these batteries. It is very difficult to damage them, however. From battery space you can get a single purpose small Li charger and that could be used on the 12V line. Or from DX you can get a copy of the BC6 charger a lot cheaper, however the tolerances to the charging criteria has a lot more variance I see from reading the spec sheet. It would likely be ok though. All these chargers are the same for LiPo and the LiPo precautions will scare you :green: but most do not apply to these newer cells which are usually not even mentioned in these charger specs. 
The Li pack could be hooked directly to hobby charger that does Lipo as the charge cycle is the same. These cells can charge at a 6.5 amp rate. 
A good hobby charger seems like an expense but if you figure out how many other chargers it will replace it actually is a savings.:naughty: BC6 for instance does 6 battery chemistries, in the case of Li it does three sub- programs so it actually does 8. They will also do conditioning, series, balance, storage prgrams and charge rates, manual or auto, capacities and voltage are all addressable. I got mine for $169 but is replaced the day I got it 8 other chargers. 
You should dump the internal board if changing to Li. Remove it if possible, I am not familiar with the set up it could be physically impossible to do that but it should be isolated out of circuit at the least. 
You can get from Batteryspace single purpose chargers too and at the least you would need this for the new system. I have a magcharger set up quite like that on a single use charger that has a 12v. input. That would be the way you use it in a vehicle.
Here are two BS links to lithium/polymer chargers, remember for these cells no balance is necessary and can be a straight series charge:
http://www.batteryspace.com/smartcharger60afor148vli-ionpolymerrechargeablebatterypack.aspx
and
http://www.batteryspace.com/smartch...olymerrechargeablebatterypackmalecarplug.aspx
:naughty:This next idea may sound overly complicated but it shows you to what extend you can take this. I have several chargers along with the BC6 that I use and necessariy need 110 V AC input, they have no 12V DC input. From Harbor Freight, best price on these with their sales or Goggle searched coupons, I have gotton small cigarette plug 100 watt and larger AC/DC inverters. These have cut outs and work just fine. My Tundra has at least four interior 12V outlets OEM that can take the loads, they are marked right on them. 
It is not difficult to match the inverters to the needs, just read the spec on the input power, it given in amps then watts is amps X volts for the number.:thinking:
My phone charger that came with the gizmo was AC only and the DC charger cord cost more than a Harbor Freit 100 watt inverter, $9 on a weekly sale. It powers the AC charger just fine.:sigh:
I told you it was complex,:sick2: but if you understand it you can see how you can save some money and be hooked up for any demand, and if you dont get that deep into electronics, you can ignore it. It has no affect on the Stanley conversion.:twothumbs
It is 2 A.M., couldn't sleep. I can now, going back to bed!


----------



## Arnulf

What do you techs/modifiers think about a power supply that would hang on your belt and connect to the Stanley via the cigarette lighter wire?


----------



## Arnulf

I just done another run-time test.....got 25 minutes on the low setting.


----------



## Northern Lights

Arnulf said:


> What do you techs/modifiers think about a power supply that would hang on your belt and connect to the Stanley via the cigarette lighter wire?


Cumbersom. The best solution would be to use another sla of 2 Ah or more in the pack for economy and compatability. The old battery could be used with a 12V pack/

For weight the safe lithium is the lightest with that much (4 Ah, 14.8 V batt) power.

I you use anything other than a 12V pack however, the self contained battery would need to be by passed. 

A ten cell NiMh pack of cells from Battery Junction would be my first choice. It charges on a NiMn charger, is 12.0 volts, up to 12 AH, charges at fast A rate, is not too heavy, cost about $40-$70. sub C to Ds available. The sub C is best by weight and is 5 Ah, charges at 3 amps and can take the Load. C look pretty good too, Ds are phenominal and I believe they can handle the HID bulb, but you should give Jeff a call and ask on that one for the D.


----------



## Arnulf

Northern Lights said:


> Cumbersom. The best solution would be to use another sla of 2 Ah or more in the pack for economy and compatability. The old battery could be used with a 12V pack/
> 
> For weight the safe lithium is the lightest with that much (4 Ah, 14.8 V batt) power.
> 
> I you use anything other than a 12V pack however, the self contained battery would need to be by passed.
> 
> A ten cell NiMh pack of cells from Battery Junction would be my first choice. It charges on a NiMn charger, is 12.0 volts, up to 12 AH, charges at fast A rate, is not too heavy, cost about $40-$70. sub C to Ds available. The sub C is best by weight and is 5 Ah, charges at 3 amps and can take the Load. C look pretty good too, Ds are phenominal and I believe they can handle the HID bulb, but you should give Jeff a call and ask on that one for the D.



Thanks for the reply NL.....your a goldmine of info. :thumbsup:


----------



## StuGatz

The second "test" has about the same result. The HID just gave up the ghost at 15 minutes. 

The 1365 is at less than 50%

I had recharged both lights and they sat for about a day and a half before I ran the timed test.

Perhaps I expect too much from these lights??? :candle:


----------



## liteitup

Northern Lights said:


> Cumbersom. The best solution would be to use another sla of 2 Ah or more in the pack for economy and compatability. The old battery could be used with a 12V pack/
> 
> For weight the safe lithium is the lightest with that much (4 Ah, 14.8 V batt) power.
> 
> I you use anything other than a 12V pack however, the self contained battery would need to be by passed.
> 
> A ten cell NiMh pack of cells from Battery Junction would be my first choice. It charges on a NiMn charger, is 12.0 volts, up to 12 AH, charges at fast A rate, is not too heavy, cost about $40-$70. sub C to Ds available. The sub C is best by weight and is 5 Ah, charges at 3 amps and can take the Load. C look pretty good too, Ds are phenominal and I believe they can handle the HID bulb, but you should give Jeff a call and ask on that one for the D.



actually since the stanley is designed to be used in a car it is designed to be run up to 14-15 volts in the 12volt socket, since when cars running produce near 15 volts.

In my own testing i have hooked up fully charged 14.8 lipo pack (over 16 volts fully charged). I ran the light for about 10 minutes while the internal battery charged and ran off of the lipo pack. I measured a max 5 amp spike going into the stanley off the lipo while the stanley was running and then settled down to around 3 amps while running. I didnt test the amp draw while it was not running. Anything under 16 volts should be able to be handled i would think. next time i have my stanley apart im going to measure whats going on at the battery with a 14.8 lipo hooked up to the cord.


----------



## BVH

IIRC, I powered mine up to 15.5 Volts off a variable power supply so the Voltage was steady at 15.5, no sag. I chose not to go any further.


----------



## Northern Lights

liteitup said:


> actually since the stanley is designed to be used in a car it is designed to be run up to 14-15 volts in the 12volt socket, since when cars running produce near 15 volts.
> 
> In my own testing i have hooked up fully charged 14.8 lipo pack (over 16 volts fully charged). I ran the light for about 10 minutes while the internal battery charged and ran off of the lipo pack. I measured a max 5 amp spike going into the stanley off the lipo while the stanley was running and then settled down to around 3 amps while running. I didnt test the amp draw while it was not running. Anything under 16 volts should be able to be handled i would think. next time i have my stanley apart im going to measure whats going on at the battery with a 14.8 lipo hooked up to the cord.


It is not that it wont run, it will keep running current. When the pack is installed it is in parallel to the sla even when the light is off the two batteries are in circuit to each other.
The sla is 12v, so when not running, left hooked up the sla will drain the 14.8 V pack that is hooked to it. You cannot have two voltages in a closed circuit, they will equalize. Think of current like water, it will run to the lowest point. The sla can take the 15V surge or constant current but it will continue to drain. Think of it hooked up in a closed parrallel circuit like a 12V wet cell on a car, which has 6 ea 2V cells on the batt. when one goes bad, low voltage, it drains the others down to a stasis.


----------



## ledepede

Was there anyone who has succeeded in getting the EU??


----------



## mackle

Brand new to this forum. My apologies if i have posted in the wrong thread. I am not an expert, but am seeking some assistance. Purchased the Stanley HID-0109 with 2 step intensity switch about 6 months ago from Wal-Mart for my girlfriend who is a petsitter. Seemed like a perfect gift, since some of her clients are "ranches". 

She had some duration problems early on (as cited my some members of this forum). Left it plugged in to charge for weeks. Now when the DC charger is plugged in, the green status light immediately comes on. the red or orange never appears. When unplugged form the charger, the LEDs work, but the HID never comes on (at either intensity). When plugged into the 12V adapter for the car, apparently bypassing the battery, the HID works. 

Could she have damaged the circuit protection or battery? Is the battery faulty? Should I call the "800" number in the user's manual? Is there something I can try before making that call?

Any help from you experts out there would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## liteitup

Northern Lights said:


> It is not that it wont run, it will keep running current. When the pack is installed it is in parallel to the sla even when the light is off the two batteries are in circuit to each other.
> The sla is 12v, so when not running, left hooked up the sla will drain the 14.8 V pack that is hooked to it. You cannot have two voltages in a closed circuit, they will equalize. Think of current like water, it will run to the lowest point. The sla can take the 15V surge or constant current but it will continue to drain. Think of it hooked up in a closed parrallel circuit like a 12V wet cell on a car, which has 6 ea 2V cells on the batt. when one goes bad, low voltage, it drains the others down to a stasis.



im fully aware the batteries are connected in parallel. Im not suggesting leaving it connected permanently when the light is off. Its no different then hooking it up to your car when the engine is running and making 14-15 volts. There is internal charging circuitry in the light that limits the current. Its is not as though you are directly connecting each battery together.


----------



## Northern Lights

liteitup said:


> im fully aware the batteries are connected in parallel. Im not suggesting leaving it connected permanently when the light is off. Its no different then hooking it up to your car when the engine is running and making 14-15 volts. There is internal charging circuitry in the light that limits the current. Its is not as though you are directly connecting each battery together.


 There is one big difference that is not been addressed. The 14.8 pack is lithium nickel cobalt, althoug a safe lithium, you have a narrow parameter of safe limits to avoid damage to the batteries. I would not trust the circuitry which designed for sla to work within the limits required by the Lithum pack.


----------



## liteitup

Northern Lights said:


> There is one big difference that is not been addressed. The 14.8 pack is lithium nickel cobalt, althoug a safe lithium, you have a narrow parameter of safe limits to avoid damage to the batteries. I would not trust the circuitry which designed for sla to work within the limits required by the Lithum pack.



so your talking about drawing battery down below the safe voltage... i agree with you that it would be easy to do this if you werent paying attention and the circuitry in the light would do nothing to protect it... I was merely saying that it seems possible to run the light off of spare batteries if you had them... a fully charged 4000mah lipo would be able to supply power to the stanley for atleast an hour safely. Smart use would be the key here... 

I am also going to do further testing when i get motivated to see what happens at the sla when you plug a fully charged 14.8 lipo into the aux port to see how much current and voltage are going into the battery because a fully charged lipo would be running 16 volts.. I want to compare a 14.4 car running voltage to the lipo and see the differences. I would say i wouldnt make a habit of this until further testing is done. Like i said i tried it on mine and ran it for 10 minutes with no ill effects but i could have just been lucky, i havnt done it any longer then that.

If i were to build a spare battery solely for this operation i would make with a protection circuit built in for no worries and maybe run it through a rectifier to drop the voltage going into the light.


----------



## Northern Lights

Right on!


----------



## Bright+

Could this still be bought in a B&M? 

Now onto battery... the Ah ratings on SLAs are based on C/20 rate and at the C+ rate being used in these lights, you'll only get about 1/2 the C/20 capacity. Even though the battery is 3Ah, the usable capacity is around 1.5Ah at the discharge rate being used.

NiCd can provide more or less the full capacity at C rate, so a 2 or 2.5Ah 12v power tool pack should provide about the same run time and less charge time.

Anyone tried it?


----------



## Hammer Train

ledepede said:


> Was there anyone who has succeeded in getting the EU??



I have one in England. These are impossible to get hold of in the EU, and I had it shipped over at the cost of shipping only of $50 + $50 tax just to see if it is worth the 20+ pages of replies in this thread!


----------



## jcw122

I'd like to put my 4300k bulb in my Stanley tonight...what is the safest way to insulate the new connection to the bulb? Will electrical tape work or should I use heat shrink? 

I'm just trying to make sure I don't damage my light.


----------



## BVH

I'd use 4 layers of heat shrink. My experience shows it prevents cross-over during the microsecond of ignition (23KV).


----------



## jcw122

BVH said:


> I'd use 4 layers of heat shrink. My experience shows it prevents cross-over during the microsecond of ignition (23KV).



I was going to use heatshrink but the store closed at 7, so what I did is I opened up the two grey cynlinders where they wires are soldered, soldered the new bulb on, covered the solder joints with electrical tape a few times, then recovered the electrical tape with the cylinders, then taped the cylinders back together. It's been working for the first 10 minutes of use, so I'm happy 

The results are GREAT! It's not a stark initial difference per-say, but if you look closely, color rendition is much better, range is a better (IMO) and I'd say penetration through brush/woods is better because you can see the target better without the bright beam.


----------



## BVH

The only time you'd experience a cross-over is the microsecond of ignition. From then on, it's only seeing about 80 to 90 Volts or so and there won't be any issues during warm up or normal running.


----------



## LedSanders

Okay guys I have been scoping the automotive section of the 3 Wal*Marts within my local area since last year, and have only come across the Halogen 1300LM Spotlight. but today figures I go out of town and I found one in a wal*mart in N. Arizona.

1st thing I noticed was the lack of a High Low switch on the back. I guess Stanley got tired of having to tell people that It can take upto 5 minutes for the ballast to run down to lower levels.

I must say if you haven't had a HID Light get this one if you have the chance.

I do think the stock bulb is around 8000k (its most def ice blue). but me in all my wonderous glory bought the Warranty so I don't know that I will be swapping the bulb for one of the old 4500k bulbs I have that I swapped for 6000k's in my mustang till next year


----------



## jcw122

At my recent visits to the same Walmart I purchased mine at, I haven't seen Stanley HIDs anymore.


----------



## bhuber

jcw122 said:


> At my recent visits to the same Walmart I purchased mine at, I haven't seen Stanley HIDs anymore.




I still see them in my area.


----------



## Larbo

I saw three HIDs near me a month ago, almost had two of them.:shakehead


----------



## Monocrom

bhuber said:


> I still see them in my area.


 
+1

I was at the nearest Wal-Mart to my home just a few days ago. They're still being sold over by the automobile section.


----------



## ronman

Monocrom said:


> +1
> 
> I was at the nearest Wal-Mart to my home just a few days ago. They're still being sold over by the automobile section.



I purchased mine two days ago at the WM Supercenter located near the University of Central Florida.
They had 3 on the shelf, and mine does not have the switch.
I'll try to get a runtime later today when it's fully recharged.


----------



## ronman

Went green > amber at 8:20
Amber > red at 24:45
Red > shutdown at 31:25

In a 78*F room with a ceiling fan on high for airflow, the lens temp seems to be around 270*F according to my IR thermometer placed ~12" from the glass.


----------



## Larbo

Has anyone found a place to buy replacement batteries for the HID?? 

Its a UN3-12

This is the nearest I can find http://www.interstatebatteries.com/...ct+Type|101|1|&Title=12V+2.3AH+SLA+187+FASTON

This one is the same size but only 2.3AH, or maybe the original batteries capacity was overated.....


----------



## rlorion

Just bought the Stanley HID0109 at WalMart and this thing rocks. While taking a quick trip with the wife to the bank I decided to see what this thing can do...and wholy cow, this thing is amazing. I would love to rig up two of these lights onto my F150 for some serious light throwing down the road.:twothumbs


----------



## CR123_CR123_CR123

Today, I saw two at the automotive section in fremont, ca walmart.

once I picked it up, i figured out it was too heavy for EDC.  

i'll stick to my G2L with a M61 (thank you cpf for introducing me to the world of flashlights, i didn't know any of these manufacturers til then). lovecpf


----------



## plasmaman

Just thought I'd add my bit on Stanley's HID.
Finally got mine via a pal who was visiting the US, and he brought it back to UK for me (Amazon 70 bucks version).
Opened it up rightaway and found that the SLA battery (which is rammed in there) had chaffed the neg out of the ballast down to bare wire - hmm - good start!
So chucked the SLA out, repaired the wire and built a 4 x 26650 Li pack. Should be OK I thought - my POB runs happily on 4 x Li D's at 16v+ off the charger, so Stanley should be OK.
Not so - charged the cells to full on my BC6 charger - showing 16.4v, hooked her up - and the light fired and then after a couple of seconds closes down. 
So the PCB has some sort of voltage regulator!!
Discharged the cells and charged up again to 15v. This time all OK.
I will charge the pack from my BC6 via the direct drive connector. This connects directly to the pack via a mosfet.
Changed the bulb for a 4300K auto H3, and put it all back together.
Its much better balanced (and lighter) in your hand with the 26650 pack, and should give more runtime than the SLA.
Will compare later with the POB. My impression in the workshop is that the POB is brighter - but then the POB has a bigger reflector and is running 50w HID kit rather than 35w.


----------



## elumen8

plasmaman said:


> So chucked the SLA out, repaired the wire and built a 4 x 26650 Li pack....Discharged the cells and charged up again to 15v. This time all OK....I will charge the pack from my BC6 via the direct drive connector. This connects directly to the pack via a mosfet.


 
Congratulations plasmaman, I believe you are the first member here to sucessfully install a different battery pack in the Stanley. Many of us have talked about it but nobody sat down and did it.

I take it you have completely bypassed the stock charger connection...hows that working? Could you do a runtime? I'd like to follow your lead and lighten up my Stanley also.

JB


----------



## Northern Lights

plasmaman said:


> Just thought I'd add my bit on Stanley's HID.
> Finally got mine via a pal who was visiting the US, and he brought it back to UK for me (Amazon 70 bucks version).
> Opened it up rightaway and found that the SLA battery (which is rammed in there) had chaffed the neg out of the ballast down to bare wire - hmm - good start!
> So chucked the SLA out, repaired the wire and built a 4 x 26650 Li pack. Should be OK I thought - my POB runs happily on 4 x Li D's at 16v+ off the charger, so Stanley should be OK.
> Not so - charged the cells to full on my BC6 charger - showing 16.4v, hooked her up - and the light fired and then after a couple of seconds closes down.
> So the PCB has some sort of voltage regulator!!
> Discharged the cells and charged up again to 15v. This time all OK.
> I will charge the pack from my BC6 via the direct drive connector. This connects directly to the pack via a mosfet.
> Changed the bulb for a 4300K auto H3, and put it all back together.
> Its much better balanced (and lighter) in your hand with the 26650 pack, and should give more runtime than the SLA.
> Will compare later with the POB. My impression in the workshop is that the POB is brighter - but then the POB has a bigger reflector and is running 50w HID kit rather than 35w.


 
Those Li batteries have a higher capacity than the origian power pack, do they not? (longer run time) and with slightly higher voltage a higher watt/hour output too.

Another advantage to those Li batteries over the PB is operating temperature and self discharge maintenance. Low temperatures, winter temperatures, can shut the gel cell down. The Li does not self discharge nor is affected by the cold. You can store that combo where it is needed and it will be ready to go when without a lot of maintenance. I have put them inot three different light systems now.

Glad to see someone fix all the inherent problems with these lights. My local W-marts do not carry them.


----------



## plasmaman

elumen8 said:


> Congratulations plasmaman, I believe you are the first member here to sucessfully install a different battery pack in the Stanley. Many of us have talked about it but nobody sat down and did it.
> 
> I take it you have completely bypassed the stock charger connection...hows that working? Could you do a runtime? I'd like to follow your lead and lighten up my Stanley also.
> 
> JB


 
There's no way that you can use the stock recharging socket on the back of the Stanley if you change the cell type. If using Li cells as a replacement for the SLA, you MUST only recharge the pack by a direct connection.
So with that in mind the first thing I did was add a new recharging socket on the back of the light, and connected it directly to the cell pack. Obvious really.
But.....the board in the Stanley is a weird and wonderful thing (it even has a fuse on it). So despite my new 'charge only' leads being connected to the cells, I couldn't get any voltage reading from them at the new socket! Checked my soldering, all OK. So somehow, the fact that these new leads were siamesed to the leads feeding power to the board, the board overruled!
Then I looked at the 12v direct connection in the base of the handle. As supplied, the +ve lead from that connection feeds through a fet and then to the battery, the -ve goes directly to the battery.
So with my new pack in place in the light, I got a true (15v) reading from the 12v socket in the base - so the board doesn't interfere with that circuit.
Therefore perfect for recharging the pack using my BC6 charger and some croc clips.
Although the 12v circuit feeds the light directly (ie the light will run without a battery installed if powered through this socket) I am not intending to run the light on 12v external power whilst my Li pack is installed -not sure about that!

Will do some runtimes soon, and also compare output with POB


----------



## elumen8

plasmaman said:


> Will do some runtimes soon, and also compare output with POB


 
Thanks for the additional info. I wonder if you'd be so generous as to open it up again and take some photos...I'd love to see it wired up.

Can't wait to see the runtimes and comparison. I'm currently getting about 29 minutes on the existing 3Ah 12v SLA battery.

JB


----------



## thisflatearth

Is this thing too bright? 


I only ask because I am giving my girlfriend my jeep for the summer, she is going to upstate NY to be a camp nurse. I want to put a light in the jeep for general use but is it to bright?

If she uses it to walk from the infirmary to one of teh cabins in the middle of the night will she/others be blinded by it?

I know that "too bright" is kind of like blasphemy around here, but I have to ask.


----------



## Monocrom

thisflatearth said:


> Is this thing too bright?
> 
> 
> I only ask because I am giving my girlfriend my jeep for the summer, she is going to upstate NY to be a camp nurse. I want to put a light in the jeep for general use but is it to bright?
> 
> If she uses it to walk from the infirmary to one of the cabins in the middle of the night will she/others be blinded by it?
> 
> I know that "too bright" is kind of like blasphemy around here, but I have to ask.


 
For that type of activity, yes; way too bright. If there's very little ambient light, something like a Streamlight Stylus Pro that is putting out just under 24 lumens would be ideal. If plenty of ambient light, something putting out closer to 150 - 200 lumens would be a good choice. 

She'd turn night into day with a Stanley H.I.D.


----------



## thisflatearth

OK, Ill just have to stop making excuses and buy it for myself. :naughty:


----------



## funkymonkey1111

Monocrom said:


> For that type of activity, yes; way too bright. If there's very little ambient light, something like a Streamlight Stylus Pro that is putting out just under 24 lumens would be ideal. If plenty of ambient light, something putting out closer to 150 - 200 lumens would be a good choice.
> 
> She'd turn night into day with a Stanley H.I.D.


 
WAAAY too bright for that, or "general use" around the campsite. this is when that dual mode LX2 comes in handy--even in pitch dark and your eyes adjusted, 200 lumens is too bright.


----------



## Monocrom

funkymonkey1111 said:


> WAAAY too bright for that, or "general use" around the campsite. this is when that dual mode LX2 comes in handy--even in pitch dark and your eyes adjusted, 200 lumens is too bright.


 
Yup. The 200 lumens top end recommendation is if she was in one of those resort/campgrounds. Those places tend to have a ton of ambient light. . . Along with T.V.s, Wi-Fi, Starbucks next to the camp fire, etc.


----------



## plasmaman

elumen8 said:


> Thanks for the additional info. I wonder if you'd be so generous as to open it up again and take some photos...I'd love to see it wired up.
> 
> Can't wait to see the runtimes and comparison. I'm currently getting about 29 minutes on the existing 3Ah 12v SLA battery.
> 
> JB



After much trial and error I believe I have sorted the Stanley replacement battery problem.
By driving the light via the 12v charging socket - see pics - I can run a hot 16.4v pack without the PCB cutting in, and also charge the pack safely using my BC6 charger connected via the 12v socket.






Above - the general layout, and showing the 4 x 26650 pack which has plenty of room to sit above the ballast. I put in a bit of packing foam to stop it rattling.





Above - showing the new positive feed wire from the right hand leg of the FET (or whatever it is) which goes to battery positive. Solder this wire to the right hand leg, underneath the little board it sits in. Just remove the screw to lift up the board.





Above - showing the new wire that is the only connection to the battery positive. The original battery positive connectors stay away from the battery (but still joined together).
Battery neg connects to the original connections.





Above - showing the new bulb in place and connected to the original ballast wires via the plastic insulator pots - check polarity!

This has been a PIA to do - mainly because of the voltage limiting built into the PCB. Simply connecting the 16.4v pack in place of the SLA does not work - after 2 or 3 seconds the PCB cuts the power.I built a voltage regulating circuit, but that didn't work! So I decided to try the only other option of using the 12v connector in the base.

Powering the board via the 12v circuit seems to be OK so far, and gives easy and safe charging ability.

Light output is the same as the SLA - the PCB seems to take care of that. Regardless of the input voltage (down to 10v when the board cuts the power)

Runtime will be at least an hour, based on a 3A discharge test of this pack on the West Mountain CBA from 14.8v to 11.5v.
I will do another test from 16.4v - it should be longer.


----------



## jcw122

Nice job! How is runtime?


----------



## elumen8

Outstanding plasmaman. Thanks for the great pics and info on the build. 

Trial and error is so much fun...

JB


----------



## shine

"1365 lumen", estimated to be 24 watts. if 35 watts, will 3000+ lumen.


----------



## recDNA

shine said:


> "1365 lumen", estimated to be 24 watts. if 35 watts, will 3000+ lumen.


 

Please forgive me but this is a VERY long thread. Has anyone ever measured the actual lux and lumen output of the Stanley HID?

My Walmart has them (or at least they did the last time I was there) but can somebody give a practical use I may have for one? Every flashlight I own (and I own TOO many) does have practical use although I have far too many to back up EACH practical use.

Anyway, I know the Stanley HID projects further and brighter than my TK40 but what can I do with this that I can't do with my TK40? (other than light up clouds). I live in the country but I am surrounded by trees and I work in a lab so I can't use it in any work capacity....but for some reason I still want one...I'm just afraid I'll never even turn it on!


----------



## Mjolnir

I have no practical use for one, but I have it nonetheless. You can also use it while plugged in to a car or the wall, which makes it somewhat unique.


----------



## StarHalo

recDNA said:


> Please forgive me but this is a VERY long thread. Has anyone ever measured the actual lux and lumen output of the Stanley HID?


 
It's 120,000-ish lux.



recDNA said:


> what can I do with this that I can't do with my TK40? (other than light up clouds)



- Light up objects half a mile away
- Project a ~160 degree spillbeam that's wider than your field of vision
- Create a beam that's plainly visible to everyone around you, regardless of conditions
- Etc.



recDNA said:


> can somebody give a practical use I may have for one?



Nope, sorry, big gun lights aren't about practicality. I can't give you a practical use for a Ferrari, either..


----------



## Mjolnir

You forgot "Scaring neighbors"
In all honesty, this really isn't anything more than a "wow" light. It isn't durable enough for anything that would actually require an HID, such as SAR, military use, or caving. However, it is about the cheapest fully functional HID flashlight that can be bought anywhere, which could be reason enough to buy it (around here at least...).


----------



## recDNA

Well...it's more practical than a Deft and I want one of those too. I just wish they made it look like the Titanium Innovations HID. I don't like the gun handle but I LOVE the price. If I buy one I'll post about it. Still unsure.


----------



## Mjolnir

You could always wait for a used N30 spotlight to come up; those seem to go for about $100, and have NiMH batteries, as well as a handle on top.

Also, if you search "HID spotlight" on Ebay, you will find multiple HID spotlights with top handles that might be more to your liking for around the same price as the Stanley. They also have larger batteries and reflectors, which can also be an advantage.


----------



## mrwhite1

I just picked mine up and am in the process of charging it up. When I unplug it, it seems like after a few seconds once it reaches its peak brightness, it then dims. I moved the dimmer switch on the back of it, but haven't noticed any change by moving it back and forth? Is this normal? Do you have to release the trigger and reapply it to see a difference in the dimmer, or can you leave it on, and switch it to brighten or dim it?


----------



## Mjolnir

Once again, the initial brightness is only temporary, and is meant to speed up the start up time. The level that it dims back down to is the actual 35 watt output level.

The two modes are different, but they are both so bright that it is very hard for the human eye to notice. According to info in the original thread, it takes 15 seconds to truly switch from low to high, and almost a minute to switch back down to low.


----------



## Apollo Cree

It starts at the initial brightness, then dims a bit. As the bulb warms up, the brightness slowly increases. I think the final brightness is close to the initial brightness, but don't have a way to test it. 

HID lights tend to start dim until the bulb gets up to full operating temperature. Stanley briefly boosts the drive current at the start to try and counteract this. 

In addition to being slow, the high/low change is not a big difference in brightness to the human eye.


----------



## nodoubt

Mjolnir said:


> You forgot "Scaring neighbors"
> In all honesty, this really isn't anything more than a "wow" light. It isn't durable enough for anything that would actually require an HID, such as SAR, military use, or caving. However, it is about the cheapest fully functional HID flashlight that can be bought anywhere, which could be reason enough to buy it (around here at least...).


whats not durable about the light??
ive got one thats been rained on, dropped,knoked around and still works fine....
please explain......


----------



## jcw122

nodoubt said:


> whats not durable about the light??
> ive got one thats been rained on, dropped,knoked around and still works fine....
> please explain......



People see/feel plastic and they get scared. Obviously it's not "military-grade" and isn't for critical applications, but I'm also pretty confident in its toughness.


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## mrwhite1

Do you notice there is a small pie shaped sliver of black on the hotspot of the beam?


----------



## StarHalo

mrwhite1 said:


> Do you notice there is a small pie shaped sliver of black on the hotspot of the beam?



Yup, that's the shadow from the return wire. You can use it as a handy feature - if your line of sight is aligned with the beam, you can look down the shadow "trench" and better see if you're getting a reflection from a distant object.


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## BillD104

OK, so after reading the 30 odd pages of posts about this light I had to go get one. Picked mine up on sale @ Lowe's for around $50.00. First thing I notice is I have no Hi/Lo switch on the back. Upon charging and using it for the first time... all I can say is WOW. My beam seems focused and incredibly bright even after the initial burst mode tapers off. I will try some run times after I cycle the SLA a few times. Anyone else notice that their light is serialized? Under the bottom edge of the back cap is a serial number.


----------



## Mjolnir

nodoubt said:


> whats not durable about the light??
> ive got one thats been rained on, dropped,knoked around and still works fine....
> please explain......




It is by no means water proof; I would barely call it water resistant because of its two piece design with no o-rings. It is a neat light for everyday illuminating, but if I wanted an HID that I could not have fail on me (which would be necessary for search and rescue, caving, law enforcement or military use), I would get a more rugged light with more of a weather seal.


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## BillD104

StarHalo said:


> Yup, that's the shadow from the return wire. You can use it as a handy feature - if your line of sight is aligned with the beam, you can look down the shadow "trench" and better see if you're getting a reflection from a distant object.


 
That actually works quite well, I tried it last night! :twothumbs


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## shaltac

Well this is my first post after lurking here for a bit. I've had my good ole standby 4D cell maglight forever. Bought it because it was the brightest thing since sliced bread at the time. I then tried the "Million Candle" cig lighter genre - went back to the mag light - no cord. Bumped into the Coast Lenser at lowes a couple of years back, and almost simultaniously found your site (some guys setting stuff on fire with a flashlight on the interwebs guided me in). I've been lurking and saw an earlier post on the Stanley. I said "got to have one" and have been watching the local stores closely. Today was my day! Wally world in 716 and 585 area codes seem to have gotten shipments. I use my lights to illuminate the barn and other out buildings when my Dogs go nuts. The little lenser (and 2 90lb dogs) have scared off a couple of curious george types so far. This light is awesome. It lights the entire barn up, and I can also see all the way down my 600ft driveway with it. For me it perfect. Barking dogs, a bright light, and the sound of a Mossberg 500 slide racking. "Guests" tend to take notice, and not return.

Thanks CPF
Rusty


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## mesa232323

Its been quiet a while since I have been on cpf. I don't want to read all 30 pages of posts. I have 2 stanley h.i.d's one has a broken balast. I want to upgrade the broken one. Any ideas? Not sure what some of the other people have done with theirs.


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## Bright+

My local Walmart had two production lots (stamped into cardboard insert). I noticed the newer 2010 had a black sticker over the Energy Star sticker. Something must have changed, or had the certification revoked since original production.

The included AC adapter says 12v 500mA. This is not a normal AC adapter. It is a very special current limiting switching power supply. It has an open circuit voltage of 18v or so. The adapter limits charging current to 500mA then the on-board circuit on the light itself simply isolate the charger once battery reaches a set voltage. 

If you lose this adapter, I don't think you'll find a suitable replacement. A 12v regulated AC adapter will not charge the battery. You'll need something that can provide about 15v to the battery. 

An unregulated 12v adapter with a higher open circuit voltage will charge, but have no means of limiting current, so it might push too much current raising the battery voltage too high prematurely terminating the charging process. The adapter might fry itself too.


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## kramer5150

Bright+ said:


> My local Walmart had two production lots (stamped into cardboard insert). I noticed the newer 2010 had a black sticker over the Energy Star sticker. Something must have changed, or had the certification revoked since original production.
> 
> The included AC adapter says 12v 500mA. This is not a normal AC adapter. It is a very special current limiting switching power supply. It has an open circuit voltage of 18v or so. The adapter limits charging current to 500mA then the on-board circuit on the light itself simply isolate the charger once battery reaches a set voltage.
> 
> If you lose this adapter, I don't think you'll find a suitable replacement. A 12v regulated AC adapter will not charge the battery. You'll need something that can provide about 15v to the battery.
> 
> An unregulated 12v adapter with a higher open circuit voltage will charge, but have no means of limiting current, so it might push too much current raising the battery voltage too high prematurely terminating the charging process. The adapter might fry itself too.



There was one time I accidentally plugged a "generic" 12V 500mah wall wart power supply into my stanley. It didn't do anything different from what I recall. It just topped off the cell and the LED turned green. I didn't even realize I had inter-mixed my spotlight chargers. I since have tagged the stanley charger plug as a visual indicator.


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## recDNA

Has anyone ever measured the lux @ 1 m that the Stanley HID puts out? I'd like to compare it with LED's with similar lumen output.


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## StarHalo

recDNA said:


> Has anyone ever measured the lux @ 1 m that the Stanley HID puts out? I'd like to compare it with LED's with similar lumen output.



The number would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 125,000 lux.


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## recDNA

StarHalo said:


> The number would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 125,000 lux.


 
That does it. Heading to Home Depot next week!:wave:


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## Hellbore

Hey guys - Sorry for the dumb question, but I can't seem to find my manual!

I have the Stanley HID, I bought it yesterday and charged it up and it worked great. I used it last night for a while.

I charged it again last night, and now it won't turn on. The light was red while charging, and I think it was blinking, then by morning the light had changed to green, which I think means the charge is done.

The light won't turn on now, when I pull the trigger, I just get the red light on solid. The red light goes off when I release the trigger.

Earlier, when I would pull the trigger, I was getting the red light flashing quickly, then changing to a solid green light. Green light turns off when I release the trigger. After messing with it for a while, it changed to solid red light now. 

I tried hooking it up with the car cigarette lighter cable, and with the car cable hooked up, I still just get a solid red light when pulling the trigger.

Any ideas? I can't seem to find my manual  Is it broken?


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## CarpentryHero

Still waiting for them to show up here in Edmonton. The only HID I seen in any store was the Bushnell, which has no range and rated 170 lumens. Square beam and no range. FML


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## StarHalo

CarpentryHero said:


> Still waiting for them to show up here in Edmonton. The only HID I seen in any store was the Bushnell, which has no range and rated 170 lumens. Square beam and no range. FML



That's the Bushnell HD, an LED flashlight. Even the low-wattage HIDs start at ~1000 lumens.


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## ANDREAS FERRARI

CarpentryHero said:


> Still waiting for them to show up here in Edmonton.



These lights have been on the market for 18 months but I have never heard of them being sold in Canada.


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## Hellbore

Update: Diagnosed the problem with my HID, apparently the ballast is bad already, after about 5 minutes of use! 

Going back to Walmart to exchange... I hope I just got a lemon and the next one will be better!


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## Hellbore

Well I got a new Stanley HID from Walmart, and this one seems brighter than the first one!

I wonder if the ballast was defective on the first one from the start...

Has anyone else had the ballast fail on their Stanley light?


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## nokturnal

grabbed mine from Lowes for 69.99


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## hotnanas

After years of lurking this site, I finally signed up.

Thanks for all the info available on the Stanley HID. I purchased on from amazon and love this thing.

My only negative to this light is that my Fenix TK40 (which I previously thought of as a bright light) is now no longer as bright as I would like it to be.

The bar has now been moved upward.


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## Parker VH

Hotnanas, turn back now as there's no cure once you have your first HID.:twothumbs


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## hotnanas

Parker VH said:


> Hotnanas, turn back now as there's no cure once you have your first HID.:twothumbs


Well, this is my fifth HID bulb/ballast combination. I have DDM (raptor brand) HIDs installed on several motorcycles and scooters, and have another pair that I had planned on making a custom flashlight with. I've been an LED nut for years, so HID isn't all that out of the ordinary, and no surprise to my wife when I carried this Stanley in through the front door.

I've been researching batteries for weight reduction....


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## r1derbike

Picked one of these up at a local WM. Had to do some searching before one was found close. They had 3 of them. All had '09 date codes, as I looked for the most recent. The one I picked that looked the best, has battery issues. Full charge nets green for 10 seconds, then orange for 5 minutes, then red for (it's been going for just over 10 minutes on red, then died).

Have some high-dollar conditioning chargers I use for model aircraft, that I'll try to condition it a bit, but past experience with LA batteries tells me that when the sulfation starts, the battle is lost.

Not going to return this for another defective one, if battery keeps puking ('09 datecodes). Will just get my money back and move on. Nice HID.

Charles


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## richpalm

I've been reading here and finally decided to head to Walmart last night. They had 3, all with the dimmer. Two had distortions in the reflectors, so I chose the best looking one.

The battery just isn't up to the task. I don't even get a green light-always red but the light works. Same thing when I tried plugging it into a jumpstarter.

Then I got smart-went out to the truck and plugged it in-light finally went green when I started the engine. Red with the engine off. The light just doesn't like 12V.

Wonder if I could cheat and find out which component on the board to change. I'm not gonna put the money into another SLA, even if I could find one. The battery mod here looks awfully good, but I don't want to have to do that... yet.

The thing is devilishly bright though!

Any comments/ideas?

Rich


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## r1derbike

The lights like the batteries OK...if they are NEW! The problem with merchandise at WM; it stays on the shelf far too long. I went through 2 HIDs, a 1M rechargeable, 2M rechargeable, from 3 stores within a 20 mile radius, and every one of them had bad batteries, from on-the-shelf plate sulfation. All these were Stanley products. I have read reviews when the HID Stanleys came-out, and they were fine.

For the 15 minutes that my Stanley HID ran, before shutoff, it was great!

I'm going to go so far to say it's not Stanley's fault. They have no control how their retailers rotate stock, or how long merchandise stays on the shelves.

SLA batteries are not a good choice for powering items that won't be used much. Shelf life is dismal.

The only gem of an "itty-bitty" (rechargeable) spotlight I've found (Stanley brand), that doesn't suffer from SLA battery issues, is the 5-watt LED spot, and it uses NiMH batteries.

Stanley has some really neat lighting products, and I'd buy much more, if only retailers would get a clue about how to handle them.

Charles


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## r1derbike

Above continued...

...I may only imagine how much stock Baccus will be getting from WM's return centers, because of the SLA sulfation damage.

Perhaps they may throw some new batteries in them, and sell them as refurbs?

I'd be the first in line to purchase lots of these, for gifts this holiday season.

Charles


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## r1derbike

...continued ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

...there, this is my 4th post; get out of jail time.

For gits and shiggles, just took a Stanley SL1M09 off the shelf (date code 1003) and disassembled. SLA battery has a bad cell. Typical "on the shelf too long" issues. 

It will be going to claims, as off the shelf defective.

Again, not Stanley's fault, but I had to know if the 1003 date code was recent enough to net a good battery; this particular unit is a nogo.

Charles


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## richardcpf

After 1 year my stanley spotlight still works great.

But the SLA battery has failed, now I only get about 5 minutes runtime. Leds only turn on when connected to a 12v source.

I wanted to make a custom nimh/lithium pack but for a little more I could get a brand new ebay 50w hid xenon flashlight, $180. It is more compact, comes with a better AC charger, and the lithium battery pack is a 12v 6600mah 3S3P 18650.

So now the stanley stays on my car and only there, since it is useless without a 12v source.


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## Oztorchfreak

My runtime is usually 28 minutes on my Stanley 35W HID.


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## cdesigns

I just bought one on walmart and didnt come with the LOW/HIGH switch, model HID0109 oh yeah I love this thing.


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## jjrose9

Got one from Amazon for $68.90 delivered. Date is 1030 ? I hit the trigger and it lit brightly, so it seemed charged. I put the AC charger on to charge it and noticed the orange light went to green after about a minute or two! This surprised me, but I left it on for about an hour.

I ran it for about 15 minutes and noticed the LED charge light blinking red. I decided to put the charger back on and give it a longer charge as the manual stated. Still blinking red after about an hour of charging.

I will report on run time later. The light seems really bright, but this is my first HID. I got interested in a HID light after my nephew who is a fireman in the Marines brought his $2000 issued unit home with him to wow the relativesat a barbicque. It was made by Peak Beam and had its own case with extra batteries, etc.. It had an adjustable flood to spotlight feature that was kind of special and it would have been really cool to compare my light to his.

O.K. Ran the light for 28 minutes before it shut down. This seems acceptable. This light is model HD0109 and does not have the high/low power switch, like the earliest models had.


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## NorCal2500HD

Anyone running Lipos in their lights? Was thinking about grabbing a few lipos and cutting some weight.


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## richardcpf

NorCal2500HD said:


> Anyone running Lipos in their lights? Was thinking about grabbing a few lipos and cutting some weight.


 
I had the same idea, but you would need a dedicated lipo charger and get rid of the stock charging system. It wont be possible to charge with 12v source, only direct drive the spotlight. Plus lipos are pretty expensive, and dangerous when exposed to lot of heat. I think Hobbie/RC NiMh packs serve better, you could get 100Wh for under $90.


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## olebob

How often should I charge an unused Stanley SLA?
The unit just sits and isn't used much at all.

Thanks


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## jjrose9

Owner's manual says to put on charger every 120 days when not used.


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## Blueknight

I bought my 1st HID light today and it is the stanley HID. Mine does not have the hi/low switch on it and the date code is 1030. I haven't ran it till it died yet because the instruction booklet said to charge the batt for 8 hrs with the ac charger first.But me being who I am after the led indicator turned green I just had to try it.But it's on the charger now.To me this is a very bright light. but I have noticed that the reflector is far from perfect. any idea's where to get a better reflector for it? any help would be appreciated.


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## adirondackdestroyer

I picked one of these up recently, and the output is very impressive! The only problem is that the light never gets fully charged. The LED will turn green to indicate that it is fully charged, but when I unplug the charger and actually turn the light on, the LED is orange, which means that it is only partially charged. 

Has anyone successfully made a warranty claim? My unit was purchased from Walmart and has the 2 mode switch (old stock).


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## StarHalo

The charger light on my copy has always been a bit of a mystery; sometimes, after a full charge, during use it'll be green for a while, sometimes it'll start on orange/red. I don't notice any discrepancy in runtime, it lasts about as long as I'd expect regardless of what the light says. I wouldn't return it based on the vague indicator light alone.


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## Rusty4r

Brand new to this forum. While researching for a light replacement I found this post. Read it from front to back and bought myself a new Stanley and joined the forum. This post explained many questions that I had about lumens, lux, and candlepower.

Thanks guys


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## Doppleganger

While I'm not new to LED's HID's and the proper retrofitting of projectors into automotive headlights.... 

I just bought two of these spotlights at some "closeout" store in Murfreesboro, TN when visiting my brother.

I got one of each, one with the switch, one without.

Finally found a 12v 500ma charger that actually charged the batteries in these to "green" status. Now the one without the hi/lo switch works as expected. Similar to the H4 12v7AH (90/100w) spotlight that I retrofitted with an automotive hid ballast and burner, 4300K. Obviously this one isn't quite as bright, being 8000K and having a smaller reflector, but not bad.

I got these for $15 each, no accessories, no box, no nuttin. So, basically, I got one for $30 unless I can fix this one. Anyone have the manual scanned in? When I pull the trigger, the LED flashes red quickly. The 3 white leds work fine. Battery is fully charged, checked it on a DMM. Not sure if the burner is shot, or what, but I do have some extra H3 HID burners I can try. It's the cheapest thing I can do to troubleshoot it, if the ballast is shot, then this thing is parts.


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## BVH

Welcome Rusty and dopple

I don't recall anyone else describing a "flashes red quickly" symptom. The one without the hi-low switch is the older of the two and many of the older lights that sat at Walmart for quite a while had battery problems. Did you observe the battery Voltage with the DMM on the battery when you pulled the trigger? Many reported normal 12.6 or so unloaded Voltage but when the trigger was pulled, it plummeted. Another test... supply 12Volts to the alternate power source plug on the bottom of the handle by any temp means you can and see if it works.


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## Hangfire79

Hey Dopple, I'm about 40 miles east of Murfreesboro. I have the very same and exact issue you are having, no hi/lo switch and flashes red quickly. It worked 1 time and after charging, nothing, just a fast red flashing light. BVH, no joy on the bottom plug, nothing via either power source. I don't have the knowhow to resolve it myself.


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## FRITZHID

not try'n to revive a dead (and VERY long thread) but i was wondering if anyone has found a better replacement parabolic for the stanley, the stock has that ugly, spill puking flat spot on it and i've been looking for some time now (some of you may remember me from before the CPF crash) and have had no luck, i took a look at the HID's lil halogen brother a while back but it looked to me that the focal point in that reflector was a tad on the shallow side for the HID. any suggestions fellow CPF'rs?


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## nwuboy

does anyone know if there are red LED's available for this spotlight? I will be using it for animal spotting and don't want to spook them with white light. I'd rather not use a red filter if possible because of how much the light gets cut down. Do they even make filters for this light?

thanks!


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## FRITZHID

nwuboy said:


> does anyone know if there are red LED's available for this spotlight? I will be using it for animal spotting and don't want to spook them with white light. I'd rather not use a red filter if possible because of how much the light gets cut down. Do they even make filters for this light?
> 
> thanks!


 

well, the LED's inside can just be de-soldered and replaced with standard high-power red LEDs, as far as filters, there are no standard filters made for the HID light. however a simple red gel with mounting will work for quite some time as long as you keep it far enough from the lens (as in keep it about as far away as the rubber guard will allow, and you may want to double up on it to provide a deeper red)


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## ???

does anyone know a source for the batterys?


everything i find that fits is way less then 3ams. i know it would be nice to upgrade, but right now i'd be happy just finding a stock replacement battery.


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## Demonic

How does the Stanley HID compare to the Stanley 2M? I am going to buy one but I still do not know if it is worth the extra money to get the HID.


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## BVH

I don't believe I read any posts about finding a replacement battery since the light came out. If you still have the manual, try giving the distributor a call. They've been helpful to a number of folks here.

If the Stanley 2M is a halogen or led version, then there is no comparison. The HID is far more powerful in Lumens produced and throw.


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## Demonic

I purchased this light off walmart.com and it is the second generation with no hi/low switch on the back. Because the larger size and weight it is kind of awkward hauling it places and shining it around. Besides the size and weight issue I am currently getting around 25 minutes of battery life on a single charge which I have read is great for this amount of flashlight power. When I start it with a full charge I only get the green light for a second then it turns orange then red (seems to be common). I am still running cycles through it to see if the battery life and green light issue improves. Other than that I think it is a great flashlight with high lumen output and high through compared to my other lights. By using this light a few times all my other lights don't seem bright anymore even though they are all above 100 lumens.


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## shrxfn

I have a question for Plasmaman, I saw that you were able to use the Lithium batteries to power the Stanley HID I am new to the candlepower game and don't think I am up to making my own battery pack. Is there somewhere to get it premade and then I can splice it into the existing circuitry via your diagram in post #478? My SLA is dead and I love the light but the run time and crummy battery have killed it. Also have you ever posted the run times with the new battery pack?


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## FRITZHID

shrxfn said:


> I have a question for Plasmaman, I saw that you were able to use the Lithium batteries to power the Stanley HID I am new to the candlepower game and don't think I am up to making my own battery pack. Is there somewhere to get it premade and then I can splice it into the existing circuitry via your diagram in post #478? My SLA is dead and I love the light but the run time and crummy battery have killed it. Also have you ever posted the run times with the new battery pack?



well, there are compatible LiPo packs however you will not be able to use the stock charger with them.


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## shrxfn

Thanks Fritz. I understand about the charging which is fine and according to Plasmaman I should be able to charge it through the DC port in the bottom using his mod. What kind of battery pack would I look for specifically? I looked at some of the links earlier in the thread and got a little starry eyed when I saw all of the different types and configurations.


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## BVH

Can't believe there is not a flood of Stanley owners flocking to this thread offering a mod to keep the Stanley in 60 Watt start-up mode indefinitely.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...t-mod-17-83W&p=3943918&viewfull=1#post3943918


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## Oztorchfreak

BVH said:


> Can't believe there is not a flood of Stanley owners flocking to this thread offering a mod to keep the Stanley in 60 Watt start-up mode indefinitely.
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...t-mod-17-83W&p=3943918&viewfull=1#post3943918




Will this mod work on the HID0109 model?

Did you make the mod for the HID3000 only?

Will it work on both as the model I have is the one with no "LO" switch.

I don't know what circuit differences there are between the two models.



Warm Regards,

OTF


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## Northern Lights

Tanker said:


> Picked up one of these a few weeks ago and I'm already having a couple of problems. First of all, right from the getgo the light would turn on very bright and then after a second or two it would dim slightly. Second, it now flashes slightly and then the red light comes on (it was fully charged), if you try to charge it goes right to green but still only gives you a short flash when the trigger is pulled. Anybody else having problems? Just an FYI, the company that Stanley licences their name to "make" these is Baccus Global in Florida.



A year later and they still are doing this. I picked one up yesterday and it wont come on and does this. That is part of this story, I killed an N30 this week too, one that I modded some time ago. Here:


#10

#12

N30 Battery replacement options **** UPDATED ****


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## Northern Lights

Got another and it too did not work, changed it for #3.

Third ones a charm and appears to be charging.

A year and they are still out there malfunctioning before they are even sold!


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## cccpull

The one I got, the first ones with the hi-lo switch still works great and it was a Walmart close-out at $10. Gotta love it!


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## BigTzzy

I have a Stanley HID 0109 and its a great light.

I think I need a new battery for it and I didn't see anywhere in this thread that mentioned where to get a replacement battery. (if I missed it I'm sorry.)

I wouldn't mind putting in a different type of battery if the mod was not to pricey or extensive.

Any and all info would be great. 

Thank you.


----------



## Larbo

BigTzzy said:


> I have a Stanley HID 0109 and its a great light.
> 
> I think I need a new battery for it and I didn't see anywhere in this thread that mentioned where to get a replacement battery. (if I missed it I'm sorry.)
> 
> I wouldn't mind putting in a different type of battery if the mod was not to pricey or extensive.
> 
> Any and all info would be great.
> 
> Thank you.



Try interstate batteries, remove the old one to get the numbers off it and measure it to double check the replacement fits, this was where I got mine a year or so ago, good luck..


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## BVH

Get yourself an original Stanley HID with 4300K bulb installed for free + $18.00 (for USPS Priority Mail CONUS)

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...anley-HID-modded-with-4300K-bulb-Battery-Dead


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## recDNA

I wish they still made them. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Kross

Before I order it.... Is this the same light we are all discussing? Or have they downgraded the light sense this thread began? 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U04MEY/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Thank you. I'm hoping to order as soon as i get a response. By the way, the Amazon reviews for this thing are HORRIBLE. Half of them don't work, the other half break after one use, etc, etc, etc. What am I missing? 

- Kross


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## xcnick

Looks about right. However mine says HID Spotlight under the Stanley brand.


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## FRITZHID

There are some discrepancies, not a poly-carb lens, it's tempered glass.
The pic they provide is not the same light in the description, the pic is the led version.
It does not say anything about a dimmer so it will be the later model.


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## Kross

hmmmm... can anyone say for sure if this is the same light as always?


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## SAVAGE420

Kross said:


> hmmmm... can anyone say for sure if this is the same light as always?


Thats the newer updated model. 

How is yours working for you?


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## StarHalo

No battery, no problem; just un-invert:


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## fabhigh

HI!

PLEASE,

I have a Stanley HIDC10.
The battery seems to be very bad. Where can i find a battery replacement for this ?
Anyone have a model or brand for the battery?

Thanks!


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## FRITZHID

*Re: New Stanley H.I.D. and 1365 lumen spotlights*

If it's the sla version, batteries plus carries them.


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## Kleinerp

*Stanley H I D and 1365 lumen spotlights Part 2*

Thx for the review Excellent timing, as I just picked up one at Wally World for the same price, thinking the pot would be worth the . I haven't taken the Stanley to the field yet, but looking forward to it


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