Lightforce 170 beam question

[stratts]

Hi chaps,
Finally got round to mounting and using the lightforce 170 last night but it didn't seem as good as I thought it would be. The beam cast as it hit the floor was not uniform and was almost bum shaped, not round and it shed a lot of excess light around the 4x4. Is this normal and if so is there any way of tightening the beam by blacking out part of the outside of the reflector to concentrate it at distance.

I may have been expecting too much but it just didn't seem to throw good light any real distance and certainly not any better than my scope mounted Deben tracer max,

Cheers

Stratts

 

[Oh6]

You should be able to rotate the reflector/dome part of the lamp to focus or spread the beam.

 

[Cyres]

Yes it is focusable, and also check what sort of bulb you are using, vertical rather than horizontal filament and correct wattage. Also check what sort of voltage you are getting from your car socket, they can be very varriable.

D

 

[Ranger22]

As above, try the different bulbs

​Al

 

[Eric the Red]

Stratts, as above the vertical and horizontal filament will make a difference. Bum shape says horizontal filament to me. Regardless, the filament needs to be aligned and you will gain some benefit from changing the depth you seat the bulb pins in the head - get it as far forward while retaining good contact as you can. This on top of getting the right focus.

Many people I know put a rim of black tape round the curved outer edge of the filter as this can give off unwanted light. It'll help a little.

 

[bobjs]

stratts

there is another thing you can do.

you pull the lamp (bulb) out a tad at a time. may take a bit of faffing around but this is how i fine tune my 170.REMEMBER TO USE A CLOTH TO SAVE THE LAMP COOKING ITS SELF WITH WHAT YOU LEAVE ON IT FROM YOUR SKIN,

you have to make sure that you leave enough of the pins (both of them) in the holes to hold the lamp tight enough to remain in the lamp,

buy doing this you bring forward the element within the lamp to a more focal point on the reflector, then you can focus the beam to a cast as good a shape of light as you can by unscrewing the reflector in and out until you get the best focal point of both.

if the cast shap is lop sided then you can move the bulb from side to side to remove the misshaped side of the cast light.

my reflector is fubar'd now as i have had it for years but i still get a good enough cast that i can see what i want to shoot at out to 250 with comfort,

wish you lived closer as i set up all my old shooting buddies lamps and i also do the keeps ones on the estate now,

hope this make sense if not i can drop you my phone number and give me a call any time to sort it out.

regards

bob.

 

[Eric the Red]

stratts

there is another thing you can do.

you pull the lamp (bulb) out a tad at a time. may take a bit of faffing around but this is how i fine tune my 170.REMEMBER TO USE A CLOTH TO SAVE THE LAMP COOKING ITS SELF WITH WHAT YOU LEAVE ON IT FROM YOUR SKIN,

you have to make sure that you leave enough of the pins (both of them) in the holes to hold the lamp tight enough to remain in the lamp,

buy doing this you bring forward the element within the lamp to a more focal point on the reflector, then you can focus the beam to a cast as good a shape of light as you can by unscrewing the reflector in and out until you get the best focal point of both.

if the cast shap is lop sided then you can move the bulb from side to side to remove the misshaped side of the cast light.

my reflector is fubar'd now as i have had it for years but i still get a good enough cast that i can see what i want to shoot at out to 250 with comfort,

wish you lived closer as i set up all my old shooting buddies lamps and i also do the keeps ones on the estate now,

hope this make sense if not i can drop you my phone number and give me a call any time to sort it out.

regards

bob.

Nice to see we're saying the same Bob - don't know now whether it was you who taught me the trick of the filament, come to mention it. You've reminded me I still need to send you that lens......

 

[bobjs]

Nice to see we're saying the same Bob - don't know now whether it was you who taught me the trick of the filament, come to mention it. You've reminded me I still need to send you that lens......

Hi E.t.R.

no rush sir

Im not shooting that much back home at the mo , but up here south/north Yorkshire we have been out every night since i got here last saturday and i have shot more fox's in 4 nights than i have seen down south in 4 weeks, 6 guns out 4 vehicles and 33 fox's since we go here,mind you we are shooting near a land fill and a chicken farm but the 20 tac is working very very well.

as for the tip on the lamp it may have been me sir but im not sure, you know your way around lamps etc far more than me now.

bob.

 

[stratts]

Wow thanks guys I never realised there was so much you could do,

Cheers

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yes it is focusable, and also check what sort of bulb you are using, vertical rather than horizontal filament and correct wattage. Also check what sort of voltage you are getting from your car socket, they can be very varriable.

D

+1 seems to be a common mistake...to use the horizontal which dose'nt give the correct
beam, the vertical is the one to use.

Rgds, Buck.

 

[stratts]

The bulb was already in it but it sounds like a horizontal one tbh. Also the 12v socket got a bit warm in the X Trail and it blew the fuse in the lamp connector! Bit of tweaking needed me thinks!!

 

[bobjs]

The bulb was already in it but it sounds like a horizontal one tbh. Also the 12v socket got a bit warm in the X Trail and it blew the fuse in the lamp connector! Bit of tweaking needed me thinks!!

stratts

run a fused line from the car direct to a connector in the car, dont use the in car one they are cr@p, i just wish you lived near me bud i do this for shooting buddies all the time.

as said if i can help ill let you have my number bud,

off into Doncaster to look at a scope ??

bob.

 

[stratts]

Cheers mate I have all the stuff to do a better wiring job as I have a 79 VW camper that I wired up for the leisure battery and sockets, etc. Didn't expect the fuse to blow after only an hour or so though!!!

 

[limulus]

As bob says run a fused wire direct from the battery.
never forget to unplug the lamp after a session too, almost lost the mitsi after the chief kitchen mechanic left the lamp plugged in and inadvertently left the lamp on face down in the footwell. Only for the battery running flat it would have gone up.
100w bulb through the cigar lighter will get seriously hot.
I run a 50w cluson through the cigar lighter and thats not too bad.

 

[Eric the Red]

On cigarette lighters in car, have a look at the Autostar marine 12V sockets on the Bay - can take the current and has a nice twist lock, so doesn't pull out at inopportune moments

 

[limulus]

Can't think of anything worse Eric!

 

[Eric the Red]

Can't think of anything worse Eric!

I'm sure you can Tony!! Sometimes it's the only course of action........