Fyrlyt, all hype no substance?
- Thread starter irsa76
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Hi, I have also looked at the fyrlyt site and It appears they have about 200 stockists around Australia plus several in the USA, so I would be sure you could get bulbs from them. I agree, keeping spares in the glove box is a good idea
Cheers
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
The formula has been posted in the Automotive section (try the Search function, it's handy) quite a few times, and is accurate for halogens and non-halogens, and across brands.
When given a bulb's design voltage and rated lifespan at the design voltage, you can calculate the lifespan by knowing the actual working voltage. Note at the extreme ends (very long life or very short life) other factors come into play. A bulb rated at 50hrs when run at 12V will last only 8.1hrs at 13.8V, if the initial shock of 13.8V doesn't kill it right off.
Entertaining your numbers (300hrs @12.8V), you'd get about 113hrs at 13.8V. For more entertainment, a bulb producing 5000lm at 12.8V would also provide about 6458lm at 13.8V. Different exponent in the formula, which is also found easily enough searching this board.
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wcowan
Newly Enlightened
Last year I was in the market for a new set of driving lights. My research led me to three main candidates, the Cibie Oscar SC, Hella 4000 and a newly released locally made lamp, the Fyrlyt. Unfortunately the Cibie is no longer made, which is a great pity because it was one of their best driving lights. That left the Hella and FyrLyt offerings. Hella provide a bewildering range of lights in the 4000 series. There are at least five beam widths available and there are many versions of each that have inbuilt parking lights of a few different designs, some have chrome bodies and some have Free Form reflectors that are supposed to increase light output for a given bulb type. The Fyrlyt is an interesting one, being locally made and using a very high output globe (5000Lm) that is not seen in any other automotive driving light. I scoured the internet for any information or user experience with the Fyrlyt, but unfortunately came up with little more than they are "Bloody bright". The manufacturers website did not contain too much more useful information either, which didn't help. Most manufacturers are quick to say that their product is the best and Fyrlyt are no different in that regard. This lack of information on the Fyrlyt steered my purchasing decision towards the big Hellas. Every other truck driving up and down the East Coast of Australia seemed to be using them, so they were a pretty safe bet. The model I settled on was the 1F8 007 560-011, which is not available in Australia so I had to import them from Europe. This model had the broadest beam of the Halogen Hella 4000 lamps that could illuminate the road out to beyond 300M. I've been using these Hellas on the front of my Hilux for around four months and have been delighted with them. The even lighting and excellent coverage must be seen to be believed.
Lightforce were not considered because I've been in vehicles fitted with their lights in the past and I was underwhelmed by their lack of spread, the combo covers didn't seem to help that much. I do quite a bit of rural driving and really need to see off the side of the road 50-200M in front of the car to help spot kangaroos that like to hide there. The Lightforce lights seem most suitable for long straight roads like the Hay Plains or the Nullarbor - not the sort of driving I do regularly.
My interest in the Fyrlyts continued and thanks to a friend I've finally had the opportunity to try them out for myself. Since there has been considerable discussion on this forum and others about these new lights, I thought I'd share my experiences. I will do this mainly as a comparison with the Hella 4000 driving lights that I use on my Hilux. My old IPF 800s are just not in contention!
Firstly I want to set the record straight. I do not work for Fyrlyt nor do I sell their product or make any money from potential sales of their lights or any other lights for that matter. I am interested in automotive lighting and have been closely following discussion on this new Australian product. Most of this discussion has originated from people who have never seen nor used the Fyrlyt driving lights. I now have so I thought I would share some of my impressions of the product.
Construction
Both of these lights are the goods, top shelf premium stuff. The Hella has a die cast metal housing, glass lens (permanently glued to the reflector) and a very solid metal cradle mounting system that I have not seen on any other lights. When mounted they are very stiff and free from vibration. They also hold their alignment well. Adjustment is very easy. The only negative I have about the fit and finish of the Hellas is the distortion in the front trim ring when it is tightened down against the gasket. There is an uneven gap between this ring and the body of the light that looks a bit ugly when viewed closely. This has no effect on the operation or sealing of the light.
The Fyrlyt is a very different design with a polycarbonate lens and a very stiff reinforced plastic housing. The foot is machined aluminium. The reflector is not attached to the lens, so if the lens were damaged by a rock it could be replaced on its own - hopefully reducing the cost of the repair. Fyrlyt advertise that all spare parts are available separately. The Fyrlyts look great and would be at home on the front of the latest Range Rover or a dirty old Landcruiser.
Under normal use both lights should last a very long time. With its glass lens, the Hella will be more prone to breakage from a flying rock, and it's housing or mounting cradle will likely be smashed in the event of an animal strike, otherwise more than 10 years of service should be possible.
The Fyrlyt will likely suffer minor damage if struck by a rock and should still be serviceable. An animal strike will cause the body of the light to be pushed out of vertical alignment, though this should do no permanent damage. I have some reservations about plastic lenses on lights, be it driving lights or the headlights on a car. My experience tells me they will deteriorate within 5-10 years if left out in the sun. Thankfully the lenses on the Fyrlyt can be replaced when this happens.
The Hella is not completely sealed. If it were submerged while operating I believe it would fill up with water. The Fyrlyt in comparison is very well sealed and has a waterproof membrane breather that should allow it to be submerged without any problems. I have not submerged either light and so far my Hellas have held up well in normal on road driving conditions.
Light Output
Both lights have well designed reflectors and quality bulbs. The Hella lights use a 100W H1 with around 2600 Lumens of output. The Fyrlyt runs a proprietary 150W 5000 Lumen Osram G6.35 globe. In operation it is obvious the 100W H1 globe is down on output. The Fyrlyts are remarkably powerful driving lights, emitting more light than I have seen on any automotive lamp. This would likely make them illegal for on road use in some countries. Fortunately for road users in Australia driving light output is not regulated, but it is mandatory that they are dipped with the main beams and can be disabled from within the cabin of the vehicle. I've seen many vehicles in the past running huge arrays of lights out front and on the roof, but I could not imagine anyone having the need to do this again if they were running the Fyrlyts. 10000lm focused by a pair of quality reflectors is capable of producing an astounding quantity of light.
Light Distribution
My personal preference in driving lights is for a very wide beam with 'enough' range. This probably has a lot to do with the types of roads I often find myself driving on at night. They are typically winding country roads with long grass and trees hiding kangaroos and stray sheep and cattle. Anything a light can do for me to help identify those threats as early as possible is what I want. Few of the straights on these roads are more than 400M in length, so excellent long range lighting is not a priority and in some cases is actually unwanted (if that range requires a very narrow pattern).
The light distribution on the Hella lights is superb. Hellas engineers have done an excellent job finessing the light to provide very nearly even illumination in front of the car. The pattern is very wide and even out to around 250M but they still put out very useful light to >350M. There are no hot spots in the pattern which draw the drivers attention. The initial reaction of others in the car is that the lights are not that bright, then they realise just how much they can see, both off to the sides as well as out in front. There is little overhead light that might help truck drivers with high loads avoid obstacles like overhanging branches. Overall they are a very nice light to drive behind, though probably not the best choice for long distance highway driving.
In comparison the Fyrlyts take something of a brute force approach. I guess when you have 5000 Lumens available in your light source, finesse is not required in the optical design. The pattern in the wide setting takes the form of a very large spot with a fairly gentle cutoff. Thanks to the wide beam offered by a pair of these lights, everything in front of the car is very well lit up. The pattern is a little narrower than my personal preference but the range this gives the lights is excellent. They provide this awesome range without the ultra narrow beam of light that some of the other full size spot lights offer. To use a term I've seen to describe these lights, they really do offer a "wall of light". I was initially concerned about excessive levels of foreground illumination with these lights, but this was no concern in practice. In the attached photos you'll see that the Fyrlyts actually illuminated the foreground a little less than the Hellas. Tilting them down ever so slightly would bring up the foreground levels if desired. With my personal taste leaning towards very broad lighting, I have the lights turned out a little more than most would set them up. This makes the center of the beam provided by the lights just a little dimmer than they would be if they were pointed in a little.
Colour Temperature
Being halogen the Fyrlyts don't have the annoying blue/white light that you will see from a HID. Halogen lights are much less fatiguing to drive behind for extended periods. The instant start up is another big advantage. HID is often regarded as the best option for very high output driving lights because the typical H3 or H1 globe simply cannot generate the same quantity of light. The 5000 lumen globe that Fyrlyt is using has eliminated the need to accept the shortcomings of HID lights.
Some Notes On The Photos
All exposures are the same. Range 1 was 550M to the corner. Range 2 was 300M to the trees and Range 3 was 350M to the trees and white lights at the end of the road. Both the Hellas and the Fyrlyts were tested in the same 2007 Toyota Hilux. Very stout wiring provided just below 14V to the filaments. I've included a photo of the Osram HLX62139 globe if anyone is interested. Also note the Fyrlyts were set in their broad beam configuration. Light intensity in the center of the beam is quite a bit higher when set to spot mode.
Conclusion
The Fyrlyts really are a very good light and live up to much of the hype the marketers have dumped on them. I would like to see Fyrlyt provide some fluted front lenses or a replacement reflector to spread out the beam horizontally. IMHO If one of these options were available the Fyrlyt would become the best lamp available at almost any price for drivers commuting the country roads surrounding our major cities. As they are now I feel they are one of the best options available anywhere near their price for highway driving and for truckies doing the long haul at night. I would be more than happy having either of these pairs of lights on my vehicle, however if I drove longer distances at night the Fyrlyt would be my preferred option.
Fyrlyt
Hella
Fyrlyt
Hella
Fyrlyt
Hella
The Globe
Lightforce were not considered because I've been in vehicles fitted with their lights in the past and I was underwhelmed by their lack of spread, the combo covers didn't seem to help that much. I do quite a bit of rural driving and really need to see off the side of the road 50-200M in front of the car to help spot kangaroos that like to hide there. The Lightforce lights seem most suitable for long straight roads like the Hay Plains or the Nullarbor - not the sort of driving I do regularly.
My interest in the Fyrlyts continued and thanks to a friend I've finally had the opportunity to try them out for myself. Since there has been considerable discussion on this forum and others about these new lights, I thought I'd share my experiences. I will do this mainly as a comparison with the Hella 4000 driving lights that I use on my Hilux. My old IPF 800s are just not in contention!
Firstly I want to set the record straight. I do not work for Fyrlyt nor do I sell their product or make any money from potential sales of their lights or any other lights for that matter. I am interested in automotive lighting and have been closely following discussion on this new Australian product. Most of this discussion has originated from people who have never seen nor used the Fyrlyt driving lights. I now have so I thought I would share some of my impressions of the product.
Construction
Both of these lights are the goods, top shelf premium stuff. The Hella has a die cast metal housing, glass lens (permanently glued to the reflector) and a very solid metal cradle mounting system that I have not seen on any other lights. When mounted they are very stiff and free from vibration. They also hold their alignment well. Adjustment is very easy. The only negative I have about the fit and finish of the Hellas is the distortion in the front trim ring when it is tightened down against the gasket. There is an uneven gap between this ring and the body of the light that looks a bit ugly when viewed closely. This has no effect on the operation or sealing of the light.
The Fyrlyt is a very different design with a polycarbonate lens and a very stiff reinforced plastic housing. The foot is machined aluminium. The reflector is not attached to the lens, so if the lens were damaged by a rock it could be replaced on its own - hopefully reducing the cost of the repair. Fyrlyt advertise that all spare parts are available separately. The Fyrlyts look great and would be at home on the front of the latest Range Rover or a dirty old Landcruiser.
Under normal use both lights should last a very long time. With its glass lens, the Hella will be more prone to breakage from a flying rock, and it's housing or mounting cradle will likely be smashed in the event of an animal strike, otherwise more than 10 years of service should be possible.
The Fyrlyt will likely suffer minor damage if struck by a rock and should still be serviceable. An animal strike will cause the body of the light to be pushed out of vertical alignment, though this should do no permanent damage. I have some reservations about plastic lenses on lights, be it driving lights or the headlights on a car. My experience tells me they will deteriorate within 5-10 years if left out in the sun. Thankfully the lenses on the Fyrlyt can be replaced when this happens.
The Hella is not completely sealed. If it were submerged while operating I believe it would fill up with water. The Fyrlyt in comparison is very well sealed and has a waterproof membrane breather that should allow it to be submerged without any problems. I have not submerged either light and so far my Hellas have held up well in normal on road driving conditions.
Light Output
Both lights have well designed reflectors and quality bulbs. The Hella lights use a 100W H1 with around 2600 Lumens of output. The Fyrlyt runs a proprietary 150W 5000 Lumen Osram G6.35 globe. In operation it is obvious the 100W H1 globe is down on output. The Fyrlyts are remarkably powerful driving lights, emitting more light than I have seen on any automotive lamp. This would likely make them illegal for on road use in some countries. Fortunately for road users in Australia driving light output is not regulated, but it is mandatory that they are dipped with the main beams and can be disabled from within the cabin of the vehicle. I've seen many vehicles in the past running huge arrays of lights out front and on the roof, but I could not imagine anyone having the need to do this again if they were running the Fyrlyts. 10000lm focused by a pair of quality reflectors is capable of producing an astounding quantity of light.
Light Distribution
My personal preference in driving lights is for a very wide beam with 'enough' range. This probably has a lot to do with the types of roads I often find myself driving on at night. They are typically winding country roads with long grass and trees hiding kangaroos and stray sheep and cattle. Anything a light can do for me to help identify those threats as early as possible is what I want. Few of the straights on these roads are more than 400M in length, so excellent long range lighting is not a priority and in some cases is actually unwanted (if that range requires a very narrow pattern).
The light distribution on the Hella lights is superb. Hellas engineers have done an excellent job finessing the light to provide very nearly even illumination in front of the car. The pattern is very wide and even out to around 250M but they still put out very useful light to >350M. There are no hot spots in the pattern which draw the drivers attention. The initial reaction of others in the car is that the lights are not that bright, then they realise just how much they can see, both off to the sides as well as out in front. There is little overhead light that might help truck drivers with high loads avoid obstacles like overhanging branches. Overall they are a very nice light to drive behind, though probably not the best choice for long distance highway driving.
In comparison the Fyrlyts take something of a brute force approach. I guess when you have 5000 Lumens available in your light source, finesse is not required in the optical design. The pattern in the wide setting takes the form of a very large spot with a fairly gentle cutoff. Thanks to the wide beam offered by a pair of these lights, everything in front of the car is very well lit up. The pattern is a little narrower than my personal preference but the range this gives the lights is excellent. They provide this awesome range without the ultra narrow beam of light that some of the other full size spot lights offer. To use a term I've seen to describe these lights, they really do offer a "wall of light". I was initially concerned about excessive levels of foreground illumination with these lights, but this was no concern in practice. In the attached photos you'll see that the Fyrlyts actually illuminated the foreground a little less than the Hellas. Tilting them down ever so slightly would bring up the foreground levels if desired. With my personal taste leaning towards very broad lighting, I have the lights turned out a little more than most would set them up. This makes the center of the beam provided by the lights just a little dimmer than they would be if they were pointed in a little.
Colour Temperature
Being halogen the Fyrlyts don't have the annoying blue/white light that you will see from a HID. Halogen lights are much less fatiguing to drive behind for extended periods. The instant start up is another big advantage. HID is often regarded as the best option for very high output driving lights because the typical H3 or H1 globe simply cannot generate the same quantity of light. The 5000 lumen globe that Fyrlyt is using has eliminated the need to accept the shortcomings of HID lights.
Some Notes On The Photos
All exposures are the same. Range 1 was 550M to the corner. Range 2 was 300M to the trees and Range 3 was 350M to the trees and white lights at the end of the road. Both the Hellas and the Fyrlyts were tested in the same 2007 Toyota Hilux. Very stout wiring provided just below 14V to the filaments. I've included a photo of the Osram HLX62139 globe if anyone is interested. Also note the Fyrlyts were set in their broad beam configuration. Light intensity in the center of the beam is quite a bit higher when set to spot mode.
Conclusion
The Fyrlyts really are a very good light and live up to much of the hype the marketers have dumped on them. I would like to see Fyrlyt provide some fluted front lenses or a replacement reflector to spread out the beam horizontally. IMHO If one of these options were available the Fyrlyt would become the best lamp available at almost any price for drivers commuting the country roads surrounding our major cities. As they are now I feel they are one of the best options available anywhere near their price for highway driving and for truckies doing the long haul at night. I would be more than happy having either of these pairs of lights on my vehicle, however if I drove longer distances at night the Fyrlyt would be my preferred option.
Fyrlyt
Hella
Fyrlyt
Hella
Fyrlyt
Hella
The Globe
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Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
Is that HLX52139, or HLX62139? Hard to tell, I couldn't get Abbs to do the zooming in and enhancing.
Looks like a "5" in each, but could be a "6".
Not finding the former anywhere, the latter seems to be intended to be a surgical lamp, according to Osram. Can't find the rated life on their site. Still, this bulb has no business in an automotive application.
The pics, while impressive, don't tell us anything about the real performance of the lamps (other than perhaps they give too much foreground light, but again, it's a photo).
Looks like a "5" in each, but could be a "6".
Not finding the former anywhere, the latter seems to be intended to be a surgical lamp, according to Osram. Can't find the rated life on their site. Still, this bulb has no business in an automotive application.
The pics, while impressive, don't tell us anything about the real performance of the lamps (other than perhaps they give too much foreground light, but again, it's a photo).
wcowan
Newly Enlightened
G'day Alaric
The globes are HLX62139. I mentioned the part number in my text as well as my impressions of driving with the lamps.
Cheers
William Cowan
The globes are HLX62139. I mentioned the part number in my text as well as my impressions of driving with the lamps.
Cheers
William Cowan
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
Oh, indeed you did. Oops.
Reminds me of those Coke Points that are so hard to read since they're the same kind of dot-matrix print.
gf0012-aust
Newly Enlightened
Mate, thanks for the road test. I always appreciate seeing results and reports from real world users
Most of my driving has been across the Hay, hence why previously I've been more than happy with the LF240's in combination with a 31" LED centre bar. (I get spread and depth with that combo)
I've been tempted to get a single Fyrlyt so as to do a side by side with the 240 to see how they compare standalone and in combination with the LED bar. Are you able to give an indication of what the range is at various points on those shots? at first cut they're better than what I was able to get out of my Cibie Super Oscars a few years back.
Have you been able to drive with that combo on limestone roads? One of the issues I had with the large Hellas (Bull lights) was that the narrow beam on limestone roads ended up bouncing all over the place. It's not as noticeable once the LED centre is on as the fill clobbers some of the bounce effect
It's actually a toss up for me at the moment as I'm still waiting for the numptys at 4WD Action to do a decent test with the new Hella triple LEDs, Fyrlyts, ARB's new LED spotties and perhaps Great Whites 18 LED spottie
on another note, what were your camera settings? as I can never seem to do my beam shots justice when doing comparisons
once again well done and thanks for real world insight.
Let's keep it real, folks. Photographs of light beams are not real-world insight.
UPDATE & CORRECTION: Whoops! It has been brought to my attention (and there is proof) that I was wrong; the Fyrlyt people do have a special variant of the HLX line made specifically for them by Osram. I made a snap judgement based on what I perceived as similarities between the Fyrlyt and Lightforce marketing techniques. That was inappropriate and irresponsible of me, so I am making this retraction so those I might have misinformed with my guess, or who might have taken my inadvertently defamatory remarks as fact, will know I was shooting (talking) first and asking questions later.
UPDATE & CORRECTION: Whoops! It has been brought to my attention (and there is proof) that I was wrong; the Fyrlyt people do have a special variant of the HLX line made specifically for them by Osram. I made a snap judgement based on what I perceived as similarities between the Fyrlyt and Lightforce marketing techniques. That was inappropriate and irresponsible of me, so I am making this retraction so those I might have misinformed with my guess, or who might have taken my inadvertently defamatory remarks as fact, will know I was shooting (talking) first and asking questions later.
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gf0012-aust
Newly Enlightened
Its part of the valid testing we do for military vehicles and long range driving lights. Beam shots are just one indicator in our tests. They still have validity
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wcowan
Newly Enlightened
Thanks. I find this stuff useful too, that's why I made the most of the opportunity to try out these lights when it presented itself and share my experiences.
Range 1 was 550M to the corner. Range 2 was 300M to the trees and Range 3 was 350M to the trees and white lights at the end of the road. If you are still in Canberra, drive down the road past the Mugga lane tip. A few corners past the entrance to the tip you will see two blue tape lines on a side marker on the left hand side of the road. That is Range 1.
The end of that road just before you reach Hindmarsh, there is a right hand turn onto Narrabundah Ln, again a blue piece of tape wrapped around the guide post just below the reflector will show you Range 2 and range three is marked in a similar manner just around the next corner.
No, I've driven around 50Km with them on paved roads. They have significant vertical dispersion so I don't think this will be an issue. The mounting bracket is very stiff so they won't move.
It was a Fuji X100. 35mm EFL, F4, 1/4, ISO 800. All exposures increased 1 stop in post.
No worries, glad I could offer something useful into the discussion.
Cheers
William Cowan
gf0012-aust
Newly Enlightened
William
thanks matey
I do know that Mugga Lane Road and have done some beam testing myself down there. Range 3 with that fence line now becomes glaringly familiar....
An equally good spot (and less chance of traffic) is one of the side roads on the Federal Highway heading out to Sydney - it's one of the winery access roads. you can almost guarantee no oncoming traffic as there is only one neighbouring property on that road
one other q, what was your beam spread at start of vehicle and then at the various marker points?
as you know, skippys are a problem on some of those roads - and it doesn't matter how much you slow down, the silly buggers are still likely to jump in front of you at 5kph just as much as 100kph (although the former isn't going to see drivers and passengers decapitated from big greys turning the vehicle into a convertible....)
one of the reasons why I'm happy with combo LED/Spots is that the LEDs give me width, HIDS provide depth etc....
thanks matey
I do know that Mugga Lane Road and have done some beam testing myself down there.
Range 3 with that fence line now becomes glaringly familiar....An equally good spot (and less chance of traffic) is one of the side roads on the Federal Highway heading out to Sydney - it's one of the winery access roads. you can almost guarantee no oncoming traffic as there is only one neighbouring property on that road
one other q, what was your beam spread at start of vehicle and then at the various marker points?
as you know, skippys are a problem on some of those roads - and it doesn't matter how much you slow down, the silly buggers are still likely to jump in front of you at 5kph just as much as 100kph (although the former isn't going to see drivers and passengers decapitated from big greys turning the vehicle into a convertible....)
one of the reasons why I'm happy with combo LED/Spots is that the LEDs give me width, HIDS provide depth etc....
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wcowan
Newly Enlightened
Not entirely sure what you are asking? Both Fyrlyts were in spread beam mode in all images, toed out for ~20% beam overlap.
The Federal Highway was too far away, I'm not THAT keen to help others! :shakehead
The traffic was a problem, I had to pull off the road several times to let traffic through.
The Federal Highway was too far away, I'm not THAT keen to help others! :shakehead
The traffic was a problem, I had to pull off the road several times to let traffic through.
gf0012-aust
Newly Enlightened
that does kind of answer it.
any reason why you didn't set them up with a cross over sweet spot? (toe in)
wcowan
Newly Enlightened
No, but I should try it. I'll see if I can get a chance this weekend.
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
Please, listen to Scheinwerfermann. It is NOT "real-world insight". For one, that one has to mess with the f-stop and shutter speed and select different ISOs of film or do other camera tricks reveals that the human eye and the camera function very differently.
It's almost like ads for television sets played on television. Sortof. Screen images simulated and all that.
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They really don't, for reasons that have been hashed over at length and repeatedly in this forum. But they are fun to look at!
gf0012-aust
Newly Enlightened
They can be rehashed in here as much as people like, the bottom line is that beam shots are used in evaluation in military assessments. ie beam shots are used to compare light throw and effect against complex target areas, be they populated with vehicles, people, animals, civil construction and against what is the effective range of different small arms systems.
once they meet technical specs then its about meeting other user reqs.
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