Inexpensive H4 / 9003 / HB2 LED headlights ($32) - trying on the Prius & motorcycle

[mcrews]

Alignment doesn't fix the laws of physics
apples are apples
grapes are grapes
There is no way that a single or multisided led can duplicate a filament

So explain how 'alignment' can cause the light to multiple 20 times.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by mcrews

granted, it's not and HID it's an LED, but the principle is the same.
One light source CAN NOT (by the laws of physics) reproduce the same light spectrum as another.

So, what do you suggest? Assume a round 7" headlight without room for a projector housing.

Reverting to halogens is an option, as far as I'm concerned.

[deejaaa]

Originally Posted by mcrews

Alignment doesn't fix the laws of physics
......
There is no way that a single or multisided led can duplicate a filament

So explain how 'alignment' can cause the light to multiple 20 times.

it's not multiplied 20 times, its concentrated in certain areas and lacking in others.

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by deejaaa

it's not multiplied 20 times, its concentrated in certain areas and lacking in others.

EDITED: actually, as I reread your sentence, it is not logical.
1. it is 20 times brighter because the math and the graph says it is. period.
2. Yes, it is concentrated in certain areas (upto 20 times more) and lacking in others


Just so I understand..........
when the chart shows that the light is sooo bright that it is actually 20 times brighter in that spot......that just a little extra concentration......

OR is my math wrong??
re-aimed: 51,663 / 2500 maximum = 20.6652

right.

here's a clue: there is actually a science and engineering process to automotive lighting.
A chrome housing is ACTUALLY engineered based on the rays provided by a SPECIFIC bulb.
When a bulb with a different light source is placed in the chrome housing, it doesn't work

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by mcrews

Alignment doesn't fix the laws of physics
apples are apples
grapes are grapes
There is no way that a single or multisided led can duplicate a filament

So explain how 'alignment' can cause the light to multiple 20 times.

I am truly baffled that the horrible misalignment, as shown in the graph, does not stand out to you.
Look at the spot where the light is brightest in both graphs. Is is 2 degrees higher in the HID graph. Because it was not aligned properly.

Of course misalignment does more than just raise or lower the focal point; it changes the whole beam pattern.
I believe that test was flawed. The lamp should have been realigned before the test.
They did not realign but let the machine spew out worthless data and wave the red flag in anger.

[2000mc]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

I am truly baffled that the horrible misalignment, as shown in the graph, does not stand out to you.
Look at the spot where the light is brightest in both graphs. Is is 2 degrees higher in the HID graph. Because it was not aligned properly.

Of course misalignment does more than just raise or lower the focal point; it changes the whole beam pattern.
I believe that test was flawed. The lamp should have been realigned before the test.
They did not realign but let the machine spew out worthless data and wave the red flag in anger.

i would assume from that, that the lamp assembly was aimed as it was designed for, and the apparent misalignment is just showcasing how far the light source missed the intended filament placement.
If the lamp was aimed based on the light pattern, it looks like it would still fail, just not as badly

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by 2000mc

i would assume from that, that the lamp assembly was aimed as it was designed for, and the apparent misalignment is just showcasing how far the light source missed the intended filament placement.
If the lamp was aimed based on the light pattern, it looks like it would still fail, just not as badly

The lamp was not aimed based on the light pattern, the graph shows that clear enough.
The light source was out of place; its height should have been adjusted.
The pattern was distorted because the light source was in the wrong place.
It would not have been distorted if it was aligned properly (assuming the alignment is done by readjusting the lamp relative to the light housing, rather than rotating the light housing as a whole).

I get the feeling the only aim of that test was to put HIDs in a bad light.

[2000mc]

It would seem that if that was the case, the bulb attachment to the lamp assembly wouldnt only need a height adjustment, but also horizontal, depth, pitch, and yaw of the bulb.

[RedDevil]

I can adjust both the height and horizontal position of my lamps, relative to the housing. In the car I can adjust the whole unit height. That should be sufficient.

As the filament is placed lengthwise the depth should not be an issue, it should not be too sensitive in that direction.
If the depth is off (like when the rim of the mounting hole has a burr) it only is off by the same distance as the disturbance, while a height or sideways deviation is aggravated by the relative distance of the source to the rim compared to the rim width.

When you replace lamps you should always check whether the light pattern is correct or not; and when you experiment with LEDs or HIDs you must be prepared to ditch the whole project if you cannot get it right.

My car has projector lenses which gave a relatively weak beam with the original halogens and very little stray light; I noticed that other traffic seemed to overlook my car at night. I nearly got hit for no reason whatsoever, more than once.
The projector units in my car are the same as those one trim level up that have the HIDs preinstalled in the factory.
When I installed my cheap aftermarket HIDs I did not hit the road until I was satisfied they had a well distributed, non blinding beam pattern.
Then I drove it to my dealer who did a realignment to factory specs - for free.
They actually raised the beam height a little, I feel like dropping it a tiny bit again.

If I could not have gotten the alignment right I would have put the original halogens back in - plus LED DRLs (which was my backup plan for increased visibility).

The message of that test was:
We have put one HID in one lamp house and tested it, and it is bad. Don't buy HIDs.

My message would be:
If you put in a lamp of any type, make sure it is legal, non blinding, well aligned and lights up the road properly or switch back to the original.

I have a sealed H4 halogen lamp set for a car I don't own any more. Nobody touched the lamp since it came off the production line, yet the glass sits somewhat slanted, off center on the lamp foot.

Any lamp type can have a production fault or be knocked out of position on installment.
It is not just a HID or LED issue.
Always check the alignment!

[adam728]

I've been using the ADVmonster H4 rev2 bulb in my DR650 since March. HUGE lighting improvement over the stock bulb. Only issue is the aiming. The low beam is incredibly low, and once adjusted to be usable it moves the highbeam higher than I'd like. Still, on either high or low, there is much more usable light than the stock H4. I'll have to look for my original shots with stock vs LED, both have the higher portion of the beam on the left side, not sure why. Those were done in winter, inside the garage, so they are pretty poor pics of brightness/pattern though.

Mounting the retainer in the housing.


Put the stock rubber boot back over.


Install the bulb.


Low beam, ~25 ft from door.


High beam, ~25 ft from door


Low beam, ~50 ft from door.


High beam, ~50 ft from door.


Later I installed this guy to help with deer spotting on my morning commutes.



The light is this one:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...30w/1986/4534/
30 watt 6 LED, 6" light bar
Two are 5W, 10° spots
Four are 5W 30° "floods"

ADVmonster H4 High Beam + SuperBrightLED.com 6 inch Light Bar, ~25 ft


ADVmonster H4 High Beam + SuperBrightLED.com 6 inch Light Bar, ~50 ft


After these shots I got the light bar aimed a bit lower. I had to trim the headlight shroud a bit more so I could move the light bar up and tilt it forward.