There aren’t many drivers take the time to consider anything about their front lights than whether they turn on. There’s a fascinating story behind the development of the headlamp, Popular Mechanics explains to us. Knowing how they work and the way to maintain them is more than interesting, but can save you from unwanted collisions.
In the beginning
There were headlamps over a century ago. They used kerosene or acetylene to fuel them though. These open flames were eventually swapped out by small electric blubs within a reflector/lens casing. As old bulbs suffered from insufficient insulation, corrosion was common and would quickly dim the lights. Before the corrosion though, the lights were like constant high beams. In fact, they ended up becoming illegal in 1941 by the United States government since they would nearly blind people.
New bulbs to use
Tungsten filament bulbs resembled standard household light bulbs. By the 1920s, people began to have switches for high and low beam lights. Brightness and overall beam control were inconsistent, which is not surprising, considering the bulbs were cheaply made. The sealed-beam lights were replaced in 1973. The quartz-iodine lights came in.
Quartz-Iodine brings the tungsten
Quartz-Iodine (QI) is the standard headlight technology in use today. The bulb and reflector are protected with modern sealing materials while the bulb is quite small. The filament burns much hotter producing brighter light. This is because quartz glass can withstand very hot temperatures. When QI bulbs require replacement, the headlamps don’t have to be re-aimed, thanks to precise design of modern filaments.
The nice HD bulbs
High-intensity-discharge bulbs (HIDs) ditch the tungsten filament in exchange for a high-voltage arc that resembles a miniature lightning run. While a high original current is needed to turn the bulb on, once an HID is up and running it requires less energy than a standard QI lamp. Most observers claim an HID produces a crisper beam, but because they take a moment to reach full intensity, high-beams on HIDs could be problematic, particularly in emergency situations. You can get HID arrays with QI bulbs to fix this problem. Still, it costs a lot of money.
LEDing you into the future
Taillights already use LED (light-emitting diode) lights, but they aren’t standard for headlamps yet. According to Popular Mechanics, only the Audi A8 has them standard today. The bright and power efficient LED light helps several individuals see farther. This helps if there is ever an emergency or dangerous situation.
A lot of people want to experience LED front lights although they don’t own an Audi A8. There are DIY choices for those individuals, the Instructables site explained. The power used by an LED is very little. That means compatible turn signal switches are non-existent. To be able to get the right current going, you’ll need to switch them out.
Articles cited
Instructables
instructables.com/id/DIY-LED-car-headlights!/
Popular Mechanics
popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/maintenance/how-your-headlights-work
An inside look at LED headlights
youtube.com/watch?v=wSkQ4h-sFiY
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