LED bulbs not so bad

(sigh) When I was in (high) school, a buddy's shiny new Audi (?) got *ss-ended by another friend's "old chevy" (?). They were exiting the school parking lot doing ~15MPH (?) coasting into the stop sign at the end of the driveway. Audi stopped, then pulled into the roadway. Chevy saw Audi continue into the roadway and turned his attention to the left (to track the oncoming vehicle in the roadway to judge when *he* could enter).

Audi apparently had a change of heart and reapplied brakes before entering roadway.

No trunk left. Back seat would be difficult to sit in.

Chevy had *no* apparent damage!

Later, discovered that a piece of Chevy's grillwork had snapped from the "stress of the impact". A bit of epoxy and all was well. Audi was, IIRC, totalled.

Nowadays, fender benders are the real issue. And, unortunately, you only have *half* of a "say" in that possibility!

Reply to
Don Y
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No. You refuse to acknowledge that the world doesn't consist solely of flat roadways, divided highways, rational drivers, etc.

When I leave my subdivision, I am pointed uphill. At the crest of the hill is a light. Traffic coming *towards* me is ABOVE me. Simple geometry (ray tracing) suggests the centerline of my headlights will *climb* with respect to the other car's elevation as long as the uphill slope of my roadway exceeds the ~2 inches per 25 ft that my headlights are intended to AIM DOWNWARD.

If my headlights are already "high up", then they've got a head start in their journey to the opposing driver's eyes.

Opposing driver is in his left turn lane. I am in my left turn lane. MY HEADLIGHTS WILL SHINE DIRECTLY ON THE FRONT OF HIS VEHICLE. Neither of us are on "the wrong side of the road". Yet, my body is "farther left" than *his* body! I.e., my RIGHT headlight can hit him square on just as easily as my left.

We're both *stopped* in these positions -- and will remain so for the better part of a minute. Unlike if we were *traveling* in opposing directions. So, we each have plenty of time to notice the other's lights in our eyes.

As mine are closer to points of light (than a traditional, large "sealed beam" light that spreads the light out *before* it leaves the reflector), mine will appear brighter. As mine are three individual point sources side by side, he can mistakenly think of them as "multiple bulbs" -- instead of the single "lighting element" that they represent.

Draw a little picture. "It's really basic middle school geometry level stuff."

As I said, if we had a "problem", folks would CONSTANTLY be flashing their brights at us. Coming face to face with a police officer should result in an instant citation, right?

Reply to
Don Y

We live in an area know for retirees. People don't come here for careers but, rather, to get away from the cold, enjoy the outdoors year round, etc.

SWMBO has already had both eyes done. As have many of our friends.

So far, I don't think I have much vision loss from that sort of thing. Though I notice my near-in vision is now degrading (can't read small print at anything closer than ~18".

Distance vision has been a problem for decades -- mainly due to astigmatism. Without glasses, I *count* the letters in street name signs to determine if it's likely to be the street that I am looking for. :>

OTOH, I *do* notice that my eyes are much slower in reacting to intensity changes. Looking at a bright object and then trying to read something less well lit takes a noticeable amount of time.

Reply to
Don Y

I was driving from Chitown to Beantown many years ago.

Hit fog somewhere in Indiana. Kept to the left lane (commensurate with my speed) and tracked the solid white line (divided highway). Proud of my cleverness (foolishness?)! Everyone following on my tail -- no doubt clinging to my tail lights.

Until I got to a stretch in Ohio (?) where the roadway had been repaved.

And, none of the markings yet painted!

Immediately slowed down -- which brought loud protestations from the horns of all those folks riding behind me! New puzzle: how do I find the *right* edge of the roadway (so I can be Mr Slowpoke) without any means of knowing when I've crossed a lane -- or three!

I suspect I would do lots of things differently, at my current age!

Reply to
Don Y

Looks like fender bender but total write off. Neighbor's kid in junior hockey team(dad was a NHL player for some years, a nice family) car had some front driver side fender damage but did not look good coz windows was smashed. Sure enough it was a write off. Similar thing happened to my kid with his first Subaru RS(non turbo) Tow truck driver did not like the looks of the damage. He was right. We are just thankful he became a decent driver after going thru 3 cars.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

You think premolded LED array assembly which is part of car body can be adjusted like old head lights? I bet LED arrays passed DOT testing and legally approved.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

When you're sitting at a light with another oncoming vehicle *directly* in front of you (e.g., both of you in your center/left-turn lanes) you usually don't have a choice.

Likewise, if someone pulls up behind you, you don't have a choice.

(We pulled up behind an MGB this afternoon. Had our headlights been on, they would have gone over that driver's head!)

Driving in front of a Hummer, lifted truck, etc. in a "conventional" car leaves you in this situation. Even turning the center rear view mirror aside, you're still blasted with light from both (properly aimed!) side mirrors as well as the flood of light coming in through your rear window.

And, he's going to *stay* there for some period of time (indefinitely if you're at a traffic signal) -- or, until you annoy him enough to get him to pass you...

Reply to
Don Y

Don Y wrote in alt.home.repair:

Go play tootsies with someone else.

Reply to
cshenk

Cars have been around for well over 100 years. Something that happened

30 years ago is relatively recent!

Note that cars now show turn signal indications on their side mirrors. This, of course, does nothing for the driver of the vehicle! Rather, it puts ANOTHER turn signal indication in a place where oncoming vehicles can be "surprised" by it.

Our CHMSL is intensity modulated (dim/bright) when the brakes are initially applied. I.e., another "surprise" to wake up the dozing driver behind us...

Reply to
Don Y

We didn't like those features (different manufacturers call them different things). See my other post re: the "forward-looking-technology failures".

We were concerned that the collision avoidance logic might kick in unexpectedly (note that I am not saying it is doing so ERRONEOUSLY but, rather, UNEXPECTEDLY). So, imagine pouncing on the accelerator to pass a large truck and, as you pull into oncoming traffic, you sense the engine output being throttled back -- because the system "saw" the truck and thought you were going to hit it, etc.

Volvo (?) has a package that will work in city driving and detect

*pedestrians*! I wonder how often drivers curse it for slamming on the brakes each time some fool steps off the curb?

We opted for the blind spot warning system to hopefully catch hazards that may "suddenly" manifest (seems like looking over shoulder gets harder for many people as they get older?). Likewise, there's something that beeps and indicates in the backup camera display to indicate when vehicles are approaching from either side. Again, for folks who can't look over their shoulders easily.

The other "stuff" that it dragged into the sale would never have been on our list (navigation, sound system, sun roof, cruise, etc.). But, the power liftgate will probably prove helpful for SWMBO as she lugs lots of supplies to her various "outings" throughout the week. (I tend to disable it and manually open/close to save wear and tear on the mechanism)

Really wish the glovebox was useful -- for something more than GLOVES! Likewise, some extra storage under seats, trunk, etc. (sigh)

Reply to
Don Y

All you have to do is IGNORE my posts and you won't see them! Gee, isn't that wunnerful?

I think I'll go toalk to the sheriff tomorrow. Be nice to KNOW I'm right. And, see how folks can so blindly exhibit faulty logic.

(Occam's Razor. Easier to believe factory built car wrong? But, only *some* folks notice it and alert us to that? Or, that those same folks get light caught in their eyes and have only one instinctive reaction: flash their high beams? I bet you believe 9/11 was a massive CIA conspiracy, too! :> )

Reply to
Don Y

I realized my eye sight is not what it used to be when I installed remote starter on a car lately. wiring half dozen wires after finding them from the harness, soldering wires under the dash in awkward position. I don't think I can do the job any more after this one. Lucky I did not make any mistakes. Couple glitches, I could fix by reflashing Blade firmware setting some option bits.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Implementation is for lower life forms.

I propose that everyone traveling west to east wear polarized glasses and cars traveling from east to west have lights that are polarized in a different plane. (sarcasm alert!)

Reply to
Robert Green

I do "fine work" with a stereo microscope that gives me about 30X magnification (great for working with "fine pitch" electronic components). The binocular nature gives me some depth perception so I'm not just looking at a "flat" image. If I have to do a lot of it, I can hook up a camera to the eyepiece and watch it on a monitor (sacrificing the depth perception).

I "discovered" my near vision issue trying to plug a cable into the rear of one of my PC's. They are all located on the floor beneath my work benches. So, the backs of each are perhaps 6 inches from the wall -- enough clearance for cables, etc.

*But*, when trying to peer behind them (without moving them as that is difficult with all the attached cables), you need to be pretty close to see the detail you need. Sort of cramming your head up against the wall and trying to "bend" your vision to see in the back side.

At this close range, things are now too blurry to make out even the overall shape of connector shells (e.g., is this 'D' shell narrow on top? or bottom?).

Now, I use an autofocus camera that is coupled to a pair of LCD monitors installed in *eyeglasses*. Put the glasses on, point the camera in the right direction and you see whatever

*it* sees -- regardless of the direction your head is facing!

(The set of smaller photos in the listing can be examined for more details)

So, no need to cram into that tiny space anymore. OTOH, it is "confusing" to be looking in one direction and moving your arms/hands in an entirely different direction... and convincing your brain that this is "normal"! :<

For things like connector orientation, I cheat and just take a

*photo* with an autofocus camera -- then "preview" the resulting image before deleting it! [ObTrivia: digital cameras make cheap Ir remote testers!]
Reply to
Don Y

I just read

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Nomatter the height of the light there is a small trgt range to hit at the 25' distance. Another factor is horizontal aim, but some desighns have little control over it.

Although you state the light is not comumner, the desighn does limit the amount of light beamed to the left of the car so it does not blind the oncoming cars.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

How about blinding all the light like war time.... No more shining into your eyes.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Outfit each car with a white cane!

Reply to
Don Y

Left of the car? Would that be right of the car? I am confused.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Just got back tonight from thanksgiving with my dad who is ill:( and my brother.

my brother reported he installed LED bulbs in his outdoor lights on a light detector, the bulbs flickered and burned out.......

he didnt believe me when i said oh buy dimable LED bulbs, they cost a bit more , but the light detectors actually dim the bulbs and with a non dimable LED, causes them to burn out.

just so happened i had a similiar issue on my pole light when converting to LED bulb.

my goal is to be ALL LED shortly.

They work well and have actually cut our electric bill.

Reply to
bob haller

And that target area is RELATIVE TO THE HEIGHT OF THE HEADLAMP, not the ground! I.e., a headlamp located 30 inches above grade will "hit the roadway" farther away (from the headlamp) than a headlamp located 25 inches off the roadway. So, "car height matters".

And, the resulting downward angle is almost immeasurable: 2 inches over 25 feet. A roadway with a 1:150 slope would be comparable (i.e., practically indistinguishable from "flat"). As such, if your vehicle is on even the slightest of upward roadway slopes, the headlamp "beam" will CLIMB as it leaves your vehicle. If another vehicle is directly in front of you (as in two opposing vehicles each in their respective COINCIDENT left turn lanes) then your lamps will shine directly into the other driver's eyes. And there's nothing you nor the factory nor the dealer can do about it. "Simple geometry" :>

And some designs have no independent control over the "high" element.

Conventional headlight designs have one bulb with two filaments and/or two bulbs. I.e., two physical light sources which can potentially be adjusted independently of each other.

In our case, there are *5* light sources in each headlamp; three for the "low" beam and 2 for the "high" beam. Without even looking at the car, I can safely state that the two "highs" are not adjustable independently of each other. Nor are the three "lows". Doing so would add far too much labor to what should be a trivial manufacturing task ("insert headlight assembly") -- having to make *10* adjustments just to ensure all 10 elements (2x(3+2)) are pointed in their correct directions.

The role of the *optics* is to constrain the beam's dispersal pattern. Otherwise, light exits the "lamp" in an uncontrolled manner. A laser is the typical example of highly coherent light -- it *all* goes in one tight, narrow beam. There's no "splashover" in unintended directions.

Headlamps that resolve to *points* at long distances would be completely impractical. They wouldn't show you more than "two particular points" on the roadway from any given car position and orientation. Imagine fastening two laser pointers to the front of your vehicle... *But*, they wouldn't venture astray and end up in another driver's eyes! :>

So, you want to allow the headlamps to cast a wide beam -- without crossing a line into "oncoming traffic". (assuming, of course, that your car isn't POINTED into oncoming traffic due to the geometry of the roadway, etc.)

The optics on the five "bulbs" in each of our headlamps differ based on the intent of the light they emit. The 3 "low beam" emitters (towards the outside of the vehicle) are almost (hemi)spherical in appearance. They look like 1.5" glass BALLS! The actual emitters (LEDs) are located directly behind them -- pointing forward THROUGH these globular lenses.

By contrast, the 2 "high beam" emitters are located *below* the "bulbs" (loosely speaking... "the points at which the light appears to exit the headlamp"). They face SKYWARD! Instead of a globular lens, they shine into a curved mirror, of sorts, so the light takes a right-angle turn as it leaves the headlamp. No doubt, this allows the light greater leeway in its path forward.

Best think in terms of inside/outside -- you want to orient the light field from the headlamp(s) towards the roadside instead of towards oncoming traffic.

Reply to
Don Y

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