Ready for clear headlights?

[FIND]

Are you using HID bulbs?

 

[FL.Cracker]

No just regular halogens, and by the looks of them they are at least 4 or 5 years old (cloudy and burnt looking). I'm expecting a significant improvement when I replace them with HIDs.

 

[FIND]

They seem to have about the same beam pattern as a standard headlamp then, though there is a bit more scattering towards the top of the beam.... Is that about what you are experiencing in person?

 

[FL.Cracker]

Yes I would agree, but to avoid any misconception I think it may not be fair to judge the pattern until new bulbs are put in. These are really bad, I'll show you what I mean when I pull them. Also the bulb's filament is in a horizontal position from left to right, like the front bumper for example, and it seems that the reflector's design is better suited for a bulb with the filament running from front to back with respect to the truck. I have a great deal of experience in the way of optics, particularly lasers and optical design, and in my opinion the later bulb design would be much more efficient at gathering and directing the maximum number of photons.

 

[FIND]

All 9004 bulbs are designed the same.....


I know a bit about optics and a whole lot more about calculus, and I can't eyeball a compound reflector and tell you exactly what position for a light source is best.....

 

[jd4242]

Good time to switch to 9007 if you dont wanna do hid
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181879

 

[FL.Cracker]

No sir, not all HB1/9004 are made with the same filament geometry. I'm taking about one like this

and I currently have one like this

Well it's very obvious that the filaments are emitting nearly all photons up and down, reflecting mostly off of the upper and lower surfaces of the reflector while a bulb such as the one in the first pic would would have a more even distribution of photons on not only the upper and lower portions of the reflector but to the left and right as well.
BTW I design laser beam combiner modules so this sort of stuff is right up my alley and really gets me excited to experiment!

 

[FL.Cracker]

Good time to switch to 9007 if you dont wanna do hid
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181879

Thanks I appreciate it I may look a bit further into this.

 

[jd4242]

Hid in stock housing is illegal and stupid bright.they blind everyone,no matter if they are adjusted right or not.with that said i run 55watt hids in my clear lights but i dont have to worry about inspections,i do get pulled for them tho.the 9007 make a world of difference in clear cut lenses.

 

[FL.Cracker]

Hid in stock housing is illegal and stupid bright.they blind everyone,no matter if they are adjusted right or not.with that said i run 55watt hids in my clear lights but i dont have to worry about inspections,i do get pulled for them tho.the 9007 make a world of difference in clear cut lenses.

Which clear light do you have?

 

[jd4242]

The ones i posted the link to,diamond cut 6pc set.i was thinking about getting the ones you have but thought if i break any part of it i couldnt get any parts,would have to replace the whole thing
mine
http://www.procarparts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=902_1645&products_id=30702

 

[FL.Cracker]

The ones i posted the link to,diamond cut 6pc set.i was thinking about getting the ones you have but thought if i break any part of it i couldnt get any parts,would have to replace the whole thing
mine
http://www.procarparts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=902_1645&products_id=30702

Yeah that's true I guess a good brush guard would be a wise investment. It looks like the reflector is a very similar design between the two, but yours looks to have a longer throw. Meaning its a deeper reflector vs. a more shallow design that would spread the light more. Of course I'd rather have longer throw but I doubt it's a great deal of difference.

 

[FIND]

FWIW, the reflector in the ones you have is probably the same as the reflector as the one in jd's link. They probably also use the same reflector in a lot of other rectangle headlights, including the sealed beam retrofits..... If that reflector is designed for the filament position in a 9007, that would explain the additional scatter. Honestly though, that reflector was probably designed for an H3 bulb if anything, but I guess I can't say for sure, so speculating is probably not a good idea either.

The bulb you pictured is a 9007.... 9004s all have the transverse filament, it is the biggest weakness in the design of 9004, which is why they are pretty much only used in North America, where we have horrible lighting standards.

 

[FL.Cracker]

Well without actually physically having both in front of me its hard to tell exactly what differences there are. But here's a side by side comparison .

At a glance they appear to be the same but if you look closely you can see the reflector "blocks" are different dimensions as well as the depth of the reflector.

 

[FIND]

Every time I see those headlights I like them better..... I almost wish I had gotten a set of those instead of doing my round headlamp project. One could bake them apart and make an LED array for the turn signal/marker area and put some luxeon 1watt LEDs in place of whatever they have now in that "strip" (or do a little modification so you could make a tighter row) so that those could be functional DRLs.

Oh well, I should be done with my project soon. I am satisfied with my prototypes and it appears to look ok on the truck, so I guess it is time to get the real thing cut. I'll have pics up once I have the final project done, and from there I will decide whether I will stick with the round headlights or not.

 

[FL.Cracker]

i don't know if you can tell from this pic but the led's are removable, they each have their own rubber boot you can just pull out by. I have tested them and there alright but I'd like to replace them with some better ones like you mentioned. I would also build a proper linear driver using an LM317 or LM1117 just as I do for my semiconductor laser diodes.

 

[jd4242]

FWIW, the reflector in the ones you have is probably the same as the reflector as the one in jd's link. They probably also use the same reflector in a lot of other rectangle headlights, including the sealed beam retrofits..... If that reflector is designed for the filament position in a 9007, that would explain the additional scatter. Honestly though, that reflector was probably designed for an H3 bulb if anything, but I guess I can't say for sure, so speculating is probably not a good idea either.

The bulb you pictured is a 9007.... 9004s all have the transverse filament, it is the biggest weakness in the design of 9004, which is why they are pretty much only used in North America, where we have horrible lighting standards.

They are made for a stock replacement, meaning 9004 bulb.anyone with a first gen can switch there wires around and run a 9007 bulb that 2nd gens use.witch is a better brighter bulb

 

[FIND]

They are made for a stock replacement, meaning 9004 bulb.anyone with a first gen can switch there wires around and run a 9007 bulb that 2nd gens use.witch is a better brighter bulb

No, I was talking about the reflector design, not the headlight itself. Often time aftermarket headlight manufacturers use a generic reflector or projector that is mass produced to work on a variety of applications. Then they put it in the housing and add a boot and base on the back to correctly align the bulb and hold it in position.

 

[jd4242]

Oo ok

 

[Naasau]

Cracker, if you want to protect your headlamps, it might be worth it to put a layer of 3M clear bra over the entire lens assembly to prevent rock cracks. After my wife's heep lost a fog light to a pebble on the highway, I went to a local tint/bra installer and asked/begged them for some scraps once I got a hold of a replacement lens (what? I'm poor). I was worried that the heat would bubble and/or discolor the film, but it didn't, and it definitely adds an awesome layer of protection; especially for small high speed debris.

Digression: Of course, a brush guard wouldn't hurt either.

Oh, and jd4242, do you have any pics of your headlamps installed so that we can do a comparison of them on a vehicle? and/or beam pics? I'm on the fence about which of these sets to buy for my Beast, and being able to compare both headlamp assemblies semi-directly would be a great help.

Thanks guys!