# HID DIY Mod, Peak Halogen



## kramer5150 (Jan 9, 2010)

That little wal-mart stanley is a total gateway drug!! I love that thing, its so convenient with its low mode LEDs too. So its not just all bout lumen blasting (but for the most part... it really is).

I now have entered DIY HIDs... and oh man what a rush!! Anyone who's dabbled into LED mods, Surefire legos, mag ROPs... owes it to themself to dip into the HID pool. Honestly its MUCH more rewarding. The amount of work is the same but... the rewards are 1000s of lumens and enough lux to throw a beam a mile up in the sky.

Thanks to all the regulars here in this sub-forum, with all your advice I am almost finished with my project.:thumbsup: I just need to add the 12AH cell... 144 Watts:twothumbs

Before the mod:






After mod:
I put the ballast on the outside of the light. It doesn't look as nice but I think this will help keep it cool, and this will help free up space inside for the 12AH SLA cell that will replace the OEM one.





Ignition is controlled by a 20A automotive accessory switch. The middle 3-way switch doesn't do anything, but the bottom switch still activates the 3LED lamp on top. The HID kit is 100% plug & play. So technically I could have just plugged everything into the OEM control panel and that would have worked. But, I wanted to add a fuse between the ballast and B+ for added safety and peace of mind, and I don't really trust the OEM switch.










Heres the charge port. Just a deans plug and some 12AWG, power coming from a hobby charger.


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## get-lit (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Congratulations! But seriously, it took you four thousand posts to finally see the light? lovecpf


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## big vin (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

I tink that that ballast actually looks kinda neat!


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## danjoo (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Nice so far, what light colour und power did you chew?

Is the ballast modded? 


Daniel


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## Parker VH (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Beamshots, Beamshots, Beamshots!!!!!!!!!!:twothumbs


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## hyperloop (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



Parker VH said:


> Beamshots, Beamshots, Beamshots!!!!!!!!!!:twothumbs



+1000


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## bogeymachine (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*


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## Patriot (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Very cool, and I also think the ballast looks pretty cool on the outside like that.


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## kramer5150 (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Thanks gents.
Its a stock 55W ballast. I am a little hesitant to overclock it after reading how another member poof'd his (same kit from the same www retailer). Color is 5000. Its not as pale white as I was expecting, theres a fair bit of yellow/amber, which is to my liking.

I will try and get some beamshots tonight. Hardest part is shimming the bulb, I am still playing around with that. I currently have the bulb shimmed 9mm deeper into the light. Without the shim its like a mag incan on flood, with the doughnut hole.


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## hotgrips (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Do you have a link to more details of your modified 10kk light. My son is fascinated with light and I wanted to introduce him to what you can do with it thru a father-son build project.

thanks.:twothumbs


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## kramer5150 (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

I don't have any build up pics, but heres some pics of what I have thus far. Electrically the HID system is in parallel with the OEM circuit switch board on the side wall. That way I retain use of the LED light and 12V lighter socket. I removed the charger circuit though.

The large black thing with the orange wires is the fuse holder. Its an automotive blade fuse.









I made the shim out of 26 gage steel. Cut the steel into stips, in my case 7, 8, 9mm wide debur them thoroughly and coil them up so they form a uniform cylinder. I dont have a pic of it, but the shim drops into the bulb socket and positions the bulb. I have it at 9mm thick now, but I may change that if I can tighten the beam up further.













Heres how I clip the bulb into the socket, two paper clips bent to shape. The 9mm thick shim is pictured.









Its almost pointless to white wall hunt with these, but here's all I have. The room was fully lit with ambient sunlight at the time of this shot. All cam settings set to auto. The room appears dark because the camera is adjusted to the HID output.
Left = ROP-High with KD smooth reflector
Middle = Peak 55W-HID-5000k
Right = Stanley HID, output set to hi.





**EDIT**
One more thing... if your halogen host uses an H4 bulb, make sure you get an HID kit that has a removable shield. _Not all H4 HID lamp shields can be removed._ This piece is not needed, its used in automotive applications to block light from blinding oncoming traffic. But in our case, we want light to be emitted symmetrically around the bulb.





I just bent the metal tabs and pulled it off.


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## hotgrips (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

:thanks:THANKS for sending the photos, they help.


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## elumen8 (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Hey Kramer-MacGyver-Imahara, you got sucked into HIDs fast. Nice pics of your first HID mod.

How heavy is the 12AH SLA compared to the original cell?

I also like the look of the ballast on the outside. How hot does that ballast enclosure get?

-JB


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## Norm (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

I'm using this battery ZIPPY Flightmax 5000mAh far more usable energy than a similar sized SLA battery, even though the battery is only 5 Ah I get much longer runtime than a 7 Ah SLA. The best part the battery only weighs 400 Grams, I've cut the total weight of my HID in half.
.
Norm


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## kramer5150 (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



elumen8 said:


> Hey Kramer-MacGyver-Imahara, you got sucked into HIDs fast. Nice pics of your first HID mod.
> 
> How heavy is the 12AH SLA compared to the original cell?
> 
> ...



I think the 12AH cell is 2x heavier. The one I am looking at is 9 Lbs. Norms idea would be best though. I could get 2 or 3 and wire them up parallel for 10-15AH. But that would put my total investment at ~$250-300. Total investment with with the 12AH SLA is $160. Ballast remains very cold, just barely warmer than ambient conditions. PM me if you wanted to meet up some time. This is not for the weight conscious EDC crowd... better bulk up for the next San Jose night hike!!


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## Patriot (Jan 9, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Very nice fabrication work there sir! :twothumbs


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## elumen8 (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



kramer5150 said:


> I think the 12AH cell is 2x heavier. The one I am looking at is 9 Lbs. Norms idea would be best though. I could get 2 or 3 and wire them up parallel for 10-15AH. But that would put my total investment at ~$250-300. Total investment with with the 12AH SLA is $160. Ballast remains very cold, just barely warmer than ambient conditions. PM me if you wanted to meet up some time. This is not for the weight conscious EDC crowd... better bulk up for the next San Jose night hike!!


 
Thanks for the info. We'll meet up after I start on a project I've been thinking about since after you mentioned the Pelican external battery set-up...imagine Ghostbusters meets HID. All the weight of the battery cells, ballast etc in an enclosure that can be placed into a fanny pack or backpack tethered to a light-weight handheld host. A night hike big lens HID.

-JB


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## kramer5150 (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



elumen8 said:


> Thanks for the info. We'll meet up after I start on a project I've been thinking about since after you mentioned the Pelican external battery set-up...imagine Ghostbusters meets HID. All the weight of the battery cells, ballast etc in an enclosure that can be placed into a fanny pack or backpack tethered to a light-weight handheld host. A night hike big lens HID.
> 
> -JB



I thought about going this route too, for my coleman spotlight. You should be aware that the ballast sends ~25000 Volts to the HID bulb. What that means is you need to take extra precautions if you need to splice, re-terminate and extend the wires between the ballast and bulb. The typical solder + heatshtrink procedures we normally do for 12V setups *_may_* turn your HID into a stun-gun. Video example here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPe-n1MDkUQ

At least my HID kit, only had a couple feet of wire. I would definitely need to splice and extend the wires in such an application.


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## elumen8 (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



kramer5150 said:


> The typical solder + heatshtrink procedures we normally do for 12V setups will turn your HID into a stun-gun.


 
Thanks for the heads up. I've played with ballasts to create small Jacob's Ladders with climbing electrical arcs, but I never thought about the arcing issue when putting together an HID project. You probably saved me from a truly shocking experience. 

-JB


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## BVH (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



kramer5150 said:


> I thought about going this route too, for my coleman spotlight. You should be aware that the ballast sends ~25000 Volts to the HID bulb. What that means is you need to take extra precautions if you need to splice, re-terminate and extend the wires between the ballast and bulb. The typical solder + heatshtrink procedures we normally do for 12V setups will turn your HID into a stun-gun.



In the beginning, I took great care to buy 30 KV rated, 20 awg, silicone wire for making my high Voltage splices. I soldered them together and bought and used 25 KV rated shrink tube to finish off the soldered splice. 

Yesterday, I experimented a bit. I still used the rated wire but simply used a Beldon brand butt connector (crimped with Beldon pliers - so no bare spots in the hard plastic insulation) and then I used 2 layers of conventional shrink tube over the butt connector. While I did not test with touching the splices, I put them together and fired up the ballast. No arcing or starting issues.


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## kramer5150 (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



BVH said:


> In the beginning, I took great care to buy 30 KV rated, 20 awg, silicone wire for making my high Voltage splices. I soldered them together and bought and used 25 KV rated shrink tube to finish off the soldered splice.
> 
> Yesterday, I experimented a bit. I still used the rated wire but simply used a Beldon brand butt connector (crimped with Beldon pliers - so no bare spots in the hard plastic insulation) and then I used 2 layers of conventional shrink tube over the butt connector. While I did not test with touching the splices, I put them together and fired up the ballast. No arcing or starting issues.



interesting... Even though it didn't actually arc do you think it has an increased likelihood of arcing? Do you think the safety factor is reduced compared to your other safer wire junctions?


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## BVH (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

In this particular case, there are a total of 4 splices and they are all housed within another 1/4" of plastic so I'm not concerned. If you look at the total wall thickness of the typical Amp brand of HID bulb connector, they are no thicker than the beldon/dual layer shrink tube connector assembly.


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## liteitup (Jan 10, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

in a table top test i used just regular old shrink wrap and have had no arcing issues. now i wouldnt recommend this on a full install but i wanted to see if one layer of shrink wrap would work and it seems it did. didnt have any arcing issues.. while the initial voltage is very high, there is very little amperage on the spike to push it through is what im thinking.

when i changed the bulb on my stanley i reused the gray plastic enclosures(helps with separation..) along with the shrink wrap and everything works great.


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## kramer5150 (Jan 11, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Great investigative work gents, thanks.

I went out tonight and took some shots... All pics taken with fixed ISO-100, Nikon point & shoot. Notice the fair amount of light pollution.

Building at 50 yards

Control






ROP 3853 High, 2x26650, KD Smooth reflector, set for max throw





Stanley HID, output set to high





Peak 10MCP DIY, 55W-5000k





Building at 150 yards

Control





ROP 3853 High, 2x26650, KD Smooth reflector, set for max throw





Stanley HID, output set to high





Peak 10MCP DIY, 55W-5000k


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## csshih (Jan 11, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*

Aw man... Jealousy abounds!!

I see you're making good use of the hobby charger 
..an I just realized.. The sla I have sitting on my desk is 18Ah (12 of course)

Muahahha!!


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## kramer5150 (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



csshih said:


> Aw man... Jealousy abounds!!
> 
> I see you're making good use of the hobby charger
> ..an I just realized.. The sla I have sitting on my desk is 18Ah (12 of course)
> ...



LOL you have ~1/3 of a car battery sitting on your desk!!?. Where did you get it? are there B&M stores near us that sell SLA cells (besides Frys)?

thx Craig, this charger rocks!!
G


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## Locoboy5150 (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely into HIDs!, Beamshots Added*

Guys, I saw and experienced Kramer5150's DIY HID tonight for the very first time.

HOLY MOLY!

It *completely* blew my mind. Considering how much the total project cost, it really wasn't all that expensive either if you compare it to modified flashlights that have expensive drop-in upgrades and don't throw anywhere near as far.

It makes my Fenix TK40 seem wimpy...seriously! 

Argh...now I'm thinking about a similar project.


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## csshih (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



kramer5150 said:


> LOL you have ~1/3 of a car battery sitting on your desk!!?.


says the one with a overload of of 18650s on his desk...HA!
errrr, uhmm.. I also have 2 sharpening systems (lansky, sharpmaker), an oscilloscope, a lightbox.. :duh2:

speaking of sharpening systems.. how sharp were you able to get that spyderco? I wasn't able to get that edge really up to snuff with the sharpmaker as it needed re-profiling.... the lansky diamond stones I got last week come into play here!
oops.. OT. the sla came from my robotics club.. we have an overstock of old ones. though, I believe the room was cleaned out lately. I wonder how long a dropin hooked up to that thing will last  I gotta find funds to make a backpack HID. must....

huh.. 2 5150's in this thread, are you 2 related?


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## awid (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely into HIDs!, Beamshots Added*

Good lawd that's a beamshot! Makes the Stanley look silly.

Build up pics would be amazing for those of us not so electronically savvy.


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## Cosmo7809 (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely into HIDs!, Beamshots Added*

Kramer, looks really good! 

I too am starting to get into HID's.(only have a POB, but want the Stanley)


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## Patriot (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely into HIDs!, Beamshots Added*

Nice work with the beamshots kramer. I see that you're an old pro at this stuff. Great looking beamshape and performance from your creation. I like the color of the beam as well. Thanks again for the step by step process and great pictures.


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## Locoboy5150 (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely sucked into HIDs!!!*



csshih said:


> huh.. 2 5150's in this thread, are you 2 related?



We're brothers. (He's 2 years older than me.) We're also die hard Van Halen fans, hence the "5150." He's a family guy with kids now, so I'm not sure if he's as into VH as I still am. The only "kid" that I have to worry about is my Sting Ray.


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## kramer5150 (Jan 12, 2010)

*Re: Completely into HIDs!, Beamshots Added*



csshih said:


> says the one with a overload of of 18650s on his desk...HA!
> errrr, uhmm.. I also have 2 sharpening systems (lansky, sharpmaker), an oscilloscope, a lightbox.. :duh2:
> 
> speaking of sharpening systems.. how sharp were you able to get that spyderco? I wasn't able to get that edge really up to snuff with the sharpmaker as it needed re-profiling.... the lansky diamond stones I got last week come into play here!
> ...



Spyderco is still pretty dull, no fault of the blade its more my inability to sharpen.

backpack HID would be nice.

Yes we are brothers. You'll meet him some day at a bay area CPF meet. AFIAK his TK40 and teralux 3LED mag-D drop in are the only ones in the bay area.



awid said:


> Good lawd that's a beamshot! Makes the Stanley look silly.
> 
> Build up pics would be amazing for those of us not so electronically savvy.



Thanks!! Yeah, no knock against the Stanley or the TK40, they're both beasts in their own right.



Cosmo7809 said:


> Kramer, looks really good!
> 
> I too am starting to get into HID's.(only have a POB, but want the Stanley)



Outside of the form factor. I don't think the stanley would represent much of a step up form the POB. They''re both cool tint 35W HIDs. The GREAT thing about the stanley is its fast warmup times, being that it hits the lamp with ~50W upon cold start.



Patriot said:


> Nice work with the beamshots kramer. I see that you're an old pro at this stuff. Great looking beamshape and performance from your creation. I like the color of the beam as well. Thanks again for the step by step process and great pictures.



Thanks!! Actually this was my first HID build, HID-noob for sure. I pretty much copied what others had done on their builds. Yeah, 5000k has quite a bit of yellow, more than I was expecting.



Locoboy5150 said:


> We're brothers. (He's 2 years older than me.) We're also die hard Van Halen fans, hence the "5150." He's a family guy with kids now, so I'm not sure if he's as into VH as I still am. The only "kid" that I have to worry about is my Sting Ray.



Yes were brothers... I feel sorry for our parents. I'm an EVH fan... even though his best work is in his past. He's more into his son now, which I can completely relate too.

Another key point that I haven't mentioned, make SURE your mod host has a metal reflector and glass lens. Many of the 6V spotlights I have seen use plastic lenses and reflectors, which are at risk of melting. I don't have first hand experience with them all, but my speculation is that many of the 100W Halogen hosts have metal reflectors and glass windows. The latter is not really that big of a deal, since you can get custom fabricators to cut glass for you for a $$$.


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