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Date:         Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:06:16 +0100
Reply-To:     Jaap Nauta <bus.mail@IAE.NL>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jaap Nauta <bus.mail@IAE.NL>
Subject:      Re: LED taillights WAS: Re: repost optional bulb sizes/wattages?
Comments: To: mikes@flatsurface.com
In-Reply-To:  <20080206132402.354CF1165C3@hamburg.alientech.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

My assumptions were:

- No reflector: apparently the US and European units not only differ in the lamp layout, but also in having reflectors or not. Mine has none, along with a lot of others. Without a reflector roughly 2/3 of the light of an incandescent bulb is lost, leaving only 135 lumen. The LED throws all of its 85 lumen towards the lens.

- The lens is red, so (estimated) 50% of the light of an incandescent bulb is filtered out, whereas the LED is already red. That leaves about 70 lumen.

So in my case I could benefit marginally from the LED lamp (85 vs 70 lumen). but better would be adding reflectors :-) Anyone a picture of an US unit with reflectors?

Jaap, '87 Caravelle diesel

> At 05:42 AM 2/6/2008, Jaap Nauta wrote... >>Has anyone tried these: >>http://www.superbrightleds.com/specs/115x-xLX3.htm ? >> >>These are wide angle high power LEDs, which in theory are brighter >> than >>incandescents > > Not even close. > > The 1157 LED replacement is rated at 30/85 lumens flux. A real 1157 > bulb has 3/32 mean spherical candlepower, which is 37/402 lumen. Not > only is the direct beam of the real 1157 incandescent bulb brighter, > but the reflector will add additional light. > > In reverse, the LED bulb, with a 130 degree beam, is only providing > 0.73/2.08 mean spherical candlepower. (1 lumen = .07958 MSCP, 130 > degree cone = .32175 of a sphere)


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