[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by ajaypjayaraj

And if you go through GTO's review of Volvo S60 T6, he has clearly mentioned about the head light output of this car.

I remember this every time I drive at night.
At least we know whom to blame.

[Kappa]

Hi guys,

Had a query since a very long time. Actually its about the Honda Activa (or maybe any 2-wheeler). What I need to know is that why does the headlight go brighter as soon as I rev the engine and go relatively dim while idling ?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Kappa

Hi guys,

Had a query since a very long time. Actually its about the Honda Activa (or maybe any 2-wheeler). What I need to know is that why does the headlight go brighter as soon as I rev the engine and go relatively dim while idling ?

That applies to all vehicles since old times till date, where the lighting is driven from the magneto/dynamo/alternator (small generator) connected to the engine instead of directly from battery (like in cars). More revs mean the dynamo generates more electric power. That results in more illumination from the bulb.

[Kappa]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

That applies to all vehicles since old times till date, where the lighting is driven from the magneto/dynamo/alternator (small generator) connected to the engine instead of directly from battery (like in cars). More revs mean the dynamo generates more electric power. That results in more illumination from the bulb.

Got it . But what's the reason behind the lighting being driven directly from the battery in cars while from an alternator in the 2-wheelers ?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Kappa

Got it . But what's the reason behind the lighting being driven directly from the battery in cars while from an alternator in the 2-wheelers ?

That's because -
1. Cars are faster, travel more out of city limits and on highways.
So, constant illumination is very necessary from a safety perspective.

2. Even if the engine stops, you can have lights on in cat due to the battery - very useful if you are stranded at some remote place.

3. Running halogen headlamps needs a lot of power. The small 2 Wheeler batteries would run out fast and the small alternator may not be able to recharge fast enough.

Car batteries are heavy duty and high power. The alternator is also large and charges back sufficiently fast.

I think some new bikes including pulsar have all DC lighting, giving the constant illumination without drop with rpm. Others predominantly are still on AC lighting though.

[Kappa]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

That's because -
1. Cars are faster, travel more out of city limits and on highways.
So, constant illumination is very necessary from a safety perspective.

2. Even if the engine stops, you can have lights on in cat due to the battery - very useful if you are stranded at some remote place.

3. Running halogen headlamps needs a lot of power. The small 2 Wheeler batteries would run out fast and the small alternator may not be able to recharge fast enough.

Car batteries are heavy duty and high power. The alternator is also large and charges back sufficiently fast.

I think some new bikes including pulsar have all DC lighting, giving the constant illumination without drop with rpm. Others predominantly are still on AC lighting though.

Why are the new bikes like Pulsar on DC lighting ? Do they have bigger batteries with higher voltage or is it some other reason.

Thanks.

[roadtrip]

Random question, and I don't know whether it's been answered already (couldn't find it). Cars like BMWs and VWs have these interesting 'light bar' tail lamps, which look to me like LEDs with some sort of diffuser lens. These aren't the better-known multi-LED strands you see (in, say the Alfa Giulietta). Could anyone tell me what these lights are called and how they work? Just curious.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by roadtrip

Random question, and I don't know whether it's been answered already (couldn't find it). Cars like BMWs and VWs have these interesting 'light bar' tail lamps, which look to me like LEDs with some sort of diffuser lens. These aren't the better-known multi-LED strands you see (in, say the Alfa Giulietta). Could anyone tell me what these lights are called and how they work? Just curious.

These are just glass tube like filament with a LED bulb at each end. Light flows through them giving that soothing effect. I had a similar setup in my Swift's headlight (the light at the corner and not the halo rings). This had a similar setup but of course a low quality product.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by roadtrip

Random question, and I don't know whether it's been answered already (couldn't find it). Cars like BMWs and VWs have these interesting 'light bar' tail lamps, which look to me like LEDs with some sort of diffuser lens. These aren't the better-known multi-LED strands you see (in, say the Alfa Giulietta). Could anyone tell me what these lights are called and how they work? Just curious.

The same tech that works for halo rings works for these tail lamps too. If you take a solid glass or acrylic rod/bar and pass light from either ends, you have light passing through it but the light wont be visible like the ones you see in tail lamps. To make this light visible through out the rod/bar in a uniform way, make fine groves behind the bar and you get the effect of the whole rod lit up. The groves cause light scattering and that's how it works. Make it a ring and you have halo rings, make the rod in various shapes and sizes and you have those stunning tail lamps and parking lights, ambient lighting inside cabin, etc. in various colors depending on the LEDs you choose to light it up. See the pics below to have an idea of how simple it is.



Pics source: Google images.

[S_U_N]

Is anyone placing an order from AES in the next one month or so?

I need to get one small CCFL inverter (around $3 in cost), but shipping is quite expensive.

On another note, has anyone checkedout X.DRL LED from TRS?
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/led...l#.VGG--fmUeSo

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-ge...h-gens-11.html


The light is supposed to be quite bright. I am considering this for my Cedia which does not have fog lamps. What else do I need?

[joybhowmik]

I unfortunately do not have much of a background on auto-lighting, but I do have a problem.

Highway driving by the illumination of the Innova OEM headlights [Phoenix (formerly Halonix) H4 12V 60/55] is on the cusp of turning into a kill-joy. It's a yellow light, but not bright enough for my eyes.

I have been going through the various posts on this thread and other threads, and the more I read, the more information I gather, the more difficult it is to make a choice about an upgrade, nay to even begin to nail down what equipment I really need.

With eyesight that's good for night driving on well-lit urban roads , but which really struggles to keep up on poorly lit highways, here are my requirements for a good starting point.

1) Fit a bulb and forget it... I want the upgrade to be that easy. I cannot deal with the possibility of component failure in the kit (excepting the bulb of course).

2) The upgrade itself has to be reliable. Years of use without failure. It should not cause fuses and/or other electrical components to pack up early.

3) The upgrade has to provide better illumination than what I currently get. Better throw and better spread (Sorry I don't have a picture of the throw or the spread of the beam - due in part to the problem of 'light pollution' in Delhi.)

[sgiitk]

@joybhowmik; legality apart the best options may be in order NB+, 90/100W and HID. HID with a decent colour temperature (4300 or lower) w8ll be the brightest but ideally must be in a projector setup (except fgsk where go for 2700/3000K and no projectors). Once you have decent ballasts you are singing. Bulb failure in HIDs is virtually unknown.

[197Horses]

Subject : Damage to headlights by heat of bulbs !

My Verna Fluidic did not have a bright and long throw for it's head light. On highways i always felt the lack of light.Stock bulbs were H4 12v 60/55w
Phillips.
A local car accessories shop owner suggested me to upgrade to Osram 100/90w 12v H4 which had a whiter shade and produced more light.
Osram 100/90 bulbs were installed ,the lighting improved drastically and there was a difference in the shade too.

It has been a month since the install , yesterday while i was cleaning her i noticed the chrome of reflector is damaged and had little spots where the chrome was missing.

On visiting the car accessories shop again ,owner explains me that this chrome may have been damaged due to excessive heat produced by the bulbs.
He asked me to get a "Hella Headlamp Wiring Harness 100/130W Max With Relay" installed for using 100/90 bulbs which would probably reduce the heat
produced. Is it so ?

I am in a dilemma over installing Hella wiring harness or should i move back to stock bulbs as i don't want to damage the headlamps.
Please Help

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

I unfortunately do not have much of a background on auto-lighting, but I do have a problem...

I concur with what the Professor has said:

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@joybhowmik; legality apart the best options may be in order NB+, 90/100W and HID. HID with a decent colour temperature (4300 or lower) w8ll be the brightest but ideally must be in a projector setup (except fgsk where go for 2700/3000K and no projectors). Once you have decent ballasts you are singing. Bulb failure in HIDs is virtually unknown.

However, there are a few caveats:
Osram Nightbreaker+ : very expensive. I've never found them on the favourable side of the VFM scale.
90/100W : Not plug-n-play, as you'll have to install a wiring harness including good quality relays (solid state or normal - the former is more expensive, but will outlive your car). However, this is the most bang for the buck solution
HIDs : Without projectors, you may be in for a nasty surprise if you install just HIDs - the optics of the Innova's HLs are not designed for HIDs, but halogen bulbs, hence the HIDs might result in a really bright (HIDs put out more lumens than a similar rated halogen bulb) foreground and not much throw. Oh, and you'll need good quality ballasts too. Now, about projectors, you have to open up the headlights to install the projectors, and sealing it back can be tricky and if not done properly, you might end up with moisture inside the HL dome.

Originally Posted by 197Horses

Subject : Damage to headlights by heat of bulbs...
I am in a dilemma over installing Hella wiring harness or should i move back to stock bulbs as i don't want to damage the headlamps.

The wiring harness will not reduce the heat dissipated by the bulbs. If you're using anything more than the stock rating, please go with a good quality wiring harness, including ceramic holders. There are many of us in the forum who are running 100/90 or 130/110 on the HLs for years without problems. The trick is to use the headlights judiciously:
- turn the HLs off while you're stationary or in very slow, crawling traffic - the stock fogs are good enough
- use High beam only when there's enough air flow
- avoid flashing often - both the low and high beam filaments will be ON, and that'll increase the heat generated
- make sure the bulb connections are proper and there are no loose contacts.

[sgiitk]

@silversteed; I am looking at headlamps with clear fronts. Otherwise things do not work out. With projectors once properly sealed the lights should be kosher. Some of these do not requite any cutting (eg Morimoto) only opening to install.