LED Head Light Conversion Units

[Bogie]

Here is a thread in the emergency light bar forum with direct fit LED units. DOT approval underway.

ElightBars

 

[DanglerB]

Interesting, bound to be the first of MANY.

 

[Fast LT1]

I saw that thread a few months ago. Has anyone done a review yet?

 

[Optical Inferno]

Interesting that each version of the "bulb" looks almost exactly the same... Looks like another illegal LED pop-in to me. I read that thread a bit but didn't see a link to the SAE test results for the bulbs...not really surprised.

Also, coming from a company that purchases most of its stuff from China and rebrands it, I would question the legality of most of their lights.

 

[Fast LT1]

Interesting that each version of the "bulb" looks almost exactly the same... Looks like another illegal LED pop-in to me. I read that thread a bit but didn't see a link to the SAE test results for the bulbs...not really surprised.

Also, coming from a company that purchases most of its stuff from China and rebrands it, I would question the legality of most of their lights.

I thought the same thing, all the bulbs looking the same, makes me think that they won't focus for sh*t.

 

[JMSinMD]

I guess suckers are born every day, in the above case it seems like there is a whole thread worth of them.

BTW I wonder what the DOT would think of a company saying that they meet DOT specifications when they don't, is there a department within DOT that checks up on this?

 

[Alaric Darconville]

DOT approval underway.

The DOT does not "approve" of anything.

This is junk, plain and simple. Unsafe, underperforming, and illegal.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

I don't pour gravel and rocks into my engine compartment, but I am curious about the lifetime of the included fan in a presumable engine-compartment mounting. Heck, it looks like it'll take "cooling" air directly from the car's radiator.

Written by ("Support Staff") Zap Brannegan:

Written by ProLED:
Are you allowed to fit LED bulbs in halogen headlamps in the USA? Certainly can't do it here in Europe....

You can do whatever you want in the US!! If you violate some rule/law/regulation, then you are on your own!!!

Supposedly some of the items comply with the regulations set forth by the governing authorities, and, as long as they comply, you violate no laws.

It is upon the individual to abide by the laws set forth.

I am glad that the CPF moderators take a different attitude than "Here is how to do it. Don't get caught!" And I am glad the mods here are more knowledgeable about the subject matter:

Mod on that site:
Just a caution, from what I can find these are DOT approved for only the exact model bulb they replace (correct me if I misread). The output will drop off very fast if these are in a reflector not designed for that specific type of bulb.

As stated, they cannot be DOT approved. They are self-certified* by the manufacturer for a particular installation and reflector geometry. If used in a different installation position, different reflector, or old headlamp unit, they would be unsafe and illegal.

*I do not know how an LED stuck on the side of a post passes the DOT output requirements.

 

[-Virgil-]

There is no possibility for an "LED bulb" to come even marginally close to working acceptably. The adjectives that apply include unsafe, illegal, and incredibly stupid to buy.

 

[Optical Inferno]

Interesting that someone from Sirennet commented on them, and didn't really push the issues that we have in this thread. Usually, those guys are pretty good with what they do, and don't tend to sell too much "junk".

 

[alpg88]

i had 2 like that, bought it for different, none automotive purpose, i really don't think even with small fan, there is enough heatsinking, and it was not under the hood, i literaly burned my finger when i touched the fins after about an hour, i did not mesure temp, but from experience of touching hot mettal, i'd say it was at least 70C, i can't imagine what was the temp of the die, imo, too hot to work reliably. not to mention vibration, it gets stronger over time. i felt entire fixture vibrate. i was gonna use them in room light fixture, it looked just what i needed, small bright and active cooling, but vibration and heat issues, flickering driver, made me return it.
i desided to build fixture myself, from the scratch. should have done it from the start.
as for automotive use, lol, you better off leaving your stock bulbs.

 

[barbagris]

I thought the same thing, all the bulbs looking the same, makes me think that they won't focus for poop.

This said - there are OEM (factory fitted) €-marked light units that are as bad or worse. I have a 2009 motorcycle that came with twin H4 55/60 headlights. The single 40/45 on a 1979 bike was better by miles. Worth an off-road test maybe, one day.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

This said - there are OEM (factory fitted) €-marked light units that are as bad or worse.

I'd expect a headlamp that only cost one Euro wouldn't be any good :P

I have a 2009 motorcycle that came with twin H4 55/60 headlights. The single 40/45 on a 1979 bike was better by miles. Worth an off-road test maybe, one day.

If the headlamps are bad with the bulb they were designed around, how can they not be even worse with those toys in them? Spending your money on them will not only be a waste, but sends the message to the makers and sellers that there's a demand for them. No wonder our market is flooded with useless, dangerous, illegal junk every day.

 

[barbagris]

If the headlamps are bad with the bulb they were designed around, how can they not be even worse with those toys in them? Spending your money on them will not only be a waste, but sends the message to the makers and sellers that there's a demand for them. No wonder our market is flooded with useless, dangerous, illegal junk every day.

Oh I agree 100% - still if anybody wants to send me a set for free - I'll test them.

I fitted J.W.Speakers to the bike. I have however converted some projector lamps from H3 to LED (XM-L2) and the beam patterns are identical to stock Just crisper and colder white. Anything is possible with knowledge and tools.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I have however converted some projector lamps from H3 to LED (XM-L2) and the beam patterns are identical to stock Just crisper and colder white. Anything is possible with knowledge and tools.

From your use of the word "crisper" to describe light, and from your assessment that the "beam patterns are identical to stock", you neither have the knowledge (because light is not "crisp" or "crunchy" or "melt-ey"), nor do you have the tools (for example, a goniophotometer to test the lamp).

"Anything is possible with knowledge and tools" is the common refrain of backyard mechanics, perpetual-motion machine makers, homeopathic "doctors", and a host of others who clearly don't have the knowledge, and a room full of tools is useless without that requisite knowledge.

 

[-Virgil-]

I have however converted some projector lamps from H3 to LED (XM-L2) and the beam patterns are identical to stock

No, they aren't. The cutoff shape is the same, because that's how projectors are; no matter what light source is in them, the cutoff shape is the same. But what's under the cutoff (i.e., the actual beam pattern) is not the same.

Just crisper

There is no such thing as "crisp" light.

Anything is possible with knowledge and tools.

That is not correct.

 

[barbagris]

No, they aren't. The cutoff shape is the same, because that's how projectors are; no matter what light source is in them, the cutoff shape is the same. But what's under the cutoff (i.e., the actual beam pattern) is not the same.

Oddly the light meters (I simply refuse to get pedantic and say goniophotometer) say it is. But I'm not going to get an an argument over it.

Was done in a lens mfrs workshop - who also did the machining. Lighting engineers and various others involved. Not viable commercialy - that I'll give you - but..... we did it simply to prove it could be done.

As for crisp - well it can be if you match the light to the glass - no chromatic aberration at the cut off.

Just 'cos I'm new here - does not mean I'm new to light. I was building lasers (with gov funding) in the '80's. I just found atomic reactors and later mainframe computers more fun and the pay was better.

 

[-Virgil-]

Oddly the light meters (I simply refuse to get pedantic and say goniophotometer) say it is.

OK, if you've got photometric data showing it's the same, I'd believe it. Please excuse me; by an overwhelming margin (several orders of magnitude) "It's exactly the same!" is based on guesswork and garage door projections rather than proper measurement.

Was done in a lens mfrs workshop - who also did the machining. Lighting engineers and various others involved.

OK, that's not quite the same as what you said before. You said "I converted some lamps from H3 bulbs to LED".

As for crisp - well it can be if you match the light to the glass - no chromatic aberration at the cut off.

The word "crisp" does not mean any of that.

 

[barbagris]

OK, if you've got photometric data showing it's the same, I'd believe it. Please excuse me; by an overwhelming margin (several orders of magnitude) "It's exactly the same!" is based on guesswork and garage door projections rather than proper measurement.

Rest assured - I will not be saying "It is" unless I have data. I fully appreciate that there are many bodge artists out there. OK - I should have said "WE" not "I".

Crisp is (or was when I was schooled) synonymous with clarity and conciseness. Times change. I referred to the beam definition as opposed to the Electromagnetic Radiation itself.

I should may point out that whilst I am British - I live and work in Spanish - and to a lesser extent German - so I get some "lost in translation" moments.

I am however rather prone to distrust "informed opinion". I like to know for myself. A personal "failing", and will do my damnedest not to bounce anybody over. I joined this forum - precisely because I appreciate there ARE informed professionals here - and one is never too old to learn.

It's why I said I'd like to TEST these (or similar) bulb replacements. Personally I doubt they'll be any use at all. The solution I have mapped out for an H4 replacement (one gets bored) is MASSIVELY different - frankly I doubt it's even feasible to heatsink properly AND get the light where it needs to be on a reflector. It would certainly require individual lenses (for the want of a better word) and probably compound ones. The setup Audi uses in the A7 is a good pointer.

 

[-Virgil-]

I imagine we (and a few others on this forum and elsewhere) have probably had the same daydream, of a uniformly-luminous cylindrical LED emitter shaped and sized like a filament, with 300 lpw efficacy and nonexistent thermal issues. ;-)

("Crisp" still does not have any real applicability to what we're discussing. The closest it could come would be informal use instead of "sharp" to refer to a cutoff, but most people talking about "crisp" light are really talking about blue-white light color.)