1000W xenon arc lamp built into DIY searchlight housing

[emercito]

Sorry by insistence, i can see in this video an oscillator attached on this start coil. Is that true? I´m thirsty for this schemmatic, about this search light

[emercito]

Tanks for the information, but, could i use common rectifiers, such bridge rectifiers about 30 amps to drive this bulb? Something like that i´ll do with flash xenon bulbs, which have three electrodes. What diodes have you used for this?

[bkraz333]

@emercito The xenon arc lamp requires a constant-current power supply. Simple rectifiers will not provide the current-limiting that is necessary to operate the lamp. You need something very similar to an arc or TIG welder to provide high-current with careful regulation.

The starting circuit is based off an automotive ignition coil, which is powered from 120VAC via a current-limiting capacitor. The high voltage spikes are coupled into the lamp wiring to provide a starting pulse.

[emercito]

are the keep alive  electrode coil near the bulb? I supposed it is, but i wanna see how did you done this

[bkraz333]

@emercito The bulb only has two electrodes. The high voltage pulse is coupled into the main wiring by the transformer that I wound (with green wire in the lower right corner of the plastic housing). Once the arc is initiated, only 20V is necessary to sustain it.

[emercito]

Show us how did you conect the automotive coil onto this circuit

[hboyce4]

Wow, that's very good, congrats

[zeetek007]

That's really impressive, never bin it and whoever says its rubbish is wrong.

[schneggedigger]

you can do a bbq with this :D

[AstralFXTech]

My torch can do that.

[MrSciencetificsasuke]

WOW that bright!

[sonnytiger]

very nice video, interesting, get another one built and do the fox searchlights thing. :D

[Termi87ITA]

Where did you find the high wattage xenon arc lamp

[bkraz333]

@Termi87ITA I found it at a local surplus sale. It was very inexpensive since the seller (and I, at the time) didn't really know what it was.

[Termi87ITA]

@bkraz333 wow... you are lucky lol XD

[TheCheesyProductions]

I would point this to my douchebag neighbor who always complain about the smallest problem.

[Ilovetheplatypus]

Well I didn't understand a bloody word you said in the video, but that thing is cool as hell. 

[LFMcLaren]

The original toroid inductor has got litz wire on it warped around it. I'm guessing you new one does not which would cause it to heat up due to an increased resistance from the skin effect.

[bkraz333]

@LFMcLaren It's true the original inductor used 3 strands of enameled 14AWG (or similar) wire. This might help lower the effect of skin resistance a little, but I think most of the heat is generated in the ferrite core itself due to eddy current and hysteresis losses. I haven't done a careful study, but it seems to me the wire doesn't get as hot as the core.

[saddork]

@bkraz333 That core is iron powder, not ferrite

[bkraz333]

@saddork You may be right. How can you tell just from looking at it?

[saddork]

@bkraz333 All iron powder torroids I've seen are yellow. Also if it was an output choke, it has to be iron powder. Another giveaway is it heating up. Iron powder cores have high loss, but are cheaper than gapped ferrite.

[bkraz333]

@saddork Thanks for tips!

[badmoonryzn]

@saddork As far as I know ferrite is the name that scientists and metallurgists gave to the body centered cubic phase of iron and it's alloys. It can be a mix of many materials. A ferrite is a substance made up of metal that has chemically reacted with iron oxide. Different mixtures, densities of metals and iron oxide makes ferrite. We know they are used as transformers, chokes and things like magnets. I think they have to be able to be magnetised to be called ferrite. I love your power supply.

[bkraz333]

I tried the bat signal idea a couple nights ago and found a problem with my mirror. I bought the parabolic mirror from Edmund Scientific, but it turns out that the shape is not a perfect parabola. It has a slight discontinuity in the curve, and so the searchlight output beam is not perfectly collimated. When I place something (like a bat-shaped piece of wood) in front of the searchlight, the beam just becomes a little dimmer without holding the shape. I need a more perfect parabolic mirror.

[Raxarax]

You need to add a Stainless Steel Trough Mirror (google it) to the inside of your can to increase reflectivity.

[DeviMauz]

BAT LIGHT PLEASE :]

[Ltb0b]

Teehee kickass

[Alexthebestia]

please, please, please DO A BAT SIGNAL

[treborrrrr]

I wish I had the balls to play around with high current and voltage. Great job.

[5lkk]

@treborrrrr But in this project while there is high voltage low current circuit & a low voltage high current circuit, there is no high voltage high current circuit.

[treborrrrr]

@5lkk True. I feel kind of iffy around both on their own though hehe. I prefer to stick to logic level signals. At least they don't hurt when you mess up ;)

[MrTurboturbine]

great explanation of how it works

[Grundalizer]

Awesomeness in a trash can

[jeriellsworth]

I like this a lot. As a kid I remember being enamored with the huge rotating spotlights used to promote events at night.