# OK... YA'LL's Fault!



## FRITZHID (May 16, 2012)

one day, i looked at a "spotlight" i saw on AVP..... that led me to CPF.... there i found that the spot light i was looking at was +$2000.... so.... i lurked a bit... bought the stanley, and got lucky.... it worked... and still works...... then i saw LEDs... HIGH POWER LEDs. and acquired some nice Rockys from Sams Club.... and while at it...my son loved my stanley HID so much i bought him the 520lm LED for xmas..... and THEN..................................................
i decided to start my own.... The HAND-SUN HID... and it's a work of art if i don't say so myself..... i put alot of research into it... and it does WAY better then ever expected!................. (my wife is now LIVID at all the damn HID's around the house, so PLEASE BUY ONE and SAVE MY LIFE!!!)
.................. and here.... at the final end..... (and maybe the end of my life)..... i bought a Maxabeam.
yes..
i did...
i can't afford it..
(unless peeps buy)
but i HAD to have one!!!!!!

it's a GEN II...
with a well cared for Nicad pack...
and low hrs...
best i could/not afford....
got it for $500 on ebay...
light, batt, charger.

.....
i have a MAXABEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
yeah i know... all'yall have better, newer, and prob cheaper....
but i have my 1st SA spotlight! and it's a respected light!
it may have cost me my soul.... (and marriage) but i have 1! and i am proud!


so.... at this point.... if anyone has any advice or ..... well (anything cheap) that will benefit my "new" MB Gen II light... i welcome them!!!! i'd LOVE to have a Collmanatining lens and i'd KILL for a UV lens!!!!
..... and needless to say (again) PLEASE BUY/SPREAD WORD of my Hand-Sun spotlights so i can fund my MB!!!!! lmao


(yes i know... bad juju to promote my sales, but i HAVE to do something! :/ )


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## ma_sha1 (May 16, 2012)

Now it's time to upgrade the bulb :naughty:


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## FRITZHID (May 16, 2012)

well..... i'm limited cause of $. not to mention i'd LOVE the new reflector and board! lol (WAY beyond my budget now!!)


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## ma_sha1 (May 16, 2012)

FYI, modified HID usually doesn't sell well on CPF due to smaller amount of people into HID spotlights vs. led flashlights.

You may want to try put it on ebay, you may get a few bucks less but you'll get faster cash flow, which will help to make your hobby sustainable...

Not trying to drag you in deeper, but stock Gen II MB only does 2-3 million cps...


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## Echo63 (May 16, 2012)

ma_sha1 said:


> Not trying to drag you in deeper, but stock Gen II MB only does 2-3 million cps...



With a Ushio UXL-75XE in parker VH adapters it can easily double that - mine (with SLA battery) did 7.2million measured at 165 metres

Congrats on the new light, the Maxabeam is one of those lights that makes you giggle when you fire it up
I believe the current models are still the worlds furthest throwing commercially available handheld light (though i could be wrong)


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## FRITZHID (May 16, 2012)

well, i'm gonna hazard a guess and say it's the stock bulb.... if anyone knows where i can get a better bulb, new OR used, DIRT Cheap, (and i mean dirt), please let me know.  hopefully some day i'll be able to afford the gen III board! 
i'll have pix up thurs when it arrives!


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## BVH (May 16, 2012)

The waiting part is terrible unbearable!


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## bshanahan14rulz (May 16, 2012)

Fritz, congratulations! You like lasers, you like flashlights, why not mix the best of both worlds ;-)


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## FRITZHID (May 16, 2012)

bshanahan14rulz said:


> Fritz, congratulations! You like lasers, you like flashlights, why not mix the best of both worlds ;-)


ty Bsh.
ya know, it's funny that you say that because when i 1st saw a Maxabeam in use in a movie, based on the color, and the super tight and clean beam it made, i thought to myself "hmmm... i wonder if they dident just expand and un-collamate an argon ion laser for that light (and with the cord hanging out the back, i thought, maybe fiber optic, since i never put anything past tv/movie FX guys to "make it happen" in a film). wasen't till i did some searching around (and stumbling upon CPF, surprise surprise) that i learned they were actual lights, of HID type.... and thus my addiction began!


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## djans1397 (May 17, 2012)

Congrats on the MB Charles. I've wanted one of those for a while now... as all flashaholics have! I'm still wanting to try out one of your lights! I wished they were a tad smaller though as my only reference was my Barn Burner. But hey... bigger reflector... bigger throw! I'm sure they light up a field no problem though. I'd love to see more beam shops if you have any though. Enjoy your new toy 

Dan


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

djans1397 said:


> Congrats on the MB Charles. I've wanted one of those for a while now... as all flashaholics have! I'm still wanting to try out one of your lights! I wished they were a tad smaller though as my only reference was my Barn Burner. But hey... bigger reflector... bigger throw! I'm sure they light up a field no problem though. I'd love to see more beam shops if you have any though. Enjoy your new toy
> 
> Dan



well, now that i have a MB, i'm sure i'll be out to the farm again with even more comparison shots!  did u have some specific shots you'd like to see?


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

ok, after watching UPS.COM ALL DAMN DAY!!!!! it finally arrived a few mins ago. the batt was just charged enough to fire it up, but that was about it, so its on the Trickle charger :/
i'll prob makeshift a small pack to play with it tonight using the cig lighter adapter.
anyone know what size cells are in the pack?
it has the strait tube (as opposed to the bubble shape)
all the features seem to work fine. 
it's alot smaller then i would have thought, but def throws a tight bright beam.
gonna have fun play'n with the programming, thats for sure!
it's clean, cept for some small wiring issues that i can take care of over the next few days. it's all normal wear and tear.
looks like theres some sand stuck around the bezzle/lens section, not sure how i'm going to clean that out without scratching anything.
it seems like it may have some bulb focusing needed, almost like when it goes in to tightest focus, it's un-focusing.
looks like the x/y seems to be pretty good tho.... not that i have anything to compare it to, lol.
now.... just waiting for the darkness:devil:


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## BVH (May 17, 2012)

Congrats! Pretty sure Gen2 can move the bulb beyond peak focus but you should be able to program that limit and where the bulb goes to when powered up. Maybe some of that is in Gen3 but don't remember. Compressed air to blow sand out? You got your laser!


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## bshanahan14rulz (May 17, 2012)

FRITZHID said:


> when i 1st saw a Maxabeam in use in a movie


 I just rewatched Jurassic Park this past weekend, and that was the first time I noticed that they were using MBs


FRITZHID said:


> i never put anything past tv/movie FX guys to "make it happen" in a film


 No kidding! You've probably seen this link, but wow! http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010...-story-behind-the-45-long-slide-laser-siting/ And to think today you can go to DX and get a cheapo laser sight for $10 that has more output and adjustability.


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

bshanahan14rulz said:


> I just rewatched Jurassic Park this past weekend, and that was the first time I noticed that they were using MBs
> No kidding! You've probably seen this link, but wow! http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010...-story-behind-the-45-long-slide-laser-siting/ And to think today you can go to DX and get a cheapo laser sight for $10 that has more output and adjustability.



you probably haven't seen any of my laser works, but i built a GRY X-Y servo laser scanner a while back, got some GREAT pix with it, was a fun toy to build and play with. i've been working with lasers for years now, everything from small HeNe's and red diode, all the way up to 6kW co2 and some other (i can't speak of it or i'd have to kill ya) systems as well. always loved lasers, even if they arn't strap'd to a sharks head. lmao


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

hmm.. anyone have any spare MB connectors? i think i'm gonna find myself needing to make a few diff power connectors.


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## BVH (May 17, 2012)

I bought a small "kit" from Annie at PB. Comes with some male and female pins and some plastic connector bodies. I don't think you'll find the pins anywhere else, I could not. I think I also got one of the bodies that has the round connection nut.


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## N10 (May 17, 2012)

FRITZHID said:


> anyone know what size cells are in the pack?



not sure which pack you're talking about but if you have the large..ish square plastic battery(i have no idea of the code or model) i think there's 10 Ni-cd F- cells in there..i've read some threads about cpf maxabeam owners upgrading those batteries or making their own Li-ion batteries so just do a little search and you will probably get lots of info on maxabeam batts..


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

BVH said:


> I bought a small "kit" from Annie at PB. Comes with some male and female pins and some plastic connector bodies. I don't think you'll find the pins anywhere else, I could not. I think I also got one of the bodies that has the round connection nut.


okies, i'll be sending her another email then! tnx Bob. 




N10 said:


> not sure which pack you're talking about but if you have the large..ish square plastic battery(i have no idea of the code or model) i think there's 10 Ni-cd F- cells in there..i've read some threads about cpf maxabeam owners upgrading those batteries or making their own Li-ion batteries so just do a little search and you will probably get lots of info on maxabeam batts..



Yeah, it's looking like i may be heading down that road soon, i don't think the pack i have has much life left in it. anyone know the max V for these? i'd like to build a pack that will have optimum duration yet remaining light. (not to mention doing away with the 18h charge time would be nice!)

i DID ofcorse take it for a spin tonight... in a word... Jesus! what a beam! not much in the flood area, almost any light can beat it in total lumens out put, but the focus is Crazy!!!! and i had NO idea the bulb got that hot, it glows orange/red for a long *** time after shut down!
its amazing how clear and clean the beam is, can almost "see" the arc itself when on a wall, the shimmer is kinda neat to look at as well.
its to bad they haven't come up with something to do away with the anode wire shadow yet. 
all in all, i'm happy! love my new toy. 
the clouds dissipated so no bounce tonight, but bet ur *** the next cloudy night i'll be out there! until then it's play'n with streetlights and annoying the neighbors. 
i'll post the next batch of beam shots when i go back out to the farm with the Hand-Sun.


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## N10 (May 17, 2012)

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?299080-Maxa-Beam-Ni-CD-NiM-upgrade


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## BVH (May 17, 2012)

I believe there was a post a year or so ago by Robert @ PB about the use of the non-PB Ushio 75 Watt bulb. In this thread, I think was mention of maximum pack Voltage around 14.4 with no fudge factor above that number (what ever number he posted, not necessarily the 14.4 I _THINK_ he cited)


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

hmmm..... ok, tnx guys.


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## BVH (May 17, 2012)

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...hthunter-One&p=3686607&viewfull=1#post3686607

(Pack Voltage recommendations from PB - 13.8 running)

4 x's LiFeP04 (@ 3.6V max) in series is 14.4 and that's what's in my PB LifeP04 pack.


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

lol, yep,.... was reading it as you were posting. so i guess the lipo i got from Lips would work... not quite the right shape tho... maybe i'll go up to Batts + on monday and see what they have to play with that will fit in the case.
until then, i guess i'll play with the dieing nicads and belt hung sla or lipo with a cig adapter. damn thing gets awfully hot tho, lol.
so.... anyone put a glow-o-ring in one of these yet???? :devil:
(ya i know, just got it, and already thinking of mod's for it... yeah... i don't have an issue with lights! )


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## BVH (May 17, 2012)

Lips pack is too much Voltage - 4S is 16.8 hot off the charger.

I've always wondered what PB's Lithium battery is comprised of. Must be 3S or implement some type of Voltage regulation.

Also during my search, I read a couple posts from PEAKBEAMSYSTEMS (member name) about limiting High mode on Gen2's so as not to overheat the board and possibly damage the lamp.


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## FRITZHID (May 17, 2012)

yeah, i was thinking of a VR in there, but donno if i have one that will handle 10A.


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## Colonel Sanders (May 18, 2012)

*"it seems like it may have some bulb focusing needed, almost like when it goes in to tightest focus, it's un-focusing."*

As mentioned by BVH, if it's like the Gen IIs and IIIs, this is programmable. Do you have the manual for yours? I'd be glad to pass on to you what it says in my manual about this if you don't have yours but I have no idea if yours works like mine.


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

oh i have the manual, i've just noted that it can travel farther that the tightest spot point. was just wondering if this was normal


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## Parker VH (May 18, 2012)

Here are some pin connector part #'s that I ordered from Mouser
# 571-206430-1, 4 pin connector like the one on the battery itself 
# 571-206429-1, 4 pin male connector that screws onto the battery.
# 571-66105-4, female pins that fit the above connectors
# 571-66103-4, male pins that fit the above connectors


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

Great! TY Parker!


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## Parker VH (May 18, 2012)

Sorry, I couldn't resist. These lights are addicting!!


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

nice collection... (donno if they would compete with total lumens of all my hand-suns lay'n around, lmao)... why so many??? even i had a hard time justifying the one! lol
hhmmm.. MN huh? not That far away.... maybe some time we'll have to get together for a shoot out  (don't worry, i'll leave the 400w at home, lol)
my next steps are to get more power options, bulb upgrade and if i can figure out a way to clean the reflector (not likely) i plan to try, it looks like someone already did, there are some fine scratches in it 
at some point, i'd love to get my hands on a Gen3 board, but PB is reluctant to let them go out without installing them themselves :/
maybe i'll get lucky and get my hands on a new reflector as well, keep'n my eyes open!
if your looking for a 4th one, theres a nice kit on ebay at the moment for 1500, 2 batts, case, lenses, ect... if i had the $$$ it'd be OTW to me already! lol


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## Parker VH (May 18, 2012)

I got a decent deal on a couple of these. I'm going to be listing two of these for sale in the marketplace shortly. I had the enhanced output reflector installed on the one I'm keeping and upgraded the servo focus motor to the latest one also as I'm told it focuses from spot to flood in about 1.5 seconds so quite a bit faster than the old one and it was only about a $55.00 upgrade if I remember correctly.
I agree with you that most lights will blow these away in flood mode but when you set these babies to spot I smile every time!!


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

Parker VH said:


> I got a decent deal on a couple of these. I'm going to be listing two of these for sale in the marketplace shortly. I had the enhanced output reflector installed on the one I'm keeping and upgraded the servo focus motor to the latest one also as I'm told it focuses from spot to flood in about 1.5 seconds so quite a bit faster than the old one and it was only about a $55.00 upgrade if I remember correctly.
> I agree with you that most lights will blow these away in flood mode _*but when you set these babies to spot I smile every time!!*_



hell yeah!


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

so Parker.... with all those MBs kicking around... what kinda extra/spare parts do you have in stock? :naughty:


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## Echo63 (May 18, 2012)

Parker VH said:


> I got a decent deal on a couple of these. I'm going to be listing two of these for sale in the marketplace shortly. I had the enhanced output reflector installed on the one I'm keeping and upgraded the servo focus motor to the latest one also as I'm told it focuses from spot to flood in about 1.5 seconds so quite a bit faster than the old one and it was only about a $55.00 upgrade if I remember correctly.
> I agree with you that most lights will blow these away in flood mode but when you set these babies to spot I smile every time!!


I don't suppose you got one with the pelican case, a long (curly) cable and a dropin trickle charger going up for sale ?


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

Echo63 said:


> I don't suppose you got one with the pelican case, a long (curly) cable and a dropin trickle charger going up for sale ?


long curly cable and drop in charger are the min standard models. thats what i got. his are shown there without the batt cables attached. (donno if i'd ever feel right placing them lens down on anything tho! lol) thats the only thing i don't like about the MB, no tail stand ability  PITA to do upward beam shots with them!


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## Echo63 (May 18, 2012)

FRITZHID said:


> long curly cable and drop in charger are the min standard models. thats what i got. his are shown there without the batt cables attached. (donno if i'd ever feel right placing them lens down on anything tho! lol) thats the only thing i don't like about the MB, no tail stand ability  PITA to do upward beam shots with them!


I bought my Maxabeam from ParkerVH - he is also the person making the bulb adapters for the Ushio UXL-75XE bulbs.
Mine didn't come with a charger (too heavy to ship, and useless as mine has a SLA in the battery box) and came with a short cable.

I would love the drop in trickle charger, of course it would be rapidly hacked with a SLA charger so I can just drop my light on it, and have it ready to go when I need it.
And I would love the long curly cord, just so I can split the nice light lamp housing from the heavy battery.
(and the pelican case to store it all)
To buy the stuff new, and get it shipped here would cost around the same as buying a second light with the accessories second hand
And besides, who doesn't want a second Maxabeam ?

(would really love one with the remote port too)


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## FRITZHID (May 18, 2012)

ah, i suppose all the way to Aust, yeah... a bit pricy. surprised a charger woulda been to heavy to ship, my drop in charger weighs about 1/2 lb and the wall wart can't be more then 1.5lbs. have you considered upgrading your SLA to a LIPO? would save u a ton of weight, and give u tons of run time.


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## FRITZHID (May 19, 2012)

new Gen 3 bulb arrived today.... i can't believe a simple bulb switch can make such a difference! hard to believe the're even the same wattage. all installed, centered and now waiting for some clouds! (figures that for 4 days before the light got here, it was cloudy every day, even the whole day that it arrived, then JUST as it started getting dark enough to play, .... clear skys since. :/ damnit! i was looking forward to the bounce! lol
to all that have helped with my new toy, TYVM!lovecpf


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## FRITZHID (May 19, 2012)

new bulb is in and took a look with it now that it's dark, and WOW what an improvement! 
i think one of the coolest things about these XSAs is how crisp and clean the beam is! even on wide focus you can see a crisp clear line on the outer edge, just mind blowing when you have one of these in your hand.  and when you tighten it up  WoW that thing shoots forever! i don't think i'd ever want to be on the receiving end of one of these unless it's a life/death situation! even a window reflection hurts! lol


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## BVH (May 19, 2012)

Having had the opportunity to use the MaxaClone with its manual focus knob, I can say that I'd prefer manual focus on the MB. The MB focus motor drives the movement way too fast to get the perfect minimum focus. Go too far, go back too far, go forward not enough, go more - too far....repeat, repeat.


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## FRITZHID (May 19, 2012)

IDK, maybe your's is faster then mine, i have a pretty smooth and casual adjustment. i havent had an issue with getting it where i want it. did you use the gen3? i know they have a faster movement then my gen2


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## BVH (May 19, 2012)

You know, I don't remember there being a difference between my Gen2 and 3? Will have try that when I get them out next.


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## Colonel Sanders (May 20, 2012)

*"The MB focus motor drives the movement way too fast to get the perfect minimum focus. Go too far, go back too far, go forward not enough, go more - too far....repeat, repeat."*

On my Gen III it is proportionate. Push the joystick alot and it moves very quickly. Move it just a tiny bit and it moves very slowly. Etc...


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## FRITZHID (May 20, 2012)

Colonel Sanders said:


> *"The MB focus motor drives the movement way too fast to get the perfect minimum focus. Go too far, go back too far, go forward not enough, go more - too far....repeat, repeat."*
> 
> On my Gen III it is proportionate. Push the joystick alot and it moves very quickly. Move it just a tiny bit and it moves very slowly. Etc...



hmmmm thats odd, cause thats how my gen2 behaves as well... a light touch and it moves very very slowly.... push it further and it moves faster... but not all that fast at all... prob takes 4 seconds or more to go from full flood to full spot, rumor has it the newer servo moves from one to the other in less then 2 seconds.


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## ma_sha1 (May 20, 2012)

Colonel Sanders said:


> *"The MB focus motor drives the movement way too fast to get the perfect minimum focus. Go too far, go back too far, go forward not enough, go more - too far....repeat, repeat."*



Not all Gen II MB does that. I had two, one did that & the other one doesn't. In mine, on the one that's hard to focus,
i realized that it needs to wait for a about two minutes or so after start, after that it can focus slower without overshoot, If I try to focus right after it starts up, it'll overshoots focus point every time. 

Another thing I found is that particular MB also doesn't lock into the previously set lamp position even after performed focus lock, it'll start out again at off-focus. Not sure if it's older gen II vs. newer Gen II difference or it's due to some malfunction.


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## FRITZHID (May 20, 2012)

well, so far, mine's done what it's set to do... i set it to a med tight beam, & it goes there right @ start up. i can adjust it any way i want right after that. no waiting. from what i understand, mine was built in 2000, so idk if its an older or new gen2. but if i hold the button lightly, it moves V E R Y slow, if i press harder it moves faster, but not super fast. and it always knows where i program it to be. :shrug:


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## FRITZHID (May 20, 2012)

ma_sha1 said:


> Another thing I found is that particular MB also doesn't lock into the previously set lamp position even after performed focus lock, it'll start out again at off-focus. Not sure if it's older gen II vs. newer Gen II difference or it's due to some malfunction.



i don't see a "focus lock" option with the Gen II, just "focus on start up" and "max-min" focus limits. and then theres a "lock out" option that once you pick the settings, they are locked in and you can't change them without restoring the lamp to factory default.


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## ma_sha1 (May 20, 2012)

FRITZHID said:


> i don't see a "focus lock" option with the Gen II, just "focus on start up".



That's what I mean, lock to previous focus on at next start up. The other one I had could not resume the focus upon start, had to re do the focus every time.


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## FRITZHID (May 20, 2012)

maybe you would have had to start with reprogramming it to factory stock settings and then NOT program a "focus at start up" at all, and it would stay where ever you had it last?


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## Parker VH (May 20, 2012)

FRITZHID said:


> long curly cable and drop in charger are the min standard models. thats what i got. his are shown there without the batt cables attached. (donno if i'd ever feel right placing them lens down on anything tho! lol) thats the only thing i don't like about the MB, no tail stand ability  PITA to do upward beam shots with them!


The lenses themselves won't touch if placed on a flat surface although I only did this for this picture and I always store them with the supplied IR filters in place for extra protection.
Fritz, did you try and PM me as I guess my inbox was full?


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## Ra (May 21, 2012)

......"OK... YA'LL's Fault!"


...............Sorry...............


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## FRITZHID (May 21, 2012)

Ra said:


> ......"OK... YA'LL's Fault!"
> 
> 
> ...............Sorry...............



liar! lol, j/k


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## N10 (May 27, 2012)

OKAY....so where are the beamshots?:sigh:


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## FRITZHID (May 30, 2012)

sry, been VERY busy & weather hasent been exactly cooperative.


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