# Surefire Hellfighter (picture intensive)



## ShortArc

Very light weight and compact - no battery ofcourse!









































Surefire Lego







Cheers.

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Here are two more showing the reflector and side view with tape measure for size reference.






Approx Dia: 4 inches. 







Approx lenght: 7.75 inches overall.
Approx weight: 4.25 lbs.

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Hellfighter w/ Beast II head. Kind of interesting looking...ready for another episode of...










































Summarized/added info as requested by a few CPF members who are going the HF path :devil:

*SURFIRE HELLFIGHTER INFO*


HellFighter Overview:
“The HellFighterTM target illuminator is designed primarily for use on .50 caliber machine guns. Its shock-isolated 35W HID lamp has an output of approximately 3,000 lumens and is powered by either two 5590 military batteries or the cigarette lighter adapter. HellFighter also can be used as a portable, handheld light by detaching it from the T-mount and using the integrated handle.”: Quote from SF prochure. See SF for more info.
Some measured data:
Runtime on one (1) BB-2590/U battery: 3 hours 54 minutes
Startup current: 7A
Steady state current: 3A
Temperature distribution front to back (at room temp): 145-116 degrees Fahrenheit.

HellFigher Plug , Wiring and cable:
The receptacle on the back to the HF is a Amphenol PTO3E-14-5P.
Essentially it is Class E, size 14, with 5 conductors.
The mating plug is an Amphenol :
PT08E-14-5S (connector, right angle plug, class e, size 14, 5 #16 solder socket contact)
Allied Electronics Part number: 233-6110 (approx $67). This one is on the SF wiring harness.
Or you can get the straight plug for less money
PT06E-14-5S(SR) (connector, metal circ, class e, str plug w/cable clamp, sz14, 5#16 solder socket cont)
Allied Electronics Part number: 714-6228 (approx: $26).

HF has pins labeled A, B, C, D and E. A and C are used for those cables that have Grip switch. B and E are used for battery BB2590 or cigarette adapter. D is not used. In other words: Pin B is + Input and E is - Input 12V-15V DC Pin A and Pin C is for switch. To turn on the HF there has to be a closed circuit between A and C. If you don’t have a switch, jumper.
As the current draw is rather low you don’t need much of a wire. 
If you are not going to use a remote switch, I would use 18AWG 2/C SOOW. You could still bring out two leads (connected from A to C) from the plug for later use. I did that with one of my coiled cable assemblies. One source for cable (including coiled) is McMaster Carr. Here is the info for the coiled cable: McMaser Part #7520K51 (Thermoplastic Rubber Jacket Retractile Cord Black SJEOW, 18/2 Awg, 300 VAC, 2' Retracted) $26.11 Each. 

A word on Amphenol Class F connectors.
“E/F – Environmental Resisting with Strain Relief – designed for applications where the connector will be exposed
to moisture, vibration, and rapid changes in pressure and temperature.”
The connector comes with a rubber sleeve which fits over the contacts. The idea is to slip the leads through the holes in the sleeve, solder the connections and then slip the sleeve over the contacts. This process requires you to strip back so much of the outer jacket that the strain relief clamp often will catch the wires and not the jacket. I have found two solutions to this problem. One, discard the rubber plug and use hot glue melted over the contacts. Two, use 3m Scotch Rubber Mastic Tape (#2228) to wrap the wire bundle. 


_Bren-Tronics BB-2590 Rechargeable Li-Ion General Info._
_These batteries can be purchased directly from Bren-Tronics (via sales rep) or you can find an alternate manufacture. They all pretty much make the same product and are approx $300-$350 each. Sometimes you can find them on ebay but make sure you know where they have been an how old they are!_
_SPEC from Brentronics Website:_
_Description . . . . . . . . _Rechargeable, Lithium Ion Battery with “State of Charge Display”
_National Stock Number _. . . . . 6140-01-490-4316
_For Use In _. . . . . . . . SINCGARS & ATCS (AN/PRC-104, 119) FALCON (AN/PRC-138
117) KY-57, MXF430 (V), AN/PSC-5, M22.
_Replacement for or Compatible with . _. . BB-590/U, BB-390A/U, BB-690/Y, BA-3590/U & BA-5590/U.
_Nominal Dimensions _. . . . . . Length: 4.40 in (111.76mm)
Width: 2.45 in (62.23 mm)
Height: 5.00 in (127.00 mm)
_Nominal Weight _. . . . . . . 3.10 Lb (1.4 Kg)
_MaximumVoltage . . . _. . . . 33.0 V, Two (2) 16.5 V Section
_NominalVoltage . . _. . . . . 28.8 V, Two (2) 14.4 V Section
_Nominal Capacity . _. . . . . . 6.2 Ah @ 28.8 V — 12.4 Ah @ 14.4 V
_Cutoff Voltage _. . . . . . . . 20.0 V———-10.0 V
_Operating Temperature Range . _. . . -20ºC to +55ºC (-4ºF to +131ºF)
_Storage Temperature Range _. . . . . -20ºC to +55ºC (-4ºF to +131ºF)
_Case Material & Color. _. . . . . . Modified ABS plastic, Sand Color with Yellow printing.
_Connector . _. . . . . . . Floating Type Per U.S. Army DWG# SC-C-179495
_Recommended Charger s. . . . . . _PP-8498/U (SPC), PP-8481A/U (COTM)
_Standard Charge _. . . . . . . Charge each section independently at constant voltage of 16.5V
3 A (max) for 5 Hr

_BB-2590/U Connector Info._
You can purchase separate BA5590/u connectors, model BAI-10G, at: http://www.battaxx.com
Jay Willmott is the President of the company and is very helpful.
“Pins 1 & 2 are Ground (-15VDC); pins 4 & 5 are Positive (+15VDC). In BA-5590/U (non-rechargeable) batteries, pins 3 & 6 are -not- connected. 
Wiring the connector in parallel will provide nominally 15 volts (for a fresh battery); wiring in series will provide nominally 30 volts. The "old school" method of wiring in parallel dictates installing diodes for each leg, to prevent possible self-charging between the cells (something that may cause the cells to burst), but this was more of an issue for earlier generations of BA5590s, and really should not be a concern for you in your application.
The easiest way we have found to wire in series is to simply solder on a buss wire jumper between pins 1 & 5. We use a pair of round-nosed wire- forming pliers to create a loop in the wire, which may then be slid over the pins, then soldered in place. This works well for the power hookups, too.
Most applications are fine using ~22 gauge wire, but larger diameters will fit. For assembly, we recommend using a ~650 degree soldering iron and thin-gauge rosin core solder. It's best not to let the iron dwell for too long, otherwise the shell material will soften. Some of our customers use a "dead" (make sure!) battery as a fixture for soldering, to serve as a heatsink as well as to ensure that the pins remain aligned during assembly.
After assembling and verifying correct polarity and voltage, we usually recommend potting the soldered connections with hot melt glue. We usually also suggest filling the backshell ~2/3rds full with hot melt glue, then quickly installing it onto the connector; the glue will flow around the inside and bond the backshell to the connector, as well as provide a vibration-resistant and watertight seal for reliable operation, even in tactical applications. 
Other, more sophisticated (and, more expensive!) potting compounds are available (Devcon makes some) but hot melt glue is commonly available and seems to be working just fine for most of our customers. If for some reason you decide not to pot the assembly, a small drop of cyanoacrylate ("super glue") on each of the backshell's four plastic pins should retain it securely; this technique -sometimes- permits removal for later rework, too.”. Information provided by Jay WIllmott of Battery Axxessories Inc.

Brentronics BB-2590/U Charging Info.
_Regarding charging of BB2590-- there is a trick to it. The Brentronics batteries have a text on their side telling you how to do it, but it is a little cryptic. What you need to do is the following:_

_The battery has two separate sides as we know. Each side should be charged separately since you cannot be sure that the 2 sides are equally discharged or that they will take the charge at the same pace. So, charge them one at a time, or with 2 separate power sources._
_Yes, you could probably get away with hooking them up in parallel and charging them together most of the time. But, the operative word(s) here are "Most of the time"!._
_Here is the trick: _
_- To allow charging, a separate +5VDC supply must be connected to the pad labeled SW through a 470 ohm 0.25W resistor. The SW pad is one of the 3 pads below the main connector. NOTE! THE 5V MUST BE CONNECTED BEFORE YOU TURN ON THE 16.5v SUPPLY IN THE NEXT STEP!!!_
_- Connect a 16.5VDC power supply between pin 1(-) and 4(+). Turn up the current limiter (yes, you should use a power supply with an adjustable current limiter) to a max of 3A._
_- Terminate the charging when the current drops to <100mA._
_ANOTHER NOTE: Do NOT disconnect the 5V supply to the SW pad while charging. Something really weird happens to the voltage and though I am not sure what is going on it cannot be healthy!_
_To secure that the +5V is constantly connected to the SW pad, you should make some sort of device with a spring loaded connection point that applies pressure down on the SW pad. _

*SURFIRE HELLFIGHTER 4 INFO
*



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(random notes & thoughts)

Surefire uses a different class of Amphenol Connector: PT05-14-5S-027

Pin B is still positive and E is still negative.
Pin A & C are now open. Shorting A & C will shut the light off.
Pin A & C are negative when Remote Switch is ON
Pin D is momentary negative on Hi/Low & Strobe when Remote Switch is ON
Pin D is momentary negative on Strobe when Remote Switch is OFF

Internal Lithium Battery charges when connected to a 12V (or greater) power source.
Charge rate is 2.2A at 16VDC. Runtime 30 min or so.

Beam pulses approx. 1/sec when on internal battery (kinda annoying but I understand its purpose).

Beam of HF 4 has a tighter hot spot yielding more throw.

The light source and internal battery are now user replaceable.

Output is the same as previous generations but the Grip Switch now allows for Low (approx 1000 lumens), High (approx 3000 lumens), and strobe (9 Hz).
I still have not metered the corresponding pin outs but will eventually.

The KIT02 I purchased now includes a good quality soft case, though I would have preferred the Storm case.

Beamshots later...



_************* More info to follow as I have time ****************_


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## Flashanator

Show off 


great pics.


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## seery

Nice pics, thanks for sharing.

Your case emblem is "HellFire" and the light is "HellFighter".

Did SF not update the case logo when the name was changed from HellFire to HellFighter?


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## Kiessling

Does the light actually work with the Beat body? oo:


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## ShortArc

Flashanator: Showing off was not my intent. You just don't see these close up all that often. I just lucked out finding one for a "good" price.

Seery: The light was updated from Hellfire to Hellfighter (as you stated), the case...well you know how I feel about Surefire from "time to time".

Kiessling: Yes, the Beast II bodies work.

The beam of the Beast II has a little more flood than the Hellfighter. Also the color temp is warmer on the Beast hence the startup time seeming longer.

Cheers.


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## Patriot

I don't think Flashanator actually thought that you posted the pictures to "show off." Probably just a playful way of saying....awesome stuff!


Anyhow, I love your pictures short-arc. I also had no idea that the Beast and Hellfighter heads were interchangeable. That's amazingly neat! I hope to see more pics of your lights in the future. 

:thanks:


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## DM51

Very interesting pics - great to get a close-in look at it. 

So, how does it measure up against the Beast, and what is the run-time when it is used with the Beast body? That has to be the ultimate in SF lego!


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## mrwhite1

Could you post some pictures of the hell fighter with the beast rechargeable handle on it?


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## ShortArc

Patriot36 said:


> I don't think Flashanator actually thought that you posted the pictures to "show off." Probably just a playful way of saying....awesome stuff!



I was just kidding about taking Flashanator's remark seriously. 

DM51: Will try a runtime test in the near future but I would suspect them to be close to equal. Beam shot if I find the time.
The rail system and filter attachment are very well engineered. Overall, I am impressed! So tempted to take the light apart...

mrwhite1: Sure I can take a pic with the rechargable handle but I will just look longer


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## sledhead

ShortArc: We would be honored to see the Hellfighter, er I mean you, at PF12 in the spring!


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## tvodrd

DM51 said:


> Very interesting pics - great to get a close-in look at it.
> 
> So, how does it measure up against the Beast, and what is the run-time when it is used with the Beast body? That has to be the ultimate in SF lego!



Ultimate SF Lego indeed!!! Now all you need is a _Ma deuce_ for the rail/mount! 

Larry


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## Illum

hmm, 

could you place a pen or something of the sort beside the light for some form of comparison? I've having some trouble picturing the size of it


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## DaFABRICATA

VERY NICE!!!

Can we get a reflector shot?


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## Cigarman

Hellfighter with a regular beast handle - words cannot describe the awesomeness....


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## Flashanator

yea Shortarc, Patriot was right.

Cheers. :thumbsup:


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## csshih

no one impresses the flashanator.

nice light.


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## arjay

:twothumbscool! I want one!

my local surefire dealer has one up for sale with a price tag of $6000 give or take.


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## kaimaikid

Any chance of some outdoor beamshots please?

Very nice piece of kit :thumbsup:


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## Solscud007

I didnt realize how small the hellfighter was. Thanks for the awesome pics.


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## toby_pra

Very nice pictures...

How about some outdoor-beamshots?


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## DaFABRICATA

Can the Beast head be screwed onto the Hellfighter body?

If so, picture please!!:naughty::thumbsup:

I want one of these soooo damn bad..but..


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## kramer5150

dam!!! DROOL!!!


Beamshots?


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## Youfoundnemo

WOW!!! how much did you find out how to make beast from hell(beast body hellfighter head)?


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## ShortArc

DaFABRICATA said:


> Can the Beast head be screwed onto the Hellfighter body?
> 
> If so, picture please!!:naughty::thumbsup:
> 
> I want one of these soooo damn bad..but..


 
Yes is could. I would have to remove the bracket which holds the sling (no big deal). I will try and do that in the next few days....sure would look cool...


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## Patriot

ShortArc said:


> Yes is could. I would have to remove the bracket which holds the sling (no big deal). I will try and do that in the next few days....sure would look cool...





I'd like to see that also. I don't think it's ever been done before....at least not around cpf.


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## Sgt. LED

DO IT!

You are one of the few who can LEGO such massively expensive items, it would be great of you to give up pics of every combo.

Naturally beamshots of the combo's would be awesome too!


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## qwertyydude

So how many CR123's does this baby take? Is it like the Beast II's 20 cell insanity?


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## DaFABRICATA

qwertyydude said:


> So how many CR123's does this baby take? Is it like the Beast II's 20 cell insanity?


 



More so....Military grade 12volt batteries..with cables:devil:

The Hellfighter/Hellfire does not have a battery case so to speak.

There is a plug-in screw-in jack on the back that has cables to go to your power supply...


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## ShortArc

DaFABRICATA said:


> More so....Military grade 12volt batteries..with cables:devil:
> 
> The Hellfighter/Hellfire does not have a battery case so to speak.
> 
> There is a plug-in screw-in jack on the back that has cables to go to your power supply...


 
Exactly...
Two or one BA-5590 or similar, rechargeable BB-2590 (my personal choice) or any 12-V vehicle accessory socket. Will post a picture of the cable later (still waiting for mine to arrive). Also as soon as McMaster drops off my Retractile Cord the Hellfighter will be powered by a very portable A123 Pack. Figuring out the wiring took some help from SF...


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## Illum

oh, btw shortarc...did those 2590 cells come?:thumbsup:


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## ShortArc

They are a phone call away and that's the way they will stay for now given the price point 



Illum_the_nation said:


> oh, btw shortarc...did those 2590 cells come?:thumbsup:


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## ShortArc

Here is a power source alternative to the traditional military batteries. A123 packs. This makes the Hellfighter mobile with substantial weight reduction


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## seery

ShortArc said:


> Here is a power source alternative to the traditional military batteries. A123 packs. This makes the Hellfighter mobile with substantial weight reduction



VERY NICE! Thanks for sharing.

What do you estimate the runtime to be on this set-up?


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## ShortArc

seery said:


> VERY NICE! Thanks for sharing.
> 
> What do you estimate the runtime to be on this set-up?


 
Seery,
Conservatively I would estimate 40min for a 4S1P pack but I will do a runtime test over the weekend.

I just got back in from a little test run and I am amazed a the throw of the Hellfighter compared to the Beast II (and all my other HIDs). Output is less than that of say a Polarion or BB but what a spot!!! This thing was build for throw.

Cheers.

PS. Post 1: Added some pics of the Beast II head on the Hellfighter body. Kind of cool looking...


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## DaFABRICATA

Man....What a set-up that is!!!

I LOVE IT!!!:twothumbs:bow::bow::bow:

Glad to hear to throws well.
Any chance of beamshot comparing it to some other lights?

I *really* regret not buying one when I had the chance..:mecry:

Thanks for all the pictures, as this my be the closest I'll ever be to seeing one in such detail.


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## Solscud007

HOLY CRAP. BEST LEGO EVER!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing with us.


edit:

Just dl the 2002 catalog and there is this awesome picture of PK and the prototype BEAST/Hellfire


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## FredericoFreire

Is this the one that recently sold at ebay ?


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## Illum

PK's all young and nice looking back then... which reminds me where did I put all my old catalogs:thinking:

the one on the right? ebay? seriously!?


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## FredericoFreire

I'm talking about the Hellfighter of the OP.


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## ShortArc

I just finished an actual run time test for an A123 4S1P pack:
Time: 30 mins
Charge added to pack: 2160mAh

Cheers.


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## Solscud007

Here is as close as I can get to the Hellfighter


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## Size15's

Solscud007,
Please can you reduce the size of the image you've posted so that it complies with out rules. It's far too huge!


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## Solscud007

Sure thing. Sorry. Im just a big fan of hi-resolution images. I will use the thumbnails from now on.

[URL=http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lineartsmalltc2.jpg]

[/URL]


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## Size15's

Thanks for resizing. We have image size rules due to the variety of ways people access CPF - not everybody has a huge monitor afterall.


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## Solscud007

Neither do I. I use a 15" screen laptop. but I can understand that connection-wise, large images take a LONG time to load for some people.


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## ShortArc

The Cable: Follow the Amphenol Angle Plug (top left) to a “Y” in the two cables. The cables are standard SJEOOW Cord (14 & 18 AWG). One run goes to the switch (custom Surefire by the looks of it) the other goes to the dual Ba-5590 battery plugs (also custom?) and then continues to a spare fuse holder (machined aluminum) and ends with a 12V adapter and cover (also machined aluminum).


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## Size15's

I assume that this cable will be very badly treated in use (through use) and will need to withstand use, misuse and abuse...
I'd be interested in your impression of it from this perspective if you feel able to comment?

Also, seems strange that the covers of the dual Ba-5590 battery plugs aren't retained by tethers...


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## seery

ShortArc said:


>



In today's cut throat, cost cutting, move production overseas world, it's very comforting knowing Surefire
spares no expenses when it comes to the quality and R&D that went into the Beast and the Hellfighter. 

While most companies would call it good enough, Surefire makes continual refinements to these products.

Thanks for the pic and the explanation. I hope shortly to have a Hellfighter of my own and appreciate your
help and expertise over this past week. :thanks:


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## Illum

FredericoFreire said:


> I'm talking about the Hellfighter of the OP.


ah, gotcha:thumbsup:


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## AA6TZ

*DAMN* what an incredible light you've got there, *ShortArc*!!!!!! 
Thanks a lot for sharing those amazing photos!!!!!! :twothumbs

-Clive


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## DM51

I would love to see a beamshot shootout with Beast vs. Hellfighter vs. Polarion PH40...


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## ShortArc

DM51 said:


> I would love to see a beamshot shootout with Beast vs. Hellfighter vs. Polarion PH40...


 
You really want me to head out into the cold New England winter night don't you?! 
I'll see what I can do but I don't have too much distance for shots around my house....


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## Kiessling

Then put some distance between you and your house. For CPF. For your fellow flashaholics who want to drool over those great lights they will most likely never own.



bernie


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## ShortArc

Kiessling said:


> Then put some distance between you and your house. For CPF. For your fellow flashaholics who want to drool over those great lights they will most likely never own.
> 
> 
> 
> bernie


 

I will I will .... I was just too darn cold tonight and tomorrow promises to be worse...so hopefully later in the week.

In the mean time a new wiring harness for more compactness. 

The Hellfighter has a "hotspot" which out throws almost every light I own (except for the Harbor Freight orange monster and the Maxabeam I used to own).:devil:


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## seery

ShortArc said:


> The Hellfighter has a "hotspot" which out throws almost every light I own (except for the Harbor Freight orange monster and the Maxabeam I used to own).:devil:



Can't wait to see some beamshots. :twothumbs

Awesome set-up on the wiring harness. I like your idea of sewing a custom nylon cover
with a velcro or zipper closure on the bottom side to cover the unprotected wires.

Would keep things protected and sheltered from the elements, and OK it would also look
just simply bad ***!

Keep this up and you'll be the death of my wallet!!!


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## ShortArc

My Bren-Tronics BB-2590/U military batteries arrived.
Here is the spec: 

_Description . . . . . . . . _Rechargeable, Lithium Ion Battery with “State of Charge Display”
_National Stock Number _. . . . . 6140-01-490-4316
_For Use In _. . . . . . . . SINCGARS & ATCS (AN/PRC-104, 119) FALCON (AN/PRC-138117) KY-57, MXF430 (V), AN/PSC-5, M22.
_Replacement for or Compatible with . _. . BB-590/U, BB-390A/U, BB-690/Y, BA-3590/U & BA-5590/U.
_Nominal Dimensions _. . . . . . Length: 4.40 in (111.76mm)
Width: 2.45 in (62.23 mm)
Height: 5.00 in (127.00 mm)
_Nominal Weight _. . . . . . . 3.10 Lb (1.4 Kg)
_MaximumVoltage . . . _. . . . 33.0 V, Two (2) 16.5 V Section
_NominalVoltage . . _. . . . . 28.8 V, Two (2) 14.4 V Section
_Nominal Capacity . _. . . . . . 6.2 Ah @ 28.8 V — 12.4 Ah @ 14.4 V
_Cutoff Voltage _. . . . . . . . 20.0 V———-10.0 V
_Operating Temperature Range . _. . . -20ºC to +55ºC (-4ºF to +131ºF)
_Storage Temperature Range _. . . . . -20ºC to +55ºC (-4ºF to +131ºF)
_Case Material & Color. _. . . . . . Modified ABS plastic, Sand Color with Yellow printing.
_Connector . _. . . . . . . Floating Type Per U.S. Army DWG# SC-C-179495
_Recommended Charger s. . . . . . _PP-8498/U (SPC), PP-8481A/U (COTM)
_Standard Charge _. . . . . . . Charge each section independently at constant voltage of 16.5V 3 A (max) for 5 Hr

As I do not have a military charger the charging procedure is a little cryptic:
Charge each 12V section independently at 16.5V constant Voltage (3 amps max). Charge is completed when current drops to 100mA. 
To allow charging to proceed, separately apply 5VDC through a 470 Ohm 1/4W resistor between the “charge enable” contact (+) and pin 6 of the main connector (-).

Also you have to make yourself a custom wiring harness unless you buy one from a military supplier and pay some $$$. 

Sorry still no beam shots as we had an ice storm here and only got power back two days ago. Life is still playing catch-up. Well, with a little time for battery charging of course.

Cheers.


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## Team Member

"DO NOT USE IN JAVELIN" 



You got some nice equipment there..


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## Ken J. Good

DM51

Hellfighter vs PH/PF40:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/183604

The 50-watt capability of the Polarion "Night Reaper" would further widen the gap.


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## maxa beam

ShortArc said:


> *Pictures*


Will you marry me.


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## ShortArc

Ken,
I believe the reflector design of the current HF is different from the one used in your photos. It now appears to have alot more throw.
No doubt, the Polarions (I know because I own a few) boast a much higher lumens rating. 
Cheers. 



Ken J. Good said:


> DM51
> 
> Hellfighter vs PH/PF40:
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/183604
> 
> The 50-watt capability of the Polarion "Night Reaper" would further widen the gap.


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## seery

ShortArc said:


> Ken,
> I believe the reflector design of the current HF is different from the one used in your photos. It now appears to have alot more throw.
> No doubt, the Polarions (I know because I own a few) boast a much higher lumens rating.
> Cheers.


That is correct ShortArc.

4-5 months ago a Surefire rep at the SANG Base said they had redesigned the reflector
on the Hellfighter as well as the new Beast II from the original Beast.

How does your new Hellfighter compare to your Polarion's in terms of throw? Even taking
into consideration the Polarion's higher output? 

Great pics! :thumbsup:


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## csshih

oh my ... that's saying something.

no shoulder rockets for you


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## Ken J. Good

Thanx for the update:

Going to have to get a Hellfighter with the new reflector and do it again.
Does the new reflector drops into the previous Hellfighter body?

Is the same parabola, without the stippling?


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## Patriot

Nice Short-arc. I haven't been back a this thread for a while but I really like the A123 and Dean's connector set-up. I'm going to guess that configuration provides almost and hour of light? I'd like to make a set-up like that for my Maxabeam but run eight A123s in a 4s2p configuration. At 75W it would give me about an hour of run-time and weigh half what the nicad does. 

Nice pictures by the way!


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## ShortArc

Patriot36 said:


> Nice Short-arc. I haven't been back a this thread for a while but I really like the A123 and Dean's connector set-up. I'm going to guess that configuration provides almost and hour of light? I'd like to make a set-up like that for my Maxabeam but run eight A123s in a 4s2p configuration. At 75W it would give me about an hour of run-time and weigh half what the nicad does.
> 
> Nice pictures by the way!


 
Patriot36,
I had several setups including a 4s2p for my Maxabeam. Great combo. I'll lookup my runtimes and PM to you later. Cheers.


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## ShortArc

Team Member said:


> "DO NOT USE IN JAVELIN"
> 
> 
> 
> You got some nice equipment there..


 
I just tried it and the BB-2590/U works just fine in the Javelin. It just has not been certified yet!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
:nana:


Correction, I just found this: 
The BB-2590/U is NOT APPROVED for use in the Javelin Command Launch Unit. 
The higher voltage of the BB-2590/U will damage the CLU control unit.


----------



## Patriot

ShortArc said:


> Patriot36,
> I had several setups including a 4s2p for my Maxabeam. Great combo. I'll lookup my runtimes and PM to you later. Cheers.




Received your info. Thank you! I'm digging into it right now. 


I would also love to see some comparison shots since it's being claimed that the reflector has been redesigned. Would this particular Hellfighter fall into that category or is this light one of the older ones?


----------



## ShortArc

Patriot36 said:


> Received your info. Thank you! I'm digging into it right now.
> 
> 
> I would also love to see some comparison shots since it's being claimed that the reflector has been redesigned. Would this particular Hellfighter fall into that category or is this light one of the older ones?


 
The Hellfighters I own have the new reflector. I could only deduct from Ken's pictures that there was a reflector change. Seery confirmed my suspicion.
Cheers.


----------



## AA6TZ

Truly the most *incredible* *illumination* *tools* I've _ever_ seen to date. 

On an aside, *MAN* would I ever love to be the proverbial "fly on the wall" when PK, outfitted with his deluxe SureFire travel *assortment*, is making his way through a pre-flight screening process conducted by Airport Security!!!   

-Clive


----------



## ShortArc

Mil powered belt pack ready to go with Santa.








Happy Holidays Everyone! :wave:


----------



## Patriot

Nice short-arc. What's the capacity of those things?


----------



## ShortArc

Patriot36 said:


> Nice short-arc. What's the capacity of those things?


 
See post #56.


----------



## ShortArc

I just performed a runtime test with one of the BB-2590/U batteries.
Here are the results, nothing unusual:
Runtime: 3:53 hours
V start: 15.5V approx
V final: 11.8V approx (battery circuit shut off before I could get the last reading)
Startup current: 7.0A
Steady state current: 3.0A
Average P measured: 47.5W
Surface Temperature of light (front to back): 145 to 116 degrees Fahrenheit.


----------



## Team Member

_I have to get me a Hellfighter after reading this thread.._



This is the best thread ever on showing the Hellfighter.

Many thanks to you ShortArc for making all of this available to us :bow:


----------



## AA6TZ

Team Member said:


> This is the best thread ever on showing the Hellfighter.
> 
> Many thanks to you ShortArc for making all of this available to us. :bow:


 
+1 Without any doubt - _THE_ very best *Hellfighter* thread to date! :twothumbs
Thank you, ShortArc. :thumbsup: :goodjob: :thanks:
-Clive


----------



## ShortArc

As requested by some CPF members I added some more info to Post 1, including connector and battery info, etc.
Cheers.


----------



## carrot

I did not realize the Beast and Hellfighter used the same size threading. Thanks a lot, you just made me want a Beast even more. 

Nice lights btw.


----------



## cavemaster

Hello everybody, this is the best light in the history of mankind; I will get one now that I found the best information on the Web; here in this Forum. Unfortunately the cables are mega-expensive but now that ShortArc demonstrate the option of the “A123 4S1P Pack” on Post #40 everything is getting better.
ShrtArc, I need some help; I went to www.maxamps.com/products.php?cat=62 to check out the battery pack but there are so many options that I don’t know what to buy! Here are the options;
1- What is the name of the plug that will connect a cable to the back of the Hellfighter housing? There are 14 options!!!
2- What kind of balancing taps; I don’t even know that is this! Choose from 6 options.
3- Type of wire; anyways they only sell one kind which is “12 awg Deans Ultra wire”; is this a good one?
4- And a warranty from 30 days or 3 years!
 
In addition to that they have a side by side model and a straight model to choose from! I will imagine that the onw in the picture is a side by side configuration; right?
Well everybody is welcome to help or comment and if somebody did the research already of the lowest Hellfigther price only please write a replay with the information! Thanks to all!


----------



## ShortArc

Welcome to CPF cavemaster.
I do not have time for a detailed response but if you do not already own A123 (Vnom=3.3V) cells you may want to consider "regular" Lithium Ion cells because their nominal voltage (Vnom=3.6V) is higher giving you more run time. Remember the cut off voltage of the HF is between 11.5-12V. There are pros and cons to A123 vs regular lithium chemistry and I am sure other on the forum know alot more than I.


----------



## DaFABRICATA

I finally got my dream light today!!

Now to get the parts together for the cable and time to save up for a battery.

ShortArc...THANKS for all the help and info!! 

EDIT: Amphenol Plugs ordered....hopefully will be here by the end of next week.


----------



## Team Member

Did you get a Hellfighter DaFab!!!?

_...I can´t belive this...everyone owns one and I don´t...:mecry:





_Congrats DaFab :twothumbs


----------



## Timothybil

Team Member said:


> Did you get a Hellfighter DaFab!!!?
> 
> _...I can´t belive this...everyone owns one and I don´t...:mecry:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Congrats DaFab :twothumbs



Did you miss that little blurb in ShortArc's post - "My Hellfighter*S*"


----------



## Armed_Forces

VERY nice!








also...




:devil:

j/k ..It's got plenty of "worth"!! but beamshots would put a capper on it!


----------



## ShortArc

Congratulations DaFABRICATA!
The light looks mint. What a score.
Make sure you get at least one of the BB-2590/U bats. They are light weight and give you real nice run time!
Seery you are next?!
I am also glad I am not the only one on the hook for beam shots anymore. We had snow and ice storms here one after another.


----------



## ozner1991

cant wait for beamshots


----------



## AA6TZ

DaFABRICATA said:


> I finally got my *dream light* today!!
> 
> Now to get the parts together for the cable and time to save up for a battery.
> 
> ShortArc...THANKS for all the help and info!!
> 
> EDIT: *Amphenol* Plugs ordered....hopefully will be here by the end of next week.


 
WOW INDEED, *DaFABRICATA*!!! That's one _*HELL*_ of a *Hellfighter* to be certain!!! Yessir -- a score beyond all others, IMHO. :twothumbs

Amphenol makes some of the best connectors on Planet Earth. I've used them extensively in RF work and for the occasional power application. In other words, a _great_ choice you made, Sir. :thumbsup:

Congratulations, my man! I *KNOW* you'll be having a blast with your new toy . . . just don't shine the thing in my eyes! 

-Clive


----------



## AA6TZ

ozner1991 said:


> Can't wait for beamshots.


 
+1   :thumbsup:

-Clive


----------



## DaFABRICATA

*Re: Surefire Hellfighter (picture intensive)BEAMSHOTS*

Thanks guys!

*MAN!!! THIS SUCKER THROWS!!!*

I made a test cable tonight and was able to get some crappy beamshots. Once it stops snowing I'll get better pics.

*BEAMSHOTS AT YOUR REQUEST*: 

*Fivemega Bi-pin Holder 1185 with 3X AW IMR16340*
*Host: Surefire C3/ 3" Turbohead/ Z59 with AW's Soft-Start*






*HELLFIGHTER*..:devil:






*C3/3" Turbohead - 1185*





*HELLFIGHTER..*:devil:


----------



## DaFABRICATA

*Re: Surefire Hellfighter (picture intensive)BEAMSHOTS*

*More Beamshots....*

*HOST: TB 2 X 18650 Body/ KT4 Turbohead/ AW Soft-start-Z59/ MN21/ 2 X AW' IMR18650's*







*HELLFIGHTER..:devil:*


----------



## ShortArc

Great DaFABRICATA! :twothumbs
The HF is a laser. 
Not a bright as some of the other HIDs but it has a nice outer flood for general illumination and then a real spot! The Beast II by comparison has the smoothest flood I have ever used. The Polarions are in between and will probably appeal to more people.
Now that DaFABRICATA proved you can take beam shot in the freezing cold and a snow storm I have no more excuses. It's a balmy 12F out so I may just head out now for a full suite of comparison shots....NOT.


----------



## Joe_torch

Hi! DaFABRICATA!
Very nice beamshots.:twothumbs Thanks for sharing!
By the way, how far is the targeted tree?

Joe


----------



## seery

DaFABRICATA said:


> I finally got my dream light today!!


*CONGRATS* DaFAB on an awesome score. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:



ShortArc said:


> Seery you are next?!


Been on the prowl . . . hopefully _very_ soon. 



ShortArc said:


> The HF is a laser.
> The Beast II by comparison has the smoothest flood I have ever used. The Polarions are in between and will probably appeal to more people.


"A laser" . . . can't wait to add the Hellfighter to the fleet.

The Beast II beam is _amazing_. I agree, it's definately the smoothest of any light I've ever seen in action!

DaFAB - PM sent. Maybe we can get together and do some Hellfighter/Beast II companion shots.


----------



## DaFABRICATA

*Re: Surefire Hellfighter (picture intensive)BEAMSHOTS*



seery said:


> *CONGRATS* DaFAB on an awesome score. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> Been on the prowl . . . hopefully _very_ soon.
> 
> 
> "A laser" . . . can't wait to add the Hellfighter to the fleet.
> 
> The Beast II beam is _amazing_. I agree, it's definately the smoothest of any light I've ever seen in action!
> 
> DaFAB - PM sent. Maybe we can get together and do some Hellfighter/Beast II companion shots.


 



Sounds good to me. 
Only problem is no drivers lisence to meet up with you.
If you ever head out toward Ann Arbor, I'm sure we could work something out.

Heres a few more beamshots...still not done snowing:scowl:

These pics help show the "shape" of the beams quite well.

The *3" Turbohead* has a nice _"needle shaped"_ beam.
The *KT4 *has a larger hot spot but still throws a _"ram of light"_ downrange.
The *Hellfighter *has a_ very intense_ "hot spot" and decent spill, but the cut-off is noticable in the pics.


*3" Turbohead/C3 Body------3 X IMR16340---W1185*






*KT4/TB 2 X 18650 Body----2 X AW IMR18650--MN21*






*HELLFIGHTER*


----------



## ShortArc

DaFABRICATA, 
for god’s sake stop being so utilitarian and lose that orange extension cord!  
Aesthetics man aesthetics. Zip cord would have looked better .


----------



## DaFABRICATA

ShortArc said:


> DaFABRICATA,
> for god’s sake stop being so utilitarian and lose that orange extension cord!
> Aesthetics man aesthetics. Zip cord would have looked better .


 

All in good time my friend..

The orange cord was cut from another cable using an amphonel plug. 
My amphonel plug ends should be here this week. I still need to order the cable though.
I will probably make one with a straight cord & one with a retractable...like yours..
There are no covert ops taking place inside my home that the orange will give me away....worst case, I put some black wire loom over it until I get the new cable. :green:


----------



## jasonck08

Oh my goodness thats a nice light. How much does a beast like that cost 1k?


----------



## DaFABRICATA

OpticsPlanet has it listed for $7299.00

http://www.opticsplanet.net/surefire-hf-m2hb-m240b-hellfighter-weaponlight-mount.html


Thank God, I didn't pay close to that


----------



## jasonck08

Oh my gosh! Thats a car right there! 7k!


----------



## ShortArc

Hey DaFABRICATA,
once you get your military BB-2590 battery (and you need one of those trust me) next is one of these :devil::






If I find a charging station in a bright color, orange or pink, I’ll PM you…


----------



## QtrHorse

There was a Hellfighter on Craigsllist about 10 days ago and I believe the seller wanted $3200 or close to that. He was in Texas somewhere, I don't remember exactly. What is the difference between the Hellfighter and Hellfire? Did Opticplanet.com just list the name wrong?


----------



## ShortArc

Hellfire was the original name of the light it was later renamed Hellfighter. They are the same light, though I am sure there were some technical changes/improvements. Why the name change? I suspect the name Hellfire was too confusing given that there are too many other products with the same name...



QtrHorse said:


> There was a Hellfighter on Craigsllist about 10 days ago and I believe the seller wanted $3200 or close to that. He was in Texas somewhere, I don't remember exactly. What is the difference between the Hellfighter and Hellfire? Did Opticplanet.com just list the name wrong?


----------



## TKC

*That is AWESOME!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:*


----------



## AA6TZ

*DaFABRICATA* -- *This* beamshot is awesome in the _true_ sense of the word. :thumbsup:

That's one *HELL* of a light (pun most definitely intended!). 

-Clive


----------



## DaFABRICATA

ShortArc....Still savin up the money for the battery and charger.
I much prefer orange over pink...:shakehead



AA6TZ...Thanks!

___________________________________________________________ 
Heres a few add-ons I made today.

One is a _"Sling Mount"_ since I couldn't find a suitable location.
Using Velcro strap weaved in the hole in the handle, helps center the weight. 

The other is an _"Accessory Mount"_. I will likey use it to mount an A123 pack or _something_.

I made both from scrap aluminum in the garage. If my freakin Mill was working, I would have been done MUCH sooner and the cuts and holes would be precise.

Anyway, I did the best I could with my jig-saw to cut the 1/2" and my bandsaw for the finer cuts. Also used were a uni-bit and file.

Now I just need to clean them up more and get them anodized....at least the sling mount


----------



## ShortArc

DaFABRICATA,
Very nice! :twothumbs
This is actually a really nice light to make accessories for.
Before you know it SF and the US Army will be placing orders!
Cheers.


----------



## gsxrac

Wow truly amazing. I would LOVE to own one! Shoot id be happy with a Beast...Where do yall work? Are you hiring? And I agree thats the ultimate SF Lego!!! Any chance we could get a pic beside say a 6P for size comparison?


----------



## LuxLuthor

Shortarc, I recognize that custom A123 battery solution! :thumbsup:

Really wonderful pictures of an incredible light.


----------



## DaFABRICATA

Currently -19 below with the windchill....and it felt every bit of it.


----------



## AA6TZ

DaFABRICATA said:


> Currently *-19 below* with the windchill....and it felt every bit of it.


 
_D-A-M-N_ that's cold!  The spectacular *light* emanating from your Hellfighter ought to have raised your internal temperature by at _least_ a few degrees.   :thumbsup:

-Clive


----------



## Barbarin

DeFabricata (or any other with this light), can you please tell us the beam divergence of the spot and the corona??

If you can fire your light to a wall I just need the diameter of the resulting circles and the distance from light to wall to calculate the divergence.

Javier


----------



## ShortArc

Barbarin said:


> DeFabricata (or any other with this light), can you please tell us the beam divergence of the spot and the corona??
> 
> If you can fire your light to a wall I just need the diameter of the resulting circles and the distance from light to wall to calculate the divergence.
> 
> Javier


 
Now that I am completely blind from looking at reflection on the wall: The hot spot measures approx 2-3cm, next 12cm, then 38cm and finally 127cm all at 1m.


----------



## edc3

DaFABRICATA said:


> Currently -19 below with the windchill....and it felt every bit of it.



Fantastic picture! :rock:


----------



## ShortArc

A word on Amphenol Class F connectors.
“E/F – Environmental Resisting with Strain Relief – designed for applications where the connector will be exposed
to moisture, vibration, and rapid changes in pressure and temperature.”
The connector comes with a rubber sleeve which fits over the contacts. The idea is to slip the leads through the holes in the sleeve, solder the connections and then slip the sleeve over the contacts. This process requires you to strip back so much of the outer jacket that the strain relief clamp often will catch the wires and not the jacket. I have found two solutions to this problem. One, discard the rubber plug and use hot glue melted over the contacts. Two, use 3m Scotch Rubber Mastic Tape (#2228) to wrap the wire bundle.


----------



## Armed_Forces

AWESOME beamshot DaFABRICATA 


THANKS!


----------



## Patriot

More great pics DaFab! Very cool stuff.


----------



## Barbarin

ShortArc said:


> Now that I am completely blind from looking at reflection on the wall: The hot spot measures approx 2-3cm, next 12cm, then 38cm and finally 127cm all at 1m.


 
Thank you!!!

Calculations on Monday. 

Javier


----------



## toby_pra

Wow DaFab the beamshots are very impressive!

I also like the first turbohead/c3-body lego!


----------



## Barbarin

Spot diameter @ 1m. 
Angle (degrees)

3 cm
1,718744487º​ 

12 cm
6,867260725º​ 

38 cm
21,51593418º​ 

127 cm
64,83109466º​ 
Take it with a grain or two of salt. To get more accurate numbers it would be better to measure the projection at longer distances that 1 m.​ 
Javier​ 
,


----------



## ShortArc

Well ya shouldn't have included so many decimal places then!:nana:



Barbarin said:


> Spot diameter @ 1m.
> Angle (degrees)
> 
> 3 cm
> 1,718744487º​
> 
> 12 cm
> 6,867260725º​
> 
> 38 cm
> 21,51593418º​
> 
> 127 cm
> 64,83109466º​
> Take it with a grain or two of salt. To get more accurate numbers it would be better to measure the projection at longer distances that 1 m.​
> Javier​
> ,


----------



## Barbarin

Nobody is perfect, man.


----------



## Lips

Barbarin said:


> Nobody is perfect, man.





Speak for yourself -------








.


----------



## 96hmco

Ok I am bringing this thread back. 

I have recently acquired a Hellfire/Hellfighter whatever name you want to use. 

The unit did not come with a charger for the bren tronics rechargeable batteries (2) that came with it. 

My quandry is I have a weekend outing coming up this next weekend. I really would like to use the light for this planned outing. 

I am willing to buy a charger or a conversion that I saw on this thread. Any idea who makes the smaller batteries seen earlier in this thread? 

Please allow for my ignorance as I am new to this awesome unit. Fun thing is I got to see it plugged into the car.....that wet my whistle to really see this thing on the go!


----------



## ShortArc

96hmco said:


> Ok I am bringing this thread back.
> 
> I have recently acquired a Hellfire/Hellfighter whatever name you want to use.
> 
> The unit did not come with a charger for the bren tronics rechargeable batteries (2) that came with it.
> 
> My quandry is I have a weekend outing coming up this next weekend. I really would like to use the light for this planned outing.
> 
> I am willing to buy a charger or a conversion that I saw on this thread. Any idea who makes the smaller batteries seen earlier in this thread?
> 
> Please allow for my ignorance as I am new to this awesome unit. Fun thing is I got to see it plugged into the car.....that wet my whistle to really see this thing on the go!



Welcome to CPF 96hmco.

I believe you may be referring to the A123 Pack I made ("smaller batteries seen earlier..."). Any battery pack with the right voltage and current capacity will do. There are many hobby stores which sell lithium ion packs of different capacities. If you just want to charge the BB-2590/U see post 1 using a regulated power supply, etc.
There are also some Brentronics chargers available on ebay right now.
Have fun.


----------



## Entrope

_Thread Resurrection!_

Need some clarification here... I've been seeing photos of the HellFire/HellFighter with two types of reflectors it seems... one with an orange-peel like finish, and the other with a more polished mirror-like finish.

Seems like the mirror-like finish reflector is used when the light was re-named to HellFighter?

Also two huge thumbs up to ShortArc for this hugely informative post for to-be/current HellFire/HellFighter owners


----------



## DaFABRICATA

*Hellfighters Rule!..*

BTW..Mine has the orange-peel type reflector.


----------



## DimeRazorback

I have to own one of these before my time is up!


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## DM51

DaFAB, those 2 pics are just *super cool!*


----------



## DaFABRICATA

Thanks Guys!:thumbsup:

Entrope, it is SN#HO3974

The Hellfighter was one of those things I just HAD to own before I die.
Since that could be 70years from now or tomorrow, I picked one up a.s.a.p as I found one at a semi-affordable price.

The design is awesome and its a lot of fun to use!

It's one of the lights I hope to have for a long time.


----------



## Size15's

I understand that SureFire produce Hellfighters and Beasts to order and have a variety of options depending on the application they are required for.


----------



## DimeRazorback

Do you have to be military or law enforcement to order one?

Or can civilians??


----------



## Size15's

DimeRazorback said:


> Do you have to be military or law enforcement to order one?
> 
> Or can civilians??


It makes more sense to order Hellfighters for use on specific weapons systems (discussing this with a specialist at SureFire to tailor-make the package as there are plenty of options) and these systems are usually used by military and law enforcement types.

That said, I don't believe there is anything preventing you ordering a Hellfighter and the accessories you need through a SureFire Dealer.
The 2009 Tactical Products catalog is helpful for working through the various options.


----------



## Patriot

DaFab, thanks for the two fantastic pictures. For some reason it escaped me that you owned one but it certainly fits you, being one of Surefire's biggest supporters here. :thumbsup:


----------



## [email protected]

DimeRazorback said:


> Do you have to be military or law enforcement to order one?
> 
> Or can civilians??



Funny, a SF rep sent me a long e-mail chain between an Australia Procurement office and her talking about Hellfighter export. Asking for my opinion.


----------



## xeonsaga88

Beamshots please


----------



## Illum

xeonsaga88, try here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/183604


----------



## ShortArc

Mac and I took these shoots a while back.
Shows off the Hellfighter quite nicely. Almost as nice as Mac's light 

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/231084


----------



## Patriot

*Short-arc*, is that your polished PH40 also?


----------



## cmacclel

ShortArc said:


> Mac and I took these shoots a while back.
> Shows off the Hellfighter quite nicely. Almost as nice as Mac's light
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/231084



Ya......something's wrong with the Hellfire picture Shoot  

Mac


----------



## Patriot

cmacclel said:


> Ya......something's wrong with the Hellfire picture Shoot
> 
> Mac





I don't agree since I thought your pictures were great as well as Short-arc's gifs. Nice variety of lights and locations, with perhaps the only thing missing being some long range pictures. I love that thread. :thumbsup:


----------



## ShortArc

Patriot said:


> *Short-arc*, is that your polished PH40 also?



Yes. :thumbsup:


----------



## Patriot

ShortArc said:


> Yes. :thumbsup:



She's a beauty and keeper.


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## Patriot

Very nice Entrope.


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## Dioni

very beautiful pictures!


----------



## ShortArc

Entrope said:


> Does anyone here have the Amber filter by the way?
> 
> I've also got one of those on the way but it may take another month before it arrives... am already curious though as to how the colour of the beam would be like with and without the amber filter.



The amber filter works great in fog/mist etc. and ofcouse it just looks cool!


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## ShortArc

Entrope said:


> Aye, the whole coolness factor is the reason why I'm getting one (;
> 
> Does it affect throw/output by any margin though?



When the filter is used in it's intended application every other factor becomes a moot point. That being said, I do not have a good feel (perceived versus real) on output reduction under normal conditions.
Cheers.


----------



## Patriot

Most HID amber filters reduce the overall output by 10-15%. I'm not sure if the Hellfighter follows that same general theme or not.


----------



## Entrope

_(Post Removed)_


----------



## DaFABRICATA

With the weather getting nicer, the HellFighter has been getting a bit more use.
A freind was over last weekend and was freakin' out about how bright it was and how far it throws.
I've sold off most of my collection, but the HellFighter will likely be sticking around for some time.


----------



## kramer5150

Great thread resurrection. thanks!!

My CPF grail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbqk60di6Jg


----------



## IlluminatedOne

That's a nice video of the hellfighter in action.:thumbsup:


----------



## kramer5150

IlluminatedOne said:


> That's a nice video of the hellfighter in action.:thumbsup:



Towards the end Don mentions a Hellfighter II and Hellfighter III...


----------



## andromeda.73

*great video! 
*


----------



## Hog Sniper

ShortArc , first of all let me say that I truly enjoyed reading this thread as well as looking at the pics and videos from you and all others as well . I live in South Texas and just aquired several new Hellfighters and am in the process of getting power cords and power supply parts ordered as mine did not come with either yet they are brand new in the factory Pelican cases . Both were purchased on Ebay . Question is , I was about to buy 12V motorcycle batteries and mount them inside a Pelican iM2050 Storm case along with an onboard charger for recharging and install a normal 12V lighter receptacle on top to plug my power cord into . I just read the full article that informs me that the Hellfighters shuts off between 11.5 to 12Volts . This being said , I would guess that my 12V motorcycle battery pack dream is shot all to crap . What would you suggest as a chargable , cost effective power source that can be charged in a relatively short amount of time or carry spare batteries ready to go . the BB290's ??? Then get the charger for them ??? As a car guy and NOT an electronics guy , I thought I had this whipped ! LOL


----------



## socom1970

Hey all,

I am resurrecting this thread to celebrate buying a Hellfighter and rechargeable kit from BrighterisBetter. 

I cannot wait to see what this supremely awesome illumination tool can do. I may need to find a bigger field to test it with.:devil:

Scout campouts will never be the same.

Incidentally, any Hellfighter owners still enjoying their lights? Any suggestions regarding ownership and usage are quite welcome.


----------



## angelofwar

Congrats Socom! I was thinking what I could trade for that one in the WTT section...maybe a gun or something. Can't wait to hear (or see :devil what it is does! Some photos and beamshot's are in order when it arrives!


----------



## Superdave

We got some beam shots but the wind was messing with us a little so they didn't turn out like we planned. It was moving the tripod and we were holding the light by hand which didn't help either. 


We were standing on the bank of the Mississippi river (Iowa side), Here is one shot lighting up a construction site a little less than a mile away. 








We're going to gear back up soon and go back for some better pics using 2 tripods. That light was very impressive though, we were lighting up houses on the other side of the river.. in another state :naughty:


----------



## socom1970

When Superdave and I were doing the photoshoot of my Hellfighter, it really impressed me just how much light the HID's put out, as well as how much they really THROW. The pictures that get posted don't do these throwmonsters justice. The HID lights are really quite amazing in person, looking like huge lasers that shoot forever into the night. 

Because both Dave and I work on a riverboat on the Mississippi, we see barges with various different spotlights being used on the river. The Hellfighter is rated at 35 watts, which is VERY impressive to see in person. The spotlight on our boat is 100 watts (don't know if it is HID or not...) Boats on the Mississippi generally seem to have approximately 75 to 100 watt spots (very rough guess-timate based on what I've seen and heard). 

But when I think of some of you HID'ers who have 50 watt, 100 watt, 200 watt, 400 watt HID's, etc..., I can only imagine how those look.


----------



## KevinL

The picture with the measuring tape finally gives me a good idea of the size. Mentally, I had always thought of the Hellfighter as a 12" bezel. It comes as quite a shock to realize it is much smaller than I imagined. 

4 inch is definitely very manageable. 

Sigh.....one of the things I don't think I'll ever get to own (I'd probably get in trouble trying to ship it to begin with). 

Time to go light up my $50 Vector 35W HID in its plastic case and pretend!!   (the poor man's hardware store solution)

(I did put A123's into it though - the sealed lead acid was getting way too heavy.)


----------



## Solscud007

edit nvm just read more and answered my own question


----------



## ShortArc

I had quite a few inquiries regarding which power packs to use.
Lately I have replaced my original A123 source with LiMnNi Rechargeable 26650 Cell: 3.7V 4000 mAh, 10A. They are higher capacity and a larger voltage span hence more runtime. A 4S1P pack will last over an hour. You can find these cell here:
http://www.batteryspace.com/limnnirechargeable26650cell37v4000mah10arated148wh.aspx
Unfortunately, the "Shotgun Tubes" are no longer made....
Cheers.:wave:


----------



## avius

Post deleted you need to join the Marketplace and post there. The MarketPlace requires a separate registration. Your CPF registration doesn't work there. You can reuse the same User Name and Password when you register if you wish - Norm


----------



## jamesmtl514

excellent thread....anyone want to trade a hellfighter for my entire collection?


----------



## H-nu

Being the paranoid freak that I am, can one get spare bulbs for the Hellfighter? Or do I not need to worry about the bulb burning out. As for vibration and damage, this thing is designed to be mounted on an M2 so it should be good for some abuse eh?


----------



## dudemar

Depending on how often you plan on using it, it should last a very long time. A lot of people end up comparing LEDs to HID bulbs based purely on lumen output, apples and oranges.


----------



## matthewcyho

Awesome light , Love Surefire !!


----------



## ShortArc

Cmacclel (Mac) is in the middle of a "little" Hellfighter project (more on this later) which required a good look at how the HF is wired.
Mac took some pictures of the PCB contacting the handle and internally going to the ballast. I posted a few of these pictures with his permission (post #1).
Stay tuned to see what add on Mac will (hopefully) be offering is short term .


----------



## MDJAK

I've seen this light for sale at B&H for years now but was shocked at the price. Really interesting thread though. Sorry it's so old that a lot of the pics are gone.


----------



## cmacclel

MDJAK said:


> I've seen this light for sale at B&H for years now but was shocked at the price. Really interesting thread though. Sorry it's so old that a lot of the pics are gone.




Every Picture works for me.


----------



## Rat

Great thread most of the pics are working for me as well.
I just got myself a Hellfire with no cable so this thread was just what I was looking for you got to love CPF.
cheers


----------



## jamesmtl514

congrats on your hellfighter!!! I want one, but i'm just not _there _yet.


----------



## cmacclel

jamesmtl514 said:


> congrats on your hellfighter!!! I want one, but i'm just not _there _yet.



Why fight it you know you want one


----------



## Patriot

Had no idea until now that you made a custom battery tube for the Hellfighter. Very cool Mac! :thumbsup:


----------



## Rat

WOW Mac did you need to modify the hellfighter at all be sides pulling it off the handle mount?
What batteries does it take ?

cheers


----------



## jamesmtl514

that is madness. and I expext no less from you. 
Excellent work.


----------



## [email protected]

cmacclel said:


> Why fight it you know you want one



Hi Mac,

How much does the battery tube costs & what type of battries does it use? Im interested mate.

Thank you.


----------



## cmacclel

No modifications whatsoever. Just unscrew the Hellfighter from it's carry handle / mount and screw on the 4x 26650 battery handle for 1+ hour runtime.


Thanks Mac





Rat said:


> WOW Mac did you need to modify the hellfighter at all be sides pulling it off the handle mount?
> What batteries does it take ?
> 
> cheers


----------



## Rat

cmacclel said:


> No modifications whatsoever. Just unscrew the Hellfighter from it's carry handle / mount and screw on the 4x 26650 battery handle for 1+ hour runtime.
> 
> 
> Thanks Mac



Wow 4x 26650 1hr run time is great. I do not plan to use the current Hellfire I have much. But if I can score a user this could come in handy. With an added shoulder strap it would be quit manageable. 

cheers


----------



## Rat

Hey Mac your PM's are full 
I will take one of those cables off you n about 2 weeks.

Cheers


----------



## Steve in SoCal

Awesome, very tempting...


----------



## Solscud007

Im working on getting a Hellfighter. Im interested in getting 12v car cables and that beast like handle.


----------



## oal

Thanks for the photos, I have been drooling over the hellfire on surefires website for a while. I thought it was bigger than it is. I thought it was at least 6" across. I love the pic with the handle. I wonder if I could carry it as an EDC.


----------



## Solscud007

My Hellfighter showed up. Thanks Kif!! Here i'm testing out the feasibility as a weapon light. It should handle the recoil of a 12 gauge right? haha


----------



## cmacclel

Lucky dog with the Kel-Tec KSG......how did you score one of them  Hook a brother up!


----------



## Solscud007

Simple. Pay out my rear. Srsly I sold a crown jewel in my toy collection to partially pay for it on gunbroker.


----------



## Solscud007

Well there is a new HF coming out. It has high low and strobe!!! that is just unfair for the opposing force. Strobing at 3K lumens is just mean.


----------



## ShortArc

The rechargeable Hellfighter 4 has been in the works for a while. I am not holding my breath for a ship date
I am dying to see the new reflector design.


----------



## BVH

Is it still going to be just 35 Watts to the bulb?


----------



## Solscud007

In the picture you can see a new mount. It has a picatinny mount build into the HF mount. I called SF and it is almost $400.


----------



## ShortArc

BVH said:


> Is it still going to be just 35 Watts to the bulb?



Don't know, looking into ordering one....but the older HF have been pushing 45-50W to the bulb.


----------



## BVH

That's good to hear!


----------



## ev13wt

Solscud007 said:


> Neither do I. I use a 15" screen laptop. but I can understand that connection-wise, large images take a LONG time to load for some people.



Only if they are big in file size.

Jpg compression can make a fullhd or bigger size pic under a megabyte.


Awesome light! I want one mounted on my truck.


----------



## Solscud007

Mac's custom handle is gorgeous. Here is my HF with handle #2.


----------



## Solscud007

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. We measured the SF HF and it was putting out 5,000 lumens!!


----------



## warubozu

What's the cost for one of Mac's custom HF handle?


----------



## Solscud007

warubozu said:


> What's the cost for one of Mac's custom HF handle?



$300. And well worth every penny. Actually I believe it was $250 for the handle and then $50 for the cerakoting. The craftsmanship of this handle cannot be overstated. It is a piece of art. The SW01 style tailcap is just too cool.


----------



## warubozu

Indeed, pure eye candy and great functionality.


----------



## whatthe?

*Mac's custom handel
**Hello, 

In referecne to Mac's custom handel. 

First, Great engineering work / modifications for more applications with the Hellfighter... AWESOME!!!!!!!


It says there are a few models of this handel for the Hellfighter? I am very interested....

Where can I see the other handels and what is the price/ prices? Is there a price list?

Do they come with power supplies also? different battery packs? rechargable?

Please let me know I am very interested like I said. 


Thanks in advance.

Have a great day, "whatthe?"*


----------



## Specialops

Hi

Would realy like to know were i could get me the lego handle you but on your surefire hellfighter light?



ShortArc said:


> Very light weight and compact - no battery ofcourse!


----------



## Illum

you don't have to quote the whole post oo:



Solscud007 said:


> Well there is a new HF coming out. It has high low and strobe!!! that is just unfair for the opposing force. Strobing at 3K lumens is just mean.



How the hell did they come up with a strobe mode on an HID?!


----------



## benm11

> Would realy like to know were i could get me the lego handle you but on your surefire hellfighter light?


That is the handle for the Surefire Beast II. I really doubt you will be able to find one without buying the entire beast II which will set you back at least 2 grand.



> How the hell did they come up with a strobe mode on an HID?!


That's is exactly what I thought when I saw the specs on the new hellfighter. I feel like that would put a lot of stress on the ballast and bulb. So I am curious as to how they managed that and keep the reliability that everyone expects from surefire and especially the hellfighter.


----------



## cmacclel

*Color Temp was 4364k at 3731 Lumens We ran the light for 15 minutes and the output only varied 1.5%*


----------



## ABTOMAT

What is it with Massachusetts and Hellfighters? Couldn't let you guys have all the fun. I'll be back to this thread in about a week. Got something in the mail.

What have I gotten myself into... Drooling over those Mac handles, too.


----------



## ABTOMAT

On the plus side, shipping was early and I now have a Hellfighter sitting on my desk.

On the minus side, the reflector is clouded and kinda patchy looking up so I'm trying to deal with the seller now. Anyone know if the Surefire warranty applies to these things? It doesn't look like it's been opened up or gotten water into it.

But hot damn is it BRIGHT!


----------



## ShortArc

Surefire had a run of reflectors which started bubbling and fogging up the lens. I can not be sure this is the case here but I am sure if you call SF they will take care of it. Congrats by the way


----------



## ABTOMAT

Thanks. I'll let you know how I make out.

First order of business is getting a power supply together. At the moment I'm thinking of a LiFePo4 4S hobby pack in the 4K mAh range. I noticed that LiPo packs have higher max voltage (16+)--any idea what the Hellfighter's ballast can handle on the high end?

I went over my UH-1 cable today. Surefire must be printing money with these things. The cigarette plug itself is an off-the-shelf part that seems to be what Partsexpress sells for $5. Same problems the reviews report with those, too.


----------



## ABTOMAT

Well, SF's agreed to look at it. Fingers crossed.


----------



## ABTOMAT

Bumping this again while I wait for it to come back from SF, along with some other lights they're looking at.

In LiPos I can go either 3S or 4S. Anyone know what the ballast voltage range is for the Hellfighter? I'm leaning towards 3S because an HID usually will trip off around 10V and that'd save the battery from overdischarging, but if the HF's happier at a higher voltage I'd go that way.

Also could do a LiFePo4 although I'm having a hard time finding a cheap pack that gets good reviews.


----------



## cmacclel

ABTOMAT said:


> Bumping this again while I wait for it to come back from SF, along with some other lights they're looking at.
> 
> In LiPos I can go either 3S or 4S. Anyone know what the ballast voltage range is for the Hellfighter? I'm leaning towards 3S because an HID usually will trip off around 10V and that'd save the battery from overdischarging, but if the HF's happier at a higher voltage I'd go that way.
> 
> Also could do a LiFePo4 although I'm having a hard time finding a cheap pack that gets good reviews.




I'm using a 4s setup.

Mac


----------



## ABTOMAT

cmacclel said:


> I'm using a 4s setup.
> 
> Mac



In regular LiPos? Do you have to keep an eye on the cell voltage so they're not discharged too far? What voltage does the HF ballast shut off at?


----------



## ABTOMAT

Back from the factory yesterday. Looks like they replaced the reflector, lens, and the bulb. A little cloudiness on the inside of the lens but I suppose that's within spec.






Started making cables last night so now on to the battery.


----------



## ShortArc

Good news. A little bit of dust inside and cloudiness is normal for SF.


----------



## Solscud007

ABTOMAT said:


> Back from the factory yesterday. Looks like they replaced the reflector, lens, and the bulb. A little cloudiness on the inside of the lens but I suppose that's within spec.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Started making cables last night so now on to the battery.



Abtomat make me a battery pack too please. Mac's handle is great but I would like a more compact setup.


----------



## ABTOMAT

You might be overestimating my skill. For the time being I'm just putting a hobby LiPo into a project box stuck to the HF.


----------



## Solscud007

What ever works haha. Duct tape or velcro. Im good. I want to weapon mount the HF and the Mac handle doesnt quite allow me to do that.

Anyone have an IR filter for the HF they want to let go? I need it for my NVGs.


----------



## ABTOMAT

If you really want I can take a shot at it. For the time being I don't have enough experience to know which kind of battery type is best. A LifePo4'd be the way to go but the cheap ones get pretty bad reviews as far as quality, so I'm trying LiPos. Don't really want to build my own pack given the charging issues.

My plan for the moment is to put a 3s or 4S LiPo RC pack into a project box, with a pigtail power cable connected to it. I'm going to connect the battery's balance cable to a D-sub connector on the box, and connect the charger to a mating D-sub and Amphenol jack for the charging power. Also probably include a battery monitor or warning buzzer to make sure I don't kill the battery.

What I'd really like to do is make a mating rail to lock the battery box onto the light. For now I've sold my mill and my shaper is in pieces so that'll have to wait.

EDIT: Yeah, exactly like that, although I was going to have an external balancing connector.


----------



## cmacclel




----------



## ABTOMAT

Hahaha, that's perfect. Buy one of those from him. That's more elegant than I was picturing. No contest.

I swear other than seeing various batteries bolted to HFs in this thread I had no idea Mac was making rigs just like that.


----------



## ABTOMAT

OK, I tested a HF with a 3S pack. On a brand new cheap Turnigy 5Ah pack, charged the first time, I got about 46 minutes until the cells hit 3.70V. Total pack voltage was 11.1V at that point and the HF's ballast never shut down, so relying on the ballast cutoff for battery protection won't work.

Looks like you guys have the right idea using 4S packs and just watching them closely.

By the way, if anyone needs a simple indoor power supply for testing Hellfighters, an ATX power supply pulled from a junk PC should work fine, as long as it can supply around 10A on the 12V rail.


----------



## BVH

There's very little power left in Lipo's after 3.7VPC but there's no harm in running them down under load to 3.3V and even 3.0V. They'll rebound up to 3.4 or more right after removing the load. Might be enough to trip your ballast.


----------



## ABTOMAT

Does it work that way? What I've read on RC sites usually says never go below a resting voltage of 3.70V, and keep it higher if you want to prolong the battery's life. My resting voltage was around 3.73 so I did have a little more potential runtime if I adhered to that.


----------



## Norm

A number of images on preceding pages are oversize, when you post an image please remember Rule #3 

Rule #3 If you post an image in your post, please downsize the image to no larger than 800 x 800 pixels. - Thanks Norm


----------



## BVH

RC Group Forums is where I've learned most everything I know about Lipos. In an perfect world, yes you probably would not take them down beyond 3.6 or 3.7 resting. But if by taking them down to 3.0 or a little above under load, you're able to achieve automatic ballast cutoff, then, to me, the cost of the loss of a few charging cycles is well worth the convenience of not having to otherwise bother yourself with constantly monitoring a voltmeter or some other device to know when to shut down. (assuming that the HF ballast shuts and latches down - so to speak - doesn't repeatedly flicker) You're not being any more or less safe by drawing them down to 3.0 or better. Chances are, the HF ballast may trip at 9.6 or 3.3VPC. In any case, it will not do any damage by trying it. Lipo's are relatively cheap and whether you get 500 cycles out of it by being very, very nice to it or only 400 cycles by using it normally, it's not costing much more for the "automatic cutoff" if it happens in the mentioned range.



ABTOMAT said:


> Does it work that way? What I've read on RC sites usually says never go below a resting voltage of 3.70V, and keep it higher if you want to prolong the battery's life. My resting voltage was around 3.73 so I did have a little more potential runtime if I adhered to that.


----------



## ABTOMAT

Thanks, I'll experiment.

Rigged up a temporary battery pouch and went out on a golf course with my HF and UB3T. HF lit up the whole damn course, end-to-end. I'm seeing the appeal of this HID thing.

Additional measurements for anyone scheming at home: At 12.2V (resting voltage) on a 3S pack it draws ~8A at start-up and drops to 4.5A while running.


----------



## BVH

ABTOMAT said:


> ........ I'm seeing the appeal of this HID thing.



Is there anything else besides HID???


----------



## ABTOMAT

BVH said:


> Is there anything else besides HID???



Well, you need LEDs for pocket and keychain lights. Although you can always improvise.


----------



## BVH

Very true, I still carry my R5 version of 4-7's Mini123. Guess a Marconi wouldn't fit in my pocket!


----------



## ABTOMAT

BVH said:


> Guess a Marconi wouldn't fit in my pocket!



"Is that a 1000W HID in your pocket or..."


----------



## brighterisbetter

cmacclel said:


> Why fight it you know you want one


Yes I do, send me an Paypal invoice and I'll get you fundage for a duplicate.


----------



## brighterisbetter

Some sibling pics - HF1A & HF1B


----------



## ShortArc

Great Pics! Thanks for sharing...


----------



## ruger988

Just picked one of these up for a STEAL. Knew next to nothing about it, very informational thread. Thanks.


----------



## ruger988

ruger988 said:


> Just picked one of these up for a STEAL. Knew next to nothing about it, very informational thread. Thanks.



Still haven't been able to find a cable at a decent price to get mine up and running. Anyone want to give me some pointers on fabbing one up from scratch? Shame to let this thing sit in the box BRAND NEW and not be able to at least test it out before I inevitably sell her off. I've got a BA-5590 sitting here with it as well... just need to get the two connected.


----------



## ruger988

Anyone? For some reason I can't post a new thread or even PM any of the seemingly more knowledgeable guys on here yet... Just looking for some help in piecing this package together.


----------



## TEEJ

ruger988 said:


> Anyone? For some reason I can't post a new thread or even PM any of the seemingly more knowledgeable guys on here yet... Just looking for some help in piecing this package together.






You typically need a minimum of 3 posts to be approved before you are granted those powers.

That means that NOW you might be able to...try again.


----------



## ABTOMAT

The original post in this thread has all the info you need to make a cable if you have some soldering skills. Amphenol connector, SO cable in the 18-16 AGW range, and whatever kind of plug you want on the other end. Surefire used a generic Parts Express cigarette lighter plug (with a 10A Littlfuse slo-blo swapped in) in their cables in the past. I made a bunch in the fall to use up the extra parts I got a volume discount on. All gone now.

Mac (cmacclel on CPF) is still making and selling cables as far as I know if you want a ready-made solution.

I'd avoid buying an original Surefire-brand cable even if you find one cheap. They're actually pretty bad unless you're mounting the Hellfighter on your armored fighting vehicle. The components they use aren't anything special, either.


----------



## 85 Jimmy

ShortArc said:


> HF has pins labeled A, B, C, D and E. A and C are used for those cables that have Grip switch. B and E are used for battery BB2590 or cigarette adapter. D is not used. In other words: Pin B is + Input and E is - Input 12V-15V DC Pin A and Pin C is for switch. To turn on the HF there has to be a closed circuit between A and C. If you don’t have a switch, jumper.
> As the current draw is rather low you don’t need much of a wire.
> If you are not going to use a remote switch, I would use 18AWG 2/C SOOW. You could still bring out two leads (connected from A to C) from the plug for later use. I did that with one of my coiled cable assemblies. One source for cable (including coiled) is McMaster Carr. Here is the info for the coiled cable: McMaser Part #7520K51 (Thermoplastic Rubber Jacket Retractile Cord Black SJEOW, 18/2 Awg, 300 VAC, 2' Retracted) $26.11 Each.



I just picked up one of these lights with no harness. I made a harness for it but I did not jumper pins A and C. When I hook it up the light doesn not power on. Is that b/c A and C are not jumpered? it does have the switch on the handle, but from the looks of this post that doesn't matter and they need to have a jumper anyway.

Thanks for any help.


----------



## ABTOMAT

The A>C jumper is required. It's part of the circuit path the internal switch is on.

The reason those pins are there is so you can use an external switch on your machine gun handle, and when you do that the internal switch must be on to complete the circuit.


----------



## zeleny

What are the options for portable rechargeable battery assemblies for this light?


----------



## jamesmtl514

Mac what would it take for you to do another run of the handles? 
I can see at least three other people that would commit to buying one.

Also I'm still interested in the battery pack.


----------



## zeleny

jamesmtl514 said:


> Mac what would it take for you to do another run of the handles?
> I can see at least three other people that would commit to buying one.
> 
> Also I'm still interested in the battery pack.


I am interested in the handle and the battery pack.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Breathing some life in this thread. 
My HF still hasn't ever been lit up. It's driving me bonkers!


----------



## DaFABRICATA

Ok James, 
You REALLY need to at least rig up a cable that allows some gator clips to attach to a 12V automotive battery!
The beam on these things are pretty darn impressive!

My "Beater" Hellfighter came today and was taken apart about 10 minutes after cutting it out of the box.
This one was just at Surefire and had some work done. Whoever worked on it did a BAD job of doing a final inspection. 
The 4 bolts that hold the contact assembly in place were finger tight. One was even loose.
Making a bezel removal tool for this thing was next on the list. After removing the IR filter and rubber gromit ring from the head, I noticed the window retaining bezel ring looked loose. I have small hands but figured it wouldn't hurt to try to "palm" it off.
Sure as heck! The bezel ring was even loose and came right off!
It would have came loose FOR SURE under heavy recoil or probably even normal use! 
I know none of this was the fault of the previous owner, and who'd think to recheck bolts and bezel rings after it was in for service.

Anyway, not a big deal since I bought this one at such a good price that I can justify modding it.
This one is getting 8 overdriven XM-L's. 
After taking some measurements, the center reflector will be an McR38 and the other surrounding 7 reflectors will be McR27XR's. 
The LED's will be soldered directly to copper mcpcb's and them mounted to a large copper or brass heatsink. 
The driver(s) and battery configuration still to be determined. However I plan to do away with the stock handle/mount and make a custom handle/base and would like to store the batteries inside the main head shell along with the drivers/emitters/heatink/& reflectors.

So this is what a Hellfighter looks like taken apart. 
The white "shell" surrounding the reflector/bulb/ballest assembly is some type of thermal compound like silicone. The ballest assembly looks to be three circuit boards that screw onto the reflector assembly with 2 screws in each one. The entire assemble came out of the head without any problems, just a poke in the rear.


----------



## ABTOMAT

DaFABRICATA said:


> This one was just at Surefire and had some work done. Whoever worked on it did a BAD job of doing a final inspection.



Surefire's repair department is horrendous now. I've sent in lights that came back looking like a pipe wrench and pliers had been used to take them apart. At least my HF wasn't botched by them.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Today i tried to get my hellfighter to light up.
i rigged a 12v setup for my car cigarette lighter.
I plugged it in, used alligator clips to B and E, also jumperedA and C.
It didn't light up.
I tried without the jumper and that didn't fire up.

Looks like in ordering a ready made kit! 

Someone hook it up please!


----------



## jamesmtl514

Also, if you have another suggestion at getting it going, or if i did something wrong let me know!


----------



## ABTOMAT

Make sure the polarity is correct. The light won't work if it's reversed.


----------



## jamesmtl514

IT'S ALIVE!!!
First photos of it in action. I was so happy.
I ended up using a 12v drill battery.

I ordered the ampherol(sp?) Connector tonight. I'll make a proper cable.

My friend lives a block over and maybe 20 houses away. He saw the beam in the sky when i pointed it outside

Thanks for all the help! 
Quick shots from in my garage.




I could feel the heat! 




My camera phone really didn't like this! Taken from about 15ft away




With the IR filter on. Again about 15-20ft away


----------



## AR_Shorty

I would definitely be interested in one of Mac's handles for my HF.


----------



## Solscud007

Good luck with that. Only two were made and I'm taking mine to the grave.


----------



## scout24

My Hellfighter showed up in today's mail, with aftermarket cable for cigarette lighter plug. It's only been a few minutes of playing, but this is going to be a fun light, I can tell...  Thanks to Short Arc's PM suggestion, I've got a Li-po pack en route. Another proper connector is in order, so I can make a second, much shorter cable for truly portable use. Some Dean's connectors, and I'll be up and running.  I do very much like DaFab's lanyard attachment point, may have to look into making one similar...


----------



## Rat

Where are you buying the connection from to the back of the light? The Radsoh I think its called.

thx
William


----------



## scout24

William- I have not ordered yet, but in ShortArc's first post he mentions Allied Electronics, and the proper part numbers. The connectors are shown as in stock, I'm going to order a few on Monday.


----------



## ShortArc

Congratulations scout24! This light is a world of fun with one of the best beams out there. For what folks are paying for these off eBay, there is nothing like them in my opinion. I also think you will be very happy with the LiPo pack solution. I bought mine in a hard plastic housing ready to be velcroed to the bottom of the light. Sure you have to be carful charging them but one can not beat the energy density and weight.
Cheers!


----------



## XeRay

DaFABRICATA said:


> So this is what a Hellfighter looks like taken apart.
> The white "shell" surrounding the reflector/bulb/ballest assembly is some type of thermal compound like silicone. The ballest assembly looks to be three circuit boards that screw onto the reflector assembly with 2 screws in each one. The entire assemble came out of the head without any problems, just a poke in the rear.



Do you have any idea who makes the ballast, can you see any names or identification on any parts of the ballast? I have always wondered this question.


----------



## jamesmtl514

I got my connector from allied electronics. Great service and quick shipping.


----------



## scout24

I should have my connectors from Allied tomorrow or Momday. Meanwhile, here's a pic of my now-portable, new-to-me Hellfighter running a 3600ma Li-Ion pack to get my feet wet. A bit of soldering, some shrink wrap, some Dean's connectors and away we go!!! Shown with two not quite as bright relatives... 

A big thank you to ShortArc, and those others who made this thread the resource that it is... :bow: I'm starting to like this whole HID thing...


----------



## ABTOMAT

A word of warning: Those Lipo packs will catch fire if they get punctured or damaged. Don't drop that light. I put mine in a project box for protection.


----------



## scout24

Abtomat- I picked up a "Rat Shack" project box today, gives me something to do at lunch this coming week. may need to look into a sturdier one, we'll see. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## Rat

scout24 said:


> William- I have not ordered yet, but in ShortArc's first post he mentions Allied Electronics, and the proper part numbers. The connectors are shown as in stock, I'm going to order a few on Monday.


Thanks for that. They are not cheap are they.
I was looking for a water proof unscrewable connector that could handle 40amps. Does not have to be made of metal.Any idea's 2 OR 4 PIN

EDIT: found some 30A ones which will work fine here http://au.mouser.com/Search/Product...71)virtualkey64550000virtualkey798-JR25WP4P71


----------



## Solscud007

I met up with Scout24 to problem solve my HF. It works with Mac's handle but when I use the SF cradle it wont fire up. Even went to Mac to problem solve it. We deduced it was the cradle. Called SF and sent it out to them. It returned Monday and nothing was done. Except they replaced the vibration damper. I know this cause I called them about it.

I plugged it int my car and it fired up. Then put Mac's handle back on. When I visited Scout24 the cradle wouldnt work. Tried his power supply, his cradle and it still didnt work. Only upon swapping his head did I notice the prongs of the metal contacts in the head were flatter than his HF. 

So I pried them up with a flathead screw driver. Sure enough it worked.

Here are some Hellfighter Shenanigans.


----------



## Patriot

Some pretty annoying problems you had there but good diagnostic working figuring out an odd but simple problem. Since you have both Mac's handle and the conventional under-slung battery, which system do you prefer?

Fun pictures btw!


----------



## Solscud007

Patriot said:


> Some pretty annoying problems you had there but good diagnostic working figuring out an odd but simple problem. Since you have both Mac's handle and the conventional under-slung battery, which system do you prefer?
> 
> Fun pictures btw!




Mac's Handle is sexy no doubt. Im gonna order a new plug and have Scout24 help me make an underslung battery pack. One issue with Mac's Handle is the power supply. 4x26650s. It just takes FOREVER to charge them up. Im using the Nitecore Intellicharge i4 charger. It can only charge two 26650 batteries at a time. I charged two of them yesterday after noon. They werent done when I went to bed after midnight!!!

From scout24's mouth, his li-poly pack takes like 4-6 hours to charge. Much faster than it takes me to charge up my handle batteries.


----------



## ABTOMAT

If you use balanced hobby LiPo packs you can charge in under an hour, depending on the packs/charger you use.

And glad to hear you figured that problem out. Weird deal.


----------



## Solscud007

ABTOMAT said:


> If you use balanced hobby LiPo packs you can charge in under an hour, depending on the packs/charger you use.
> 
> And glad to hear you figured that problem out. Weird deal.



yep. It was weird. Your cable works great. It was just the spring contacts. Who knew?


----------



## scout24

I'm using a cheap Tenergy balancing charger for my 3600ma pack, which may contribute to longer charging times. That, or I need to eyeball it more frequently!


----------



## CMAG

when you balance charge it takes longer, depending on C rating of Lipo you can fast charge but good idea not to push full voltage then lower amps to top off if needed
I only balance every 3 to 4 charges with a broken in pack or when stored long time.


----------



## RetiredFireCaptain

That is one awesome looking flashlight.


----------



## Solscud007

My friend is a technician at a radiology therapy office. We have been trying to hook up and xray some guns like I have seen floating around on the internet. Well due to schedule conflicts we have finally been able to do it but since I had to pick up my wife at JFK airport and go into Manhattan, I was not about to bring firearms ANYWHERE near those places. As I would xray them and then immediately continue on to pick up my wife.

So the compromise was to Xray the Hellfighter. I didnt know that the image would be so low resolution. Oh well. Beggars cant be choosers.








And with Mac's handle. This is a composite of two images cause the imager cant see that much at one time.


----------



## erehwyrevekool

The fighter seems in good health! :thumbsup:


----------



## Solscud007

Has anyone used a HF on a booster pack? Those portable car jumper cable packs. Scout24 was joking I wear one and hook up the HF and wear it like a ghost buster. Haha.


----------



## jamesmtl514

My friends are also convinced I'll be walking around with a car battery...

Here are some horrible beamshots from my phone.


----------



## TEEJ

jamesmtl514 said:


> My friends are also convinced I'll be walking around with a car battery...
> 
> *Here are some horrible beamshots from my phone. *





Wow - your phone's light is WAAAAAY better than my phones light!





BTW - I have a Hell Fighter with the SF cig lighter connector, etc...and it has the option to hook up TWO batteries as well.

So, I've been using it with the 12 v set-up, but, the directions indicate it will also be able to use 24 v.


*Does anyone one know if the HF would be brighter with 24 v than it would be on 12 v, or is it just able to use both equally, etc?*


----------



## ShortArc

TEEJ said:


> BTW - I have a Hell Fighter with the SF cig lighter connector, etc...and it has the option to hook up TWO batteries as well.
> 
> So, I've been using it with the 12 v set-up, but, the directions indicate it will also be able to use 24 v.
> 
> 
> *Does anyone one know if the HF would be brighter with 24 v than it would be on 12 v, or is it just able to use both equally, etc?*



There so many versions of the HF out there right now that input voltage may allow for in series hookup HOWEVER the dual battery set-up typically is in parallel, so 24V may be pushing it a bit. 
The ballast regulates the power to the bulb so input voltage as no effect on lumens.


----------



## TEEJ

Sounds right. The theory was the ballast was going to be the key regulatory point, so, I am no longer wondering.



Solescud and I will be playing with these on Saturday.


----------



## Solscud007

TEEJ said:


> Sounds right. The theory was the ballast was going to be the key regulatory point, so, I am no longer wondering.
> 
> 
> 
> Solescud and I will be playing with these on Saturday.




Yep. Got it all packed up and ready to shine. Im gonna try and borrow Scout24's battery pack too.


----------



## TEEJ

Solscud007 said:


> Yep. Got it all packed up and ready to shine. Im gonna try and borrow Scout24's battery pack too.




Do you need 26650's?

I can charge some up if you do...lemme know.


----------



## London Lad

Just scored one of these so should be up and playing soon!


----------



## Solscud007

I think I'm ok. But sure if you have 4 and can charge them up in time, might as well.


----------



## TEEJ

I'll throw 4 on the grill fer yah.







Solscud007 said:


> I think I'm ok. But sure if you have 4 and can charge them up in time, might as well.


----------



## London Lad

Hi guys. Can anyone tell me, does the full supply current flow through any wire used to link pins A and C or are they just switch sense ?


----------



## ABTOMAT

Full supply as far as I know.


----------



## illuminate

Is it possible to disable the hellfighter (temporary), that a connected cable can not activate the light?


----------



## London Lad

ABTOMAT said:


> Full supply as far as I know.



Thanks


----------



## TEEJ

illuminate said:


> Is it possible to disable the hellfighter (temporary), that a connected cable can not activate the light?



There is an on/off button on the light itself. If that's off, the light can be receiving power via a live cable feed, and not light until you hit the button.

If you also add the SF connector cable with secondary activation button (Trigger button), you can have the light button off, and that on, and it won't light, or, the light button on, and the trigger button off, and it won't light. (BOTH would have to be ON for it to light.)


Is that helpful?


----------



## illuminate

My seller suck all the power from the internal battery, that it wouldn't turn on until the external source is plugged in.

Will that work?

What capacity does the internal battery have? Is it possible to use the light only with the internal battery?


----------



## London Lad

There is no internal battery


----------



## illuminate

That is weird. I know, that the Hellfire 4 has a internal battery ... but the seller said, that the HF1A also has a battery.

Where is the on/off button locate? I will give the information to the seller.


----------



## London Lad

On off button is at the rear of the handle. def no internal batts in a 1


----------



## jamesmtl514

No internal battery in the HF1.


----------



## tweeter166

TEEJ said:


> There is an on/off button on the light itself. If that's off, the light can be receiving power via a live cable feed, and not light until you hit the button.
> 
> If you also add the SF connector cable with secondary activation button (Trigger button), you can have the light button off, and that on, and it won't light, or, the light button on, and the trigger button off, and it won't light. (BOTH would have to be ON for it to light.)
> 
> 
> Is that helpful?



The HF is an awsome light.. i scored one a few years ago.. I still need a battery pack if anyone heres has perfected this and wants to build me one PM me.. I need a pack with the cig plug or dubble battery connector to use with the factory cable on the 50cal set up then the same pack and simple cable to use when i want to use the light as a hand held.. Whos up for the tack?

This "secondary activation button" is a handel on a M2HB spade grip.. It replaces the stock handel and gives you an on/off switch at the trigger when you have the light weapon mounted on the 50 cal browning.. 
I would attach a picture of this set up on my 50 but this board wont let me post pictures yet..


----------



## Ceya!

No internal Battery. The battery below are the same for the PRC 119 radios

There is a guy in the Marketplace that made better cables for this light. ( Duh, he is on this thread- *ABTOMAT)*

Don't know if he is still making them _ NOPE NOT MAKING NO MORE. 

Tweeter read the previous page, good info.

S/F,
CEYA!

From Surefire site.
Powered by BA-5590, BA-8180 military battery or batteries, SF-8180 battery or batteries, 12V auto battery, 12V or converted 24VDC-to-12VDC vehicle power supply 


Runtimes are as follows:
One BA-5590 1.5 hours
Two BA-5590, parallel: 3.0 hours
12V vehicle system: Continuous


----------



## ABTOMAT

Ceya! said:


> There is a guy in the Marketplace that made better cables for this light. ( Duh, he is on this thread- *ABTOMAT)*
> 
> Don't know if he is still making them _ NOPE NOT MAKING NO MORE.



Mac (cmacclel) currently makes various Hellfighter cables if anyone needs them.

My run was just burning up the parts I needed to get a volume discount on last year.


----------



## f0k4l

I'm currently deployed in Afghanistan and am part of CMRE (Centcom Material Retrograde Element), pretty much tearing down and recovering assets we have here. Well I came across a SF Hellfighter light, with case but no cable to hook up to a power source. I was wondering if someone could please educate me on how to get / make one. Thank you


----------



## jamesmtl514

just read the first post and welcome to CPF!!


----------



## BVH

Tons of info here. Even some wiring data in the first post.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?211677-Surefire-Hellfighter-(picture-intensive)


----------



## illuminate

I bought 2x Lipo with hardcase. That should be enough protection.
I completed the cable and could take the first pictures.
It was raining very badly ... but I just had to get these pictures 

Oh ... and when my lights are not used, the best security you can get (for cat food) to protect them:







The TV tower is *180*(!) meters away!!


----------



## illuminate

@f0k4l:
PM me regarding the cable (cuz I can not send you a PM)!

I will post more pictures, when I have finished my battery pack and my special shoulder bag.


----------



## PocketRocket

*Poof*


----------



## BVH

I ofter see the same shipping restriction mentioned in Maxabeam sales. In this case, it's just that people don't know or take the time to find out that there is no ITAR restriction on the Maxabeam according to Peakbeam Systems. I do not know about the Hellfighter though. I'm sure some quick research would yield an answer.


----------



## illuminate

@PocketRocket:
Please take a look:
http://www.opticsplanet.com/surefire-hellfighter-tactical-spotlight.html
I got two HF from US to Germany ... no problem ... but that is not a guarantee ...

I got my Hazard 4 EVAC Photo Recon Gen. III today in the mail.
It is the PERFECT solution to carry the HF!!
Here are some pictures:



















Better pictures and maybe a review coming soon!


----------



## BVH

From the Surefire site, right side, near the bottom of the page. Looks like ITAR does prohibit export unless seller possesses an export license.

//www.surefire.com/hellfighter.html


----------



## LightJunk

Thanks for this thread and especially to ABTOMAT, I manage to build my own cable. I now own the Hellfighter and it's one hell of a light. 

I'm powering it using 4S Lipo off the charger which is 16.6V and I can hear sound coming from the light. Is this normal?
















Above picture is just a test run. I have an aluminum box which I will locate the battery which I'll mod tomorrow.

lovecpf


----------



## illuminate

That should be normal. It powers up with 9A at the start. If it lights up, it works 
If the voltage would be to high, the light would burn immediately.
You need to check the voltage of the lipo. Otherwise the battery is dead, if the voltage is too low, that the charger does not recognize it anymore.
Get a lipo warner. You can set the voltage. If the voltage hits the setting, a beeeeeeep warns you. It cost $5. It also shows the voltage of each cell.


----------



## BVH

illuminate said:


> ..........If the voltage would be to high, the light would burn immediately........



Not sure what you mean by the above. I would be very surprised if the surefire ballast doesn't have Over-Voltage protection built-in such that powering it with a higher Voltage than the ballast is rated for would result in it not lighting up and no damage to the light.

Definitely a +1 on getting the cheap Lipo monitor. Stop discharge at 3.6 Volts per cell minimum.


----------



## illuminate

I know, that this would not happen with the HF ... I only named it, because he worried the sound the HF makes.

I have a Lipo warner. I watched a video on YT. A user wrote, that there are fakes out there.
Mine looks like this:





But without the markings on the speaker.
Could that be a fake?


----------



## ABTOMAT

I asked this thread a while back about LiPo voltages and noone seemed too concerned about using a 4S pack at full power. I went with a 3S anyway because I got a deal, plus the 3S pack should trigger the HF's undervoltage protection before the battery gets overdischarged. If you're using a 4S keep an eye on the voltage like these guys say.

The whining noise is completely normal. The step-up ballast operates at high frequency.


----------



## PocketRocket

*Poof*


----------



## ABTOMAT

I wish I knew the export laws better. Probably gonna have to sell mine to pay for a new car.


----------



## LightJunk

illuminate said:


> That should be normal. It powers up with 9A at the start. If it lights up, it works
> If the voltage would be to high, the light would burn immediately.
> You need to check the voltage of the lipo. Otherwise the battery is dead, if the voltage is too low, that the charger does not recognize it anymore.
> Get a lipo warner. You can set the voltage. If the voltage hits the setting, a beeeeeeep warns you. It cost $5. It also shows the voltage of each cell.



Thanks illuminate. I didn't know the LiPo warner exist. Will definitely get one.



ABTOMAT said:


> I asked this thread a while back about LiPo voltages and noone seemed too concerned about using a 4S pack at full power. I went with a 3S anyway because I got a deal, plus the 3S pack should trigger the HF's undervoltage protection before the battery gets overdischarged. If you're using a 4S keep an eye on the voltage like these guys say.
> 
> The whining noise is completely normal. The step-up ballast operates at high frequency.



Thanks ABTOMAT. Now I can sleep well.


----------



## PocketRocket

*Poof*


----------



## illuminate

I finished my battery rig and the battery cable!
It works great. 
The paracord gives the battery extra shock protection.
The HF with installed battery fits in the sling bag quiet well.
I have to find a way to mount the warner. But that is not an issue.
The Paracord on the handle is a simple carrying sling.
When my remote switch arrive, I will mount it on the handle.

I also made a indoor-comparison between the LX2 (200 lumens) and the liiiitttleeee brighter HF 

Here are some pictures:


----------



## London Lad

PocketRocket said:


> I'm going to have to spend some time going through ITAR to see if I can find anything concrete.
> 
> I did just do a quick five minute search through the relevant documents and can _not_ find anything to do with Weapon Lights being restricted.
> 
> Obviously a lot of emphasis is placed on Infrared. Not Weapon Lights though.
> 
> URL here; http://pmddtc.state.gov/regulations_laws/itar_official.html
> 
> Been mostly looking at Part 121 (Munitions List).
> 
> *Edit #1*: And as mentioned I'd rather not have the IR filter anyway as I wouldn't have use for it. Amber sounds awesome though.
> 
> *Edit #2*: Reading through in more detail ITAR seems to cover "All other components, parts, accessories, attachments and associated equipment specifically designed or modified for the articles in paragraphs (a) through (i) of this category. This includes but is not limited to mounts and carriages for the articles controlled in this category." Sigh.
> 
> *Edit #3*: It does seem however that Surefire has not flagged their smaller Weapon Lights as being ITAR restricted? I'm increasingly suspect that the reason the Hellfighter is ITAR restricted is because Surefire assumes that everyone who buys one is buying one with an IR filter.



You have a PM


----------



## illuminate

Today I have built the second cable for the other HF.

I want to add a switch to the light.
I have a broken pressure switch from my M600C. But it has only one wire inside. Could I install it anyway?

Now I'm thinking about how to use these's lights another way.
Does anyone have ever heard about a mounted HF on a car top?


----------



## LightJunk

My Hellfighter portable solution. Thanks to this thread I manage to come out with the best I can do. 

The hardest part in building it is the attachment for the HF to the aluminum box. I don't have equipment to manufacture one. After scouring the internet I looked at Surefire website and found the M99A T-rail mount which will be perfect. 2 M8 screws secure it nicely. I also want to know the voltage of the LiPo pack so I got a cheapo voltmeter from e**y at $2.88. In order for it not to constantly display the voltage, I installed a momentary push button switch. Pushed to display type.

I'm really happy with the built. Pictures below.













With the help of my daughter.







I also made a 12V Cigarette cable adapter. I joined two 2ft coiled cord together as I thought(as per the supplier website) a 2ft one will extend up to 10ft but you really need to stretch it. I don't want to spoil my car cigarette
outlet. Thus less strain on cable and also car 12v cigarette outlet. 







LJ  lovecpf


----------



## ShortArc

Great Job!. Congratulations. Best HID on the market


----------



## Echo63

illuminate said:


> I bought 2x Lipo with hardcase. That should be enough protection.
> I completed the cable and could take the first pictures.
> It was raining very badly ... but I just had to get these pictures
> 
> Oh ... and when my lights are not used, the best security you can get (for cat food) to protect them:



I have a similar guardkitten looking after my Maxabeam !


----------



## illuminate

Echo63 said:


> I have a similar guardkitten looking after my Maxabeam !



Looks like Ex-Special Forces to me. Very good choice!


I can carry both HFs in my sling bag with all the batteries and cables.
Hellfire-Partey!!

Now I have to add switches to my lights.
It needs two wire, right? Do I have to connect a wire to a specific pole?


----------



## Echo63

illuminate said:


> Now I have to add switches to my lights.
> It needs two wire, right? Do I have to connect a wire to a specific pole?



There is a specific way of hooking it up, I'm sure I remember reading that for a power cable, a set of pins need shorting, as they are used for the remote switch when the light is mounted on an M2.

There should be a clicky switch on the handle, to turn the light on and off, if you are using a plain power cable.

I don't now the pinouts though, sorry - but I am sure the info is out there (probably in this thread)


----------



## BVH

ShortArc said:


> ......... Best HID on the market



Hmmmmmm, that's certainly a topic for lively debate!


----------



## ShortArc

BVH said:


> Hmmmmmm, that's certainly a topic for lively debate!



Indeeeeed


----------



## jackal319

Could someone please tell me the type of battery case(BCH-1 MIL-BK) Amphenol 5-pin outlet socket of hellfighter?


----------



## ABTOMAT

Well, I'm sorry to go but I'm out of the HF family. Had some expenses that needing covering and I wasn't using it much anyway. Hopefully the new owner will take my place in this thread.


----------



## BVH

A pic would help of the pins in the shell

EDIT: Got the pic from first post. Not sure exactly what you're asking for but I've linked to the mating connector for the 5-pin Amphenol on the light. If the connector diameter is about 7/8" (not counting the 3 cam alignment pins) then it is an Amphenol number - PT06A-14-5S

ww.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Amphenol-Industrial/PT06A-14-5S/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv%2fye0hRulZR2eMGvp4m767okcxK%252bItb1c%3d

If the mating connector to the light is not what you're looking for, explain in more detail or post a pic and state the circular diameter of the connector (where the threads would be if it was threaded)


----------



## jackal319

I mean what's the model of amphenol miniature cylindrical connectors on battery bch-1mil-bk


----------



## grandchamp87

Surefire Hellfighter custom power cables are now being sold again. 

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...fire-Hellfighter-Hellfire-Custom-Power-Cables


----------



## Eric the Red

Just laid my hands on one of these and wanted to express my thanks for the time and effort you've put in to provide such an informative thread. It's helped me no end.

I have made myself an easily extendable cable so I can use it in short form of a Li+ pack, or in a longer format from/around a vehicle. Still getting to understand the capabilities of this awesome piece of kit!


----------



## hagatha

*Surefire Hellfighter power requirements...*

Greetings to all,

My first post... I recently acquired a Surefire Hellfighter. The light is in prefect condition, but the cable is trashed.
Since I will want to use this light dismounted, I'm wondering if the batteries used in high end Remote Control cars would
work? I'm thinking that 12v is common and if a few were packaged together you could make it somewhat portable.
I saw another thread where they did this but with a "A123 pack"... not sure what that is...

Thanks
hagatha

Thread Mege - Norm


----------



## ganymede

Welcome to CPF! :wave:

Here's a huge thread dedicated to HF in the Spotlights and HID Flashlights sub-forum: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?211677-Surefire-Hellfighter-(picture-intensive)


----------



## jamesmtl514

I can't wait for it to get warmer out, Hellfighter weather!


----------



## Solscud007

Some people and my friend Scout24 got his working with a 14.4 lipoly rechargeable battery pack. Just gotta be careful handling lipoly batteries.



hagatha said:


> *Surefire Hellfighter power requirements...*
> 
> Greetings to all,
> 
> My first post... I recently acquired a Surefire Hellfighter. The light is in prefect condition, but the cable is trashed.
> Since I will want to use this light dismounted, I'm wondering if the batteries used in high end Remote Control cars would
> work? I'm thinking that 12v is common and if a few were packaged together you could make it somewhat portable.
> I saw another thread where they did this but with a "A123 pack"... not sure what that is...
> 
> Thanks
> hagatha
> 
> Thread Mege - Norm


----------



## hagatha

*Power cell for a Hell Fighter?*

Greetings all,

I have aquired a Surefire Hellfighter with cable. I'm looking to make a portable power source. I've read a threads about using Lithium cells. I have access to a supply of 20v Dewalt tool batteries. Could these be re-purposed for this? I also have a couple Litho batteries for a remote control car too.

Could someone point me too someplace that explains this process in a little more detail...

Thanks
hagatha

Another thread Merge - Norm


----------



## Norm

*Re: Power cell for a Hell Fighter?*

Try this search of CPF.

Norm


----------



## zadvark

I apologize for the length of my first post on this forum but instead of sitting back idly I thought I’d give back to the group.

I recently came across a great deal on a Hellfighter, Ultralife CH0003 Charger, and two brand new BB-2590/U batteries. While I was not specifically looking for this unit, I tend to go overboard on my purchases and this light is quite literally the power of the sun in the palm of your hands.

While the UH-01D cable setup would be great if I owned a M2 (I’m getting there though), it’s a little unwieldy to tote around just to power the light. My first project was to construct a cigarette adaptor for vehicle borne use. I won’t go into detail on this as there seems to be sufficient information around to build one. I do recommend however to pop for the four foot McMaster-Carr cable (#72520K11) as the two footer doesn’t seem to give the range you’d like especially in a full size vehicle since three feet of the extended length are gobbled up just getting it from the outlet to the door <grin>.

After I felt I had enough information I decided to dump the vehicle as my power supply and head for the wide open road on foot and use the batteries that I had at hand. This is where I found dissimilar and sometimes conflicting information on the net. Here’s how I built a two battery rig running both batteries in parallel.

*Battery Terminals*
I don’t think a DIY project would be complete without a word of thanks to Jay Willmott over at battaxx.com for the BAI-10G connectors. I don’t feel that I can divulge what Jay personally did for me but his one-time customer service deed will have me sending others to him for life.

*Rectifiers*
Yup, some say I needed them regardless whether I was using the BB-2590/U or not. Maybe they're only needed for the older BB-XX90 batteries but since I don’t know what I’ll run into down the road and I’m building the rig from scratch anyway I’m putting them in. The ones I chose are the 3A 40V Schottky Axials (#MBR340). These are available most everywhere and a Google search should yield a supplier for you.

*Junction Box*
By design, I was trying to find a neat way to bring all of the lines together and I ran across a simple 1”x2”x3” project box at RadioShack (#270-1801). On a side note, any of you guys remember when RadioShack was all about homebrew and the closest thing got to getting a finished product was a HeathKit you had to build yourself? This Arduino generation has nothing on us.

*Cigarette <ahem>​... Vehicle Power Adaptor*
Sorry, I guess I needed to be PC here since smoking isn’t really done in the car anymore. I can’t honestly say I remember the last time I saw a lighter being used in a car. Anyway, here’s where I got really lazy and didn’t want to chase down a bare bones adaptor so I found this one also at RadioShack (270-040). I snipped the cheap battery alligator clips off and I was in business.

*Construction
*A lot of this is remedial from page one of this thread and kudos to ShortArc for a fantastic primer. Most of what I’m explaining here goes right back to SA’s post.
First up was to attack the biggest and smallest. First, the jumper between 1 & 2. This is the ground side which will end up going directly to the outer barrel or sleeve of the car adaptor.

Next up was the diodes. Don’t freak out over the size. These are rated at 3 amps and you’re going to need them for the current draw (I not going to squabble over there need but I do welcome feedback further along in this thread as my last contact with military power was way back in ’81). Despite the size, these do fit easily under the cap. At this point I’d like to recommend a simple 35W iron and small diameter solder. If you go in with a 100W iron you run the risk of melting the pins right out of the socket. I really like ShortArc’s comment about using a dead battery as a heatsink/alignment “tool” but I don’t have one so slow and careful was the name of the game.



> Special Note:
> Diodes are directional which means they can be installed backwards. I’ve found one manufacturer whose schematic is correct but their line drawing is incorrect if not confusing for a parallel setup. There are some instances where you want to run your battery in series (24V output) but this isn’t one of them. All axial diodes should a line running around one end of them (see picture below). The line should be downstream or “away” from the power source. In the picture below the diodes are running from posts 4 & 5 to the light.








Time to bring in my dirty little secret. I looked everywhere for some decent 2-conductor but everything I found was either too big, too thin, or otherwise didn’t give me that “solid” feeling experience. I went to my junk drawer and pull out an old computer power cable. It’s more beef than is needed but once I clipped the third conductor… poof! A nice military grade feeling power cord.







At this point it’s really just buttoning up the assemblies. I did however need to “adjust” the wire opening in the Battaxx cover but found that the Dremel (God love Dremels and Duct Tape) 3/8” sanding drum opened up the opening perfectly and gave a nice bite on the rubber cord covering. The picture above doesn’t show it well but the protective cable is well within the connector cover.

Other than that, tie in all the positive and negative ends, pot everything with your choice of hot glue or epoxy (hot glue if you're really messy) and you’re good to go.












Thanks again for ShortArc and the time and effort he put into his original post and I hope to see this post continue to endure for a fantastic Surefire product.


----------



## zadvark

*Re: Power cell for a Hell Fighter?*

I'm pretty new to the Hellfighter as well. I just posted a short article (soon to be approved by the moderators) that talk about the military BB-XX90 batteries but I feel the Holy Grail of threads in regards to the HF can be found here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?211677-Surefire-Hellfighter-(picture-intensive)


----------



## BVH

*Re: Power cell for a Hell Fighter?*

I am not that familiar with the HF and its' input Voltage range but in quickly glancing at the thread by Short Arc, he mentions a 12 to 15 VDC input range. This is a perfect fit for a 4-cell, in-Series LiFeP04, Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack. These can be purchased ready to go from HobbyKing. It's not a good fit for both a 4-cell and 3-cell Li-Ion pack. 4 cells would fry the electronics if indeed, 15 V is the max input. A 3-cell would work but the light would go out well before the pack is even 50% depleted. If the HF can take 16.8VDC, then a 4-cell Lithium Ion will work fine. (again, assuming the HF has an absolute range of 12-15) Of course, simple lead acid batteries will work but are certainly heavy.


----------



## BVH

Welcome to CPF! Never apologize for long posts. More is better when it not just fluff. So an excellent first post and nice, clean work! I don't know the circuitry in the battery packs so I really can't add anything on your decision to use the Diodes. The only negative is that you're bound to be losing some Voltage through them. What are the specs on the packs ?S/?mAh's?

Be sure to do lots of browsing in the HID section. You'll find many other lights that are like holding multiple Suns in your hand or maybe Pulsars or Quasars or white Suns.


----------



## nhoj_yelbom

just got mine, might sell the original power cable (battery connection, remote, 12v plug) more than i want hanging off the power cord
control




4Sevens Quark Turbo QB2L-X 450lm





amber filter




no filter







diy hid spotlight


----------



## grandchamp87

I have always wondered why they didn't make more colors for the lenses. After alot of trial and error, I was able to come up with some different colored lenses for my light.


----------



## grandchamp87

I have always wondered why they didn't make more colors for the lenses. After alot of trial and error, I was able to come up with some different colored lenses for my light.


----------



## perpetualmotion

So nobody seems to be selling the power supply for these yet... Is mac selling any of them?


----------



## grandchamp87

perpetualmotion said:


> So nobody seems to be selling the power supply for these yet... Is mac selling any of them?



Are you talking about the batteries or power cables?


----------



## perpetualmotion

grandchamp87 said:


> Are you talking about the batteries or power cables?



The battery packs...I'm too much of an idiot to try and build one .


----------



## grandchamp87

perpetualmotion said:


> The battery packs...I'm too much of an idiot to try and build one .



Ebay has some for sale, really cheap too. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUREFIRE-HE...311?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item233af713a7


----------



## grandchamp87

perpetualmotion said:


> The battery packs...I'm too much of an idiot to try and build one .



Wait that was the link to the cable not the battery pack, looks like they all sold out already.


----------



## NoNotAgain

You can find BB-2590 lithium ion batteries from time to time on eBay. 

Most of the batteries are old stock. Check the dates in the pictures.

Once you have the batteries you need a charger. I suggest the PP-8444A/U charger over the PP-8498. If you don't need to charge more than two batteries at a time the weight savings and smaller size is a good trade off. The 8498 will charge 8 batteries (not all at the same time) provided you purchase the adapters.

Bren-Tronics is very helpful on obtaining an operators manual for both units once you register with them.


----------



## 1198neo

I can make up power leads, for example, to connect the light via a coiled lead to a 12v vehicle socket.
What do you need?
Pm me.
Regards
Neo


----------



## Solscud007

I found an alternate power supply for my HF. The Mac Handle is awesome but crushes the battery terminals if I leave it attached for too long. I bought a GoalZero Sherpa50 from my work on clearance $112.50. I used a $60 rewards voucher and so I only paid $52.50 + tax and additional 1yr warranty. 

The Sherpa50 can power 12v items. So i just plugged my HF 12v cable into the Sherpa50. Gonna test it and see how long it can run on the Sherpa50.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Does that mean the Mac handle is for sale......


----------



## Solscud007

Haha never. It shall be buried with me with a full charge!


----------



## Solscud007

It lasted 51 mins of continuous use hooked up to the GoalZero Sherpa50


----------



## Onestep

Did you melt the carpet?


----------



## Solscud007

Onestep said:


> Did you melt the carpet?



Haha no. I tested it on my kitchen table.


----------



## sledhead

Solscud007 said:


> I found an alternate power supply for my HF. The Mac Handle is awesome but crushes the battery terminals if I leave it attached for too long. I bought a GoalZero Sherpa50 from my work on clearance $112.50. I used a $60 rewards voucher and so I only paid $52.50 + tax and additional 1yr warranty.
> 
> The Sherpa50 can power 12v items. So i just plugged my HF 12v cable into the Sherpa50. Gonna test it and see how long it can run on the Sherpa50.




Damn! Heck of a deal on the Sherpa!


----------



## Goldy

Solscud007 said:


> I found an alternate power supply for my HF. The Mac Handle is awesome but crushes the battery terminals if I leave it attached for too long. I bought a GoalZero Sherpa50 from my work on clearance $112.50. I used a $60 rewards voucher and so I only paid $52.50 + tax and additional 1yr warranty.
> 
> The Sherpa50 can power 12v items. So i just plugged my HF 12v cable into the Sherpa50. Gonna test it and see how long it can run on the Sherpa50.




what I need to connect 12V car plug from HF to this power pack? It looks like this power pack didn't have socket for car plug.
I have this cable and wondering if I can use this power pack too... please inform





:thanks:


----------



## Taschenlampe Dude

I think something like this would work for you. 

http://m.ebay.com/itm/141206724836


----------



## Goldy

Taschenlampe Dude said:


> I think something like this would work for you.
> 
> http://m.ebay.com/itm/141206724836



Thanks a lot


----------



## Taschenlampe Dude

You're welcome.


----------



## Solscud007

Actually you don't need anything. The Sherpa50 comes with a 12V adapter to output 12V. Or you can buy it separately.

http://www.goalzero.com/p/33/6mm-output-female-cigarette-adapter


----------



## richardcpf

I've always wanted a Hellfighter but price is way out of my reach.

What's a good price for a used one, perhaps like new, fully working condition?

There are a couple in ebay around 500... any idea?


----------



## NoNotAgain

A couple of months back you could find sub five hundred dollar Hellfighters, but recently they have dried up.
The going rate today is the 7-800 dollar range, but if they don't sell watch for a price drop.

I picked up a new complete kit, light, case, mount, cable and a battery for less than the mentioned prices.

If you find a light with a BIN price of $500 or less, you'd better jump on it. 
Just my opinion.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Yup and even at that. The sub 500 I saw were used. Looked like they saw action. 

If you see a new one between 5-600 jump on it.


----------



## BVH

Quite a few units on Ebay presently. I used "hellfighter". One as low as 625 and looks to be in pretty good condition. Lots of cables and other items.


----------



## richardcpf

Thanks everyone, will keep an eye on it, If I could find a new one at that price, would be fantastic. Please feel free to PM me if any good deal shows up!

I had in mind building a Lipoly battery pack using 20C Constant, 5000mAh in 4S2P configuration, all encased in a aluminium project box with volt/amp/runtime display (hobby type), and possible 12v outlet to power other stuff as well. The ARC-2/3 are also not far from release, but the hellfighter is a totally different beast.


----------



## richardcpf

I spoke with the seller for a LIKE NEW HF 2nd Gen, ebay item #121381506334. It was at 650 with several rejected offers. After a quick chat we closed the deal for 500. I cannot wait for it to arrive :naughty:

The light looks new at first glance with no scratches and comes with the amber lens and a custom made 12V power cable. I also requested picture of the reflector to make sure there werent any fog/blur, he said it was fine with no signs of fogginess.

I hope to recieve it in like new conditions as stated.

Believe it or not, It will be my *FIRST SF. *I might grab one of the upcoming models.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Wow a hellfighter as a first surefire. Congrats!


----------



## NoNotAgain

You'll love the beam of the Hellfighter. Pure bright white light. Takes all of 3-5 seconds to reach full brightness.

The normally supplied IR filter isn't of much good to most people, so getting an amber filter is a good deal.

I use mine for freezing deer and skunks in their place. Once the light hits the skunk, they stop for a few seconds and go back where they came from. I'd love to do away with them, but they have a tendency to let go of the stink spray on dying.


----------



## cland72

richardcpf said:


> Believe it or not, It will be my *FIRST SF. *I might grab one of the upcoming models.



That's one heck of a way to start your SF collection!


----------



## richardcpf

*My Hellfighter is finally here!*

It took a while to reach my country but it was worth all the wait. When the eBay seller told me he would include a 12V power cable, I expected a custom made cable like those on sale for about $60. I did not expect the original SF one, this is a great surprise!!!! I believe the cable itself is worth a couple hundred. It has a really heavy and solid feel, my unit is practically NEW with no wear at all at the docking base and the switch. There is not a single scratch or sign of fogginess in both the clear lens and amber filter.

The throw is amazing with a beautiful and smooth beam, it actually has 2 hotspots, never noticed it in the pictures. The overal lumen output may not be as high as my other multi-LED lights, but who needs that much lumens when you got throw, right? 

Overall I'm really really impressed with the Hellfighter. I still cannot believe that I paid just a little fraction of the retail price. Would I consider buying the HF5 at full price? Probably not, but at least now I can see why it costs that much.




















Reflector, lens and filter close up.





Some size comparison..







Thanks to everyone for the help!!


This is my first SF, although I've been watching their products very closely for the last couple years, nothing really caught my attention. When the E2D Defender Ultra was released I was about to order one but the green tint issue was a no go for me. I will wait for the so called "new products" to launch, Having a SF collection was always my dream since the day I met CPF.


----------



## Timothybil

Wish I had one! Alas, that will never happen. Oh well. I can see the vehicle plug, and the twin battery plug, but what is the connector and hunk of metal for on the extreme right of the photo?


----------



## NoNotAgain

That appears to be the gun mount switch. The cable allows for using the light mounted on-off switch or the gun mount switch. It (the Hellfighter/Hellfire) was designed for use on the M2 50 caliber BMG or the mini-gun. The grip switch mounts to the fire control paddles.


----------



## jamesmtl514

I was up north camping on a moonless night. I pulled out my hellfighter. It was an undescribable amount of fun.
Then I had a friend wave it around while I watched from a distance..... I was awestruck. It throws..... Forever. It was so cool to see.

I wish that everyone gets a chance to play with one.


----------



## richardcpf

jamesmtl514 said:


> I wish that everyone gets a chance to play with one.



I can't wait to put mine to test, but I live in the city and can hardly find any good spots without light pollution. There are plenty of good deals in ebay, the price could vary a lot but there is a good chance of getting new ones for less than a couple years ago. The hellfighter is a must have for true flashaholics.

Already ordered the Rail mount to make my own battery pack.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Where did you order it from/cost?


----------



## richardcpf

jamesmtl514 said:


> Where did you order it from/cost?




Here, $56 shipped.

Or 

SF page, a bit more expensive.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Thanks!


----------



## Solscud007

Slight update on the Sherpa50 powered HF. I can finally mount the HF on a weapon and power it on the move.


----------



## Steve in SoCal

That is so ridiculously awesome.  Kind of reminds me of a scene out of Ghostbusters.


----------



## cland72

I swear I need to unsubscribe from this thread before I sell all but one of my handhelds and buy a Hellfighter


----------



## jamesmtl514

You can do it buddy!


----------



## ACP60

That is awesome. New here. I kinda got into flashlights from trying to fit a weaponlight to my MP5. Ended up with a Surefire 628 with an adapter to clear and a 2 cell Malkoff Devices light also.... also got a couple of lego'ed flashlights.









Solscud007 said:


> Slight update on the Sherpa50 powered HF. I can finally mount the HF on a weapon and power it on the move.


----------



## Solscud007

That's cool. I always wanted one of those offsets.

I discovered another use for my HF on the SCAR17S. It functions as a rifle rest/monopod.


----------



## Solscud007

For the first time, I got to use real NODS and use my Hellfighter with IR filter. The Gen 3 PVS14 doesnt need the hellfighter really. It did light up the farthest row of trees. Could not have seen that had I not turned on the Hellfighter. But my IR weapon light was able to light up some of that too. enough that I could make out the last line of trees.


----------



## richardcpf

For some reason a deal showed up and I couldn't resist.... So I now happen to have 2 hellfighters and the hard shell storage case...

The new one is on the left and the HA is dark grey vs natural in the right unit.


----------



## NoNotAgain

*richardcpf*

Not sad at all. It just means that there will be more Candle Power Forum users to answer questions for.

I have two of the lights and am looking for a third, but the light I'm looking for is an early model with the Hellfire name and logo. But not just and condition will do, I want a new or almost new light. Seen a few, but they weren't in the condition I'm looking for.

Now that the farmer behind me has cut his field, the deer are starting to come out of hiding and the Hellfighter is getting some use. Going to see if the new Tiny Monster TM36 does as well as the Hellfighter.


----------



## ABTOMAT

richardcpf said:


> It is kinda sad to see these hellfighters going for so little, are they giving them out or something?



It's a specialized light that's inconvenient to use as a flashlight for most people. Regardless $400-600 is hardly peanuts for a used mass-produced light with no battery.

Also, the original price was absurd unless they had killer R&D costs for some reason. Someone on CPF broke down the manufacturing and parts cost of an HF, and I priced out what it cost Surefire to build their UH cables, and the profit margins were silly. Not unexpected for something sold to the government, but still.


----------



## NoNotAgain

ABTOMAT said:


> It's a specialized light that's inconvenient to use as a flashlight for most people. Regardless $400-600 is hardly peanuts for a used mass-produced light with no battery.
> 
> Also, the original price was absurd unless they had killer R&D costs for some reason. Someone on CPF broke down the manufacturing and parts cost of an HF, and I priced out what it cost Surefire to build their UH cables, and the profit margins were silly. Not unexpected for something sold to the government, but still.



I don't know if Surefire warranties the cables for life, but from who else can you purchase a product from on the used market and the manufacturer still provides no cost repair services? I've had one of my lights back for a tune-up, and my cost was just for postage.

I'd think that with the Surefire UH cables retailing for $1300 that their would be someone producing a replacement for cheaper by now. There are three or four people on eBay that sell the accessory plug cable ranging from $65-150. Still not cheap, but better than MSRP from Surefire.


----------



## ElectronGuru

They seem designed for use with miniguns, what kind if R&D does that necessitate?


----------



## NoNotAgain

ElectronGuru said:


> They seem designed for use with miniguns, what kind if R&D does that necessitate?



The M134 minigun isn't hard on mounted lights since it's rated from 2500-4000 rounds per minute. The M2HB 50 caliber is the parts shaker. 

Info from the Surefire website on the Hellfighter HF-1 light.
"HF1A
The HellFighter®​ WeaponLight for crew-served weapons and heavy guns packs power and versatility into a tough, compact package that weighs only 10 pounds and measures a mere eight inches in length. It features a blinding 3,000-lumen beam with enough reach to illuminate targets hundreds of yards away and enough surround beam to make it perfect for patrol or search-and-rescue operations. 

Built to withstand intense recoil and combat conditions, the HellFighter's water-resistant body is constructed from high-strength aerospace aluminum with a Mil-Spec Type III hard anodizing finish. A 5mm multi-coated Pyrex®​ window protects its lamp assembly, and the window itself is protected from dust, mud, and heavy particle impact by either a swing-open amber filter for cutting through smoke or dust, a swing-open infrared for use with night vision devices (NVDs), or a swing-open opaque cover. 

The HellFighter's rugged high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp is powered by one or two military BA-5590 batteries or from a 12-volt auto battery, and is virtually immune to failure from recoil, vibration, or impact since it has no filament to break or burn out."

Surefire still lists the HF1 on the website ( http://www.surefire.com/hellfighter.html ) for $5455.00, while the Hellfighter 5 ( http://www.surefire.com/hellfighter-5.html ) retails for $4300.00, but with no IR filter.

I got to fire a Dillion minigun at Knob Creek a few years back. $450 for 12 seconds of fun, all 1k rounds.


----------



## ABTOMAT

NoNotAgain said:


> I don't know if Surefire warranties the cables for life, but from who else can you purchase a product from on the used market and the manufacturer still provides no cost repair services? I've had one of my lights back for a tune-up, and my cost was just for postage.
> 
> I'd think that with the Surefire UH cables retailing for $1300 that their would be someone producing a replacement for cheaper by now. There are three or four people on eBay that sell the accessory plug cable ranging from $65-150. Still not cheap, but better than MSRP from Surefire.



Surefire's a great company (even though the last few warranty returns I sent in they damaged or otherwise screwed up) but a lifetime warranty doesn't explain a $7000 light with $1300 cables. The light itself has nothing interesting inside it. It's an unremarkable bulb and an unremarkable ballast glued into a housing. There's no fancy stuff in there.

The cables are just nuts. I forget the exact figures but for their $1300 cable I think I figured out it'd cost less than $200 in parts using full retail prices. The cigarette plug they used is like $2 at Parts Express. By the way, the prices of eBay cables are actually cheap. When I had my HF I got a volume parts discount and built a dozen extra cables. My parts cost was about $60/cable using high quality parts. $150 is pretty reasonable given the time it takes to make one. Those guys selling them for $65 either stole the parts or are doing it for fun and losing money.


----------



## richardcpf

Just received the Hellfighter 12V cable from an ebay seller. The quality is exceptionally good for the price ($58). With my cheap DMM it shows an impedance of 1.2. I installed XT60 connectors right away, the lenght at the amphenol connector is short because I'm planing to make a t-rail mounting battery pack.

For the first time I was able to measure the current draw of the HF. An Turnigy Hobby watt meter was used. 

I was pretty shocked by the numbers:

Fully charged 3S Lipo pack @12.6v

Turn on: 8.1A * 12.4V = 100W  for the first couple seconds
After output stabilizes: 3.9A * 12.3V = 48W, quite a lot for a 35W rated ballast?

I don't know how accurate my hobby watt meter is, but my numbers seem to be higher than the ones I've seen in this thread. *I wonder if my readings are right?

*


----------



## BVH

In all my testing of ballasts, they typically pull 1.25 to 1.35 times the rated power output figure so 48 is at the top of that range. Initial boost is typically 3-4 times rated current. Again, this is at the top.


----------



## hagatha

Greetings,

Some very impressive pieces...
What is the proper etiquette for selling one of these lights, using this forum?

hagatha


----------



## no_op

Does anyone know of the part no. for the "integrated handle"? I have searched in vain....


----------



## NoNotAgain

The only way to get the part number is to call Surefire. They don't have a parts breakdown list for their lights as they are warranted for life.


----------



## sn31

I made a battery back for my Hellfighter and decided it was finally time to share it with everyone. Definitely would not have been possible without this thread!

First: the light. I love this thing.












I used the Zippy 8400 LiFePo because I don't like lithium fires. 






I used a 4 pin square Molex to replace the stock harness.






Used an Otterbox 3250 for the case and connected the M99A rail to it.






I wanted Amphenol connecters on both ends for consistency so I put an Amphenol PTO3E-14-5P on the Otterbox.






Inside the box with battery padding and the other end of the Molex harness.






Some tiny #6s did the job.






Everything in place with the LiPo alarm from DX. I did not want anything displayed outside the unit so I just use the audible alarm when it gets low. I unplug this when it is not being used.






I built a short jumper using the Amphenol PT06E-14-5S, some heavy gauge wire, and Kevlar sheathing.






These connectors are a BEAR to work with but the final product is worth it.






All hooked up.





















If in the event both clasps come undone during use, the cable acts as a safety tether keeping the guts inside.






Again, thanks to everyone in this thread for sharing their knowledge and providing inspiration! 






-Matt


----------



## erehwyrevekool

I like it, very good job, clean and functional! :thumbsup:


----------



## BVH

Yes, very nicely done sn31. The integral battery certainly makes is a much more usable light.


----------



## BVH

Just listed recently for those who may want a Surfire cord set. $96.00 Buy It Now

Link eliminated per London Lads post below.


----------



## NoNotAgain

BVH said:


> Just listed recently for those who may want a Surfire cord set. $96.00 Buy It Now



I've bought from you before. Back then you were getting $98.00 which is still a great deal on a Surefire cable given the MSRP that Surefire lists.


----------



## BVH

This isn't me. I don't make cords. I just came across it and posted it as it seemed like a good price compared to what I think I remember seeing in this thread.


----------



## NoNotAgain

The only problem with this cord set is that it only works with the military style batteries. There isn't a cigarette lighter plug on it.

The other cords being sold plug into the cigarette lighter port.

I've got a set of the rechargeable military style lithium batteries, but haven't bothered to purchase a bag to place them into.

For those wishing to purchase BB2590 military batteries, check the manufacture date before purchasing. A lot of batteries are old and won't take a charge. Verify the charge indicator window on whatever battery you purchase. Buyer be ware.


----------



## London Lad

BEWARE THIS SELLER.

He listed the hellfighter leads with 12 volt cigar plug under the correct part number and correct photos.

I bought one and paid shipping to the UK and import duties via ebay and he sent one of the battery leads as per the listing above.

He then ignored my messages and emails so I had to raise a claim via ebay but they wanted me to send the lead back for a refund of the purchase price only, so I would have lost the shipping and import duties of over 100 US. Long story short, I got screwed.


----------



## BVH

Sorry London Lad. I'll eliminate the link.


----------



## London Lad

BVH said:


> Sorry London Lad. I'll eliminate the link.



Hi BVH,

Others may well have had good experience and if you want this model of lead then I guess he may be fine but I didn't have a good expierience with him. YMMV


----------



## richardcpf

SN31, very nice build.

Where did you get the T-rail mount?

First I placed an order from SWFA but it got cancelled because "they don't carry this item anymore". Then I re ordered from adorama but has been on back order for one month already.


----------



## LightJunk

I bought mine from surefire. http://www.surefire.com/m99a.html


----------



## sn31

richardcpf said:


> SN31, very nice build.
> 
> Where did you get the T-rail mount?
> 
> First I placed an order from SWFA but it got cancelled because "they don't carry this item anymore". Then I re ordered from adorama but has been on back order for one month already.



Thanks. I called Surefire directly. They said there was a 2-3 month lead time but it ended up shipping within a month. This was back around April or May of 2014.


----------



## richardcpf

My T-rail mount finally arrived from adorama after almost 2 months.

I have almost everything ready for my build, and right now I'll be using 3S2P 5Ah turnigy lipo battery. They are pretty old and heavily used for RC but still retain a decent capacity. I might spend the extra $100 for new 4S packs in the future.

All I need now are the screws to secure the mount rail to the aluminium enclosure, will update tomorrow.


*---------------EDIT 2--------------

*The legs are done! The light overall feels very solid, the aluminium case is about 1mm thick and the long M10 screws adds even more rigidness to it.







*---------------EDIT--------------

*This is the preliminary build because three small details still need to be worked out:

*1.* The legs I got were too short and the M10 screws holding the rail mount is even more protruded, so it doesn't stand for now. It needs a new set of legs or some kind of spacer.
*2.* I visited 4 different hardware stores but couldn't get a black cable gland in neither of them, not even a grey one. (I don't live in the US)
*3. *The rear cable needs to be shorter, but the XT60 connector will remain. It is for charging the battery without taking the enclosure apart.

Other than that the* V1 Power pack* for my HF is finished. It's V1 because I will soon replace the batteries for a pair of 4S, add a voltmeter, an extra switch, and as you can see the aluminium case has a very thick front panel that can be used as a heatsink, on which I want to add some sort of ~300lm LED array for emergency use. Any idea is welcome!! I also want tosho

I want to thank BVH for inspiring me to do this build and also everyone who has helped me to add some practicality to the HF. :thumbsup:


----------



## ABTOMAT

Just a note if anyone's interested. I was digging through my old flashlight stuff and found enough leftover parts to make one Hellfighter cable. If anyone wants them they can have them at my cost from two years ago, or I can build the cable for a fee.

Sold my HF when I bought a new car last year.


----------



## Taschenlampe Dude

ABTOMAT said:


> Just a note if anyone's interested. I was digging through my old flashlight stuff and found enough leftover parts to make one Hellfighter cable. If anyone wants them they can have them at my cost from two years ago, or I can build the cable for a fee.
> 
> Sold my HF when I bought a new car last year.



Hi, ABTOMAT

I'm interested in your cable parts and would appreciate it if you would PM me with the details. Thanks!


----------



## ABTOMAT

All yours


----------



## ShdSteel

Just got my very own as well! The hellfighter is certainly an interesting light. would anyone be willing to make one of those Lipo adapter cables and box for cash and or some brand new bb-390 sealed batteries as a trade? They ended up being too much of a hassle for what I need them for.


----------



## PSG1 Nut

cmacclel said:


> Why fight it you know you want one



This is exactly what i've been looking at. I was wanting to add a battery compartment on the bottom of the light such as the A123s. This will suit my needs much better.


----------



## jamesmtl514

I've been trying for years to get a handle for my hellfighter. If you can make it happen you deserve my $$$


----------



## Timothybil

Nice handle. What are you using for cells, and how many? What kind of run time do you get? Inquiring minds want to know! (So we can drool some more and whisper softly to ourselves, "Someday!")


----------



## PocketRocket

*Poof*


----------



## Rat

PocketRocket said:


> Still looking to buy a HellFighter if anyone happens to have one or know anyone selling one! Will be looking for the "newer" batch with the updated SureFire logo (think these are from S/N H13000 and above?)...



KIF has got one for sale for $800 full kit with batteries, cables & case. I don't think he sells on CPF anymore after MP was closed. You can find him on that big auction website.

good luck.


----------



## NoNotAgain

PocketRocket said:


> Still looking to buy a HellFighter if anyone happens to have one or know anyone selling one! Will be looking for the "newer" batch with the updated SureFire logo (think these are from S/N H13000 and above?)...



I'm looking at one of my lights, serial H13537 and it has the block lettering in the Surefire logo. 

You really have to look at the older verses the newer light to see the difference. 

I personally wouldn't care as Surefire warranties the lights for life and will repair free of charge except the tube if I recall correctly. 

I sent one of mine back for service and they replaced the switch and connector free of charge. Oh, they also replaced the filter isolation rubber seal. 

There's a nice looking one on a popular auction site with lots of accessories.


----------



## PSG1 Nut

Does anyone know which batteries Mac recommended in the 26650 line for his handles?


----------



## grandchamp87

PocketRocket said:


> Still looking to buy a HellFighter if anyone happens to have one or know anyone selling one! Will be looking for the "newer" batch with the updated SureFire logo (think these are from S/N H13000 and above?)...



I currently have two for sale right now on Ebay. One comes with just the IR filter, the other comes with a red lens and IR filter. Lights only.


----------



## skillet

Got to use one of these last night. My son and I drove around the harvested soil bean field on the golf cart with the Generac generator on the rear rack providing power for this thing. It was quite the fun evening. 

A friend of mine called me Monday and said come and see what my dad has... He let me take it home for a night and enjoy it.


----------



## RemcoM

What is the cd...kcd, of these HID Hellfighter lights?


----------



## Timothybil

skillet said:


> Got to use one of these last night. My son and I drove around the harvested soil bean field on the golf cart with the Generac generator on the rear rack providing power for this thing. It was quite the fun evening.
> 
> A friend of mine called me Monday and said come and see what my dad has... He let me take it home for a night and enjoy it.


Why do I have this picture of an 80s Cadillac with a generator bolted to the rear bumper and a window A/C hanging out of the rear passenger window?


----------



## NoNotAgain

RemcoM said:


> What is the cd...kcd, of these HID Hellfighter lights?




Remco,

One of the other Hellfighter postings http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...IRE-HELLFIRE&p=1333755&viewfull=1#post1333755 stated that the Hellfighter 1, produced 330,000 candela.

The thing a lot of people forget is that the output of the light doesn't change with use. Being powered by a 12 volt cable or a choice of battery packs


----------



## NoNotAgain

You got something against Cadillac's? :twothumbs


----------



## Timothybil

I like Cadillacs! But this is just too much!


----------



## NoNotAgain

Just remember, two is one, and one is none.

Yep, it's redneck, but it looks like he's a signature member of the "here, hold my beer club".

That's one way to be able to be able to run the AC while parked and still save gas.


----------



## skillet

Timothybil said:


> Why do I have this picture of an 80s Cadillac with a generator bolted to the rear bumper and a window A/C hanging out of the rear passenger window?


Oh, praise the Lord that there weren't photos or video... It was would have redneck/YouTube fodder for sure!!


----------



## bruno

My Sherpa 50 doesn't want to power my Hellfighter. It cuts off and shows an exclamation mark.


----------



## Timothybil

skillet said:


> Oh, praise the Lord that there weren't photos or video... It was would have redneck/YouTube fodder for sure!!


Oh, but there is a photo!

[EDIT] Never mind, I rolled to replies back and it was already there. I don't think I want to be in the back seat when and if he gets rear ended or T-boned on the right side!


----------



## Solscud007

bruno said:


> My Sherpa 50 doesn't want to power my Hellfighter. It cuts off and shows an exclamation mark.[/
> 
> Yeah I got lucky with mine. But now it does what yours does. No idea why. I think maybe the HF pulls too many amps. Anyone know how many amps the HF pulls?
> 
> Also got to play with the HF on a machine gun.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can kinda see it, Spikes tactical has a HF on their mini gun.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is mounted on my SCAR17S


----------



## get-lit

Is there a LIKE button??


----------



## ven

get-lit said:


> Is there a LIKE button??



+1000000


----------



## newbie66

:twothumbs


----------



## Anita

Hello everyone. I have had one of these lights sitting on my table for a few months but have only recently wanted to try and power it up! I have tried reading most of this thread and I think making a cable should be quite easy, but I cannot seem to get my head around on how to power it.

I had been given an opportunity to buy a Sherpa 50 or 100 at a good price. But it seems maybe the Sherpa 50 does not provide enough power? The Goal Zero website shows it rated at 8 Amps but the Sherpa 100 is only slightly higher at 10 Amps. Would this be a safe purchase? Or any other advice?

Really do not want to spend money on a Sherpa 100 just to have it not work >,<"... Will really appreciate any help anyone can give on this. Or if anyone knows someone selling a battery made for this light I can consider that too. At least that would mean I do not have one which does not work!

<3 Anita


----------



## NoNotAgain

eBay is your friend. 
The Hellfighter cables are available for $30 and up. The Amphonol connector by its self is over $40. 

You can purchase modified cables that have a cigarette lighter plug or the Surefire cable. If using the Surefire cable, they connect to a military battery, either primary lithium, rechargeable lithium or nickel metal hydride. 
Batteries can be found for as little as $15 to as much as $350. 
Chargers for the batteries range from $60 for the PP8444 charger to the mid $350 range for the wiz bang PP8498 charger conditioner. 

I use two of the BB2590 batteries with my Hellfighter and Polarion lights. I get more than 6 hours of run time before recharging. The light will run off of a single battery.


----------



## Anita

Hello NoNotAgain. I had tried eBay for the cigarette adapter cable but did not manage to find one. The other cables with switch look so bulky >,<"... I am trying to have a simple cable so that maybe I can use this light outside without too much hassle.

I was looking at GoalZero because battery and charging is simple. But of course if I have no other option then I will need to look at the 2590 battery. My friend told me to look at car jump starter. He has one which is 200 Amps start and 20 Amps normal.

Big newbie here and a little bit clueless! Sorry if I not understand much.


----------



## NoNotAgain

The cigarette plug seller is away, so he's pulled his listings. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SureFire-He...th-USPS-Priority-Mail-Shipping-/351680530066?

Here's a recent sale with the batteries for scale. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Surefire-he...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 

The hellfighter requires around 6.5 amps to start then scales back to 4 amps or so. 
My first purchased cigarette plug came with a 5 amp fuse which popped the first time I tried it out. Went to the local auto parts store and found some slow blow 10 amp fuses, and all is well. 

The Goal Zero 50 if in good condition and charge should run the light, but no guarantees. The BB2590 lithium batteries work, but are bulkier than the Goal Zero. 

Right now isn't a time to sell a Hellfighter light as there are more than 10 for sale which drives down the price.


----------



## Anita

Hello again NoNotAgain  thank you for the links they are very helpful. I do not think I will sell my light because I think it should be great fun and useful to use when tracking. Just need to find a way to switch it on! Do you think the GoalZero Sherpa 100 would be safe since it is 10 Amps? I saw a post saying they saw 8.1 Amps on the light during start.

I also saw a few posts regarding Li-Poly batteries and have been researching both chargers and batteries. I decided if I go this way I can get a good SkyRC charger and the Zippy 6,200mAh battery and it should be quite good runtime. In your opinion would it be better to try the Sherpa 100 or these Li-Poly batteries. The Sherpa will cost more for sure.

Thank you so much for your super help! <3


----------



## NoNotAgain

If you go with the GoalZero Sherpa 100, you're looking at $350 then you need the cable for another $75

If you go the Surefire route, the cable is $35, the batteries are $60-70 each, and the charger is another $160. 

I purchased a PP8498 charger from the seller that's located in Texas. It needed a circuit breaker which was under $10 from Digikey. 

Purchase the Surefire bag for another $40 and you have a portable packaged light. 

The LiPO route is going to require a battery monitor and a hobby charger. You don't want the Hellfighter ballast shutting down the light or killing your LiPO battery. 

I've got more than a few Hellfighter lights. It's a big investment but has paid off now that I have systems that can run and be charged while another is in use. 

The charger and batteries are the largest expense after you own the light. You can always add more batteries when or if needed. 

For me, the set of Surefire cables runs my Hellfighter's and Night Reaper lights. Replacing a few $70 batteries are better than a $300 Polarion battery or a $200 LiPO.


----------



## Anita

Hello again NoNotAgain  thank you so much for your advice! I think some problems for me are because I am in Asia some parts are not visible to me on eBay. Shipping cost is also very high. I had found one shop in my country which can ship to me but the charger and two batteries will cost almost one thousand dollars. Too too much for me >,<"...

GoalZero Sherpa 100 is less than 1/2 that price. And Li-Poly less than 1/3 that price. Cable is not big problem. I already find a local place to get the connector for a very cheap price and my friend can help me to put the cable together  so that is not big problem. Where did you see battery for so cheap? No 2590 battery is shown to me by eBay.

My personal feeling is to use 2590 because that is official. But I also wish to keep price from becoming too high and also wish to keep everything small. 8498 charger is so super big! Will need to sell one or two handbags to make room to keep that it if I want it. And I really will not use light much hehe. Maybe once or twice in a month.


----------



## NoNotAgain

Anita,

This part of the posting http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...e-intensive)&p=2744955&viewfull=1#post2744955 by member ShortArc that addressed the use of alternate batteries as well as how to go about charging the BB290 versions using a non-milspec charger.

The BB2590 battery is 5"X4"X2.5" in size and only weighs two pounds. There are two 12 volt circuits within the battery.

Like I stated before, I get better than 6 hours of run time on two of these batteries. With the Hellfighter producing 3000 lumens, there are no other lights other than the Night Reaper that can run continuous like the Hellfighter. 

There are plenty of LED lights that produce 5,000 plus lumens, but they only do so for a short period of time while the Hellfighter keeps on putting out.

If you have other uses for the Sherpa, I'd try one out, hoping that it works out.


----------



## XeRay

NoNotAgain said:


> With the Hellfighter producing 3000 lumens, there are no other lights other than the Night Reaper that can run continuous like the Hellfighter.



That's not quite true, all of the XeVision and Lemax units can be run continuously, including the Lemax weapon lights.


----------



## NoNotAgain

XeRay said:


> That's not quite true, all of the XeVision and Lemax units can be run continuously, including the Lemax weapon lights.



How about sharing the photo's of the lights and the DIN connector sir? I've yet to see anything published on the Lemax lights and continuous operation.

Have you sold any of the LX70 Superpower lights yet? I'm interested in a light, but so far it appears that I'm going to have to purchase overseas.


----------



## bulbmogul

NoNotAgain said:


> How about sharing the photo's of the lights and the DIN connector sir? I've yet to see anything published on the Lemax lights and continuous operation.
> 
> Have you sold any of the LX70 Superpower lights yet? I'm interested in a light, but so far it appears that I'm going to have to purchase overseas.


 Doesnt also the Surefire Arc28C have the ability to run continuous also..?


----------



## XeRay

NoNotAgain said:


> How about sharing the photo's of the lights and the DIN connector sir? I've yet to see anything published on the Lemax lights and continuous operation.
> 
> Have you sold any of the LX70 Superpower lights yet? I'm interested in a light, but so far it appears that I'm going to have to purchase overseas.



We designed and made the cylinder shaped ballasts for all of them, the finned heat-sinking on all of the aluminum light housings is way more than adequate for continuous operation, that is the only possible limitation.
Only the weapon lights have a DIN connector (3 pin Cannon green). http://www.lemax.cz/images/searchlights/targetx/_DSC6767.jpg
What good is a weapon light or a tactical light that cant be run continuously ?
The handheld searchlights can also be run tethered without the attached battery.

We have not yet decided to carry the superpower, we think it likely should be a special order only product. The XV-LX70 is more practical and versatile for the vast majority of users.


----------



## NoNotAgain

bulbmogul said:


> Doesnt also the Surefire Arc28C have the ability to run continuous also..?




The light has the ability to run via DC power, but I haven't seen anything from Surefire indicating that light can sustain long operation with DC power. 

The only ARC2-8C I've seen was a static display. I don't think there is a large enough cooling patch to pull the heat of 4500 lumens away from the circuitry. 

The size difference between the Hellfighter 5 and the ARC light are rather large.


----------



## Timothybil

I was going to suggest you go to Bell & Howell and look at some of the battery packs used for professional video cameras, but shipping would be a bear to you. If you have any more local suppliers of professional audio/visual gear it might be worth it to check what they have in that line. If you are going to do only occasional use, I would stay away from Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries because they need a lot of maintenance if not used regularly to keep the cells from degrading. Good luck in your search.


----------



## Anita

Since I am still deciding how to power this light I am making the cable first. Already received the connector from eBay since it only cost 20$ hehe. How do you remove the light from the handle? Filter was easy to take out, but not strong enough to unscrew light >,<"...

Now just thinking how to make this light a bit more girly for me haha.

Will make cable next week when my colourful cable arrives!


----------



## NoNotAgain

Once you remove the filter assembly by removing the screws in the bottom of the handle rail. Pull that part from the front. Then you can wrap a leather belt around the light body and use the handle to unscrew the light body from the handle.

Why do you want to remove the handle? The light requires the contacts in the handle to operate unless you make a custom contact plate.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Back again! Manage to find battery and charger and it arrived today!

But I also have problems. Light will not turn on. I made cable myself, very proud that managed to do it since this is only second time I touch a solder! But I am very sure cable is correct. I used a multimeter to make sure polarity is correct and also to make sure there is no short circuit.

My battery have two LCD to show battery level for each battery inside. It shows 100% when the light is plugged in but off. But when I switch the light on, one of the battery packs will drop to 0%. Sometimes both drop to 0%. And when I switch off light after one minute both show 100% again.

This battery came from manufacturer. It is new with 2016 date.

Anyone know what could be problem?


----------



## Anita

I just try charge battery again and charger say battery is charged already.

Also I use multimeter on cable side for light and it is 16.5 Volt.


----------



## NoNotAgain

Anita said:


> I just try charge battery again and charger say battery is charged already.Also I use multimeter on cable side for light and it is 16.5 Volt.



Is the battery you refer to the BB2590? Short Arc posted the pin out for the cable and battery, so make sure that you're using the correct pins.

Pictures would help.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Yes I am using the BB-2590 battery. I followed the info by ShortArc very carefully. It is definitely correct. The only part that was skipped was the diode for the connector on battery side since he said it was not needed.


----------



## NoNotAgain

I'd try ordering one of the $30 Surefire cable sets off eBay and see if that fixes the problem. 
I can verify power on my cables tomorrow when I get back home. 

What you described sounds like you've got a dead short when the light is turned on. 

One of my batteries when purchased had one side with only 1 bar showing. Three attempts to charge kept showing fault. This was using the PP8444 charger. Dug out the PP8498 charger, did the renew process and all was well. 

So for your battery dropping to zero bars says there's a short somewhere in the system.


----------



## Anita

Hello. But my cable is ok ~_~ I checked.

My multimeter show 16.5 Volt with "+" into "B" and "-" into "E" on the Amphenol connector.

I also check for short circuit and there is none.

What is actual voltage of light? 12 Volt or 15 Volt? I just ask because I read that some BB-2590 battery will have protection if the voltage is too low. Such big headache. I think I know why old owner of my light not wanted it anymore haha.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Here is a photo of my cable!


----------



## NoNotAgain

Anita said:


> Hello. But my cable is ok ~_~ I checked.
> 
> My multimeter show 16.5 Volt with "+" into "B" and "-" into "E" on the Amphenol connector.
> 
> I also check for short circuit and there is none.
> 
> What is actual voltage of light? 12 Volt or 15 Volt? I just ask because I read that some BB-2590 battery will have protection if the voltage is too low. Such big headache. I think I know why old owner of my light not wanted it anymore haha.



You're good on B and E for the connections. The polarity is supposed to be B is positive and E is negative.

The battery connection should be 1, 2, and 3 negative, 4 and 5 positive. #6 appears to do nothing. 

My batteries show 16.3 volts. I checked a few of them, so in your case low voltage isn't a problem.

Check the polarity, as the light won't function if reversed.

BTW, very professional looking cables. Good job.

The Hellfighter will operate within a voltage range of 11.5 volts to a maximum of 30 volts. Beyond that and the ballast may make magic smoke.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Thank you for feedback! I check polarity and it is ok. But for battery connection "3" should not be needed right? Because if I look at battery diagram it show both "1" & "3" as "-" for the same cell. Battery side connector came from manufacturer of battery with wire. So for that side I only needed solder two cables together from the connector to my pink cable.

I sent a mail to battery manufacturer already to ask them what the problem is. But because I have no other power to test with I cannot say if light is problem or if battery is problem.

Next few days I will try borrow a Li-Po battery to test. Have a friend with a few!


----------



## Anita

Hello. I just tried my light on the BB-2590 battery again. Still does not work. But I noticed that when I leave the switch "on" I can hear two "ticks" coming from the light every 15 seconds.

It is quite faint. Just goes "tick... tick..." (about half a second apart).

Maybe somehow not enough current coming from battery?


----------



## Anita

Hello. Improved handle! So my skin won't get scratched >,<"...


----------



## ven

Very cool !!!! Hope you can get it working soon!


----------



## Anita

Hello. I have progress with some good news!

I have no reply from the battery manufacturer yet but my friend asked me if it is possible to test the light using a computer power supply. What a good idea! I like playing around with computer hardware, so this would be an easy test for me to carry out.

So I made a temporary wire to connect my light to the 12 Volt molex connector. Light works!

Also since I still had the clamp meter that I borrow from my office with me, I checked current and it is:

12.2 Volt ... Inrush Current: 5.5 Amp
12.2 Volt ... Stable Current: 4.4 Amp

So now I know for certain what this light needs to turn on!

Also seem my new battery is broken. I will mail the manufacturer later.


----------



## NoNotAgain

Anita said:


> Hello. I have progress with some good news!
> 
> I have no reply from the battery manufacturer yet but my friend asked me if it is possible to test the light using a computer power supply. What a good idea! I like playing around with computer hardware, so this would be an easy test for me to carry out.
> 
> So I made a temporary wire to connect my light to the 12 Volt molex connector. Light works!
> 
> Also since I still had the clamp meter that I borrow from my office with me, I checked current and it is:
> 
> 12.2 Volt ... Inrush Current: 5.5 Amp
> 12.2 Volt ... Stable Current: 4.4 Amp
> 
> So now I know for certain what this light needs to turn on!
> 
> Also seem my new battery is broken. I will mail the manufacturer later.



When you look at the battery charge status windows, how many bars are shown in each window? Did you charge the battery when you received it?

Not knowing the battery condition, if you have the Bren-Tronics battery, they aren't shipped fully charged. What is shown as date of manufacture and inspection date? If it's been sitting, it may only have a surface charge which isn't enough to start the light.

If you are able to get more voltage from your power supply, (I know computer power supply) the starting amperage will drop to around 7 amps and the running amperage will be at or just below 4 amps.

Good that you've now seen the light works. Would be nice if you can get the battery issue out of the way. Good luck.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Battery both show five bars. Date of manufacture is 2016 April haha.

I tried to charge battery but charger says battery is full.

Forgot brand of battery but it is not Bren-Tronics. I will need to check.

Regret not buying Bren-Tronics >,<"...


----------



## NoNotAgain

What charger are you using?
If it's the PP8444, that might contribute to the lack of charging. The PP8444 for unknown reasons won't charge a number of my batteries. The PP8498 using the same adapters from the 8444 charges fine. 

What's the capacity of your battery? Is it 7.5 or 9.0 amp hour? 

If possible post a picture of the data plate.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Well a bit bored fixing this battery problem. So more important question first! I saw red filter on eBay and it looks nice. If I want to change the filter, how do I remove the ring in front of filter to remove the glass from the filter housing so I can change it?

I tried searching everywhere and cannot find the name of tool. Think I saw something like "retaining ring removal wrench" and a few other different names haha.

Or is there a way to remove without the tool?


----------



## NoNotAgain

You can make the wrench from a piece of wood and a couple of nails or dowel pins. Just measure the distance between the small indents then install the dowels or nails in the board the same distance apart.

I've got a adjustable spanner wrench with replaceable pins that I use. Like this one on the popular auction site. http://www.ebay.com/itm/FACOM-SPANN...836191?hash=item3f621a635f:g:o9AAAOxyzi9Sfl7K


----------



## Timothybil

Have you tried discharging your battery a ways and then seeing if it will recharge properly. Find some other 12v load that you can jury rig and run it down a bar or so, then recharge it. It might be enough.


----------



## Anita

Hello. Finally managed to return the problem battery. So I went to buy Bren-Tronics this time.

Everything is ok now! Also bought the small Bren-Tronics charger!


----------



## NoNotAgain

Glad to hear that Bren Tronics corrected the issue. 
I'm interested in the charger. If you don't mind, how much does Bren Tronics charge for the one you have shown? 

Also, the BB2590/U battery you have. What is the amperage shown on the faceplate?

Now get out and use that light!


----------



## ven

Love it, incredible set up


----------



## NoNotAgain

ven said:


> Love it, incredible set up



Time to revisit the Hellfighter Ven? 

Well, after the house is done anyway.


----------



## ven

NoNotAgain said:


> Time to revisit the Hellfighter Ven?
> 
> Well, after the house is done anyway.




:laughing:

seeing pics like that does not help! 

Hardest part is sourcing the battery pack and not getting stung, i am coming round to carrying a battery and light! After all, its part of the experience! ................no doubt an awesome one.

Plus i like BIG lights, many advantages output/heat.


----------



## Anita

Hello. The charger model from Bren-Tronics is BTC-70791-LR and it is about 200US$.

Expensive, but did not want a big box sitting around.

This is the "low rate" version. Charge time is around 10 hours I think. They also sell a "medium rate" version with a charge time of around 6 hours, but it is more expensive and also more parts. Also I will usually not be in a big rush to charge since I will know when I need it!


----------



## sledhead

Congrats on a successful outcome! Thanks for the info on the charger! I have a solar charger for the Bren-Tronics but was interested in a wall unit.

Good luck with the Hellfighter!


----------



## Anita

Found perfect pouch for battery! Well, perfect except that there is no pink >,<"... Nyeh heh heh!


----------



## NoNotAgain

Not pink but I use this Eagle padded Surefire case. It holds two of the BB2590/U batteries.



[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## Anita

Haha I saw that pouch but too fat for me since I only need to carry one battery. My back will protest if I take more!

My one is the Medic Pouch from Spec Ops. Fits one battery perfect with room for cable to come out.

I like the red strap too! Matches battery hehe.


----------



## erehwyrevekool

Excellent setups here guys! :goodjob:


----------



## jake-cutter

Just bought a Hellfighter, unfortunately it does not come with any cables. Does anyone have any pics showing how the BB2590 batteries are connected to the Surefire cables? Also anybody have a source for the Bren tronics 8444 charger as the supply seems to have dried up?


----------



## NoNotAgain

The Surefire cable has two connectors that attach to the BB2590/U batteries. You can connect to a single or two batteries at the same time to give over 6 hours of run time.













The later model of the cables UH-1D cable doesn't have the clear tygon tubing cover, so it weighs less and is much more compact. eBay is your friend as there are a couple of sellers that are blowing them out for under $30 delivered. Cables that have the pistol grip connection mounted to the side are the older version. New version the connection is on the rear of the grip.

As far as the PP8444 charger, I have a spare that I might be willing to sell. PM me if interested and what you are willing to pay.


----------



## jake-cutter

Thank you for posting the pics, it made everything clear. Do you think the PP8498 charger/reconditioner is worth the extra expense given most batteries on ebay are used and might need to the extra feature the charger provides?


----------



## jake-cutter

Besides the Bren Tronics chargers, are there any other options such as the Ultralife chargers?


----------



## jake-cutter

Well after two weeks everything finally came in. I got the light, cables, batteries (charging now), Bren Tronics charger, carrying case for batteries, and a cable to use a cigarette lighter. A big thank you to NoNotAgain for leading me in the right direction. Below is the setup so far and hopefully tonight once it dark and the batteries are fully charged I will get to light up the sky.


----------



## NoNotAgain

Congratulations on your new night to day lighting tool. 
Try not to giggle the first time you hit the switch on the light and pistol grip and see first hand the light put out by the Hellfighter.


----------



## ODCaveman

I recently picked up one of these lights pretty much brand new... Mainly just to see its awesomeness in person knowing I could always sell it again and come out even.

Well after seeing this thing in person and seeing what it will do to the darkness via a 12v convenience receptacle I am looking for options to make it portable. I have read through the whole thread and seen some ideas but I want something a little more multi use than a custom battery pack and something less expensive that BB-2590's

Has anyone tried using this light with one of those battery packs for jumpstarting a car? I know those things are going to be junk compared to genuine 2590's but also significantly less cost. Just wanting to hear any opinions on going that route. It seems the sherpa 50 had mixed results. I am keeping my eye out on auction sites for used military batteries coming up but then obviously I will need a charger too.. And custom make a cable & enclosure solution. Looking to not spend an additional 3 or 400 dollars on a flashlight battery :thumbsup:


----------



## NoNotAgain

You can purchase the non rechargable batteries for around $10 each via the bay. 
For cables, original Surefire cables for $20. Even if you only use the connectors they're a steal. 

You can find the PP8444 chargers for under $100. This charger only works if the BB 2590 is charged when you purchase. 

The smaller Sherpa 50 batteries as you stated hit or miss. The larger Sherpa will work, but for the price, not for me. 

There's three version of the 2590 battery. 6.8 amp hr, 7.5 and a 8.5 or 9 amp hr battery. The Surefire cases sold hold two batteries side by side.


----------



## Genna

Does anyone know a dealer for Bren-Tronic BB-2590 (BT-70791CG) or similar rechargeable battery within Europe?


----------



## NoNotAgain

Genna said:


> Does anyone know a dealer for Bren-Tronic BB-2590 (BT-70791CG) or similar rechargeable battery within Europe?



http://www.bren-tronics.com/contact/#tabs-2


----------



## Genna

NoNotAgain said:


> http://www.bren-tronics.com/contact/#tabs-2



Many thanks, I spent complete days on the homepage to see what battery I need, but don't think about to see if exist dealers in Europe [emoji28]


----------



## ODCaveman

NoNotAgain said:


> You can purchase the non rechargable batteries for around $10 each via the bay.
> For cables, original Surefire cables for $20. Even if you only use the connectors they're a steal.
> 
> You can find the PP8444 chargers for under $100. This charger only works if the BB 2590 is charged when you purchase.
> 
> The smaller Sherpa 50 batteries as you stated hit or miss. The larger Sherpa will work, but for the price, not for me.
> 
> There's three version of the 2590 battery. 6.8 amp hr, 7.5 and a 8.5 or 9 amp hr battery. The Surefire cases sold hold two batteries side by side.



Thanks for the info, The light I bought came with the hard case, the original tygon cable setup with 12v cigarette adapter as well as the infared filter and gun mount for a .50 cal. I did purchase one of the cable sets off that auction site to use for spare parts. As you say the price is a steal even to cut it up and use it for something else. Heck even the pistol grip switch is cool for the price. 

There are some 2590 batteries on there right now, I emailed the seller and they were manufactured in 2008. Seems a little steep to me for 9 year old batteries of an unknown quantity but if they are any good its more reasonable than new! It looks like the 8498 charger is the one I would really want to get if I went that route with the military batteries.


----------



## Genna

My HF comes unfortunately with the IF filter too, but prefer the opaque filter. If someone have a spare opaque filter left, please pm me.

I write a email shortly after NoNotAgain's answer for my battery question, but still no reply


----------



## IlluminatedOne

I always wondered if anyone had ever measure the lux from a hellfighter as i don't believe i have ever seen it mentioned and would assume it should be a pretty good figure considering the quality of the reflector and light in general. 

Some really nice setups too, now i want one haha.


----------



## IlluminatedOne

Reading a little about the new Hellfighter 5 says 730k lux with 4500lumens output, not sure what the other earlier hellfighters would be lux wise.


----------



## NoNotAgain

IlluminatedOne said:


> I always wondered if anyone had ever measure the lux from a hellfighter as i don't believe i have ever seen it mentioned and would assume it should be a pretty good figure considering the quality of the reflector and light in general.
> 
> Some really nice setups too, now i want one haha.



The issue with measuring lux on the Hellfighter light is that there are four or five interations of the light but no change in part number. 

I've seen four different reflectors used. A heavy orange peel, minute orange peel and two different colored smooth ones. There are a couple different bulbs also in use, so unless you can verify exactly what you've got in your light, you're shooting in the dark. 

One of the Hellfighter lights I own has monster throw for a Hellfighter. Another is visually brighter when observed from 500 meters away. 
Disclaimer: I've never attempted adjusting the bulb to reflector aim to see if I can tighten the beam. 

What I do know is that the market is flush with lights and prices are the lowest I've ever seen for almost new lights.


----------



## Enderman

Hey everyone, I've started modding the Hellfighter I just got 

Does someone know what the circuit in the "tailcap" is for?
It doesn't change the voltage at all, is it some sort of e-switch circuit?


----------



## skillet

Well, I never thought I'd own one... But my wife "But It Now"d one for me from a popular auction sight.. I just got done ordering 2 LiPo batteries, charger, cable, amphenol end and a few other things to make this thing more mobile.. I got a chance to borrow one last year and drove around on the '88 Ez-go shining at all of creation.. My oldest and I had a blast.. I'm practically giddy...


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## Enderman

I did some serious mods to mine, it's now running on 4 lipos for a total of 24Ah, and a custom battery case, custom cable, and custom plug. 
















The wire and connector are overkill, but that's what this light is all about!

Unfortunately the 3500lm output is a bit disappointing, and the bulb isn't focused for maximum throw.
I plan to mod it even more and convert it to LED this year.
Should be able to get close to 7k lumens and focus it better for farther throw.


----------



## skillet

Enderman said:


> I did some serious mods to mine, it's now running on 4 lipos for a total of 24Ah, and a custom battery case, custom cable, and custom plug.



I would reckon you are running four 3S packs parallel.. Did you do any runtime test on single packs? I was gonna run two 3S 20C in parallel for now and just let it run till the low voltage cutoff engaged on the Hellfighter...


----------



## Enderman

skillet said:


> I would reckon you are running four 3S packs parallel.. Did you do any runtime test on single packs? I was gonna run two 3S 20C in parallel for now and just let it run till the low voltage cutoff engaged on the Hellfighter...


Yes, 4x 3s 6Ah packs.
No I haven't tested the runtime, but I think the light uses 3-4 amps, so a single pack should do 1.5-2hrs.
I need the four packs because when I upgrade it to LED it will be using twice as much current.

When does the low voltage cutoff kick in?
It must be this PCB in the back right?




I removed this when making my connector mod, so now I just watch the voltage on the battery pack.
I'm not sure about the low voltage cutoff, but I'm pretty sure this is also e-switch circuitry because the handle power button isn't connected in line to the power.


----------



## skillet

I've read the low voltage cutoff is 11.5 volts and that is why I went with 3S batteries... Shouldn't be a worry discharging them to an unacceptable level.

PS
And I have no idea what that circuit board is for..


----------



## Genna

The two open threaded holes on the lens cover ring have already bothered me when the HellFighter arrived...


----------



## jdow409

Hi everyone, Im new to the forum so go easy on me! 

I've recently gotten my hands on a Hellfighter and want to get it running well. I have easy access to the 2590 batteries, however the cable assembly that I have with the hellfighter does not have the battery end connection. As such I was hoping to modify this other cable I have to do the job, only problem is when I plug it all up it seems like The voltage drops from the battery. I know the battery is good, so I was wondering if I have it wired wrong?? Going with White is positive from the surefire cable and Black is neg.

With the other cable set up I wasnt sure what the third (black) wire was for, any ideas? 

Living in Australia means the only way I can get the surefire cables really is to pay an absolute mint from surefire directly, I may end up buying one from the US and just sucking it up with like 40dollars postage.

Thanks, 

John


----------



## NoNotAgain

eBay is your friend on Surefire cables. They're under $25 USD plus shipping. 

If I get a chance later today, I'll pin out a cable and let you know what's what.


----------



## Enderman

The A and C pins I shorted with a white wire because that's what an external switch usually connects to, for remotely turning it on and off.
B is positive and E is negative.
D is unused.
You'll need to test the cable with a multimeter to figure out what connects to where.


----------



## jdow409

Enderman said:


> The A and C pins I shorted with a white wire because that's what an external switch usually connects to, for remotely turning it on and off.
> B is positive and E is negative.
> D is unused.
> You'll need to test the cable with a multimeter to figure out what connects to where.



Thanks for the photo, I had a bit play around with it at work yesterday with an electrical technician who deals with stuff like this all the time and we couldnt get the light to work at all. There is the chance that the light is faulty but I guess this is unlikely given the quality of most surefire stuff.

Using the genuine cable which we had cut the end off and connected those wires to a 12v batt wouldnt work at all. what was really strange was the cable began to heat up quickly. Noting we have the polarity correct it was very strange. Have you guys seen anything like this when you are using an alternate power source? 

Thanks, John


----------



## jdow409

Hi again guys, ive done some more fault finding. This time with a cable a guy from work has used previously on a HF and it worked for him fine.

Essentially a UH02 cable with the battery end removed and spliced in pos and neg to a cable which plugs directly into a 2590 battery.

Whats interesting was checking the volts in the line prior to connecting to the HF from a fully charged 2590 was around 16v, then on connecting to the HF volts immediately droped to .546 v dc.

Has anyone seen this before? Does the torch have an internal fuse which may have blown? 

In the interest of full disclosure the tech guys at work origianally tried a 2590 connector which rigged in series, so the HF has has almost 30v dc put to it the other day. Could this cause a fault to the internals? 

Any help would be aweaome, cheers.

John


----------



## jdow409

Enderman said:


> Yes, 4x 3s 6Ah packs.
> No I haven't tested the runtime, but I think the light uses 3-4 amps, so a single pack should do 1.5-2hrs.
> I need the four packs because when I upgrade it to LED it will be using twice as much current.
> 
> When does the low voltage cutoff kick in?
> It must be this PCB in the back right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I removed this when making my connector mod, so now I just watch the voltage on the battery pack.
> I'm not sure about the low voltage cutoff, but I'm pretty sure this is also e-switch circuitry because the handle power button isn't connected in line to the power.



Hi Enderman mate how are you going? 

So I have posted to this thread recently as I was having a nightmare getting my two Hellfighter units running! This evening I had a little success. It appears that when myself and the Tech heads at work stupidly attached a 2590 battery up to the unit with a plug hardwired in series that we fried this part of the unit! Now whenever we plug the correct battery up to the unit the voltage drops to like .5 v from the original 12.

To night I removed this part of the unit and just jumped the powersource to the rear of the HF itself and bingo! the light started up fine.

So my next question is should I: 

A: bypass this regulator entirely and only run the unit of 2590 batteries.

B: Attempt to repair the regulator?

I need to go and get my hands on a suitable pin wrench tomorrow to get access to the board as seen in your pic to find out which part it actually burnt out! But if possible I would prefer to go with option B.

You guys on here come across as knowing your stuff really well, so please any advice is appreciated!

Cheers, John. (PS: Im posting from Aus so I have troubles getting my hands on any SF parts, ideally I will need to make this repair on two HF units as it appears we fried both


----------



## Blackbird13

That is awesome looking.Make me one of the custom battery cases I'd gladly buy one


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## Enderman

Blackbird13 said:


> That is awesome looking.Make me one of the custom battery cases I'd gladly buy one


Are you referring to my battery case?
If so, thanks


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## zemperfi

I am just using my Hellfighter 4.  I had bought one and the internal battery was dead, sent it to Surefire and after 4 weeks they sent it back fixed for free!!!


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## NoNotAgain

zemperfi said:


> I am just using my Hellfighter 4. I had bought one and the internal battery was dead, sent it to Surefire and after 4 weeks they sent it back fixed for free!!!



Now that you've got a 4, you need to find the pistol grip switch and cable assembly. With the grip, you get a high and low setting as well as strobe. Without, it's high only.


----------



## jake-cutter

Having a hard time finding 2590 batteries on ebay. Seems they have dried up recently. Anybody have any leads on batteries?


----------



## Enderman

jake-cutter said:


> Having a hard time finding 2590 batteries on ebay. Seems they have dried up recently. Anybody have any leads on batteries?


Just use any 12v battery, doesn't need to be the special military ones.


----------



## foxtrot824

This is a fantastic thread, almost 10 years old and still going! It inspired me to pick up my own Hellfighter even if it is a sad one. I know there have been lots of mods to these but I'm considering going LED swap. I feel like it's blasphemous but it might be more modern than HIDs.


----------



## NoNotAgain

foxtrot824 said:


> This is a fantastic thread, almost 10 years old and still going! It inspired me to pick up my own Hellfighter even if it is a sad one. I know there have been lots of mods to these but I'm considering going LED



The only advantage I see in modifying a Hellfighter to LED is having enough room inside for the batteries. 

That light looks like one that sat on an auction site a long time ago. If it works, run it as a HID light until it goes toes up.


----------



## Enderman

NoNotAgain said:


> The only advantage I see in modifying a Hellfighter to LED is having enough room inside for the batteries.
> 
> That light looks like one that sat on an auction site a long time ago. If it works, run it as a HID light until it goes toes up.


With switching to LED you can get more throw and more lumens without needing an external ballast.


----------



## NoNotAgain

Enderman said:


> With switching to LED you can get more throw and more lumens without needing an external ballast.



No external ballast required. It's a complete light system, minus the battery. 

Before you discount the HID Hellfighter, you need to use one. The Hellfighter lights up the area 15-25 yards in front of you to around 500 yards. It's not like a thrower led that only emits light in a hotspot. 

The light the OP was asking about might be one of the earlier versions with the orange peel reflector. If that's the case, it's not going to be a super thrower.


----------



## Enderman

NoNotAgain said:


> No external ballast required. It's a complete light system, minus the battery.
> 
> Before you discount the HID Hellfighter, you need to use one. The Hellfighter lights up the area 15-25 yards in front of you to around 500 yards. It's not like a thrower led that only emits light in a hotspot.
> 
> The light the OP was asking about might be one of the earlier versions with the orange peel reflector. If that's the case, it's not going to be a super thrower.


1) I have the same light, I posted about mine not far above in this thread. I know exactly how it performs and I have used it up to 1km 

2) If you wanted more throw and lumens, you would need to upgrade the 30W HID to a 75 or 100W HID, and I have done a ton of research on this, it would be impossible to fit one of those larger high power ballasts inside the light.
Even if you went with one of the super compact and expensive ones from xevision.

3) The "thrower LED" that emits light in only the hotspot is called an "aspheric lens flashlight". It is the use of a lens that allows light to only go to the hotspot.
If he wants usable spill just like the stock Hellfire, he can use an LED+reflector to get the same effect, but with more lumens and throw.

4) The XHP70 or 70.2 will about 2x the lumens as the Hellfire's bulb, however it will require some better cooling since it will run much hotter.


----------



## NoNotAgain

Enderman said:


> 1) I have the same light, I posted about mine not far above in this thread. I know exactly how it performs and I have used it up to 1km
> 
> 3) The "thrower LED" that emits light in only the hotspot is called an "aspheric lens flashlight". It is the use of a lens that allows light to only go to the hotspot.
> If he wants usable spill just like the stock Hellfire, he can use an LED+reflector to get the same effect, but with more lumens and throw.
> 
> 4) The XHP70 or 70.2 will about 2x the lumens as the Hellfire's bulb, however it will require some better cooling since it will run much hotter.



I haven't used my Hellfighter 1's further than 500 yards. My Hellfighter 4 is good to around 700 yards. It's useable light not the ANSI BS, 1 lumen on target crap. 

I own #1 of the Rev Victor Enthusiast and a few other of Mike Johnson's creations. They're neat lights, but far from being a light I'd use for a search and rescue type of event. 

The Olight SR92 or SR95, the Nitecore TM36, I do consider super thrower LED lights. IMO, they're a more useable light.


----------



## Genna

Has anyone tried it or already done, to use a HellFighter as a boat lamp or only attach on it?


----------



## illuminate

I'm about to get my third HF and now it is time to work on some issues from the past! 
1. Pouch for the HF:
I can not find a perfectly fitting pouch for the HF. I ended up with an universal neoprene wrap for cameras. Ugly but usable. 
Do you have other suggestions? I want something milspec and maybe with MOLLE. 

2. I want to modify the UH-01C Kit to use it in a 12V car socket. 
I might just solder a connector suitable to the battery connector to a car socket to give the HF enough juice. But would that work? I don't want do modify the cable.


----------



## Genna




----------



## NoNotAgain

Genna said:


>



A Surefire UDR, a Hellfighter1, and a Hellfighter4. Nice collection. 

Now you need the cable for the Hellfighter4 that gives you low, high and strobe functions.


----------



## Genna

NoNotAgain said:


> A Surefire UDR, a Hellfighter1, and a Hellfighter4. Nice collection.
> 
> Now you need the cable for the Hellfighter4 that gives you low, high and strobe functions.



Many thanks! I'd also prefer the cable rather than the 24V-12V slave adapter and the HFM-10 T-Slot rail adapter, but I'm very grateful and happy about that I get a HF4. 

Now I will have to look for the indispensable cable and maybe sell the other two superfluous things (for me). Maybe I find a SF hard shell case for HellFighter too.


----------



## Timothybil

illuminate said:


> 2. I want to modify the UH-01C Kit to use it in a 12V car socket.
> I might just solder a connector suitable to the battery connector to a car socket to give the HF enough juice. But would that work? I don't want do modify the cable.


How much current does a Hellfighter draw? The power socket (can't call them cigarette lighters any more, that ist verbotten!) on every vehicle has a fuse to protect against shorts, etc. IIRC, most are around 5 amps. Will that be enough to fire up that bad boy?


----------



## Enderman

Timothybil said:


> How much current does a Hellfighter draw? The power socket (can't call them cigarette lighters any more, that ist verbotten!) on every vehicle has a fuse to protect against shorts, etc. IIRC, most are around 5 amps. Will that be enough to fire up that bad boy?


Mine used a bit more than 3A. Definitely less than 4.


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## Timothybil

Timothybil said:


> How much current does a Hellfighter draw? The power socket (can't call them cigarette lighters any more, that ist verbotten!) on every vehicle has a fuse to protect against shorts, etc. IIRC, most are around 5 amps. Will that be enough to fire up that bad boy?





Enderman said:


> Mine used a bit more than 3A. Definitely less than 4.


Nice to know!


----------



## XeRay

Timothybil said:


> How much current does a Hellfighter draw? The power socket (can't call them cigarette lighters any more, that ist verbotten!) on every vehicle has a fuse to protect against shorts, etc. IIRC, most are around 5 amps. Will that be enough to fire up that bad boy?



The initial inrush current can be double and for some faster warmup HID ballasts possibly even 3X.
In a 12/14VDC system we recommend 10 amp breaker or fuse (you might even want "slow blow" type fuses if you get an occasional nuisance blown fuse.
Remember fuses and breakers are meant to ONLY protect the wiring from fires so make sure to use adequate wire sizing.


----------



## illuminate

Quick question:
Can I use an Amphenol MS3116F14-5S instead of the PT06E-14-5S? 
The plug looks different but the connector looks the same.


----------



## HIDSGT

I think its comical how under powered these are vs. how over priced and heavy they are. a whopping 3000 lumens at only 10 lbs smh lol on sale for only $6000!!!! I guess they are classics tho.


----------



## Enderman

HIDSGT said:


> I think its comical how under powered these are vs. how over priced and heavy they are. a whopping 3000 lumens at only 10 lbs smh lol on sale for only $6000!!!! I guess they are classics tho.


It's almost as if there are other things that matter that aren't just lumens!!11!1! WOW!!1!


----------



## NoNotAgain

HIDSGT said:


> I think its comical how under powered these are vs. how over priced and heavy they are. a whopping 3000 lumens at only 10 lbs smh lol on sale for only $6000!!!! I guess they are classics tho.



Overpriced is relative term. There aren't many HID lights that have gone through the military approval process which adds to the price. I'd never have reason to mount a light to a M2, 20mm recoilless rifle or 40mm launcher. If I did, I'm sure the Hellfighter would function just fine. 

10 pounds weight? Hellfighter 1 lights bare are maybe 3.5 pounds. Only style cables add weight and so does having two BB2590 or 5590 batteries. 

I don't know how Surefire is treating customers now, but they've completely gone through 3 of my lights replacing seals, gaskets and a battery on my Hellfighter 4 light for the price of shipping. 

I'm unaware of any other company that offers the service that Surefire did for purchasers of used lighting equipment. 

I couldn't get Xeononics to sell me a battery for my Night Hunter 1 that I purchased new 2 years earlier.


----------



## XeRay

NoNotAgain said:


> I couldn't get Xeononics to sell me a battery for my Night Hunter 1 that I purchased new 2 years earlier.



They (Xenonics) are gone now about a year, maybe more.


----------



## NoNotAgain

XeRay said:


> They (Xenonics) are gone now about a year, maybe more.



Ray, I understand that. They underwent a few legal name changes before failing to garner a major military contract. Then they went bust. 

I purchased my Night Hunter just prior to them switching over to NiMH batteries which only happened for a year before the lithium battery was made standard. 

Their customer service was the pits. When I called about the lead acid 20v battery, they told me they only get them in once a year. I ended up making a pack with 18650 lithium cells as well as getting a RC hobby pack.


----------



## Timothybil

HIDSGT said:


> I think its comical how under powered these are vs. how over priced and heavy they are. a whopping 3000 lumens at only 10 lbs smh lol on sale for only $6000!!!! I guess they are classics tho.


There are many factors that go into coming up with a price. In the case of the Hellfighter, first would be making the entire light rugged enough to stand up under battlefield conditions when mounted on the guns it is designed for. Greater cost for parts and a great deal of development cost to test all the permutations. Next big cost factor is convincing the government that it will perform as specified. If you have never looked into what it takes to get something MIL-SPEC certified, do so. It is very interesting. Remember the fuss over $400 hammers a few years ago? Some idiot slapped a MIL-SPEC requirement on a procurement for a regular hammer, and the extra cost of complying is what drove the cost that high. Third, and probably just as important, is Surefire's warranty service. If you happen to fumble finger mounting your Hellfighter on your Ma Deuce while in convoy and the track behind you runs over it, Surefire will still replace it, no questions asked. Then tell me they are overpriced.

Personally, if I am out there on the pointy end of the stick, I would gladly pay whatever it takes to make sure my equipment is going to work 'first time - every time' if I am going to bet my life on it.


----------



## Phylodog

Thread resurrection time!

I recently purchased a Hellfighter in very good condition and I'm excited to finally have one after lusting years ago. I had an adapter made to attach it to my rifle tripod and I plan to use this setup with the IR filter to put some coyotes down with it.

I have an Amphenol connector coming tomorrow so I can get started on a power cord. I was wondering if anyone happens to know the model number of the female Amphenol connector that would plug in to the male? I'd like to have a short cord where I can use the Hellfighter as a handheld spotlight from my truck and a much longer cord I could use to get the rifle/tripod/Hellfighter setup a ways away from a 12v source.

Here's a few pics of my setup:


----------



## bound

I made an analysis of the types and quantities of HELLFIRE and HELLFIGHTER based on the information I could find for your reference. If there are any errors in the data and contents, please let me know and I will correct them.
1. The date of products is illustrated in the picture. For example, HELLFIRE Prototype V1 and V2 are respectively labeled as prototypes (unmass-produced products). HELLFIRE and HELLFIGHTER for mass production also use V+ number to mark the order of production.
2. The yellow arrows in the picture indicate the differences of products of different ages.
3. As for the quantity of products in different ages, I calculated it, especially the quantity of the first generation HELLFIRE. HELLFIGHTER starts out fairly accurately.
4. The table illustrates the differences of products in different ages.
5. The types and quantities of HELLFIGHTER 4 and HELLFIGHTER 5 are not counted in the pictures and tables.
I hope that through the analysis of the product model and the production quantity of each model, I can fully understand its situation. This information is not very practical, but for a lover, it is part of the hobby. What's more, we love them, so we should learn more about them, which will become part of our fun.




No cooling ring





5 cooling rings





5 cooling rings





HELLFIRE V1 5 cooling rings





HELLFIRE V2 6 cooling rings





HELLFIGHTER V1 6 cooling rings





HELLFIRE V2 6 cooling rings




HELLFIGHTER V3 6 cooling rings


----------



## chartmarker

Hello Good people, any of you know where one might find parts for the Hellfighter? I'm looking for the part shown in the last pic posted shown with arrow # 3, the front mounting ring.



bound said:


> I made an analysis of the types and quantities of HELLFIRE and HELLFIGHTER based on the information I could find for your reference. If there are any errors in the data and contents, please let me know and I will correct them.
> 1. The date of products is illustrated in the picture. For example, HELLFIRE Prototype V1 and V2 are respectively labeled as prototypes (unmass-produced products). HELLFIRE and HELLFIGHTER for mass production also use V+ number to mark the order of production.
> 2. The yellow arrows in the picture indicate the differences of products of different ages.
> 3. As for the quantity of products in different ages, I calculated it, especially the quantity of the first generation HELLFIRE. HELLFIGHTER starts out fairly accurately.
> 4. The table illustrates the differences of products in different ages.
> 5. The types and quantities of HELLFIGHTER 4 and HELLFIGHTER 5 are not counted in the pictures and tables.
> I hope that through the analysis of the product model and the production quantity of each model, I can fully understand its situation. This information is not very practical, but for a lover, it is part of the hobby. What's more, we love them, so we should learn more about them, which will become part of our fun.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No cooling ring
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 5 cooling rings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 5 cooling rings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HELLFIRE V1 5 cooling rings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HELLFIRE V2 6 cooling rings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HELLFIGHTER V1 6 cooling rings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HELLFIRE V2 6 cooling rings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HELLFIGHTER V3 6 cooling rings


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## sledhead

Can anyone see the pictures?


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## chartmarker

Well they were there when I post my question, I'm looking for the ring on the front of light that holds the filter ring.


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## zemperfi

Finally we are seeing these Hellfighters coming in at a supercheap price point. Can't believe the prices I am seeing. They are still indeed worth having. Love playing with mine. Thanks guys for all the information over the years


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## jamesmtl514

This is the definite guide and resource for everything Hellfire / Hellfighter

I still take mine out about one or two times a year to stretch Its legs. Usually when someone asks me what my brightest light is. 

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk


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## StrongWise

I have a surefire for sale. I'm flexible with the price. If interested, i'll attach pictures


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## desert.snake

I wonder if anyone knows why the 12 pin connector?
Definitely, power should be supplied to 2 of the 4 central ones, now we need to determine which

I came across a similar thing in power plants, sometimes there is a connector like a bendix for 40 ~ 60 contacts and only 30-40% are involved in them, the rest are empty, maybe it's the same here? Or is there an opportunity to run SOS, various strobe lights or weaker modes? Although I doubt it

This connector MS3116P14-12S Amphenol.


Spoiler: MS3116P14-12S




Specification:MIL-DTL-26482Sealing:SealedShielding:YesConnector Type:CircularConnector Style:PlugMounting Type:CableContacts, # of:12Contact Style:SocketTermination Method:SolderInsert Arrangement:14-12Contact Size:8#20, 4#16Contacts Supplied:YesContact Material:Copper AlloyContact Plating:GoldShell Material:Aluminum AlloyShell Plating:Olive Drab CadmiumShell Color:Olive DrabInsert Material:NeopreneGrommet & Seals Material:NeopreneAmperage Rating:13A & 22AOperating Voltage AC V RMS Max:600Operating Temperature °F (°C):-67 to +257 (-55 to +125)Contact Mating Life:500Insert Rotation/Keying:NormalOperating Voltage DC:850Orientation:StraightService Rating:IEndbell Type:Potting CupExport Class:EAR / EAR99RoHS:No




Or someone changed the standard 5-pin connector to this


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## desert.snake

I found another HF owner on a local forum, he also has a 12-pin connector, which means SF made them for some specific purpose. Perhaps there is a weak mode for 1000 lm, and other types of strobe lights. I think we need to solder all 12 wires and close them in different combinations.

I decided to solder 4 wires for now, I use the power supply from the LED monitor ADPC12416BB 12V 4.16A, while I found only a stroboscope on terminals K and M or am I mistaken and the power supply from the computer monitor simply does not have enough power?


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## thermal guy

That’s a military connector. I believe most of these were used by the military/government. Maybe ?


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## desert.snake

thermal guy said:


> That’s a military connector. I believe most of these were used by the military/government. Maybe ?


In all SF catalogs, and here on the forum, I see only 5-pin connectors. On the SF website, cords are also sold with only 5 pins. Perhaps I missed something, while there remains a way to iterate over the pins to determine what they turn on and off. In my opinion, 5 pins are better for the military connector, they are thicker and more reliable than the 8 thin pins in this connector, although the other 4 pins seem to have the same diameter. Although I know some soldiers, it's better for them to have 2 connectors with 1 very thick pin, and one connector is larger than the other, so as not to mix it up. And it will be harder to break

Something cleared up, I ordered a suitable power supply, it will be necessary to find out how all the other 10 pins are combined. It seems that the trapezoid icon on the connector seems to indicate minus or ground


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## XeRay

desert.snake said:


> I found another HF owner on a local forum, he also has a 12-pin connector, which means SF made them for some specific purpose. Perhaps there is a weak mode for 1000 lm, and other types of strobe lights. I think we need to solder all 12 wires and close them in different combinations.
> 
> I decided to solder 4 wires for now, I use the power supply from the LED monitor ADPC12416BB 12V 4.16A, while I found only a stroboscope on terminals K and M or am I mistaken and the power supply from the computer monitor simply does not have enough power?



Strobing is bad for HID unless its fully warmed up first (say about 30 seconds on initially), then not so bad. I dont believe they had a dual power output on these, either on or off. Strobing is caused by the inadequate power supply, momentary inrush current is at least double or more of steady stare power requirements.


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## desert.snake

XeRay said:


> Strobing is bad for HID unless its fully warmed up first (say about 30 seconds on initially), then not so bad. I dont believe they had a dual power output on these, either on or off. Strobing is caused by the inadequate power supply, momentary inrush current is at least double or more of steady stare power requirements.


Yes, you are absolutely right, this flickering turned out to be due to a weak power supply. I connected a powerful unit for 12V 10A, tried all combinations of wires, only one works between pins K and M. That is, it is a standard HF with 1 operating mode but with 12 pin connector


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## XeRay

desert.snake said:


> Yes, you are absolutely right, this flickering turned out to be due to a weak power supply. I connected a powerful unit for 12V 10A, tried all combinations of wires, only one works between pins K and M. That is, it is a standard HF with 1 operating mode but with 12 pin connector


Makes no sense they would use a connector with so many pins, you could slightly remove the connector from the light just enough to see only 2 active wires inside the connector actually serving the light.


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## desert.snake

XeRay said:


> Makes no sence they would use a connector with so many pins, you could slightly remove the connector from the light just enough to see only 2 active wires inside the connector actually serving the light.


Yes, but for now it also makes no sense, since there is no spare 5-pin connector. There is also a 3 wire there, when the lamp is on, if it is closed to "-" it turns off the lamp until it is disconnected


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## desert.snake

I figured out the wire. Now everything is working properly


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