Yet another Thor mod question

LGCubana

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Aug 17, 2006
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@ $25 I had to pickup one of the 15 million, kajillion CandlePower units. Absolutely no relevant use for it. :grin2:
I'm thinking of keeping it in the car.

As warned (on this forum), the artifacts are terrible on low. The high is unusable for roadside repairs.

I'm looking into downsizing the output & possibly improving the color. I was looking at a Sylvania Ultra White 55w bulb. I realize that this will limit the output to one setting. But beyond that issue, will installing a 55w bulb in a unit rated for a 130 watts just give me a quick death to the 55w bulb ?
 

LGCubana

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Thanks for the reply. I finally found a related thread as well.

New question:
In 2 differant threads, there is referance to running in turbo mode (having both filaments running). There is a discrepancy though. One poster says to swap the Low & Ground & the other poster says to swap the High & Ground.

Any ideas on which one works ? or is it not a good idea ?
 

LGCubana

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S.E. Florida
I found an H4 in my used bin of car electronics. Since it's an old bulb, I tried all combinations of wiring.

Normal:

| _ | = G, L, H

Dual light mode, with Low & High switches being accurate

| _ | = H, L, G

Very happy with the outcome. White light that is bright enough.

I'll probably go pick up another Thor($25) tomorrow & the Sylvania Silver Star 60w/50w(Pair for $36) bulbs.
 
Last edited:

scott.cr

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Jan 10, 2006
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Los Angeles, Calif.
LGCubana said:
I was looking at a Sylvania Ultra White 55w bulb.

If peak reliability is a concern, I would avoid using any of the "ultra white" lamps that have a blue tint on them. They put out fewer lumens than clear lamps, and the blue tint retains heat, which leads to short lamp life.
 

LGCubana

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From what I've read on the SilverStars on CPF, they are overdriven to compensate for the light (keyword light) blue coating.

So yes, they will have a shorter life span. But their goal seems to be less "ricer"(heavy blue hue) & more towards a bright white output. If my application was for a car, I would think twice about a short life bulb. But for a toy like the Thor, it suits me.
 
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