Re: Does the BF falcon have LED tail-lights??

"Saab C900 Viggenist" <c900@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:fus79t$hpp$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "Trevor Wilson" <trevor@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
>
>
>>"Saab C900 Viggenist" <c900@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>news:fuodkt$5dv$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> the_dawggie <the_dawggie@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
>>>
>>>>David Z wrote:
>>>>> Was behind a Falcon today and noticed the tail-lights had an 
>>>>> interesting
>>>>> pattern.  Instead of a bulb or bulbs, there were lots and lots of 
>>>>> little
>>>>> bright dots arranged in a circular pattern (picture rings around a
>>>>> planet to get an idea).  Although the BA/BF "shape" has been around
>>>>> since '02, I've never really noticed it until now.  Are these
actually
>>>>> LED tail-lights and if so, were they a recent addition or have they
>>>>> always been there?  I think it was a base XT model too.
>>>
>>>>All sorts of aftermarket products are available ...
>>>
>>> And LED replacement lights are really good for reducing energy usage
>>> (which
>>> means less current draw in wiring, etc.),
>
>>**Not so much. UNLESS you are using the very latest and very expensive 
>>LEDs,
>>typical high efficiency white LEDs are approximately as efficient as
>>halogens. The big problem, of course, is operating temperature. LEDs 
>>cannot
>>be allowed to exceed 150oC.
>
> Yes that's one of the major problems - the current crop of
> commercially-available high-power LED's (Luxeon, etc.) require special 
> power
> supplies to drive them (though that isn't really much of a problem), and
> even though they're extremely efficent, they still produce a fair amount

> of
> waste heat that has to be dissipated somewhere.
>
> Then again, if you had to generate the same light output using any type
of
> filament lamp, the waste energy produced due to extremely increased 
> current
> comsumption compared to LED's would result in a fire very, very quickly!
>
> It would be like trying to use a 500 watt halogen spotlight to get the 
> same
> light output of a modern 10 watt high-effiency LED. Or somewhere in that
> order of magnitude.

**Not even close. If you're comparing a late model Cree device, then
figure 
on a 10 Watt LED equalling a 40 Watt halogen. Pretty impressive, but the
LED 
costs ten times more. Then you have to drive the LED correctly. Then you 
have to heat sink the puppy.

I suggest you do some more research. You have no idea of the real figures
in 
this area.

Trevor Wilson