# HID lamps instantaneous light?



## p67 (Jan 7, 2010)

First post so bit of an intro.

I do a lot of spotlighting for deer (I live in NZ). I read this post last week on converting a Lighforce handheld spotlight to HID
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/43203

I have a 170 AND 240 to try it out on.

I have heard however that a HID can take as much as 30 seconds to start up, they are NOT instantaneous as the incandescent flashlights are. Is this true? If so, its not good to me, I continually turn mine off and on in short bursts until I pick up some "eyes".

Cheers in advance. Paul


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## dudemar (Jan 7, 2010)

:welcome:

Yes, it's true HIDs have a warm up time, but the length of time it takes to reach nominal output largely depends on which HID you buy. More recent models take as little as 10-20 seconds to completely warm up, which is a lot quicker than HIDs from just a few years ago... however the application you describe using it in doesn't sound ideal for HID use.

Polarions take about 6 seconds to warm up, but they run in the US $1-2K range.


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## Dr Jekell (Jan 7, 2010)

First off hello from another Kiwi.

As to your questions.

- Yes some HID lights can take up to approx 2min to reach 100% brightness
- Some HID lights are capable of "insta strike" which will start them up at 10% to 40% of full brightness.
- HID lights can be damaged by being turned on & off repeatedly in a short space of time.

I have read somewhere on this site about using aircraft landing lights as a handheld light. This may fit your needs better or you could try a modified ROP.


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## liteitup (Jan 7, 2010)

should be noted used continuously and still warm the hid will get to full brightness almost immediately for hot restrikes... i dont know if you turn it off and on every 5 minutes or 5 seconds but if you let the hid spot run for a minute to get hot you can get nearly instant brightness if you use it it every 20-30 seconds or so. flashing hids bulbs is supposedly bad for them. How much of the life does this take away? who knows.... but even if you get 1/10th of the 3500 hour life span 350 hours with a spot light is 10 life times worth.


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## p67 (Jan 7, 2010)

Cheers for replys. I already have a Lightforce SL170 and SL240 handheld. I use the 170 more because its easier to flick around with one hand (less bulky). 

I guess this brings me to my next question, which may be best in the LED section.

Is there such a beast as an LED spotlight?

I use a little LED flashlight for work and I have at times used it for lighting posums. But I would need a bigger one and more light for deer.


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## Ra (Jan 7, 2010)

Dudemar already said it:

HID-startup times greatly depend on type of ballast and type of bulb.
Most automotive ballasts power up de bulb with higher than normal power to shorten time to full output.
Some bulbs also have a certain amount of xenon among the internal ingredients, which helps to give higher output directly after ignition.


Regards,

Ra.


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## Patriot (Jan 8, 2010)

Dudemar and Ra provided the answers already but here is a video series of warm up times on youtube if you're interested....

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3230507#post3230507


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## Apollo Cree (Jan 9, 2010)

The Stanley $70 1300 Lumen HID light gets very bright almost instantly, droops a little in light and then slowly warms up. It's darn bright at any point in the warmup sequence.


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## TorchBoy (Jan 9, 2010)

:welcome:

I've heard that switching a HID on and off a lot is bad for the ballast. (Edit: As Dr J said. But I've heard it other places too.) You might want to check on that before going ahead with conversions.

I've found that a small LED torch with an aspheric lens provides such a good beam I've given up on my rechargeable 100 W halogen spotlight. Don't laugh, this is smaller, lighter, and lasts longer per charge. :twothumbs A better battery pack could be fashioned easily enough, and some better heat conduction would be a good idea.


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## nodoubt (Jan 9, 2010)

Apollo Cree said:


> The Stanley $70 1300 Lumen HID light gets very bright almost instantly, droops a little in light and then slowly warms up. It's darn bright at any point in the warmup sequence.


the stanley is 3000 lumens just to set the records straight....


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## The Dane (Jan 10, 2010)

Something with a SST-90 or 3 x MCE/P7 LED's will be what you want. @2000lumen and instant on without any form of problems:thumbsup:

My $0.02


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