JohnGalway Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Hi folks, Has anyone here ever converted their Lightforce to HID? I am talking about scope mounted lights now and not driving lights. I'm interested in the idea of twice the light for half the power consumption. If you've done it, how much has it cost you? Was it worth it? Did it work OK with a dimmer? Did the bulb last long? How has Charlie reacted to it? How does it compare to your previous bulb? ATB, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven67 Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 john if you want a harris bipod ,i know ,www.bushwear.com ,were having a sale ,best regards steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGalway Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Cheers Steve, I saw that, they don't have the model I want Thanks for the heads up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kip270 Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 John, sorry for sounding a bit DIM .........(couldn't resist it) What is HID??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGalway Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 That's something I can't actually explain all that well Kip. From what I gather, for say a scope mounted lamp, you drill out the rivet holding the metal bit in place. Replace some of the internals, insert a new bulb. Then you go from say a 75W or 100W bulb to a 35W HID jobbie that emits twice the light and lasts twice as long. But that could be me getting it all wrong That's why I'm after people who've done it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven67 Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 john ,on the bipod ,my mate may have one, its my old one but ,its non swivel and see my other mate ,he has a few i will pm you tomorow to see if. i can get the one your looking for ,best regards steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 John I am not an electrical person but.... A high intensity discharge lamp (HID) can come in many forms and I could see some packaging and possibly weight issues. It is as far as I'm aware not as simple as taking the bulb out and putting another one in (like upgrading to halogen). The HID set up requires something to kickstart the system like a voltage kick to initiate the arc (inside the bulb) and then a microprocessor or ballast of some sort to control the demand. The benefits of such a system sound good, power consumption, brighter light, more natural colour rendition etc but would need some research to come up with a suitable set up. Don't forget the negatives like UV radiation. All you welders out there will know what I mean by arc eye, not a nice albeit temporary injury. .... unless of course there is something already out there. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
col48 Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 i believe they run on dc power as well so this would need converting as well I'm no sparky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 The Lightforce HID 4x4 spotlamps are horrendous money. http://www.ruag.co.uk/?p=9_1_3&t=Drivi...mp;m=Lightforce I was looking to start UK distribution on them some years ago but a retail of well over £200 each put me off. As it happened they were also appointing Ruag to handle them for the automotive market. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenius_rhino Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 The trouble is HID systems run at anywhere between 20,000 and 45,000 volts this is converted in the balast resistor box. Now would you want to be playing with those sorts of voltages in damp possibly wet conditions out in the field? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redfox Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 They do run at high voltages but it is contained in the control unit and the well insulated supply to the lamp. The control unit is too big to go in the lamp body and as Alycidon says the cost is horrendous still. It would cost you well over a hundred quid to do the conversion if it would go in the lamp body and Col a 12v battery is already dc mate, the hid control unit converts it to sq wave ac in order to generate the high arc voltage which is at a very low current. Cheaper to buy a spare battery really and swap over part way through the night. Redfox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Admin Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Been playing with Lightforce lamps and HID for a few months now Kit Assembled Striker 170 The pro's are that its a clean white light and gives out a pencil beam adding probably about 25-30% to the legs of a the conventional bulb variation The cons are that if you start from cold the light isn't instant and takes a couple of seconds to heat up to working power.Not a problem if the lamps left on for longer periods but no good for the constant on/off type of lamper Dimmers can't be fitted to HID as far as I know I did take some photos of the two types of beam side by side on two L/F 170's but can't place them.I'll have to find time to take some more at some point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffshrek Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 JG i had a little look into these type of lights and was told that if used in conjuncon with a filter it would reduce the light but a huge amount ,far more than a standard light and filter set up. i like the idea of a smaller brighter light but i think there is still development on these to do yet....neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redfox Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 I forgot to mention, as in all things there are no free lunches. Although the current to the lamp is smaller due to the higher voltage amongst other things, the ballast current is in the region of the same and higher than a std bulb, so no real gain there. I have found UK sourced kits for around £69 for two ballasts and lamps, which is cheaper than they were, beware also that the Chinese kits are a scam in the main and use halogen bulbs which have a shorter life than std. I cannot see any great advantage in this, you can buy high brightness xenon bulbs to replace the std one which will give a brighter light. I can see the beggars well enough with the lamps I have. Redfox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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