Halogen to HID
- Thread starter User00004
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bewsher500
Well-Known Member
I converted a halogen Deben to LED with good results, needed a converging lens to throw but runs longer
the HIDs I put on the car have big ballasts, not sure how much fun that would be to lug around, sure there are smaller units
they also take a couple of seconds to get up to temperature so the first few seconds are dimmer and a different colour
is that the same for the mobile units?
the HIDs I put on the car have big ballasts, not sure how much fun that would be to lug around, sure there are smaller units
they also take a couple of seconds to get up to temperature so the first few seconds are dimmer and a different colour
is that the same for the mobile units?
I know for the Lightforce HID they take a few seconds to warm up.
I have got a 70 hid Lightforce 170. I did not convert it but bought it intact. It does take a few seconds to warm up from colsd and makes a buzzing noise but it's well worth it. The light is bright and white and gives fantastic distance definition thus making both the lamper and the shooters image clearer
Several years ago following a thread on the hunting life forum I converted a couple of Lightforce 170's using a pair of ebay bulbs.....
For the main handheld lamp:
- Had a mate turn up a couple of new bulb holders in nylon or similar (HID nowhere near as hot as the standard halogens)to match the new bulbs so the filament sits at about the same height as the original halogen bulb's;
- Sourced a bit of decent weight 4 core rubberised cable so I could pop the gubbins in a 99p food container box from Wilkinsons, run the usual handle switch on the 12v side, back to the box through the starter ballast whatevers and back to the lamp;
All pretty neat but it probably needs a relay in there as when we plugged it into a Landy's cigarette lighter all the lights started flashing (oh sh*t!) - that could just have been bad timing but we didn't want to push it (Which is where it's got shelved til I try a relay).
Testing it off a battery before it got to the Landy... the light is white and bright and goes a long long way. Much better than a standard halogen but stick a red filter on it and, probably due to the different wavelengths of light compared to a halogen, the red was disappointing and back to normal halogen performance. Much the same as sticking red filter on a white LED isn't as good as a red LED.
It was a bit slow to warm up but we're talking a few years ago now so technology has probably moved on, the first HID unit I tried was a bike unit (Cost twice as much too!! Then I found some on flabby) - my Landy mate now has a Lightforce HID and I thought that was a bit quicker to warm up - compared to a standard 170 his feelings were that the foxes were less fazed by the HID - again different frequencies? Foxes sensitivity to these?
Having found the car bar mounted Lightforce HID's it looks as though the ballasts are just mounted on a plate bracket coming off the bolt mounting point. No weather protection.
The other thing against the HID was the apparent inability to fit a dimmer - the guy on THL had done this but he never replied to any pm's or emails so it died a death.
So, what did it cost?
A beer for the mate with the lathe and a bit of nylon stock;
A fiver in the bisuit tin for the offcut of the 4 core cable
99p for the box from Wilknsons
A lightforce 170 with a working switch - you can always re-build it if it doesn't come off.
A couple of rubber grommets for the Wikinsons food/sandwich box.
A few hours faffing about on the design and sourcing bits.
's me....might just go and post the question of dimming on the nightvisionforumuk - they're a very friendly and helpful bunch
www.nightvisionforumuk.com Index page
atb
fizz
For the main handheld lamp:
- Had a mate turn up a couple of new bulb holders in nylon or similar (HID nowhere near as hot as the standard halogens)to match the new bulbs so the filament sits at about the same height as the original halogen bulb's;
- Sourced a bit of decent weight 4 core rubberised cable so I could pop the gubbins in a 99p food container box from Wilkinsons, run the usual handle switch on the 12v side, back to the box through the starter ballast whatevers and back to the lamp;
All pretty neat but it probably needs a relay in there as when we plugged it into a Landy's cigarette lighter all the lights started flashing (oh sh*t!) - that could just have been bad timing but we didn't want to push it (Which is where it's got shelved til I try a relay).
Testing it off a battery before it got to the Landy... the light is white and bright and goes a long long way. Much better than a standard halogen but stick a red filter on it and, probably due to the different wavelengths of light compared to a halogen, the red was disappointing and back to normal halogen performance. Much the same as sticking red filter on a white LED isn't as good as a red LED.
It was a bit slow to warm up but we're talking a few years ago now so technology has probably moved on, the first HID unit I tried was a bike unit (Cost twice as much too!! Then I found some on flabby) - my Landy mate now has a Lightforce HID and I thought that was a bit quicker to warm up - compared to a standard 170 his feelings were that the foxes were less fazed by the HID - again different frequencies? Foxes sensitivity to these?
Having found the car bar mounted Lightforce HID's it looks as though the ballasts are just mounted on a plate bracket coming off the bolt mounting point. No weather protection.
The other thing against the HID was the apparent inability to fit a dimmer - the guy on THL had done this but he never replied to any pm's or emails so it died a death.
So, what did it cost?
A beer for the mate with the lathe and a bit of nylon stock;
A fiver in the bisuit tin for the offcut of the 4 core cable
99p for the box from Wilknsons
A lightforce 170 with a working switch - you can always re-build it if it doesn't come off.
A couple of rubber grommets for the Wikinsons food/sandwich box.
A few hours faffing about on the design and sourcing bits.
's me....might just go and post the question of dimming on the nightvisionforumuk - they're a very friendly and helpful bunch
www.nightvisionforumuk.com Index page
atb
fizz
Having been involved in another end of lights for some time - with regards to high performance mountain biking lights - I've used HID a fairy bit, as they were the 'next step' after halogen
fenickity, take time to warm up, fragile and expensive to replace
LED technology is where its at, and its coming on leaps and bounds - really directional focused lights, especially with aspherical lenses - rugged and with the good bin XML's bright and with all the throw you could ever need.
HID is a dead end technology I'm afraid - spend your money on LED
fenickity, take time to warm up, fragile and expensive to replace
LED technology is where its at, and its coming on leaps and bounds - really directional focused lights, especially with aspherical lenses - rugged and with the good bin XML's bright and with all the throw you could ever need.
HID is a dead end technology I'm afraid - spend your money on LED
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