# 36 inch Gorilla



## LightSward

*4,000 watt HMI addition to the Gorilla soon. *
(Sneak Preview) Here is a quick look at the Searchlight when half finished, using only a 100watt HID bulb. Eventually I did Upgrade to a 1200 watt HMI with the help of the IgnITEor.
*Frenchman Mtn Beam Shots*






























36 inch Goriilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining about 2/3rds the way up Frenchman Mountain, north of the aviation beacon near the top of the peak. (many people call all of this Mt., range Sunrise Mountain, which is actually another mountain peak to the North, ). the Beam Spot is located nearly a mile away on this part of the mountain, The mountain towers over two thousand feet higher above the ground the searchlight is located on. 

A few weeks later I was photographed to the North West of Las Vegas, at the Local Ski Resort, thirty minutes away.

*LightSward inspecting the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight*





























Here I am checking on the 100 watt HID, 36 inch Gorilla's focus at Mummy Mountain and Ridge, over a mile away. I need to adjust the 'focus', it seems to be focused at about the half mile point here, and spreads a little, as it reaches over a mile in length to target. The light is competing with a nearly Full Moon, which helps light up the surrounding landscape. 


*
Here is the Gorilla with a 700 watt HMI short arc HID*





 


Here is the Gorilla with a *1200 watt HMI w*ith the help of IgNITEor:
Here is waht the Gorilla now looks like with a 1200 watt HMI installed!!!



Strange perspective, top part of photo was taken looking nearly straight up, of cloud a mile and half up. The beam curves overhead like the Luxor Light in Las Vegas....Totally Awesome!






*Video of Gorilla Panning a news helicopter*
*CLICK IMAGE FOR PANNING VIDEO OF THE GORILLA* with old 600 watt regular HID
The 36 inch wide Gorilla searchlight is seen advertising it's new look, by shining over the Hill Billy Film Studio Back Lot and Portland area. 



Video of Gorilla Panning the night sky when a news helicopter flew over several times. Many people were drawn to the "Gorilla". 



*Gorilla as seen from the Production Studio* with 600 watt regular HID





























Gorilla Panning the Portland Night Sky from the back lot of the Production Studio location of many Portland Movie projects. The Gorilla, with it's soft, eye pleasing beam, blends in nicely with the Portland, Oregon culture. 


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 I am improving and upgrading my two successful searchlights; the 24 inch LightSward and the 50 inch Monster, on an ongoing basis. I have learned much creating these fun lights. I will be obtaining a 1000 watt or higher medium to small arc length HID set up soon and will use it in each light.:candle::laughing:


*3-D CAD view of proposed 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight*





























This view shows the basic layout of the spherical and parabolic reflectors of the 36 inch wide, 14 inch deep Gorilla. 



This leads me to my next announcement: The creation of the *36" Gorilla*! The Gorilla is a combination of the 24 inch LightSward deep parabolic reflector and the 50 inch Monster parabolic mirror.

The 24 inch LightSward is very efficient and good at creating a concentrated narrow beam. The 50 inch Monster is good at focusing and directing light a long distance. :twothumbs The 36 inch Gorilla will combine the best of both these lights. Priority will be on producing an accurate and flaw free surface that has a very glass like surface. I'd like to use the mirror paint mentioned in the 50 inch thread.

I learned from these two lights, how critical the surface preparation is...the 24 inch and 50 inch reflectors had some surface irregularities that gave both reflectors a little bit of an orange peel reflection, kind of like a mirror with wrinkles. I now realize the "chrome tape" I have been using is responsible for much of this. I placed some of this on an actual mirror and it gave it an orange peel look. I will eventually re-surface these reflectors with mirror paint and/or build additional new ones.

The 36 inch Gorilla will be somewhat based on the "Tank Light". This won't be a quick build project, instead, I am going to spend much time designing and building this light. It will quite possibly take many months or more to make the 36 inch Gorilla.


*36 inch Gorilla Designer* showing actual dimensions used.




This is the basic initial 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight designer using basic geometric procedures. 



*3-D view of Double Ended 1000 watt bulb and spherical reflector*






















































This 3-D shaded view shows the 1000 watt HID double ended bulb being considered for the 36 inch Gorilla in front of the spherical reflector. 



*36 inch Gorilla CAD concept drawing* ..._This particular drawing is not an accurate parabolic depiction_












































































This is a basic Concept drawing of the 36 inch Gorilla 



*Wire frame view of proposed 36 inch Gorilla's spherical and parabolic reflectors*.





























This side view shows the basic layout of the Gorilla. 




This is the tentative design of the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight. This combines the best of the 24 inch LightSward and the 50 inch Monster into one super light!:candle:

Stay tuned...:tired:
*I apologize, but one of my photo hosts has unreliable and unstable links, (Facebook based), and this caused a large amount of my photos to vanish over he last few days. Apologize, but with all the photos I posted I'm not able to update all them do to a variety reasons, mostly time. *


© All rights reserved.


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## AlexGT

Here is the perfect body for that reflector! 





AlexGT


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## Mick

You could save yourself some time by finding an old Prime Star offset satellite dish. I expect they did a proper optical design. Then your problem would be the feed optics to properly illuminate the reflector. This reflector measures about 36 inches in diameter. I enjoy your threads ... thanks for sharing.


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## LightSward

AlexGT said:


> Here is the perfect body for that reflector!
> 
> AlexGT




That is a great looking light. I might need something slightly larger.


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## LightSward

Mick said:


> You could save yourself some time by finding an old Prime Star offset satellite dish. I expect they did a proper optical design. Then your problem would be the feed optics to properly illuminate the reflector. The reflector measures about 36 inches in diameter. I enjoy your threads ... thanks for sharing.




Thanks for the kind words.

I would like to have found one of those, satellite dishes, when I was building the "Monster". The design of the Gorilla, will have the light source closer to the reflector, to grab half the light from the bulb on one side and a spherical reflector to redirect the light from the back side of the light source, back towards the main reflector. This way I may get 75 percent or so of the light into the light beam. 

*3-D wire frame view of Searchlight*





























3-D wire view of the main components of the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight. Shows the spherical and parabolic reflectors along with the 1000 watt HID double ended bulb. 



I actually enjoy making as much stuff, from raw material, as I can. A friend of mine makes neon bulbs and I fantasize that one day I would even build my own bulbs. I have constructed crude ballast from raw steel plates I laminated and coil wire I pulled from an old T.V. Set raster magnet. I like making my own reflectors for now, because it gives me a lot of design control. 

I will keep an eye out for one of those dishes for future searchlights. They are 'optically' well designed, although there is a coating and/or material used on them which needs to be dealt with, to get a reflective surface to bond to it. Thanks for the idea.


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## LightSward

:naughty: I've been investigating various searchlights, and found my 24 inch and 50 inch searchlights are good designs. I've found many advantages to each design and am using a combination of both. Here are some more CAD design concepts.

:candle: :mecry: :thinking:  :wave: :tinfoil: 

*3-D wire view of Double Ended 1000 watt HID bulb and spherical reflector* *facing the main 36 inch reflector.*























































This 3-D wire view shows the 1000 watt HID double ended bulb, being considered, for the 36 inch Gorilla, in front of the spherical and, part of the, main reflectors.



*3-d shaded wire view of 36 inch Gorilla*





























This 3-D perspective view shows the 36 inch Searchlight.


*Front view of the proposed Gorilla*





























This Front View shows the 36 inch Searchlight as it may look pointed our way..


*1000 watt bulb and spherical reflector*





























This 3-D shaded view shows the 1000 watt HID double ended bulb, being considered, for the 36 inch Gorilla in front of the spherical reflector.




*
Here is a 900 hour 1000 watt bulb rated @ 110,000 lumens* 


 *Enlarge image*​ *Price: $138.35*


This is just one of many bulbs I'm considering.




*Here is another bulb*


*Manufacturer: *Osram Sylvania










*1000 watt HID ceramic pin base*

































$160.00, 10 mm arc gap, 1000 watt HID. 









*

Several good options.*

*Here are a couple typical Metal Halide 1000 watt ballast*. _For some bulbs a full electronic ballast is needed._









These are basic concepts I'm considering. *The total depth of the 36 inch Gorilla will only be about 14 inches; if I use one of the smaller dimensioned sized 1000 watt HID bulbs, (*_I__n these particular CAD drawings,__ I show the Gorilla, with an eight inch spherical reflector; which increases the Gorilla to an 18 inch depth_).

© All rights reserved.


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## PhantomPhoton

A 1kW HID!  Many thousands of lumens... tee hee hee.
Can't wait to see it in action in the coming months.


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## LightSward

PhantomPhoton said:


> A 1kW HID!  Many thousands of lumens... tee hee hee.
> Can't wait to see it in action in the coming months.



I really like this design. The other two lights came out well too. This one takes the good from each. 

It should be fun!:candle:lovecpf

(I just purchased a Gear Motor that takes the place of most of the bike panning mechanism used on the 24 inch LightSward. I still have to create some mechanical links and all to produce the desired motion, but at least I should be able to put the whole thing on the front seat of my car and not have to use the bike rack. The whole thing should have a nice compact look and be adaptable to the other Searchlights; ( 24 inch "LightSward" and the 36 inch "Gorilla", now in the design phase):thinking::twothumbs:candle::naughty:


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## LightSward

*Video of new rotating mechanism * (click image for video)



:candle:

Video of rotating mechanism that will be used on the 36 inch Gorilla. Many parts came from an old mechanism using bike parts. Eventually the bike wheel and coffee can will be replaced by actual gears.

I have many ideas on how I will build this 36 inch reflector. I have many factors I will examine to determine which method(s) will work best.


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## LightSward

:santa: I am experimenting with some design ideas and will photograph some of these as I actually do them. 

I have several spherical reflectors and bulb configurations I am testing at present. 

I also have some ideas to get a good reflector surface. :thumbsup:


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## LightSward

:tinfoil: I am beginning construction of the main reflector. I will be using a combination of techniques used with the 24 and 50 inch reflectors. I think this will be an awesome searchlight. It theoretically will capture almost 100 percent of the light, minus reflector(s) efficiencies. If I have the money, I will use the reflector mirror paint, (several hundred dollars for a pint), instead of the chrome mirror tape I have been using. 

I will start posting design and construction drawings, along with photos of the actual fabrication of the components.:candle::laughing:


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## led'sx1000's

would you be interested in some 5" round mirrors. i probably have a thousand of them, i don't know if they would fit the bill but i just thought maybe, if your interested in a turtle shell effect parabolic mirror. might be something else for you to experiment with. if you're interested they're free, just pay the shipping. i also have some 5x8" ovals if you're interested, same deal


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## Techjunkie

Hey, what kind of batteries will that thing take? :laughing:


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## kramer5150

:rock:


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## LightSward

Techjunkie said:


> Hey, what kind of batteries will that thing take? :laughing:




:laughing::candle::tinfoil: I may start with inexpensive sealed lead acid batteries, such as found in Cyclops, or use a bundle of lap top batteries with electronic regulator. :tired::huh::laughing:


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## LightSward

led'sx1000's said:


> would you be interested in some 5" round mirrors. i probably have a thousand of them, i don't know if they would fit the bill but i just thought maybe, if your interested in a turtle shell effect parabolic mirror. might be something else for you to experiment with. if you're interested they're free, just pay the shipping. i also have some 5x8" ovals if you're interested, same deal




Thanks for the offer. I may be able to use them for some light bounce experiments. My budget is very limited right now, so I can only afford small expenses right now. If you have those around for a while, I may be in a better position few months.:candle::wave:


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## LightSward

:welcome: Here are some beginning shots of the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight construction sequence.


*Profile screed cut out*





























The profile shape is plotted on a large printer from a CAD drawing that I designed. This is glued onto a suitable material and then precisely cut to form the reflector profile. 




*Profile screed almost complete*





























This is the reflector profile. Used to apply silicone cement to the Styrofoam rigid foam.


*Basic geometry skills required*





























Here the basic circular shapes are drawn on Styrofoam rigid foam, using basic geometric procedures.


*Styrofoam mold profile sections half finished*





























Styrofoam mold profile sections half finished. These will have more material removed and shaped to coincide with the profile screed.

*
Off to a good start. Hopefully this will be a great compliment to the 24 inch and 50 inch searchlights. *

*Stay Tuned :twothumbs

*© All rights reserved.


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## LightSward

:candle:

*Day two:*

*Modified and stacked Rigid Foam Mold Frame*





























Here the Rigid Foam has been layer stacked and profile screed positioned for Silicone Cement application.


*First layer of Silicone Cement applied*





























Here the first layer of many Silicone Cement layers is being applied using the profile screed.


*First Silicone Cement layer drying*





























The first layer of Silicone Cement is left to dry.

I am stoked! :thumbsup::twothumbs

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## ScottFHall

Wow: recognize! An utterly awesome project. Respect!


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## LightSward

ScottFHall said:


> Wow: recognize! An utterly awesome project. Respect!





:twothumbs *This is one heck of a fun project.*


Here are a few more photos of the project nearing a mile-stone.


*Final Silicone Cement surface applied*




Here the 36 inch Gorilla Reflector Mold receives the final Silicone Cement finish. After this has dried a special mold paint is applied and dried. After paint has dried, candle wax is applied by hand rubbing, and additional waxes are applied, prior to fiberglass application.




*Mold Waxes have been applied to the painted mold*





























The final Silicone Cement layer has been sanded and several hard base paints applied. Various mold waxes are applied, prior to Fiberglass application. 



*Final surface paint and wax prep*





























Candle wax, is hand applied, like using a giant Crayon, only on it's side, to the specially painted surface. This is followed by a special blend of Beeswax, and other ingredients


*Fiberglass job half complete*





























Here the steel frame and yoke attachments along with additional safety reinforcements have been added, while the fiberglass application is half done. This is a phase that doesn't look very high tech.




With-in the next few days, final Fiberglass layers will be added, and a grinder used to cut and shape the outside of the Fiberglass shell, prior to mold and product separation.:candle: :laughing: :mecry: :thinking:    

*I think this is going to be one awesome Gorilla tank type light!* :twothumbs :naughty:

© All rights reserved.


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## LightSward

The 36 inch Gorilla is freed from the molding process. Here are some photos of the removal and initial prep work. The outside of the Gorilla reflector is not very pretty, I know what I will do on future reflectors to have a much nicer edge and reduced weight. I went over kill to prevent reflector 'wobble'. The gorilla reflector weighs about 20 pounds plus or minus. I'll get a final weight next few days.


*Mold is removed from the 36 inch Gorilla*






























I removed the mold using destructive method. The use of hand rubbed candle wax and beeswax made all the difference in the easy removal of the mold. Once I settle on a good design, I will use a single concrete mold for production. 



*The top of the mold seen in early photo*





























Here you can see the top of the mold, that is visible in previous photo. 




*The 36 inch Gorilla is ready for edge shaping*





























Here the Gorilla is ready for edge trimming, sanding and wax cleaning. The reflector surface came out smooth, the outside of the reflector shell is rough and lumpy...a result of some 'strengthening' experiments I tried. I want to keep the reflector rigid and not 'wobble', but lower weight to easily handle reflector.




*Fiberglass shell is translucent prior to coatings*





























This has been a great learning experience. 




*Finished spot filling, ready for sanding and final surface prep* 





























With all the reflector side spot filling complete, the reflector is left to "cure" overnight before final inspection and sanding 


*Checking smoothness of the Reflector surface to be...outside is left somewhat rough. My next reflector will be much prettier!*





























The Gorilla reflector surface came off the mold quite smooth. I washed the wax off and the whole reflector with soap and water. After, I started spot filling small voids left during the glassing. 



*A side view*





























Here the reflector is rotated on a Lazy Suzie for spot filling and inspection.


I will finish the basic set up tomorrow and place a 100 watt HID bulb in with spherical reflector for the back light.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## LightSward

I am working in a narrow time slot before I have to clear out of the shop space I have been using...(..someones car really wants to be in the garage for the winter...I can't blame her...). :tired:

...So here are the latest shots...I hope to have this thing in basic form, up and running next few days...then a photo shoot.


*The 36 inch Gorilla gets some paint...*


*Basic HID lamp housing support structure fitted*





























The basic alignment and hardware configuration for the HID lamp and spherical reflector structure is fitted. 



*36 inch Reflector Receives final sanding*





























The 36 inch reflector is sanded using fine steel wool to create an almost 'glass' like surface. 



*36 inch reflector receives first treatment surface* 


























The 36 inch Gorilla reflector starts to look civilized with it's first surface sealing treatment.


_I am very limited on money...so I am going to again use the slightly orange peel Chrome Tape reflective coating, (orange peel look even on window glass). When funds are better I will remove the Chrome Tape and use the $400.00 a pint paint, or have a paint shop do it for me. I realize this subtracts, from the Gorilla' and other searchlight's I have built, their true potential light focus and output.:candle::tinfoil:
_*
Next: The 36 inch Gorilla reflector begins to shine light! *


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## LightSward

*The Gorilla is beginning to come 'alive'!*




*Final coats of paint applied*





























The 36 inch Gorilla Reflector receives final paint coats and sealers. 




*Two competing Chrome tapes are to be used*





























I'm still experimenting with two competing brands of Chrome Tape. They both seem to have their stre 



*First two strips of Chrome Tape applied*





























The Chrome Tape is applied in a cross pattern to minimize seams. 




*Chrome Tape Reflective Surface 2/3rds complete*





























The Reflective Chrome Taping is two thirds complete and initial test performed. Should make a nice bright beam. The orange peel surface of the chrome tape makes for a slightly fuzzy 'hot spot'. When funds are available, I will have the reflector Silver Painted, which will make a much better reflector.


*The next few days, I will finish the reflective surface and install the HID fixture. :twothumbs*


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## LightSward

:tinfoil: I have completed the basic 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight, enough to test it.
Here are some photos:

*36 inch Gorilla reflective chrome taping finished*





























36 inch Gorilla reflective chrome taping is finished. My reflection is visible in the freshly finished searchlight reflector. 


*Close-up of 100 watt HID and spherical reflector light bounce*





























View of 100 watt HID and spherical reflector light bounce readied for installation. The spherical reflector was made from a 'Ladle' purchased at Bi-Mart. It just happened to have ideal optics. 



*100 watt HID and spherical reflector and bracket*





























Here is a view of the spherical reflector and 100 watt HID lamp bracketed to the main 36 inch reflector.


*Reflector eye view of the 100 watt HID and spherical reflector*





























Reflector eye view of the 100 watt HID and spherical reflector which places a large percentage of the light into the light beam. 



*36 inch Gorilla roars to life on second night test*





























36 inch Gorilla roars to life on second night test 



*Light Beam from 36 inch Gorilla*





























View from behind the 36 inch Gorilla, as it beams the rainy night sky. 




*36 inch Gorilla light beam lights cloud*





























36 inch Gorilla light beam streaks across the sky and lights a rain cloud.



*36 inch 100 watt HID and 7 inch 35 watt HID compare*





























This garage door is 100 feet away from the 36 inch 100 watt HID on our left and 7 inch 35 watt HID on our right. Compare the beam spots.



*36 inch 100 watt HID and 7 inch 35 watt HID compare*





























36 inch 100 watt HID upper light beam on tree and 7 inch 35 watt HID lower light spot compare on trees over 450 feet away, (behind condos). 



*36 inch 100 watt HID and 7 inch 35 watt HID compare*





























36 inch 100 watt HID on our left and 7 inch 35 watt HID to our right compare in the rainy night sky. 




*36 inch 100 watt HID and 7 inch 35 watt HID compare*





























7 inch 35 watt HID to our left and 36 inch 100 watt HID on our right; compare in the rainy night sky. 


*36 inch 100 watt HID and 7 inch 35 watt HID compare*





























7 inch 35 watt HID to our left and 36 inch 100 watt HID on our right; compare in the rainy night sky. 
 :laughing::twothumbs :candle: 


The 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight is very good at taking light and throwing it quite some distance. The 24 inch LightSward makes a nice slender concentrated beam, but shining on a distant object, it is not as bright as the 36 inch Gorilla with the same wattage bulb.

*Note:* I changed the orientation of the bulb as shown in the original design. It focused better and provided a better brighter beam.


*The 36 inch Gorilla is alive and well!*


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## DM51

Fantastic! Great work!


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## donn_

Truly awesome! :twothumbs

(Does it have a pocket clip?)


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## bluecrow76

Wow! I had to show my wife... you got a great eye roll. LOL! :twothumbs


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## LightSward

:naughty: Thanks for all the good words. This Gorilla is truly an awesome light!


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## LightSward

DM51 said:


> Fantastic! Great work!




:thumbsup: The reflector is quite strong. I decided the strength is sufficient to allow me to double the use of the 36 inch Gorilla reflector as reflector and searchlight frame and casing. I will modify the lamp support structure so everything will be flush or behind the reflector top lip, and support the lens on the built-in steel hoop part of the reflector. I've built a decent temporary 'Yoke" and support base for the light. It looks quite nice.

Here are some photos of the partly completed Searchlight components. I hope to have this searchlight equipped with automatic panning soon in time for a movie premiere at the Portland Hollywood theater, later this year!:twothumbs




*Gorilla gets a temporary Yoke*



























































You can see the temporary cart and yoke that will be used throughout the product development phase. 


*Thin profile*





























You can see the thin profile in this view. I changed the pivot point, to offset the center of gravity, after this photo was taken. 



 




*36 inch Gorilla, red backside*





























Red was the only color I had when I needed to paint the backside of the reflector. I kind of like it. 


*I will post more as they become available.
*


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## ez78

This is amazing work!oo:


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## LightSward

donn_ said:


> Truly awesome! :twothumbs
> 
> (Does it have a pocket clip?)






Here are a couple recent photos.

*Homemade Searchlights ready for Beam Shots*





























The 50 inch Monster, 36 inch Gorilla and the 24 inch Light Sward homemade searchlights ready for Beam Shots. 



*7, 36 and 50 inch searchlights compare*




The 7 inch, 50 inch and 36 inch searchlights warm up 100 feet from garage doors, and ready for focusing. 





*7, 36 and 50 inch searchlights compare*





























The 7 inch, 50 inch and 36 inch searchlights light up a garage door 100 feet distance from lights. 




*36 inch Gorilla fills garage door area with light*





























The bright spot of the 36 inch, 400 watt HID Gorilla, almost fills the garage door located at a 250 foot distance from searchlight. 




*36 inch Gorilla and 50 inch Monster tree shot*





























The Gorilla and Monster light beams shine on tree 450 foot distance from searchlights. 



*36 inch Gorilla and 50 inch Monster tree shot*





























The Gorilla and Monster light beams shine on tree 450 foot distance from searchlights. 





*36 inch Gorilla*





























36 inch Gorilla Homemade Searchlight ready for Beam Shots. 




*36 inch Gorilla*





























The 36 inch Gorilla takes aim into the night sky. 




*50 inch and 36 inch searchlights light up the rain*





























The 36 and 50 inch Searchlights light up an evening rain. 




*50 inch and 36 inch searchlights compete*





























The 36 inch, 100 watt HID to our Right, compares to the 50 inch, 400 watt HID Searchlight. 





*50 inch and 36 inch searchlights compete*





























The 36 inch, 100 watt HID to our Left, compares to the 50 inch, 400 watt HID Searchlight. 




*50 inch and 36 inch searchlights compete*





























The 36 inch, 100 watt HID Gorilla to our Right, compares to the 50 inch, 400 watt HID Monster. 




*36 inch Gorilla and 50 inch Monster Beams*




































36 inch Gorilla light beam appears brighter in this photo because it is shining overhead. The 50 inch Monster beam is shining away from viewer and looks dimmer because of the angle. 




More to come!:twothumbs


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## LightSward

ez78 said:


> This is amazing work!oo:




Thanks! These projects have helped me keep my sanity during the Architectural contract and employment 'lull'. In the distant past, I worked in a movie set, theatrical products and mechanical engineering factory that was equipped and staffed to make a huge variety of products. It was not the usual boring factory. Always something new and interesting happening, and is where I learned some of the skills and design procedures I use building the searchlights.  :candle:    lovecpf


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## LightSward

Th Gorilla and the other searchlights I built from scratch, have been huge successes! 

Anyone interested in one of these searchlights, (can double as Solar Concentrators), let me know, and we can work out product finish details.:thinking:   :candle:  I am working on various designs that will maintain strength and optical properties, yet lower the weight and costs. This is still in the product development phase and I will be compiling a cost(s) list with options during the next few weeks. I am working on improving the optical properties of the reflector by working on the shaping tools used during the manufacturing. I have found some minor shaping issues and am correcting those tool flaws.

LightSward 
Happy lighting.


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## LightSward

:candle:

I am scouting some locations I can easily transport the 36 inch Gorilla, without drawing too much attention, for a 1000 yard beam shot...preferably a white barn nearby that I can reach from the top of our neighborhood mountain top. Hope to do this next few weeks...after it rains for a few days.


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## LightSward

This particular reflector was made quite strong. I will probably make the production model about half the fiberglass and weight. Depending on the reflective finish, the materials costs is anywhere from $100 for chrome taped reflector to $500 for reflective chrome paint finished reflector. Depending on production run and searchlight finish, the cost for a finished professional looking searchlight with rotating mechanism will be anywhere from $500 for hundred watt HID and chrome tape to $1400 for chrome painted reflector finish and 1000 watt medium arc HID with panning mechanism and wheeled cart. I expect to make this be able to fit in a sedan, with minimal (dis)assembly. These are just preliminaries. :thumbsup: :thinking: As I finish development, I will have a better idea. There can be kits, in various stages of completion sold. The wheeled cart can be steel, wood, fiberglass, etc., depending on preference.


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## Walterk

Great concept !

Two things came to my mind:
What If you coat (epoxy / polyurethane) and polish the inside of the reflector, and coat it with silver-leaf ? (Once the underground is smooth, the silver would make a fine gloss surface, to be protected with clear coating.)
What do you think? Or not worth the effort and cost?

As I have Cad-skills but understand only part of rays:
Once you have a cad-model for a parabolic shape, can it be stretched deeper/shallow, wide/small without problem or would it need recalculating the angles of rays in- and outwards?


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## LightSward

Walterk said:


> Great concept !
> 
> Two things came to my mind:
> What If you coat (epoxy / polyurethane) and polish the inside of the reflector, and coat it with silver-leaf ? (Once the underground is smooth, the silver would make a fine gloss surface, to be protected with clear coating.)
> What do you think? Or not worth the effort and cost?
> 
> As I have Cad-skills but understand only part of rays:
> Once you have a cad-model for a parabolic shape, can it be stretched deeper/shallow, wide/small without problem or would it need recalculating the angles of rays in- and outwards?




Thanks for the good words.

Coating the reflector with epoxy / polyurethane and coating with silver-leaf sounds like it could be a good idea...but I don't know much about it...I worked with gold leaf years ago. Is the surface mirror like? What is the cost?

As far as the CAD goes, I always recalculate the parabolic profile I am going to use from scratch, (for fun and ease of design), doesn't take but a few minutes. I always save and compare prior designs and compare to published designs. 

A person can just take a section of an existing parabolic profile (published or home designed etc.,) and only use the portion relevant to the light source and desired characteristics of the beam, costs, etc. Then one could just use a copy / scanner, etc., and use zoom in / out and get the desired shape that way. 

If you need a real deep reflector, just keep adding more design length to the design template. Look at the following easy design method I use, and just add more layers to the top portion of the reflector and extent the profile there. _(Altering the shape by stretching a little may work okay, but the focal point and beam characteristics may be off.)
_






*Re: Homemade 24" scratch built & designed reflector* 
*Here is a basic CAD and/or by hand layout to design your own Parabolic Reflector.*
 

*EASY, EASY, CAD, and by hand; Parabolic Instructions*. First time I did this, I just used a fabric measuring tape.



*Basic idea:*




For basic example parabolic reflector: just select a reasonable range of dimensions such as 2 inch spacing as an example, go from there.

Here is a look at how I do it: (from a science book)




































*My method and drawings follow:*





First determine the basic parameters of the Parabolic Reflector. Bulb type, size of light emitter, desired beam configurations, use, costs and many more factors determine the size and basic dimensions of the reflector. Deep Dish or Shallow Mirror, storage, manufacturing ability, etc., then draw base line, focus point and bottom point of reflector..
































Draw lines that will help you form the shape of the parabolic reflector. If you want a shallow mirror type reflector, you need most of your parallel lines close to the bottom, you may have to try a little trial and error. You should quickly realize what spacing you'll need. 






Draw circles, radius equals selected parallel line distances from the base line. Where circle intersects line (at two points) place a dot at each intersecting point for line/ circle pair only.










Finish intersection and dot placements.






























Remove circles. :twothumbs
































Remove parallel lines. Connect the dots, In CAD use spline or polyline function. By hand, connect the dots using a 'french' curve, finished.
You can also just copy and paste this curve and zoom in and out to get the right size. Rotate profile to make the 3-D reflector.

This is really easy, just looks difficult. You can use just the bottom of the parabolic reflector like the 50 inch Monster Searchlight I designed / built and the famous 60 inch carbon arc searchlights of WWII to name a couple.

*I hope this helps. I am working on new designs all the time!*:twothumbs

© All rights reserved.


----------



## Walterk

Thx a lot for the tutorial ! Will try myself soon.

About how to do the application of silver leaf; hope someone with experience can reply on that.


----------



## LightSward

Walterk said:


> Thx a lot for the tutorial ! Will try myself soon.
> 
> About how to do the application of silver leaf; hope someone with experience can reply on that.



This is really a fun and easy way to design a reflector. :twothumbs :naughty: 

Next few days I should be getting a beam shot of the 36 inch Gorilla, beaming across the Willamette river from I-5 to the Wells Fargo building or other suitable downtown Portland, Oregon building.

Stay tuned!


----------



## LightSward

Half mile Downtown Portland, Oregon Beam Shots came out well. I'll post the photos next few days. :thumbsup: :twothumbs

Police came by when I still had the searchlight on, and said they got a report someone was taking pictures. He didn't really seem to care. He was conversational and we just talked about the Homeless milling about, and then he took off.


----------



## LightSward

*Here are some Beam Shots from the 36 inch 100 watt HID Gorilla, taken Valentines Eve, 2010 over the Portland, Oregon skyline.*

The beam was slightly out of focus, seems to have spread to around 60 feet or so at 1,800 feet distance. This light is begging for a 1,000 watt, medium arc size, HID 
*
:candle: :laughing:  :thinking:  


Downtown Portland, Oregon*






























This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, one of the most expensive stretches of sidewalk in the world! This is how things looked when I arrived. 

The buildings I aimed the 36 inch Gorilla searchlight at; range in distance the light beam will travel from 1,800 feet to about 3,300 feet, (1 km). I will include a Google map with locations and distances, next few days.

Enjoy! ...A gathering crowd did.





This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the 36 inch, 100 watt HID Gorilla Searchlight shining on one of the buildings of the _cluster of buildings_ called the World Trade Center of Portland, Oregon. 


*36 inch Gorilla Beam Shots*





























This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the sky line with no searchlight. 


*36 inch Gorilla Beam Shots*





























This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the 36 inch, 100 watt HID Gorilla Searchlight shining on one of the World Trade Center buildings, of Portland, Oregon, the Standard Insurance Center building picks up a little of the light. 


*36 inch Gorilla Beam Shots*





























This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the sky line with 36 Gorilla Searchlight pointed upward. 


*36 inch Gorilla Beam Shots*

*This photo shows the skyline without the Search Light.*







This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the 36 inch, 100 watt HID Gorilla Searchlight shining on one of the World Trade Center buildings, of Portland, Oregon, as well as partly the light shines a little on the Standard Insurance Center building. This is after all just a 100 watt light bulb! 






This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the 36 inch, 100 watt HID Gorilla Searchlight shining on the Standard Insurance Center Building 2,500 feet from Searchlight location, the darker building to the left is the United States Courthouse building. The World Trade Center of Portland building cluster, is the closer set of buildings at 1,800 feet distance from Searchlight. 
































This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the sky line with 36 Gorilla Searchlight pointed upward.































This shot is from the Eastbank Esplanade, about SE Main Street and I-5. This photo shows the 36 inch, 100 watt HID Gorilla Searchlight shining on the World Trade Center of Portland, Oregon. 


*Distant Bldg Beam Shot no light*



























 

Distant building, (Standard Plaza with North West Power Planning), is 3,300 feet, (about 1 kilometer) from Searchlight location. You can see the Portland Building in front of the Standard Plaza building. This is the before shot, no searchlight. 

*Distant Bldg with 36 inch Gorilla light* shining on it


 

Distant building, (Standard Plaza with North West Power Planning), is 3,300 feet, (about 1 kilometer) from Searchlight location. You can see the Portland Building in front of the Standard Plaza building. This is the after shot with 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight. 


*36 inch Gorilla Beam Shots*





























The 36 inch Gorilla is shown here just leaning on my automobile, plugged into cigarette lighter and lighting up Downtown Portland.


*36 inch Gorilla reflected from window*





























The light from the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight is seen reflecting from a window of the World Trade Center building complex. the light travels 1,800 feet one way to the building, or a total of 3,600 travel distance, round trip. 


This was a lot of fun. This 36 inch Gorilla will really shine once I get a 1,000 watt HID! 

The 36 inch Gorilla is the easiest light to transport, easier than the 24 inch LightSward, or 50 inch Monster. As I can, I will Beam Shot the other lights and go to other locations.


----------



## Jarski

Nice pictures! It really puts a nice beam on those buildings :twothumbs


----------



## DM51

That is very impressive - especially as there is a lot of ambient light around from street lights etc.

I look forward to seeing it with the 1,000W HID!


----------



## LightSward

Jarski said:


> Nice pictures! It really puts a nice beam on those buildings :twothumbs



Thanks. This has been a fun project. Here is a map that gives an idea of the buildings I Beam Shot.
*Downtown Portland Oregon Beam Shots*





























This map shows the approximate location of the 36 inch Gorilla, (green circle), and building locations, (red circles), for the Beam Shots. Distances Range from 1,800 to 3,300 feet from Gorilla Searchlight to beam target.

With a little focusing and/or 1,000 watt HID bulb, I should be able to light the buildings up bright!:thumbsup:


----------



## LightSward

DM51 said:


> That is very impressive - especially as there is a lot of ambient light around from street lights etc.
> 
> I look forward to seeing it with the 1,000W HID!




The Beam Shots came out well. I look forward to seeing them when I install the 1,000W HID.

Here is a day time Google street level photo from approximately the location of the Searchlight.

*Portland Oregon downtown*





























Google Day time view from approximate location of the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight; for Beam Shots.

Soon I hope to do some other location shots. I plan on installing a 1,000W HID, but it is fun with the 100W HID because I get an hour of run time from a small portable rechargeable battery.


----------



## LightSward

I've made some adjustments that should improve the brightness and efficiency of the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight. 

:naughty: I'm planning on driving up the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge, some time during March, and shine the Gorilla across the Columbia River to Multnomah Falls and Vista House, on the Oregon side, over a mile away. I'm still using the little 100W HID, so I can use my small battery pack, in case I have to "Huff" it up a small hill or trail to get a good vantage point.
:twothumbs


----------



## LightSward

I will be traveling parts of the Western USA, starting in a few weeks. I will bring the 36 inch Gorilla with me, since it easily fits in the trunk. I will take photos along the way, with it shining on various Landmarks. Hope the weather cooperates.:twothumbs


----------



## David Gretzmier

I've been following this threaad for a while now, and you have got to get a 1000 watt HP sodium or metal halide in there to see what it will do. at 100 watts, you are only at 7000-10000 lumens max. most 1000 watt metal halides seem to be in the 110,000 lumen range, and the pretty white color. The hps 1000 watt would get you in the 130000-140000 lumen territory. That is a beamshot I would like to see !


----------



## LightSward

David Gretzmier said:


> I've been following this threaad for a while now, and you have got to get a 1000 watt HP sodium or metal halide in there to see what it will do. at 100 watts, you are only at 7000-10000 lumens max. most 1000 watt metal halides seem to be in the 110,000 lumen range, and the pretty white color. The hps 1000 watt would get you in the 130000-140000 lumen territory. That is a beamshot I would like to see !




 I totally agree. The 100W HID works well but 1000W HID will make this thing work the way it was designed to.

Thanks for the good words! :twothumbs


----------



## LightSward

:twothumbs The 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight Road Trip Begins Monday! One area I'm going to try tor lighting up, is the famous Red Rock climbing area outside Las Vegas. Should light up a nice beam spot on the cliff-sides from a mile or so. I should get some decent shots with the 100 watt HID portable unit. ( I'm still dreaming of a 1000 watt HID ).:naughty:


----------



## Al Combs

I thought perhaps a simple formula from my telescope making days might be helpful with the curve generating process. Well figuring more people have access to a spreadsheet than a CAD program. If you were to put a straight edge across a parabolic mirror, the distance between the straight edge and the vertex of the parabola is called the sagitta. Well in ATM world that's what it was called. Useful to know if you Google for sagitta & parabola together. Solving for sagitta is a simple formula r^2/4F. Where lower case 'r' equals the radius of the mirror, or half its diameter squared. And cap 'F' equals the mirror's focal length x 4. Really the formula is r^2/2R for any ATM's out there. But since there is no such thing as the radius of a parabola, it's easier to use its focal length. I made a simple spreadsheet to show what this would look like in the case of the Gorilla. It has 18 different radius points and the formula for sagitta was cloned by dragging the little box on the cell down 18 rows. I had assumed an 8 inch focal length for the mirror. But any focal length could be used.






I found your page on the directrix concept very interesting. The idea of points on the curve being equidistant from the focus and the directrix was something I'd never come across it in telescope making.

BTW, I love the work you've done on the Gorilla and the 50" Monster. I've been ghosting both these threads for a while. Keep up the good work. :twothumbs


----------



## LightSward

Thanks for the kind words. 

Future projects, I want to go for telescope mirror precision. I may use this spreadsheet for my next project, ("_Super 18" ???_). 

I'm almost to the Red Rock Cliffs. See about some beam shots.  :thumbsup:


----------



## LightSward

:twothumbs I just got back yesterday from Las Vegas and the _Red Rock Cliffs_ Climbing Area / _Frenchman_ and _Sunrise Mountain_ over looking Las Vegas. I got some good, (sometimes a little grainy), photos of the 36 inch Gorilla light beam shining on some of the cliffs and mountains surrounding Las Vegas. 

I have many photos to sort through. I need a couple days to figure out which photos are the best. The light traveled up to two and a half miles to _Mountain Wilson_ of the _Red Rock Cliffs_ Climbing Area. Awesome how this 100 watt searchlight does so well.

I will post some of these photos in the next few days. :naughty: 

*Frenchman Mt. Beam Shot*



























 
36 inch Gorilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining to just below the top of Frenchman Mountain's aviation beacon, about a mile and a quarter.


----------



## attaighEscali

It has a 1/2 inch diameter hole right below the spinner, and there is a large outlet at the trailing edge of the wing, underneath. Also, there is an exit where the pushrod connects to the stabilator, so I think it will be ok. I expect it will be flying at low power most of the time.


----------



## LightSward

attaighEscali said:


> It has a 1/2 inch diameter hole right below the spinner, and there is a large outlet at the trailing edge of the wing, underneath. Also, there is an exit where the pushrod connects to the stabilator, so I think it will be ok. I expect it will be flying at low power most of the time.



 This is perhaps for the AOPA or other aviation website?!


----------



## LightSward

*At long last. The beam shots are finally here:*

*Frenchman Mt., as seen from my hotel room* at a distance of about 6 miles.





























Here is the mountain I used to ride my bike to with friends and family, when I was a kid. It stands a little over two thousand feet above the Las Vegas Valley Floor.*



Frenchman Mountain Beam Shots**. For a variety of reasons, this is the best place to get a good sight line. I drove near the base of the mountain, where the beam would travel an average of a mile.* Plenty of Full Moon light and Much light pollution from Las Vegas, lights up the mountain at night like a gold pile.





























36 inch Goriilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining about 2/3rds the way up Frenchman Mountain, north of the aviation beacon near the top of the peak. (many people call all of this Mt., range Sunrise Mountain, which is actually another mountain peak to the North, ).This Beam Spot is located nearly a mile away on this part of the mountain, The mountain towers over two thousand feet higher above the ground the searchlight is located on. (I will use my tripod next time...)
There where several off road vehicles and 'partiers' out here when I was doing the photo shoot.


*Frenchman Mt. Beam Shots; March 2010*





























36 inch Gorilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining just below the top of Frenchman Mountain's aviation beacon, (many people call it Sunrise Mountain, which is actually another mountain to the North, ). The beam travels nearly a mile to this part of the mountain 



*Frenchman Mt. Beam Spot, shining next to the aviation beacon and radio towers*


























36 inch Goriilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining to just below the top of Frenchman Mountain's aviation beacon, (many people call it Sunrise Mountain, which is actually another mountain to the North, ). Here the beam travels over a mile and a quarter to the top part of the mountain. 

*(In loving memory of my fathers recent passing away, I dedicate this Spot Shot to My Dad, Herbert Wells.) Memorial: 2pm, April 25th, 2010, Alumni Center UNLV.*


*Frenchman Mountain Beam Shots 2010*





























36 inch Goriilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining just below the top of Frenchman Mountain's sister peak often called Sunrise Mountain as well, (many people call it Sunrise Mountain, [or "Snoopy's Nose" of the 'Peanuts' comic character lying on his back nose up...]), which is actually the next mountain peak to the North, ). The beam travels nearly a mile and a half. Here the mountain towers over two thousand feet above the ground level the searchlight is sitting on. Notice all the light pollution from Las Vegas lighting up the mountain. The Full Moon came and went behind some clouds.


*Frenchman Mt. Beam Shots 2010*



























































36 inch Goriilla Searchlight shares the night with the Full Moon. Here the Beam is shining just below the top of Frenchman Mountain's aviation beacon, (many people call it Sunrise Mountain, which is actually another mountain to the North, ). The beam travels nearly a mile to this part of the mountain. I will provide a distance map, once I find more photo bucket space somewhere.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

During the day, I hiked part way up Frenchman Mountain to one of the spots I was shining the light to and snapped this picture of Mt. Wilson, (the other Beam Shot Participant).

*
Mt. Wilson seen over Las Vegas Strip*





























Here Mt. Wilson is seen from nearly 29 miles from Frenchman Mt., (the other Photo Shoot Spot), with the Las Vegas Strip seen in between.


*Mt. Wilson seen over Las Vegas Strip*





























This is how Mt. Wilson looked from my Hotel Window, over 23 light beam miles away. As much as I wish, my light won't shine that far! 


*Mt. Wilson as seen from 14 miles distance according to Google maps*





























This is how Mt. Wilson looks from the outskirts of Las Vegas, just West of the Las Vegas Strip 


*This picture is from about four and a half miles distance*





























This is how Mt. Wilson looks from four and a half miles distance, just outside of the town of Blue Diamond and Gypsum mine, Drywall mill, (my father was Foreman of, just before his teaching career of Geology and Engineering at UNLV known as SNU originally an extension of the Reno campus.).



*I have arrived at the spot 2 miles distance from Mt. Wilson; where the Gorilla Searchlight is awakened*




























































This is what the area looks like in the daytime. Later, I backed the car up in a slightly different spot to get a better sight line. Climbers are seen here, after returning from Mt. Wilson, as this is a world climbing destination point...the Red Rock Cliffs.


*Here I am hiking to the base of Mt. Wilson to get a good look at the beam travel distance*





























I love this area. This is a world climbing destination. The quiet, solitude, spiritual amplification, and Indian influences, make this for a great escape. I hiked part way up Mt Wilson as seen in the next few photos. 


*Part way up the base, just below the cliff line*





























I hiked part way up Mt Wilson as seen in this photo. This is how close to Mt. Wilson I got. The Beam Spot is at the upper half of the cliff area you see here. I turned around to see my car as a tiny dot, nearly two miles away. 


*Look close, car is parked two miles away near highway.*





























I hiked part way up Mt Wilson, turned around to see my car as barely a tiny dot. This is about two miles away from the highway, where the 36 inch Gorilla shined from. 


*This is how Mt. Wilson looks from two miles away*, here is where the Gorilla will shine from





























This is how Mt. Wilson looks from two miles away. This is where the 36 inch Gorilla will be aimed from. The next few photos will be the Gorilla lighting Mt. Wilson.


The ignition sequence begins





























Here the Gorilla 36 inch Searchlight is prepped and readied for lighting the Red Rock Cliffs.


*Mt. Wilson Beam Shot*


























This Photo shows Mount Wilson of the Spring Mountain Range from over two miles away! (Some of these shots, the camera didn't show some of the top portion of Mt. Wilson, perhaps too dark for the LSC.)


*Beam Shot of Mt. Wilson. View from Highway*





























My camera does okay to a point, then the darkness causes noise in the image and gives the 'Big Foot' grainy look. The image looked much better on the cameras large video viewfinder.


*Beam Shot of Mt. Wilson. Some call it Sunset Mountain*



























































The beam travel over two miles to reach the mountain cliff of Mt. Wilson, otherwise known as Sunset Mountain. 


*Mt. Wilson Beam Shots*



























































This Photo shows Mount Wilson of the Spring Mountain Range from over two miles away! 


Years ago, the hotels of Las Vegas tried to use high powered lasers from the Strip. They actually looked nice, gracefully moving about, looking like giant neon tubes stretching from horizon to hotel casino. The green lasers could be seen shining twenty miles onto the surrounding mountains including the Red Rock area, with a small but intensely bright, green dot. Then the hotel casinos started over doing the use of the lasers, creating visual 'pollution', flittering laser paths, using mirrors, made the sky look like a Disco, at first fun to watch, but then annoying, night after night, the sky was just a Helter Skelter of of flickering advertising.

All this changed when a commercial jet flew through one of the intense 1000 watt laser beams, and nearly blinded the pilot and many of the passengers as the jet flew through the laser beam. With a quick review, the FAA said no more! This all happened, about the time I bought my first laser pointer, which practically nobody had ever seen back then, getting grown adults to follow the 'bright red spot' like it was some strange 'alien entity', some adults I got to actually climb up a tree trying to 'grab "it"'. 

Anyway, I talked with an FAA spokesman, who told me that regularly focused traditional light optics and light sources, using prisms, (lenses), and mirrors, (reflectors), is not as much a problem, because of the 'softer' effect, and blindness is not so much a problem, (still need to be careful!).


----------



## DM51

Wow!! I've been away for 3 weeks - only just seen this. Fantastic shots! That is an amazing achievement - well done!


----------



## petrev

Hi

First up - love your work. Looks like a great trip.

Next . . .

Do you have manual control on your camera ? 
If so you might be able to get rid of the grain.

It looks like you are using an auto setting and the camera is pushing the ISO rating up quite high 
maybe ISO800 or 1600 (or more ? depends on the camera) and that is causing the grain.

If you can set a manual ISO100 and using a tripod experiment with manual exposures -
- Try f8 at 2 seconds ISO100
- Leave it at f8 and try longer or shorter exposures as needed for your composition and target.

. . . 
This shot was f4 at 1/2sec ISO100 (f8 at 1sec ASA100 equivalent)
Slightly misty which helps the beam effect.
[URL="http://imageshack.us/"]

[/URL]


Not hitting a mountain like your monsters can - but you get the idea.

Good luck and keep up the great work
- as always can't wait for the next installment.

Cheers
Pete


----------



## LightSward

DM51 said:


> Wow!! I've been away for 3 weeks - only just seen this. Fantastic shots! That is an amazing achievement - well done!



Thanks. This has been interesting and fun! 

I will be traveling back to Vegas this week for a few days, but won't have room for any searchlights except the 'Cyclops', need room to carry some of my brothers stuff from Vegas. I want to do another road trip when I get a 1000 watt HID installed, (budget permitting), and get something in the narrow part of the Grand Canyon, or something. No matter, even if I still only have the 100 watt HID, I plan on being at the CPF get together later in May up in Washington.

Glad this has been a fun and interesting site to visit. :twothumbs


----------



## LightSward

petrev said:


> Hi
> 
> First up - love your work. Looks like a great trip.
> 
> Next . . .
> 
> Do you have manual control on your camera ?
> If so you might be able to get rid of the grain.
> 
> It looks like you are using an auto setting and the camera is pushing the ISO rating up quite high
> maybe ISO800 or 1600 (or more ? depends on the camera) and that is causing the grain.
> 
> If you can set a manual ISO100 and using a tripod experiment with manual exposures -
> - Try f8 at 2 seconds ISO100
> - Leave it at f8 and try longer or shorter exposures as needed for your composition and target.
> 
> 
> Good luck and keep up the great work
> - as always can't wait for the next installment.
> 
> Cheers
> Pete




Thanks for the good words. 

I like your beam shot of the high voltage, power, transmission tower illumination.

Thanks for the camera tips. I have tried a little experimenting with the manual settings, but I end up with a shot not looking good, or just too dark. I'm sure partly operator error. I have read the instructions and understand most of it...but..? Mostly, just to get the camera to photograph anything at night, I just use, (as you noted), the automatic settings. The night shots always look fantastic in the large camera view finder, but when I transfer the images into the computer, the night shots take on a darker, grainier look.

I will try some of the recommendations you suggest, and see if I can improve the photo quality.


----------



## LightSward

I won't have much access to the internet, next few days. :thinking: :sick2:    :huh: :ironic: ...back to Vegas for Dad's big Memorial April 25th, 2pm UNLV Alumni bldg. Will try and fit the 36 inch in the trunk of the KIA again, and use the tripod this time for better beam shots. Otherwise I can only fit the 7 inch, 35 watt HID Cyclops wanna be in the car this time.:twothumbs

Oh, wow!


----------



## LightSward

Back from my Road Trip to Vegas. 

Got some really good beam shots of the Local Ski Resort just 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas, where I learned to ski as a kid. Beam shots vary in distance from two miles to one mile and a few half mile and quarter mile bright shots. It snowed a little when I arrived late afternoon, a nearly full moon was visible, at night, for the beam shots. (This thing will really light things up when I get the 1000 watt HID.)

Will post photos next few days.


----------



## SuperTrouper

What made you christen this light "Gorilla"?

The fact that it has a red backside seems to suggest Baboon would have been more appropriate

Awesome work though, looking forward to seeing your latest beamshots.


----------



## LightSward

SuperTrouper said:


> What made you christen this light "Gorilla"?
> 
> The fact that it has a red backside seems to suggest Baboon would have been more appropriate
> 
> Awesome work though, looking forward to seeing your latest beamshots.























The "Gorilla" name came about for several reasons. The basic look while designing the 36 inch searchlight, in AutoCAD 3-D Modelling, reminded me of a Gorilla I saw while watching a Nature Show. The Gorilla, with it's big round stomach and chest with arms hanging to the side but curled inward like Gorilla's often do...looking like the arbor, while it was doing it's thing, reminded me of the 36 inch searchlight.:naughty: 




Overall, the 36 inch Searchlight seemed like a big Gorilla in many ways.


The red color, was to act as a warning of the somewhat sharp jagged finish of the fiberglass, kids kept getting too close...curious...and I didn't have much of other colors left...  ...Plus the time allotment; I could use the shop space, was drawing to a close, and I didn't want to run to the store and use up any more time than needed. :tired:

I really did do this whole sequence of searchlights on a shoe string. I would like to take it to the next level and make these reflectors, lighter weight, smaller, and better optically, but money and the economy are quite a challenge, right now.:mecry: 

Thanks for the good word. :twothumbsI will post photos next few days, when my photo buckets allow more photos, (can't afford to go pro yet...).


----------



## LightSward

*The Latest Beam Shots:*

Towering over Las Vegas on the North West side of town, if taking HWY 95, the highway that goes by the "Test Site" and "Area 51"; take turnoff State Road #156 up to the Local Las Vegas Area Ski Resort. 

A couple days later, (with nearly a full moon again), The ski resort area was lit up by the Gorilla Searchlight.

Here are some of those results with the 100 watt HID:

:twothumbs 

*Mummy Mt. & Las Vegas Ski Resort tower above Las Vegas*





























This is how Charleston Peak and Mummy Mountain, (taller than the Cascade Range volcanoes of Oregon and Washington state), looks from my hotel room in Las Vegas. Here the mountains are about 35 miles away. This is where I first learned to ski...back in the 60's and 70's 




*Mummy Mt. & Las Vegas Ski Resort fifteen minutes away*





























This is how Mummy Mt and Las Vegas Ski Resort look from the Tonapah Highway, or about 15 minutes drive. You actually drive past Mummy Mt. to enter the Lee Canyon area and the Ski Resort. 


*Panoramic Shot of Mummy Mountain* * and **Las Vegas Ski Resort *




Las Vegas Ski Resort otherwise known as "Lee Canyon Ski Resort" has three chair lifts. The two main chair lifts are a each 3/4 of a mile long with the base terminal about a quarter of a mile from camera location.

*Mummy Mountain couple days before Beam Shots*





























Mummy Mountain, 11,460 foot tall, as seen a couple days before the Beam Shots were taken. This mountain can be seen over a hundred miles away from an airplane. 


*Las Vegas Ski Resort in Lee Canyon*





























This is the Main Upper Parking Lot and Shuttle Bus turnaround. Not much by other resort standards, but in my younger years, this parking lot was a long walk to ticket counter, seemed big enough and being just a thirty minute drive from Las Vegas, is a great place to go. This is where the 36 inch Gorilla was let loose to light up the mountain sides 


*Here is where I learned to ski as Child*





























This is the Main Ticket, Bar and Grill, Rentals and Ski Lift Loading Area. Not much by other resort standards, but in my younger years, this place was intimidating, and being just a thirty minute drive from Las Vegas, is a great place to go. :thumbsup:


*Beam Lights up top of Main Chair Lift*





























The 36 inch Gorilla lights the Main Chair Lift Top unloading terminal. The nearly full moon makes the whole mountain somewhat visible. The light beam travels about a mile to this location.


*Beam Lights up top of "Extreme Vertical Drop" ski run*





























This little seen ski run is seen much better than in photos when the Gorilla was aimed elsewhere. This little run, lit up by the Gorilla, is a Black Diamond run for this resort, (intermediate for other ski resorts). First time I skied that run, I was terrified. 


*Beam Lights up Main Hiking Chute above Main Chair Lift*


























































Here is one of the 'Slide Paths' the Las Vegas Ski Resort would like to expand the #1 Main Chair Lift to. This patch of snow is 1-1/2 mile(s) distance from the 36 inch Gorilla. The beam lights up a good Extreme out of bounds Ski Run and is a good Summer hiking area. 


*Avalanche path above Chair #2*





























Here is one of the 'Slide Paths' the Las Vegas Ski Resort would like to expand the #2 Chair Lift to. This patch of snow is 1-3/4 mile(s) distance from the 36 inch Gorilla, and is almost completely darkened by the shadow of the upper mountain ridge as seen in other photos of this location. 



*Gorilla Lights up Mummy Mountain, LightSward checks focusing plate*





























Even though it was below freezing in this photo, I was actually sweating, I am well bundled for this Beam Shot series, having been a Ski Bum for many years and skiing all the Black Diamond runs I could find. I am attempting to adjust, the beam, focus, a little better in this photo.


*2 Beams compare near top of "Mummy Mountain"*





























The 36 inch 100 watt HID Gorilla is to the Left and the dimmer beam to the right is the 7 inch 35 watt HID Cyclops, compare near the top of Mummy Ridge. Imagine the 36 inch Gorilla with a 1,000 watt HID. 


*Beam Lights up Mummy Mountain, assistant moves light for me*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is aimed near the top of Mummy Mountain, over a mile beam travel distance. My assistant is keeping watch over the Gorilla, while I operate the camera. 



*Beam Lights up near top of "Mummy Ridge"*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is aimed at a Ridge, over a 2/3 of a mile away. This is a ridge I took many hikers on Mountain Tours several decades ago. 



*A thousand foot beam lights up the nearby hillside*





























To get an idea of how bright this beam is, I aimed it to a nearby point on the hill, about 1,300 feet away. Remember, this is only a hundred watt HID. 



*Beam Lights up Mummy Mountain, Assistant aims light for me.*





























My assistant didn't dress well for the cold and had to 'layer up' several coats and pairs of pants. It was below freezing at this time. 


*LightSward inspecting the 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight*




Here I am checking on the 100 watt HID, 36 inch Gorilla's focus at Mummy Mountain and Ridge, over a mile away. I need to adjust the 'focus', it seems to be focused at about the half mile point here, and spreads a little, as it reaches over a mile in length to target. The light is competing with a nearly Full Moon, which helps light up the surrounding landscape.


*North Mummy Mt. Ridge*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is aimed near the top of Mummy Mountain, over a mile beam travel distance. My assistant is keeping watch over the Gorilla, while I operate the camera. 


*Beam Lights up near top of "Mummy Ridge"*


























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is aimed at a Ridge, over a 1/2 of a mile away. This is another ridge I took many hikers on Mountain Tours several decades ago. 



*Beam Lights up near top of "Mummy Ridge"*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is aimed at a Ridge, over a 2/3 of a mile away. This is the ridge I took many hikers on Mountain Tours several decades ago. 



*Beam Lights up Lower "Mummy Ridge"*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is aimed at a Ridge, over a 2/3 of a mile away. 


*Beam lights up frozen water fall.*





























This frozen patch of snow and ice is sometimes a small waterfall in the Spring and early Summer. The beam travels a mile and a half, (1-1/2 miles) from Searchlight to target here. 



*Map of Beam Paths in Horizontal distances only*





























Map shows approximate horizontal distances from 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight location to various points on the surrounding mountain locations. Searchlight is at about 8,600 feet elevation and the highest point is around 11,450 feet elevation or about 2,850 foot difference. Basic Trigonometry shows the beams travel about 25 percent average farther than the indicated horizontal distances, (the farthest horizontal distance about 9,600 feet, total distance around two, (2), miles. 



*Beam Lights up Lower "Mummy Ridge"*





























To get an idea of how bright this beam is, I aimed it to a nearby point on the hill, about 1,500 feet away. Remember, this is only a hundred watt HID.

 :tired: :naughty:


----------



## DM51

*EXCELLENT!!*


----------



## LightSward

DM51 said:


> *EXCELLENT!!*



Thank You. Due to some recent good news, I may now be able to purchase and install a 1,000 watt HID, and take the project to the next level. :thumbsup:


----------



## LightSward

I've made some 'Big' changes to the 36 inch Gorilla light...a much higher wattage light bulb with a 4 mm arc area, a special Electronic Ballast said to make bulb 20 to 30 percent brighter, and supposedly last longer. I hope all works, and I have something to show at this weekend, Washington, C.P.F. get together. Fingers crossed...lots of reconfiguring, UV and ozone concerns with this Hot Re-strike, fast start capable bulb, installing cooling fans etc.... :naughty: :thinking:  :twothumbs


----------



## petrev

:devil:


----------



## LightSward

:thumbsup: Did a bit of a quick installation of the high wattage bulb, about twenty hours work, building UV protection, added forced fan cooling through the bulb area, and being a double ended bulb allows for almost instant re-strike ignition. 

 Beam looks great, a bright greenish blue. Beam needs more focusing, which I didn't do, because, Bulb starts up just fine, brightens quickly, but after the bulb reaches almost full brightness, it starts flickering, and the arc starts wandering around to different parts of the electrodes, making it too hard to focus precisely. :candle: I think the ballast is putting out the wrong voltage and current for this type of specialty bulb. I purchased a ballast that was suppose to automatically adjust to a wide range of bulb types, plus it has various output settings that did seem to help minimize the "flickering". Ballast stayed cool during the run. I may have a way to reduce this flickering. Overall, impressive, lights up objects a mile away on a hill top overlooking my home. 

Maybe at this weekend's Washington get together, someone can shed some 'light' on this issue, but I may have to get a more 'bulb' specific ballast for a 700 watt: 

OSRAM, SharXS HTI 700 W/D4/75.

*Technical - Electrical Data*
Ignition voltage 3.0/25 kVp
Construction voltage 70 V Lamp voltage 70/73 V 2) 
Construction current 10 A Rated wattage 700 W 

Suppose to act like a brighter bulb, literature claims.


----------



## dwminer

Fun on the dark side. The gorilla at work, *North West Flashoholic's Get Together.*


----------



## LightSward

:thumbsup: Had a good night looking at all the lights at the C.P.F. North West get together Saturday. Amazing how far LED technology has come...some really bright new lights.

Fired up the Gorilla with a 700 watt small arc HID. Made a nice beam.

I need to adjust the focus, once the flickering subsides. I have to work on the ballast issue, the bulb only likes 70 volts, but the "auto-adjust', "Lumatek" ballast is pushing 90 volts or more, which make the light flicker a little bit...eroding the electrodes...???

I'll post a couple photos later today/tonight...


----------



## LightSward

:twothumbs Here are just a few of the installation and reconfiguration photos of the 700 watt HMI short arc HID, along with Beam Shots from the CPF get together in Renton, Washington. Even though there are some ballast/bulb matching issues, the light was impressive...I didn't expect the brightness I obtained.


*Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID*





























Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID in it's shipping plastic wrap envelope 



*Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID socket*





























Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID required an innovative socket design to meet the rigorous demands of the 36 inch Gorilla. 




*Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID test install*


































 
The new 700 watt HMI Osram short arc HID bulb, required UV light protection, Ozone handling and light socket construction along with the required housing, to provide a safe yet powerful and economical searchlight to draw in the crowds.


*Test of Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID*





























The new 700 watt HMI Osram short arc HID bulb, required UV light protection, Ozone handling and light socket construction along with the required housing, starts up for the first time during the initial testing.




*Beam Shot 700 watt HMI short arc HID Gorilla*



























































With newly installed Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID, the 36 inch Gorilla lights up the night during the CPF gathering @ Renton, Washington, May 8, 2010. 



*Power Supply used to power the 700 watt HMI short arc*





























A large 1,300 Watt power converter was provided by chizel. My converter only goes up to 400 watts. 









*Beam Shot 700 watt HMI short arc HID Gorilla*















































































































With newly installed Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID, the 36 inch Gorilla lights up the night during the CPF gathering @ Renton, Washington, May 8, 2010. 



*Beam Shot 700 watt HMI short arc HID Gorilla*





























With newly installed Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID, the 36 inch Gorilla shines it's beam over onlookers, during the CPF gathering @ Renton, Washington, May 8, 2010.


*Beam Shot 700 watt HMI short arc HID Gorilla and other lights*





The Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI short arc HID, makes the 36 inch Gorilla light bright. You can see several other CPF member light beams to the Left of the photo. :twothumbs






This event was informative and a lot of fun, plus I won a great flashlight! lovecpf
May 2010 Pacific Northwest Get Together


----------



## petrev




----------



## LightSward

Hope the 700 watt HMI Osram short arc bulb Beam Shots are fun and interesting to look at. 

The ballast and bulb are not a perfect match, and thus I was 'aging' the Osram Sharx HMI bulb quickly to the point of early retirement. Hopefully I put the bulb back in the box before total death. :sick2:

For now, I have installed a shorter arc version of a standard HID Metal Halide "GROW-MASTER", 'Deluxe Blue' 600 watt, bulb, from the local indoor nursery supply,...lots of blue light like the Osram Sharx 700 watt HMI bulb. (arc on the Osram is listed as: 4mm, Temporary Replacement bulb; Grow-Master bulb: is 55mm...much bigger arc area. Actually makes a very bright, blue and fairly narrow beam, Lumen wise, the small arc 700 watt HMI puts out about the same lumens as the 600 watt HID standard arc bulb. It makes a very similar beam, just not quite as well focused and penetrating as the Osram, but very similar in appearance, and bright! 

the 700 watt Osram and the 600 watt Grow-Master; are so bright, the 35 watt HID Cyclops that I use as a comparison light, is virtually invisible next to the Gorilla with these higher powered bulbs.! Eventually I do want to put back in the Osram Sharx bulb, or a 1,200 watt HMI bulb, (short arcs basically don't come in 1,000 watt), but for now, the performance of the Grow-Master bulb is quite impressive, less expensive, less problematic, doesn't require a cooling fan, (but I use one anyway)...:twothumbs :naughty:

In the next few days I'll post some Beam Shots of the 600 watt HID and compare to last weeks CPF Washington get together shots of the 700 watt HMI. 

Next week or so, I plan to fire up the;

. 7", 35 watt HMI, HID Cyclops,
. 24", 100 watt HID LightSward,
. 50", 400 watt HID Monster,
. 36", 600 watt HID Gorilla,

....and compare all these in a photo shoot.

I'll post these soon.:twothumbs


----------



## LightSward

For several reasons, I've temporarily installed a 600 watt HID 55mm arc sized bulb, to get me by; until I resolve the 700 watt small arc ballast matching issue. As you can see the beam is a little wider, and fades a little bit faster throughout it's length. ...Still impressive to see this thing. The photos are from automatic setting, manual hardly shows beam, no matter the adjustments...max, etc. I will do some distance shots soon. 

Also: I finally did some Beam Shot Comparisons _of the; 35 watt HID, 7 inch, Cyclops, _to the _100 watt HID, 24 inch, LightSward, _and the_ 50 inch, 400 watt HID, Monster, _to the newly lit _600 watt HID 36 inch Gorilla,_ and got some good beam shots. Here are some of them.

*600 watt Gorilla slices the night*






























 



 
Here are great perspective shots of the 600 watt HID Gorilla. I recently manufactured an all steel 'Yoke" to replace the wooden one seen here....I'll show photos when I photo graph the next set.






































*600 watt HID Beam Shot*





This photo shows the 600 watt HID beam pointed away from the viewer, you can see the planet Mars, near the Beam Tip. Searchlight is a hundred feet away from camera, other side of trees. 




































This photo shows the 600 watt HID beam pointed away from the viewer. Searchlight is a two hundred feet away, behind trees. 















The 600 watt HID Sun Master bulb, nice job lighting sky and some clouds, with the blue-white beam. In the grainy sky photo, shows the 600 watt HID beam shining over head.



*Brand New 600 watt HID Sun Master*



























 
Photo of the Reduced sized arc tube and outer globe, of the regular style 600 watt HID brand new, out of the box Grow Master bulb; almost ready for it's first fire-up and "seasoning"! Took some unique primary reflector angle designs to help make the beam as narrow as it is, for such a big arc area! 

Price of the Sun Master is about half that of an HMI short arc, or about twice that of a regular HID of same wattage. The physical size of this bulb is smaller than a regular 600 watt HID and thicker outer bulb glass, makes this more robust for the abuse it may endure.


*600 watt Gorilla Left side 400 watt Monster Right* 





























Here you can see the Monster and temporary 600 wt. Gorilla battle it out for night time dominance, (100wt. LightSward Beam, can barely be seen intertwined with the 400 wt. Monster Beam. With all the Spring growth on the trees, it is difficult to 'aim' the Searchlights in an even pattern and not bother the neighbors too much). 








Here is a great perspective shot of the 600 watt HID BEAM from the 36 inch Gorilla. Though not as well focused as the partly focused 700 Watt HMI, this bulb puts out almost as many lumens as the small arc. Beam does not travel as far, but still puts on quite the show. Some Local High School sport teams may be interested in buying one of these with their LOGo on it!!!


*LightSward top, Monster Middle beam and Gorilla Bottom Right*





























Here you can see the 100wt HID, Light Sward on Top, 400wt HID, Monster middle and the bright blue-white beam, lower right, is from the 600wt HID, Gorilla.


*600 watt Gorilla compares to 35 watt Cyclops*





























The 600 watt HID Gorilla lights up the upper part of a tree that is 450 feet away. The much dimmer 35 watt HID Cyclops is on a closer tree at only 350 feet away!


----------



## LightSward

More comparison Photos and other Beam shots and development photos coming soon! :twothumbs  :naughty:


----------



## LightSward

*Reflector, UV, and ozone collector*





























The primary reflector has been designed to focus the wasted back light through the middle section of the arc tube, to give it a brighter appearance to the main reflector. 



*Part of 600 watt Grow Master HID visible*





























Here you can see the 600 watt bulb, nestled up into the electrically insulated primary reflector, which is designed to reflect and focus the wasted light back through the mid section of the arc tube, to the Main Reflector. This makes the arc center more brilliant relative to the Main reflector, making a slightly thinner, brighter beam. 



*600 watt bulb is protected by a Coleman Globe*





























600 watt bulb is protected by a Coleman Globe, which is designed for extreme temperature changes and uneven heating...cost five dollars!!!...works great to shield UV light when using 'unprotected' double ended HMI bulbs. 



* glowing arc tube, cools down *


 
Here you can see the arc tube cooling down after a hard nights work.


Here are some photos of the three main searchlight I've been working on this past year plus.
*
Late cloudy afternoon Beam Spot Comparison*





























600 watt Gorilla to our Left, 100 watt LightSward middle and 400 watt Monster Right. 



*Gorilla, LightSward and Monster show off*





























600 watt HID Gorilla to our Left, 100 watt LightSward middle, 400 watt HID Monster to our Right. 



*Beam Spot Comparison*





























35 watt Cyclops Left garage, 100 watt LightSward Left middle garage, 400 watt Monster, Right side middle garage. 600 watt Gorilla Right garage 


*LightSward hit with powerful lighting
*


LightSward, mesmerized by bright light onslaught.


*Gorilla with new 600 watt HID warms up*





























The Gorilla starts the night with it's new, temporary, 600 watt, HID, large arc bulb. 


*Gorilla ready for 600 watt Metal Halide Night Light*





























Gorilla ready to shine the night away. Recently added all Metal Yoke has now replaced the wooded one seen here. Photo soon! 

Stay tuned!


----------



## DM51

Magnificent! This just gets better and better!

LOL, is that a modified BBQ stand you have it mounted on?


----------



## LightSward

DM51 said:


> Magnificent! This just gets better and better!
> 
> LOL, is that a modified BBQ stand you have it mounted on?



Thanks for the good words.

 It's always a hot new item in the making....I've just finished a new metal Yoke and getting ready to match it to a rotating platform. 

Admittedly, this beam from the 600 watt HID and the 700 watt HMI is quite warm from the Infrared Heat radiating from the arc tube. I always think of HID and HMI as not making much heat, which at the 400 watt range and lower, I don't really notice it, but 600 watts and above, there seems to be a lot more I.R. given off. 

This light, (600 watt HID or 700 watt HMI or some other bulb version of the Gorilla), will definitely be used, as an advertising Searchlight, at the: _"Born Again Sage"_ Punk Rocker Movie my brother produced, when it opens at the Portland, '_Hollywood Theater_', end of Summer,.

I really like the Gorilla, because it combines the strengths of several designs, acts and looks like a bigger light, yet small enough to fit in the back of my compact car for long road trips.

*
Quiet Hollywood Theater awaits Homemade CPF Searchlights. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:*



























 . :naughty:  :candle:   . 

 

The Hollywood theater looks dark and lifeless without Gorilla. 

My next light...The Bar-B-Q ??? LOL .


----------



## SuperTrouper

You're hardcore LightSward!

You must have some understanding neighbours donating their houses for beamshot targets like that!


----------



## LightSward

SuperTrouper said:


> You're hardcore LightSward!
> 
> You must have some understanding neighbours donating their houses for beamshot targets like that!




Thanks. 

My neighbors have been very positive and supportive of this. 

I'm think the condominium owner above my shop has been bothered by an occasional very bright light beam streaking across her bedroom window. I very much try to limit the time I outdoor test the lights. For the mile Beam Shots, (when I drive around the streets of town, to see how far I can see the beam), I place the searchlight on the upstairs deck, where the beam source is somewhat hidden by trees and bothers the least amount of people. Sometimes, during the test, many vehicles will drive into our 'no outlet' neighborhood.

The winter has early nights, so it is easy to test the light with out anyone really being bothered, since people are just coming home from work and are too busy to notice. But sometimes in summer, with the late sunsets, I may be 'testing' the lights, l sometimes hear the clank of window blinds closing. 

I do my best to shield any occupied windows from the Searchlights, and if I think the beam might be an aircraft issue, I have a direct phone number to the FAA I can call, (they prefer at least 48 hour notice, so they can be sure to let any affected pilot know where to go get blinded by the beasts). As a member of the AOPA, (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), I don't want to upset any Captains. 


 ...

... 

 
.  :thumbsup: :candle:   :devil:
Overall I have great neighbors!


----------



## LightSward

Here is the MH, (HID) electronic Lumatek Lighting ballast I've purchased. I paid less than the MSRP listed below. Very Fast Start-up, and bright!!! *This thing fires up the 600 watt bulb to full brightness in very little time.*..*very fast!* I've watched this thing *fire up the regular 600 watt HID bulb in about a minute*. Manufacturer claims:
...Fast start-up ...It reaches *full brightness in under one minute*; magnetic ballasts typically take about_ fifteen to_ twenty minutes..... 

(I changed some wording in the following as indicated by _italics_.)







Not just your standard eballast the new Dial-A-Watt Lumateks have advanced dimming capabilities and are able to power different wattage lamps on the same ballast making them the most versatile ballasts available. The 5th generation Lumatek ballasts produce the highest operating frequency of any eBallast on the market today and offer unmatched performance. Now you can dim your lamps which can be a great way to deal with heat issues in your _Searchlight_ and to help control your electricity bill. You can also use different wattage lamps by setting the dial on the ballast to the desired output power and putting in the proper wattage lamp. Note that both the input and output power of the ballast is changed when you select different settings.

For example when you set the dial to 600W on a 1000W Dial-A-Watt Lumatek the ballast performs exactly the same as a regular 600W Lumatek ballast.
This a great feature for _Advertisers_ that want to use a 600W MH lamp for _one Searchlight such as the Gorilla_ and then switch over to a 1000W HPS lamp when it’s time to _go Disco. _

Lumatek makes the only dual-voltage eBallast available that produces the same lamp power when used on 120V or 240V.
This is a major advantage considering that a typical dual-voltage eBallast losses as much as 15% of its output when used on 120V. 
All Lumatek models are generator ready and are capable of being used on 208V three-phase power. 

Lumatek has been a long standing pioneer in creating innovative lighting technologies for the Searchlight Industry.
Lumatek offers the most complete line of dimmable multi-wattage ballasts on the market.
Sold in more than 40 countries Lumatek is the world’s number one selling ballast. 

Lumatek 240V 1000 Watt Electronic Ballasts burned the 2 test bulbs we tried visibly brighter to the eye than a regular coil/core ballast!

*Why choose a Lumatek Electronic ballast over a core-and-coil (magnetic) ballast? *
- Fast start-up ...It reaches *full brightness in under one minute*; magnetic ballasts typically take about twenty minutes 
- Completely silent ...you have to put your ear up to the ballast before you can detect the slightest sound 
- Small compact design ...600watt ballast weighs less than 4.5 kilos compared to almost 20 kilos for magnetic ballasts. 
- Produce less heat
- Cut-off circuitry ...Automatic cut off when a short is detected. For ultimate safety.
- Longer bulb life...Lumen output loss over time is dramatically less than with magnetic ballasts
- Fully interchangeable ...Lumatek ballasts can light both HPS and MH bulbs 

*More lumen output...20%-30% more lumens output...More light equals more people will see the searchlight.*

There are no fans to break down or make noise; fan cooled ballast's have a very high failure rate. Lumatek ballasts are very, very reliable. Which is why we offer the excellent warranty. 

The ballast can be mounted in areas of high heat. Up to 140° Farenheit. 

- Every Lumatek ballast is burned for 12 hours at the factory
- Excellent three year, full exchange warranty
- Lumatek ballasts are 8% brighter than ROM and future ballasts
- No fans to break down after 1 or 2 years
- Safer - The Lumatek ballast is completely sealed from the inside 

*Ballast comes with 15' Lampcord !
Most companies add $35 for this cordset





**This ballast will run a HPS or MH 1000 watt Bulb
When Selector switch is set to 600 it will run a 600 watt MH or HPS bulb*
_The Dual Voltage Ballast comes with a 120 volt power cord ( regular 3 prong) or special order 240 volt cord.
_ 





New Switchable / Dimmable 10000 watt ballast
Will Run 1000 watt bulbs, 750 watt bulbs & 600 watt bulbs
*Price:* $349.95




326.20 *USD*






____________________________________________________________________________________________________

*The Sun Master bulb has a nice searchlight color, and very pleasant when shined on things. 
* 















 [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT] Sun Master bulb being made


 This combination seems to work well, and will get me through until I get more $$$ to upgrade.


----------



## Chauncey Gardner

Great project & thread LS!

Has me wondering about all the old dishes we have around the place...

Like the one we used as a gazeebo roof...

Great beam shots in a nice setting.


----------



## LightSward

Chauncey Gardner said:


> Great project & thread LS!
> 
> Has me wondering about all the old dishes we have around the place...
> 
> Like the one we used as a gazeebo roof...
> 
> Great beam shots in a nice setting.




:twothumbs Thanks. It has been much fun!! 
Dishes, pots and pans, salad or mixing bowls can be quite useful in ways not always evident at first glance. One of my first searchlights used a large shiny mixing bowl. It just happened to have a virtually perfect parabolic shape.

May 2010 Pacific Northwest Get Together


----------



## LightSward

New rotating platform and yoke are mostly finished for now. Looks great! I'll post photos next few days when one of my photo buckets allows me to put more photo on. :thumbsup:


----------



## LightSward

At long last, a few daytime photos and a video of the Gorilla's new panning mechanism. The panning mechanism rotates a full 90 degrees from side to side. I will upgrade it to a full 360 degree pan in the future. For now 90 degrees is plenty of beam movement for the venues I usually provide searchlight service to. Usually there is a building obstruction, trees or regulated air space I try to avoid, making the 90 degree pan perfect for many of these situations.:twothumbs

*36 inch Gorilla Searchlight, on new yoke and stand*


 































This stand pans 90 degrees, left to right, working well in downtown areas and many strip malls. Easy to transport the whole set-up in a small car. 







*Click for VIDEO*


 
Gorilla Searchlight with new panning mechanism .avi by Jared Wells  

This video shows the 600 watt special bright HID fast start 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight on it's new panning mechanism. This powerful, homemade searchlight is used to open new local film fest and night club promotions, along with small business openings and sales events!
(more)







The old wooden Yoke and Stand will temporarily support the 50 inch Monster, during it's new Yoke 'fitting'.

*Part of the original rotating mechanism and sheet metal, used on the searchlights, and metal mixing bowls, I briefly considered using as searchlight reflectors, a few years ago, now used in this 400,000 volt Van De Graaff Generator. I constructed this high tension generator from junk, around the same time I built the new Searchlight Yoke. I Captured this little 8 inch beauty yesterday.* The Large Sparks actually help relax and soothe sore, tight muscles. 




























..

Shorter, but way intense spark, loud pop!


 

*Van De Graaff Generator and Grounding Sphere* 






0:18  *Video, Click Image*
_(400,000 volts are expected on a dry day, but Portland, Oregon's constant somewhat humid, rainy days, makes the sparks much smaller, around 200,000 volts or less. Still 4 to 6 inch sparks are common with built in dehumidifying heater.)  Lights up fluorescent bulbs with-in three feet, just sitting in box. 
_


----------



## LightSward

Just a quick Note:

I will show off the 36 inch Gorilla at the Movie Premiere of my brothers movie "Born Again Sage", but there has been a slight delay filming the last and very important scene, (Insurance and permit issues of a night club). September will be the new opening month, and at the Laurelhurst Theatre 2735 East Burnside Street, Portland, OR 97214(503) 232-5511‎, and then it will show at the Hollywood Theater later in the month.

More info as the film is completed.:candle:


----------



## D-LUX

Wow! That's very cool.
It must be very rewarding designing and building someing like this... learning from your earlier projects and applying this knowledge. A huge effort, well done.


----------



## LightSward

:thumbsup: Thanks for the good words. 

This has been very rewarding, and has helped me keep my sanity, during the slow work schedule, I've been enduring for the last few seasons.

Cheers! :wave:


----------



## LightSward

The new panning mechanism on the Gorilla, makes the light beam much more attention grabbing.

I'll post some videos soon, of the new panning mechanism and beam shots.


----------



## LightSward

Will be doing a test run of the 36 inch Gorilla near the Laurelhurst Theater: Burnside and 28th street, Portland, Oregon, sometime around 10-10:45 p.m. Tonight, (Thursday, July 22, 2010). Hopefully will get some good beam shots.


----------



## LightSward

Awesome! For just a 600 watt, HID, large arc size bulb, the Gorilla did well during the competition with the nearly full moon. I think I got some good beam shots. I could see the light beam for many blocks! I think it will look decent during opening night of "Born Again Sage"!

Some streetlights seem to use very high wattage bulbs, especially at intersections. It was sometimes hard to see the searchlight at these brightly lit intersections, but neighborhood street lights weren't as bright, making the searchlight much easier to see. 

I overheard many passing bicyclist and pedestrians referring to the searchlight, and noticed motorist looking for the source as well. There are a lot of sidewalk cafes, etc., in the area, with lots of foot and bicycle traffic, making this a good spot for the Gorilla. Eventually I'd like to put a small arc, multi-k-watt HID / HMI bulb in this. 

Photos next few days.
:thumbsup:
LightSward


----------



## LightSward

*The Gorilla on new Panning System*

Here are a few beam shots. I kept the Gorilla panning all night, some of the photos show the beam wider and dimmer than it appears to the eye, because of the time lapse. I will use the tripod next time. Also, I had litmited 'sky exposure', so I had to point the searchlight almost straight up, which reduced the distance from the Gorilla, the beam could be seen. Still, Gorilla, very eye catching around the Laurelhurst neighborhood.

:twothumbs

*Video of Gorilla Panning a news helicopter*
*CLICK IMAGE FOR PANNING VIDEO OF THE GORILLA*
The 36 inch wide Gorilla searchlight is seen advertising it's new look, by shining over the Hill Billy Film Studio Back Lot and Portland area. 



Video of Gorilla Panning the night sky when a news helicopter flew over several times. Many people were drawn to the "Gorilla". 


*Gorilla showing off it's lighting ability*





























Gorilla Panning the Portland Night Sky from the back lot of the Production Studio location of many Portland Movie projects. The Gorilla, with it's soft, eye pleasing beam, blends in nicely with the Portland, Oregon culture. 




*Gorilla as seen from the Production Studio*





























Gorilla Panning the Portland Night Sky from the back lot of the Production Studio location of many Portland Movie projects. The Gorilla, with it's soft, eye pleasing beam, blends in nicely with the Portland, Oregon culture. 


*Gorilla Panning the Portland Night Sky*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla can be seen projecting into the Portland, Oregon, night sky, from the studio location the "Born Again Sage" Movie is produced at. 



*Gorilla Panning the Portland Night Sky*





























Gorilla as seen from a block away 


*Gorilla panning the night away*





























The Gorilla could be seen, during this practice run, for many blocks in all directions. 




*Gorilla shines from behind studio house*





























Here the 36 inch Gorilla is seen shining over the Studio location where the "Born Again Sage" Movie was produced. special effects location as well.
_The Searchlight Beam in many of these photos appears much wider and dimmer than it actually is, the panning motion, during the time lapse photo, made the beam look different than the eye sees it._


*Gorilla as seen from the Production Studio *


 
Here you can see the 36 inch Gorilla from a quarter mile distance, competing with the nearly full moon and bright lights.




Eventual location the Gorilla searchlight will invade...
*The Laurelhurst Movie Theater is a nice old place with beer and pizza*





























The Laurelhurst Movie Theater is a nice old place with beer and pizza. This is just a couple blocks from the production studio of "Born Again Sage". the sidewalk may be too small a space to set up the light, so a parking lot in the back may have to suffice...beam will shine over the building top.



*Gorilla as seen from Laurelhurst Theater*





























Here the Gorilla is seen from the Laurelhurst theater location. Standing next to the theater, I took this picture of the buildings across the street, where you can see the Gorilla Searchlight Beam panning over the buildings from a couple blocks away. 


*36 inch Gorilla from over a quarter mile distance*





























You can see the 36 inch Gorilla panning from over a quarter mile distance at this location. The nearly full moon is just off camera. I could have gone further, but the searchlight was starting to draw many people and it was getting late.


----------



## LightSward

I apologize for the poor quality photos from the last photo segment. My Nikon, I've been using, does not seem to be working properly. I will remedy that ASAP.:candle:


----------



## LightSward

Well, I am trying to put together a little road trip, to fire up the 600 watt Gorilla, somewhere, I can show the tremendous brightness of this thing. I'd like to travel to the Columbia Gorge, and light up a waterfall, for a few minutes, from a mile or so away.

Do to scheduling, It looks like the first Movie Premiere of "Born Again Sage", will be just before night fall, so I won't be using the Gorilla; at the Hollywood and Laurelhurst Movie Theaters, until later in the fall, when the days aren't so long. We originally thought, management would only let us do a late night viewing...which in this case is actually good news for the movie getting a good crowd,:thumbsup: but I won't be able to show off the Gorilla. :candle:


----------



## LightSward

For a variety of reasons, _Laurelhurst Movie Theater_ management didn't think the dark sky,  before the movie, was long enough, this time of year to have a searchlight for the Premiere of "Born Again Sage"...which starts at 9:15 pm,... almost totally dark. I understand. They prefer a good solid hour or more of dark sky before the movie starts, so we will wait until the movie moves to the Hollywood theater, a month later, to show off the GORILLA SEARCHLIGHT. This was the original plan, I was just hoping for more exposure...:thinking:




LightSward



*Born Again Sage Preview* 
vimeo.comHarold Nicholas Wells, The Phantom Hillbilly, stars, writes and directs this feature about a heavy metal rebel who never grows up. Featuring Cinema Queso, Extra Medium Sketch Comedy and Star Can't Dead alumni, plus a cast of Portland cameos as never-aging...



 . :naughty:  :candle:   . 

 
C-Yah Then!


----------



## LightSward

:twothumbs Sell Out Crowd! The 7" 35 watt HID converted Cyclops was hung by a shoe string from a tripod and rotated to act as a searchlight for the Premier of "Born Again Sage". Sidewalk was packed, so good thing I didn't bring the 36 inch Gorilla. Hundreds of people had to be turned away because the theater was packed with standing room only and extra seats brought in! Management of Laurelhurst Theater didn't expect this, so we are looking for another theater to show it in next few weeks. The Gorilla Searchlight will shine for sure at the Hollywood theater next month. Awesome!:twothumbs 

I will post some photos of the 7" Cyclops shining on the "theater markeeee", next few days, with the block long crowd lined up to buy tickets!


----------



## LightSward

*Some photos showing the location where, I set up the 7 inch, 35 watt HID, Cyclops, to attract attention to: "Born Again Sage's" - First sold-out Screening*








Some video I filmed of the 7 inch, 35 watt HID, Cyclops, hung by a shoe string from a tripod, at the Laurelhurst Movie Theater. This was the main opening night of my brother's movie premier, "BORN AGAIN SAGE". 

I just set up the Cyclops for about fifteen minutes. Several people said they could see the beam from the light several blocks away.:naughty:



Click Image for Video of 7", 35 Watt HID, Cyclops:twothumbs*Cyclops lights up the Movie Premier. I really want to bring the Monster or Gorilla next time. Have to see what management says...limited space, big crowds. When we show the Movie at the Hollywood theater a mile or so away, there is plenty of room for a searchlight there!*

*Born Again Sage's Photos - "BORN AGAIN SAGE": WORLD PREMIER!*

*Photo 7 of 13 Back to Album · Born Again Sage's Photos · Born Again Sage's Profile*





*Born Again Sage's Photos - "BORN AGAIN SAGE": WORLD PREMIER!* Cool to see it all lit up. My name appeared several times ithe credits for miniatures, special effects assistant, cinematography...my camera work actually looks pretty good on the "Big Screen"!:twothumbs

*Photo 11 of 13 Back to Album · Born Again Sage's Photos · Born Again Sage's Profile*


Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.


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## LightSward

ALL THE POSTS OF 2011 ARE GONE, INCLUDING MY MINI LIGHTSWARD THREAD...TOTALLY GONE! 

Glad CPF is back. I did not like it going dark for so long. Thanks CPF. Problem is many of the last post have vanished, ALL FROM 2011. All the Christmas tree lot stuff is gone :-(


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## LightSward

Here are just a few photos of the Gorilla searchlight; at the "Our Lady of Peace" Retreat Christmas tree sales event December, 2010December 18, 2010 at 12:25am ·
 






36 inch Gorilla searchlight is seen shining out over 170th and TV HWY in Beaverton, Oregon, (part of the Portland metro area).36 inch Gorilla searchlight is seen shining out over 170th and TV HWY in Beaverton, Oregon, (part of the Portland metro area).





*My Photos - Gorilla Searchlight at "Our Lady of Peace" Retreat Christmas tree sales 2*



36 inch Gorilla Searchlight guides customers to the Christmas Tree Lot, like a Lighthouse on our Oregon coast.







http://www.facebook.com/jaredjw Here are just a few photos of the Gorilla searchlight; at the "Our Lady of Peace" Retreat Christmas tree sales event December, 2010December 18, 2010 at 12:25am ·





Customer is drawn by Gorilla searchlight to OLP Christmas Tree sales lot.

December 18, 2010 · 







 
​


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## LightSward

Will be taking the Gorilla out to play soon. I've been busy with a construction project that has kept outside activities to a minimum. Hopefully I will be able to fire this thing up with a well focused HMI 1200 watt small arc HID soon!:naughty:


----------



## dwminer

Will you be able to make it to this years Seattle area GT in May? I know the wife and I really enjoyed your project last year as did others.
Hope to see you there,
Dave


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## LightSward

dwminer said:


> Will you be able to make it to this years Seattle area GT in May? I know the wife and I really enjoyed your project last year as did others.
> Hope to see you there,
> Dave


 
Yes I would like to. I had fun too. :thumbsup:

I have a quick job in New Mexico, mid May. What day, (night), is the get together?:thinking:


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## dwminer

LightSward said:


> Yes I would like to. I had fun too. :thumbsup:
> 
> I have a quick job in New Mexico, mid May. What day, (night), is the get together?:thinking:




May 28 http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?310143-Seattle-area-GT-in-May

Dave


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## LightSward

dwminer said:


> May 28 http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?310143-Seattle-area-GT-in-May
> 
> Dave


 

28th sounds good!


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## LightSward

Had a great time at the Seattle, (Renton), Washington, Oregon area CPF; Get Together May 28 http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...area-GT-in-May
. Finally saw IgNITEor's "Tank Light", from which the Gorilla design is somewhat based on. Chizel supplied Gorilla's Power again.




The Gorilla searchlight with temporary 600 watt standard HID bulb. IgNITEor, brought several 1,200 watt bulbs, to be installed, next few weeks, into the Gorilla!





The 1,200 watt HMI bulb brought by IgNITEor, is spewing out massive Photons.







The Gorilla searchlight with it's temporary 600 watt standard HID bulb. It will look much brighter and better colluminated (thinner) beam when the 1,200 watt HMI bulb supplied by IgNITEor is installed in the coming weeks, for next CPF show.


*My Photos - Cancle Power Forum Getogether May 30, 2011*

*Photo 9 of 20 Back to Album · My Photos*





The Gorilla homemade reflector and shiney tape mirror surface.



The Tank Light is to the Left and is showing the Gorilla how it must shine in the future.



Gorilla to the right, (of course), with it's 600 watt parking light bulb and the Spectacular Tank Light with it's (I may be wrong..?) 2.4K watt Xenon short arc Imax type bulb, frame the sky.






Gorilla and Tank Light beams dazzle the crowds.



The Gorilla tries to light the cloud. The Tank Light lights the cloud so bright, it almost looks like a small moon!



Gorilla and Tank Light beams frame the sky. Here you can see both beams lighting the clouds, the Tank Light is much brighter. I hope to get a ballast to operate the 1,200 watt HMI soon.

Had a great time! Will post a few more photos later. I hope to have the Gorilla shining bright and thin, in coming weeks! Come to the next CPF Get Together to see it!



 May 28 http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...area-GT-in-May


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## LightSward

The 1,200 watt HMI IgNITEor brought to the Seattle/ Portland area Get Together, fits nicely in the Gorilla! Arc tube lines up at the focus spot quite nicely. I'll build the socket support and focusing plate, next few days. Looks like for now, I'll have to work with a DIY incandescent/resistive,(somewhat reactive), ballast that will have the Gorilla temporarily needing 240 volts and nearly 3,000 watts....Yikes. I think I can get a real one for about $420.00...(Jenbo...) I have a decent Ignitor provided by the IgNITEor. Some how or another this thing is going to "roar" like a Gorilla. Thanks to all who helped!


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## LightSward

HMI Light Socket just about installed. Ballast still needs work...240 volts...IgNITEor is sending me some specs....I have several options. When finished, I should get a bright spot... should go a couple miles,... bright enough to light things up well!


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## LightSward

*THIS THING ROCKS!!!

*I am building my homemade ballast of Resistors etc...but jumped on a deal...--->>>

I was blown away by the price of $420.. and quickly bought one...as most ballast of this type run in the thousands of dollars. I am totally awestruck by the results on the 36 inch Gorilla (see CPF 36 inch Gorilla), as immediately people started driving up and said they saw the beam from three or more miles away on busy highway...thought I was having a sale or party...wish I had...ha ha.




Jenbo 1200 watt HMI small arc Metal Halide ballast, is about the size and weight of a motel room Bible...fits in the palm of my hand. Not too expensive either.



Cooling Fans of the Jenbo 1200 watt HMI ballast






Outside, the Gorilla looks the same, but inside...the 1200 watt HMI has more lumen output, in an arc area 1/7th the size as the recent bulb used at the CPF get together in Renton, Washington. The beam seems to go on forever and stays bright as you walk away from searchlight.







Strange perspective, had to really tilt my head / camera, (upper shot), to see the upper part of beam. Top part of photo was taken looking nearly straight up, of cloud a mile and half up. The beam curves overhead like the Luxor Light in Las Vegas....Totally Awesome!

To get proper perspective, get as close to the bottom of the computer screen as possible and look up to the top of picture. 


*My Photos - The 36 inch Homemade Gorilla Reflector now has a 1200 watt HMI*


*Photo 4 of 19 Back to Album · My Photos*





1200 watt HMI bulb Roars the Gorilla to it's brightest yet!




Beam is bright, even against all the light polluted clouds. The beam was easy to see several miles away, a real 'eye catcher'.

*Photo 6 of 19 Back to Album · My Photos*



Previous
Next





1200 watt Gorilla Spot 150 feet away, an hour before sunset on a cloudy day.


*Photo 8 of 19 Back to Album · My Photos*



Previous
Next




Gorilla aimed up for test.






1200 watt HMI bulb takes a minute or so to cool down, even with forced air cooling, as seen reflecting off the 36 inch Gorilla!






Here the 36 inch Gorilla sits where the original 24 inch LightSward's photo shoot a couple years ago, took place.






Here the beam can be seen lighting up a cloud over a mile and a half above ground.








Even from a block away and stiff competition from a sodium vapor street light over head, the Gorilla beam is visible, pointed away towards Aloha High School. Crowds from four miles away from busy well lit roads, and schools, came by to see what the bright beam in the sky was all about!

Come to the next Seattle/ Portland Area CPF get together later this Summer / Fall to see the 1200 watt HMI Gorilla's new 'look'!!!





I meant to photograph this angle, but had to turn the light off...too many cars pulling into our neighborhood...(Last years look...)
reflector quality of optics; is the limiting factor now. I will now produce the Beta version...a little bit better focus...thinner beam....


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## LightSward

Well, I am very pleased with the Finished 1200 watt HMI 36 inch Gorilla Searchlight, (Phase 1)! 

I am a bit of an artist, the Gorilla and light beams are like a sculpture/ painting to me. This new light bulb, (IgNITEor made this possible!), has made all the difference, and the Jenbo ballast _halide cleaned_ the arc chamber with an automatic process, and now the bulb shines very brightly! I now have to be careful when I power up the Gorilla, as within minutes, cars start driving back and forth on my street, numerous drivers ask where 'the sale or party' is?!. 

Growing up in Las Vegas, I often saw the big 60" Carbon Arc searchlights shining in the heavens. First time I saw one at a "Woolco" sale, I knew I had to have one some day. I took pieces of mirror and put them in an empty, round ice cream container and made my first reflector, 8 reflected spots of light, from a 100 watt light-bulb, combined into one. I had the concept, even though I was only 6 years old. Over the years, many attempts to make reflectors worked okay, but the aluminum foil I used, is of course, not the best surface, but I wanted to much of this homemade. Eventually I discovered the "Chrome tape" described in my threads. The rest is history...
 




*Newest Gorilla Price Card June 19, 2011 JPEG*

This is a light that can be seen fives miles! Very economical, rents at a great price with attendant.
"Openings, Parties, weddings and more."




For now, the Gorilla "appears" very bright, compared to just a week or so ago, with the other bulbs... Additional *beam shot*s on the way, when I cross the desert on the way to a wedding. Kinda cool...a bright light, the night before my little sisters Wedding, at a hard to find location, many invited guest will be staying that night. 

This is a lot of fun!


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## DM51

Great result - that thing is a MONSTER!


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## LightSward

DM51 said:


> Great result - that thing is a MONSTER!



Thank you. lovecpf This has been a lot of fun! :naughty: This is about how I envisioned the final product. IgNITEor and other CPF members helped make it all happen.

Beta model on the way!


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## LightSward

Hopefully I will have everything, ...I need for portable power, soon, so my journey across the Mojave Desert can include *beam shots of the 1200 watt HMI Gorilla*. I hope to include some Las Vegas shots and surrounding canyons and mountains, such as those from last year.

Soon, I will be out of internet communication range...except emergencies. I'm still not too HI-Tek with portable internet...

Beam Shots coming soon!


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## LightSward

The last item arrived this morning...the 120 vac to 220 vac converter. So now I have about 20 minutes portable battery supply, to remote operate the Gorilla. I may be able to extend that a little. My generator is a bit large. I'll have to work on extending the time, one way or another. Also I can more easily just pull up to an outlet somewhere that has 120 vac. Remember, my Jenbo ballast needs 220 vac.

With what little battery time at 1,500 watts, I have, I will recharge during the day, and do two or three nights worth, photo shoots....kind of hard on the lamp...(just this time in Vegas area). Fingers crossed as I test everything Thursday.:naughty:


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## LightSward

I'm back from Vegas. Things where going along very well, until me and the Gorilla searchlight became stranded a few miles from the Lee Canyon Ski Resort beam shot location, this year and last. I never was able to make that "shoot."

The 36" Gorilla is stuck in Las Vegas; minus the ballast and HMI bulb, which I took as carry-on luggage. I had an express lane to Security, but that took a while. Nice TSA agents, but they first thought the HMI set up was something else. They became very supportive when I told them about the Gorill searchlight, and how I'm not sure my car is as reliable, or warranty as honorable as KIA made me believe, so I was stranded twenty miles from Las Vegas, luckily at a mountain lodge at about 6,500 feet elevation, 

I managed to get some good beam shots of the '_toe end' of "Mummy Mountain,_" a big mountain overlooking the lodge, and little valley, I was stranded at. Employees were great and let me use the parking lot power box to supply the power for the Gorilla. I'll download my beam shots the next few days.


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## LightSward

Here are some day and night shots of Mummy Mountains South side. This is where my little sister's wedding was and were my car was towed from. (I will get more locations when my car is finally repaired...after the part is manufactured and shipped!!!)





*South side of Mummy Mountain.*

Here is the South Side of Mummy Mountain, just East of Charleston Peak at 11,918 feet. Photo taken at about the 7,500 foot elevation. My little sister's wedding was at the base of the Mountain, in the Lodge at Mountain Charleston.:naughty:






*This part of Mummy Mountain is mile and half away*

Here is another view of the South Side of Mummy Mountain, just East of Charleston Peak at 11,918 feet. Photo taken at about the 7,500 foot elevation, from the parking lot of the Lodge my little sister was married at.







*Folks gather to examine the Gorilla light beam*

Here you can see the top of the mountain lit by the Gorilla searchlight, over a mile away.









*Mummy Mountain mile long beam shot*

Here you can see the top of Mummy Mountain a mile from this parking lot, lit by the Gorilla searchlight.


Another Day view:




*Mummy Mountain with Lodge, Church and Condo Complex*

Mummy Mountain with Lodge, Church and Condo Complex visible at base.






*Mummy Mountain beam shot*

Another beam shot of the top of the mountain lit by the Gorilla searchlight, over a mile away.










*Bright Beam*

Here the Gorilla is aimed into the night sky.


When parts for my car are manufactured, shipped and installed, I will travel again to Vegas to complete the beam shots I had planned to do June.


----------



## LightSward

I may have to travel with the Gorilla's new addition...The *30" Night Hawk!* based on the Gorilla's design, it is smaller, much lighter in weight, optically at least as good as the Gorilla, and easy to handle. Go check out the next phase of my light study. I don't know when the Kia will be repaired via warranty....still sitting in Vegas, waiting for ETA of part to be manufactured and shipped. The Gorilla and new Night Hawk are twins in performance, but the Night Hawk is much more portable!


----------



## LightSward

Here is a Google photo profile of South Mummy Mountain. Gorilla roughly at the bottom left of photo. 




*mummy mtn*

This day photo was taken about a mile from the Gorilla Searchlight's night time beam shot location(s) before car broke down in desert heat. (Photo provided by Google.)



*
*


----------



## LightSward

KIA only took a month to warranty fix my car when it overheated 20 miles from Las Vegas. I'll be glad to get the Gorilla home and on the test stand with the new Night Hawk.


----------



## LightSward

I compared the Gorilla and Night Hawk Reflectors, and realize the Gorilla has a much smoother surface, giving it a much better beam. I will focus spending a lot of time finishing any future surface to a mirror smoothness. With the Night Hawk, I moved quickly, thinking I could get away with the orange peel look. The Gorilla has the light re-installed, and will test tomorrow. 

Come to the next Seattle CPF Get Together; and see the Gorilla with the 1200 watt HMI!






*Gorilla*

Here is a view showing the more focused Gorilla beam.


----------



## LightSward

I fired up the Gorilla during the Full Moon tonight, August 12, 2011, and could see the beam five miles away. I'll get photos uploaded next few nights. (I could see several meteors, from Perseid meteor shower, near the beam; all this even with the Full Moon.):wave:


----------



## LightSward

Awesome!:naughty: Beam shots came out great. 1,200 watt HMI Gorilla at some viewing angles, looked very much like the "Luxor" light in Las Vegas...the way it just kind of hung in the sky as I drove down various highways. The Offshoot: "Night Hawk", beam shots looked similar, but just not as bright, and did not photograph too well. I hope to remedy this soon.

Here are just a small sample of this impressive light.: You can see the stars in some of these.\/





*Beam needs more focus, 1 blk away*

Beam needs more focus, as seen 1 block away. These shots are similar to what the Night Hawk looked like, but brighter. the Gorilla's mirror surface is more glass like than the Night Hawk, which I hope to remedy soon...as $$$ dictates.







*Beam from a mile competing with full moon*
Beam would appear brighter if it shined directly overhead. Still it looks bright on a profile, competing with the Full Moon! The Gorilla sits about a mile from this zoom shot.









*Full moon and mile away Gorilla*
Beam would appear brighter if it shined directly overhead. Still it looks bright on a profile, competing with the Full Moon! This is about a mile from the Gorilla.









*Two miles this view of Gorilla light beam*




Typical view as seen a mile and a half distance from Gorilla.




*Mile and half from Gorilla *

Typical view as seen a mile and a half distance from Gorilla during Full Moon.









*Two Miles from Gorilla at Aloha High*

The beam as it looked from 2 miles distance from Gorilla, as seen at Aloha High School during Full Moon







 










*Three miles from Gorilla at TV HWY and 170th ave. *

Another shot near the "Our Lady of Peace" Retreat House. You can see the beam rising near the RxR Crossing arm during the Full Moon. Beam kind of looked like the "Luxor" light in Las Vegas, which I plan to photograph the Gorilla near, soon!













*Three miles TV HWY *

Traveling at 40 MPH, I leaned out and took this photo along TV HWY in Beaverton, OR, about Three miles from Aloha, OR where the Gorilla is shining from! You can see the beam shining above the smeared store lights.


I focused the light better after I took these shots. I'll fire up this thing at some point, but it really does draw a lot of people, so I have to plan when I can use it next...neighbors probably wonder where all these beam curious people show up from.

I could see the beam easily four to five miles away, but didn't take the time to photograph it, as I had to get the thing turned off, I guessed crowds had started to form near home, yes, many Light Beam Seekers. I focused the beam better, thinner and brighter now, after photo shoot.

Now with Gorilla focused for an even brighter, thinner beam, you must come to the this *Fall's* CPF Seattle Area Get-Together. We are forming a time plan right now!

Here is a link to this last May Get together that the *Fall, (Autumn)* Get-Together is piggy backing on for now.

Plan Now for CPF FALL Get-Together in the Seattle Area! Copy and paste in browser is needed VVV

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?310143-Seattle-area-GT-in-May/page3


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## LightSward

I should be installing the 600 watt HID into the Monster and comparing it to the Gorilla soon!

I'm starting a new job, and have been going through a lot of training, etc, so the 600 watt conversion for the Monster may take a little longer.


----------



## LightSward

I will be comparing the Gorilla to the Mini-Lightsward with the 1,200 watt HMI in both soon, tomorrow maybe...:twothumbs


----------



## LightSward

Perhaps this was a stretch, but here is the way to the New Thread:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...-Together-Note



 
 Seattle area get together has some people joining us from "Open Carry".


----------



## LightSward

The Gorilla had a chance to hang out with other similar lights, and a whole bunch of other High-Tek lights brought by all the light 'junkies'. We were careful not to shine any lights at aircraft, but a couple of departing flights from the area must have been 'dazzeled' by the marvelous a-ray of light beams pointed unintentionally their direction. 

My 'Eagle Tac' won at the drawings that *Mike & Julie of **Pacific Tactical Solutions* do at each of these events unintentionally got a neighbor's attention from a block away, while walking her 'attack dogs' early in the morning! 

Many photos of the Seattle area Get Together taken; so please post them! :naughty:


----------



## LightSward

Recently went to the Seattle Get Together 24th of September, 2011 here are just a few photos of the Gorilla and company.







*The Baby Ray and **Gorilla **lights, started things off outside.* The KK light was next, then Mini LightSward and finally the Grand Finale, "The DEATH RAY, (Tank Light)!

You can see Chizel's recently made 35 watt HID slicing through the Baby Ray and Gorilla beams near bottom.






*The Mini LightSward and Gorilla compare*

The Mini LightSward and Gorilla compare light output of their 1,200 watt HMI 4,000 watt incandescent equivalent beams. The Gorilla design to the right is more efficient and brighter, but the Mini LightSward is small and easier to transport, with less light wash.






*Four bright lights shine the night away*







*IgNITEor and LightSward show off lights*

Here you can see the Tank Light named the Death Ray and the Baby Ray showing the Mini LightSward and the Gorilla on the right, how lighting is done.







*Some of the brightest lights people can have*

Here you can see the Tank Light named the Death Ray and the Baby Ray showing the Mini LightSward and the Gorilla on the right, how lighting is done.

Just a sample, I have more, will post soon.:naughty:

One more:

Here is a view taken a football field length away from the four powerful searchlights.






I took this photo from about three hundred feet from the searchlights!


----------



## LightSward

I have to admit, I got a little 'lazy' and didn't focus the split spherical back reflector or main focus point as well as I could have on the Gorilla. :sick2: I will discipline myself and make a better method of focusing the Gorilla, so I won't have such a wide beam. The imperfections in the main reflector don't help either. 

IgNITEor gave me some tips on a better focusing method. I may put all the best of what I've learned these past couple years, into the soon coming; 26 inch, (ish..) "Light Sport' or "Sport Light"...(name undecided copyright issues), that I may make available for sale, either in part, or as a complete searchlight package.:naughty:


----------



## LightSward

Here are a few more shots of the Gorilla with other fellow searchlights.


There is much fun at Seattle Area Get Together s. Show up next time...Spring 2012!






*The Mini LightSward and Gorilla compare*

The Mini LightSward and Gorilla compare light output of their 1,200 watt HMI 4,000 watt incandescent equivalent beams. The Gorilla design to the right is more efficient and brighter, but the Mini LightSward is small and easier to transport, with less light wash.

*
Both of these are 1,200 watt HMI lights: KK Light compares to Gorilla*





Both 1,200 watt HMI lights: KK Light compares it's better focused beam to Gorilla's brighter but faster spreading beam.
*
A view of the searchlights from nearly a block away, photo taken in the nearby woods*




Photo from nearly a block away.







1,200 watt HMI KK light to our left, compares to the 1,200 watt HMI Gorilla to our right. 








1,200 watt HMI KK light better focused and reaches clouds better, compares to the 1,200 watt HMI Gorilla, brighter lower portion of beam, reaches clouds, not as bright at that height as KK light.


Mini Light Sward tries to light as bright as Gorilla. Both lights use a 1,200 watt HMI 10 mm arc bulb.




Mini Light Sward borrows power from IgNITEor's KK light's generator to power it's 1,200 watt HMI and compares to Gorilla's 1,200 watt HMI light with efficient reflector design; powered by Chizel's power company. 

* Another view of the Mini LightSward and Gorilla searchlights. *


----------



## petrev

LightSward said:


> I have to admit, I got a little 'lazy' and didn't focus the split spherical back reflector or main focus point as well as I could have on the Gorilla. :sick2: I will discipline myself and make a better method of focusing the Gorilla, so I won't have such a wide beam. The imperfections in the main reflector don't help either.
> 
> IgNITEor gave me some tips on a better focusing method. I may put all the best of what I've learned these past couple years, into the soon coming; 26 inch, (ish..) "Light Sport' or "Sport Light"...(name undecided copyright issues), that I may make available for sale, either in part, or as a complete searchlight package.:naughty:




Great Work

LightSport-26 Parts/Kit - sounds interesting !

Keep up the great work
Cheers
Pete


----------



## LightSward

Great Work

LightSport-26 Parts/Kit - sounds interesting !

Keep up the great work
Cheers
Pete 






Thanks for the good thoughts. 

I'm going to spend some quality time researching and building the LightSport-26 reflector and Kit and finished complete light.

Nice Photos Chizel. Thanks again for the power.

_
Death Ray, (Tank Light), background and Gorilla Light the Sky!_




 *Gorilla photo close-up. Photo by: Chizel* 

IgNITEor really helped break the HMI ice for me and answered the call for me. Chizel came through with electric power for me all three Seattle Area CPF Get Together events I attended.

LightSward
Jared


----------



## LightSward

The Gorilla looked awesome for the twenty minutes it functioned at the Christmas tree lot. Cooling fan ran too slow, because of the bad power at the lot. Searchlight bulb it self lit properly, but bulb leads melted and disconnected from the base. I am making some modifications to change from a single ended bulb to the double ended 1,200 watt small arc HMI. I have just ordered a new single ended Jenbo 1,200 watt HMI bulb. Should be up and running Christmas Lot, *170th and T.V. HWY Beaverton, Oregon*, by FRIDAY, about my 50th Birthday!


----------



## LightSward

:naughty: There is definitely something to be said about double ended HMI bulbs. Wow, with a full moon, five people with-in five minutes showed up, one car full of people saying they had seen it on a highway running two and a half miles or more a way. I bit more focus-able light source, with cleaner rays. I'll have to keep this in mind. Plus the double ended bulb cools much faster, enabling a much quicker restart! 


I put the 1,200 watt bulb from the "Mini-LightSward" into the Gorilla to replace the slightly overheat damaged  Single ended bulb. (I noticed the ballast and bulb stay up with 'crappy power" quite well, the specs., show this, but the cooling fan speed is very closely affected by proper voltage.)  I will run my fans from smaller, carefully regulated power supplies, while still powering the electronic ballast itself, with a wide range of voltages, as listed on the specification sheet.

I'll post photos soon, but had to shut the thing off after ten minutes...too many people! :wow: I'm going to compare it to the 600 watt HID regular type metal halide powered Monster soon. :twothumbs 

It should now work at the Charity Christmas Tree Lot, it will shine from, on; TV HWY., Oregon. :santa:


----------



## LightSward

I'm trying to post photos, but my computers has slowed to a crawl.

Photos from Christmas Tree Lot


----------



## LightSward

Okay, here are some recent photos of the Single Ended and Double Ended 1,200 watt HMI small arc bulb version of the Gorilla Searchlight.





*Gorilla shines over Tree Lot Parking Lot*

          the Gorilla is seen dominating the night sky with it's powerful 1,200 watt double ended HMI small arc bulb.









*Gorilla is tested with new 1,200 watt HMI*

  Gorilla is tested with new 1,200 watt HMI.  Light Shines out over Beaverton, Oregon.








*Gorilla is tested with new 1,200 watt HMI*

  Gorilla is tested with new 1,200 watt HMI.  Light Shines out over Beaverton, Oregon.







*Gorilla is tested with new 1,200 watt HMI*
Gorilla is tested with new 1,200 watt HMI.  Light is ready to shine 100 feet to adjacent garage.







*Gorilla beam competes with Full Moon*

  Gorilla beam competes with Full Moon.  Other stars and a planet are visible.







*Gorilla Shines over Beaverton, Oregon*

  Gorilla Shines over Beaverton, Oregon Christmas Tree Lot.  Can be seen for several miles!







*Gorilla shines across busy intersections*

  Gorilla shines across busy intersections of TV HWY and 170th plus traffic light for our tree lot.






*Gorilla shines over Tree Lot Parking Lot*

          the Gorilla is seen dominating the night sky with it's powerful 1,200 watt double ended HMI small arc bulb.








*1,200 watt HMI arc tube cools down*

  1,200 watt HMI arc tube is captured in this photo cooling down.  :thumbsup:


----------



## LightSward

I've got some really good video of the Gorilla shining from the Christmas Tree Lot.  Four customers showed up with-in minutes of it being lit.  Many in the area thought a Hollywood Movie was in production.  I'll post next few days. :naughty:


----------



## LightSward

VIDEO




1:27 

Gorilla NEW with 1,200 watt HMI bulb.m4v 
                                    The Annual OLP Christmas Tree Sale is greatly helped by the the Gorilla
Searchlight.  Click IMAGE for Video.  Top from YouTube, bottom one is Flickr






 

*Gorilla NEW with 1,200 watt HMI bulb*


See if any of these work :sick2:


----------



## erehwyrevekool

Really impressive!
Happy December! :wave:


----------



## LightSward

The Gorilla is incredible.   *For all practical purposes, the Gorilla fulfills a life long dream of owning a "Big Light" that shines a bright beam several miles across the night sky. * I will now improve this and make it 'beta' and continue working on lights.

There are two intersections seen in many of these photos, both adjacent to the tree lot.  The Gorilla was plagued by dirty power and jared rigged wires.  I will now disassemble some of the power supplies and rebuild them the way they should be...with real wire, not the PA small wire stuff they rigged it with.  I'll include circuit breakers instead of fuses, and am working on some other reflector ideas...this thing is ready to move forward!

Here are some of the last photos taken!  Enjoy...


:naughty:





*Christmas Tree lot *

          Here the Gorilla light is seen shining a block away over the 170 and TV HWY intersection.






*Gorilla lights cloud deck one mile up 2*

          As  the fog lifted, a cloud deck about three quarters to about a mile up  reflected the Gorilla light quite brightly.  Here incredible detail of  the cloud deck is revealed by the Gorilla.






*Customer checks out new tree advertised via Gorilla*

          The Gorilla greets a customer!





*A little rain doesn't slow the Gorilla*

          The light fog and rain react with the Gorilla beam in a way that requires a lower to horizon light pattern.


----------



## LightSward

Happy New Year! Great shots of the Gorilla shining in the Sky on New Years. Many people came by including a curios Sheriff. I'll post the incredible shots next few days!


----------



## LightSward

I've been busy, and plan to provide New Year beam shots any-day now...yah right... Seriously, I've been working on the Gorilla offspring; the "LightSport" and at around 25 inches, makes it an ideal, very powerful sport light for all kinds of applications, including camping, search and rescue and hunting, just to name a few. If positioned on a hill, far and high enough above a playing field such as baseball or football, the "LightSport"could act as a stadium light...lol.

Here is the link to that light: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?317206-26-quot-LightSport-700-1200-watt-HMI-powerful-multi-use-light


----------



## LightSward

The basic parabolic profile I designed is used for the Gorilla, is in a CAD promo. (Just name recognition, no royalties. Have to start somewhere. )







*Auto CAD 36 inch Gorilla AD*

I am honored to see my Gorilla Searchlight and recently started LightSport used in a CAD software ad.


----------



## LightSward

I've been trying to discuss shipping and currency exchange rates with the electroforming, copper, nickel plating people in the UK, but so far contact is not easy and my attempt to purchase has failed, resulted in an automatic 'refund'...???. So I will look into American dealers that hopefully don't want $1,500 for a 'kit' like I've found so far.




.......Still busy on 26 inch LightSport but will post the awesome photos from New Years....soooome day soooon!....


----------



## LightSward

*
Here is a collage of New Years Photos 2012 of the Gorilla*




Like · · Share


----------



## LightSward

Walterk said:


> Thx a lot for the tutorial ! Will try myself soon.
> 
> About how to do the application of silver leaf; hope someone with experience can reply on that.



I'm half way to copy chroming and acid copper electroplating my reflectors, with tinning I just purchased, used after the electrical paint is applied. I've done 'gold leaf' before...not too bad, kind of like working with the 'chrome tape'.


----------



## LightSward

LightSward said:


> I'm half way to copy chroming and acid copper electroplating my reflectors, with tinning I just purchased, used after the electrical paint is applied. I've done 'gold leaf' before...not too bad, kind of like working with the 'chrome tape'.



See the offspring of the Gorilla...the 30 inch Nighthawk. 





30 inch Searchlight shines out over Hillsboro.

Searchlight as seen from seven miles away!




Portland is what is lighting up the clouds in background.









*Imitation 3-D view of the 30 inch Nighthawk*
30 inch Nighthawk ready to paint the sky with artistic homemade lighting.








Beam could be seen seven miles away!







Check out the Gorilla child.


----------



## LightSward

The 36 inch Gorilla and 30 inch Nighthawk have been entered into NASA's "Designing the Future" Contest. See the entry and vote!

http://contest.techbriefs.com/safety-and-security-2012-by-title/2636-very-efficient-searchlight


----------



## LightSward

Future Gorilla lights will have a new reflective coating, If all goes well with the ALSACORP spray chrome. Fingers crossed on test. I have developed a superior building system based on the old method that hopefully produces a better reflective surface and more precision optical qualities.


----------



## awenta

LightSward said:


> Future Gorilla lights will have a new reflective coating, If all goes well with the ALSACORP spray chrome. Fingers crossed on test. I have developed a superior building system based on the old method that hopefully produces a better reflective surface and more precision optical qualities.



Does that mean they will be for sale soon??


----------



## LightSward

awenta said:


> Does that mean they will be for sale soon??



YES! ...The *36 inch Gorilla* is NOW available, plus the little brother of the Gorilla; "*30 inch NightSward* is on sale now too"!


----------



## LightSward

*Do not* use *ALSACORP* KILLER CHROME PAINT *BAD PRODUCT*


----------



## LightSward

*Thread: Seattle Area 2013 Spring Candle Power Forum Get Together at the Barn*


I'm building new lights to show! BBQ, vending, show off, prizes?! Let's get this show going!!!


----------



## LightSward

this is about what the Gorilla Searchlight will look like when I build it's weather resistant version. Lamb is Clients Custom feature request for Bat Symbol.







recent photo of the NightHawk at this Spring 2013 Seattle Area Get Together. 1,200 watt HMI vs 1000 watt Halogen. Gorilla will look similar but thinner beam.





The NightHawk is basically the Sister light of the 36 inch Gorilla. NightHawk has almost as good of beam, but the slightly larger reflector makes the Gorilla more colluminated.


----------



## LightSward

Well I want to try and place this new 4,000 watt HMI I'm putting together into the 36 inch Gorilla and other searchlights like my new "World's Biggest, Brightest single bulb searchlight.

I may be putting this four thousand watt HMI 380,000 lumen powerhouse bulb into the Monster if things fit correctly. Slowly I'm getting this together. Four thousand watt HMI ignited for the first time with my homemade Tesla coil ignitor. May use a spark gap to connect to the ballast.:thumbsup:
*I apologize, but one of my photo hosts has unreliable and unstable links, (Facebook based), and this caused a large amount of my photos to vanish over he last few days. Apologize, but with all the photos I posted I'm not able to update all them do to a variety reasons, mostly time. *

(Sneak Preview) Here is a quick look at the Searchlight when half finished, using only a 100watt HID bulb. Eventually I did Upgrade to a 1200 watt HMI with the help of the IgnITEor.

Click here to view the original image of 960x720px.




First time ignition of the 4000 watt H.M.I. hi tech light bulb arc chamber. Now I just have to hook up the ballast with this home made Tesla coil.

One of my homemade Tesla coils with PVC and 1/4" bolt adjustable spark gap, 915 turns of bell wire on PVC 'tower' and high voltage 2 liter/ foil capacitor with bleeder safety resistors instead of $200 'bank capacitor' or equivalent.

Click here to view the original image of 960x720px.




Using a 12 volt NAPA parts relay as an 'interrupter' to "pulse" the steady dc current to act like the points of an old school car ignition allow the ignition coil to power the homemade high voltage capacitor, spark gap and Tesla coil tower. I also purchased the coil at NAPA.


Don't have to actually hook a wire to get the arc chamber to ionize...just having the Tesla coil in the vicinity ignites any discharge bulb in vicinity such as CFL, fluorescent, metal halides, sodium vapor and of course HMI.

Click here to view the original image of 960x720px.




First time ignition with homemade Tesla coil as the ignitor. This will be used in conjunction with a real magnetic ballast to regulate, ignite and operate the four thousand watt HMI bulb.


One of my three Tesla Coils. I have better designs but cost have kept me with this smaller one as the main working unit. The bell wire of the proper gauge and the wider PVC tube, makes the ideal coil very expensive. I also need to get an old school magnetic 10,000 volt ignition transformer or an old school neon sign transformer at 10 kvac output to power the Tesla coil more reliably than the 12 VDC car ignition coil used here.





Homemade Tesla coil cost far less than when I was trying to build one in the 1970's... Today internet demonstrates how to make high voltage parts like capacitor out of foil and 2 liter soda bottle and coil tower from plastic pipe and bell wire, for pennies that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars if purchased. Estimated voltage, determined by length of spark, is around 250,000 volts

Five hundred dollars to build a Tesla coil back in the 1970's, and no guarantee of operating, I abandoned "Tesla" until a few years ago, thanks to the abundant information found on the internet.

The Gorilla will be literally 4 times brighter than most of the shots seen before when I had the 100,000 lumen 1,200 watt HMI in it. Arc tube on the 4000 watt HMI isn't even one inch, it's about the same as the carbon arc area of the 60 inch WWII light and almost as many lumen. One of my searchlights, either the 36 inch Gorilla, 50 inch Monster and/or the 72 inch World's biggest searchlight will have a beam very similar to the 60 inch WWII carbon arc searchlight! If I try the four thousand watt HMI in some of the other searchlights, the beam will be a little wider as the arc distance is 20mm.


----------



## LightSward

The 36 inch, (actually it's closer to 40 inches when I finished it), is about to outfitted with the 4,000 watt HMI 380,000 lumen bulb. There's many reasons but the main one is to make the Gorilla hit the night skies, with a big show of light, again and to give something for the 4,000 watt HMI to do. The World's Largest Searchlight, (Lord of Lights), is difficult for me to transport at this time, so I will temporarily borrow it's light and place it into the Gorilla!

Here's the light bulb, Hopefully this photo will be here for a few days. CPF is loosing my photos.




Nice small bulb...amazing the power in this thing.

Ballast to run it.




This thing weighs 200 pounds..!


Here's 1/4 the brightness this thing will be...just for comparison.




The beam will spread a little fast because the discharge area is so large.



This is the emergency ignition Tesla coil I use to ensure I get the 4,000 watt HMI up and running.




I place the Tesla coil anywhere near the 4kwt HMI bulb and it ignites if the built in unit fails to ignite it...(homemade system).

Will add photos of what I'm doing after I figure out what the HELL is going on and my photos are vanishing.

*I apologize, but one of my photo hosts has unreliable and unstable links, (Facebook based), and this caused a large amount of my photos to vanish over he last few days. Apologize, but with all the photos I posted I'm not able to update all them do to a variety reasons, mostly time. *


----------



## LightSward

Am nearing completion of the 4,000 watt upgrade to the Gorilla. Three cooling fans with a forth passive forced exhaust vent mounted directly over the intense light-bulb, integrated with the split back reflector..! I've had to upgrade my, still home-made, ignition system directly into the fiberglass shell to make all the components weather resistant to allow searchlight operation in rain, sleet, light hail, snow with little or no winds, or fair to light winds with no precipitation, all possible to operate the searchlight in. I have to work on the ballast and generator being more weather resistant now...lol.

Will upgrade to a better photo system soon.


----------



## LightSward

Getting ready for a testing. The focusing is accomplished with a delta plate for three dimensional adjustments. I'll add vent hoods and other weather proofing soon. I have a tempered glass front lens and a plexiglass front lens for when I need the searchlight to be lighter in weight. The cooling fans provide more than adaquate air to keep things cool under 100 degrees on an 80 degree night. I was surprised by how well the bath fans work at only $15.00 Home Depot.













Ready to test after some basic adjustments. Gorilla searchlight now outfitted with 4k watt HMI The 36 inch Gorilla has been outfitted to operate in inclement weather, a four thousand watt HMI lamp producing over 385,000 lumen light output.


----------



## LightSward

This thing just keeps getting better..! This really is the Gorilla at it's Zenith! Bright like sunlight in the day, gonna spook people at night! Vampires, beware...lol.
Cranberry Red, or something like it.

Here's the new 36 inch Gorilla reconditioned into the 4 Kwatt beast it is now. Want to test this at night, but the touchy situation with a neighbor having a fight with her boyfriend means I'll probably have to pack this like sardines into my car and find a parking lot somewhere and not get into too much trouble...lol. 




The horizontal bars are from the magnetic ballast lag wave.




Plastic lens works well under the heat, but I wasn't cooling the back reflector enough so it tarnished unevenly into a deep golden color. Will have to work on that, add maybe a forth fan just for cooling some of those critical components, or decide it works well enough for now and make improvements along the way...it's already way super bright..!

→ ← 





Getting an idea of the beam


Forms a nice tight beam for several hundred feet, but I wasn't able to shine it way out, for fear of disturbing people....I'm going to have to work on this.




Looks like daylight. 


  


Here's how it looks sitting outside my humble garage / shop.






Looking forward to testing this beauty at night soon. I have a hundred foot extension chord made just for the output from the ballast.


----------



## LightSward

Had everything set up and by chance many neighbors weren't home and others were up past their bedtime, so I took a quick ten minutes and fired up this bad boy and took some night shots. Beam isn't as well collimated as I wanted, still needs some focus fine tuning, but it still makes a very impressive beam that can be seen for many miles and draws quite the crowd. 




Here's a view from a block away. Very impressive. I'll get better photos as time permits.


Beam as seen from near my shop with searchlight.










As seen from a block away, The 36 inch Gorilla has been outfitted and upgraded for weather resistance but now Much Brighter at 385,000 lumen.





Beam looks cool seen through the trees. Dominates the sky and looks quite beautiful. Won't look like UFO's in the clouds, as the beam spreads just enough to still light the clouds, but not so bright and with a beam that can be seen connecting it to it's source for customers to travel joyfully to...lol.


I coudln't go very far as I only had a few minutes, as many people noticed this bright beam in the sky and start to travel towards it. I had to stop the migration before my neighbors got upset over another spotlight traffic jam.









As seen from half a block away, The 36 inch Gorilla has been outfitted and upgraded for weather resistance but now Much Brighter at 385,000 lumen.


----------



## LightSward

My tribute and a temporary substitute for the 60 inch WWII carbon arc searchlight, for anyone with limited space for storage, (light as seen can hang in closet).
This is an excellent design after many experiments. Someday if I have the room, I'd like to get a GE or Sperry, but for now this will work.:

Excited Law enforcement officers informed me they could see it many miles out on their patrol and just had to come by and see it, since they knew no businesses are out this far.

*Big learning experience. I built this 50 inch Monster reflector six years ago and sort of didn't do much because it needed a very bright bulb to do it justice. Dimmer bulbs just barely made abeam. This thing took the light a and shot it into the night sky. For ease of transport, storage with ease of extraction, I have decided to make this my big light for now. The 72 inch is so big, I had to partially disassemble it just to store the pieces. For now the 50 inch MONSTER will be the big dominant light until I get a shop where I won't drive my neighbors crazy. Have to decommission things a little until I can get into a production facility.

This thing is "AWESOME" Had kind of shelved this light in favor of more efficient reflector designs. This set up allows for less light to be collected from bulb, but with a much longer focal length, the light travels further in a more parallel beam configuration. Beam had the effect of looking somewhat like a laser and was hard to tell from which direction it was coming from when beam aimed near horizon.

50 inch Searchlight MONSTER was shelved for a few years while I was waiting to secure a 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen light source. It is a good substitute for the 60 inch WWII searchlights that need much loving care to keep going. This 50 inch MONSTER will help keep the big light legacy going well into the 21st century and beyond. The beautiful beam is a nice painting to a glorious night sky. Photo from a yard or two away.*







Photo taken behind MONSTER showing the beam traveling several miles.

Photo taken from a block away
 





Photos taken a few blocks away.









*Photo from a block away. Beam paints a nice color in the night sky. Turquoise blue color looks nice.

*







Photos taken around and from a few hundred feet distance.





*Photo from a block away. Walking way from searchlight, the beam appears to follow. Aimed near the horizon, people couldn't tell which direction it was coming from...nice narrow beam compared to my other searchlights.
*
 





*The beautiful beam is a nice painting to a glorious night sky. Photo from directly beneath the beam, next to searchlight.
*
 





* Photo from near mail boxes, block away...300 feet...
*
 




Some good views from a block away...several hundred feet. Couldn't go any where with the crowds coming to see. Police almost said they'd stay and watch while I drove around to take photos.







Some of these composites were hard to align with the camera tripod. Software to straighten the photos was unavailable.








*Photo from a block away.
*

 





*Photo from a block away.*







*Photo from a block away.
*Photos showing beam traveling overhead. Laser like look, hard to tell direction beam came from when aimed near horizon.


*Photo from a block away. Beam paints a nice color in the night sky. Turquoise blue color looks nice.*
*Photo from behind searchlight.
*I'll get back to posting on this shortly.


----------



## LightSward

Just a quick note on some of the main searchlights I'm working on.
Made some adjustments to focus and center the split reflected image of the arc chamber back through the center of the arc chamber between the electrodes. Over all made about three millimeters adjustment moving the over all arc center two millimeters away from main reflector. The image and resultant beam is awesome..! 

Here is a quick look at three basic searchlight reflector designs I've used. Three main reflector designs using the deep, most efficient but worse focal length design, common with flashlights and car headlights, a second design is medium high efficiency reflector with split reflector and good compromise on focal length and the third oldest design using a shallow plate design common with telescopes. This flatter reflector has been used the longest by the military for it's very long "through", but is the least efficient gathering light from source but with the best focal length, is resulting in a long narrow beam for long distance..






There are variations and other combinations that utilize lenses either alone or in combination with the reflectors in some of today's searchlights.

Side and front views of upper deck I will position the searchlight a surround with scrim to block excess light.






Happy Halloween..!

These are all great lights.


----------



## LightSward

The 36 inch Gorilla is one of my base greats and is built and outfitted now for the 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen bulb, but I don't have the resources to power all the lights at once. Would like to have them all on at once, some day. Here is how the 50 inch Monster looked Halloween Night.
Hard to say, I'd like to one day have the means to compare many of my searchlights together. For now I can do a 1,200 watt HMI, NightHawk or 36 inch Gorilla, comparison to the 4,000 HMI 50 inch Monster, when the neighbors won't be bothered. Have to do it when the nights come real early next month.
Yes the light was phenomenal. Never had such a line of vehicles like this before.
Just wanted everyone to know this MONSTER 50 inch searchlight is a winner. So many cars came by and used up much of our trick or treat candy..! Met many people from far away towns and small cities. People from towns twenty miles distance said it was bright where they were located.

One day would like to power all the lights at once, but will take a while to have the resources to power all the lights at once. Would like to have them all on at once, some day. Here is how the 50 inch Monster looked Halloween Night.
Hard to say, I'd like to one day have the means to compare many of my searchlights together. For now I can do a 1,200 watt HMI, NightHawk or 36 inch Gorilla, comparison to the 4,000 HMI 50 inch Monster, when the neighbors won't be bothered. Have to do it when the nights come real early next month.

Just wanted everyone to know this MONSTER 50 inch searchlight is a winner. So many cars came by and used up much of our trick or treat candy..! Met many people from far away towns and small cities. People from towns twenty miles distance said it was bright where they were located.

Here are some quick photos, (better ones to be transferred soon), of the awesome Halloween night 50 inch MONSTER searchlight Trick or Treaters flood and hundreds of vehicles on our private street to see what the "Big Light", was all about.. Awesome. Met many great people.


Click here to view the original image of 1578x885px.





*Another shot taken from a camera hard to transfer photos from. Looks great, will get it in better quality soon.
*


First photo of the night my cell phone camera could actually take.
*At sunset I turned the searchlight on and found it was already dark enough to be seen.















Click here to view the original image of 1024x751px.




Searchlight is bright enough to be seen at sunset.





*
* Halloween begins with this brilliant beam that could be seen twenty miles in distant small towns.*




*My 385,000 lumen Four thousand watt, HMI high efficiency, medium arc, 50 inch diameter MONSTER searchlight drew in Hundreds and hundreds of vehicles, multiple dozens of "Trick or Treaters", more than all other years here combined. One photo is from cell phone and one with a rainbow vein, like a rainbow caught in the light beam.
(You can see the high tech light bulb cooling down next to the air cooled 'split half reflector', which redirects otherwise wasted back light, back through the arc chamber, and onto the main reflector.)
*




Beam looked thinner to the eye, but cloud nicely lit.


*Cool photo showing beam splitting raindrops up into colors like a rainbow.*

Click here to view the original image of 1578x1182px.




While the rain was falling heavily, rainbow patterns were visible at various parts of the light beam. Looked real neat.


*4,000 watt, 385,000 lumen HMI High Tech bulb cooling down.*

Click here to view the original image of 1024x774px.




The split reflector cooling system has reduced the tarnishing effects of the intense heat assaulting the back split reflector.

*
Beam was bright enough for the my cell phone to capture the beam in rain*.

Click here to view the original image of 1024x756px.





Very impressive. The beam could be seen for many, many miles. People from many of the small and large towns and small cities scattered in the area, came for some candy and to see a searchlight, many had never seen one in person before. The look on many people's faces was like they had just seen God, or were otherwise spiritually lifted. 



Car headlights compete with the much brighter searchlight beam 1:200 ratio in brightness.






Beam isn't totally culminated, but it looks like a laser when underneath it in another neighborhood...I'm told.


Way worth the effort. Now we get many Trick or Treaters when in the entire history of our small part of town, we had almost no people come by on Halloween...ever. I'm stoked....don't have to eat so much left over candy now....HA.





Will have to do this again. Originally I was going to make this the last appearance of the light, but due to high public approval, I may do it again, next year..!







When resources allow, the World's Biggest Searchlight will be "resurrected". For now the 60 inch WWII wann-a-BE Monster 50 inch searchlight will be my Big Light for now. A true WWII searchlight will blow mine away, but it'll be interesting to see how the two would compare. Maybe at Flash-a-holic event to be scheduled soon...I hope..!


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## LightSward

The 36 inch Gorilla searchlight has been the center of my searchlight efforts for many years now. I've learned much, and the Gorilla has been ggreatly improved, with the ability to accept anywhere from a 1,000 watt Haolgen 30,000 lumen beam all the way up to the 4,000 watt HMI with it's 385,000 lumen output. 






I've made improvements to the light since this photos and have added a large cart with big wheels and a solid base for the Gorilla. I'll get an up to date photo soon as I make some last minute changes.



My brother is very interested in searchlights like many of us on CPF. My shop is full to the bursting point and the Gorilla takes up the most space, so for Christmas my brother will be inhering the Gorilla..! He found out about this a few days ago and is obviously very excited as he's been bugging me for one of my searchlights during the last few years. Jon has a large truck to be able to move the Gorilla much more easily than I. The 50 inch Monster is actually much lighter weight and easier to move than the massive Gorilla.

Congratulations to my brother Jon for becoming the new owner of the awesome 36 inch Gorilla. Jon and I will stay in constant touch about any progress or changes he wants to make to the 36 inch Gorilla and provide me with any beam shots from Las Vegas where he resides. 

I will be making a duplicate base 57 inch reflector soon to continue experiments on an open flame basis.


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## LightSward

Big Changes to the New Gorilla design using metal instead of Fiberglass for the Reflectors.
*New big changes in how I make my reflectors, now in metal; and how much more significantly improved these Aluminum and steel reflectors are over my successful Fiberglass class of reflectors I've been working on for over half a dozen years on..!

These newly made Aluminum reflectors I've made, along with several others; and more on the way, are truly amazing..! The ease and precision that can be accomplished: quickly, silently, easily, artfully, and without odors or other issues with an incredible result. Still needs to be "dialed in", but the results are already better than the Fiberglass. No Orange Peal effect, that was actually a subtle defects in the Fiberglass surface, invisible until the reflective surface was applied. The metal doesn't have such an issue. Live and learn. This new personal "discovery of skills", will go across the board on all my searchlights. So far several: 7, 24, 26 and 30 inch reflectors are finished or about to be and several 36 inch Aluminum discs are on standby to be converted shortly. Several simultaneous tests on the different reflector designs will occur to determine the best route(s), to be taken at this time. EXCITING!

*_Polishing is not feasible at this time, as it involves too much noise and not as good a reflective surface as this window glazing I used. I'll use the chrome tape with it's better reflectivity in future reflectors. NOW I HAVE A LIGHT METER AND CAN TAKE ACTUAL READINGS.
_
My upside reflections caused by the 'magnifying glass' effect of the two different style reflectors. 

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Aluminum reflectors made from flat bottom water tank collection pan.

*
My upside reflections caused by the 'magnifying glass' effect of the two different style reflectors. One is a deep 200 degree capture design with more light reflectivity compared to the 130 degree capture with it's superior long distance light throw..* 




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These reflectors are so much more easier to make out of Aluminum discs than the Fiberglass process I've been using. I did a "quick" production routine to make these and others in progress at a larger diameter, I'm just amazed. The beams are much more culminated with a smaller diameter reflector needed for better, narrow beam effect. Will experiment with the different reflector designs.


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## LightSward

With the original Gorilla now in Las Vegas, I've been experimenting with metal reflectors and have obtained excellent results. Experimenting with various sized metal reflectors from 6" on up to hopefully 50", mostly aluminum. Excellent results, in fact stunning..! Maybe not yet perfect, but at least now I have a relativity fast, inexpensive, reliable, customization-able and fairly accurate production source of reflectors in a variety of sizes and design configurations, all virtually at my finger tips. 

Most of my searchlight reflectors will be smaller, more compact, lighter weight, better light-beam characteristics and all in an affordable yet strong housing for a light fixture that is sure to last for many years. These new reflectors will offer the same performance characteristics as their older, wonderful fiberglass cousins they'll be replacing, yet to get even more, I'm keeping many of these larger sizes now in Aluminum, to improve them all. 

In my college years, during the days when I examined many of the 60 inch searchlights in Las Vegas, I noticed some of the mirror reflectors weren't perfect, and in fact some were quite flawed, maybe even shoddy replacement mirrors, or homemade like mine; yet at night, some of these flawed mirror lights would have the most impressive, brightest, appearing to be well focused beam, even from across town. Generally I'm going for improved performance, quality and economical and environmentally friendly courses to achieve my goal of making some of the funnest and maybe a few impressive lights to have a good night interacting with.

Working on several things at once, I figured I'd try and save a few thousand off my next HMI ballast, so I built one. It's progressed past this stage already and has a protective metal cooling case and fan to be added next. Already has wheels and handle I built in unit frame, for easy transport of the hundred plus pound beast. 80 pounds less than the real 4,000 watt ballast I purchased a couple years ago.
:devil: 

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I plugged it in and flipped the built in circuit breaker and it came on with just a slight auto-transformer buzz. All the voltage readings checked out and now it just has to be tested on the bulb itself....
Friday..? Should go well....I hope... Fingers crossed.:scowl::thumbsup:

As you can probably tell, I combined four standard metal halide probe start ballasts with my ingenious hand activated manually controlled ignition system, similar to ones used on the early florescent lights. All tests show readings well with-in range...with all the modifications. Actual bulb test later today..!

Tried several different wiring configurations when the first test sequence just resulted in a sputtered and blackened bulb. Later realized, while trying several alternate wiring configurations; had by-passed one of the capacitors when removing a jumper cable, wrongly installed earlier on one of the simple capacitor multi-tab terminals, (many possible connections are close together), so I returned the wiring of the ballasts to the configuration as originally designed, and is now working very well. :thumbsup:

Running the blackened bulb through the "Real Ballast", for sort of a Halide cycle, clearing the bulb in less than fifteen minutes, (whew!),. After wires fixed, the bulb was again fired up on homemade ballast, ready, set, "ignition" went well, but bulb voltages are a little lower than expected, since I'm running 240 into the 277 volt tabs, the lower operating and start-up input voltage of this particular voltage tab of 23% variation, (as my original plan to bring the ballast's normal output voltage down from 265 volts to the 178-237 volt range the bulb is designed to run at, just didn't expect this low of voltage of just under 180 volts, thus the bluer color, (looks the same in sky since the blue color of the air is lit up as normal),., so I will try either the 120 on these this homemade ballast, and/ or just see what happens when I wire up the new expected arrivals with the 240 volt terminals and see if the voltage is about 205-210, which I'd prefer for a "whiter color" and more halide cycling, but if not, the current situation would be adequate. . No problem bringing the voltages up, have to tweak some issues to get input voltages as specified, as this batch of ballasts was very inexpensive because of the commercial voltage ranges ballasts are designed for. Just had to order some inexpensive accessories to remedy the costly low voltage input gauge increases normally associated with standards.  ...For my personal searchlights I can use adequate cabling that I wouldn't use in commercial products meant for re-sale. 

Am paying a nearly 60% increase in ballast price on the next batch to have more of the common voltages as input tabs, that are more in line with smaller generators commonly found at hardware stores. All the ballasts I work with have 120 volts, but I avoid this like the plague, because the wiring gauge jumps to a dramatically more expensive size that doesn't have to be used with the higher voltages..! The less expensive ballasts use higher voltages more commonly associated with large warehouses, football fields and traffic street lights. My original plan was to use these voltages, but may not be as economical as just purchasing the slightly more expensive ones. However, if I was to make these for the Hollywood set lights that use mostly giant 110 volt cabling, I'd just use the warehouse type ballasts at 120 volts, since these ballasts can handle up to and over 23%, plus or minus, voltage variation. Once electricity is dropped from the transmission and distribution high voltages of the many thousands of volts down to the hundreds of volts, the voltage leaving the transformer drops rapidly with every foot of wire. After several hundred feet, the voltage has dropped substantially, and to lower the costs associated with lighting large areas where voltages would be all over the scale, ballasts with large voltage input ranges were developed, and the fact that these are auto-transformers as well with the power factor capacitor, makes these ideal old school devices..! After having experimented with many different configurations, I'm absolutely amazed at how well these worked, even with all my wiring variations and capacitor changes and placement experiments...Laugh:welcome:

Great learning experience. Now I can make some inexpensive ballasts for the "Big Bright Beasts". The next 36 inch Gorilla, now in the making is going to "Gorillalize", the sky like nothing else..!:wave:


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## LightSward

*Well the original 36 inch Gorilla searchlight is at my brother's home in Las Vegas with plans to eventually do some photo-shoots on the Las Vegas strip and surrounding desert mountain and canyon terrain.

The light pollution is now so bad in Las Vegas, even the bright professional searchlights are hard to see. Brother knows the family that owns most of the searchlights used in Las Vegas. We're going to get the Gorilla on the back of a truck for easy transport around Vegas.:thumbsup:



GOOD NEWS:
THE 36 INCH GORILLA IS NOW BEING MADE OUT OF 1/8th inch thick Aluminum discs at 36 inch 
diameters on an English Wheel, pictured here in the next few photos.
* 








*Starts off as a flat round Aluminum disc on steel frame, then by using an English Wheel, I'm able to create 36 inch diameter searchlight reflectors from flat sheets of Aluminum metal.*




*
Using an awesome English Wheel, the flat aluminum disc is brought to shape of the parabolic reflector.
* 





  








*



This piece of equipment is awesome..! Can make so many different things; almost instantly, with little or no setup, just some basic templates.:thumbsup:

How 36 inch Flat parabolic mirror looks in living room.* 




How it looks sitting in the living room. May work similar to the 50 inch Fiberglass Monster.





*

Brought the newly polished reflector out for a quick photo shoot.* 




Quick break between rain showers for a photo shoot.



*
*Starts off as a flat piece of Aluminum sheet metal. 








Starts off as a flat round disc mounted on a rigid steel tube frame. Using an English Wheel, I'm able to create 36 inch diameter searchlight reflectors from flat sheets of Aluminum metal. Motions similar to rolling Pizza dough are used to "roll" the metal into the parabolic reflector.

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Homemade 4,000 watt HMI searchlight ballast made from four 1,000 watt HID grow lights.













Nearing completion, with plugs, circuit breaker, meter, indicator lights to be added. Homemade 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen bulb is only around $250.00 when finished....real ballast is $5,000 minimum..! Mine works better than real one which often blows breakers but homemade one does NOT..


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## LightSward

Getting ready to make a new product line debut.
Now have THREE ballasts at Four Thousand watts HMI each..! Two are homemade lightweight units; that don't blow the breakers once in a while like the other real one I have, does. Some treaking and finishing my all metal searchlights added to the ballasts that are looking good. These are going to make this little outfit awesome for shining a bright searchlight beam from the parking lots around town..! Photos to come soon.

I joined four ballasts @ 1,000 watts each for football field lighting or warehousing, grow lights, etc. The ignitor for these units is rated for a 400 watt ballast, yet seems to work. After I combined the four ballast wiring together, I removed all but one of the ignitors from the circuit and joined it to all four ballasts. Works fine for now../.. We'll see. Seems to match the requirements needed.

Saved $4,750.00 over the $5,000 normal fee for the big ballasts. Some voltages a little low, we'll see how long they last....they operate fairly cool to the touch.


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## LightSward

This all metal aluminum searchlight replacement perhaps for the fiberglass version of the Gorilla. May use a new name for the 36 inch Aluminum Searchlight I'm finishing soon. Just about ready to shine.:
It's really turning out nice. The aluminum and English Wheel allows and easy and effective way to quickly and attractively produce so many very different parts with minimal set up and preparations.

*New Aluminum 36 inch Searchlight*

*Basic bulb and reflector configuration is installed. Next the cooling system.*




New Aluminum 36 inch Searchlight
*Basic bulb and reflector configuration is installed. Next the cooling system.



This is where the 4,000 watt, 385,000 lumen medium arc HMI high efficiency bulb is positioned. A massive air cooling system cools all the surrounding reflector, housing and socket but just barely the bulb itself, per manufacturer's recommendation.



New Aluminum 36 inch Searchlight *Socket will be wired for homemade ignition system, just in case the automatic ignition system doesn't work with all the metal to pull away the "wimpy", acting 20,000 volts. The homemade ballast was made with the four 1,000 watt ballasts I mentioned, but I only used one of the ignitors, (said on ignitor that came with the four; 1,000 watt ballasts, ignitor panel says only for a 400 watt ballast..! I've had success wiring ONE of the ignitors to all the ballast together so everything would work in sinc and the ignitors wouldn't all be fighting each other. Works so far, but after ignition, the heating up voltage dips more than I'd like. It operates within the manufacturer's voltage range.

Here is the basic framed searchlight case. I'll get more photos, much has progressed since these were taken last week.



Cheers..!


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## LightSward

The telescope reflector version of the 36 inch Gorilla is moving along. Not sure what to call it, Monster Jr., the New Gorilla, etc. Bottom picture you can see the two high powered searchlights together before beam shots are taken soon.


guiri said:


> See? This is the stuff they used to burn down the old ships in another fleet



High powered stuff..!

More progress:
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*Searchlight reflecting sky to light*

*Nice view of the searchlight and cooling equipment.
*



A little closer to see the cooling fans






*Close-up Searchlight*

*Searchlight getting closer to completion.C ooling fans installed. My usual Home Depot $15.00 bath fans. To get twice the CFM capacity, most fan makers charge up to 10 X higher, so I just buy two.

Will fire up both of these at the same time for a total output of 8,000 watts HMI, equivalent to 24,000 watts incandescent of Xenon. 385,000 lumen output each for a TOTAL: 770,000 LUMEN..! That's bright..!


*

→ ← 






*Old and New generations:wave::tired:*
*The old and new high powered telescope style searchlights. Notice the difference in the mirror orange peel effect from fibergalass to aluminum with it's much smoother finish. Hopefully makes a nicer beam..!

*Will keep things posted as I make progress.


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## LightSward

Set up and tooled my shop to make a nice 36 inch Gorilla Reflector from aluminum with precision geometry, even CAD operated in the forming of the reflector. Been real busy doing things I needed to do with little time to posts. Am making huge progress on this and will get back to posting more as I get some time. This is going to be awesome. My brother in Las Vegas is having fun with the original 36 inch Gorilla searchlight seen in earlier photo shoots. He's going to be playing with all kinds of different bulbs...even neon...kidding, but we have many ideas for lighting up some remote mountain at night for fun with a bunch of friends..


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## LightSward

The Aluminum old style searchlight is getting a slightly redesigned reflector.

Getting a bit cocky and maybe even slacking...lazy, but I thought the lower portion of the Parabolic shape was spherical enough to where I could get by just using a large compass to draw the profile for ease. Using the supercomputer, (AutoCAD on home PC and MAC) a few months back, the resolution was with thick lines so I missed the error of the slightly misaligned curves. After checking why I was having two or three slightly different focal points on my homemade reflectors, I realized the resolution wasn't fine enough to reveal the misalignment on the lower arc portion...how ever slight, was making for a fatter beam.. Have ordered new materials and hope to receive them in the next week or so and try...for the fourth time to make that "perfectly focused" aircraft aluminum reflector that is almost in my grasp. Some of you probably noted the slight error, and let me roll with it not mentioning it because of my strong personality and my kind of Hill Billy style of making reflectors entirely from scratch and design too, a bit off the "cuff". Hope to have an awesome, not just kind of awesome searchlight soon, in time for some light shows.:naughty:


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## LightSward

Three searchlights are or are about to be finished or close enough for demonstration purposes to warrant a show. Have started a totally new type Gorilla searchlight using eight prisms and mirrors for a laser like beam. one of these babies will be a "New Gorilla". The original Gorilla is not just visiting Las Vegas...it stays in Las Vegas, as it's new home is with my brother. he's taking it out into the desert and lighting up deserted mountaintops for fun after-work activities. new owner is trying an assortment of lights and will start a page and or report back to me and we'll give an update on that, plus I'll keep you all informed as the lights become "awesomeness"!


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## medmike

Great news.....I'm looking forward to some pics and design details!


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## LightSward

*My brother has the original 36 inch Gorilla, back down in Las Vegas where I did many of these beam shots. Brother getting the hang of things and should be bringing the original to the Las Vegas Strip soon with beam shots.
Here is the new line of aluminum searchlights, this being a new aluminum version of the 36 inch Gorilla. I've made deep dish reflectors too, and am fine tuning them. Hoop shape and calibration very important. I paid the machining price not realizing just how important those were.

After fine tuning several reflectors and even making a deep dish reflector to be revealed soon;, I've more or less gotten better at these aluminum reflectors
picture shows: Searchlight coming to life during daytime test*







*New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween*




*Powerful beam as seen from behind searchlight. Beam can be seen for 5 miles distance.*






 New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween⤡


*New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween*



*Beam in night rainy sky as seen from a block away*



Looks awesome 



 Beam from behind searchlight. Beam can be seen five miles distance or more 




New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween:candle:

Powerful 380,000 lumen beam stabbing the night sky for five miles and can be seen all over town 





Beam seen close by as cars started rolling by.

Beam seen half a block away  





Light can be seen almost focused, yet hard to do with such hot equipment
 





Searchlight seen across the street warming up with color bands formed by camera interaction with 60 hertz / 120 flickers per second.


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36 inch aluminum searchlight warming up

Searchlight as seen from a couple blocks away as seen through trees and rain patterns 

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Light beam looks incredible during rain...rainbows and different light patterns.  





Searchlight cooling down. 

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Cooling down bulb takes about a minute to stop making any light.


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## LightSward

Beam from the newly finished 2,500 watt searchlight. Focusing efforts continue yet you can already see the beam for many miles, says all the cars showing up.








36 inch Aluminum mini WWII carbon arc replica searchlight at 200,000 lumen.400,000,000 million candle power light.


 




The upper Beam is the 36 inch Large LIGHTSWARD size at 2,500 watts HMI with an output of 200,000 lumen and a potential for 300,000,000 candle power.
[URL="https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/32147503852/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/"]The lower brighter beam is the 36 inch Aluminum mini WWII carbon arc replica searchlight at 4,000 watts HMI nearly 400,000 lumen. at potential of 700,000,000 million candle power light.


[/URL] Seen the 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen searchlight being slid through the sliding door onto deck for Halloween searchlight beacon. 




Searchlight seen in dining room headed to deck for Halloween Beaconing.

 Searchlight beam over night sky from behind light. 




This Beam can be seen for many miles. People showing up from several surrounding towns.


Searchlight cooling down. 





People show up from many miles when I light this up. Now I'll add some weather proofing to this and the 2,500 watt version with a deeper dish, for rental.


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## LightSward

36 inch Aluminum Searchlight gets ready for renting





Second "effects" searchlight mirror is added at bottom and flips into position to grab a small percentage of beam making an impressive second beam that rotates with main bigger beam. Can be aimed at store or building while main beam stay sin sky attracting customers from the critical three mile radius.


[h=1]36 inch Aluminum Searchlight gets ready for renting[/h]





[h=2]I'm pleased to stand in front of one of my latest creations. Will be powered by, solar charged batteries; eventually.[/h]

36 inch Aluminum Searchlight gets ready for renting 





Beam looks impressive and draws a large crowd. Not a very good picture. Will get better shots at our Portland, Oregon Area Get Together.:thumbsup:


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## LightSward

New toys






[h=2]Left side shows homemade searchlight beam and the right side shows the new Xenon pencil thin searchlight beam.[/h]
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The new 1000 watt Xenon. Coming soon new 4000 watt xenon to compliment the set up.


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