The quest for more light (HID stuff)

[bushy555]

All,

What is it about lights and my never ending quest to obtain more light?
It started as a play thingo, but now has ended up as an obsession.

Have made up a few documents on how to modify current well-known brand lights with HID inserts, including before and after pictures. I've got a few more to go, and whenever they're finished, can put them up somewhere for anyone to get hold of.

To do:
Bull lights and IPF 800's (square)
...and the testing of a 50w HID kit, which will be in around two weeks.
Note that everything I've used so far are the 35watt kits.
50 watt kits are supposedly 40% brighter again.

Currently have writeups for modifying IPF 900 (round), Lightforce Blitz and Hella Rallye 2000 to HID inserts.

Converting the old Lightforce 240 Blitz has been a bit of a drama, in the fact that there is no nice way to cover the end once a hole has been drilled. I can't find a suitable rubber grommet, and in the end have resorted to silicon. Not the best solution.

Pics don't always show the real light output - and these certainly dont do justice.

Below are pics of a Lightforce 240 Blitz which has a H3 HID bulb in it.
Pics are of it Wide(1) and Spot(2). (Open shutter for 100 milliseconds)

Blitz on wide beam at me testing area (pic 3).
HID Blitz, HID Ralley 2000 and patrol GU hi-beam HID (pic 4)

Thing in the middle of pic 4 is the moon at 9:20pm last night.
Yellow light on mirror in pic 5 is a supercheap auto $25.00/pr light. Yellow ain't it!

Pic 6 is of a 50w HID bulb/kit in a hand-held LF 240. Wicked aint it.


(...and G'day to Arion in Wagga, who has a 50w headlight upgrade on his ute, along with his six real LF HID's on the roof!!!)



/silly dave.

[mike]

Good work on the conversions mate but to be honest pics are useless as a comparison unless they are shot at identical exposure (shutter and aperture), and colour balance settings (in the case of digital) at the same sensitivity, and even then it can be misleading because of color gamut difference, contrast rendition, etc, etc
For the best comparison meter (use a grey card if you can) on the bright part of the brightest beam using a reasonably fast shutter speed (at least 1/on focal length) by adjusting ISO/ASA to suit. I'd use a colour temperature setting of around 4000K if this can be set manually. Then repeat using those exact settings for each light setup.

[D_Web]

To do:
IPF 800's (square)
...and the testing of a 50w HID kit, which will be in around two weeks.

Just what I am planning to do. I was thinking about getting a hole in the back of the light cut, then having a small box welded back on over it. I don't actually have a kit yet, so I don't know how much room behind the light is needed (I am guessing about 30mm).

[turps]

Dave,
How did you go with the Hella 2000's. As I have just brought some Hella 4000 off here (just waiting for the money to finish transfering).
And I plan on fitting that 50W kit that I PM's you a couple of weeks back. Is there enough room in the housing for these. Guessing the wiring will be no problem and just mount the ballest external. Is that right?

[bradley]

gday dave, mate the shot of the handheld is grouse,

just wondering which hid kits you are using and where you get them, i assume the cost must be pretty good as you seem to be using a few of them

cheers Brad

[bushy555]

> just wondering which hid kits you are using and where you
> get them, i assume the cost must be pretty good as you
> seem to be using a few of them

All the kits so far have just been 35watt jobbies grabbed from ebay.
Three dudes that I have had experiences with are:
'howardtang'
'kcli2', now known as 'yck1'
'jovibaby74'

Howard Tang appears to have given me the best service so far.
Yck1 and Jovibaby74 kit appears to be identical. Ballasts are slightly smaller than Howards, and have a blue LED in them to indicate when on. Had a few drama's with payment to yck1, however two kits arrived directly from Hong Kong - one within 36 hours from there to middle of buggery here.

Quality on all kits so far have been top notch. There have been rumors floating around about ebay HID kits being crud, however I have haven't had a buggered kit yet. Saying that, I'd steer away from the headlight inserts HID Lo/halogen Hi. (halogen hibeam bulb glued to HID bulb).

Drove for 8 hours on Friday night from down south to the WE Rock finals at Milbrodale with hi/lo headlight HID inserts, along with two LF 240 HID's and two Ralley 2000 HID's. All I can say is man oh man, they are sweet.

Cheapest I have seen a kit go for is $176.00, considering that ya pay $800.00 ish for a phillips or other well known brands over the counter - not too bad.

I'm gonna start floggin me HID bulb mount soon for the Lightforce 240 Blitz light. Gonna be around the $30.00 for two mounts on your doorstep. Decision will then be up to you on which kit to buy. I'm just currently waiting for a 50 watt kit to arrive for testing.

[Big Red Toy]

All the kits so far have just been 35watt jobbies grabbed from ebay.
Three dudes that I have had experiences with are:
'howardtang'
'kcli2', now known as 'yck1'
'jovibaby74'

Howard Tang appears to have given me the best service so far.
Yck1 and Jovibaby74 kit appears to be identical. Ballasts are slightly smaller than Howards, and have a blue LED in them to indicate when on. Had a few drama's with payment to yck1, however two kits arrived directly from Hong Kong - one within 36 hours from there to middle of buggery here.

Quality on all kits so far have been top notch. There have been rumors floating around about ebay HID kits being crud, however I have haven't had a buggered kit yet. Saying that, I'd steer away from the headlight inserts HID Lo/halogen Hi. (halogen hibeam bulb glued to HID bulb).

Drove for 8 hours on Friday night from down south to the WE Rock finals at Milbrodale with hi/lo headlight HID inserts, along with two LF 240 HID's and two Ralley 2000 HID's. All I can say is man oh man, they are sweet.

Cheapest I have seen a kit go for is $176.00, considering that ya pay $800.00 ish for a phillips or other well known brands over the counter - not too bad.

I'm gonna start floggin me HID bulb mount soon for the Lightforce 240 Blitz light. Gonna be around the $30.00 for two mounts on your doorstep. Decision will then be up to you on which kit to buy. I'm just currently waiting for a 50 watt kit to arrive for testing.

That's who i bought my HID kit through also, came direct from hong kong also as i requested the 4000k globes which are damm white!!!

[-Mick-]

I'm just currently waiting for a 50 watt kit to arrive for testing.

Where's that coming from and how much was it? Ebay as well?

Edit : found these in Oz... http://www.bitdistribution.com.au/?stg=140
Dunno how that compares to yours...................

[bushy555]

>Where's that coming from and how much was it? Ebay as well?
>Edit : found these in Oz... http://www.bitdistribution.com.au/?stg=140
>Dunno how that compares to yours...................

Thats them. Will advise how they are when they arrive in a fortnights time.

[bushy555]

yep - thats them. Will advise when they arrive and are in.

[-Mick-]

yep - thats them. Will advise when they arrive and are in.

ok interesting mate. The oz company there offer a 12 month warranty on ballasts (have emailed them) BUT if you look it up the canadian makers offer a lifetime warranty Free replacement bulbs and all

I've emailed the canadian makers of the kits and I'll post up the result. I'll probably buy a kit as well

[juzzy]

Good work on the conversions mate but to be honest pics are useless as a comparison unless they are shot at identical exposure (shutter and aperture), and colour balance settings (in the case of digital) at the same sensitivity, and even then it can be misleading because of color gamut difference, contrast rendition, etc, etc
For the best comparison meter (use a grey card if you can) on the bright part of the brightest beam using a reasonably fast shutter speed (at least 1/on focal length) by adjusting ISO/ASA to suit. I'd use a colour temperature setting of around 4000K if this can be set manually. Then repeat using those exact settings for each light setup.

DOP???

[-Mick-]

yep - thats them. Will advise when they arrive and are in.

ok interesting mate. The oz company there offer a 12 month warranty on ballasts (have emailed them) BUT if you look it up the canadian makers offer a lifetime warranty Free replacement bulbs and all

I've emailed the canadian makers of the kits and I'll post up the result. I'll probably buy a kit as well

They tell me the kits are a knock off and they don't distribute them to that company I'll probably still buy one though .... wait and see if yours are good first bushy555

[D_Web]

They tell me the kits are a knock off and they don't distribute them to that company I'll probably still buy one though .... wait and see if yours are good first bushy555

Mind elaborating? I was looking at one of their 50w kits too, but I won't be buying from them if this is true.

[-Mick-]

They tell me the kits are a knock off and they don't distribute them to that company I'll probably still buy one though .... wait and see if yours are good first bushy555

Mind elaborating? I was looking at one of their 50w kits too, but I won't be buying from them if this is true.

they (bit distribution) told me in an email that the kits come from taiwan.... but I don't think they are a knock off

Xtec USA (the manufacturer) have a list of approved sellers/ resellers and Bit Distribution is not on it, therefore I believe conclusions were jumped to if you get my drift. Xtec told me that they would not be likely to honour the lifetime warranty if it didn't come from an approved company from the list and it could well be a rip off copy

But Taiwan is one of their major places with full time staff and all so don't get too worried. More likely is that the kits Bit Distribution sell came from an approved seller in Taiwan at some stage in the value adding process but if purchased from Bit Distribution they are subject to the warranty from Bit Dist. not the manufacturer.....

Makes sense I spose

I'd still get one, they're a quality kit. Just a shame to miss out on the lifetime0 warranty.

0If Bushy555's car doesn't catch fire I'm getting one for sure.

[-Mick-]

>Where's that coming from and how much was it? Ebay as well?
>Edit : found these in Oz... http://www.bitdistribution.com.au/?stg=140
>Dunno how that compares to yours...................

Thats them. Will advise how they are when they arrive in a fortnights time.

bump back up.... bushy have you blinded any local fauna with these new lights???

How'd they go

[bushy555]

Received me 50w kit on around the 23rd Dec. Been away for past four weeks.

Upon opening the package, saw that the bulb is only a 35w bulb with a 50w ballast. Very disapointing. Coz thats like replacing ya stock 65amp alternator with a 250amper. Does bugger all to ya lights others than upping the anti on any voltage drop. (minimises any voltage drop better coz can pump out more current).
And since I grabbed a 5000k, it is very hard to distinguise any real difference in brightness between it and me other four Lightforce 6000k jobbies. Havent had that much of a chance yet to play around with it. Am gonna email Bit Distribution and ask what the go is with the 35w bulbs though. They really should be 50, since that what was advertised and is what I assumed I was purchasing.

Anyone else grabbed their kit or someone elses 50w yet?

[D_Web]

Upon opening the package, saw that the bulb is only a 35w bulb with a 50w ballast. Very disapointing. Coz thats like replacing ya stock 65amp alternator with a 250amper. Does bugger all to ya lights others than upping the anti on any voltage drop. (minimises any voltage drop better coz can pump out more current).


Anyone else grabbed their kit or someone elses 50w yet?

This isn't quite the case, the more powerful ballasts will drive the lamps with more power - voltage drop isn't really an issue as the nominal voltage during operation is around 85v in most systems. 35W bulbs on a 50W ballast will give more light, but it will be at the expense of longevity.

Saying that, I also bought their 50W kit, and while I think (from memory) that the housing the globes were in said 35W, there is a sticker on the bottom on the bulb itself saying 50W.

I'm still to modify the housings so I can mount them, but when I was playing around they threw a lot of light.

[Bundy_Harry]

Silly question maybe but one which no one seems to be able to answer satisfactorily.

Are the the bulbs for these HID systems universal? ie with existing light globes I am not restricted to any particular brand.

I am impressed by what I have read on the bit distribution site and am contemplating a purchase in the near future, but can anybody here answer this question

thanx
harry

[fool_injected]

Why has nobody made spotties using the High Intensity LEDs that are everywhere now
http://au.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/ ... 9569&N=401
plus
http://au.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/ ... 9557&N=401
equals 500cd intensity in 140mm

whats 500cd and is this bright?

Expensive but they would last forever (did i just answer my own question)
Ah well food for thought

[D_Web]

Are the the bulbs for these HID systems universal? ie with existing light globes I am not restricted to any particular brand.

It's pretty much the same, most HID bulbs are produced to standards; ie, 9004/9005/9006/H1/H2/H3 etc, but you ballast may only play nice with certain bulbs - and certain bulbs may need high quality ballasts. I am no expert here, so anyone please feel free to correct me

Why has nobody made spotties using the High Intensity LEDs that are everywhere now

whats 500cd and is this bright?

Expensive but they would last forever (did i just answer my own question)
Ah well food for thought

cd or candela (candle power) is a measure of luminous intensity, so you can have a very small source seemingly emit a very bright light while a larger source may emit the same the same intensity of light, but it will not look as bright.

The actual amount of light radiated out in to a space is measured in lumens, a 50W HID might put out upwards of 4000 lumens while it looks like the second item you ilnked there radiates about 250 lumen.

As you say, solid state would be ideal, but to get any decent sort of output you'd need a lot of them, and so far, creating LED's with outputs of even 5W has been difficult, the technology doesn't really scale well. Heat is a big issue with high powered LED's, and then you've got to be able to focus the light properly, which would be very difficult with a dozen or so grouped together.

As I said, I am hardly an expert, especially with light output & intensity, so if I've said anything wrong, we're all still learning

[grazza]

Why has nobody made spotties using the High Intensity LEDs that are everywhere now
http://au.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/ ... 9569&N=401
plus
http://au.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/ ... 9557&N=401
equals 500cd intensity in 140mm

whats 500cd and is this bright?

Expensive but they would last forever (did i just answer my own question)
Ah well food for thought

Its confusing, but I have seen some references say that cd is candela which is based on candlepower.
Lightforce say their Strike 170 emits 350,000 candlepower.

I cant see LED spotlights for a long time yet.

[bushy555]

SAAB may be introducing lo-beam LED lights in one particular model of their cars this year. That is lo beam only. And you'd probably still require five 5w LEDs in each housing to produce the same light output as that as say a standard filament 50w bulb.
LED technology has come a long way since the early 70's, but still has a huge step to go in terms of actual lumen output.

> Lightforce say their Strike 170 emits 350,000 candlepower.

Ya see a lot of that. Those el-cheapo hand held spot lights 2 million candle power etc. I'd trust those figures as far as I'd trust me rangie gearbox from not leaking.

[turps]

Dave I checked my globes. They say 50W (yippppe). As well as 50w on the ballast.
There still not fitted though. Thinking I might just put the holesaw through the back of the housing now as I dont want to stuff the wiring. as it already comes with a seal.
Also still dont have anything to mount them off. So still in no rush.
Need to be on by march though. As I will be donig some night driving to the beach.