LED Headlights for our Zs

[scottfab]

Along with much longer life and usual increase in light output, not to be forgotten, is that as you convert more bulbs to LED the less draw on the alternator and therefore less of a leaching of HP from the LT5.
(makes for more current available for cooling boxes etc on long trips)

The other phenomenon is the available selections of color temperatures, everything from "Warm White ~3000K" to nausea inducing "Xenon White 20,000K" and everything in between.

I've been following the LED technology now for many years. What's been happening is a bifurcation in the market needs. On one end is the extreme efficiency LEDs and at the other is the extreme high output ones. The later sacrifice efficiency for better thermal dissipation characteristics. (heat tolerance etc) The high heat ones use ceramic composites and an RTV like compound. That way they can drive the piss out of them and use heat sinks and/of fans to keep them cool.

I am fairly sure over time we'll see incandescent, CFL, HID, Halogen and other bulbs go the way of vinyl records. They'll still be around but only for nostalgia and other (like NCRS) specialty purposes.
For a similar historical transition talk to someone that went through the transition from kerosine lamps to electric.
My brother has a father-in-law that can still remember rural places in Wash St. that went through that transition.

[Schrade]

Originally Posted by scottfab

Along with much longer life and usual increase in light output, not to be forgotten, is that as you convert more bulbs to LED the less draw on the alternator and therefore less of a leaching of HP from the LT5.
(makes for more current available for cooling boxes etc on long trips)

The other phenomenon is the available selections of color temperatures, everything from "Warm White ~3000K" to nausea inducing "Xenon White 20,000K" and everything in between.

I've been following the LED technology now for many years. What's been happening is a bifurcation in the market needs. On one end is the extreme efficiency LEDs and at the other is the extreme high output ones. The later sacrifice efficiency for better thermal dissipation characteristics. (heat tolerance etc) The high heat ones use ceramic composites and an RTV like compound. That way they can drive the piss out of them and use heat sinks and/of fans to keep them cool.

I am fairly sure over time we'll see incandescent, CFL, HID, Halogen and other bulbs go the way of vinyl records. They'll still be around but only for nostalgia and other (like NCRS) specialty purposes.
For a similar historical transition talk to someone that went through the transition from kerosine lamps to electric.
My brother has a father-in-law that can still remember rural places in Wash St. that went through that transition.

If the amp draw on the alternator is less (whatever the difference is, between a car equipped with LED headlamps vs. standard lamps), then should the CS 144 Z alternator be replaced, with a LOWER amp output alternator?

Question is, when the ECM decides that the 'clutch mechanism', in the alternator, that has to engage, and become more of a load on the motor, ... ?

The alternator is ALWAYS spinning...

How DOES the integral voltage regulator work, I guess, is the question???

[scottfab]

Originally Posted by Schrade

If the amp draw on the alternator is less (whatever the difference is, between a car equipped with LED headlamps vs. standard lamps), then should the CS 144 Z alternator be replaced, with a LOWER amp output alternator?

Question is, when the ECM decides that the 'clutch mechanism', in the alternator, that has to engage, and become more of a load on the motor, ... ?

The alternator is ALWAYS spinning...

How DOES the integral voltage regulator work, I guess, is the question???

The voltage regulator is internal to the alternator and is autonomous. When there is low demand from system (Battery >12.2v ?) the field winding is left at 0V and the alternator free wheels. i.e. no load.
With no load it's just another idler pulley.

The big win on moving to low current draw by switching to LED everywhere is the available capacity to run "more stuff" in the cabin.

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by Schrade

How DOES the integral voltage regulator work, I guess, is the question???

It allows the alternator to idle as the demand is not needed. Remind me to tell you the story when one of our 400KV voltage generators regulators failed and provided instant 100% power to our living area one night in Iraq at 0200hrs. Everything that had a power supply was burned out. Lamps that were not switch on turned on until the generator exploded with sparks flying over the T-walls. We though initially it was an RPG attack.

Less demand on your electrical system is a "goog" thing