# My New Maxa Beam



## Nitro (Sep 18, 2007)

I'm now the proud owner of a Maxa Beam.  I've wanted one of these ever since I joined CPF. Well, this and the MegaRay. But that one will have to wait. I remember gazing at Kenshiro's Superlight Beamshots for hours. Brings back memories.











Now I'm just waiting for darkness to fall. :devil:


----------



## LED61 (Sep 18, 2007)

Dark wont do you much good unless you have about 10 miles of free space in front of you


----------



## Nitro (Sep 18, 2007)

LED61 said:


> Dark wont do you much good unless you have about 10 miles of free space in front of you



Actually who needs darkness. I already tried it out in daylight, and I could easily see the spot 100 YARDS away.

My neighbors are really going to hate me now. :devil:


----------



## ez78 (Sep 18, 2007)

Wow, very nice, from Ebay maybe? I have been kind of looking for those too. I wonder if you can reach the clouds with that light.


----------



## Ra (Sep 18, 2007)

I rememder the day I first got my hands on a Maxabeam, back in 1999:

I clearly remember the music my stereo was playing when I first hit the powerbutton of Maxabeam!!

Years of joy are comming towards you nitro!


And ez78: Yes, unless the clouds are higher then aproxx 1.8 miles...

Edit: Maxabeam is the best throwing, commercially aviable, portable light today.. (and yesterday and maybe even tomorrow..)


Regards,

Ra.


----------



## Nitro (Sep 18, 2007)

ez78 said:


> Wow, very nice, from Ebay maybe? I have been kind of looking for those too. I wonder if you can reach the clouds with that light.



From the looks of this beam, I'd say yes.


----------



## Nitro (Sep 18, 2007)

Ra said:


> I rememder the day I first got my hands on a Maxabeam, back in 1999:
> 
> I clearly remember the music my stereo was playing when I first hit the powerbutton of Maxabeam!!
> 
> ...



Seeing this beam for the first time is on par with having sex for the first time.

And I thought the exact same thing on both occasions. H*** S***, that is tight.


----------



## ez78 (Sep 18, 2007)

Nitro said:


> Seeing this beam for the first time is on par with having sex for the first time.
> 
> And I thought the exact same thing an both occasions. H*** S***, that is tight.



:thumbsup::devil:


----------



## Nitro (Sep 18, 2007)

WOW!

In plain daylight, sun shining, I see the beam on a house 400 feet away.


----------



## DM51 (Sep 18, 2007)

Nitro said:


> WOW!
> 
> In plain daylight, sun shining, I see the beam on a house 400 feet away.


Hey, put dat light out! It's the middle of the night over here and people are trying to get some sleep!


----------



## tebore (Sep 18, 2007)

Nitro said:


> Seeing this beam for the first time is on par with having sex for the first time.
> 
> And I thought the exact same thing an both occasions. H*** S***, that is tight.



Ahahaha man that gave me a good laugh after a long day.


----------



## smokelaw1 (Sep 18, 2007)

NICE FIND! Have fun tonight. I know I'd be up too late bothering my neighbors!


----------



## ez78 (Sep 18, 2007)

DM51 said:


> Hey, put dat light out! It's the middle of the night over here and people are trying to get some sleep!



Yeah seriously, it is couple of hours after midnight here and that damn glow on the horizon is keeping me up. Try not to point it here ok!?!


----------



## Nitro (Sep 18, 2007)

I called a neighbor on the phone who lives about a 1000 feet from my house. I aimed the light in his window, and asked if he could see a light. He dropped the phone, yelling Holy F***. Now he wants one.

Looks like I'll have to take a road trip. All the targets are too close in my suburban neighborhood. I can't see my neighbors putting up with me after dark.


----------



## LuxLuthor (Sep 18, 2007)

LOL! Yeah, this is one light that can get you in trouble. Make sure you don't shine it in the direction of any aircraft. Enjoy it though.....they are an impressive hand held light.


----------



## Patriot (Sep 19, 2007)

Haha!! Nice Nitro! You finally did it. I'm very jealous of the fun that you'll be having. :thumbsup:

ENJOY!


----------



## DM51 (Sep 19, 2007)

Nitro said:


> I called a neighbor on the phone who lives about a 1000 feet from my house. I aimed the light in his window, and asked if he could see a light. He dropped the phone, yelling Holy F***. Now he wants one.


LOL!!! That is hilarious!


----------



## Trashman (Sep 19, 2007)

Are we going to hear about the real nitty gritty? ($$$)


----------



## Bushman5 (Sep 19, 2007)

Trashman said:


> Are we going to hear about the real nitty gritty? ($$$)



naaaah :nana: the real question is how many and what kind of flashlights he is going to sell off, now that he owns a Maxabeam.... :wave:


----------



## PayBack (Sep 19, 2007)

Nitro said:


> Actually who needs darkness. I already tried it out in daylight, and I could easily see the spot 100 YARDS away.
> 
> My neighbors are really going to hate me now. :devil:



Yes and I hate you too.

What me jealous?


----------



## Lumalee (Sep 19, 2007)




----------



## scott.cr (Sep 19, 2007)

LOL, awesome, your very own Maxabeam.

After becoming an official Flashaholic, I was watching one of my fave movies on DVD: "True Lies." In the beginning, the Suisse armed security guards are patrolling with Maxabeams.

Later on in the movie, the crazy terrorists are using the very same Maxabeams!! Haha...

Around 1999 is the first time I saw one, Scully from X-Files was using it. I looked it up online and almost gagged at the price. Of course, then my brain started dreaming up ideas for a homebuilt Maxacopy using an automotive HID, but this has never come to fruition!


----------



## LuxLuthor (Sep 19, 2007)

They are used a lot in the original Stargate movie, and various times in the 10 year TV series.


----------



## Scott Packard (Sep 19, 2007)

At the time X-Files was showing on TV you could rent a Maxabeam from one of the Hollywood supply houses. I think I remember it being >$100/day. I have no idea if the supply houses still rent those today.


----------



## Lightraven (Sep 19, 2007)

One way to play with it is to stand on a hillside and shine it down (on tightest beam setting) towards stop signs that have reflective material on them. They will "pop" out of the darkness when the beam hits them, from insane distances--like a mile or more, depending on how clear the air is.

Simply waving the Maxa around in the dark sky is a most unique "fat white laser" effect.


----------



## Nitro (Sep 19, 2007)

I took it for a drive last night, but I couldn't find too many places to use it. Although I think I found a place today, where I may take over the weekend. I'll take my camera and get some beamshots.

I'm going to make a connector to attach the battery to my Triton charger. The slow charger is not very practical, and there's no way I'm going to pay what Maxa Beam is asking for their quick charger.

The battery isn't too heavy to carry, but the Li-Ion would be nice. It's only 2 lbs as opposed to 5.5 lbs, but with the same capacity. I haven't found the price anywhere, but I can only imagine the cost. One good thing is I can use the same battery with my 50W HID.


----------



## Bushman5 (Sep 19, 2007)

Scott Packard said:


> At the time X-Files was showing on TV you could rent a Maxabeam from one of the Hollywood supply houses. I think I remember it being >$100/day. I have no idea if the supply houses still rent those today.



when X-files wrapped up in Vancouver, they had a warehouse sale of their props.....something like 20 maxabeams for $600 each.... and i missed it.


----------



## PayBack (Sep 19, 2007)

I found it amusing once watching a show where 3 criminals were planning on a robbery that was going to net them a few thousand dollars... all three were using Maxa Beams. They could have gotten more selling their lights


----------



## That_Guy (Sep 20, 2007)

Nitro,

Where did you get your Maxabeam from? How much did it cost?

Thanks.


----------



## PhillyRube (Sep 20, 2007)

CONGRATS!!! I bought one a few years back, that I use at work with the PD. Here's a neat story...we're chasing a dirtbag that bailed out of the car on a traffic stop, and we started to perimeter him in a large wooded and field area. I climbed on the roof of my Suburban and narrowed down the beam to a tight dot. Meanwhile, our helo had arrived, and had fired up his heat seeker, looking for his heat signature. After 5 minutes, they called me and asked to turn off the Maxabeam, since they kept getting the spot on their 'scope. Once I shut it down, they narrowed right onto the guy.

I love this light!!!


----------



## Nitro (Sep 21, 2007)

I got Beamshots here.


----------



## leprechaun414 (Sep 21, 2007)

I want one


----------



## djblank87 (Sep 21, 2007)

Thanks for the beamshots :thumbsup:. :bow: to the Maxabeam!


----------



## Nitro (Sep 23, 2007)

I have the MBP 1207 (NiCad 7Ah) battery with my MaxaBeam. I just did a full discharge using my Triton. ~7353mAh

However, now I need to charge it. Can anyone tell me how many NiCad cells are in it? I'm guessing 10-12. Also, what's the quick charge rate? I'm guessing 2.8A.

Thanks


----------



## LuxLuthor (Sep 23, 2007)

I'm not making any recommendations for quick charging it, since there are so many features built into this quick/trickle charging MBP-5200 model.


----------



## Nitro (Sep 23, 2007)

LuxLuthor said:


> I'm not making any recommendations for quick charging it, since there are so many features built into this quick/trickle charging MBP-5200 model.


 
What kind of features does it have, that a Triton doesn't?

If the MBP-5200 charges the battery in 2.5 hours, it has to be sending it at least 2.8A = 7Ah/2.5h.


----------



## That_Guy (Sep 23, 2007)

MBP-1207 is 10 cells. NiCd cells are tough, they will handle 1C (7A) charge rates just fine, in fact they will enjoy it!


----------



## Nitro (Sep 23, 2007)

That_Guy said:


> MBP-1207 is 10 cells. NiCd cells are tough, they will handle 1C (7A) charge rates just fine, in fact they will enjoy it!


 
Well the highest I can go is 5A, but I thought I'd be safe and go the same as the manufacture. Though 0.4C does seem kinda low for NiCads.

I got em charging at 2.8A as I type. We'll see how long it takes.


----------



## Nitro (Sep 23, 2007)

I just checked the battery. It's been charging for ~1.5h and it's up to ~4Ah. It should be done in another hour.


----------



## Nitro (Sep 23, 2007)

I just finished charging the battery, and it took 3.5 hours. It took longer then expected, becuase it put in ~8700mAh. It also took extra time looking for the Peak Threshold. 

Maybe the manufacture's charger (5200) is sending a higher current. I might try 5A next time.


----------

