# AmondoTech HID N30



## hulk311 (Jul 31, 2007)

I'm in the market for a HID flashlight and after doing some research it seems that this one is the best bang for the buck, not counting the sams club one which is nowhere to be found here in MI, and when I found one it was $98 so I thought, hey, why not just pay a little extra and get a lot more!

Thoughts?


----------



## BVH (Jul 31, 2007)

Excellent first HID choice! A great little, powerful light. You'll probably find yourself grabbing it for everything you do that requires more light.


----------



## CLHC (Aug 1, 2007)

What *BVH* said. I got one of these for a friend of mine, and he's going around showing it off to his biker buddies. But he has this problem of lighting up police cars and the police chopper whenever he sees them!


----------



## chakrawal (Aug 1, 2007)

I really want to buy N30 but I already got a Microfire K2000R and would like to know if N30 will be brighter than K2000R. Also N30 and G&P are about the same size but what about the throw and overall output.


----------



## mtbkndad (Aug 1, 2007)

chakrawal said:


> I really want to buy N30 but I already got a Microfire K2000R and would like to know if N30 will be brighter than K2000R. Also N30 and G&P are about the same size but what about the throw and overall output.



The N30, with it's 4200K 35 watt bulb, will hold it's own against 35 watt lights that are larger. The Microfire is smaller, but will not throw as far or put out as much light overall. The N30 also has a useable LED handle.

The G&P is still semi vaporware. Flavio still needs to get a replacement ballast and then test it for runtime. I believe he also needs to get enough commitments to make an order worthwhile. I would guess, by the photos of the reflector, that the beam will have a wide spill like the N30, but I have not seen a decent beamshot yet. The one I did see posted seems to indicate that it will have a fairly tight spot and small corona. If my guess is right, that will help it's throw but will also make the light a little less useable for down field illumination. See my Announcing the N30 thread and look at the Polarion P1 and X990 photos for examples of lights that throw a lot of light down field in a wide path.

The N30 is much cheaper then the G&P and also has a longer warranty, 1 year.
The G&P is made out of Aluminum and if it is used a lot in the first week 
(5 or 10 complete charge and discharge cycles) and does fine it should be fine for some time. I would recomend that anybody that buys a G&P really put them through their paces in the first week of ownership. Usually if something is going to go wrong with the electronics prematurely, it will happen fairly quick. 

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## hulk311 (Aug 1, 2007)

I thought the N30 had a 30 watt bulb?

https://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1221


----------



## chakrawal (Aug 1, 2007)

hulk311 said:


> I thought the N30 had a 30 watt bulb?
> 
> https://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1221


35 Watt HID 3200 lumen, 4200K blub driven at 30 watts.


----------



## mtbkndad (Aug 1, 2007)

Chakrawal is correct. The N30 has a 35 watt 4200K bulb driven at 30 watts.
The web page "features" section was put together by somebody in the office that does not know what they are doing :hairpull: . The specifications below "feature" are correct.

It is driven at 30 watts to extend runtime on with the NiMH batteries.
At 30 watts the bulb is still being driven hard enough to work properly so the difference in light output between the N30 at 30 watts and the L35 at 35 watts is less then the natural variation from bulb to bulb. 
These bulbs are rated at 3200 lumens + or - 200 lumens.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## chakrawal (Aug 4, 2007)

It should come with a universal charger instead of 110V. Many people here in Thailand want to get one of N30 but hersitate. Can Amondotech supply the L35 universal charger with N30 and will it work?


----------



## mtbkndad (Aug 4, 2007)

I do not believe you have your terms correct.
The Charger is INSIDE the battery pack.
I believe you mean it should come is a universal power supply.
That has always been planned for the L35.
Future N30's will likely have this feature since there are new regulations is CA regarding powersupply efficiency and since a new power supply will need to be provided in future orders I mentioned to the manufacturer that universal supplies will be nice.
They will also likely effect the price of the N30's in the future.

At $148.75 you simply cannot get another light as compact, bright, and light weight anywhere close to this price. I really think the end user getting an inexpensive universal power supply is not unreasonable.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Chronos (Aug 4, 2007)

FWIW I love this little HID. It is not necessarily the most cosmetically attractive light out there (ahem) but its performance is truly first rate. Did I say I love this little HID???


----------



## chakrawal (Aug 5, 2007)

mtbkndad said:


> I do not believe you have your terms correct.
> The Charger is INSIDE the battery pack.
> I believe you mean it should come is a universal power supply.
> That has always been planned for the L35.
> ...


mtbkndad: So I can buy a universal power supply over here to use with N30? What is the output current of the power supply?
thanks,
chakrawal


----------



## mtbkndad (Aug 5, 2007)

chakrawal said:


> mtbkndad: So I can buy a universal power supply over here to use with N30? What is the output current of the power supply?
> thanks,
> chakrawal



Yes that is correct.
All you need is a power supply with an output of 18V DC and 600 mA 
with the same size plug as the power supply that comes with the N30.

The plug is + center which is very common.
You should be able to get a universal power supply fairly cheap.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## chakrawal (Aug 5, 2007)

mtbkndad said:


> Yes that is correct.
> All you need is a power supply with an output of 18V DC and 600 mA
> with the same size plug as the power supply that comes with the N30.
> 
> ...


I am going to order N30 now.
Thanks for you help.


----------



## chakrawal (Aug 5, 2007)

How long does it take to charge the N30? What about if I can only find 750mA or higher output current? Would it be any prolem?


----------



## mtbkndad (Aug 5, 2007)

chakrawal said:


> How long does it take to charge the N30? What about if I can only find 750mA or higher output current? Would it be any prolem?



As long as the output voltage is 18 V DC you should not have any problems.
If the battery is completely dead it will take somewhere between 7 and 10 hours to charge with the 600 mA powersupply running on 110-120 current.
I have more specific charging times posted somewhere.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## cat (Oct 7, 2007)

*chakrawal*, did you get the N30? Did you solve the problem of 220V charging?


----------



## chakrawal (Oct 7, 2007)

No, I did not get it. The 220V is easy as I did with X990. Just go buy an adapter which output is the same with the one that come with N30. You will be fine.


----------



## cat (Oct 8, 2007)

chakrawal said:


> No, I did not get it. The 220V is easy as I did with X990. Just go buy an adapter which output is the same with the one that come with N30. You will be fine.


I'd better check first, that I can find an 18V one. 




mkbkndad said:


> At $148.75 you simply cannot get another light as compact, bright, and light weight anywhere close to this price.



How would it compare with a Wolf Eyes M300 ?  
I spent most of last night searching and reading about spotlights and flashlights like the M300 and Surefire M6.


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 9, 2007)

cat said:


> I'd better check first, that I can find an 18V one.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




These lights don't compare at all.
The Wolf Eyes is a little rechargeable flashlight that puts out around 380 lumens. Whether those are bulb lumens or actual output numbers I do not know. The N30 is a "little" spotlight with a bulb that is rated at 3200 lumens.
The M300 will fit in the palm of your hand and weighs only 10.5 ounces
The N30 is about the size of a cheap 6 volt lantern style flashlight and weighs 3lb 8oz.

This is definitely a circumstance where the CPF adage of "buy both" applies.


Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## JNewell (Oct 10, 2007)

Tried the Amondotech website last night and it's gone!  There's a pointer to Batteryjunction.com, but a search there doesn't turn up the N30.

Any news on the future of the N30?


----------



## Carpenter (Oct 10, 2007)

Looks like BatteryJunction bought AmondoTech according the amondotech.com. :shakehead


----------



## JNewell (Oct 10, 2007)

Carpenter said:


> Looks like BatteryJunction bought AmondoTech according the amondotech.com. :shakehead


 
Yep, but the Amondotech products are all temporarily invisible... :thinking:


----------



## shelly (Oct 10, 2007)

JNewell said:


> Yep, but the Amondotech products are all temporarily invisible... :thinking:



This still works for me.

http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1221

I ordered it a couple days ago and my Status shows Complete, whatever that means. Not sure if it shipped or not.

Shelly


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 10, 2007)

shelly said:


> This still works for me.
> 
> http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1221
> 
> ...



I remember when we announced the N30 Wayne setup a direct link for CPF members that by passed his homepage. I called him and let him know that this link is still up. The Amondotech site was only taken down yesterday afternoon. I would email Matt and let him know exactly when you placed your order and see what he says. I have not dealt with him personally, but my friends that have say he is a very good person to do business with.

BVH was going to order another battery for his N30. He told me that he emailed Matt and Matt said it would take around a month or so to get everything up and running again. 

I hope everything goes smoothly for Matt as I would like to order some Titanium CR123A's when he gets everything setup. 

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## shelly (Oct 10, 2007)

mtbkndad said:


> I remember when we announced the N30 Wayne setup a direct link for CPF members that by passed his homepage. I called him and let him know that this link is still up. The Amondotech site was only taken down yesterday afternoon. I would email Matt and let him know exactly when you placed your order and see what he says. I have not dealt with him personally, but my friends that have say he is a very good person to do business with.
> 
> BVH was going to order another battery for his N30. He told me that he emailed Matt and Matt said it would take around a month or so to get everything up and running again.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the heads up.

I just sent an email to battery junction enclosing a copy of my confirmation order from almondotech for the N30 plus a dozen Titanium cr123a batteries.

Hopefully they, as well as Paypal, will make good.

Shelly


----------



## shelly (Oct 10, 2007)

Battery Junction responded prompty but Mathew said that they cannot help me as they do not have the past order database and that I should get Amondotech to cancel my order and issue a refund.

Amondotech does not answer their phone nor respond to my email request.

I just now sent a private message to Wayne, including a copy of my email confirmation from Amondotech for my order.

I believe that I have fallen through the cracks.

I can't believe that my order is lost in cyberspace and my money taken away, yet how can I get someone at Amondotech to acknowledge my order and tell me where I stand?


Shelly


----------



## JNewell (Oct 10, 2007)

Edited post to say that I hope things work out ok. Based on the postings over at CPF Marketplace, it looks like things have been a bit rocky with Amondotech.


----------



## gchand (Oct 10, 2007)

Well, to try and add a positive note to the Amondotech situation, I placed an 
order with them on Oct 2 for one of their E-Mail sales items. After reading 
about their takeover by Battery Junction, I was also concerned that my order 
might have fallen thru the cracks.

Lo and behold, my order arrived today, as advertised!


George


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 10, 2007)

I spoke to Wayne a little earlier. He said that orders right before the cutoff were packed and are ready to ship. They will ship on Friday or Monday as everybody has been working from early morning to late at light loading the 4 large freight containers. He also said that orders that were placed right after the cutoff will get refunds starting Monday.

So the priority is-
1. Get the nearly 6000 square foot wharehouse loaded into the freight containers so Matt can be safely on his way back to Conneticut.
2. Get the packaged orders shipped.
3. Get refunds back to people that missed the cutoff.


Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Cyclops942 (Oct 10, 2007)

Uhhh, so when was the cutoff? I have an order confirmation dated Oct 6, marked as Complete on that date.


----------



## Cyclops942 (Oct 10, 2007)

JNewell said:


> Tried the Amondotech website last night and it's gone!  There's a pointer to Batteryjunction.com, but a search there doesn't turn up the N30.
> 
> Any news on the future of the N30?



I just went to the amondotech.com website's homepage, and all looks fine. What's up?


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 11, 2007)

Cyclops942 said:


> I just went to the amondotech.com website's homepage, and all looks fine. What's up?



The N30 page is a back door to the Amondotech web site once in a person can navigate through the site pretty easily. 
This was originally setup so CPF members could go directly to the N30 and get what they want without having to negotiate the whole site.
I called Wayne and told him he needs to fix this. He said that unfortunately there were other specials over time that would have created other back doors. Tracing all of these down would be nearly impossible. The important thing is do not order from Amondotech until Matt has the main web page running again.


So as it stands now this link seems to work.

https://www.amondotech.com/index.asp...OD&ProdID=1221

But the main page does not.

http://www.amondotech.com/

I believe an order on the 6th would be fine. For that matter orders on Sunday would likely be fine. The orders in question would be Monday or Tuesday orders.

I will remind everybody that I live in So Cal and Amondtech is in No. Cal.
I am relaying information that I have been given and this is the best I can give at the moment. Wayne did not remember exactly when his workers stopped filling orders, but he was quite confident that any weekend orders were fine.


Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## JNewell (Oct 11, 2007)

Cyclops942 said:


> I just went to the amondotech.com website's homepage, and all looks fine. What's up?


 
This is what's up:



> BatteryJunction.com is pleased to announce that it has acquired Amondotech. During a brief transitional period we ask that you please shop at our BatteryJunction.com site. Thanks for your continued patronage and support!
> 
> 
> To check your orders or return products status, please email [email protected]


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 11, 2007)

Wayne told me this morning that he believes he has successfully closed all of the back doors to Amondotech page. That will be good because now people will not be able to place any kind of orders until Matt has Amondotech up and running again.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## shelly (Oct 12, 2007)

I am pleased to post that my N30 was delivered today. It may have been the last one shipped by Wayne as I did not place my order until Tuesday, Oct. 9 which we later learned was past the cutoff date.

Thank you to Wayne for getting the light out to me during his hectic final days with Amondotech. And my special thanks to mtbkndad who intervened to help me and everyone else find out the why/what and when of our orders that were seemingly fallen through the cracks.

What a great size, compared to my Thor 15m (only used to light up the night for guests) and my Amondotech A1 Illuminator, which was used on many more occasions.

But the compact size of the N30 will definitely keep it near the front door as the go to light.

Shelly


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 12, 2007)

shelly said:


> I am pleased to post that my N30 was delivered today. It may have been the last one shipped by Wayne as I did not place my order until Tuesday, Oct. 9 which we later learned was past the cutoff date.
> 
> Thank you to Wayne for getting the light out to me during his hectic final days with Amondotech. And my special thanks to mtbkndad who intervened to help me and everyone else find out the why/what and when of our orders that were seemingly fallen through the cracks.
> 
> ...



Shelly, 

I am glad everything worked out and your light arrived safely. Wayne will be very glad to hear that you got your light. I believe your order ended up being the very last one to be filled.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Cyclops942 (Oct 13, 2007)

Cyclops942 said:


> Uhhh, so when was the cutoff? I have an order confirmation dated Oct 6, marked as Complete on that date.


 
I just confirmed that no shipment has been received. Any thoughts?


----------



## shelly (Oct 13, 2007)

I played with the N30 last night. I live in the country where it's extremely dark and able to see the complete sky and stars.

The N30 has great throw, maybe a bit less than the Amondotech A1 and Thor hid's that I already own.

But I find the spotlight throw not quite as practical as a flood light so use a sheet of Glad Press and Seal over the lens of all three of my hids. I can easily take it off or put it back on, when necessary.

The N30 with the Glad diffuser absolutely lights up the entire area, far more than a car's headlights might.

I'll be looking for a hoop (probably an adjustable embroidery hoop) that I can staple the Press and Seal on to and that can be easily removed/replaced from the cap of the N30. It would be neater that way.

Anybody else like the flood light affect?

Shelly


----------



## Cyclops942 (Oct 14, 2007)

Cyclops942 said:


> I just confirmed that no shipment has been received. Any thoughts?



I decided that following directions would be a good idea, so I emailed according to the directions above.


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 15, 2007)

Cyclops942 said:


> I decided that following directions would be a good idea, so I emailed according to the directions above.



The shipment would not have been sent until Friday.
Shelly lives very close to Amondotech's former address.
You still have a few days to go if it was shipped on Friday.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Cyclops942 (Oct 15, 2007)

shelly said:


> I played with the N30 last night. I live in the country where it's extremely dark and able to see the complete sky and stars.
> 
> Shelly




Okay, okay... rub it in. :mecry: I live in suburbia, with the closest thing to dark being my back yard, away from the immediate glare of the streetlights. Although, living in a desert environment (even though it's suburban desert), I can see more stars than I could in my suburban back yard at the bottom of the Ohio River valley. Anyway, post more stories, and maybe even a picture or two.


----------



## leukos (Oct 15, 2007)

shelly said:


> Anybody else like the flood light affect?
> 
> Shelly


 

It would be nice if there was a diffuser offered in the future for the N30/N35.


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 16, 2007)

leukos said:


> It would be nice if there was a diffuser offered in the future for the N30/N35.



That would be nice. I will talk to the manufacturer about that. It may be something that needs to be made after market.

I helped the manufacturer work on these lights independent of Amondotech and got Wayne interested in them once he saw photo's of the original prototype and how much brighter it was then a Brightstar at only 24 watts.
That original prototype is what became the N30.

It is actually pretty easy to cut filters from "cracked ice" light panels you can buy at home improvement stores if you happen to own a decent scroll saw.

Added section: 
Just so that new people do not get confused-
The N30 was originally going to be a 24 watt light, but the Manufacturer basically said "There are no 24 watt Chinese made bulbs that we feel are reliable enough to be put into a spotlight. We are driving a 35 watt bulb at 24 watts.".
After testing the light I told the manufacturer I felt it was being driven way to low and the resulting flicker was too noticeable to be acceptable.
It is really more of a slight fluctuation in light output. Most HID's do this but when the bulb is being driven full power it takes a light meter to measure it. Once again this was before Wayne even new these lights were in the process of being created. 30 watts ended up being the wattage necessary to get the bulbs to perform well. These bulbs perform so well at 30 watts that the difference between 30 and 35 watts is nearly indistinguishable without a light meter. With NiMH the extra wattage would decrease run time without giving any real advantage in terms of brightness. I was firm on how much runtime these lights needed and told engineers to adjust everything accordingly. This is how we ended up at 30 watts for the N30.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## shelly (Oct 16, 2007)

I bought a 5" embroidery hoop, inserted a piece of Glad Pres and Seal beween the inner and outer hoops, tighten it up, cut off the overhang and was still a bit too much diameter.

Although I planned to get some adhesive backed weatherr stripping, I found a self stick round pad in the utility drawer and cut 4 strips to place on the inside of the wooden hoop.

It's a perfect fit to slip the diffuser on and off. I'll probably clean up the edges, remove the store label and might even paint green to match, but this was a quickie job to put it together.

Shelly


----------



## PayBack (Oct 16, 2007)

lol nice.

I wonder if that would fit the Power on Board one without the extra padding.... hmmmm....


----------



## Trickflow25 (Oct 17, 2007)

Hi everyone, 

I ordered an Amondotech N30 back on Sept. 10, 2007 and received it promptly. Unfortunately I found out that the LED cluster of the N30 was defective. Only three out of the whole cluster lit up. So I called them up and it took a few calls before they picked up and they told me to ship it back to them. I asked for a RMA number and she said dont worry about it. (Hmm .... ) So I shipped it back near the end of September and have not heard anything since. I have emailed and tried to call and nothing. I called Battery Junction and they said email Amondotech .... [email protected] . 
Does anyone have any kind of pull or anything they could help me out with? I almost shipped them a free answering machine with my defective HID.


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 17, 2007)

Trickflow25 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I ordered an Amondotech N30 back on Sept. 10, 2007 and received it promptly. Unfortunately I found out that the LED cluster of the N30 was defective. Only three out of the whole cluster lit up. So I called them up and it took a few calls before they picked up and they told me to ship it back to them. I asked for a RMA number and she said dont worry about it. (Hmm .... ) So I shipped it back near the end of September and have not heard anything since. I have emailed and tried to call and nothing. I called Battery Junction and they said email Amondotech .... [email protected] .
> Does anyone have any kind of pull or anything they could help me out with? I almost shipped them a free answering machine with my defective HID.



At this point you need to email Amondotech and get a refund if they received your returned light and you can verify that. The former Amondotech in Sunnyvale does not have anything anymore, everything has been sold to Battery Junction. You may have had a light shipped to you in the last shipment also. Only the people at Amondotech [email protected] would know for sure. Wayne has retained some staff just to deal with issues like this.

I am curious, did you see the three LED's working before or after the battery was charged?
The LED's are wired in two parallel lines 4 LED's and 3 with a resistor.
When the the battery pack is very low only 3 LED's will light up until it is charged again. After that all 7 will light up again. This is the norm with my Li-Ion L35. Li-Ion packs drain more thoroughly and do not have the rebound of NiMH due in part to the greater voltage drop the NiMH packs have under load. I warned the manufacturer about this issue with the L35.
I told them people may think something was defective.
I also took apart a 7 LED bike light I had in order to show them that 7 LED's is common and what was done for it to be wired in series.
They felt the N30 packs would not generally get low enough to be a problem. What they did not count on was battery drain during storage.

So if you did a quick check and immediately noticed only 3 LED's working and then called Amondotech. You probably sent back a perfectly good light.

Now if only three worked even after charging. Then I would say the line with 4 LED's was not connected properly and that would have been a warranty issue.

At one point I was going to suggest to Wayne to have questionable lights sent to me since nobody at Amondotech other then Wayne had any practical technical knowledge. Even he did not know much about these lights.
Then came the challenges that ultimately resulted in Wayne selling the business. Now all of that is a moot point.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## JNewell (Oct 17, 2007)

Mtnbkndad, there's no reason you should know the answer to this, but since you're here...do you know how future warranty issues are going to be handled for the Amondotech lights? It's pretty clear from Matt's message that he did not assume any liability for sales made by Amondotech before the product lines were sold. Are the Amondotech customers out of luck?


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 17, 2007)

JNewell said:


> Mtnbkndad, there's no reason you should know the answer to this, but since you're here...do you know how future warranty issues are going to be handled for the Amondotech lights? It's pretty clear from Matt's message that he did not assume any liability for sales made by Amondotech before the product lines were sold. Are the Amondotech customers out of luck?



I have used my N30's daily so I doubt there will be any real problems.
The manufacturer provides a one year warranty with their dealers being resposible for handling warranty issues.
I do not know the exact specifics Wayne worked out with the N30's.
The AI had a similar type agreement with the manufacturer stating that 98% of all units should be free of defects. In this case Wayne had to replace units 1 and 2 that were defective out of any 100 and the manufacturer would reimburse him for any more. They did prove to be quite reliable. 

Matt will have to answer questions about how he will handle previously purchased N30's. 

Clearly he should not be responsible for items that were returned to Wayne or orders that went through and were not fulfilled while the company was changing hands.

I have not had any contact with Matt. For that matter I have never had any contact with him so I do not know what he plans to do.

It seems to me this will be an issue Matt will need to address with much more then just the N30's.
There is also the Battery Charger line Wayne developed. For that matter, any Titanium brand products that were purchased right before the change in hands of the company.


I will be contacting the manufacturer myself and see if he has contacted them yet. I am sure Matt is very busy right now so it will be good to wait a few weeks and see what he says.



Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Trickflow25 (Oct 18, 2007)

I am curious, did you see the three LED's working before or after the battery was charged?

When I received the light I didnt even turn it on once until I fully charged it. I am weird like that. When I purchase something with a rechargeable battery either NICD or NIMH I like to charge them fully then drain them fully atleast the first five times just to make sure the battery(s) are nice and healthy. 

Thanks for your help!!!!


----------



## Cyclops942 (Oct 18, 2007)

Cyclops942 said:


> I just confirmed that no shipment has been received. Any thoughts?



Okay, as of yesterday evening on my way home, it has been confirmed that my buddy got his light. 

I have responded to [email protected] to update them, as well.

Thanks to everyone for the information and the support. Now I just have to wait until April to be able to see the thing in person!


----------



## jbieszke (Oct 20, 2007)

since batteryjunction has amondotech, when will batteryjunction be selling the n30 or even better the n35, because their website dont have anything right now, does anyone have a n30 they are willing to sell? I need to buy one very soon!


----------



## JNewell (Oct 20, 2007)

IIRC, they've said it will take 4-6 weeks to get it transported across the country and up and running.


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 20, 2007)

jbieszke said:


> since batteryjunction has amondotech, when will batteryjunction be selling the n30 or even better the n35, because their website dont have anything right now, does anyone have a n30 they are willing to sell? I need to buy one very soon!



I know Matt will have N30's when Amondotech is up and running because he bought Wayne's stock of them. I also know he will not have L35's in the near future, if ever. He will have to decide if he wants to put in the additional resources to finish that light.
This is because I never finished working on the improvements to the L35 with the manufacturer before Wayne had circumstances that pulled him away from Amondotech. 

The N30 and L35 were created by an unusual cooperation of three seperate entities. Amondotech, myself, and the manufacturer. None of us were affiliated with each other other then working on projects like this. The reason I have always answered the tech questions is that Wayne simply did not know much about the lights. For that matter, no employees of Amondotech new anything of the technical information about the these lights. This was because the real work was done between the manufacturer and myself. When the light was ready Wayne put up the necessary finances to get the project going. 

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## KevinL (Oct 21, 2007)

Oh dear, just when I was getting ready to buy....


----------



## daveman (Oct 21, 2007)

mtbkndad said:


> I know Matt will have N30's when Amondotech is up and running because he bought Wayne's stock of them. I also know he will not have L35's in the near future, if ever. He will have to decide if he wants to put in the additional resources to finish that light.
> This is because I never finished working on the improvements to the L35 with the manufacturer before Wayne had circumstances that pulled him away from Amondotech.
> 
> The N30 and L35 were created by an unusual cooperation of three seperate entities. Amondotech, myself, and the manufacturer. None of us were affiliated with each other other then working on projects like this. The reason I have always answered the tech questions is that Wayne simply did not know much about the lights. For that matter, no employees of Amondotech new anything of the technical information about the these lights. This was because the real work was done between the manufacturer and myself. When the light was ready Wayne put up the necessary finances to get the project going.
> ...


Then you better find someone else to partner up and finish that L35 (better yet, a L40 ), Mtbkndad. I have been waiting to unleash some serious paypal fury on your new products.


----------



## Trickflow25 (Oct 24, 2007)

Battery Junction told me to wait another week so I did and heard nothing from Amondotech. So I just called Battery Junction and talked to Eilleen and she asked me how I paid for the N30 and I told her Paypal. She told me she will get back to me by Friday of next week (Nov 2nd) and I guess by then they will be finished "merging" .... 

She told me worst case I will have to dispute it with Paypal because when I paid for the N30 I paid Amondotech and not Battery Junction. I thought to myself well didnt Battery Junction purchase Amondotech? What if I did not pay with Paypal? Battery Junction is responsible arent they? 

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get my replacement N30 HID? I have tried emailing and calling Amondotech I dont even know how many times.... :mecry:


----------



## JNewell (Oct 24, 2007)

No, BatteryJunction isn't responsible at all in this case. They paid Amondotech only for the value of the physical inventory and didn't take on any of AT's obligations. In other words, they didn't buy the business, just the lights, etc. That means that any disputes have to be followed up with AT (and the relevant credit card company or other payment service, if applicable - Paypal, in this case). Basically, everything between AT and its customers stays between AT and the customers.



Trickflow25 said:


> Battery Junction told me to wait another week so I did and heard nothing from Amondotech. So I just called Battery Junction and talked to Eilleen and she asked me how I paid for the N30 and I told her Paypal. She told me she will get back to me by Friday of next week (Nov 2nd) and I guess by then they will be finished "merging" ....
> 
> She told me worst case I will have to dispute it with Paypal because when I paid for the N30 I paid Amondotech and not Battery Junction. I thought to myself well didnt Battery Junction purchase Amondotech? What if I did not pay with Paypal? Battery Junction is responsible arent they?
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get my replacement N30 HID? I have tried emailing and calling Amondotech I dont even know how many times.... :mecry:


----------



## mtbkndad (Oct 24, 2007)

Trickflow25,

JNewell is correct, the old Amondotech needs to take care of this. If you could PM me with your info. including any proof of delivery confirming that the light you sent back made it back to Amondotech I will see what I can do. 

Without that information it will be hard for Wayne to trace anything since he was essentially out of the daily operation of the business for several months prior to the sale.

Once again PM whatever information you have to me and I will try to help.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Gnufsh (Dec 17, 2007)

I just got mine from battery junction, and I'm looking for a car charger for it. Would this work?
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=214


----------



## MikeLip (Dec 17, 2007)

Gnufsh said:


> I just got mine from battery junction, and I'm looking for a car charger for it. Would this work?
> http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=214



Looks like it should! The light wants 18V on it's input and it takes care of the charging itself, so this ought to work. Nice find.


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 17, 2007)

Gnufsh said:


> I just got mine from battery junction, and I'm looking for a car charger for it. Would this work?
> http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=214



You may have problems with the 3.5A output of the power supply you found.
The manufacturer recommends a power supply that has the following specs.

DC Output- 18V 600mA

Remember you are not just charging batteries you are powering a charging circuit in the battery pack. As a result what you may want to find is a power supply that more closely matches the manufacturer specs.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Border (Dec 25, 2007)

mtbkndad said:


> You may have problems with the 3.5A output of the power supply you found.
> The manufacturer recommends a power supply that has the following specs.
> 
> DC Output- 18V 600mA



I'm no expert on electronics, but I still think that there should not be any problems using a power supply with a higher ampere rating. As long as it can deliver _at least_ 600mA at 18V, it should work fine. Even if there is 3.5A or more available from the power supply, which only means that it is able to pump out more power on demand.

I guess the charger circuit is regulated, so that it will not draw more than 600mA.

Or am I completely wrong on this one? 

It would be nice to know about this for sure. I have a N30 coming my way soon, and I need to purchase a 230VAC -> 18VDC power supply here in Norway.


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 25, 2007)

Border said:


> I'm no expert on electronics, but I still think that there should not be any problems using a power supply with a higher ampere rating. As long as it can deliver _at least_ 600mA at 18V, it should work fine. Even if there is 3.5A or more available from the power supply, which only means that it is able to pump out more power on demand.
> 
> I guess the charger circuit is regulated, so that it will not draw more than 600mA.
> 
> ...



I could write the manufacturer for you. My main concern is that if anything goes wrong with the battery that may not be directly related to the power supply putting out 3.5A the fact that you are using this may cause warranty problems.
A powersupply that puts out 3.5A may heat the batteries enough to trip the over temp sensor in addition to decrease the charge/discharge life span of the batteries.

Even if the charging circuit works, It is really not good to charge NiMH batteries too fast. This will decrease the life of the batteries.

Your best bets would be-
1. A 220 power supply that has DC output 18V 600 mA
2. A universal/international power supply that has DC output 18V 600mA
3. A 220 to 110 converter.

I know from numerous CPF members whom I have had contact with through PM's that the option (1.) is the cheapest and pretty easy to find. contacted me through PM's

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 26, 2007)

I got a response from the manufacturer and they said to not use anything over 
1000mA. 

I did not get the tech explanation regarding the specifics of the charging circuit and battery pack interaction, but they were very specific

230VAC -> 18VDC 1000mA or less power supply.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Border (Dec 26, 2007)

Thank you for investigating, mtbkndad. I appreciate it. 

I have not yet found a 18VDC power supply with less than 1000mA here in Norway. Maybe I'll have to find a 230VAC -> 110VAC converter instead...

It would be nice to hear from anyone in Europe (or other places with 230VAC outlets) who has successfully managed to charge their Amondotech N30. What power supply do you use, and what is the mA rating?

Also, it would be great if any CPF-ers out there can give a more technical explanation on why it may cause problems using a larger power supply.

As far as I know, the charger circuit (or any other electrical consumer) cannot "see" how much current is available from the power supply. At a given voltage it is only able to demand for a given current, to fulfill the power needs. A charger running at 18VDC may therefore draw 600mA from a power supply. This equals to 10.8W (18VDC * 0.6A), which probably is the amount of power it needs to operate.

If the charger circuit on the N30 battery draws more than 600mA at 18V, the original power supply will soon overheat. As an electrical consumer, the charger is not able to "see" whether the power supply is able to deliver 600mA, 2.5A or even 100A. Therefore, it should not demand more power than what it was designed for. That is why I think the current rating on the power supply has no meaning, as long as it meets the minimum requirements (>600mA) at 18VDC.

Does this make any sense out there in the electrical world?
Any comments will be appreciated... :thanks:


----------



## Avernar (Dec 26, 2007)

Border, you are correct with your reasoning. It's the same as if you put in a light bulb on a 15A house circuit and a 20A house circuit. It will draw the same current.

BUT, most electronic devices are not pure resistive circuits. When power is first applied the caps need to charge up and the initial current draw can be more than the steady state current. If the components and traces on the initial filter/regulation stage can't handle this it might go *poof* when you initially plug it in one time.


----------



## Border (Dec 26, 2007)

Thank you for your explanation, Avernar. That does certainly makes sense.

I guess I will have to find a 230V->110V converter before my new N30 arrives. It would be sad to destroy my first HID before I could even turn it on...


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 26, 2007)

I requested a more specific explanation from the engineers but have not received one yet. Back when when I was having problems with the original 2 NiMH pre production models needing to be charged twice in a row to receive a full charge the engineers were having trouble isolating the problem.

In China they charged in one charge in the US it would take two successive charges two get those two lights to run the full time. Wayne and I suspected that the time cutoff was too short for the US. 
This did turn out to be the problem.

During all of this Wayne, who spent a lot of time developing battery chargers, spent about 40 minutes one day explaining the delicate balance of the three protections in a properly protected charging circuit/battery setup, Heat, Voltage, Time. He went on about the technical aspects of how changing one of these can adversely effect the balance of the others depending on the way the circuit is designed and what it checks when and how.

This is why after numerous people have asked, I felt finding out the mA range that the manufacturer recommends was the best route to follow.

If I ever get specific answers about why the specific charging circuit/battery pack combo in the N30's must not be driven by a 18 VDC power supply over 1000mA I will post them.

For now we at least know the limit the manufacturer recommends.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Border (Dec 27, 2007)

I received my N30 today! 

230->110V transformers was sadly sold out at the local electronics dealer, but I guess I'll be able to find one tomorrow.

By the way, the manual states that the battery pack is delivered in a partially charged state. This does not seem to correct in my case, as pressing the test button on the battery pack barely makes the red dot light up slightly. I removed the battery and measured the voltage to only 2.3V.

Hope the battery is ok. I'll know for sure when I get hold on the transformer.

Apart from not having the pleasure of switching it on yet, I must admit that I like the N30. The size is a little smaller than I expected, the form factor seems good for carrying, and the weight is quite acceptable.

Hmm, I almost can't wait to get this thing charged... I'm only used to Fenixes and Mag rechargeables so far.


----------



## MikeLip (Dec 27, 2007)

Border said:


> Hmm, I almost can't wait to get this thing charged... I'm only used to Fenixes and Mag rechargeables so far.



Neither of those has prepared you for the N30!  One word of advice. Don't point it at your face when first firing it up. Don't even have the bulb in view. The initial arc of starting is intense. It's quite unpleasant.

Have fun - it's a great light!


----------



## Avernar (Dec 27, 2007)

Border said:


> By the way, the manual states that the battery pack is delivered in a partially charged state. This does not seem to correct in my case, as pressing the test button on the battery pack barely makes the red dot light up slightly. I removed the battery and measured the voltage to only 2.3V.
> 
> Hope the battery is ok. I'll know for sure when I get hold on the transformer.


Both of my batteries were like that when I got them. They both charged up fine.


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 28, 2007)

Border said:


> I received my N30 today!
> 
> 230->110V transformers was sadly sold out at the local electronics dealer, but I guess I'll be able to find one tomorrow.
> 
> ...



The packs were mostly charged when the Lights were put together last spring.
Then Amondotech went into limbo for around 3 or 4 months.
Then Amondotech was sold. These lights have been sitting for all of this time so most of the packs are pretty dead now.
Matt says this will not be a problem just as long as people be sure to charge these lights before using them.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Border (Dec 28, 2007)

MikeLip said:


> Neither of those has prepared you for the N30!  One word of advice. Don't point it at your face when first firing it up. Don't even have the bulb in view. The initial arc of starting is intense. It's quite unpleasant.



Man, you're not making this waiting any easier... 

Just kidding. Thanks for the advice. I will try not to look at the arc, even though it is most tempting...

Looks like a lot of Norwegians got themselves electronics from the US this Christmas. I still haven't found a shop with any transformers left in stock. Aw, the linger... :duh2:


----------



## Heavyopp (Dec 31, 2007)

This might be my 1st post here. Anyway, I picked up one if these for Christmas for my Kids to give me. Great light. I expected it to be bigger. 

My battery was very drained also. I charged it overnight and all seems good.

I think I remember reading somewhere on a few waterproofing tips for the N30. I can't seem to find it now. Link anyone?

Thanks

Jer


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 31, 2007)

Heavyopp said:


> This might be my 1st post here. Anyway, I picked up one if these for Christmas for my Kids to give me. Great light. I expected it to be bigger.
> 
> My battery was very drained also. I charged it overnight and all seems good.
> 
> ...



BVH actually left his in the rain over night a few months ago and it worked fine the next day.
The easiest temporary and quick weather proofing is to put it into a 1 gallon food freezer bag and tape the opening with either clear waterproof duck tape or Gorilla tape. I did this for the LA get together. I also cut a small hole for the LED portion of the light.

I did post more extensive instructions somewhere but it may take me some time to find them.
I have used mine in the rain with no problems, but the official position we took for the specs and warranty purposes was to say they are not weather proof. The single most critical spot to keep water out of is the charging plug in the battery pack. If water gets in there it will ruin the charging circuitry.

I will have more information on the weather proofing and other issues in the very near future  .

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## KevinL (Dec 31, 2007)

Border said:


> Man, you're not making this waiting any easier...
> 
> Just kidding. Thanks for the advice. I will try not to look at the arc, even though it is most tempting...
> 
> Looks like a lot of Norwegians got themselves electronics from the US this Christmas. I still haven't found a shop with any transformers left in stock. Aw, the linger... :duh2:



Alternatively you could acquire a multi-chemistry charger or a NiMH charger and charge the battery directly. Disconnect the pack from the light, hook it up to the charger, return it to the light when you are done. That's what I'd do.. 

That type of charger can also be had in universal (100-240 VAC) voltage. Both of mine are, because I too live in "the rest of the world".

Such pack chargers are good for charging all the other exotic cells we use in our lights too!


----------



## mtbkndad (Dec 31, 2007)

KevinL said:


> Alternatively you could acquire a multi-chemistry charger or a NiMH charger and charge the battery directly. Disconnect the pack from the light, hook it up to the charger, return it to the light when you are done. That's what I'd do..
> 
> That type of charger can also be had in universal (100-240 VAC) voltage. Both of mine are, because I too live in "the rest of the world".
> 
> Such pack chargers are good for charging all the other exotic cells we use in our lights too!




Border,

I noticed today that BatteryJunction sells these-

http://www.batteryjunction.com/trwowicofors.html

That could solve your problem.
You could order it from them if you cannot find one in Norway or if the proper 230V power supplies continue to be out of stock.
The Batteryjunction item does seem like it would be sort of a US specific item.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


----------



## Marko (Feb 15, 2008)

Thanks for the tip mtbkndad, I tried this, and it works "allmost ok" in Finland. ;o) Unfortanately it won't fit to standard Schuko socket without an extra adapter, pins are too short. Or actually pins are ok, but the shell of AC/AC adapter is the problem. Hard to explain, hope those pictures help.

Schuko sockets are embedded, so adapter shell prevents connecting.




With this little extra adapter it works ok. (I think this is same: http://www.batteryjunction.com/eoplad.html)


 



Adapter removed.




Adapter fitted.


----------



## Marko (Dec 31, 2008)

Eh, I have a little problem with my N30 - HID won't start up anymore. :duh2:

Batteries (I have two) gives over 15 volts, and HID power switch works ok, but only the LED handle works. I don't know if the problem is bulb or ballast, have to examine it tomorrow - edit: pictures added

Happy New Year to all! :thumbsup:


----------



## Marko (Jan 1, 2009)

Pictures of lamp, there is some yellowish substance visible. Defective lamp maybe?


----------



## BlueBeam22 (Jan 1, 2009)

Marko said:


> Pictures of lamp, there is some yellowish substance visible. Defective lamp maybe?


 

That was discussed HERE. It is perfectly normal. My N30 and Mega Illuminator have that too, both lights of which I have used a lot and had no problems with.:thumbsup:

I am not sure why your N30 won't start up, but I am just stating that the yellow in the bulb is nothing to worry about.


----------



## Marko (Jan 1, 2009)

Thanks for the link, now after reading it I remember that I probably have read it earlier - I think my internal hard drive (inside my head) needs some disk defragmenter now, I'm still overwhelmed about this HID starting problem (or at least because of New Year's Eve...). :sick2: When flashlight breaks, it is not the best day of anybodys life, isn't it?:mecry:

Is there any easy way to check if the ballast is still working? I don't have equipments to measure that high (or should I say _HID high_) voltages at home.


----------



## Lips (Jan 14, 2009)

.



I'm late to the Party  on this one but I got a used N30 from Groundhog that had the drop-in upgrade already done. What a great light for $145 or so... 

The Drop-in LED upgrade is a really nice feature to have. Compact and powerful... The tints a little on the greenish side (HID) but the beam is plenty powerful... Really like how the battery was designed to twist and lock-in.

One of the best features of the HID portion of the N30 light hasn't been mentioned that much or at least I can't remember it being talked about... *FAST START UP!!!* The N30 cranks up very fast which is a major feature for a small tactical HID light. Can't deal with slow start up or too high of a color temp... Some of the small handheld HID's just take too long to get up to speed to be tactical.


Cheers!


----------

