Glad I was sitting down...

johngalway

Some time ago there was a thread and HID Lightforce was mentioned. So, for the craic I said I'd email Lightforce and see what a HID scope mounted Striker would set a person back.

Got an email back telling me to email another LF section, forgot to do that...

Got an email tonight out of the blue with my answer...

Hi John,



Yes it is possible to produce a weapons mounted 170 we have made a number of units.



The system mounts to the weapon in exactly the same way as the standard light with the exception on the switch this is a wireless system (with a manual override).

Electronics are fixed mounted to the top of the battery bag with a cable length to the light of 1.2 meters.



The standard kit contains the following, it is possible to build to your own requirements:



CBNHPACKHID


Nighthunter Pack: Scope mounted 170 Striker - 12v 35w HID 5000°K fitted with radio controlled switch, Scope mount (SRKIT), Shot Gun mount (SGKIT), universal mount (UNIMOUNT), Red filter (FRS) 9amp hr battery and carry bag (BP8) 240 volt AC mains charger (BCAUZ) all in a yellow plastic carry case.

You have a choice in colour temperature 4200°K, 5000°K and 6000°K (I highly recommend 4200°K)



List price is AUD $590.00 Excluding freight

I like the "Excluding freight" bit the most

XE.com tells me that's €474, give or take.

kemen

i was lookin at them just before xmas but never priced them!! ah well might be a few quite weekends coming up!!
john did i see some where you were trying to convert to hid from a 170 halogen?? how did it turn out?

johngalway

kemen wrote: »

i was lookin at them just before xmas but never priced them!! ah well might be a few quite weekends coming up!!
john did i see some where you were trying to convert to hid from a 170 halogen?? how did it turn out?

No I wasn't trying, may have been idly looking at the option but no more than that to be honest. Haven't got the shooting funds to be going at much at the moment

I might email them back and slim down that list they've sent, ask them how they're fixed on price then :pac:

kemen

i was looking at converting to hid but the whole thing seems a bit bulky when alls cable tied together, from pics i seen!!
keep me posted plz

johngalway

Will do, just fired them off another email.

Hmm, pics, that's a good point, I neglected to ask if they had any :rolleyes:

clivej

John as you know there was a discussion on UK Varminting.co.uk about a HID conversion a couple of years back and a lad was selling the 170's converted to HID. He had it set up that the lamp came on without any delay.

Did anything come of this or did the idea just fade away??

http://ukvarminting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8015&st=0&p=72723&hl=lightforce&fromsearch=1&#entry72723

clivej

More Lightforce HID conversion links

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/11347-Lightforce-HID-conversion-(Lots-of-Pics)

_________________________________________________________

Ebay in OZ AU$60

Item number: 310372503984

____________________________________________________________


http://www.delonixradar.com.au/hid-xenon/driving-lights/lightforce/striker170.php
Contains 2 kits AU$250

pugw

Sorry now but im a bit lost, what does a HID conversion kit do?

Minky 123

pugw wrote: »

Sorry now but im a bit lost, what does a HID conversion kit do?

High-intensity discharge lamp. Isnt the internet great.;)

johngalway

clivej wrote: »

John as you know there was a discussion on UK Varminting.co.uk about a HID conversion a couple of years back and a lad was selling the 170's converted to HID. He had it set up that the lamp came on without any delay.

Did anything come of this or did the idea just fade away??

http://ukvarminting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8015&st=0&p=72723&hl=lightforce&fromsearch=1&#entry72723

The problem with the Ebay stuff is that there is talk of a couple of rather dubious sellers of HID conversion kits that aren't what they're advertised to be, true or not I don't know but I won't risk my € or my striker body on it.

There was a guy on THL offering conversions for small money, but reading the repeated questioning from other members raised more questions for me than answers.

Below is the bones of the reply to my other email:

Hi Kerry,

Thanks very much for your email.

Can I ask if that kit could be slimmed down, how much would it be? As I already have filters, batteries, chargers, scope and shotgun mounts.

Yes it is possible to reduce the components of the kit.


If we were to say this below:

Scope mounted 170 Striker - 12v 35w HID 4200°K fitted with radio controlled switch

AUD $447.00 Ex Works - There is not a great reduction in the cost as the most expensive part of the kit is the light and electronics.


Alright, that slimmed down a lot more than I expected when I went to doing it!

Also, if a person was to get their hands on a non working (for arguments sake) scope mounted Striker, is it possible to get the parts necessary from you to turn that regular striker into a 12v 35w HID 4200°K fitted with radio controlled switch without specialist knowledge or equipment? And if it is possible how much would that cost.

Provided the reflector and arm assembly is in working order it is possible to reuse a standard light, cost for the electronics only AUD $300.00 Ex works.

I have attached our instructions for the automotive HID upgrade (exactly the same principle) if this is beyond your capability do not proceed with installation yourself.

You will need to mount the ballast and radio controlled unit as per previous email, I affix this to the battery bag however it can be placed in any location.



Is there a reason you recommend the 4200°K over the others?

There is not a short answer to this question, you also need to understand lumen and Lux:



In basic terms:



Kelvin – (k) is the colour temperature of the light.



Daylight is between 5000k – 6000k however this does not mean that it is suitable for use at night, generally what do you do on a bright sunny day? You put on sun glasses to reduce the glare!



Halogen = 3200k



Xenophot (used in Lightforce products) = 3350k



HID (High Intensity Discharge) from 4200k – 6000k (Lower and higher Kelvin is achievable in HID however not suitable for most applications).



LED (Light Emitting Diode) 5000k – 6000k.



As you go higher in Kelvin the whiter the light becomes up until 5000k / 6000k beyond this it really starts to get a blue hue. You should also understand that the higher in Kelvin the less contrast / definition you will have. If you want less eye strain and be able to see more detail on the road ahead of you like rocks and pot holes or greater definition in shrub STAY AWAY from 6000k and above!



It is also important to understand the following, as you go higher in Kelvin (colour temperature) you decrease light output (Lumen) FACT!

Lumen – (lm) is the measurement of light intensity at the source (bulb) this does not take into account the size or shape of the reflector just the amount of light emitted from the bulb.

4200k has more lumen output than 5000k, 5000k has more lumen output than 6000k and so on FACT! The difference in lumen output from 4200k to 5000k is minimal however the gap increases from 4200k to 6000k.

Lux - (Lx) is the measurement of light spread over any given area, treat it as the surface that the light hits at any given distance One Lux is equal to one lumen per square meter.

A given amount of light will illuminate a surface less if it is spread over a larger area, so luminance is inversely proportional to area.

This is where Kelvin and lumen combined with the size, shape of the reflector and focal point of the bulb determines the overall light output.

Lightforce Custom Built can produce any HID Kelvin rating from 3200k – 6000k in addition make to order beyond this.





Oh and how waterproof is the HID, as you know it rains an awful lot here in Ireland!

Yes the HID unit is fully water proof the remote unit is water resistant only

Problem from my point of view is I don't like buying things blind, although I have done so before in the past I've grown out of being burned So I think for the moment the above ends my interest in the subject for the time being. The info may be useful for others all the same

Ghost.

Its a pity there isnt a cree led conversion kit for them. Did anyone ever hear of cree leds being used in larger lamps like lightforce and not just torches?

clivej

Now you just can't get the same output from a LED bulb as you will from a standerd LF bulb.

Ghost.

I honestly wouldnt know much about it clive, its probably a daft notion. Its just I see the likes of the lenser x21 and all these new torches with massive lumen output and I just thought that it would be handy if there was such a conversion for leds with the lightforce as it has a large reflective surface.
And even if it wasnt better than a halogen bulb, if it was anyway close and the battery life was hugely improved it would be worth looking at.

Thats if there was such a thing.

johngalway

I think there may also be a problem between the LED bulb position/how it's shaped, and how a conventional reflector works also. There's info about it on the candlepower forum.

Hunter21

@ Johngalway, as you said yourself your sceptical about buying blind I would be too if I was you but also be very and I mean very cautious about buying HID kits. Ive seen HID's in cars go on fire and they were meant to be "Bosch." Much of this HID is cheap Chinese replica stuff sold off at high end market products that put consumers at risk.
Also if the lamp mounted to your firearm goes on fire or blows up doesn't damage your skin, it would make bits of your scope and rifle.

kemen

heres the LF 170 hid for 235 yoyo's!! id love to see 1 in action to see would it be worth it!!! is there a lightforce agent in ireland or england??
http://www.ozautoelectrics.com/hunting-spotlights/handheld-hunting-spotlights/lightforce-170-striker-hid-handheld-spotlight-35w-digital-ballast.html

johngalway

Hunter21 wrote: »

@ Johngalway, as you said yourself your sceptical about buying blind I would be too if I was you but also be very and I mean very cautious about buying HID kits. Ive seen HID's in cars go on fire and they were meant to be "Bosch." Much of this HID is cheap Chinese replica stuff sold off at high end market products that put consumers at risk.
Also if the lamp mounted to your firearm goes on fire or blows up doesn't damage your skin, it would make bits of your scope and rifle.

One of the reasons I wouldn't buy it off Ebay was because of the replica stuff, it'd be Lightforce or none for me.

The only safety concern I had was possible electrocution But that was on conversions done by non LF people.

Haven't any experience of road HID, or indeed HID in general.

I've my own battery wired directly to the lamp, after many connection failures in the start. If I'd a € for each time I've been told I'm going to fry myself I don't recommend it to anyone else, it's just how I go about it.

Heard a true story last year. A guy in England was using a NV add on to his scope. It was powered by a Lithium battery strapped to his stock somewhere, it promptly blew up and cost him the sight in his right eye (shooting eye anyway).