Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:37:06 -0700
Reply-To: Mike Miller <mwmiller6@ATT.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Miller <mwmiller6@ATT.NET>
Subject: Re: Headlights
In-Reply-To: <CAO+YcsJAVfeOFFVtD4an9L22Q5qS=wNLjwiPWaWcrXbgrvXZJA@mail.gmail.com>
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I have the e codes, nice lights but no, they're not a pittance, at least not for me. They cost $5 or 600 used.
And I understand the Afghanis paid us to be able to send you back, something about crotchety old f*** I believe.
Nice seeing you albeit briefly at SyncroFest.
Mike from Cotati
On Apr 24, 2013, at 8:19 AM, Al Knoll wrote:
> Like pouring coffee into a drunk. The headlight optics stock on the
> rectangulars is horrid. Add more lumens (watts is a measure of the power
> the capsules aka bulbs draw) and voila a wide awake drunk. Still awful but
> now really awful.
>
> Pattern: the shape of the illuminated area
> Cutoff: the vertical component of the pattern
>
> For an ideal system the pattern covers just what you want to see, not the
> oncoming drivers windscreen, with excellent road side illumination for the
> occasional suicidal deer or other critter.
>
> The sharp cutoff european LHD standard is almost perfect for the
> application. Either in bentstraits fashionable rectangular lenses or the
> 7" sharp cutoff round lenses. These implementations if properly aimed
> don't dazzle the bobbies and are an easy upgrade.
>
> The almost perfect comment is in regard to the inability to have both the
> ideally
> aimed high beam and the ideally aimed sharp cutoff low beam. Has to do
> with the optics of the lenses, not a changeable feature. The relationship
> between the COB center of beam between high and low is a compromise on
> installations where the mounting center of the lens is too high
> (vanagon). For normal driving one would like the cutoff slightly
> depressed from the vertical so as to take maximum advantage of that near
> perfect pattern, in town and on the road. Unfortunately that raises the
> high beam pattern to illuminate the trees and not the road. Great for
> jacklighting owls not so great for ordinary driving.
>
> The ideal system has compensation built into the reflector itself. The
> independently aimable low and high beams allow virtually perfect pattern
> aiming. Not so fast there bunkie! Stop the drooling and listen up. The
> rectangular E-codes of bentbtst8 lore are a pittance compared with the
> ultimate. A used pair of Marchal Ampilux 7" can often be found at a
> bargain basement price of say 300 to 500 dollars. These can be
> independently aimed and no they don't use H4s but rather two capsules per
> reflector to permit the independent aiming. As close to St. Francis as
> you can get for ordinary money.
>
> Aim them suckers frequently, that cutoff pattern is what you crave, ideally
> aimed, and properly powered.
>
> Brazil makes an h4-h1 lens thingy that fits early busses, might be
> adaptable for vanagons.
> 'Nother solution is designing a four lens system that uses the larger
> rectangular h4 lenses in all four spots. An artesian I seen oncet had em.
>
> Let there be light...
>
> Pensionerd (rumours of my capture in afghanistan were overated)
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