HID Lights - Car HID Lights » Uncategorized

Xenon HID VS Halogen

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:15:29 +0000

Light bulbs are usually filled with a mixture of gasses, selected to help retard the evaporation of the filament and to minimize heat loss from the filament. Argon works OK for this, krypton works better, and xenon better still. The better gasses are more expensive, of course.

Halogen, on the other hand, isn’t a particular element or chemical. Halogen bulbs include small amounts of one of the halogen family of elements (usually iodine) in the fill gas. The halogen gas in the bulb can actually bond temporarily with evaporated filament metal, and redeposit the metal back on the filament. This extends the filament life and keeps the bulb’s glass free of the filament deposits that make other bulbs turn gray as they age.

In any case, the goal of both strategies is the same: to allow the filament to have a reasonably long life when burning at the highest possible temperature, burning more brightly and more efficiently.

Bulb Sizes For HID Kits

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:13:57 +0000

H1, H3, H4, H7, h13, 9004, 9005, 9006, 9007, D1S, D2S.
There are single beam conversions, duel beam conversions, and there are Telescopic beam conversions.
The Single beam is designed for just the low beam to be converted to an HID. They come with two xenon bulbs, and two ballasts.
The Duel beam consists of four xenon bulbs (two for low, and two for high beam) and four ballasts.
The Telescopic (duel filament, which is when one bulb is used for low and high beam) comes with special two xenon bulbs, and special two ballasts.
Car HID lights are designed to emit different colors. The xenon bulbs are temperature rated, and depending on the temperature they emit a different color. Here is what they are: 3000K (Golden Yellow) , 4300K (Bright White), 5000K (white), 6000K (Crystal White),8000K (Crystal Blue), 10000K (Aqua Blue), 12000K (Purple-Blue).

Xenon HID Lights DIsadvantages

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:11:53 +0000

Vehicles equipped with HID headlamps are required by ECE regulation 48 also to be equipped with headlamp lens cleaning systems and automatic beam levelling control. Both of these measures are intended to reduce the tendency for high-output headlamps to cause high levels of glare to other road users. In North America, ECE R48 does not apply and while lens cleaners and beam levellers are permitted, they are not required; HID headlamps are markedly less prevalent in the US, where they have produced significant glare complaints. Scientific study of headlamp glare has shown that for any given intensity level, the light from HID headlamps is 40% more glaring than the light from tungsten-halogen headlamps.

HID headlamp bulb types D1R, D1S, D2R, D2S and 9500 contain the toxic heavy metal mercury. The disposal of mercury-containing vehicle parts is increasingly regulated throughout the world, for example under US EPA regulations. Newer HID bulb designs D3R, D3S, D4R, and D4S which are in production since 2004 contain no mercury, but are not electrically or physically compatible with headlamps designed for previous bulb types.

The arc light source in an HID headlamp is fundamentally different in size, shape, orientation, and luminosity distribution compared to the filament light source used in tungsten-halogen headlamps. For that reason, HID-specific optics are used to collect and distribute the light. HID burners cannot effectively or safely be installed in optics designed to take filament bulbs; doing so results in improperly-focused beam patterns and excessive glare, and is therefore illegal in almost all countries.

HID headlamps are significantly more costly to produce, install, purchase, and repair. The extra cost of the HID lights may exceed the fuel cost savings through their reduced power consumption, though some of this cost disadvantage is offset by the longer lifespan of the HID burner relative to halogen bulbs.

Xenon HID Lights Advantages

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:10:10 +0000

- More light output (up to 3 times brighter)
- Wider coverage (beam pattern illuminates up to 70% more of the roadway, especially the sides)
- Whiter light (almost a blue light, resulting in clearer images)
- More durable (withstands shock and vibration since there is no filament)
- Longer life (last 3 times longer or 5-10 years, depending on use)
- Greater efficiency (3x more light while using 24% less power)

How HID Lights Works

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:08:35 +0000

HID headlamp bulbs do not run on low-voltage DC current, so they require a ballast with either an internal or external ignitor. The ignitor is integrated into the bulb in D1 and D3 systems, and is either a separate unit or integral with the electronic ballast in D2 and D4 systems. The ballast controls the current to the bulb. The ignition and ballast operation proceeds in three stages:

1. Ignition: a high voltage pulse is used to produce a spark — in a manner similar to a spark plug – which ionises the Xenon gas, creating a conducting tunnel between the tungsten electrodes. In this tunnel, the electrical resistance is reduced and current flows between the electrodes.
2. Initial phase: the bulb is driven with controlled overload. Because the arc is operated at high power, the temperature in the capsule rises quickly. The metallic salts vapourise, and the arc is intensified and made spectrally more complete. The resistance between the electrodes also falls; the electronic ballast control gear registers this and automatically switches to continuous operation.
3. Continuous operation: all metal salts are in the vapour phase, the arc has attained its stable shape, and the luminous efficacy has attained its nominal value. The ballast now supplies stable electrical power so the arc will not flicker.

Stable operating voltage is 85 volts AC in D1 and D2 systems, 42 volts AC in D3 and D4 systems. The frequency of the square-wave alternating current is typically 400 hertz or higher.

What is HID Lights

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:05:51 +0000

HID stands for high-intensity discharge, a technical term for the electric arc that produces the light. The high intensity of the arc comes from metallic salts that are vapourised within the arc chamber. These lamps are formally known as gas-discharge burners, and produce more light for a given level of power consumption than ordinary tungsten and tungsten-halogen bulbs. Because of the increased amounts of light available from HID burners relative to halogen bulbs, HID headlamps producing a given beam pattern can be made smaller than halogen headlamps producing a comparable beam pattern. Alternatively, the larger size can be retained, in which case the xenon headlamp can produce a more robust beam pattern.

Automotive HID lamps are commonly called ‘xenon headlamps’, though they are actually metal halide lamps that contain xenon gas. The xenon gas allows the lamps to produce minimally adequate light immediately upon powerup, and accelerates the lamps’ run-up time. If argon were used instead, as is commonly done in street lights and other stationary metal halide lamp applications, it would take several minutes for the lamps to reach their full output. The light from HID headlamps has a distinct bluish tint when compared with tungsten-filament headlamps.

HID lights are a different type of lighting technology utilized in automobiles for greater effectiveness and greater efficiency. Unlike Halogen (or incandescent) bulbs, HID bulbs do not have filaments.