Dive Lights

[igotoofar]

I didn't state it in my question, but Chris brought up one of my concerns about having too much light.

I have been looking at the canister lights, but don't want to get something that would be self defeating.

[JoelW]

It is not so much about too much light as how the light shows. A big light with a wide beam will just reflect off of the crud in the water. a smaller lamp that is focusable will cut through much better. If I tighten the beam down on my 10W HID it really gets through fairly ugly water, say Christmas Lake in August.

The other nice thing about a bright light with a tight beam is that it is even useable in the daylight. It makes communicating with a buddy much easier. If you can see the other persons beam you have a good idea where the are. Occasionally describing a circle with your light where the other light is focused is an easy way to do an okay.

JoelW

[igotoofar]

Is it correct then that the HID canister systems allow for a smaller head/reflector?

[tbrown]

I think the answer is "sort of". There are quite a few HID canister designs out there. Some have a tight beam, some broad, and some allow a certain degree of custom focusing. It really depends on what model you are looking at, and is a very good question to ask when purchasing your light. Although it does make the decision process more difficult, with so many options to chose from, you will find what is "right" for you.

[freedivernd]

I've been doing some light homework.. I think I'm going to get a couple of the Q40's that attach to the mask strap, I see they're like $15 ea. Also.. what about the NiteRider lights? Anyone familiar with these.. the ones that you wear on your hand or the ones that have a headband and separate battery. Comfort? Quality? Not thinking about getting a niterider or anything else similar just yet... just curious.
Fred

[DanL]

The HID's are very expensive, but you get about 3x or more the light per wattage as for halogen. But even the halogen canisters are pricey. So I did a little test to see if halogen light output was significantly more than my conventional divelight. I bought a $3 MR16 12V halogen bulb/reflector (widely available) and hooked it up to 12 volts. Compared it to my "UK 4D cell super xenon whatever" divelight. The halogen was very much brighter. Aha! worth some effort to get the extra brightness. So I started a halogen canister project. (HID is way more complex and not a simple home workshop project) Have learned a lot. Bottom line is that I think I can build a 20watt, 12V, narrow beam (8 deg beam angle), super white (4700K, CRI 98+) halogen canister light for maybe $30 plus about $35 for rechargeable NiMH batteries (10 1.2V C cells) that should have a burn time over 1 hr.

I probably shouldn't be posting this until I finish the project and prove performance, but I trust that you'll give me a break and won't give me too much grief if this doesnt work.

If this works, I'll publish all parts and construction details.

Disclaimers:
Note that this light is for recreational diving - not cave or deep wreck penetration - if it fails it will be an inconvenience not a crisis. Also, the point here is to make it from widely available, low-cost, even perhaps throwaway parts, and with no special tools. I'm not a cheap freak either - the challenge is to build a superior halogen U/W light - electronics and construction projects are a hobby for me. If it wasn't fun and a challenge, I'd just go out and buy a canister light.

[Freedive WI]

Dan,

You should try and get a copy of Vance Harlow's book on how to make your own HID light. He also has books out on making your own cansiter lights/blending station/ regulator repair/ect.

I know quite a few people who made their own cansiter lights because they were way too expensive when they first came out.

HID lights are pretty darn cool. THey may cost a little bit of money, but not all are as expensive as the original cansiter lights of 10-15 years ago. It is now possible to have a battery pack as small as a coffee cup give you hours of light. My first canister light weighed in at over 20 pounds and used two motorcycle batteries to give me a scant hour of dive time.

The temp of an HID light is much higher and produces a much bluer light which is easier to see- a good reason why you can get away with a smaller bulb and still get better results. It also allows the samw size battery pack give you more than three times the burn time.

Last winter I took a friend out and did a penetration dive. He had a UK 800R and I used my Diverite 10 wHID wreck 1 light. He thought that he forgot to charge his light and that it was dying on him throughout the entire dive. In reality it was the first time he ever noticed just how yellow a halogen bulb was. He swore at me when we got out becaue he now "had" to buy a new light after diving with me.

They are worth the money.

Jon

[DanL]

Dive lite done!
Fooled around and finished up a 50W halogen canister lite.
The bulb is a new type MR16 halogen called Solux. Color temp 4700K. Got a beam angle 24 (narrow flood), but think I'll also get a 10 deg spot. Bulbs are modular and very easy to change out.
Battery was more expensive than I planned. NiMH pack with 4.5amp-hrs. But whole lite was still about $100.
Tested with litehead in sink for cooling and got a full 1 hr burn with no voltage drop from batteries. That's about all I'd expect - actually more than I expected - from the 4.5Ah batts with a 50W draw.
Final test will be at depth. Plan to sink it ASAP to 120ft (without batt pack, the only real costly part that could get damaged) to see if it's watertight. Should be - used same materials as others on web.
Here's a picture:

[LKunze]

Looks nice Dan, good job. Let us know if it passes the depth test.

[DRE]

Dan,

if you're interested, here's a link to get HID bulbs for your light:
partnumber=M18N002 - you'll have to look into accessories for the ballast.The 18W HID should give you about 2 to 2.5 hours of burntime with your battery pack.