hello everyone...nice to be here im learning alot already here ...im not getting enough resources..so im thinking of using car headlight or a small spotlight as my light source..both headlight and sportlight got about 2000 lumen ..

anyone tried one of those?

No, actually I don't think i've seen it mentioned before. Sounds like a good idea though, give it a try and let us know how it goes.

A headlight isn't really very bright. 2,000 lumens sounds like a lot, but remember the 400W MH lamps that we're using can be up to 40,000 lumens.

It can be done in the right circumstances. Take a look at the Automotive HID topic here in the beginner's forum, where I went through some of the ins and outs with another member.

If you're planning on using a 15" or larger monitor, then a headlight is a waste of time. I'd probably go so far as to say that 8" or larger will not work with an automotive lamp.

You may want to check out this members build using a 5" lcd. He uses a Xenon 12v bulb for vehicles (unknown what the lumens are on the Xenon) but as I said for a rather small panel and with the use of condensers as fresnels. As Supra explained, not feasible for larger panels like the 15"s or higher unless the bulb puts out more than 10,000 lumens like the 150w ceramic or higher up to the 400w bulbs.
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?s...19613&st=13

im gonna give it a try ...if it doesn't work then i guess im gonna have go buy the ballast and lamp..

If you plan on using a regular incandescent/halogen bulb for the light source, I think it will be a waste of time. Not trying to be negative, just trying to save you some trouble. They really aren't that bright, and the color temperature isn't great.

If you were going to use ANY headlight bulb, I'd only try a HID setup like SupraGuy mentioned. Even then, I think they're only around 35-45w and I doubt are bright enough for anything other than a tiny LCD. The price you'll pay for a ballast and bulb would make it much cheaper to just get a LL setup. If you have one laying around, it's worth a shot. I've been pricing OEM HID setups to retrofit into my car, they aren't cheap. You could get an ebay one for much cheaper but the spread might have hotspots. Make sure you cut off the shield that blocks the light from going into people's eyes, and make sure you get as close to 6500k as possible.

The lamps with the shield are labelled d2r and are for use in reflector units. There are lamps that are used in reflector/lens setups also, without the shield. They are labelled d2s

A big advantage is that you don't have to worry about heat anymore.

Yeah, types of HID bulbs.

They need the reflector and lens because they aren't as bright as other bulbs alone. They are much cooler like you said though. It would only be practical for a smaller LCD I would think. Otherwise, it would be easier and cheaper to use a reguler LL ballast and bulb, and would produce more light.