docc Posted June 17, 2017 Author Posted June 17, 2017 Thanks, scullerZx! Here is the definitive answer about fitting this LED unit to the plastic LeMans headlight bucket!
docc Posted June 17, 2017 Author Posted June 17, 2017 Soooo, I opened the bucket to anchor the relays and driver as swooshdave suggested and here is curious change I did not expect. Turns out the fan blows forward and does not exhaust through the honeycomb at the very back.
Chuck Posted June 17, 2017 Posted June 17, 2017 Well, that should take care of the condensation in the morning at the Kentucky rally ..
docc Posted June 17, 2017 Author Posted June 17, 2017 Well, that should take care of the condensation in the morning at the Kentucky rally .. Looks all the heat is on the back of the reflector. I can't see any discoloration inside the reflector (behind the lens). I can't feel a bit of warmth on the surface of the lens.
docc Posted June 17, 2017 Author Posted June 17, 2017 Makes me want to have one of my hotrod buddies press some louvers into the back of the bucket. I just totally do not want any moisture in there. I suppose if it starts cooking off the reflector surface, the whole thing will be declared a fail. <_>
MartyNZ Posted June 18, 2017 Posted June 18, 2017 Makes me want to have one of my hotrod buddies press some louvers into the back of the bucket. I just totally do not want any moisture in there. I suppose if it starts cooking off the reflector surface, the whole thing will be declared a fail. <_> Docc, this sounds like a solution in search of a problem. A problem that you don't have. LED lamps put out less heat than the original incandescent bulbs, so the chance of heat damage is low. If you add louvers to your shell, then the only outcome is to allow dust and moisture into a place that is normally clean and dry.Better that you worry about all the little furry critters you will blind while riding at night. 1
docc Posted June 18, 2017 Author Posted June 18, 2017 Makes me want to have one of my hotrod buddies press some louvers into the back of the bucket. I just totally do not want any moisture in there. I suppose if it starts cooking off the reflector surface, the whole thing will be declared a fail. <_> Docc, this sounds like a solution in search of a problem. A problem that you don't have. LED lamps put out less heat than the original incandescent bulbs, so the chance of heat damage is low. If you add louvers to your shell, then the only outcome is to allow dust and moisture into a place that is normally clean and dry.Better that you worry about all the little furry critters you will blind while riding at night. That's reassuring. I am not sure what to make of the scars on the back of the reflector.
MartyNZ Posted June 18, 2017 Posted June 18, 2017 (edited) Oh, maybe I'm wrong. Does your reflector now look different than the picture in post #69? Both post #69 & 92 photos look a bit like my reflector, and I don't see anything of concern. Is there any damage to the reflector finish on the forward side? Edited June 18, 2017 by MartyNZ
docc Posted June 18, 2017 Author Posted June 18, 2017 Oh, maybe I'm wrong. Does your reflector now look different than the picture in post #69? Hard to see. I don't remember noticing those brown stripes at twelve o'clock and six o'clock. I am afraid they are *new* . . . I believe I would have noticed that, especially with the discovery of the heat damaged connector.
docc Posted June 18, 2017 Author Posted June 18, 2017 Is there any damage to the reflector finish on the forward side? I can't see any discoloration looking through the lens at the reflector (yet?) . . . Sharing this observation today with some other riders, the suggestion was made to apply some aluminized reflective heat tape on the back of the reflector. I may have to try that. I don't want this ruining my reflector.
MartyNZ Posted June 19, 2017 Posted June 19, 2017 If you turn on the headlight when it is out of the bucket, you will be able to feel how much heat is blown off the heat sink fins by the fan.
docc Posted June 19, 2017 Author Posted June 19, 2017 It didn't feel like anything *hot*. I suppose I should pop it out and run it "for a while" -> point the infrared temp reader at it. I got good reports today from riders following the LED tail light/ brake light unit swooshdave posted. I got the flashing model, so one guy said he had a couple seizures on the way Hard to judge the effectiveness of the LED headlamp unit . . .
luhbo Posted June 19, 2017 Posted June 19, 2017 Compared to a 55W H4 a LED unit keeps the lamp stone cold. Otherwise you wouldn't swap to it. While we are at it: The LED light might seem brighter, but as a matter of fact the overall efficiency of a well matched H4 bulb/reflector system is always much better. LEDs need well adapted lens and mirror systems to show their true potential. An aftermarket H4 LED 'up'-grade in a standard H4 setup is good only for annoying the oncoming traffic. It's a physics/optical problem. These reflectors need the lightsource spot on in the focus point, as small as possible. LEDs are exactly not the ideal match for such requirements. 2
docc Posted June 19, 2017 Author Posted June 19, 2017 So true. As it turned out, looks like the low beam pattern is improved and the high is "just okay." No oncoming traffic has been flashing me, yet I hope I am more visible than before without being annoying. That is a difficult attribute to assess.
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