Though the HID and LED Headlight for car has developed for many years and some are still confused of it and can not know clear of it and the difference with them
There have been a lot of advances in headlight technology since their origins as acetylene lamps back in the 1880’s. While halogen bulbs are still the most popular and commonly used today, Xenon HIDs are increasingly growing in popularity. That being said, the newest car models are more and more beginning to implement LED headlight technology. Some manufacturers, such as Audi and BMW, are even starting to experiment with laser headlights. Today, we will compare LED vs. Halogen vs. Xenon headlights and we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.
HALOGEN HEADLAMPS
As we mentioned earlier, halogen headlamps are currently the most widely used in the automotive world. This is primarily due to two factors. First, their primary advantage is that they have a very long lifespan. Under normal conditions, a halogen light bulb has a lifespan of approximately 1,000 hours. Halogen’s second advantage is that they are relatively inexpensive to produce, thus making replacement costs relatively very low. While halogen is still the most commonly used headlight, that fact is slowly starting to change as manufacturers shift towards other technologies. Reason being that halogen bulbs are less efficient than their new counterparts. In order to help us understand why, let’s examine how halogen light bulbs work.
When the halogen light bulb comes to the end of its lifetime, it usually happens so because the tungsten in the filament evaporates and leaves the filament, getting deposited on the glass and causing the filament to rupture at some point and render itself unfunctional.
But that’s not the major issue, though. The biggest problem is that, while generating the radiating light, the bulb also creates a large amount of heat which basically represents wasted energy.
Another major problem with halogen bulbs is also the way they react to various substances. For example, when replacing a faulty bulb, it is mandatory to avoid touching the glass of the spare one! The grease on your fingers will stick to the quartz glass, causing it to heat unevenly and drastically cut the bulb’s life. It you touched it, try using a clean cloth and an alcohol-based substance to rub it off.
Still, halogen light bulbs have a number of advantages that could make it the number one option for most carmakers: they create a decent illumination for the least amount of money ; they come in a number of different sizes, which basically means that such bulbs can be installed on most car models; they are dimmable, thus allowing carmakers to build multiple versions, depending on body type and dimensions.
In just a few words, there are the pros and cons of halogen headlamp
ADVANTAGES:
easy to replace
simple construction
different dimensions
cost effective
DISADVANTAGES:
not very energy efficient
light cannot be easily focused
extra precautions required when installing
HID HEADLAMPS (XENON HEADLIGHTS)
Xenon headlights, officially known as high-intensity discharge headlamps (HIDs), are usually defined as a more efficient solution, mostly because of the color temperature
and the amount of light they generate. The first xenon headlight appeared on the BMW 7 Series in 1991 and slowly became the number one option for several car companies, which avoided however to offer it as standard equipment.
HID lights work pretty much like your neon tube in the basement. You have an enclosed tube filled with gases, an electrode at each end and an electric current passing through. In vehicle applications, HID lamps are using a transparent quartz housing, tungsten electrodes and a mix of gases that get stimulated by the high-voltage electric current passing between the two electrodes.
Despite their commonly used name, HIDs actually use a metal-halide mix and rely on xenon gas only during start-up. That’s because one of the main problems with HID lamps is the amount of time needed for the gases inside to reach their operating temperature and provide a strong light.
The process of lightning up HID lamps happens in three steps: first comes the ignition phase, when a high voltage pulse produces a spark that ionizes the xenon gas and creates a tunnel of current between electrodes, then the temperature in the bulb rises quickly vaporizing the the metallic salts which lowers the resistance between the two electrodes; ultimately, the ballast switches to continuous operation supplying the lamp a continuous amount of power so that the electric arc won’t flicker.
Pluses? First of all, a xenon headlight is much more efficient when it comes to the amount of produced light as compared to the halogen ones. Of course, this can be easily considered a major setback, especially from the point of view of incoming traffic, if the angle of illumination isn't properly configured (mostly when aftermarket kits are installed the wrong way or using headlight cases that were not designed for HIDs).
According to official stats, a xenon bulb produces 3000 lumens and 90 mcd/m2, while a halogen light generates 1400 lumens and 30 mcd/m2.
Of course, xenon lamps have slowly became available in a number of sizes and versions, especially to be used on various types of cars.
Another big plus comes because xenon lights have a pretty long lifetime, exceeding the one of halogen lamps: estimates are pointing to an operation life of around 2,000 hours in normal conditions.
Efficiency might be another advantage thought when thinking to choose HID detrimental to halogen lights. They do use more power to kickstart into action, but after they’ve reached operating temperature, they’ll actually use less power than standard bulbs. Which means there will be a slightly smaller load on the alternator which won’t require more engine torque to sustain the electricity demand. However, you’ll barely see any difference in fuel consumption (maybe like one fluid ounce per hour) but it’s nice to know if you’re a “greenhead”.
Setbacks? Well, obviously they’re going to cost more than halogen lights (including maintenance) and are more complex, since they require a device called ballast, which is basically a capacitor that creates and regulates the high voltage needed by the HIDs to operate.
Let’s not forget these lights need a few seconds to reach full brightness, reason why they are not that good as separate high beams. Some cars use HID low beams and separate standard bulbs for high beams. On higher end models, the same HID unit works both ways (wrongly named bi-xenon) by using a mechanical shade inside the reflector to change the beam’s direction accordingly.
Some xenon headlamps could also have a harmful impact on our health, as certain versions could contain toxic substances, such as metal mercury. Some countries have imposed special regulations that prohibit the use of such substances but, of course, this will only lead to higher production and repair costs.
Ultimately, the amount of glare generated by the headlamps might be extremely disturbing for the other drivers on the road, especially for incoming traffic, thus raising the number of accidents and fatalities caused by other than speed and technical problems.
So, to review the pros and cons of xenon lights:
ADVANTAGES:
longer lifetime than halogen lights
more efficient than halogen as they use less power and create more light
better visibility for the driver
DISADVANTAGES:
potentially distracting to oncoming traffic, due to too much glare
higher production costs than halogen
possibility of harmful or hazardous materials used in their production
Led Headlights
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, headlights in particular are advancing rapidly. In a very short period of time, headlight technology has reached a whole new level. After HIDs had been on the market for a couple of years, car manufacturers began to analyze a new, even more energy efficient option called LEDs. LED headlight bulbs on cars first appeared in 2004, and the first car that offered full LED headlights was the Audi R8. Many would argue that LEDs seem to be the most ideal solution for mass-produced automobiles. However, there are also several drawbacks with the technology that could change their perception about this type of lighting technology.
The greatest advantage to LED headlights is the fact that they need very little power to operate. This is a huge advantage as we see more and more of a shift towards hybrid and full electric vehicles. LEDs are already being used on the Toyota Prius and on several other hybrids on which electrical power plays a key role – for more than the horn and headlights.
Let’s take a closer look at some disadvantages. Unlike halogen lights, LED headlight do not emit heat while creating light. However, what they do is they create a small amount of heat towards the bottom of the emitter. This creates creating a potential risk for nearby parts, connective cables, and assemblies. While, for this reason, car makers may be generally avoiding utilizing LEDs for headlamps, they are instead adopting the LED technology for day time running lights, brake lights, and turn signal bulbs.
Because light-emitting diodes are so small in size, they can be manipulated into a great many configurations. The shapes can be custom fit to nearly any conceivable design that the manufacturer can come up with.
The amount of energy consumed by LEDs is believed to be in between the energy consumed by xenon and halogen lamps. Producers are making efforts to improve in this area in the future.
Production costs remain a major obstacle for LED headlights. Significantly improvement in this area is needed, if they are going to be used more widely. Currently, LEDs are still fairly expensive and are usually only offered on luxury, premium vehicles.
To summarize, these are the pro’s and con’s of LED headlights:
ADVANTAGES:
smaller size enables greater flexibility for more varied shapes
turn on instantly, no warm up period
extremely energy efficient
DISADVANTAGES:
costs more to produce
lower amount of light generated
higher temperatures are possible around adjacent parts or assemblies
After the detailed description of Halogen ,HID and LED ,is it clear to you now ?
Which will you choose for your car headlights?
2.What is the difference between high/low beam and single beam?
When choosing and buying headlight for your car,the seller will ask do you need single beam and high/low beam, many times most of us are confused and doesn’t know the difference of them.
The single beam bulbs are also known as type 1 bulbs. Most vehicles use this standard bulb design as their factory default option. This type of design actually uses two different bulbs. One bulb is for the low beam, and the other bulb is for the high beam, thus the reason for calling these single beams. When the lights are first turned on, the low beam bulbs are illuminated. When switching to high beam, both of the bulbs will illuminate. These types of bulbs are cheaper because they do not have to have any brightness controls.
When labeling bulbs, high / low beam bulbs are often referred to as type 2. These housings come with one primary bulb and one secondary bulb. Typically the primary bulb uses the Xenon technology, and the secondary bulb uses the halogen technology. In this setup, the Xenon bulb is used for normal driving conditions and the halogen bulb is used to create a high beam of light. One important thing to note about the halogen bulb in this setup is that the light from these bulbs does not actually point straight ahead. Instead, it illuminates the surrounding light to generate a high beam effect.
3.What are Canbus?
When installing led bulbs for cars ,we always get the problem: the dashboard is warning ,what happen for it? It is the problem of the led bulbs you install need Canbus
CAN Bus LED bulbs are simple plug-and- play LED bulbs which are made specifically for CAN Bus-equipped vehicles. These bulbs work with your vehicle's advanced computer system, so when your vehicle's computer reads them, they respond back correctly.
What does CAN Bus mean?
CAN Bus means Controller Area Network Bus. This system monitors your vehicle and reports operating conditions. CAN Bus systems are commonly found in European vehicles such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Porsche, and in many American vehicles. While most late model American vehicles have CAN Bus systems, it is always good to check with your vehicle dealer to see which system your vehicle has before purchasing electrical products.
Will CAN Bus LED Bulbs Prevent “Bulb-Out” Indication?
Each vehicle has different requirements that the CAN Bus system is looking for, but in most cases CAN Bus LED bulbs should prevent a “bulb out” indication in areas such as tail, brake, and running lights. If you use a standard LED bulb that is not
CAN Bus application, you would consistently get a “bulb out” dashboard indicator because your system can't communicate with a standard LED bulb.
Will CAN Bus LED Bulbs Prevent Hyper-Flashing?
CAN Bus bulbs will not prevent hyper-flashing of turn signals. These bulbs are communicating with the CAN Bus system, but the relay still needs an appropriate amount of load to operate correctly. Your electrical system could require load resistors or an electronic flashing relay to stop hyper-flashing. The factory relay causes the hyper-flash when it thinks there is not a bulb working. For more information, click the question "Why do LED Bulbs cause turn signals to blink so fast? Can I fix it?" above.
Can you use CAN Bus LED bulbs in non-CAN Bus applications?
CAN Bus LED bulbs should not be used in non-CAN Bus applications because in most cases they can cause other vehicle circuits to have problems. Electrical systems are much like the flowing water in a river; if a log or other obstacle is placed in its path, the water backs up, but then finds another route. A CAN Bus LED bulb presents more resistance than the stock bulb due to built-in resistors and may cause feedback into other circuits in the non-CAN Bus electrical system.
