brooklyn
11-09-05, 02:47 PM
Is it possible to build a HID light using a kit from a car?
Commuting - Diy Hid?
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pinkrobe
11-09-05, 03:29 PM
Well, you could, but I think all the parts are going to be bigger and heavier than their biking counterparts. I was looking at http://www.xenondepot.com/product.php?product_id=33 for inspiration, and you would still need to put together a housing for this rascal. The housing would also have to have a lens or reflector to focus the light properly. Will it be bright enough to burn down trees? At 30+Watts I would say yes, but it will be pretty heavy and bulky.
2manybikes
11-09-05, 04:35 PM
If the parts get anywhere near $275 don't bother, get a Cygolight bike light. I also think it may be big, but no harm in looking around for parts. Consider that bicycle lights are using HID to get away from the size of a battery needed to run a 30 watt light for a long time. If you want a long run time like 4 hours the battery will be either a lot of money or pretty big The bike lights are 10 to 16 watt for one bulb. You may be at the $275 mark already with no housing. Go to the thread " Light selection guide" and you can see what the bike light beams look like.
brooklyn
11-09-05, 05:11 PM
the reason that i ask is because i have the HID capsules and ballast. It was just an idea.
ItsJustMe
11-09-05, 05:53 PM
I don't know, but it may not be worth a lot of effort since you can buy an MR-11 sized lamp+ballast in a very nice mount from TrailTech for $110.
I do like building stuff myself even if it takes more time and costs as much as just buying something, so if that describes you too then maybe it's worth a try. I'm sure people here (or me, at least) would like to hear about your adventures if you try it.
I do like building stuff myself even if it takes more time and costs as much as just buying something, so if that describes you too then maybe it's worth a try. I'm sure people here (or me, at least) would like to hear about your adventures if you try it.
2manybikes
11-09-05, 06:06 PM
the reason that i ask is because i have the HID capsules and ballast. It was just an idea.
You can get sealed lead acid batteries pretty cheap on line. If you have a rack and don't mind the weight. Can you use a cheap car driving light to hold the bulb? I think you can. Maybe $25 for the driving light housing less than that for a battery. I made a bike light out of a cheap, light, small, car driving light once. It was 50 watts. I just did not like the reflector style, it was like a fog lamp, very flat.
You can get sealed lead acid batteries pretty cheap on line. If you have a rack and don't mind the weight. Can you use a cheap car driving light to hold the bulb? I think you can. Maybe $25 for the driving light housing less than that for a battery. I made a bike light out of a cheap, light, small, car driving light once. It was 50 watts. I just did not like the reflector style, it was like a fog lamp, very flat.
slvoid
11-09-05, 06:16 PM
If the thing draws 35 watts... he might want to shell out an extra 50 bucks for some lithium ion batteries, about 4x lighter.
2manybikes
11-09-05, 07:15 PM
If the thing draws 35 watts... he might want to shell out an extra 50 bucks for some lithium ion batteries, about 4x lighter.
Good Idea!
He already has the ballast and the bulb. 50 bucks for a 4x lighter battery is making this a practical light for a bike. The 11 ah L-ion battery in my edison is tiny and very light my whole light is 720 grams total. Depending on what he wants for run time he could use just one of those in a water bottle. Two might even fit in a water bottle.
Frankenlight- the monster lives!
Good Idea!
He already has the ballast and the bulb. 50 bucks for a 4x lighter battery is making this a practical light for a bike. The 11 ah L-ion battery in my edison is tiny and very light my whole light is 720 grams total. Depending on what he wants for run time he could use just one of those in a water bottle. Two might even fit in a water bottle.
Frankenlight- the monster lives!
pinkrobe
11-09-05, 09:35 PM
the reason that i ask is because i have the HID capsules and ballast. It was just an idea.
What type of capsule is it? H3 or something like that? Also, does your ballast have the ignitor built in? The reason I ask is that you could probably score a Hella Micro DE (http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/hella/micro_de.jsp) fog kit for cheap. Regular retail is $139, but you can probably find it cheaper. Ideally, you could get one fog and one driving light for true face-melting power. At handlebar height, you would probably get about 300' of range with the driving light. If you went with a Hella FF75, you could get 400' of range off the driving light and at least a 90-degree spread on the fog. Oh yes, that would be sweet. On the other hand, powering up twin 35W HID lamps would require a fairly powerful battery...
What type of capsule is it? H3 or something like that? Also, does your ballast have the ignitor built in? The reason I ask is that you could probably score a Hella Micro DE (http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/hella/micro_de.jsp) fog kit for cheap. Regular retail is $139, but you can probably find it cheaper. Ideally, you could get one fog and one driving light for true face-melting power. At handlebar height, you would probably get about 300' of range with the driving light. If you went with a Hella FF75, you could get 400' of range off the driving light and at least a 90-degree spread on the fog. Oh yes, that would be sweet. On the other hand, powering up twin 35W HID lamps would require a fairly powerful battery...