Some small facts about High Intensity Discharge or HID.
The soul purpose of HID is to produce more light for visibility…NOT LOOKS!. A projector is designed to maximize the light output while making it safe for other drivers. The cut off In the projector was designed to allow as much light as possible down low but nothing above eye level. Putting HIDs in a headlights designed for Halogens is a HORRIBLE idea. The HID produces to much light and will cause major glare spots. Check out below on some examples of HIDs in the wrong place and HIDs in the right place.
The result of putting hids in a halogen headlight:
What a disaster!
HID in a halogen headlight left…halogen right:
Horrible glare which is dangerous to other drivers:
HIDs in a projector. The way they were intended:
The correct way the hid should look, perfect cut off with color:
Amazing cut off and output from the small e46:
another perfect cut off :
The best HID system to use is an OEM type. They are more efficient and will out last any “ebay” or PnP kits. Most ebay and PnP kits do not have a very long life span and tend to burn out after so many hours of burn time. The best way to run HIDs is an OEM type HID set up and a HID projector.
So remember kids HID’s in halogen headlights is a NO NO!
now I just need to take some of the HID stuff from work and figure out how to mount it properly… hmmm…
Anyone think a pair of 200 Watt HID Landing/Taxi lights for the F-35 is overkill for a set of headlights (Considering stock automotive HIDs are 35 Watts)
My elise has HIDs in projectors and non projectors. My cutoff on the projectors is nice, the non projectors is the brightest blinding thing ever, but that’s the high beams… I don’t drive with them on. EVER. :snky:
wrong! i had hids in stock headlights 2 years ago (bad idea), last year they were in projectors (not the output i wanted but had a cut off), this year retro fitted hid projectors
well at some point in the dim past- excuse the pun I did a lot of work with xenons and worked on some of the original Philips lamps, somewhere I have a little D1 ballast in a box the size of a 35 mm film can. The great advantage of these type of lamps is that they really are a ‘point source’ (tiny arc) and as such are quite simple to wrap a reflector around to make a nice beam pattern.
Now you think the 200watt is bright, you should try the Osram XBO 500 watt it’s ruggidized tank search light lamp- that’s a BEAST the arc is 0.5mm x 0.6mm, has to be magnetically controlled to keep it between the electrodes, but holy F’ does that make some light…
Then of course there’s the little CERMAX 300watt Xenon that goes in the shuttle’s loading bay, that’s got a sapphire front window and is house in a little ceramic package about the diameter of a quarter. Problem is you have to use it with their heatsink and power supply- which adds up to several $1000’s. And is actually quite disappointing in terms of light output- Xenons only make 50 lumens per watt- or did the last time I looked.
They are instant start though which is handy for a car headlamp, way back when- er can’t quite remember the year, but the McClaren ‘longtail’ F1’s were supposed to use the original Philips lamps at LeMans, no-one had a ballast/ignitor for one my old mate was supposed to do it but couldn’t meet the 6 week R+D, build and test schedule!!!
But you think all this stuff is new- hum check out the old WW1 and 2 searchlights man a a 60KW arc lamp in a BIG reflector would melt you, I used to design and build Film lights for a living and standing close to a 6 KW HMI lamp with a light meter is about as much fun as putting your head in an electric oven set at 500F.
I really should sit down one of these days and design up some new reflectors for the Skyline, it’s set up for right hand drive, over here it doesn’t work so good. But then again my night vison is so bad I doubt whether I can tell the difference. Although I did consider whacking some of these new high brightness LEDs I’ve been playing with above the license plates to discourage the local law enforcement officers- LOL
Oh BTW I could get rid of that blue bit you have at the top of your beam and while I think about it the damned nazis sent me some new lampholders for these bulbs a while back I shall have to dust off the box and open it. Now IF there is a market for this HID headlamp stuff I may be coaxed out of retirement- I’ll defintely do the Skyline one as it’s dear to my heart- the rest of it , well it all comes down to quantity and price, I know what the lamps cost OEM, the electronics is a doddle, and lenses in china cost about the same as a bag of potato chips, reflectors are much the same
WTF would any want chromatic aberration in the beam, I’ve spent half my life trying to get rid of it- jeez what’s wrong with white light??
Seriously though I can make us the most baddass headlamps yet divised!
(Considering stock automotive HIDs are 35 Watts)
