# Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst



## BVH (Jan 20, 2017)

*Spectrolab A120b 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

It's been a very dry few years for finding old military and aviation Short Arcs but with the discovery of the Pichel Mini-Nova's and now a couple old Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use lights, it's been an exciting time for me. These are interesting lights in that they use Right Angle construction. As you can see in the pics, the reflector faces down when the light is in normal use orientation. The light hits a 45 degree mirror which sends it out the front of the light. It uses a 5" reflector and the lamp appears to be the same lamp used in the SX-5 Starburst. This light is exceptionally clean and new-looking inside. It runs on 10 to 16 input Volts. From the info I could find, these were to be used on "First-Responder" / S.A.R. type vehicles. The term handheld "NightSun" has come up but it is unknown if that was it's official name. All of the ignition components are located on the top and bottom chambers of the light body while the power supply is a separate unit. One switch on the power supply is labeled "U.V." and switches between "9.5V" & "10.5V". I don't know the meaning of this function other than "UV" typically meaning Ultra Violet. I wonder if there is some relationship with the purple tinted glass. Note the "LM" (lawn mower) spark plug used as a spark gap. A larger NGK brand spark plug is used for the same purpose in the NightSun. The light is forced-air cooled with a fan drawing air from two side located intakes and discharging the heated air from above the front control panel. It is an electrically focusable light via the control panel switch. Although I don't have one, it accommodated a corded remote control. But it should be completely controllable from the front panel, I think. It seems to be a two-level light based on the operation of the pull on-off switch and the associated icons. The front glass has that purple coating typically found on some eye glasses. When i shine white light through the glass onto the mirror, the color of the light I see inside is a bright yellow/amber. 

I have not fired this light up because I don't have any power/control cables and any schematics. I am working on this but it does not look promising. The lights are obsolete and the old docs may be difficult to obtain. Another fun, challenging project to keep me busy.






















You're looking at the 45 degree mirror in the below shot






Now you're looking up at the actual reflector/lamp






Ignition components on top











Cooling fan and air discharge
















Inside the regulated power supply











Power supply panel


----------



## Dave D (Jan 21, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Nice, another one for the collection!!

I wonder what it was originally mounted on?

I assumed something like the one below.


----------



## BVH (Jan 21, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

I edited my post when I found out that these were designed to be used on Fire Engines, Search & Rescue vehicles and other land-based vehicles. I should have guessed that being their standard 12 Volt DC input power requirement.

Can't get any documentation, it's long gone. So hopefully I can analyze my Spectrolab SX-5 Starburst and SX-16 NightSun schematics to see if there are similarities in wiring up the power supply to the light. I'll have to remove the lamp, reflector assembly, and mirror to get at the bottom ignitor components chamber and input connector to trace the wiring. The main case is made of thick plastic with a vertical seam between the two halves. Unfortunately, they or someone used permanent "Yellow Peril" sealant between the two and at many other locations on the light. (Those of you old enough might remember the old 3M yellow adheasive/sealant that came in a tube. It was nasty, permanent stuff - hense "Yellow Peril") They also riveted on a 1/16" aluminum plate to the bottom of the light and used the same Yellow Peril sealant all over it. So I'll never be able to separate the two halves of the case. But that probably doesn't matter as I don't see a need to do it.


----------



## PolarLi (Jan 21, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Thank you for the pics! Always nice to see the internals of exotic lights.


----------



## tatasal (Jan 22, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Whoooaaa....that's one wicked light. 

Hoping you can fire it up for some beamshots...


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jan 27, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

I love your threads, BVH.  I didn't see you mention it, so I have to ask the obvious. Have you called Spectrolab and asked them if they can provide you with any info/documentation? I see a serial number on the unit but did not see a model name but I could have missed it.


----------



## BVH (Jan 27, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Yes, I have a parts dept contact at Spectrolab who confirmed the lights are obsolete and documentation is non-existant. I had that in my original post but somehow edited it out.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jan 27, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*



BVH said:


> Yes, I have a parts dept contact at Spectrolab who confirmed the lights are obsolete and documentation is non-existant. I had that in my original post but somehow edited it out.



Shoot, that's too bad. I realize it's an older unit but it seems strange that the manufacturer doesn't have schematics around either on paper or microfiche. Well, good luck to you on your quest.


----------



## BVH (Apr 13, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Update: Found another unit on Ebay that is coming with a power supply and cables. This may be the break I need. The vendor didn't answer my query on whether or not there is a ring connector on the end of the "light-to-PS" cable but from the pics, it looks like it might be there. The other end that connects to multiple individual terminals on the PS looks like some of the wires have been cut or are unused, it's difficult to tell. But hopefully, both ends are intact enough to give me the correct pinout/connection info to get this light going and maybe one of my others with the other PS I got. There's hope to getting these going.


----------



## BVH (May 14, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

I ended up buying 4 original lights and 2 original regulated power supplies. One light was stripped of half of it's innards so no chance of getting it going. One unit with power supply came with an original hard case which was not in the Ebay ad. That was a nice extra. I got three lights working perfectly. Two have the gold-toned, IR specific reflectors and one has a standard reflector. The beam from the gold toned lights is awful ugly and not nearly as bright and crisp as the standard reflector. The gold toned reflectors were made by Optiforms. I also got one original IR lens that screws onto the front. The flat mirrors mounted at a 45 degree angle are not "first surface" mirrors so there is some minor ghosting in the hotspot/corona when shined on a relatively close wall. At some point, I'll post beamshots of the two different reflectorized lights.

I ended up replacing all 6 capacitors, a resistor and a diode in both of the power supplies. As you can see in the pics, the black plastic end of one of the caps shows signs of having been melted. When I removed them, some, when shaken, felt like loose balls of tar were inside. The lights will ignite on the first or second strike now when run at 12.x Volts input power whereas before, they would not ignite until input was about 13.5.


----------



## FRITZHID (May 14, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*



BVH said:


> I ended up buying 4 original lights and 2 original regulated power supplies. One light was stripped of half of it's innards so no chance of getting it going. One unit with power supply came with an original hard case which was not in the Ebay ad. That was a nice extra. I got three lights working perfectly. Two have the gold-toned, IR specific reflectors and one has a standard reflector. The beam from the gold toned lights is awful ugly and not nearly as bright and crisp as the standard reflector. The gold toned reflectors were made by Optiforms. I also got one original IR lens that screws onto the front. The flat mirrors mounted at a 45 degree angle are not "first surface" mirrors so there is some minor ghosting in the hotspot/corona when shined on a relatively close wall. At some point, I'll post beamshots of the two different reflectorized lights.
> 
> I ended up replacing all 6 capacitors, a resistor and a diode in both of the power supplies. As you can see in the pics, the black plastic end of one of the caps shows signs of having been melted. When I removed them, some, when shaken, felt like loose balls of tar were inside. The lights will ignite on the first or second strike now when run at 12.x Volts input power where before, they would not ignite until input was about 13.5.




Awesome! Can't wait for the pix!


----------



## search_and_rescue (May 23, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Dear BVH and HID enthusiasts,

I am unfamiliar with HID. It seems like Lemax LX70 Superpower is a great HID flashlight and a good value price. Is this true? Are the beamshot images, notably the 1.8 km on the lighthouse and 1.3 km comparison against the LX70, accurate?

Thank you in advance for all of your assistance.
lovecpf


----------



## BVH (May 23, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Here are a couple threads showing very accurate beam shots of the Superpower Lemax:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ower-(both-50-70-watt-HIDs)-Review-Comparison

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...Lemax-LX70-Superpowerhead-Beamshot-Comparison


----------



## search_and_rescue (May 23, 2017)

*Re: Spectrolab 500 Watt Terrestrial Use "Handheld" Searchlight - Pre SX-5 Starburst*

Wow, thanks so much BVH. Spectrolab 1.6 KW NightSun is the best. I think you just saved me a $2800 dollar potential regret.lovecpf

Now we return to your regular scheduled programming...


----------

