Custom Flat-Top Mini MX (2100/RX2700/Ranger Bar Clone) *Back to just a 36" bar*

[TritonBoulder47]

Well, I got the idea from .  And since I have 3 MXs hanging around my place, I Decided to construct a custom bar...  

First, I started with my custom LOADED 36" MX

Specs:

- 6 Rotators

- Intersections sweeps

- Front Flashers

- Take Downs

- Alleys

I took the top domes off and removed the rotator trays and removed all the halogen lights from the lower section.  Then I took the myriad of Fed Sig Solaris heads I have and started filling the base and came up with this...  Yes, I'm well aware that the inner heads are angled, the lighthead is hitting a part of lens...  I may correct this in the future, and I may not...  



I wanted to do something "different" with my intersection sweeps, so I got to thinking...  This is what I came up with...  A Feniex Apollo F6 mounted to the reflector.  After a little flattening of the reflector, I got the light top mount on it nicely...



And it fit well in the bar...



Then I needed to test to see if it would sweep without any interference...  

Now I just REALLY need some tops and some 2100 feet.  I'm still trying to decide how to run the 12 Solaris heads in the bar...  I have a Fed-Sig Intelli-Flasher pre wired to run 10 heads, but I also have a ULF-44 floating around I could use as well...  

I'm also thinking about getting another pair of Apollo heads and putting another pair of sweeps in this bar...  Thus giving me 4 sweeps at the corners and 8 Solaris heads (4 front 4 rear)

 

[C17LVFD]

That's awesome! Great ideas and execution! The MX platform is so versatile.

Does the weight of the F6 sound like (motor under more stress) it's going to affect the sweep at all? I know the F6 isn't heavy, but the sweep is made for a bulb versus an entire lighthead in it...

Love the 4 sweep idea. Keep us posted on your progress!
Seth 

 

[TritonBoulder47]

I hooked up 10 of the 12 Solaris heads just to get a taste of what it'll look like...  and I dig it...  lol

I don't think so...  There is a little bit of a rattle, bit that is the F6 wiggling between the flange and the reflector...  I didnt want to tighten it too much and risk stripping out the screw or anything...  

 

[wilsonbr90]

I wonder how a TIR style light would look a opposed to the more linear style of the Apollo. Don't sweeps usually have a more focused light pattern?

 

[TritonBoulder47]

I wonder how a TIR style light would look a opposed to the more linear style of the Apollo. Don't sweeps usually have a more focused light pattern?

True, but having a 180 degree lighthead oscillating 90+ degrees gives a hell of a light spread...  lol  

I'm moved on to stage 2 of this project...  I'm taking all the heads out of the 36" frame and putting them into the 48" frame...  lol  

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Not sure if I'm going to use this option or not...  It may be too big for what I'm looking for, so I might go back to the 36" frame...  But it gives me something to do to pass the time...  lol  I'm REALLY thinking about doing 4 of the Apollo Sweeps though...  Just gotta save up for 2 more Apollos...  lol



In addition to the 8 Solaris heads and the Apollo Sweeps in the bar currently, I still have 8 more Solaris heads and 2 Mini LED3s...  lol  I'm going to want some sort of TD lights as well, just not sure what...  

 

[Beef Gravy]

Yea, so, this is the coolest thing with an MX I have seen in a while. Wow man! Flipping sweet. Cant wait to see that on a roof soon!

 

[tsquale]

I stripped took the top domes ...

I'm pretty sure you could keep your clothes on for this project Boulder...thank you for staying out of the videos, haha.


Joking aside, the 36" bar is awesome! 4 sweeps would be the icing on the cake

 

[StEaLtH2]

I love it... Freekin sweeet

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Thanks guys...  I'm thinking I'm going to use the 36" frame for this...  It'll fit between my roof rails as apposed to the 48 having to sit above the roof rails...  

Again, its just a project, and may not even make it to the roof of my Durango...  lol  I think I'll do a little more playing around tonight...  If I take the sweeps out of the 36, I can get 16 Solaris heads in the bar...  if I use the 4 sweep idea, i'll only be able to get 8 Solaris heads...  

Decisions decisions...  lol

 

[TritonBoulder47]

This is what I'm thinking now...  lol



Maybe I'll save the Apollo Sweeps for another project...  lol  I'm so indecisive on my lighting projects...  lol

 

[Fighting17th]

Now I just REALLY need some tops and some 2100 feet.

I have blue outers and older style 2100 feet, maybe some newer style too.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

I have blue outers and older style 2100 feet, maybe some newer style too.

Got any pics...?  lol  

 

[TritonBoulder47]

After the multitude of configurations I've laid out, I decided to go with the first set-up...  



Front:

- Custom Feniex Apollo Sweeps in the front corners, Blue

- 2 front facing Fed-Sig 6-LED Solaris heads, Blue

- 2 angled Fed-Sig 6-LED Solaris heads, Blue

Sides:

- Fed-Sig 6-LED Solaris head, Blue

Rear:

- 4 rear facing Fed-Sig 6-LED Solaris heads, Blue

- 2 angled Fed-Sig 6-LED Solaris heads, Blue

I'm still deciding how I want to wire it...  Not sure if I want to use an I/O Board of some sort, or direct wire it...  I'm also thinking that I want to mount my Feniex T-1000 to it as well, but that will have to wait until I get some mount feet...  lol

 

[tsquale]

I dig this setup, even though I preferred all four sweeps

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Me too, but I don't have the funds for 2 more Apollos...  lol  I don't even know if I'll have funds to complete the bar yet...  lol  

 

[vonirkinshtine]

*lightbulb*!  I just had an idea for a custom dash light.

 

[Storm4200]

This is great. Love the sweeps. Toss some amber in the rear.


Also, if the sweeps were SMART SWEEPS, you know, the ones that would do intersection warning, and then become TD or Ally lights? How cool would it be if when you activated the TDs, the blue sweeps would become white steadyburn, and stop sweeping...


Just an idea

 

[TritonBoulder47]

This is great. Love the sweeps. Toss some amber in the rear.


Also, if the sweeps were SMART SWEEPS, you know, the ones that would do intersection warning, and then become TD or Ally lights? How cool would it be if when you activated the TDs, the blue sweeps would become white steadyburn, and stop sweeping...


Just an idea

I had that exact idea while building this...  If I can find a set (or two) for a decent price I'd try it...  But then I'd have to buy 4 Apollos...  lol  Or maybe 4 Cannons...  

Damnit man!!!  Now you got me thinking again...  lol

 

[Storm4200]

I blame you for my mad-scientist thoughts. LoL

...Cannons may work even better?

 

[TritonBoulder47]

I dunno...  But its always fun to try new things...  lol  I think the Cannon 360 would work well in any halogen reflector...  

 

[Storm4200]

I think you omit the reflector, kinda how you aren't using it with the Apollo. Just remove the reflector, and attach the cannon to the directly to the mechanism. I THINK it MAY work a bit better than the Apollo, but the only way we'd know for sure, is trial and error.

 

[Phoenix_Rising]

I think you omit the reflector, kinda how you aren't using it with the Apollo. Just remove the reflector, and attach the cannon to the directly to the mechanism. I THINK it MAY work a bit better than the Apollo, but the only way we'd know for sure, is trial and error.

I will disagree on that: IF he opts for the cannon, Id argue that itll be twice as effective with the reflector. I can see removal of the reflector for the Apollo possibly, although there too I can see arguement for keeping the reflector, flattening/straightening it out to more evenly distribute the weight of the Apollo. I say this because IIRC the sweeps are a single arm mechanism. Maybe I missed the details of how Tim intends to mount the Apollo on the arm in the thread, but shy of having a straight backed mount plate attached to the arm, I fail to see how the apollo head would move as he wants it to. Food for thought.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

I think you omit the reflector, kinda how you aren't using it with the Apollo. Just remove the reflector, and attach the cannon to the directly to the mechanism. I THINK it MAY work a bit better than the Apollo, but the only way we'd know for sure, is trial and error.

Well, in the case of the Apollo Sweeps, the reflector was "flattened" to create a mounting surface for the Apollo...

If I were to try this with a set of Cannon 360s, I'd utilize the reflector, just make the bulb opening bigger to accept the lighthead...  Like I said, I may or may not even try this...  I need to acquire funds to pay for some tops and mount feet...  lol

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Well I got this bar just about done...  I mounted the Fed Sig Intelli-Flasher in the frame, ran all the wires and cleaned them up, got a 6 wire cable for it and everything wired up.  Just waiting on some tops and feet, which should be arriving today... 

The next thing is trying to figure out how to mount my Titan T-1000 to it and get some magnets for it.  Then it may find its way onto the Durango...  lol

 

[tsquale]

Effing schaaaweeeeeet!

 

[Storm82]

Very nice!

 

[kitsune86]

Nice!  Love the sweeps.

 

[Storm4200]

Absolutely love this build boulder ! Are you not gonna do any amber?

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Absolutely love this build boulder ! Are you not gonna do any amber?

I don't have any amber heads currently (other than some Whelen CON-3s, but then I'd need to fabricate a mount for them)  I do have some Solaris heads that I need to send to Wilson and some of them may get swapped to amber...  I also noticed that I have a few "not so deep" blue Solaris heads in the bar currently that I thought about sending to Wilson as well, but I don't feel like dropping that much coin into this bar...  lol

I still have to figure out how to mount the feet I got to the bar, then figure out how to mount my T-1000 to the feet...  lol  The lights on the feet don't work, not sure if the bulbs are blown or there is a wiring issue.  At least I have a project for work this week...  lol

 

[JohnMarcson]

I wonder how a TIR style light would look a opposed to the more linear style of the Apollo. Don't sweeps usually have a more focused light pattern?

First of all, I love the concept and the execution. The lower half of the MX is under used.

I also thought the apollo would be too wide an optic to "pop" in this application, but the video seems to show some "pop".  Still, I'd like to see a side by side.  Videos are very subjective, this is a great chance at a "frame of reference" type video.  I'd really like to see a video with just the intersections, but where one is an apollo and one a TIR style LED, to compare the optics in this application.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

First of all, I love the concept and the execution. The lower half of the MX is under used.

I also thought the apollo would be too wide an optic to "pop" in this application, but the video seems to show some "pop".  Still, I'd like to see a side by side.  Videos are very subjective, this is a great chance at a "frame of reference" type video.  I'd really like to see a video with just the intersections, but where one is an apollo and one a TIR style LED, to compare the optics in this application.

Thanks boss man...  

I do have another MX out in the work shop shed that has 4 sweeps in it...  I can steal a pair and try the TIR head version out, since I have a pair of SOS Mini LED3s that I can play with...  That'll give me a project for work this week...  

 

[JohnMarcson]

Thanks boss man...  

I do have another MX out in the work shop shed that has 4 sweeps in it...  I can steal a pair and try the TIR head version out, since I have a pair of SOS Mini LED3s that I can play with...  That'll give me a project for work this week...  

That's great!  I can't wait to see the results.  The apollo looked way better than I expected in that role, the comparison will be interesting.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Or course the TIR head will have more "pop", but I was going more for coverage area...  And a 180 Degree lighthead on a 120 Degree sweep gives tremendous coverage (approximately 300 degrees)...  lol  

 

[JohnMarcson]

Or course the TIR head will have more "pop", but I was going more for coverage area...  And a 180 Degree lighthead on a 120 Degree sweep gives tremendous coverage (approximately 300 degrees)...  lol  

I just didn't expect the apollo to work in that setting at all.  I'm pleasantly surprised, just don't have a TIR frame of reference.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

I didn't get a change to get out to the shed before work tonight...  Hopefully I can snow throw a path tomorrow and get the parts I need...  then I can get a contrast/compare vid up...  

 

[Eric1249]

That's cool. I would like to see a comparison of different optics used for the sweeps.

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Ok, so I got out to the shed to steal some sweeps from my other MX, and here is the result...  

I did the same as with the Apollo Sweep, ("flatten" the reflector body, screw the SOS Mini LED3 to the reflector) they just dropped it in...  

As suspected, the TIR-style SOS Mini LED3 had a better "pop", but the Apollo had more coverage.  (Of course, the Apollo is also much brighter, but with twice as many LEDs at 4 times the power, thats to be expected...)

And without further adieu, the video...

 

[Storm4200]

Looks great. So,what do you think? Are you gonna stick with the Apollos?

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Looks great. So,what do you think? Are you gonna stick with the Apollos?

I like the "pop" if the LED3, but I like the larger size head and coverage of the Apollo...  so I'm gonna stuck with them...