Products
These are unique, rarely heard of products offered by commercial companies that have proved useful in the battlefield environment.
5590 to Cigarette Socket Adapter
Allows one to hook almost any device that has a car charger for power up to a standard military sat-com radio battery. This product can be purchased at www.aceelectronics.com, part number 500102, for ~$70 each in low volumes. Or, see the Do It Yourself Solutions page and make your own for about $28 in materials.
Vent-L-Lite Ventillation Garment
Disclaimer: this product is sold by the company for which I work.
This solution works best when mounted, and kept soldiers in Afghanistan dry and cool(er) while driving in temperatures of 120F+. This product can be purchased at www.vent-l-lite.com for about $100 each.
5590 Powered Spotlight
Serious problems with spotlight runtimes in Iraq during night operations and IED sweeps prompted this solution. The previous spotlight selection ranged from $200-$3,000 proprietary rechargeable battery operated units which took 12 hours to charge and would last less than an hour.
Extensive testing by units in Iraq has demonstrated that soldiers don't need the brightest spotlight; they need one that's bright enough and lasts. By combining the 5590 to 12V Cig Socket adapter, PN 500102 from www.aceelectronics.com with a 12V cigarette plug powered spotlight, an inexpensive, powerful light is achieved with effectively unlimited runtime. The battery can be held on a pouch on the soldier's body armor, or left on the seat of the HMMWV depending upon the mode of operation. The following is the recommended light source to enable the widest range of capabilities:
- The XL-1000, available from Bright Guy for $30.
- You will also NEED to order a lower power bulb: the bulb that comes with the XL-1000 draws too much current for the BA-5590. From the same company order the 55W bulb, PN 12336, for $9.50.
- If you require IR light, order the IR filter, PN IRF-950, for $103.
If this seems like a lot of money, remember that the entire package of parts is ~$200, which is much less than any other IR capable spotlight available, AND the unlimited runtime makes it operationally superior. Without the IR filter, it's ~$100, also well below the cost of a comparable light output spotlight with inferior runtimes.
MARCbot: IED Sweep Inspection Tool
Disclaimer: this product-in-development is sold by the company for which I work.
The MARCbot is a small robotic platform aimed squarely at inspection of suspicious objects during IED Sweeps.
Updated information, to include images, some information on capabilities, theater support, and contact information can be found at www.iedrobot.com.