# Oreilly ETEK HID



## BigusLightus (Mar 18, 2010)

The Good Deals thread on this light is turning into a discussion. Let's capture all our new found information in this thread.

Things we know so far:

1. The battery compartment cover uses four screws that secure into soft plastic and strip very easily.

2. The battery is a common sized 12V 7Ah with F1 (.187") terminals. Unlike my POB with super short wires, the Etek battery is super easy to replace.

3. The gas tube is frosted.


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## bogeymachine (Mar 19, 2010)

sample size, 3 lights: n=3

4) significant variation in color temp from unit to unit

5) contact points on charger connectors (male and female) slightly oxidized, a little "wiggle" or de-oxit may be in order

6) batteries are shelf worn, (edit 3/21) initially zero to 20 min runtime, now 2 units achieve 60+ min after 6 discharge cycles

7) light overdrives at startup

8) cheap and bright but has some baggage


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## cccpull (Mar 19, 2010)

I hate to mess your number sequence, but this is my take so far:
All mine arrived in their retail boxes inside the plain warehouse import boxes.
All three have the same white color beam (might take shots later).
All charged overnight and when fully charged the red l.e.d. turns off, when you press the charge indicator button, the red, yellow and green l.e.d.s turn on.
They weigh an average of 8.4 lbs. In comparison, PF 20 million cp weighs approx. 10.45 lbs and the Brinkmann Max III weighs 3.9 lbs. 
Overall a nice little light at a good deal.


A thanks "bogeymachine" for the heads-up.:wave:


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## LitFuse (Mar 20, 2010)

The color temps on mine were pretty similar. More amazingly is that after leaving them on the supplied charger for 24 hours I got runtimes of 1:15, 1:24, and 1:24. The initial out of the box voltages on the SLA Batts were 10.6V and the other two were around 4V! I was expecting them to last 5-10 minutes, but they just kept on going....:twothumbs

Peter


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## Stillphoto (Mar 20, 2010)

Overdriving at startup is to be expected of almost any HID, no? Needs that initial spike to keep the arc burning.


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## jblackwood (Mar 21, 2010)

The run times of my two were 41 minutes for one and 46 minutes for the other. I've run two tests on the second one now and am about to start a tandem test for them both right now. 

I feel kind of like I overpaid for my Stanley now! If the batteries get worn down on these guys, I might get the suggested battery as replacements. Only one necessary, right? One of the screws on the back was already stripped, I have the feeling someone might have opened mine up and replaced a battery somewhere down the road and stripped one hole. I didn't even bother trying the other one. I did have to open the bezel because both thick glass lenses were pretty cloudy. I used windex and a microfiber cloth and the results are outstanding. There were smudges and such on the inside of both lights! :thumbsdow

I know my Stanley HID is much smaller, but mine only gets 15 minutes of runtime. Can anyone pm me about replacement batteries for the Stanely? I searched the thread and the only discussion there seems to be about upgrading to other batteries that won't work with the stock charger and won't let you run it off the car connector. I just wanted a battery that lasted about 30 minutes for that light without having to open it too many more times (that was a beast to get open!).


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## dandism (Mar 21, 2010)

I charged mine for 18.5 hours and got exactly one hour of runtime. :thumbsup:


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## jblackwood (Mar 21, 2010)

Just got 51 minutes for the green one (tint) and exactly one hour for the white (tint) one. I'll leave them both on the charger for 24 hours . . . it should be safe even though the red LED goes off, right?


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## cccpull (Mar 21, 2010)

jblackwood said:


> Just got 51 minutes for the green one (tint) and exactly one hour for the white (tint) one. I'll leave them both on the charger for 24 hours . . . it should be safe even though the red LED goes off, right?



How do you compare the light output of the Etek vs the Stanley?


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## jblackwood (Mar 21, 2010)

I haven't had a chance to compare the two outside, which is really where the only kind of useful comparisons can be made, IMO. I like this kind of handle much more when you're talking about a light as hefty as either the Etek or the Stanley, though. The pistol grip on it is pretty harsh on my wrists, but my wrists are also pretty messed up so YMMV.


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## bogeymachine (Mar 21, 2010)

cccpull said:


> How do you compare the light output of the Etek vs the Stanley?



Don't have a 'sphere to give you quantifiable figures. Here's qualitative:

ETEK (middle 3 beams) has more spill than Stanley (bottom right) or POB (bottom left). The shape of ETEK reflector plus frosted bulb scatters light. Stanley's beamshape looks brighter regardless of total light output.

BTW - after 6 discharge cycles, I'm getting over an hour runtime (started with 20-ish minutes).


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## jblackwood (Mar 21, 2010)

I'm having similar results extending the Etek's battery, can we do something similar with the Stanley or is that a different type of battery so we can't really "refresh" it as easily?


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## bogeymachine (Mar 21, 2010)

can't hurt to try - you may also want to research "desulfation" and "battery minder"...I'm considering investing in that technology.



jblackwood said:


> I'm having similar results extending the Etek's battery, can we do something similar with the Stanley or is that a different type of battery so we can't really "refresh" it as easily?


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## cccpull (Mar 21, 2010)

jblackwood said:


> I haven't had a chance to compare the two outside, which is really where the only kind of useful comparisons can be made, IMO. I like this kind of handle much more when you're talking about a light as hefty as either the Etek or the Stanley, though. The pistol grip on it is pretty harsh on my wrists, but my wrists are also pretty messed up so YMMV.


I like this type of carry handle, too, except when pointing out a car window, or over an object, such as a fence. I'm interested in your opinion once you get outdoor.:candle:


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## cccpull (Mar 21, 2010)

bogeymachine said:


> Don't have a 'sphere to give you quantifiable figures. Here's qualitative:
> 
> ETEK (middle 3 beams) has more spill than Stanley (bottom right) or POB (bottom left). The shape of ETEK reflector plus frosted bulb scatters light. Stanley's beamshape looks brighter regardless of total light output.
> 
> BTW - after 6 discharge cycles, I'm getting over an hour runtime (started with 20-ish minutes).



Thanks for the beam shots, but I was looking for an opinion on which is brighter, floodier, etc.. I don't really need a 'sphere for the type of information I'm looking for. (I'm not that particular ) 

PS I'm glad you were able to get the run-times up. It seems these lights turned out to be a pretty good deal after all. :rock:


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## jblackwood (Mar 22, 2010)

Another run time update:
Green one: one hour and 19 minutes. 
White: one hour and 24 minutes. 

This is after a 16 hour charge. I left it plugged in about 7 hours after the red charging light went off. I'm so freakin' bubbly about this purchase!!! :devil:
Great value, indeed! :thumbsup:


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## Brian321 (Mar 22, 2010)

I still cant get anymore than 30min runtime out of mine. I guess im going to try and leave it plugged in for awhile after the red light goes out and see if that helps, It seems to be working for you guys.


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## jblackwood (Mar 22, 2010)

That's what this forum is here for!!! 
:grouphug:lovecpf


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## Brian321 (Mar 23, 2010)

Well i charged mine overnight maybe 16 hours total, and i got 1:32 run time.:thumbsup:


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## LitFuse (Mar 23, 2010)

I'm gonna charge mine for a week and see what happens! 

Peter


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## jblackwood (Mar 23, 2010)

LitFuse said:


> I'm gonna charge mine for a week and see what happens!
> 
> Peter



Hmmm, fried battery anyone? The manual said don't charge over 15 hours on the AC and 20 hours on the DC. Most of use Battery-life-lengtheners (BLL) have already done that. I personally can't go to work thinking these guys are plugged in and unattended so during the week, I charged them for 13 hours overnight then 5 more hours when I got home. 18 hours in all for today. I'll take them out to play for the first time in a little while (I'm finally feeling better).


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## jblackwood (Mar 23, 2010)

Ok, you know how I stated that I feel like I overpaid for my Stanley? I take it back. That Stanley (latest run time test only got 14 measly minutes!), even without centering the bulb, all I did was pinch the ceramic tube around the wire but it's still noticeably off center, it out throws the Otek without even breaking a sweat. Don't get me wrong, the Otek is plenty bright and a much nicer tint than my Stanley, but (here's a funny thing) even though the Stanley SEEMS like it has a smaller cone of light, the spill is just brighter than the Otek and seems to travel around much more than the Otek. I have no idea what science (or sorcery) is at work here, but I've got to get a better power source in that guy! 

The Otek is really much easier to carry around even though it's much larger and a bit heavier. I took some paracord with a few simple knots and put the Otek on my left and the Stanley on my right. If I let them rest, the Stanley is pointing towards the ground while the Otek is pointing foward. This makes it much easier to carry the Otek. 

Verdict, if I really need a lot of light for an indeterminate amount of time, I'm bring my Otek (along with a slew of LED lights). If I want the brightest I've got, it's got to be the Stanley. Now to shim that bulb! :devil:


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## cccpull (Mar 23, 2010)

I could be wrong, but I think the frosted bulb on the Etek might be holding it back.:thinking: 
I agree with you, the beam is nice, but not as powerful as I expected. OTOH it was a great deal for an HID.


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## space-time (Mar 24, 2010)

*ETEK 4300K - 5000K bulb upgrade*

Is anybody planning on upgrading their Etek to a (clear glass, neutral white) 4300K or 5000K HID (still 35W) bulb yet? If so I'm curious where you are going for the bulb. :thinking:


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## jblackwood (Mar 24, 2010)

If you look on this page, buying these bulbs is confusing if you're not sure which one you have, just like modding LED flashlights, I would think. Does anyone have any idea which one is on the Etek? This is the first link that came up when I searched for HID 35W bulb on Google.


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## cccpull (Mar 24, 2010)

It's a 6300k H4 bulb. The best price I found was $10.79 + $5.00 shipping for a pair.


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## space-time (Mar 24, 2010)

Good to know the bulb is an h4. I just did a Google search for "h4 5000K HID bulb" and it came up with a bunch of stuff.


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## jblackwood (Mar 25, 2010)

cccpull said:


> It's a 6300k H4 bulb. The best price I found was $10.79 + $5.00 shipping for a pair.



Does it matter if it's not rated at 35W? The Buy.com link you must mean is already sold out . . . methinks me smells me some CPFers out there who snatched them all up! :thinking::mecry:


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## cccpull (Mar 26, 2010)

You also want the bulb to look like this, so you can remove the shield.


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## space-time (Mar 30, 2010)

I ordered one yesterday. Should have it by the weekend with any luck. 5000K instead of 6000K - I don't like bluish tints - clear glass and the H4 base. $15 for 2 including shipping. 

I'm guessing that getting 4300K or 5000K in there plus the clear glass should bump the output up 50% - 100%. I wouldn't be surprised if the Etek is somewhere around 1500 - 2000 lumens as it sits with the frosted bulb, instead of the 3000-or-so a 35W HID should apparently be at.


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## cccpull (Mar 30, 2010)

space-time said:


> I ordered one yesterday. Should have it by the weekend with any luck. 5000K instead of 6000K - I don't like bluish tints - clear glass and the H4 base. $15 for 2 including shipping.
> 
> I'm guessing that getting 4300K or 5000K in there plus the clear glass should bump the output up 50% - 100%. I wouldn't be surprised if the Etek is somewhere around 1500 - 2000 lumens as it sits with the frosted bulb, instead of the 3000-or-so a 35W HID should apparently be at.



I ordered the 4300k, since I wanted max output and I'll be using it mostly outdoors. I got a similar deal, but you beat me by a buck .
I really think this will wake up this light.:candle:


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## Brian321 (Mar 30, 2010)

space-time said:


> I ordered one yesterday. Should have it by the weekend with any luck. 5000K instead of 6000K - I don't like bluish tints - clear glass and the H4 base. $15 for 2 including shipping.
> 
> I'm guessing that getting 4300K or 5000K in there plus the clear glass should bump the output up 50% - 100%. I wouldn't be surprised if the Etek is somewhere around 1500 - 2000 lumens as it sits with the frosted bulb, instead of the 3000-or-so a 35W HID should apparently be at.


 
Can you tell me where you bought them at?


Thanks.


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## bogeymachine (Mar 30, 2010)

you have my attention (again)!


Brian321 said:


> Can you tell me where you bought them at?
> 
> Thanks.


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## space-time (Mar 31, 2010)

cccpull and I may have wound up going to the same outfit on eBay. I rounded down when I should have rounded up.  $15.99 for two. I don't think we are allowed to post eBay links (?) but just search for "HID bulb 5000K" and look for the $15.99 shipping from L.A.

cccpull: you are right, I see a lot of references to 4300K being the brightest, so you are likely going to wind up with the most lumens! I'll be curious to hear how much yellow there is in the 4300K. Maybe not much from the looks of the pix on the seller's site.

I wonder how common frosted bulbs are in HID lights? First I've heard of them.


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## cccpull (Mar 31, 2010)

space-time said:


> cccpull and I may have wound up going to the same outfit on eBay. I rounded down when I should have rounded up.  $15.99 for two. I don't think we are allowed to post eBay links (?) but just search for "HID bulb 5000K" and look for the $15.99 shipping from L.A.
> 
> cccpull: you are right, I see a lot of references to 4300K being the brightest, so you are likely going to wind up with the most lumens! I'll be curious to hear how much yellow there is in the 4300K. Maybe not much from the looks of the pix on the seller's site.
> 
> I wonder how common frosted bulbs are in HID lights? First I've heard of them.



For a second there I thought I got ripped-off !
Yeah, we got them for the same place.

I had a hard time deciding between the 5000k and 4300k, but went with 4300k since for me the only purpose of the HID is as much light as possible outdoors (in the woods/swamp) and compared to my other halogen spotlights, it's going to look white.


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## space-time (Mar 31, 2010)

The new HID bulbs arrived this evening... and bulb works just fine! I like the 5000K color temp. Seems quite a bit brighter.

The Etek with the original frosted HID bulb, the new clear bulb, torx wrenches and safety glasses.







Removng the 4 faceplate torx screws, the faceplate, and the glass plate gives this. The glass plate is just held into a notch in the reflector by gravity, so be sure to pry the glass out and remove it before turning the light horizontal or it may fall out.







The bulb is held in by a spring clip and a twist-lock arrangement. The two high voltage wires go into automotive-style electrical connectors with a single plastic spring clip on the outside to lift up on each. There is some foam tape around the connectors that has to be cut off. NOTE: I'm doing this with just the switch off but the battery connected. Not wise. Several years of TV repair make me a little more likely to work on connected high voltage than folks should do. Definitely safest to unhook one battery terminal first on the other end before opening it up.







The connectors are keyed so you can't get them mixed up. The cathode of the bulb goes to a male connector and the anode goes to a female. The ballast connectors are the reverse, of course.







Remove the spring clip and then give the bulb a 1/8 turn. It comes right out. Make sure to wear safety glasses at this point! I've read posts already about HID bulbs with hairline glass cracks exploding.








Next that metal shield has to come off the new bulb. Just pry the two tabs up and push them down with the point of the needle nose pliers. Then pull the metal shield the rest of the wall off on the front side with the pliers. I've kept that plastic safety cover the new bulbs ships with on here.












Next that rubber grommet the new bulb ships with has to be carefully cut away from the two wires going to the bulb. That extra wiring harness is just discarded - something used in autos I guess.







"Installation is the reverse of removal", as they say.  Twist lock the bulb in, then attach the spring clip. I had to use the needle nose to poke the top end of the clip through the hole - bit of a tight fit, but it works. I re-marked the anode wire with red electrical tape, but not necessary of course. The biggest tab on the bulb base goes to the longest twist-lock slot.






Re-connect the connectors. I re-wrapped them using self-fusing silicon tape (rated to 500 degrees F) from Harbor Freight. Just regular electrical tape should do the job - or even no tape - as long as you are careful to poke them down along the plastic light sidewalls and away from the reflector and bulb base - and ballast. Sorry about the out-of-focus on the wrap job.













All back together with the clear bulb! I always reverse-thread screws going into plastic up to one full turn until the thread skips and finds the beginning, then forward thread it to prevent stripping the plastic.







Some not-very-well-done beamshots. Have to do more when it gets dark. But this is the upgraded Etek against a garage door in the top photo (1/80 F4.0 on the camara), a Trustfire TR-1200 (5*Cree XRE and 3-18650s, rated at 1200 lumens, probably 800-900 OTF) against the door in the middle photo, then both together in the bottom photo with the Etek on the left and the TR1200 on the right. With the frosted bulb the Etek was about the same visually as the Trustfire. Now the Etek clearly smokes it. 



















The color in the top two photos is correct. In the bottom photo the beam hit the wood, giving off a lot more yellow glow from the varnish. Aimed at the white panels though the new bulb is nice and white! :twothumbs


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## bogeymachine (Mar 31, 2010)

excellent work, thanks for publishing your efforts! :twothumbs


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## LitFuse (Mar 31, 2010)

Excellent write-up tutorial and pics! :twothumbs

Thanks very much for taking the time to do that, great job!

Peter


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## space-time (Mar 31, 2010)

Hey I'm glad the pix are useful!

OK, this is too cool. It is dark now and I just experienced some *cloud bounce* with the upgraded Etek off of a bunch of low-altitude overcast soon-to-be rain clouds!!  

The Etek puts out a nice light beam through the atmospheric dust all the way from the light to the target.


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## Brian321 (Mar 31, 2010)

Thanks for the pics :thumbsup:, they will help me out. I cant wait to recieve my bulb now.


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## cccpull (Apr 1, 2010)

space-time said:


> Hey I'm glad the pix are useful!
> 
> OK, this is too cool. It is dark now and I just experienced some *cloud bounce* with the upgraded Etek off of a bunch of low-altitude overcast soon-to-be rain clouds!!
> 
> The Etek puts out a nice light beam through the atmospheric dust all the way from the light to the target.




And you didn't take any pictures?  I don't believe it! :shakehead Where's the proof?

Now I can't wait to get mine and maybe do some side by side shots of the frosted non-frosted bulbs. 

Great writeup!:rock:


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## space-time (Apr 1, 2010)

Lol!  You're right - "picture or it didn't happen". 

Before and after shots with the frosted bulb would be interesting. I forgot to take one before I did the mod.


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## space-time (Apr 2, 2010)

I was thinking about it (ballast+ bulb swap) before buying the replacement bulb, maybe even something 70W-100W. But I chickened out due to the possible thermal problems (reflector melting and/or glass cracking), like bogeymachine said, and after just a quick look it seemed like the ballast circuit board was in a molded section of the light, not easily removable (not sure about that though) 

Plus I've seen a post where the 80W ballasts go up to 150-200 degrees F! Might have to be mounted outside. There is a thread here about a dual-beam 2x100w vector host done that way. Sounds like 80W is the maximum from a "100W" ballast if only driven on 12V rather than 24-36.

But... what the heck! :twothumbs If you can fit the new 55W ballast in there, then worst case you may just get 35W from the 55, but best case you might get more. That frosted bulb probably generated more waste heat by blocking the light than the clear 55W anyway.


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## bshanahan14rulz (Apr 2, 2010)

Wait, so you folks use the "55W" bulbs that come with the kits? How does their efficiency compare to say, an overdriven Philips 85122? I've heard that the kit bulbs burn hotter than an overdriven 85122... Any experiences?

Also, how much are you folks finding these at, and do you just walk into o'reilly's and find it?


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## bogeymachine (Apr 3, 2010)

walked into Kragen's this morning and picked up 2 more ($37 each with tax). had to replace the batt on one, otherwise looks good

I have no data to compare Osram / Phillips with the kit bulbs yet. Will advise.



bshanahan14rulz said:


> Wait, so you folks use the "55W" bulbs that come with the kits? How does their efficiency compare to say, an overdriven Philips 85122? I've heard that the kit bulbs burn hotter than an overdriven 85122... Any experiences?
> 
> Also, how much are you folks finding these at, and do you just walk into o'reilly's and find it?


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## was.lost.but.now.found (Apr 12, 2010)

Just got my ETEK from bogeymachine. Already did my bulb swap last night, it was so rediculously easy; seriously. Space-time did a fantastic job of laying out the steps but it's even easier than he makes it seems. I've had car headlight bulb swaps that were more difficult than this.

While I was in there I also cleaned the glass as others were suggesting; big improvement. The new bulb (4300K is what I believe the tag said) may not be as clean of a beam as the frosted bulb but it definitely lets a lot more light through and has better throw. I was EASILY lighting up the furthest trees I could see from my yard, which was about 300-400 yards. I've got to get out to a park/soccer fields this week to really give it a run.


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## dandism (Apr 23, 2010)

I did an 18 hour charge about three weeks ago and just did a run time test today: 1 hour and 17 minutes! Last time I only got 1 hour


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