How to Make a BATSIGNAL (For Real!)

In this video I build a bat signal from a lensed flashlight beam. This design can be used to project any image, or simply act as a spotlight. For the light source I'm using the Imalent MS18 flashlight, which you can check out here (this is not a paid endorsement, but I was sent the flashlight for free to use in this project): www.imalentstore.com/products...
Similar fresnel lenses as the one I used in this video are available on eBay. I used a lens 250mm in diameter with a 500mm focal length. You can find some here (this is an affiliate link): ebay.to/2In1Nzt
Thank you very much to all of my Patreon supporters who have contributed to help me create videos like this one. A special thanks to my top Patrons: LVE, Enzo Breda Lee, Jon Hartmann, TheBackyardScientist & Eugene Pakhomov! / nighthawkprojects

[@Thereisnosp00000n]

Batman: "What is wrong with this guy? I've been there 8 times tonight for nothing. No Penguin, no Riddler, no Bane. You sir got some explaining to do."

[@kevinpersinger7957]

"LUCY!! You's got some esplaining to do"... Thats how i read it. Like batman has suddenly become ricky ricardo...

[@DFPercush]

He should at least pay for the jet fuel in the batmobile

[@scottsykora1348]

That's FRIGIN funny!

[@dontshowmynameplease]

Why so serious

[@scottsykora1348]

@@dontshowmynameplease who's being so serious? I thought it was frigan funny....

[@ianbuilder]

dude u gotta shine that at the clouds when they come in, it would look so cool

[@SuperMrmahendra]

And that would become the most liked and viewed video amongst the many Bat signal videos

[@zeke7515]

Fun fact, you can use aviation weather sources to find out how high the cloud tops are. This way you don't have to lug it outside on what could be a bad night (high clouds) to try this.

[@yato2180]

Please do this

[@tylerchiu7065]

Hopefully the faa doesn't yell at you though

[@JasonMacpherson]

Cool. Now replace the bat emblem with a a clear LCD screen and project animated shapes.

[@stewiex]

Yes!! Cloud TV!

[@ChamaraVFX]

Might melt the LCD. But would be cool to see on that flashlights lowest setting

[@kienanvella]

@@ChamaraVFX probably not, especially if you added vents to pull air past the LCD. Having said that, that's one of the main reasons why so many large format digital projection systems use DLP chips instead.

[@Volvary]

Just need to ask Evan & Katelyn, they recently made one.

[@jfraser3]

was just about to say that turn it into a long range projector :)

[@stijn2472]

The insects that are attracted to the light might even attract real bats!

[@awesomefeldmanfamily]

Cause bats are bugs! As everyone knows from calvins science report

[@Gator-fromOZ]

😂😂😂 SUPER , Bring’em in ‼️ they could eat up all the F @(%#&*$ Mosquitoes 🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟🦟

[@nathanaelsmith3553]

That happened in my garden - a snacking bat zoomed past me while I was moving a light.

[@stijn2472]

@@nathanaelsmith3553 Well that sounds cool

[@jamesanthony8438]

It's attracting Mothra! Shut it off!! Shut it off!!

[@PinkPenguinMovie]

POV: You are a sleeping squirrel. Suddenly the entire world lights up like it's mid day.

[@jamesanthony8438]

Squirrel: "Honey, wake up! The World's gone Super Nova!!"

[@laserfloyd]

I bet it drives them... nuts!

[@TheNukedNacho]

Or like Nagasaki

[@Advoko]

Haha, I wonder what your neighbors thought of that project...)))

[@petrichors]

Hello Max, it is great to see you here. Я действительно восхищаюсь тобой и твоей работой

[@HaroldKuilman]

I wonder what NASA thought 😅

[@unlokia]

They probably thought "oh look, he's got a flashlight which projects the Batman logo" ... what else?

[@brownman304]

@@unlokia a bat suit

[@mommailuvu]

Love you videos!

[@anthonyeder8360]

That was super helpful. You explained perfectly why my bat signal was not working. Thank you.

[@Real_Claudy_Focan]

I remember when parties in cities were pinned by "skytracers", these setups were huge !

[@haidandurham8630]

Skytracers? Bright ass beams of light?

[@peterbonucci9661]

Also called search lights.

[@jarredjones8476]

Some places still do it .

[@beartastic-ftw]

Tell me more about this thing you call parties?

[@jarredjones8476]

@@beartastic-ftw imagine america pre covid . We had this thing called liberty...

[@Kai99097]

weather forecast: no clouds gotham: guess i'll die

[@AnttiBrax]

Fun fact: there has never been a clear night sky in Gotham City. The frustration eventually turned all the astronomers into crime.

[@JanTuts]

@@AnttiBrax Makes you think: why did they even bother building the Gotham Observatory in _Batman & Robin_? :P

[@DesmondDentresti]

@@JanTuts They were going to use it in conjunction with the weather machine to provide a clear sky... of course that machine was then stolen by Scarecrow, Mr Freeze, Firefly, Anarchy and the project had to be TYERMINATED.

[@reggiep75]

Joker: Excellent!! All I need to do now is make sure there are no clouds EVER AGAIN!!

[@Kai99097]

@@reggiep75 joker probably wouldn’t do that, he wants the bat’s attention Probably kiteman would’ve hope for that

[@JRaiKetchum134]

That is amazing! I mean with 10,000 lumens, you can see the light beams clear enough to see them cross over at the focal point in front of the lens.

[@BeyondSlowMotion]

Epic. So much possibility for shadow art. Man that flashlight is so bright! Haha I'd love to try this with some Phantom cameras and see how far I could push the frame rate from one point source light.

[@ElectraFlarefire]

I just use an array of 9, 100W LED modules(On a big heatsink) running off an old server PSU. Not quite Tesla500's 1500kW LED water arrays that you can cook a pizza using, but it works for me and without the limitations of battery.

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

Frame rate and depth of field for days. You could use the sun as a fill light. And it's only $670.00

[@hullinstruments]

@@ElectraFlarefire yes tesla500 is one of my favorite KZbinrs. His fiber laser module tear down video is awesome .... all his teardown videos are great

[@weaponizer4444]

aliens be like wtf is that

[@DeepakGautamX]

Batman be like "I am Batman".

[@paritoshgavali]

I am the night, I am the vengeance, I am the Batman

[@YEOsCanal]

as if the aliens don't know batman 😂

[@SPFLDAngler]

Anyone on the other side of the clouds won't see anything. The light is being absorbed and reflected by the clouds which is why you see the "image" on them. It doesn't penetrate through. Same reason you don't see the sun or sunlight through clouds..

[@wholock0001]

"You can't even have your hand in it for long because of the heat" *Proceeds to stick face in front of it* xD

[@vtbn53]

Instant tan

[@redguywithatophat1900]

@@vtbn53 lol

[@chwenhoou]

@@vtbn53 Instant sunburn, more like. ^^;

[@DoRC]

please keep this around for when you do get some really low clouds someday. I have my doubts as to whether or not the image will work on the clouds but I really would like to see you try!

[@brandonhoworth8860]

he's in michigan its November its just a matter of time

[@foty8679]

@@brandonhoworth8860 *distant FAA screams*

[@dickterpene8697]

Brilliant. When that fan kicked in on the torch, I knew it was the business.

[@DeepakGautamX]

8:07 perfect we have fully functional BATSIGNAL thingy now we just need a Batman.

[@FretAndForget]

it's the little projects like these that make me love this channel!

[@galacticmechanic1]

I like how you can clearly see the upside down crossover when you shined it on the trees, impressive project there.

[@reddevved]

"if these pins are bent or at random angles" well in my experience that's exactly what they are! 😂

[@novacore2776]

Brightest flashlight on the consumer market. Procedes to shine flashlight into my eyes.

[@TheAngryAstronomer]

My astronomical mount wants to know why I'm looking at it funny right now.

[@NandR]

Are you gonna show the bat signal on the moon...?

[@jjsameer89]

DIY Perks: *Invents artificial sunlight so that Superman can always be at full power. Ben: "Lemme just call the Batman real quick." Awesome video but needs more Mose 😁

[@JeffinBville]

I've been watching for quite some time and I never knew you were in Michigan. You are clearly cooler than my neighbors.

[@1_glucose_biscuit_lifetime564]

In all the years I have watched him, Nighthawk's way of presenting complex ideas into simple n easy to understand bits of info is brilliant ! Especially the way he presents objects by already placing them into scene before and then explaining about them. Good man.

[@HarshmanHills]

when the flashlight comes with a fan, you know its bright lol Really cool at 6:35 where you can see the beams cross

[@iandrake4683]

Well, might as well hook that up to an LCD screen and make a projector.

[@undersiege3402]

from experience it burns it even with the ir block window

[@knegra74]

You never cease to amaze me, and I don't say this lightly. The amount of areas you cover, the simple tools you use, and the results you get are truelly awesome. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Best YT channel, by a landslide, IMHO.

[@cosmicjenny4508]

“There, 100,000 lu-“ /barn catches fire

[@zachgullerman3183]

Fire adds 10 lumens, the flashlight that keeps on giving!

[@THESLlCK]

@@zachgullerman3183 BRILLIANT

[@TechsScience]

I want to see the reaction of the people passing by

[@empire-classfirenationbatt2691]

They'd probably let a tear loose and realize that Gotham needs their hero

[@blackferrets820]

@@empire-classfirenationbatt2691 but then they remember it’s 2020

[@foty8679]

@@blackferrets820 Yea, would probably be Zombie-Batman or something like that.

[@blackferrets820]

@@foty8679 c-man

[@ElementalMaker]

Absolutely crazy timing! I just wrote down "diy batsignal" on my video idea list yesterday! Tremendous video as always 👍

[@Basement-Science]

Do it! High power lights are always fun!

[@supergeek1418]

*WAY COOL* !!! *YES, YES, YES! Please do a follow up projecting onto the clouds* . That would be *SO* cool!!!

[@johnathancorgan3994]

Half the fun of watching your videos is the sheer, childlike joy you exude when things work as planned. It's like five year old you finally gets to play with the toys only adult you can build. 😏

[@TheCrystalGlow]

Thanks man! This was epic! I do hope you get those clouds soon. :)

[@jamesanthony8438]

I think we all do, dude. _Really_ want to see it projecting on clouds. =)

[@BrownstoneAruba]

The 39 dislikes on this video: Bane, Black Mask, Catwoman, Clayface, Deadshot, Firefly, Harley Quinn, Hugo Strange, Hush, Joker, Killer Croc, Killer Moth, Mad Hatter, Man-Bat, Mr Freeze, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Gul, Riddler, Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, Ventriloquist, Victor Zsasz, Anarky, Barbatos, Brother EYE, Calculator, Calender Man, Catman, Clock King, Cluemaster, Copperhead, Count Vertigo, Doctor Hurt, Electrocutioner, Great White Shark, Joker's Daughter, KGBeast, Kite Man.

[@jparky1972]

That's awesome. I like the fact that you can actually SEE the light flipping the image on the outside shots. The light focuses to a point, then out again.

[@CovertRadio]

I seriously can't quit smiling! This is HANDS DOWN in the TOP 5 COOLEST DIY's I EVER SAW ON KZbin!

[@laserfloyd]

Batman on Twitter: _SOMEONE was trolling me in a field and on a barn._ #imbatman

[@UltimatePwnageNL]

of course now we need to see this with an LCD instead of the bat cutout. If the LCD doesn't burn that's one hell of a DIY projector. Animated bat signal?

[@fauna575]

Super cool! I can't believe how bright that flighlight goes, too 😂

[@Chillin-fpv]

That is the most bad ass flash light I've ever seen. So good!!

[@CappeSun]

"This is the brightest flashlight available to the consumer market." *Proceeds to shine straight into face*

[@SuicideNeil]

Hmm, I'm curious- could you mount a magnifying lens in front and use it as a mini deathray?...

[@stijn2472]

build an iron sphere around it and call it a death star. Might want to add colored lenses for the effect.

[@cursed_cats5710]

Distance lighter

[@uxleumas]

you can't use a magnifying glass to make it brighter than the surface, so if the surface of the flashlight could only go up to 1000C, the maximum temperature you could achieve with a magnifying glass would be 1000C

[@Gator-fromOZ]

U PLANNING on pointing it at the DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS 😅🤣😂😂😂😂❓

[@blackferrets820]

Laserpointer would still be way bette there are laser pointers that are terrifyingly strong check out stryropyro channel

[@Sqwaush]

1:36 Thank you for filming it that way

[@cryptonein]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Waited the ENTIRE time for clouds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥️ I'd love to take this to that woods where they've had so many strange sightings and sounds. Light'er up boys!!!!!!

[@unlokia]

Here he goes, hawkin' his light at night 🔦🌛

[@DawgBreff]

You shouldn't be telling others how to make the signal, the dark knight will get angry starting to show up at false calls

[@JohnSmith-be5py]

Yes, please update when you get some low clouds! I can’t wait to make one of these 😁

[@MrPhistomefel]

Your videos are always so friendly, happy and somewhat "nicely slow"! I love watching them, thanks for your great content :)

[@cmuller1441]

The light is so bright that it triggered ads on KZbin...

[@nooblangpoo]

nighthawk: hey could you hook me up with a really powerful flashlight? imalent: what are you gonna use it for? nighthawk: I was gonna make a video with lenses and gonna recreate the bat signal imalent: say no more chief.

[@crullergecko8772]

If I was them I would do the same thing

[@sharks3010]

"We did NOT get lucky with the weather, there's not a cloud in the sky". Come to England mate, we've got enough here for everyone. Thanks for the great video. 👍🏻

[@BomberCraft21]

Crazy how you make everithing so easy to understand !! Thanks for your project always watching your video multiple times👌🏻

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

Well HackSmithIndustry made a crappier version of this.

[@joshhhhhhhhhhhhh]

i cant get over the fact that he titled his video "ALL Bat Signals are LIES! (except ours)", like bruh, this is a lie? at least this version does what it is designed to do, rather than only work on the side of flat buildings

[@captgeesh5163]

Sir, I found your channel by chance and in 1 day, have watched every video. I am making my kids help me build several of you projects with junk I have laying around my shop. Thank you and keep up the good work.

[@richhagenchicago]

Another awesome little project. I have a Fresnel lens that I salvaged from a scrapped rear projection tv. I may just give this a try.

[@iangraham6730]

Voice from the distant trees - "IT'S MY DAY OFFF!!!"

[@MrJoBilly]

I like the fact that you can clearly see the focal point outside at around 5:25 where the picture flips.

[@AirCommandRockets]

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see it on clouds.

[@andrewtinker7537]

Glad they sent the flashlight to you free. I was all 'this is cool, i'll get one and make my own'. Then I saw the 700 dollar price tag. I'll just use a welder and some carbons.

[@N7-SYS]

He's so humble, and also he reads all the comments, he's the coolest.

[@trevader2562]

awesome project! I always love the broad scope of content on the channel, and somehow you manage to make every last video worth watching!

[@mikec64]

I've been looking and looking for a way to do this. Thank you for a thorough explanation and useful build hacks.

[@theogzuice6223]

By far the most genuine and humble youtuber

[@barthanes1]

Always top class experiments. Super cool, thanks for taking us along.

[@seungjae7462]

That flashlight is absolutely insane! And what an awesome project to test it with. I couldn’t help but smile throughout the video.

[@dinkc64]

Ahh, a fellow Michigan-resident! Loved your wood-gas series, especially the one with the bike. Would love to see you perfect that one. best regards

[@wolffpv535]

Great episode! Thanks for sharing your crazy experiment!

[@hullinstruments]

PLEASE DO A TEARDOWN REVIEW!!! Would be cool to see the insides and hear your take on the electronics, cooling, and LED dies

[@djviperx]

This is awesome! I find it really interesting that you can actually see the beam of light when you crank up the settings!

[@misterskyhigh6789]

*Shines bat light in the neighbors window* Batman: *Hops out the chimney*

[@Bosstaudio]

Came here just to say they are using your video to promote this flashlight on their website. I think that's awesome, congratulations!

[@Lizlodude]

I live how the fan actually slows down on the highest setting from the current draw of the LEDs

[@ChozoSR388]

That's so cool! you can see the convergence/divergence zone in the beam! :D

[@JacksonUW]

That flashlight is a steal! You only pay $0.0067 per lumen! You'd be losing money not to buy it! 👌Haha love your videos man. Your projects are going to make me the favorite uncle when my nephew is a little older.

[@agnosjr]

Awesome!!! Nicely done Ben, thank you for sharing the video. Cheers!

[@ThistlesGarden]

Love the video. Just got a new Christmas idea for my father-in-law and his flashlight collection.

[@myskater2389]

literally one of the most wholesome youtubers

[@Name-js5uq]

Looks like a great fun project, thanks so much.

[@NicholasFowler]

Awesome video. Loved actually seeing a real Bat signal haha. Can't wait to see it on the clouds.

[@dandowning2546]

Sweet project Ben. I now have flashlight envy!

[@mozkitolife5437]

I have never wanted a follow-up video so much in my life. You gotta roast some angels.

[@silent_7753]

I really want to see this projected in the clouds, this is incredible! It'll definitely be worth the wait.

[@drgrunn174]

And here comes Joerg of Michigan. You sir, are on the right path of creating a antidrone defense. GL!

[@missingbolt8517]

Id love to see more with this! Theres alot of possibilities with using this projection setup-- dunno if any of them are super useful realistically , but Im sure they all be fun C:

[@WestOfEarth]

At about 6:30 you can see the light beams crossing in the manner you described earlier in the presentation. A clear demonstration of the science.

[@john73555]

Great presentation skills! Feels like I'm watching a TV professional.

[@Tuur75]

Wow great, love to see this on the clouds!!

[@TheUnderminePL]

I love how dude enjoys all of these. Great video

[@santasl]

Holy Moly Batman. Awesome. I look forward to the clouds.

[@elainetreadwell5576]

Too cool. I would love to try that out someday. You looked like you were having a good time. Thank you.

[@dwaynewladyka577]

This is an awesome project. I love it. Cheers!

[@ripleylivesay3051]

Love the project! I would be interested to see what the image quality is when projected onto a reflective surface, such as glass or polished stone facade.

[@traviscagle436]

Nice job. Good videos. You have a great teaching style.

[@trev_mcnaughton]

I think the most impressive part of this was that when it's on, you can see the light crossing over like the pictorial demo before you fire it up!

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

Ohhh I can't wait for the cloudy night video. Just the other day I was talking about how you read every comment and its incredible. It really makes this channel feel small with amazing production quality but its not small at all. Keep up the awesome work!

[@blackbear92201]

Awesome video - thanks for posting!

[@magic.marmot]

You have glee. You get to experiment and make stuff and make cool videos that inspire me to try new things. Thank you so much.

[@Dont_Poke_The_Bear]

Can't wait for the cloud shots!

[@drpsionic]

I can just imagine the fun you can have with the neigbors.

[@pamcarr4003]

That is so cool! Can't wait to see it on the clouds! Would be great if Batman showed up,lol! I love this, thank you! Pam