Bulb envelope tint/headlamp tinting

John_Galt

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
1,831
Location
SW, PA
Not referencing the fad of shading headlamps black/grey.

I've been reading through my states lighting codes, and the federal code (linked in the stickied thread).

There are tons of bulbs on the market that utilize a tint of some type, whether its cheap china junk with heavy blue filter, or sylvania junk with their blue haze, to Phillips and Ge utilizing bands of tinting to reduce off axis intensity (my understanding, at least).

Is this legal, under Federal code? I would have to imagine it is, as I havent found a line stating "no use of tinting or shading to change emitted color light." Instead, Federal lighting code references a color index chart with a very generous box denoting what is considered "white" light. Is the entire framework for color output, similar to the standard for minimum and maximum intensities? E.g. "we don't care how its accomplished, as long as it falls within the standard" (in laymans terms)?
 

-Virgil-

Flashaholic
Joined
Mar 26, 2004
Messages
7,802
A number of years ago it looked like NHTSA might do something about all the colored bulbs. They put out a question to all the companies that had filed replaceable light source specifications, asking if the original specification included any coating or coloration on or in the glass. The responses all came back "No". They insisted Sylvania file new specifications for an "H13C" bulb, same as H13 but with the coating/coloration specified. But then...nope! They stopped pursuing it.

Federal lighting code references a color index chart with a very generous box denoting what is considered "white" light. Is the entire framework for color output, similar to the standard for minimum and maximum intensities? E.g. "we don't care how its accomplished, as long as it falls within the standard" (in laymans terms)?

Yes.
 

Alaric Darconville

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 2, 2001
Messages
5,377
Location
Stillwater, America
Is this legal, under Federal code? I would have to imagine it is, as I havent found a line stating "no use of tinting or shading to change emitted color light." Instead, Federal lighting code references a color index chart with a very generous box denoting what is considered "white" light. Is the entire framework for color output, similar to the standard for minimum and maximum intensities? E.g. "we don't care how its accomplished, as long as it falls within the standard" (in laymans terms)?

White light is white, so long as it falls in that particular colorspace, so: Yes.
 
Top