100w halogen video lights for USD$96.00

[Dr. Benway]

Hey, camera, action, lights???

So, feeling the need for light, and succumbing to my love of tinkering, I made some video lights. It is fairly straightforward, at the least it is easier than understanding a Canon manual!

Brightness, bright enough. Run time, they're yet to be timed as I am yet to leave them on and run them flat, but that's something I will never do. But judging by how miserable the times of some commercially available lights are, I bet they compete admirably. Of course battery drain is directly related to lamp/bulb wattage, so running 50watters for brightness will drain them quicker than 20w bulbs.

If using them for interviews you may find two 50w at 3 metres too much, or at least your subject will/may. Swap the 50w for 20w and you'll get a longer burn from your batteries. You could get fancy and introduce a rheostat for dimming if you wanted to.

Spare bulbs: $5.00.

For daylight balanaced ‘Solux’ halogens, do an Internet search.


These improvised video lights cost approx. USD$96.00
(Cost depends on the local economy and how cheaply you can source parts.)


Parts

2x 50w halogen driving lamps complete with housings, mounts, wires (ready to install) from an auto/car parts store

2x 12v batteries from an electronics store. I chose two 12v 1.2 AH batteries because they are smallish.

1x 12v battery charger

2x lampholders for halogen/halogen downlights with 300mm wires from an electrical store (trade type). See pics below, I swapped the originals that the spotlights came with for longer ones.

2x female RCA sockets

1x old RCA cable

2x alligator clips

4x spade connectors, to connect to the battery terminals

1x Bescor VB-50 bracket from Adorama

1x 80's bumbag from an op shop or thrift store for carrying the batteries in.

1x scrap piece of aluminium; I used an old garden watering wand stripped of fittings and hammered flat with a rubber mallet. Find a strip of suitably light yet strong metal to attach to the Bescor bracket as an extension.

1x small 90 degree angle bracket to strengthen the aluminium extension.

2x wingnuts to secure the lights to the brackets

2x thick rubber washers to dampen light mounts.

Solder and soldering iron, spray paint(s) and emery paper, adhesive tape, pot rivets, small sections of garden hose and cable/zip ties... various tools.

They pack down small and light.

Arohanui

[ESTEBEVERDE]

Good Job!

Can't wait to see what you have come up with.

[Guilhas]

nicceee!!
how much run time are you getting??
Plus...where did you buy the lamp housing??

NIce work ;), show some night action photos :D

[VideJo]

That Stitz Bounce Head, is that a Hot Shoe? Or is it Not Hot?

[Dr. Benway]

Hi, sorry I haven't run them flat, but will keep you posted with footage when I can. They are halogen spotlights for cars - 12v - any decent auto/car parts store should have them or an equivalent.

Jo, that's a cold shoe, just a little thing, good for what? Tilting lights and bits. One could mount a light in reverse, tilt it and bounce off an umbrella perhaps? Direct the mic elsewhere etc...

[ESTEBEVERDE]

What batteries are you using?

How much did they run you?

[Dr. Benway]

I am using two 12v 1.2 mA/H sealed lead acid batteries. Run me? As in price? USD$22 each. Is that what you meant?

[ESTEBEVERDE]

I am using two 12v 1.2 mA/H sealed lead acid batteries. Run me? As in price? USD$22 each. Is that what you meant?

Yep.

That's the one I meant!

Thanks! :hv20-smilie77:

[Timay]

You are feeding the light with an RCA plug, male. You would do good to put the female end on the battery so it couldn't land on something metal and go ZZZZAAAPP! :hv20-smilie152:

Tim

[Dr. Benway]

You are feeding the light with an RCA plug, male. You would do good to put the female end on the battery so it couldn't land on something metal and go ZZZZAAAPP! :hv20-smilie152:

Tim


Hi Tim, since the photos it's had some minor mods and is safely insulated, cheers.

[stockstradr]

Replying to this old post in case anyone (like me) finds they love those Solux bulbs so much they want to use them also for ambient room lighting.

Here below is the least-expensive track lighting setup I found compatible with the Solux MR16 bulbs

I haven't found any online site with better pricing than Lamps Plus (http://www.lampsplus.com/). You can search there for these track lighting items, but note you must buy the MR-16 bulbs separately from the Solux web site (http://www.solux.net/). This is not an advert. I'm in no way associated with Solux or Lamps Plus. I just ordered my parts from there and was happy with the pricing.

LAMPS PLUS P/N: 65227
Pro Track® White Finish 150 Watt Low Voltage Track Kit
Cost: about $60 as of 03/2012
Comes with 4ft track with 3 light fixtures plus the "floating canopy" which is simply the decorative box that hooks AC wiring to the track so you can then route that AC wiring directly up into a ceiling electrical junction box.
NOTE: you can get this in black color P/N 79353, or "brushed steel" look P/N 11007

LAMPS PLUS P/N: 24323
Pro Track® Track Lighting White Outlet Extension Cord
Cost: about $12 as of 03/2012
NOTE: this is the cheapie installation that you use if you decide NOT to wire your track lighting directly to an overhead ceiling electrical juntion box. This 24323 extension cord has a special clip that inserts directly into the end of your track lighting. You then route the cord down to a nearby AC outlet. Obviously this method leaves an extension cord hanging down your wall so is not as clean an pretty as wiring track lighting into ceiling junction box.
NOTE: you can get this in black color P/N 24324

Now go to Solux (http://www.solux.net/)and order your bulbs:

You'll be buying the Solux low voltage (12 volt) MR-16 bulbs, which do come in a wide variety of color temperature and beamspreads

Solux MR-16: 4700K/36 Degrees. Available in either 35W or 50W
Cost: about $8/bulb as of 03/2012
NOTE: I recommend this as a long-lasting, cost-effective bulb with a wide beamspread at 4700K temperature that gets you very close to the ideal solar spectrum 5000K color temperature.
LIFE: rated for 4000 hours life.
NOTE: consider ordering the "Black back" version of this bulb so you don't have to order the "bulb shields"

What if you want "near-perfect" 5000K temperature solar spectrum bulbs?

Solux MR-16: 5000K/36 Degrees. Available ONLY in 35W
Cost: about $18/bulb as of 03/2012
NOTE: this is a very expensive bulb with a wide beamspread that provides near-perfect solar spectrum at ideal 5000K color temperature.
WARNING: these bulbs only rated for life of 500 hours, because they design it as a 4700K bulb that's over-driven to 12 volts to achieve 5000K +/-200K color temp.
NOTE: consider ordering the "Black back" version of this bulb so you don't have to order the "bulb shields"

DIFFUSERS:
The light coming out of the Solux MR-16s is generally not soft and diffused enough. To achieve a wider beam spread and softer light, order the "plano-convex diffuser". The plano-convex diffuser doubles the beam spread of a SoLux bulb. For example, a 24 degree beam spread becomes a 48 degree beam spread with the plano-convex diffuser.
To soften light only, order the "plano-plano diffuser."
NOTE: I did not need the "filter clip" (that you can order separately for securing the diffuser lenses) because the lens clips that come included with the light fixtures in the Pro Track Kit (P/N: 65227) work fine to secure the solux diffusers. The Solux diffuser lenses are expensive because they are real frosted glass.

BLACK "BULB SHIELD"
If you do NOT order the version of the MR-16 bulbs with the painted "black back" then recommended but not must-have, the separately ordered metal "black shield" catches the back scatter light that the Solux kicks out the back of the bulb which is how they achieve such pure solar spectrum light coming out the front. In other words, if you don't order a black "bulb shield" for each Solux MR-16 bulb (or order the MR-16 bulbs with the painted "black back"), then your track lighting fixtures will leak light out their backside (into your room) and it will NOT be color-temp calibrated light. This would throw off (slightly) the color temp of overall lighting in your room.

How many MR-16's do you need?
I found I only needed TWO Solux 50W MR-16 4700K/36 Degrees beamspread, each with the plano-convex diffuser, and lights positioned ~7 FT (as a string is stretched) direct line to my dual LCD video editing monitors order to sufficiently light them.