DIY Offroad LED Light Bar

4500K is the border between 4A/4D (below BBL, rosier) and between 4B/4C (above BBL, greener), so the common-as-dirt 4C would be perfect.

In my S2+ with a TIR lens, which mixes the light better and avoids the fried-egginess of reflectors, the 4C is beautiful. White with just a touch of warmth.

’Though, even my 3000K lights at night just make everything “pop”. Takes a bit getting used to, when everything and its grandmother is “cool white”, but once you do, you don’t want to go back. Now, even my 5000K lights look “cool”.

I must doing something wrong. I’ve searched for XP-G2 S4 4C and for XPGBWT-01-0000-00LE4 but no dice. Any pointers?

Yeah, not in a S4 bin, I don’t think.

In XM-L/-L2 and XP-L, 4C is pretty common. Dunno which brightness bin.

Ok, I don’t have any pointers. I will however wholeheartedly argue that you are doing something wrong! :wink:

I have on several occasions in talking with coworkers and acquaintances referred them to this very thread when they start talking light bars. This project and your dedication to excellence is inspiring and a beautiful thing to behold. It’s things like this that make BLF what it is. Well…there is more of course but to watch a DIY project go from start to finish with such outstanding results is very fun for a geek like me. :sunglasses:

For a proper outdoor light experience I’m right there with you on tint preference. This is of course highly subjective but in my opinion (which I completely agree with), a hair under 5000K just brings the world to life. :+1:
I have a few lights from my buddy Simon in 4C and I love that tint. They’re older XM-L2s but my tinted opinion still applies. :slight_smile:

Thanks for the kind words. I do tend to obsess over details. The blacked-out grill on my car, for example. I painted it five times before I was happy wth it. My fingers were raw from sanding it down between paint jobs, but now it’s perfect. Anyway, I’m sure El Jefe Version 2 will go smoothly wth no hiccups…

Not to be ‘that guy’ here, but since you mentioned the main reason you plan on going with XP-G2s in V2.0 is for a tighter beam. Considering the timing, I might drop the suggestion of experimenting with the new XD16s. They should reduce the FWHM another full step from the G2 and have similar lm/LED. Additionally, the tint consistency is supposedly dramatically improved along with efficiency through secondary optics. Also, the Vf will stay inline with the G3. That may or may not be a benefit for your driver efficiency.

If being “that guy” means offering insightful advice to address my issues - then thank you for being that guy!

I missed the threads on the XD16, so I just did a bunch of catchup reading. I think you’re right, it would be a very good fit for this particular application, addressing the problem of too much (many?) lux on the ground in the first 15 meters in front of the car, while sticking with 20mm optics, which would be much preferred to dedoming a bunch of XP-G2s, or a complete redesign with 26.5mm optics.

I will now hold my breath until the XD16 starts shipping.

This is one of the most exciting improvements for me. Cree LEDs rarely let us down on flux, efficacy, cost, availability, and even luminance (esp. w/ HI models). But tint, CRI, and the urine-colored corona next to a magenta-ish spill beam is sure to leave you wanting more. As seen with the HiCRI XP-G3s (maukka’s tests) , they may be high CRI overall, but without a diffuse/mixing optic they are terrible to look at…

Here’s to hoping that there is finally a high CRI, high intensity, decent tinted LED that also has good luminance and lumen density.

Hell, those’d be a godsend for pretty much any’n’every reflector-based flashlight!

I’m getting kinda sick of fried-egg beams, and I can’t convert every light to TIRs.

I’d be happy getting a 26mm TIR to fit my P60s without major surgery.

Hi kevinthefro,

Thanks for posting such a detailed build thread. Your light bar is very impressive and looks great!

Do you have any updates?

How are the drivers holding up so far? (I wonder how they will hold up over time while converting dirty supply voltage from an alternator)

About how many run-time hours do you think you might have accumulated so far?

I hope all is well and you are continuing to blaze a path through the darkness.

I face the same problem that you have.

I have no idea what a 12 volt conversion kit might cost (they can’t be that bad with all that is out there) or how well these lights are ‘suspended’ for shock (if they are)…yet why can’t the average off-roader who isn’t tackling the Baja1000 fab up something simple/relatively inexpensive? If I had my Morris or Westgate yard light (150 watts) properly mounted to our side-by-side I would be more than satisfied with the output. They aren’t much larger than the pics above and have decent/adjustable lenses (Westgate).
If it broke?
$200 is just about nothing when it comes to just about everything off-road.

Not taking anything away here from the OP’s awesome project or trying to throw this off-topic but wondering if a merging of the two concepts (just as lights are ‘modded’ elsewhere) would be worthwhile.

Amazing build, thank you for sharing!

Pics from Saturday night, Doran Scenic Drive in Calico. A group of about 8 very customized vehicles, with all kinds of lights, drove past our campsite and tackled a hill so steep I didn’t even know there was a trail there. I decided to “help” them see where they were going. These are just phone pics but they do give an idea of commercial light bars vs. El Jefe.

As for El Jefe’s durability - no condensation, no LED or driver failures.

Since the XD16 didn’t live up to expectations I’m going to compare candela between XP-G2 and XP-G3 using 26.5mm optics instead of the 20mm optics and see if I can trade some flood for some throw because honestly, the foreground is just too bright.

Thank you for a detailed build report, it really helps me to get ideas for my light bar mod.

MAN….AWESOME!!!
Want to build my set now…. :slight_smile:

I was planning to add some LEP chips in there for long throw… but Might be second stage.
Awesome work!!!

ok old post, a long time since the op has been here.

If the op is still around.
how are the drivers holding up,

Still working, even with water getting in and screws rusting!

Sometimes I think the best approach is to just pot the electronics but leave drain-holes in the enclosure.

I’m starting to think the same thing.