# Maxabeam & Supernova bulbs (Photos)



## larryk (Nov 27, 2007)

I have a Gen 2 Maxabeam and the later model Supernova with the Li-Ion battery. The Supernova outputs about 10% more lumens than the Maxabeam, but never had the tight spot of the Maxabeam. When shinning at a wall 15 feet away the Supernova's spot was almost twice as large as the Maxabeam's. Both lights set for tightest focus. Today I decided to remove the bulbs and see what, if any differences there are. As you can see in the photos the cathode and anode placement is different. Also the pin on the rear of the Maxabeam's bulb is tapered. I swapped bulbs and holy cow now the Supernova has a tighter spot than the Maxabeam ever had. The only drawback is there is only about 1/4 the flood, but I rarely use the flood option anyway. The Supernova bulb in the Maxabeam had a very large spot at the tightest focus. In the photos the Supernova bulb is always on top.


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## ShortArc (Nov 27, 2007)

Interesting,
Read some of RA's comments in this post:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/145887
Cheers.


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## Davekan (Nov 27, 2007)

I just bought a NL-75-2 short arc searchlight. At 15' the smallest

round spot I can make is about 10". I have ordered *Ushio UXL-75XE* 

bulb and will try that this week if I get it in time.

Dave


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## ez78 (Nov 28, 2007)

Oh sweet! Larryk, you are the man. I have been wanting to see the Maxabeam bulb compared to the SN one. Very interesting findings, thanks.

I think there is a way of getting smaller hot spot with the Supernova quite easily. On the Supernova you get the tightest spot when the bulb is in its out most position that is limited by the focus adjustment. I think one could just insert a 1-2mm thick round flat spacer with hole under the bulb in the socket. This would move the bulb outwards and allow adjustment to tighter hot spot than before. The maximum flood spot would get smaller ofcource, thats no big deal. 

The problem might be how to get the spacer out of the socket once it is there. Maybe if it was small enough in diameter so it would drop out of the socket if you remove the bulb and turn the light so the reflector is facing down...


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## ez78 (Nov 28, 2007)

Davekan said:


> I just bought a NL-75-2 short arc searchlight. At 15' the smallest
> 
> round spot I can make is about 10". I have ordered *Ushio UXL-75XE*
> 
> ...



Congratulations on the purchase! It is a super light. So does that version have the Li-ion battery? The spot size at 15' sounds about right. By the way, the Ushio needs some adapter parts machined if you are going to try to use it in the Nova. 

Maybe you already have some new generation bulb in the NL-75-2. Could you try to take a picture of the bulb through the front glass? And some beamshots of cource if possible.  I don't maybe recommend opening the light before you have thought about what you are doing.

Btw, I hope you got that UXL-75XE on ebay, otherwice they are darn expensive...


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## Davekan (Nov 28, 2007)

Hello ez78. One change in the new lamp is the front window. The whole

thing is now threaded on, instead of using screws. I will compare the bulb

with your cad drawing. Does the socket suport the bulb once the front

glass is removed, or does it fall over. I know the focus compression spring

is out of the equation, ounce the front window is removed. If the bulb is

different I will make a cad drawing of it, also I will take a picture of it.

I have a machine shop, and can make any changes necessary, to mount

the new bulb.


Dave


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## Davekan (Nov 28, 2007)

Thanks larryk, for getting this started. :thumbsup:


Dave


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## ez78 (Nov 28, 2007)

Davekan said:


> Hello ez78. One change in the new lamp is the front window. The whole
> 
> thing is now threaded on, instead of using screws. I will compare the bulb
> 
> ...



Yes the socket will support the bulb, or at least on my version the bulb was sitting quite firmly in the socket when the glass was off. Some force is needed to pull it out. One has to be carefull not to exert any sideways stress on the bulb. And I think if done correctly one should wear protective gloves and glasses because there is the risk of bulb exploding.

Edit: Also record the position of the bulb around its own axis before removing it. I also had to use the X- and Y collimation screws to make the spot symmetrical after the operation but that was actually very fast and easy thing to do.

This post by Ra is informative:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2184857&postcount=44

Good to hear you have a machine shop, impressive.


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## Davekan (Nov 28, 2007)

I have heard that with big bulbs, you should were body armour.oo:

I got the bulb on Ebay. Yes it has lipo battery.

Dave


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## DM51 (Nov 28, 2007)

Very interesting. Larryk, thanks for starting this, and others for the additional info.

I would like to tighten the hotspot on my Supernova too, but I don't think I dare open it up...


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## ez78 (Nov 28, 2007)

Just wanted to say I updated the cad drawing of Nova bulb. Some values were adjusted slightly. If anyone was using it for anything then better get the newest one from there: 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/175440&page=2


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## Davekan (Nov 30, 2007)

My *Ushio UXL-75XE* bulb has arrived. The bulb does not have

the small thin wire around the globe section.


Is this normal ?:shrug:

Thanks Dave


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## ez78 (Dec 1, 2007)

Isn't that some kind of safety wire that prevents any arcing from the bulb to it's surroundings. I am not sure how important it is to have it there. Maybe if the electrodes were very badly eroded when the bulb is in the end of it's life then it would offer safe secondary route for the arc. But I think it won't affect how the bulb works.

Anyone have more info on this?


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## Ra (Dec 1, 2007)

Oh yep, I do:

This is called a starting wire: It helps to form a nice electric field around the electrodes to start the arc with the high-voltage pulse.

It is not always needed, but in most cases start-performance is (somewhat..) better.

I encountered a few cases where the performance of the bulb was better without this wire. Maybe this was one of the reasons for Ushio to make this wire easily removable? (UXL-75XE)

Oh, and Dave: If your bulb performes well without it, you don't need to worry about it.


Regards,

Ra.


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## ez78 (Dec 1, 2007)

Ok, good to have some real info on the thing.


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## Ra (Dec 1, 2007)

larryk said:


> I have a Gen 2 Maxabeam and the later model Supernova with the Li-Ion battery. The Supernova outputs about 10% more lumens than the Maxabeam, but never had the tight spot of the Maxabeam. When shinning at a wall 15 feet away the Supernova's spot was almost twice as large as the Maxabeam's. Both lights set for tightest focus. Today I decided to remove the bulbs and see what, if any differences there are. As you can see in the photos the cathode and anode placement is different. Also the pin on the rear of the Maxabeam's bulb is tapered. I swapped bulbs and holy cow now the Supernova has a tighter spot than the Maxabeam ever had. The only drawback is there is only about 1/4 the flood, but I rarely use the flood option anyway. The Supernova bulb in the Maxabeam had a very large spot at the tightest focus. In the photos the Supernova bulb is always on top.



Very strange! The bulbs are not significantly different on Optical Arc Dissplacement. (OAD !??)

Did you collimate the bulbs with the X-Y collimation after bulb-swap ??

And did you confirm that the arc's of both bulb's were exactly in focus during these tests?

Otherwise, the only reason I can think of is that the form-imperfections of the SN-reflector exactly compensate for the "OAD" of the Maxabeam-bulb !
BUT THAT'S NEARLY, EXTREMELY IMPOSSIBLE !!

Those reflectors are high-precision parabolics: Only bulbs like the Ushio UXL-75XE (virtually no OAD!) can give ultimate spot performance!


Regards,

Ra.


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## ez78 (Dec 1, 2007)

Ra, atleast on the nova the adjustment only moves the bulb maybe 5-6mm. The smallest spot is found in one extreme of the movement, and I have the feeling that is not the optical hot spot yet. The spot would get smaller if the arc could be moved slighty more out and the Maxabeam bulb does that with it's differently located arc.

Edit: In other words I suspect the perfect focus with Nova might actually be found outside the normal bulb movement range and the MB bulb enables you to get there. Maybe this is how they meant it to be, or they settled for good and didn't bother to optimize it to perfection as in the Maxabeam. But there's a fix...

Edit2: The above things of cource only explain why SN spot got tighter, but they don't explain how it could be even tighter than the MB spot.


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## Davekan (Dec 1, 2007)

Thanks all for the infofmation. I will mount the bulb so that the arc is

1mm farther forward than the stock bulb. I will be very busy for the

next few days, and will try to get it done as soon as I can. Perhaps,

not untill next week.


Thanks Dave


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## ez78 (Dec 1, 2007)

Well my Nova now has tighter spot than before, which is nice. 

I would not have tested this without larry's finding in this thread so thanks.

I inserted two M3 washers to the bulb socket. This moves the arc about 1mm outwards in the reflector and makes it possible to get tighter spot.

This is still with the original bulb. Ushio will happen later. 

I took before and after shots. Left is before and right is after operation. For both shots I carefully adjusted to the tightest spot possible.


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## DM51 (Dec 1, 2007)

Excellent work. Did you try more than 2 washers?


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## ez78 (Dec 1, 2007)

DM51 said:


> Excellent work. Did you try more than 2 washers?



No I didn't. But I can say one washer would have been enough and more optimal tweak. I can now actually adjust quite far to the 'other side' of the focus where the center of the spot kind of still gets smaller but the halo around the spot starts to grow and you lose most of the light there.

So for the 'after picture' I actually could have adjusted to even smaller spot but stopped when the halo started to grow fast. I think with this setup the arc maybe moved closer to 1,5mm actually.

With only one washer it would be slightly easier to adjust to the tightest spot available and I would recommend that if anyone dares to mess with their Novas. This was 0,6mm thick steel washer with 6mm outer diameter and 3mm hole.

It is night here so I got to test it already and there is quite a difference. Much more laser like beam. But now I think I am seeing the limitations of this bulb also, the brightness drops quite much when you adjust to very tight spot.


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## larryk (Dec 1, 2007)

Ra said:


> Very strange! The bulbs are not significantly different on Optical Arc Dissplacement. (OAD !??)
> 
> Did you collimate the bulbs with the X-Y collimation after bulb-swap ??
> 
> ...


Hi RA, yes I had to adjust the X-Y.
I believe that moving the arc farther out in the reflector did the trick.
As far as the spot being tighter than the Maxabeam, I was just going by memory, which is not that great, and should not have posted that until I can get together with my buddy again and compare the 2 side by side. Anyway I'm extremely happy with the results.
This was only an experiment on my part to try and figure out why the Supernova would not focus as tight as the Maxabeam.
I think ez78 is on the right track so we can use the stock Supernova's bulb and get proper focus.
Now if we could find someone with machining skills to make some adjustable adapters for the Ushio lamp so it would work in both lights.


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## Patriot (Dec 2, 2007)

Sorry if this is a stupid question but would there be any advantage in simply running Maxabeam bulbs in the Supernova?

Also, are Supernovas available anymore? I don't think I've seen them around for a while...even in the marketplace.


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## ez78 (Dec 2, 2007)

Patriot36, If the Gen3 or later Maxabeam bulbs would fit the Supernova as this Gen2 bulb did then there would be advantages. Brighter and tighter spot. But ofcource those bulbs cost $300 or so.

Supernovas are available I think:

http://www.made-in-china.com/china-.../Super-Handheld-Xenon-Searchlight-NL-75-.html

I asked the manufactuer about prices couple of months ago and was eventually offered a sample for 550 USD + shipping. Their answer took so long I had already scored my nova at the marketplace.


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## Ra (Dec 2, 2007)

larryk said:


> As far as the spot being tighter than the Maxabeam, I was just going by memory, which is not that great,



Well larry, you seem to remember me, so your memory isn't that bad, is it?


Regards,

Ra.


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## ez78 (Dec 2, 2007)

Ra, how about some new beam shots with the Maxablaster?


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## ez78 (Dec 5, 2007)

Davekan said:


> Thanks all for the infofmation. I will mount the bulb so that the arc is
> 
> 1mm farther forward than the stock bulb. I will be very busy for the
> 
> ...



Sounds good. I would be interested to hear your results. I have made some cad drawings for my adaptor parts. Just have to find the time to make this really happen.


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## DM51 (Dec 5, 2007)

Are there any instructions/guides anywhere on how to do this adjustment for a SuperNova? My instr leaflet only gives very basic info indeed - nothing about bulb-changing or anything.


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## ez78 (Dec 6, 2007)

I am not aware of any instruction papers. My nova didn't have any.

Here are some findings about this subject so far:

* record the bulb position around it's own length axis before starting, photo is good
* still you propably need to use the x and y calibration screws after reassembling, make sure you have the tool and maybe try it beforehand
* wear protective gloves and goggles there is risk of bulb exploding
* when opening the front glass the reflector should NOT be facing up because parts of the bulb assembly could then fall into the reflector and possibly damage the bulb. Better to let it sit normally on table.
* never touch any glass parts of the bulb with bare fingers
* be carefull not to put any sideways force on the bulb
* when pulling the bulb out of it's socket some force is needed and when it suddenly comes off you can easily hit it against the reflector so steady hands and right kind of grip is needed
* the socket with it's focus adjustement mechanism will move along when you try to pull the bulb out or push it back in, feels weird and makes you wonder if something might break but I think it is fine. Maybe best to adjust the socket to it's out most position with the focus knob so there is maybe less movement
* the glass might come off the black plastic bezel and drop and break
* if you are trying the washer tweak then long thin magnetized screw driver is handy if you need to remove the washer from the socket
* do not drop the washer into the reflector it might find its way inside the light
* can be tricky to insert the bulb with the washer in it's one end to the socket, the washer can get badly aligned in the socket and prevent you from pushing the bulb to the socket and knowing this don't force it there but check the situation and figure out a better way of doing it
* best would be if you had a washer with a hole that fits tightly to the pin on the bulb so it would not come loose


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## DM51 (Dec 6, 2007)

Lol, now you have totally terrified me. I had in mind instructions that begin something like: _Use a small screwdriver to undo screw 'a' in diagram #1. Then undo screw 'b'..._ etc, etc_._

Obviously it would take the world's longest post to go into enough detail to make sure I do not completely wreck the thing, and I could not expect anyone to go to all that trouble.

Maybe one day, when curiosity overcomes me, I might try... but until then, many thanks for your guidelines there - you are light-years ahead of me in tech. ability, and in the meantime I am actually very happy with my SuperNova (and people I have showed it to have been blown away by it!)


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## ez78 (Dec 6, 2007)

Haha, I kind of gathered everything I remembered that could go wrong to that post. So it got kind of negative sound to it. It isn't really that difficult task to do. But ofcource it would be sad if you broke your light. Some of those things happened or almost happened to me and thats why they are on the list but still my nova survived just ok. 

edit: And as you said it is an amazing light in stock condition. This washer trick is just some small finetuning to that great package.


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## Davekan (Dec 7, 2007)

I'm still waiting for my light meter, so that I can take some readings 

before I try my new bulb. As soon as I have done that I will rip that 

bulb out, and try the Ushio.


Dave


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## Davekan (Dec 8, 2007)

I have also ordered PRECISION 144.2MM DIA 21MM FL ELLIPSOIDAL REFLECTOR . I ordered it from Surplus Shed, for $80.

 I'm not sure if I can use it to make mini Maxa-Blaster or not. I'm actually thinking
of getting the big 355mm parbolic reflector, and making giant Maxa-Blaster.

I'm involved with giant RC electric airplanes. I have many large Li-po pacs that I
can use for this project.


 Dave


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## ez78 (Dec 8, 2007)

Dave, that's interesting. Would be good to have some lux readings about the Ushio versus stock bulb in the Supernova. :thumbsup:

And about that reflector. I bet Ra might know something about those and if it would be suitable for short arc bulbs.

By the way the reflector in those cheap Vector HID spotlights is about 150mm in diameter. But I think those are not propably spacious enough to be a host for this kind of project with all the electronics and stuff.


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## rufusdufus (Dec 9, 2007)

Davekan said:


> I have also ordered PRECISION 144.2MM DIA 21MM FL ELLIPSOIDAL REFLECTOR . I ordered it from Surplus Shed, for $80.
> 
> I'm not sure if I can use it to make mini Maxa-Blaster or not. I'm actually thinking
> of getting the big 355mm parbolic reflector, and making giant Maxa-Blaster.
> ...


 
If it's not too late you want to cancel that order.
I believe those reflectors focus about 6 inches in front of the lense.
You need a parabolic reflector.


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## Davekan (Dec 9, 2007)

Hello rufusdufus

I'm afraid that that is too late. I ordered express, and it will be here Monday. I was in a hurry and did not have time to think this thorugh.
It is made by Melles Griot. 

I think if the arc is behind the focal point, the beam will come close to parallel. If not, perhaps I can use a lens, or 2 to collminate the beam.

The reflector is capable of using 500 watt bulb. This may be how the 
MR-175 works.:shrug:


Dave


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## ez78 (Dec 10, 2007)

I think that ellipsoidal reflector can be found in this pdf by Mellesgriot:

http://www.mellesgriot.com/pdf/catalogx/x_09_35-44.pdf

And yes, that might not work...


If I remenber correctly this here is the Maxablaster reflector:

http://shop.mellesgriot.com/products/optics/detail.asp?pf_id=02 RPM 018&plga=032128&mscssid=

And here is smaller version for half the prize:

http://shop.mellesgriot.com/products/optics/detail.asp?pf_id=02 RPM 008&plga=032128&mscssid=


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## Ra (Dec 10, 2007)

Ellipsodial reflectors definitely will not work !

They do work if you want a nice wide flood tho.. Or want to fry bugs at 20 inches from the reflector..

For a nice parallel beam (max throw), you need a high quality parabolic reflector like the 02 RPM 018 and 008.


Regards,

Ra.


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## Davekan (Dec 10, 2007)

Thanks for the information Ra.

I had to jump on this deal, because I was in a hurry, and thought I may

miss out. Anyways I will probably find some use for it. 

Thanks Dave


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## ChrisDallas (Jun 14, 2008)

Lary any beam shots with the maxabean bulb in the supernova?


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## larryk (Jun 15, 2008)

Sorry, no beam shots, but I measured the spot with the Maxabeam bulb and it is as tightly focused as the Maxabeam. The downside is the flood beam is less than half.


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## DM51 (Jun 16, 2008)

That is interesting. So the SN bulb is what is limiting the tight focus, and a SN with a MB bulb performs just as well as a MB?

I doubt people will be worried too much about the flood being affected. A good HID will outperform a SN flood anyway.


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## larryk (Jun 16, 2008)

It will get as tight as the Maxabeam at the cost of limited flood. Also the small end of the Maxabeam bulb that goes into the base of the bulb holder is a little smaller in diameter which causes the bulb to easily go out of side to side and up and down focus.


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