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[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

Tom - these lights look good and may actually work for what we need; yep, it would be the unidirectional one.

What battery do you use?  It looks like there are a few available for that light (as well as for the charger).  Looks like as long as the battery is an M18, it shouldn't matter what amperage battery is used in the light (as well as what could be charged by the charger).

All my batteries are the 5Ah ones. There is a version of the light that includes a battery and charger - when I bought it thekit with battery and charger was $50 more than the bare tool. I have a lot of Milwaukee tools, so I have multiple chargers and batteries.

[Craig Hauber]

Anyone using LED flood lights to light up FOH and/or stage areas for load out (or load-in if early in the morning)?

I'm using a couple of these:
https://www.google.com/search?q=magnet+mount+LED+flood+lights+car&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic5obxt5XbAhUEzVMKHeUxD8oQ_AUICygC&biw=1600&bih=757#imgrc=f9LsaxPbf-3-jM:

...though, these lights are incandescent. 

When I load-out, I usually use both of these on one side of my van and trailer; they do a fair job of illuminating the area, but I'm needing more light.  They have a fairly good horizontal coverage, but are not bright enough.

The lights I'm using plug into the cigarette lighters... I'm needing the same type, but in LED.

Anyone using LED lights for something like this?  Interested in what you are using.

Thanks.

I'm not liking the current crop of LED worklight as they are too pinpoint-bright and even catching one in a casual side glance hurts and destroys any nightvision you may have accumulated.  Not to mention they seem to create even deeper shadows.  I never used to like those 500W dual-head halogen ones either for those reasons but the LED's make those seem mellow now in comparison.

The best I've ever had for load-out worklight is one of those helium-filled balloons with the giant bare filament lamp in the middle of them.  They float up high on a tether and create a nice daylight glow over everything.  Usually that's not a practical option for just a load-out -but they were common for area event lighting around LA and performed much better than those trailer crank-up construction lights.

Now I just use the hanging type 400W Metal Halide construction site work-lights hung up high and running off shore power or the inverter on the work truck.  The secret is just get it up high for the least amount of blinding or deer-in-the-headlights action. 

https://www.amazon.com/Light-HL400PS-Halide-24-Inch-Temporary/dp/B003T0GB8I/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1526959450&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A5785247011&dpID=41jTE6AcKoL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I do remember the old days of load-outs under headlights -obviously not thought-out or planned properly and always having to send someone back in the daytime to find all the stuff that was missed.

[GenePink]

Anyone using LED flood lights to light up FOH and/or stage areas for load out

A few years back, after numerous out-in-a-field gennys going away prematurely, or shore power disappearing at the end of a show, I decided to roll my own 12V battery powered system specifically for tear downs.

First pic, 50 watt floodlights, nice and wide even dispersal, probably about 120 degrees or more. Bent the yoke for some downward angle, added lighting size 1-1/2" pole hole fixtures, just add Ultimate Support tripods (plus extenders) to get them way the hell up there. Full roll of duct tape in pic for size reference.

An aside, why is duct tape the worst option for taping up HVAC ducts? Use the aluminum stuff, 3 mil please.

2nd pic, info on LEDs, if you want to go this way, there are probably better ones these days. These cost about $60 ea, a few years ago.

3rd, battery packs. 12V 12AH gell cells that press fit nicely at the bottom into a Harbor Frieght plastic ammo case that are permanently on sale for 5 bucks. Add switch and fuse, tiny twistloks that I had laying around, voltmeter with bar graph, and an unseen batt charger in the extra space.

Should be better than 3 hours run time, I dunno, we've never had a problem beating it on the out.

Gene

[Bob Faulkner]

A few years back, after numerous out-in-a-field gennys going away prematurely, or shore power disappearing at the end of a show, I decided to roll my own 12V battery powered system specifically for tear downs.

First pic, 50 watt floodlights, nice and wide even dispersal, probably about 120 degrees or more. Bent the yoke for some downward angle, added lighting size 1-1/2" pole hole fixtures, just add Ultimate Support tripods (plus extenders) to get them way the hell up there. Full roll of duct tape in pic for size reference.

An aside, why is duct tape the worst option for taping up HVAC ducts? Use the aluminum stuff, 3 mil please.

2nd pic, info on LEDs, if you want to go this way, there are probably better ones these days. These cost about $60 ea, a few years ago.

3rd, battery packs. 12V 12AH gell cells that press fit nicely at the bottom into a Harbor Frieght plastic ammo case that are permanently on sale for 5 bucks. Add switch and fuse, tiny twistloks that I had laying around, voltmeter with bar graph, and an unseen batt charger in the extra space.

Should be better than 3 hours run time, I dunno, we've never had a problem beating it on the out.

Gene

Nice

[Dave Pluke]

3rd, battery packs. 12V 12AH gell cells that press fit nicely at the bottom into a Harbor Frieght plastic ammo case that are permanently on sale for 5 bucks. Add switch and fuse, tiny twistloks that I had laying around, voltmeter with bar graph, and an unseen batt charger in the extra space.

That's some serious MacGuyver'ing, there Gene - good job!

Only point deduction would be for the (potentially hot) male connector on the ammo box...

Dave

[Bob Faulkner]

For the Milwaukee chargers, any benefit of the 9.0a over the 5.0a?  I'm planning on getting 3 batteries.  And speaking of batteries, looks like there are a couple available:

18-Volt Lithium-Ion XC Extended Capacity Battery Pack 3.0Ah
18-Volt Lithium-Ion XC Starter Kit W/ (1) 5.0Ah Battery and Charger

The batteries would only be used for the lighting, no other tools.

Thoughts?

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

For the Milwaukee chargers, any benefit of the 9.0a over the 5.0a?  I'm planning on getting 3 batteries.  And speaking of batteries, looks like there are a couple available:

18-Volt Lithium-Ion XC Extended Capacity Battery Pack 3.0Ah
18-Volt Lithium-Ion XC Starter Kit W/ (1) 5.0Ah Battery and Charger

The batteries would only be used for the lighting, no other tools.

Thoughts?

For lighting, ampacity = runtime; nothing more or less.  I have the 5Ah batteries which are good for 4 hours at full output or 8  hours at half output.  The 3Ah battery will run 60% as long as the 5Ah battery; the 9Ah will run almost twice as long as the 5.0Ah.  What makes sense depends on cost and your needs.

Don't be sure that you won't ever use other tools - Milwaukee has some good stuff that the other players don't have. 

[Bob Faulkner]

For lighting, ampacity = runtime; nothing more or less.  I have the 5Ah batteries which are good for 4 hours at full output or 8  hours at half output.  The 3Ah battery will run 60% as long as the 5Ah battery; the 9Ah will run almost twice as long as the 5.0Ah.  What makes sense depends on cost and your needs.

Don't be sure that you won't ever use other tools - Milwaukee has some good stuff that the other players don't have. 

Many thanks Tom!  This helps narrow it down.

You are right about the selections of tools available.  In looking around at Milwaukee for the batteries, this has yielded some nice tools that I may not be able to live without! 

[GenePink]

That's some serious MacGuyver'ing, there Gene - good job!

Appreciate that guys, but I wouldn't call it Mcgivering. More like the sport of "How can I build this as cheaply as possible, using parts in hand." This is what makes a project fun, to maintain the highest ratio of recycled parts, vs shiny new store bought.

Case - 5 bucks
Battery - 40 bucks
Meter - 14 bucks, (because they're cool, so I splurged)
LED flood - 60 bucks

Everything else already in stock, as I'm a packrat.

Only point deduction would be for the (potentially hot) male connector on the ammo box...

Point taken, but I'm not that concerned with 12 volts fused at 5 amps causing all that much trouble. The only way to get a shock would be to get your tongue involved, and following a basic common sense rule when working with 12 volts and other low-voltage wiring, is to keep your tongue in your back pocket.

Gene

[Mark Cadwallader]

<snip>

The only way to get a shock would be to get your tongue involved, and following a basic common sense rule when working with 12 volts and other low-voltage wiring, is to keep your tongue in your back pocket.

Signature worthy.  I like it.  Words to live by. :-)

[ProSoundWeb Community]