# Maxabeam question



## Flashanator (Oct 19, 2007)

Was looking into this spotlight & read it only runs on high power for 16 seconds. Is this right? Is there a way around this? I really wanted to buy a Maxabeam, but this has made me think twice. Id be using this flashlight on high alot, so maybe its not for me. Can some Maxabeam owners reply with some insight, Thanks. :thumbsup:


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## Ra (Oct 19, 2007)

Hi Flashanator,

The high-mode on Maxabeam quite severely overdrives the bulb.. The timed mode is to keep the bulb from overheating and to keep the electrodes from eroding too fast..


Regards,

Ra.


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## LuxLuthor (Oct 19, 2007)

Once you program the toggle button, so that 'toggle right' activates the 16sec high, you could toggle right again....keeping in mind the risks that Ra mentinoed. The the G-3 models, it's not like the standard brightness is anything to sneeze at.


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## tvodrd (Oct 19, 2007)

LuxLuthor said:


> Once you program the toggle button, so that 'toggle right' activates the 16sec high, you could toggle right again....keeping in mind the risks that Ra mentinoed. The the G-3 models, it's not like the standard brightness is anything to sneeze at.



I blew (exploded) the lamp in mine doing that! 

Larry


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## Flashanator (Oct 19, 2007)

Thx for replying people.


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## sharkeeper (Oct 19, 2007)

tvodrd said:


> I blew (exploded) the lamp in mine doing that!
> 
> Larry



That's the biggest hazard of overdriving a MH lamp. The pressure/temperature increases dramatically and the risk of rupture is greatly increased! The safety limits are there for a reason!

Cheers!


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## Flashanator (Oct 20, 2007)

I had a look on peakbeams website & it says the runtime with diff modes. It says it runs 45mins on high beam. 

Is this high beam continuous? If so is this high beam different & not as bright as the peak 16second high mode?

thx


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## LuxLuthor (Oct 20, 2007)

tvodrd said:


> I blew (exploded) the lamp in mine doing that!
> 
> Larry



Now I'm glad you asked this topic question. 

Larry, what Gen model was yours, and how many times did you repeat it before it blew? I wish they gave warnings about things like this in the manual...not that I have used the high mode that many times in a row....but more details would be great.

Flashanator, there are only the standard and high modes on my Gen 3 that was made April 2007. That is strange for them to put that on the website. I'm wondering if the newer models have better construction?

That's worth a call to PeakBeam to find out....since I know these bulbs are expensive.


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## DM51 (Oct 20, 2007)

I've been drooling about these MaxaBeams and the beamshots done by Nitro and others, but this 16 sec max on high mode, and talk of multi-$$ bulbs blowing right left and centre, suddenly makes them sound less appealing.


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## Flashanator (Oct 20, 2007)

@ DM51 

I totally agree with you, I was like wtf?? It costs almost $2500 AUS & it can only be ran on (high) for 16secs then needs to cool off. :shakeheadI want to be able to run it for at least 25 minutes on high, then require only 16secs to cool off, lol. Wish peakbeams could make the maxabeam run contuinous on high, like the Megaray.


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## Ra (Oct 20, 2007)

sharkeeper said:


> That's the biggest hazard of overdriving a MH lamp. The pressure/temperature increases dramatically and the risk of rupture is greatly increased! The safety limits are there for a reason!
> 
> Cheers!



Sorry, but I'll have to correct you a tiny bit:

The Maxabeam bulb is not a MH !! It's a Xenon short-arc.. The pressure doesn't increase much at high power because within these bulbs, the xenon already is a gas, even when cold..

MH-bulb's mostly are overfilled with solids: Here indeed the pressure drasticly increases at higher power, because more of the ingredients are evaporated..

The problems with the MB-bulb at high power, are the evaporating electrodes and the higher temperatures of the quartz-bulb: The fact that the quartz-bulb can withstand the high pressures at +900 degrees Centigrade already is remarkable, but don't push it !!


And Flashanator:

The 45 minutes runtime at high, is an estimated total of 16 sec-sequences at timed high power mode on one charge, only based on the Amp-draw at high power..


Regards,

Ra.


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## Flashanator (Oct 20, 2007)

thx 4 clearing that up Ra.


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## sharkeeper (Oct 20, 2007)

Wow I did not know the MB was a pure Xenon lamp!

Cheers!


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## tvodrd (Oct 20, 2007)

LuxLuthor said:


> Now I'm glad you asked this topic question.
> 
> Larry, what Gen model was yours, and how many times did you repeat it before it blew? I wish they gave warnings about things like this in the manual...not that I have used the high mode that many times in a row....but more details would be great.
> 
> ...



Mine is an early rev, bought in the Maxabeam CPF special offer a few years ago. I still need to make time to disassemble the focus mechanism and remove the glass fragments that have it partially jammed. The reflector was also damaged. The lamps are forced air-cooled in the tank lights and I read an account of a lamp explosion blowing the window out of one once!

Larry


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## Nitro (Oct 20, 2007)

Don't let the 16 sec high mode deter you from this light. Even in "Normal" mode it still outthrows all other productions handheld lights.

The way I use this light, constant high is not really needed. I use normal to spot around, then kick it on high to get a better look.

The only issue with only 16 secs high is doing beamshots. Although, even with an 8" shutter, it's still plenty of time.

Just my 2 cents.


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## LuxLuthor (Oct 21, 2007)

tvodrd said:


> Mine is an early rev, bought in the Maxabeam CPF special offer a few years ago. I still need to make time to disassemble the focus mechanism and remove the glass fragments that have it partially jammed. The reflector was also damaged. The lamps are forced air-cooled in the tank lights and I read an account of a lamp explosion blowing the window out of one once!
> 
> Larry



OK, I do know that the later generation lights are substantially brighter, so there had to be some design improvements, but what did you specifically do (like how many 16 sec in a row) to explode yours?

I'll call and see what they say at PeakBeam, and ask why they did not put a warning about abusing this High Toggle in the manual.

Ra, thanks for your voice of moderation, and providing additional facts.

One of the things that is so amazing about these lights is their confined "laser-like" white/blue beam. Like Nitro says, you do not feel "cheated" using it on regular power. The high power is more for show than being dramatically more practical...but it is a helluva show. :rock:


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## peakbeam1 (Oct 22, 2007)

FYI. The "timed" high mode was simply intended to increase battery run times. The Maxabeam's lamp was designed to run well over the rated 75 watts continously. Many of our OEM and military products run at much higher wattages continuosly using indentical lamps without issue. Lamp explosions are very very rare but do sometimes occur. Running your light on high will not in itself cause explosions. High lamp hours, or dirt/oil on the lamps envelope are more likely causes. If you have any additional questions or concerns please contact me directly.
Robert 
Director of Engineering
Peak Beam Systems, Inc.
[email protected]


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## LuxLuthor (Oct 22, 2007)

Bob, you beat me to making the post. I did call him late today to try and find out what was true. As he just posted, that is incorrect information about the high mode being used repeatedly causing increased pressure and risking damage to the bulb. He also denied it causing any significant erosion of the electrode contact points, nor is it to prevent overheating as Ra mentioned.

Again, he made it clear that this was only to comply with military requests that the user not get visually acclimated to always seeing the bright mode which is not necessary for most functions, and so the battery would last longer as a result.

He said the normal mode runs at 50W, High mode is 75W, and that these bulbs can run at surprisingly higher watts. Again, he said there is no risk to the bulb if it is run on high continuously.

The inference to Larry's "Exploded Bulb" thesis is that it was related to some other dirt/oil issue. I would personally add that no manufacturing process is 100%, so even a possible bad bulb, or shipping/drop damage could be suspect.

The main point is if something like this comes up, go to the source for a real answer. Thanks Bob!

PS) This is a magnificent light!


.


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## DM51 (Oct 22, 2007)

That is very good to hear - thank you Robert & Lux.


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## That_Guy (Oct 22, 2007)

Rob,

Out of curiosity, what sort of wattages do you run the lamp at for military and OEM clients, and what sort of candlepower does the Maxabeam achieve at these powers? I remember seeing a chip on eBay a while ago which upgraded the Maxabeam from 6 to 15 million candlepower.

Thanks.


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## N162E (Oct 27, 2007)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> I had a look on peakbeams website & it says the runtime with diff modes. It says it runs 45mins on high beam.
> 
> Is this high beam continuous? If so is this high beam different & not as bright as the peak 16second high mode?
> 
> thx


As I have understood it high beam is the standard offering with the 75 watt being intended as a "Burst or Turbo" mode. In standard mode mode my light runs 45-50 minutes. I have not timed it in low power mode.

I had my Maxabeam for about 5 years before I realized the Burst mode existed. I would notice that it would strike bright "Turbo" and after a few seconds would settle back to standard mode never thinking the boost was a usable mode. This light is white, bright and focused. It simply exceeds anything else currently mass produced and easily available.

FWIW I purchased this light new in 1995 0r 96 at the Shot Show from Lyte-Optronics. I have the original Ni-Cad battery that came with it. I charge the battery 3 or 4 times a year which is about how much I use the light. Still operates up to specs after 10 years. I wonder how long the equivalent NIMH would hold up. With Lithium generally dying after 2-3 years it sound like Ni-Cad is still the best choice for the casual user of this light.

As far as the newer ones being brighter, this is the first place I have ever heard that.


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## N162E (Oct 27, 2007)

Ra said:


> The Maxabeam bulb is not a MH !! It's a Xenon short-arc.. The pressure doesn't increase much at high power because within these bulbs, the xenon already is a gas, even when cold..
> Ra.


That is why the Maxabeam can "Strobe" and re-strike hot to full output instantly.


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## LuxLuthor (Oct 27, 2007)

Fred, the subsequent generation models did come out with brighter output bulbs. I think the first I read about it was in PSM's thread and first mentioned in this post. Maybe if Bob sees this he can give specific outputs for G1, G2, and G3 setups. I seriously doubt that any of the G1/G2 models would be considered a disappointment compared to the G3...because any of them are shockingly bright and precise.

My understanding from talking with him is the "turbo mode" which starts up, and can be set by programming the right toggle switch's memory kicks up the ballast output to 75W, and the "normal" standard mode is at 50W. Great point about the strobe re-strike effects. I was just happy to know I can toggle on high to my heart's content.


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