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Those caps look pretty good; it's interesting to see the texture of the 3D printed material. What is the material? If it's ABS, you can smooth it out using an "acetone vapor" process: look it up (lots of "how tos" on that topic). For this application, the texture might not matter as long as it seals OK.
Funny that you got yours done the same day I finally got a batch made using a completely different approach (subtractive process rather than additive process).
Acetone treatment to printed parts is good for aesthetic purposes, but not for functionality and integrity. The acetone seeps into the crevasses of the part and weakens the bonds. I'd be more inclined to use a filler primer and high temp paint to finish these parts, but I'm not sure there'd be much benefit for the added time (and cost) that would require.
I believe I have stock wattage bulbs... So if someone has a set of high wattage bulbs they can donate or lend, I can offer a set of caps to trade (plus shipping). Otherwise, one can just assume the high wattage bulb results will be somewhere between LED and stock bulbs... Hopefully. I believe there's already been some threads discussing and comparing the two halogen types.
Last edited by traxtar928; 07-10-2017 at 06:32 PM.
This is the low-beams of our adjustable 9004 (H5) LED headlight against the garage door so you can see the light pattern. Given the lens is designed to spray some light up, I think this is pretty darn good. I have been driving these for a while and have yet to have anyone "flash" their brights at me. That said, when I installed them, I did re-aim my headlamps down a bit more than they were. Seems to work fine and I really like the increase in light they provide.
I'm looking at this thread again and I noticed this comparison. I actually don't like the results here very much. Yes it looks brighter all over subjectively - but that can be very misleading. In the before picture what light there is - is well down the road focusing your attention there, in the after picture the brightest area is now immediately in front of the car - that tends to draw your visual attention to that area - which is NOT where it needs to be.
A more ideal pattern is to illuminate more brightly down the road (ideally further down the road) - but to leave the area up close relatively dark.
Maybe this result is due to directing them rather more downward as Carl noted. Overall I'm not sure this is an improvement. I'd go with H4's for brighter lights.
Here are some images of the fitment. I still haven't had time to get beam throw pictures, but I can say that the H4 LED's light up much better than the halogens they replaced. I have my headlights aimed so that from a 50ft distance on a flat surface and aimed at the wall, the cutoff line is about 1ft from the ground. I also have these paired with halogen fog lights, which look VERY yellow compared to the brilliant white of the LED's.
I have also noticed that my voltage system is a bit happier, but I'm still getting serious voltage drop issues while stopped at a red light (separate issue that I cannot diagnose yet).
Here are the o-rings seated in the grooves of the caps. Fit perfectly.
Here is the o-ring seated nicely around the threaded barrel of the LED housing. Snug fit around the threads and no trouble to fit between the OD of the threads and ID of the o-ring groove.
Here you can see there is no issue with wiring getting in the way. The heat sink locks in place with a set screw and there is a small gap between it and the back of the cap to allow the swivel clamps to do their job and not absorb any heat.
Final system wired up with direct power relay/fuse setup.
That headlamp relay system looks very familiar indeed too! On mine I angled the relays inwards at the back - do your pod covers clear them OK even like that?
The whole package fits in the pod without any issue! I might have used your design as a reference... ;-) Thanks for posting such detailed notes.
Thanks very much Alan. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get some light cutoff/throw pictures and lux readings comparing the LED vs Halogen. It gets dark around 9:30pm here in Texas... so it's hard to find time to dedicate to the task, since I have to drive out to the industrial park for a big wall without much ambient light, and bring all my tools and silicone gloves to swap the bulbs without burning myself.
Many people down here in Oz have tried going HID for more light (been available longer than LED), but have fallen foul of national rules that mandate levellers and washers for headlights over 2000 lumen. Some thought it was to do with HIDs, but its related to the light output. I used to wonder what the funny stuff on the Subaru's lights was about, now I know.
jp 83 Euro S AT 57k
But John - except in the US there ARE adjuster/levelers & washers? (or do you mean automatic levelers are mandated?).
The problem with HIDs in H4s is usually the offset arc placement & different shape relative to the filament in an 9003 bulb - the focus is usually quite wrong and often the low beam shielding is poor also (via movable shield or movable capsule). Since there can really only be one arc (slow/distracting turn on - due to arc ignition), it can at best be in the right focal point for one beam type - so if low beam is ~OK then high beam will be very poor (or v-v), or commonly its a compromise for both.
Yes, auto levellers are mandated here, and washers that operate when windscreen washers are used.
jp 83 Euro S AT 57k
Yes agree John, my idea here is to use the late model 928 system with the levelling system designed for the GM Holdens. It works via the front stabiliser bar with a variable resistor. I have aftermarket electronics, so it should be doable.
Thank you for the set you sent me via Roger. Electronics is not my strong suit, as a matter of fact, I consider electricity magic, so I am waiting on a tech session for LED headlight replacement to implement the covers and the LEDs.
Thanks for lending me your cap to take dimensions from and model in solidworks. Let me know when you'd like to do the conversion and I can walk you through it... the job is very easy. You'll spend more time getting the alignment perfect than putting in the bulbs. Minimal electronics knowledge required... I can also sell you a set of pigtails that convert the H5 plug to an H4 plug if you want to keep everything stock.
I have H4s on everything currently except the GTS and that will be my next victim.
I wish I had one of the old inspection station headlight adjuster tools that had the metal rod to show direction and the meter to measure intensity. That would make correct adjustment a breeze.