HID
lights, (High Intensity Discharge lights) refer to lighting technology
that relies on an electrical charge to ignite xenon gas in a sealed
bulb. The light produced is similar to the light
produced by the sun.
"HID's" do not have a filament but instead create light by igniting an
electrical discharge between two electrodes in an airtight tiny quartz
capsule filled with xenon gas. This is why this style of high-performance lighting is also called
Xenon Lighting! The HID xenon
lamp
works based on the on the gas
discharge
principle, where an arc of light is created between two electrodes in a
glass tube filled with metal salts and inert gases.
HID
lighting produces more light and uses less energy than a standard bulb.
The quality of light emitted by HID's is closer to that of natural
daylight, making them preferable for automotive applications.
How does High
Intensity Discharge lighting compare with incandescent (standard)
lighting?
In
order to compare types of lighting, a basic understanding of how High
Intensity Discharge lighting works is necessary. A standard
incandescent light consists of a tungsten filament inside a gas-filled
bulb.
When the bulb is turned on, a current is sent through the filament
creating a high current draw. Tungsten has a high electrical
resistance, so the current generates heat, which then produces
light.
(Standard
filament bulb)
The
gas inside the bulb slows the evaporation of the tungsten filament, but
eventually the heat will cause the filament to decay enough to break,
causing the light bulb to literally “burn” out.
(This
is a burnt out standard filament bulb-notice the broken tungsten coil.
This happened due to the light burning too hot for too long)
Many
light bulb manufactures claim
that theirincandescent
"hyper white" bulbs will give you the HID look, but the truth is that
these are still regular filament style bulbs with good marketing and
poor performance! Most of the "HID look" light bulbs on the
market are
simply painted with a transparent blue paint that fades over time (see
Pic), some are filled with some kind of "magic gas" that is supposed to
give you true HID quality, but both are just gimmicks to trick you into
buying their bulbs.Only true HID/Xenon lights, like we sell, will give you real HID lighting performance.
HID's have a
capsule of gas instead of the tungsten filament.
The gas is actually used to produce light instead of simply slowing the
decay of the bulb. Two electrodes are positioned close together and
hermetically sealed inside the gas capsule. The electrodes are wired
to ballast
containing a circuit board with several high current capacitors,
transistors, and resistors. The ballast acts as the light's control
center, igniting the light and then regulating its power flow.
(HID ballast)
When
the ballast ignites, it takes in a small amount of power and creates an
intense charge of electricity across the electrodes. This electrical
charge excites the gas molecules inside the bulb and causes them to
discharge photon particles, producing light. Because the light is based
on this gas discharge, HID's only produce about 5% of their total
output at ignition and can require up to 30 seconds to warm up to full
power. If the light
is turned off, it must cool to a certain temperature
before it can be re-ignited. This is a small amount of time,
unusually
in the range of about 2-3 seconds
This
process creates several significant advantages over a standard light
bulb. Because heat is not a necessary component of light production in
HID lights, they are able to produce more light at a much cooler
temperature. HID lights are also far more efficient
because the
electrical current is only the catalyst for the gas to discharge its
light particles, not a burning filament. The ballast regulates a
constant flow of power only to keep the gas molecules excited, while a
standard light requires a constant intense electrical current to keep
the filament hot. HID bulbs will last longer than standard bulbs, since
there is no filament to burn out, and will continue to produce full
light even toward the end of its "life."
In
addition to being more efficient, HID's also produce a brighter and
more intense light because the entire capsule of gas is used instead of
just a small filament in the middle of the bulb.
This also means that the light will be distributed more evenly than
with a standard bulb. This advantage in light quality is a major reason
why HID systems are preferable for automotive lights. Motorists are
able to see much more clearly and farther down the road with HID lights
than with standard halogen headlights. In fact, many car manufacturers
are including HID lights as part of their standard package instead of
making them a luxury upgrade.
What other
features make HID's better than regular light bulbs?
One of the most noticeable features of HID lighting is the colors of
light produced. In HID lighting the color emitted by the bulb
is
measured using the Kelvin scale. This basically means that
the color
is varied due to its temperature. For instance, the HID kits
we sell
will range in color scale from 4300k (super bright white)-12000k
(bright white with blue tint). We also offer “Dark Blue” for
those
that want the “bluest” of headlights.
*Special
Note* Before
deciding on the color you want you need to know what you are looking
for first, Looks or Performance. If you are looking for performance,
you should consider the 6000K version which will give you the
most
light output, however it will not display any blue tint. On the other
hand, if you are looking for color, you need to get something between
8000K, and 12000K, or the ultimate in color, our “Dark Blue, or
Purple.” However, you will not get as much light output with the
intensely colored HID’s as you will with the 6000K.If you want
the best mixture of light output and color you need to get the 8K which
happens to be our best seller.
SEE OUR HID COLOR CHART BELOW!
*You will find that the higher number "K" goes the more blue the HID
lights get.
4300k
HID bulb
6000k
HID bulb
8000k
HID bulb
10000k
HID bulb
12000k
HID bulb
DARK
BLUE BULB
Quick
Comparison ofHID lighting VS
halogen (incansdescent-OE) lights
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The
gas inside the bulb slows the evaporation of the tungsten filament, but
eventually the heat will cause the filament to decay enough to break,
causing the light bulb to literally “burn” out.
that their
