|
|
|
|
|
|
BMW Garage | BMW Meets | Register | Today's Posts | Search |
|
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
>
E92 Angel eyes.... LED's..... Facts and Information, please read
|
|
07-27-2007, 11:12 AM | #1 |
Major General
364
Rep 5,842
Posts
Drives: 2006 325xi
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: South Central Connecticut
|
E92 Angel eyes.... LED's..... Facts and Information, please read
Disclaimer - This is my personal feeling on the topic, I have Not done any testing.
There has been sooo much talk lately about the e92 angel eyes and how everyone wants an LED option for them. I figured since i feel like i know a good deal about LED's that i should chime in, acting completely neutral from any product / potential product out there right now. For starters, the OEM e92 angel eye is an h8 bulb running at 35 watts. According to Wikipedia, Quartz Halogen bulbs are rated at an efficiency rating of 24 Lumen / Watt. 24 lumen * 35 watt = 840 Lumen Now, I'm going to compare This unit, sold on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-V-L...32802354QQrdZ1 This unit contains 18 SMT Led's and each one able to be driven at 1/2 watt each. On average these are rated at about 30 Lumen /Watt for a typical OSRAM LED. So, we take 18 LED's * 30 lumen * 1/2= 270 Lumen Last i checked 240 is a lot less then 840. Unless the SMT LED's they are using a much more efficent, then this product is not effective. Next topic, why not use High Power LED's similar to the ones used in PIAA, Predator ICE E90, or LUX ? First off they are very efficent, pushing well over 75 lumen / watt and being able to be driven at 3 Watts each. Simple math = 75lumen * watt - LED Drooping effect = 135 lumen each. Why cant you just throw 8 or 9 of these on a unit similar to the E-bay Link above??? - To answer that question is 2 fold, Heat and Power. - Heat - First, if you take a High Power LED and run it at 3 watts with NO Heatsinking, it will burn up in a matter of seconds...... That said. - 8 LED's at 3 watts each is 24 watts total, and i think about 15 watts of that is being displaced as Heat. LED's are NOT LIKE halogen bulbs because they Must be run at lower temperatures or they burn out. Also, Halogen bulbs allow the heat to be displaced forward, through the glass lens. LED's push all their heat out the base of the unit. 15 watts of heat on a small little unit will burn up in a matter of hours, if not Minutes - Power - You need to drive these units at a very constant voltage and amperage, otherwise they are toast. I dont beleive there are any power units out there for LED's that is capable of putting out that type of power ( 24 watts, 6+ Amps, and depending how its wired, 14 - 26 Volts) To custom build a unit like this would take a LOT of time, and will be Expensive to produce. It is simple to power 2-3 LED's at 3 watts each, but not more then that. Summary - Not even talking about potential Error Messages, LED's are not the way to go for the e92 angel eyes. There are too many issues with heat, product design, and overall Luimen. Last edited by mds82; 07-27-2007 at 01:59 PM.. |
07-27-2007, 11:42 AM | #2 |
First Lieutenant
3
Rep 350
Posts |
> First, if you take a High Power LED and run it at 3 watts with NO Heatsinking, it will burn up in a matter of seconds.....
Yeah, but try convincing this crowd of that, they all think LEDs don't get hot. |
Appreciate
0
|
07-27-2007, 11:49 AM | #4 | |
Major General
364
Rep 5,842
Posts
Drives: 2006 325xi
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: South Central Connecticut
|
Quote:
a 5 mm LED runs at 20ma of power a 3 watt LED runs at 700ma a 5 watt LED runs at 1000ma, aka 1Amp |
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-27-2007, 08:19 PM | #6 |
Major General
364
Rep 5,842
Posts
Drives: 2006 325xi
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: South Central Connecticut
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-28-2007, 04:05 PM | #8 |
Major General
364
Rep 5,842
Posts
Drives: 2006 325xi
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: South Central Connecticut
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
07-28-2007, 11:04 PM | #9 |
General
539
Rep 18,123
Posts |
Thanks for the info, nice post.
__________________
Current: 2010 Alpine White 335D LCI l 19" BBS LMs l KW V2 Coilovers l BMW Performance Grilles l MSport Front/Rear l Karbonwerke Trunk l F1 Pinnacle Tint 35% Former: E92 Space Grey 335i Latest pics |
Appreciate
0
|
07-29-2007, 12:02 AM | #10 |
Major
47
Rep 1,433
Posts |
Very nice post mds. I know there are many members on this forum who highly respect you and your knowledge of LEDs, so maybe this information will knock some sense into some people.
__________________
|
Appreciate
0
|
Bookmarks |
|
|