motorcitydiver
Guest
This is my first can light and it's bigger and heaver than I antcipated. Is there anything I can do to make smaller and lighter (i.e. switch to another type of battery and cut down canister) or should I sell it?
Bought an AUL can light on ebay...now what?
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OP
motorcitydiver
Guest
The can diameter is 5 inches, the total length is about 14.5 inches, and the weight is about 1/2 ton (i mean 15 lbs). It has a 50 watt halogen installed in the head. I'd rather not sell it if I can put a smaller battery in it for a reasonable price and cut the can down to reduce weight. Thanks for any help.
ianr33
Contributor
Maybe you could put a prop on the back and use it as a scooter ?
Doing major modifications on a halogen light is probably not going to make financial sense. Rebay it and get a NiMH HID
Doing major modifications on a halogen light is probably not going to make financial sense. Rebay it and get a NiMH HID
You could make a new can and battery fairly easily, you'll end up at least $250 into it and many, many hours.
I have no idea what you spent, but from my POV if I wanted into a can light at the least cost I would get one of these
http://www.divers-supply.com/Sea-Elite-10-Watt-4-5-amp-HID-Canister-Light-SP-p/sal0001.htm
They are made by Salvo, nice beam, good burntime, inexpensive.
That being said, yes your light is large but not as bad as you may imagine in the water.
I currently have a Salvo 10watt HID/4.5 for travelling/ocean/lake and a Salvo 21 watt/9 amp for cave/more serious wreck and don't regret the money spent at all.
I have no idea what you spent, but from my POV if I wanted into a can light at the least cost I would get one of these
http://www.divers-supply.com/Sea-Elite-10-Watt-4-5-amp-HID-Canister-Light-SP-p/sal0001.htm
They are made by Salvo, nice beam, good burntime, inexpensive.
That being said, yes your light is large but not as bad as you may imagine in the water.
I currently have a Salvo 10watt HID/4.5 for travelling/ocean/lake and a Salvo 21 watt/9 amp for cave/more serious wreck and don't regret the money spent at all.
OP
motorcitydiver
Guest
Thanks to both of you for the information. I guess I'll rebay it, try to recoup my hard earned money, and look into an HID. I guess I'll chalk this one up as a lesson learned.
Depending on what you're doing with it, why bother?
If you're doing wrecks in the great lakes, for example, who cares how big the can is? That light will likely throw a decent beam, and it will throw is for as long as you can stand the water temps in Lake Superior, or even longer.
If it weighs 15 lbs, well, so what? If I was diving in Lake Superior again I'd be using a Weezle undergarment under my DUI 450, and with a 6 lb plate and double steels I'd need just about another 11-15 lbs depending. Just factor the weight of the AUL can into the total weight you need, and either leave off your V-weight or P-weight, or drop it from somewhere else.
The point is that if the light works perfectly, then you can get around it's weight issues. If it doesn't, THEN you drop a grand into a Salvo NiMH HID or whatever...but I'd dive the AUL a few times first and see if it works perfectly or not.
Why eBay a perfectly good light that you got for a fraction of the cost of a new one, just because its large and heavy? It isn't as sleek as the new ones, true, but it doesn't cost anywhere near what the new ones cost either. Plus, compare the cost of a new lamp for your can light against the cost of a new lamp for a NiMH HID can light. Better sit down when you run the numbers. (Yeah, thats about $240.00 for a new replacement light bulb... Better not ever bang that HID light head against anything when you're moving around the boat, etc.)
Hell, for what it cost you could use it for the 2007 season, see how you can tweak it into your rig, then ****can it in the Fall and STILL be ahead financially.
Do as you wish, but I wouldn't be so quick to replace it if it works perfectly just because its heavy. You can work with heavy. Occasionally, heavy even comes in handy. What you really want is bulletproof, and some of those older cans are pretty darned rugged lights.
FWIW. YMMV.
Doc
If you're doing wrecks in the great lakes, for example, who cares how big the can is? That light will likely throw a decent beam, and it will throw is for as long as you can stand the water temps in Lake Superior, or even longer.
If it weighs 15 lbs, well, so what? If I was diving in Lake Superior again I'd be using a Weezle undergarment under my DUI 450, and with a 6 lb plate and double steels I'd need just about another 11-15 lbs depending. Just factor the weight of the AUL can into the total weight you need, and either leave off your V-weight or P-weight, or drop it from somewhere else.
The point is that if the light works perfectly, then you can get around it's weight issues. If it doesn't, THEN you drop a grand into a Salvo NiMH HID or whatever...but I'd dive the AUL a few times first and see if it works perfectly or not.
Why eBay a perfectly good light that you got for a fraction of the cost of a new one, just because its large and heavy? It isn't as sleek as the new ones, true, but it doesn't cost anywhere near what the new ones cost either. Plus, compare the cost of a new lamp for your can light against the cost of a new lamp for a NiMH HID can light. Better sit down when you run the numbers. (Yeah, thats about $240.00 for a new replacement light bulb... Better not ever bang that HID light head against anything when you're moving around the boat, etc.)
Hell, for what it cost you could use it for the 2007 season, see how you can tweak it into your rig, then ****can it in the Fall and STILL be ahead financially.
Do as you wish, but I wouldn't be so quick to replace it if it works perfectly just because its heavy. You can work with heavy. Occasionally, heavy even comes in handy. What you really want is bulletproof, and some of those older cans are pretty darned rugged lights.
FWIW. YMMV.
Doc
OP
motorcitydiver
Guest
This is why I love this site. Lots of good information and usually at least one good voice of reason (not implying that anyone was unreasonable..haha). Maybe I'll beat it up in Lake Huron for the year and then go from there.
nwbrewer
Contributor
Motorcitydiver,
How handy are you? If you've got a few basic tools, making yourself a new can isn't very expensive, and you've got most of the hardware on the current can anyway. (The cable gland and latches were the most expensive parts of the can I built.)
I agree with Doc though, dive it the way it is and see how you like it. For cold water diving you're gonna carry a bunch of lead one place or another, why not wear it in a useable form as battery weight. Those two 7ah sla batteries are gonna give you some good burn time on a 50W bulb, where as a 5ah NiMh battery pack is gonna be smaller and lighter, but you'll only get maybe 45minutes of burn time.
If you don't think it's bright enough, phillips sells a line of MR-16 IR bulbs that give a lot more lumens per watt than average halogen bulbs. (The 45watt bulb produces 1200 lumens at a color tempertaure of 3100. Same amount of lumens as an 18 watt HID) They're a little more expensive than the cheapo's from the hardware store, but still only about $15 each.
Send me a PM if you're interested in building a new canister and I can send you some pics of how I did mine.
Jake
How handy are you? If you've got a few basic tools, making yourself a new can isn't very expensive, and you've got most of the hardware on the current can anyway. (The cable gland and latches were the most expensive parts of the can I built.)
I agree with Doc though, dive it the way it is and see how you like it. For cold water diving you're gonna carry a bunch of lead one place or another, why not wear it in a useable form as battery weight. Those two 7ah sla batteries are gonna give you some good burn time on a 50W bulb, where as a 5ah NiMh battery pack is gonna be smaller and lighter, but you'll only get maybe 45minutes of burn time.
If you don't think it's bright enough, phillips sells a line of MR-16 IR bulbs that give a lot more lumens per watt than average halogen bulbs. (The 45watt bulb produces 1200 lumens at a color tempertaure of 3100. Same amount of lumens as an 18 watt HID) They're a little more expensive than the cheapo's from the hardware store, but still only about $15 each.
Send me a PM if you're interested in building a new canister and I can send you some pics of how I did mine.
Jake
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