# Francis Searchlight FR300D



## xcon (Aug 9, 2015)

I purchased a Francis FR300D Ship Searchlight - 1000w Halogen 230v GX9.5
It's a secondhand unit, I've been told it's Ex-defence surplus - unused unit but does have marks on the outter from being in storage
No bulb was included , but have ordered a bulb today and should arrive later this week

The searchlight isn't going to be installed in a ship therefor i need to build a stand for the light 
It has a deck control for manual control
A few pic's below


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## FRITZHID (Aug 9, 2015)

Very cool! Look forward to beam shots!


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## BVH (Aug 9, 2015)

Yes, very nice! Provide lots of pics. You'll need a photo hosting service like Photobucket or another one.


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## PolarLi (Aug 10, 2015)

Nice! It looks to be in good shape too. 
I actually have an older and smaller Francis marine searchlight that I am in the process of "retro modding" as we speak.


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## xcon (Aug 10, 2015)

Thanks guys  beam shots are definitely inorder and will post 
I have a Photobucket account for hosting and sharing pic's 

The bulb i have ordered is an Osram 64744 3000K 240v GX9.5 (reccomended by Francis U.K)
Bulb was NZD $80 from an electrial supplier vs. NZD $220 from the Francis Distrubutor


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## FRITZHID (Aug 10, 2015)

As much as I'd want to keep it stock, I don't think I could help myself from collaborating with BVH to mod into short arc. ......I know.....I have a sickness.


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## xcon (Aug 10, 2015)

FRITZHID said:


> As much as I'd want to keep it stock, I don't think I could help myself from collaborating with BVH to mod into short arc. ......I know.....I have a sickness.



Once i get bulb and build the stand ,etc will see how long before i get bored of the stock setup
There is always a chance i could mod into short arc in the future


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## FRITZHID (Aug 10, 2015)

xcon said:


> Once i get bulb and build the stand ,etc will see how long before i get bored of the stock setup
> There is always a chance i could mod into short arc in the future



Sweet! We'd better get a good build thread!


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## xcon (Aug 11, 2015)

I'm using a metal table as my temporary stand. The metal table works well as i can push the searchlight's steering control stalk between the metal plates ontop of the stand.









[URL=http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/vinolen/media/Francis%20FR300D%20Seachlight/20150812_071244_zpscp6nzvse.jpg.html]


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## xcon (Aug 11, 2015)

The bulb has arrived 

Beam shots.... using a mobile phone camera for these pic's...Beam looks better in person than in photo's (not sure why??)
Oh well, here they are...


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## FRITZHID (Aug 12, 2015)

Nice!
Yeah, it's tough getting good beam shots with a cell camera. Longer shutter times are needed but then camera shake plays a factor so tripod required too..... 
Do you have access to a dslr? That would help allot.

How's the beam color? What kind of distances you think it's hitting?


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## BVH (Aug 12, 2015)

And when reduced in size to fit posting requirements, more light is lost.


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## PolarLi (Aug 12, 2015)

If you don't have a DSLR, maybe you have a newer compact camera? Many of them has some manual controls. 
Let me know the make and model and I can give you some settings to try out. And if you don't have a tripod, just find something to set the camera on and use the self timer.


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## xcon (Aug 12, 2015)

Thanks guys 
I will try to source someone with a DSLR and some sort of tri-pod setup  (i tend to use a mobile phone (Samsung Galaxy S5) for all photo's these days)

In regards to range, i am limited to the backyard for my testing were the 230v mains power is available but surrounded by houses unfortunately
I will try to get a rough reading of the range in the weekend


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## FRITZHID (Aug 12, 2015)

xcon said:


> Thanks guys
> I will try to source someone with a DSLR and some sort of tri-pod setup  (i tend to use a mobile phone (Samsung Galaxy S5) for all photo's these days)
> 
> In regards to range, i am limited to the backyard for my testing were the 230v mains power is available but surrounded by houses unfortunately
> I will try to get a rough reading of the range in the weekend



Yeah, it's tough sometimes, when lights require a tether. What's the longest distance you can hit in your yard? I'm sure the light will light it up like crazy but that should give you an idea of what kind of brightness you're looking at.

A tripod helps ALLOT! I can't stress that enough.
As far as your gs5 phn cam, it's the same phn I use and TBH, is NOT suited for beam shots at all. Need longer shutter times and it's not an option on our phn. :/

All that really matters is that you like your new light anyways!


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## xcon (Aug 12, 2015)

FRITZHID said:


> Yeah, it's tough sometimes, when lights require a tether. What's the longest distance you can hit in your yard? I'm sure the light will light it up like crazy but that should give you an idea of what kind of brightness you're looking at.
> 
> A tripod helps ALLOT! I can't stress that enough.
> As far as your gs5 phn cam, it's the same phn I use and TBH, is NOT suited for beam shots at all. Need longer shutter times and it's not an option on our phn. :/
> ...



Like my new light i do


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## xcon (Aug 12, 2015)

Here is a rough idea of the area i've got the light to shine at without upsetting the neighbours....yet!!!
The backyard backs onto a reserve / park that has tall trees and a small incline, the trees get in the way and block the beam

The BLUE dot is were i used the searchlight at the back of the house


Looks to be 179 meters (195 yards) before shining onto the furthest house 

Below gives an idea of what i'm working with 
I will need to try setting up the searchlight out of the property and setting it up to shine diagonally across the reserve / park trying to get a further distance before hitting any objects (houses) in it's path


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## PolarLi (Aug 12, 2015)

FRITZHID said:


> As far as your gs5 phn cam, it's the same phn I use and TBH, is NOT suited for beam shots at all. Need longer shutter times and it's not an option on our phn. :/



Sorry for the hijack, but I couldn't resist since I also have a Galaxy S5 :wave: And more candlepower "cure" that phone just fine  I have the pics to prove it, hehe


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## FRITZHID (Aug 12, 2015)

PolarLi said:


> Sorry for the hijack, but I couldn't resist since I also have a Galaxy S5 :wave: And more candlepower "cure" that phone just fine  I have the pics to prove it, hehe



Well yeah, I can get great beam shots of my maxabeam with ANY camera.... That's not the point.  lol


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## xcon (Aug 12, 2015)

PolarLi said:


> Sorry for the hijack, but I couldn't resist since I also have a Galaxy S5 :wave: And more candlepower "cure" that phone just fine  I have the pics to prove it, hehe



i dont tend to play with the settings on the phone other than turning the flash on or off ,hehe
I read that there are app's for long/slow shutter speed for the camera phone, will experiement


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## PolarLi (Aug 12, 2015)

I only used auto with the flash off for the beamshots with the S5. If I recall correctly it went into nightmodus by itself. Even video turned out decent. But as I said, a lot of candlepower "cure" some camera problems...
A few months back I was searching for shutter apps, but I came to the conclusion that no one worked on the S5 :/ But there may have been changes since then, so let us know if you do find something.


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## xcon (Aug 20, 2015)

Moving to higher ground i was able to just clear the tree line and get a distance of just over 300m (341 yards) before encountering the closest house roof 

After seeing PolarLi's "14" 70.000 lumen spotlight" build thread i won't mind upgrading to an arc setup


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## PolarLi (Aug 21, 2015)

xcon said:


> i won't mind upgrading to an arc setup



Of course not! :rock: The simplest way to get a high output arc setup is probably a MSR 575W/2 lamp. 49.000 lumens. 7 mm arc gap. 7000 kelvin. No active cooling needed. It use the same GX9.5 socket you have. Just a slight height adjustment needed. According to Francis, it will give you 3800 m range, compared to the 970 m range with the 1000 watt halogen (Same reflector in both lights) Electronic ballast and lamp can be found for about $300 on Aliexpress... 
If you want more power and throw, there is shorter arc too  For instance MSR 700 SA, 55.000 lumens. 4 mm arc gap. 5600 kelvin. Probably need some cooling and you need a new socket. More expensive lamp and ballast.
There is also a lot of other "exotic" lamps out there, for instance the one I used and Xenon, but then you need to start making custom parts like sockets and insulators. Lamps and ballast cost even more, only work in certain positions, use higher ignition voltage and so on. Another potential issue is the glass reflector. I'm not sure how it handle these high intensity lamps and if the reflector actually is precise enough to give you a great result with a real short arc lamp.


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## xcon (Aug 23, 2015)

PolarLi said:


> Of course not! :rock: The simplest way to get a high output arc setup is probably a MSR 575W/2 lamp. 49.000 lumens. 7 mm arc gap. 7000 kelvin. No active cooling needed. It use the same GX9.5 socket you have. Just a slight height adjustment needed. According to Francis, it will give you 3800 m range, compared to the 970 m range with the 1000 watt halogen (Same reflector in both lights) Electronic ballast and lamp can be found for about $300 on Aliexpress...
> If you want more power and throw, there is shorter arc too  For instance MSR 700 SA, 55.000 lumens. 4 mm arc gap. 5600 kelvin. Probably need some cooling and you need a new socket. More expensive lamp and ballast.
> There is also a lot of other "exotic" lamps out there, for instance the one I used and Xenon, but then you need to start making custom parts like sockets and insulators. Lamps and ballast cost even more, only work in certain positions, use higher ignition voltage and so on. Another potential issue is the glass reflector. I'm not sure how it handle these high intensity lamps and if the reflector actually is precise enough to give you a great result with a real short arc lamp.



Very interesting PolarLi  , if i go the "MSR 575W/2 lamp" route as it seems to be "plug n' play" retaining the GX9.5 socket and no active cooling - which electronic ballast would you recommend on Aliexpress ? 
Appreciate your advice


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## PolarLi (Aug 23, 2015)

I'm not sure if I can post shop links here? But just search for "metal halide ballast 575w" it's listed for $229 with the ignitor. Same shop also has the lamp, but I only found the in lot of 2. However, ebay has plenty of them for about $40 with shipping. Search for "575/2 lamp" Make sure it has the GX9.5 base. These are china lamps, but they should hold up just fine for limited use. 

Regarding the plug n' play factor, you need to lower the lamp 10 mm to get the light center where the halogen is according to the lamp specs.
One of the pictures you posted above show a black bracket with two bolts under the lamp socket. Seems to be room there to either slot the holes 10mm, or just drill new ones.
-I would swap out the wires from the lamp socket with the high voltage ones from the ignitor.
-It's probably best to mount the ignitor outside and below the housing so it doesn't overheat or block the light. You can just strap it on with some zip ties or make a bracket for it with some sheet metal. The ballast also need to be external.


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## xcon (Aug 23, 2015)

Thanks again for the info PolarLi  
Very useful on how to get started with arc lighting 

The platform that holds the bulb has a small adjustment (focus) knob
The spring compresses or expands depending the direction you turn the adjustment (focus) knob

A high voltage wire upgrade will definatley in needed 

When looking for a ballast ,is it best to pair the bulb wattage to the ballast wattage? e.g. 575w to 575w
Is there a need to look at voltage output on the ballast?


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## BVH (Aug 23, 2015)

xcon said:


> When looking for a ballast ,is it best to pair the bulb wattage to the ballast wattage? e.g. 575w to 575w
> Is there a need to look at voltage output on the ballast?



All the short arc lamps I am familiar with want a somewhat tight range of Voltage at the lamp. Voltage is tightly controlled and overall Wattage to the lamp is controlled by current. So I would say yes, you need to match the lamp to the ballast Voltage output as well as overall Wattage.


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## PolarLi (Aug 23, 2015)

I'm not sure how the focus knob move the lamp, but when you tighten the screw, does it lower the lamp, but also move it towards the reflector, in a arc? If that's the case you may get the height right, but then the lamp will probably be too close to the reflector, so you're still offset. Anyway, the upper bracket (where the ground wire is attached) don't seem to complicated to lower 10 mm if necessary, and you will still be able to go back to stock.
You definitely need a ballast with the right wattage. As for the voltage, electronic metal halide ballast usually list a wide range of output voltage. When you fire them up, the ballast adjust itself to the lamp as it warms up. When looking for ballast, I would look for wattage and the three letter combination of lamp they are made to drive. For instance the ballast in the listing I mention will drive the following lamps: HSR, HTI, HMI, MSD, *MSR*, MSI, NSK, MHK. Since the 575/2 is a MSR lamp, it will work.


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## xcon (Aug 23, 2015)

Thanks BVH & PolarLi 

The focus knob does move the lamp towards or away from the reflector in a arc like fashion (ever so slightly)

The idea of using the bolts that the ground wire attaches to is a good idea to lower 10mm 

It will come down to trial and error (testing) getting the correct height and distance away from the reflector

The info on the ballast and what to look for is very helpful


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## marinemaster (Aug 26, 2015)

Na. .


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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)

After almost a year since getting my Francis Searchlight... i decide to step-up to a metal halide setup 
With help from super helpful PolarLi on the forum i was able to convert my factory Halogen setup to a metal halide setup

Thank you PolarLi :thumbsup: for pointing my in the right direction and giving me idea's and options on parts to use 


The aim was to keep structural modification to a minimum , the reflector used in my Halogen light is the same Francis Searchlights use in their 575w metal halide setup


With PolarLi's help i was able to source parts on eBay 

Schiederwerk KZG 8-4 RO Ignitor
SCHIEDERWERK PVG 5-57 AC KZW Electronic Power Supply
OSRAM HSD 575 W/72 Metal Halide Display Optic Lamp (7200k)

http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/vinolen/media/Francis%20FR300%20v2/20160407_174253_zpsg0bvqggb.jpg.html


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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)

The original lamp holder had a GX9.5 socket , the metal halide lamp i bought fitted a GX9.5 socket








The spec's for the ballast (power supply) recommends a heatsink to be attached and recommends a fan for cooling as well

I ordered a heatsink closest to the size of the ballast

I had an old computer 4 disk hard-drive bay enclosure that had a 12v fan attached



computer 4 disk hard-drive bay enclosure attached to computer PSU


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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)

The ballast (power supply) is powered by 230v but requires 5v to trigger it on


I decided to use a computer PSU as this has a 12v rail and 5v rail:
12v for the cooling fan

5v trigger for ballast


I opened the computer PSU and trimmed the excess wiring.i screwed the computer PSU to the side of the hard-drive bay.
I tapped into the computer PSU's 230v wires that comes in from the mains and extended the wires to power the ballast

The power switch on the computer PSU now controls power to the ballast.

(in the end swapped out the grey computer PSU to a black computer PSU to match the hard-drive bay enclosure)


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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)

i had an old computer temperature sensor module (not needed) 

i decided to use it to monitor the temperature of the ballast and it fit nicely in the hard-drive bay enclosure

And the computer PSU provided power to this

(in the pic's the temperature reads 0 degrees celcuis as the senor modules were not attached)


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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)

I had a small plastic box that the ignitor fitted in

I installed an Anderson connector to the ignitor box, this is mainly to give a release point from the ignitor to the lamp

(It is not recommended to have a break in the HV wire like i have, it's best to have the HV wire to continuous from ignitor to lamp)


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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)




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## xcon (Apr 28, 2016)

I did lower the lamp holder setup roughly 8-10mm

This was simple, as the original setup had the lamp holder sitting on small rubber feet which were easy to remove


Here is my effort currently , more testing and tuning needed:


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## PolarLi (Apr 28, 2016)

Great to see everything up and running! :thumbsup:
How did the temperature on the heatsink turn out? I'm guessing around lukewarm or so at the most? 

Btw, I have received the 24-5 volt converter, but haven't tested it yet. I'll let you know the results as soon as I have wired it up.


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## xcon (Apr 30, 2016)

Thanks PolarLi 

The heatsink worked out well  , measured and drilled 3 holes in the heatsink to match the holes from factory on the ballast  , used heatsink paste and attached the temp sensor between the heatsink and ballast 
The temp is between 35 - 40 Degrees Celsius for the 30mins i ran the light ,that is almost half of the ballast auto cut-off protection of 80 degrees Celsius 

i cannot wait to see your use of the same ballast setup in your next project


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## ven (Apr 30, 2016)

I am sure i can see smoke coming off the tree!!

Awesome.................


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## xcon (May 1, 2016)

Thanks


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