Sony HVL-20DW2 20W Battery Operated Halogen Light at DVinfo.net

Tim Davison · June 22nd, 2009, 04:01 AM

I have recentlyu purchased one of these lights from amazon but I'm finding that only one of those lights is working (i.e. I am only getting 10W of light rather than 20W) when the switch is flicked to 20W. What am I missing here? (I'm using an L Series InfoLITHIUM Battery to power the light)

Vito DeFilippo · June 22nd, 2009, 06:44 AM

Hi Tim,

Either one of your bulbs is burnt, it's defective, or you have the wrong battery. If it's brand new, it's probably the battery. Note the second line:

"10-watt operation with Sony® NP-F550 battery pack (sold separately)

Switchable 10-watt/20-watt operation requires NP-F750 or NP-F960 InfoLITHIUM L"

HVL-20DW2 | HVL-20DW2 10 Watt & 20 Watt Dual Video Light | Sony | SonyStyle USA

Tim Davison · June 22nd, 2009, 06:47 AM

Thanks Vito, I will check this out

Tim Davison · June 23rd, 2009, 02:59 AM

Yes, it appears the bigger battery was what was required. Seems odd to a layman like me and I would have thought that the smaller battery would work for both bulbs but simply last for a lesser time. Hey ho :)

Dave Blackhurst · June 24th, 2009, 05:07 PM

The power draw of two bulbs is too high for the small cap batteries, that's why they do that.

Tim Davison · June 25th, 2009, 07:47 AM

The two lights are extremely powerful it has to be said and I would imagine that I would only want to use one bulb for most shots so can stick to a smaller battery which is a help because the larger battery puts a great deal of additional weight on the front of the camera

Vito DeFilippo · June 25th, 2009, 08:07 AM

Tim, if you have any diffusion paper around, try this.

Cut a rectangle the same height as the light. You will tape each edge (electrical tape works great) alongside the light so that the paper curves out in front of the bulbs.

This is a great and nearly free way of adding diffusion to this light to make it less harsh, and lets you use both bulbs when you need to for extra reach.

Mine's looking a bit beat up cause I yanked it off to put it on a new light, but with care it looks nice and neat.

Tim Davison · June 25th, 2009, 08:16 AM

Thanks Vito, I'm currently using a Lumquist Mini-soft box for diffusion

Vito DeFilippo · June 25th, 2009, 08:35 AM

Well, that's even better! I'm just cheap, hehe...

Alec Moreno · June 25th, 2009, 10:21 AM

Speaking of this light...

1. I broke the square part of the plastic shoe attachment at the bottom of the light. (Can you blame me?) Does anyone know of a way to repair/replace this with something more sturdy?

2. I tried finding replacement bulbs through Sony but had no luck. From what I can tell, they only sell the complete unit. Where can I find some dependable bulbs? If something generic works well, that's fine by me, but please keep in mind that we all need something durable and long lasting. (It would be a real pain to have a bulb burn out mid-shot just because I was too cheap to buy something worthwhile instead.)

Thanks.

Alec Moreno
http://www.1Day1ShotProductions.com

Vito DeFilippo · June 25th, 2009, 11:11 AM

This has been discussed before. Try this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/open-dv-d...t-problem.html

I haven't had to replace a bulb yet, so I'm not sure of a good source there.

Alec Moreno · June 25th, 2009, 02:53 PM

Thanks Vito.

June 22nd, 2009, 04:01 AM	#1
Tim Davison Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London, England Posts: 183	Sony HVL-20DW2 20W Battery Operated Halogen Light I have recentlyu purchased one of these lights from amazon but I'm finding that only one of those lights is working (i.e. I am only getting 10W of light rather than 20W) when the switch is flicked to 20W. What am I missing here? (I'm using an L Series InfoLITHIUM Battery to power the light)

June 22nd, 2009, 06:44 AM	#2
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	Hi Tim, Either one of your bulbs is burnt, it's defective, or you have the wrong battery. If it's brand new, it's probably the battery. Note the second line: "10-watt operation with Sony® NP-F550 battery pack (sold separately) Switchable 10-watt/20-watt operation requires NP-F750 or NP-F960 InfoLITHIUM L" HVL-20DW2 \| HVL-20DW2 10 Watt & 20 Watt Dual Video Light \| Sony \| SonyStyle USA __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

June 25th, 2009, 08:07 AM	#7
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	Tim, if you have any diffusion paper around, try this. Cut a rectangle the same height as the light. You will tape each edge (electrical tape works great) alongside the light so that the paper curves out in front of the bulbs. This is a great and nearly free way of adding diffusion to this light to make it less harsh, and lets you use both bulbs when you need to for extra reach. Mine's looking a bit beat up cause I yanked it off to put it on a new light, but with care it looks nice and neat. Attached Thumbnails __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

June 25th, 2009, 08:35 AM	#9
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	Well, that's even better! I'm just cheap, hehe... __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

June 25th, 2009, 11:11 AM	#11
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	This has been discussed before. Try this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/open-dv-d...t-problem.html I haven't had to replace a bulb yet, so I'm not sure of a good source there. __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

June 22nd, 2009, 06:47 AM	#3
Tim Davison Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London, England Posts: 183	Thanks Vito, I will check this out

June 23rd, 2009, 02:59 AM	#4
Tim Davison Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London, England Posts: 183	Yes, it appears the bigger battery was what was required. Seems odd to a layman like me and I would have thought that the smaller battery would work for both bulbs but simply last for a lesser time. Hey ho :)

June 24th, 2009, 05:07 PM	#5
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	The power draw of two bulbs is too high for the small cap batteries, that's why they do that.

June 25th, 2009, 07:47 AM	#6
Tim Davison Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London, England Posts: 183	The two lights are extremely powerful it has to be said and I would imagine that I would only want to use one bulb for most shots so can stick to a smaller battery which is a help because the larger battery puts a great deal of additional weight on the front of the camera

June 25th, 2009, 08:16 AM	#8
Tim Davison Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London, England Posts: 183	Thanks Vito, I'm currently using a Lumquist Mini-soft box for diffusion

June 25th, 2009, 10:21 AM	#10
Alec Moreno Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Glendora, CA Posts: 184	Speaking of this light... 1. I broke the square part of the plastic shoe attachment at the bottom of the light. (Can you blame me?) Does anyone know of a way to repair/replace this with something more sturdy? 2. I tried finding replacement bulbs through Sony but had no luck. From what I can tell, they only sell the complete unit. Where can I find some dependable bulbs? If something generic works well, that's fine by me, but please keep in mind that we all need something durable and long lasting. (It would be a real pain to have a bulb burn out mid-shot just because I was too cheap to buy something worthwhile instead.) Thanks. Alec Moreno http://www.1Day1ShotProductions.com

June 25th, 2009, 02:53 PM	#12
Alec Moreno Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Glendora, CA Posts: 184	Thanks Vito.