Upgrading an can to E/O

[leabre]

I purchased a Salvo Havoc 21w HID 10amp canister light and received it the day before Salvo closed their doors. Hows that for timing? I has the in-can ballast. I'd like to upgrade it to E/O for use with LED lights and have been told "not gonna happen".

If the design of the lid is what prevents the modification, would it be possible to make a special lid that overcomes this problem or would I be better off just buying a new battery that doesn't have the in-can ballast/ignitor to begin with?

 

[HenrikBP]

Not an electrical wizzard by *any* stretch. But I can't see why you wouldn't be able to disassemble the lid (I believe the ballast is encased on the lid - right) and either remove or bypass the ballast. If you're going E/O, then you'll need a new cable anyway, so just replace the whole cable, and run the cords into the canister main compartment.

Just one not-so-informed opinion.

Henrik

 

[HenrikBP]

Not sure this is the same canister as yours, but the pictures are great and may give you some ideas:

Replacing the cord on an HID Canister Light - Step by Step

Henrik

 

[PfcAJ]

You can replace the cord, thats not a big deal. The bigger deal is that the in-lid ballast puts out a different type of current than what the LED uses.

To use your HID light, you need a ballast. So if you want to make the switch, you've effectively got to replace everything except the battery. I cannot figure out why on earth they would use an in-can ballast. It removes a LOT of flexibility (different light heads, heated vests, LEDs). Silly design.

 

[Rainer]

I cannot figure out why on earth they would use an in-can ballast. It removes a LOT of flexibility (different light heads, heated vests, LEDs). Silly design.

The smaller lighthead footprint with the ballast in the can is significantly more comfortable (I have hundreds of dives on both designs), especially for those will small hands. That gain in comfort is of course tempered by the lack of flexibility as you note with E/O possibilities.

 

[HenrikBP]

If I understand correctly, that you are going to use the canister with an LED light head - not HID, I still say - just remove/bypass the ballast and wire the new E/O cable directly to the battery.

H

 

[elan]

Like others have mentioned you can remove the balast and wire the cord directly. Obviously after this modification you can only use a LED head or an Hid with in head balast.