LED Headlights

[tdoakley]

There are a number of 7" LED headlights available from GE and others.  They are expensive, around $250 each.  With other LED replacements around the house and shop, the LEDs use much less power, operate much cooler, and produce comparable light.

 

They would seem to be perfect for improving the lighting on my '72.

 

Has anyone used the LED sealed beams?

[ghetto_zhetto]

Just look at jeep headlights much bigger selection

[ghetto_zhetto]

But 250 for LED's doesn't sound too bad

[tdoakley]

$250 X 2 is fine if the product is good.  I just don't know anyone that has first hand experience with these headlights, especially with the odd mounting in a 240.

[SteveJ]

If the LED headlight is designed for the common wire to be negative, you'll need to do a relay conversion to get them to work. 

[tdoakley]

Interesting point.

 

All of the ads from Phillips and GE state that they are 'direct replacements' .  They do have an aluminum back, and they are heavier than traditional seal beams at 3.4 lbs. each.  No mention is made of polarity, but yes, that needs to be considered

[SteveJ]

A few years back, someone was trying to figure out why his LED headlights wouldn't work. I told him it was a polarity issue. I can't remember if he was using the Truck-Lite version or another.

[FastWoman]

Something else to think about:  Most LED assemblies use (inexpensive) drop resistors for regulating current.  After you add up the forward voltage of a stack of LEDs, the head-room from there to the 12-14V system voltage usually is not very much.  Then if a voltage regulator fails and starts throwing maybe 16V to the system, the voltage across the drop resistor can increase markedly, resulting in a ton more current and the destruction of the LED assembly.  A friend of mine was plagued with these problems with his solar/LED camper.  (An overvoltage when under motor took out half of his lighting.)

 

For a few extra pennies, an LED assembly can be actively current-regulated, e.g. with a simple transistor circuit (transistor, zener diode, a couple of resistors), virtually eliminating death from overvoltage.

 

I would hope (!!) that for $250 per unit, you'd get the few pennies of additional parts to make the thing bullet proof.  On the other hand, the only actively regulated LED circuits I've ever seen were turned out by a quirky little business in Fiji that catered to boaters -- Bebi Electronics (http://bebi-electronics.com/), now forced out of business because of a decaying political situation.  So be aware that an overvoltage can probably blow these things out!

Edited June 2, 2015 by FastWoman

[tdoakley]

Good point.  

I do not see mention of this problem, so far, in any of the product reviews, so I hope that this, and the polarity issue, have been addressed.  You would think that for $500 a set, they would have dealt with it.  For me anyway, one of the primary goals is to take the strain off of the electrical system, the other being better light of course.  My '72 has an old school generator with a voltage regulator.  Usually the over-voltage condition occurs with alternators, I am not sure if the generator would have the same problem, or maybe a different problem.  Sure would be nice to find somebody that has used them for 40,000 miles.......

[Patcon]

I can't image you have a "generator" possibly an externally regulated alternator but not a generator...

[S30Driver]

I'm sure he meant alternator.  I hope.

The last generator on a car I had was a 69 Cortina GT, (wish I still had that one).

[tdoakley]

It is indeed an alternator with an external regulator