http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Arrays-Directional/XLamp-XHP50
Under Variations
Oh yeah I have seen that, but that is strange because when you open up the data sheet, it is showing 90 CRI min up to 7000k under ANSI type bins. Easywhite bins are up to 5000k only.
This is not very straight forward.
PrinceValorum, also, a 4000k light bar will cost about $50 more than a 5000k, as Cutter has a much better price ($6.5/LED) and they do not stock any 4000k 50’s.
edit: Plus extra shipping costs.
Wonder if some of that stuff is special project orders. Like some contractor who does lights in Las Vegas probably special orders direct, thousands at a time. Who knows.
I’m not sure what quantity you’re looking to buy them in, but I did see after a quick look (not thorough at all), that at a 100 quantity, these are less than $6 for a 80 CRI 4000k with decent output.
I’m not concerned with a little less output for higher quality light. I put a high CRI warm XHP70 in my Convoy L6 and love it. I lost a bit of output, but now I have a smile on my face instead of a frown when I turn it on. 
My headlights are halogens, and I doubt they’re even as cool as 4000k. I would prefer something easy on the eyes at night.
New to this thread, so bear with me…
Nope, has nothing to do with that. It’s called “load dump”, and happens when the magnetised coils in the alternator have all this stored energy, the alternator stops, and all that pent-up energy has to go somewhere. So it can hit spikes up to 35V or more.
It’s the same principle behind boost converters, that you charge up a coil, suddenly cut the current, and the energy spikes higher than the input voltage.
Modern car electronics have to be able to withstand those spikes, but thankfully they’re distributed across the whole electrical system, so each component only has to dissipate its own small part of it.
Even LED drivers that can’t handle those spikes can suffer damage. Zeners, MOVs, etc., can help.
I gotta confess, it looks more like a sound-bar than a light-bar. 
Lookit all them woofers! 
Interesting read from the beginning… can’t wait ’til I get to the end!
PMMA? Transmission would be a function of thickness, of course, but I’m not sure how it compares to PC.
And if you would send the work offshore, before you’d even get yours into production, you’d be seeing exact clones being sold cheaper on Amazon and Ebay by outfits like HappyLucky99, SunMoonStar, and BrightLightAtHome…
I hear ya…
I needed a stealthier option when driving with the brights isn’t an option. In my last car, I had a set of aftermarket pencil-beam 55W halogens that were so touchy as far as aiming that I could spend a half-hour in an empty parking lot at night just adjusting one side. But when done, would light up a beautiful “trail” on the roadway, and still light up retroreflective signs a half-mile away. And given their aim, sure, they’d light up a car coming at you at a distance, but by the time the car would be close enough for the light to be bothersome, the driver would already be out of the hotspot and you’d only be lighting up his front bumper. Never ever got flashed in return.
My current fogs (different car) are useless, so I was (well, still am) wanting to throw in an array of TIR-based pencil-beams, like ideally 5°–10° from XM-L2s if at all possible.
Great watching this whole project unfold, good luck!
Valorum, I don’t plan on buying LEDs in that quantity (yet), and also that is not on a MCPCB yet, so you add another $3.00 for that. So you are pretty close to the Mountain Electronics price again, plus my time to reflow an LED is not even considered.
Halogens are around 3200k + in automotive lights. Very high CRI, well 100 CRI to be specific.
I am looking at a 90+CRI 5000k to test, I might just like it more than lumens…
Ah, gotcha. I wasn’t sure what scale you were aiming for. I wish we were closer so I could help!
When I was in the Smokies and it was pitch dark, my gf was driving, and I shined my L6 out the window. It has an XHP70 N2 5A in it, and it blended right in with my headlights. She was blown away, as was I. The output really helped, since it was a dark rainy night that just gobbled up light, on top of twisty mountain roads.
If it’s more to do a one-off run for me, it’ll be worth it for me. Don’t halt your testing, though, I’m interested to see what you think of different options!
LightBringer, it does look a bit like a center sound bar doesn’t it. If it is going to be Acrylic, it is going to be TruVue Optium Museum PMMA, 99% light transmission rate, 1% reflection, and blocks 99% of UV radiation (in the 300 - 380nm range).
If you want a good fog light, that is going to be one of my next projects after this one… XPL-HI’s or xhp35 HI, either Gaggione’s LLC49E TIR flat elliptical or Carclo’s 30mm TIR that is in the light bar, a nice tight flat beam of 41.2 ~ 7.6 Degrees.
Is there a significant difference in the replacement price of the different kinds of the acrylic/glass covering? I’m just curious.
Hah, I was with a buddy of mine who has a Thrunite spot light (TN32?) with XM-L2. We were driving with it, but since it is a cool white (6000k was my guess) you just couldn’t make out details like you can with a neutral or warm white. This same friend has actually just changed his mind of what tint he wants, he also would like 4000k… so it looks like it will happen. If Cutter is able to get some 4000k 50’s in for me that would be ideal, if not, Mountain is the only place I can find. I also am going to test some 90CRI 5000k 50’s.
Probably, I have asked TruVue on price quote, but I can’t seem to get it out of them, maybe I will just go local and see what they have. PC is cheap as nails really.
Kewl… Suggested PMMA before, but wasn’t sure about how it holds up to UV (clouding, yellowing, etc.).
I want something to fit into my fogs, but that’d be more like pencil-beams for lots of “reach” down long dark roads like I used to have.
I’d probably go with the Gagg spots you have in the lightbar, or something similar.
Was going to try 20mm 5° TIR lenses with XM-L2s to see how they turn out (beam, brightness) before committing to 1/multiple per side. I just want something I can ride around with even in “the city”, ie, light up stuff far off but still not blind anyone coming in my direction. That means a narrow spot and careful aiming.
I would love to see a 20mm 5 ° TIR lens that does it with a XM-L2, at least with any kind of efficiency (Cd/Lm). Do you have one that you can link?
You are likely better off mounting a pencil beam as high up on the grill as possible, the higher off the ground you go, the further the beam can reach down the road before blinding on coming traffic.
Well, here’s 8°, at least, https://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Reflector-Collimator-Degree-10pcs/dp/B011HFSIDM/ .
And the “shoe” for XM-L is Amazon.com as long as you don’t mind getting 15° with it.
I’m using the XM-L shoe with a variety of TIRs (they’re interchangeable) in my modded MiniMag. Can swap the lens to change the beam, depending on your mood.
Also, FT sells a 21mm aspheric lens that turns it into a nice even flood.
Would draw too much attention. Want to keep it “stealth”, like my old pencil-beams looked like fogs.
Like I said, aim was critical.
—
Just to add: the shoe for XM-Ls has a square cutout to fit XM-sized emitters (7mm?). You can’t use an XP/XM adapter ring with it.
[quote=Lightbringer]
What if you rotate the XP-sized emitter 45 degrees so the corners hit the flats of the XM-sized hole? I’ve seen guys on here do it before, but haven’t tried it myself. Of course I can’t find a picture now, but it would be rotated like this:
[quote=PrinceValorum]
Unno, never tried it.
In a modded MiniMag, the front bezel holds the TIR from the top and keeps it centered, and assuming the star is centered on the pill, it should be close to a perfect “fit” as far as centering the emitter in the TIR’s opening.
On a flat plate/heatsink, you really do want the shoe to keep the emitter centered in the TIR, because there’s nothing else doing it.
For “bead” type LEDs, there’s a black holder that has little stumps that fit perfectly in the side-notches of 20mm stars. These for XM-Ls, no such luck, as the shoe is pretty much cone-shaped like a flat-bottom reflector.
what I am proposing instead of costly machining of the housing would be possibly an amazon light bar & change the optics/led to suit the application for superior output. This is the equivalent of buying a flashlight & modding it.
Making a light from scratch is fun too though! Desk top milling machine Mike is about 30 minutes away & my dad keeps telling me to pull the trigger on this, lol. Of course I would need the one with the DRO & the red handles, lol. By the way, I'm going to Calgary next month if you want to me throw something in my luggage for you guys, lol.