Lighting the Bic

[PDQSHIP@aol.com]

In a message dated 96-01-06 11:27:46 EST, you write:

>
>I just want to add my 2 roubles here on this subject:
>
>1) One of the problems with Audi lights until 1994 or so is the glass lens.
>It
>too has to conform to DOT specs and in doing so as cheaply as possible, it
>absorbs a great deal of light - just like the old Taurus.

A very thick lens will do that.......  And a manufacturing process that isn't
the same as the eurolites
>
>2) The reflector is an exact copy of the Euro one, but that was designed for
>a
>fore and aft filament and not the east-west variety. I am told by Osram,
that
>as liitle as 2mm misplacement of the filament can reduce reflector
efficiency
>by 50%. This is part of the reason why those of us who have upped our
wattage
>by 100% can hardly tell the difference. The filament is in the wrong place
to
>start with!

THIS IS KEY.......  The placement of a "mike" on a satalite dish is the exact
same theory in radio.....  Light is no different, the more round and focused
you make the spot you are trying to reflect (reflector) and refract (lens)
the more accurate the outcome....  I have proposed this argument too many
times in the past year, and it is the reason increasing wattage is not going
to give a "better" light....  What is happening on an east west filament, is
that there is no spot to focus, but more a rectangle of lite......  So, the
reflector takes only a part of the actual "lite" available, the rest is
bounced reflected and then bent, but to areas the designers of the light
never intended, in other words, just spread with no pattern....  In a north
south arrangement the lite is a round spot of lite with  a defined shape and
size.....   That is the easiest to focus, and all source light is controlled:
reflected and refracted......   The reason for an H4 bulb, or an H2, or
H1....  The H3 has the same prollum as the 9004 bulb, an east west
arrangement (H3 are found in almost all "facory" driving/fog lites)  vs fore
aft.....  Now, there are some 9004 replacements (I have in 55/65 form) that
have a fore aft filament....  Yes these are better for the scatter theory,
but the lens and the reflector are not designed for it, so a marginal
improvement at best, I notice a little "cleaner" white light on lowbeam, and
no improvement at hi, and unacceptabe hi when I tried the 55/100........

>3) Discharge lights are the same basic concept as the things used to light
>stadiums today. Problem always was, that they did not deliver full power for
>some period after they switched on. Until 1987, this was at least 30 mins. A
>us
>company invented an instant restrike capability, but it demands an expensive
>electronic ballast. So it will be a long time before any existing lighting
>system can be replaced by one of these. The new Osram designed and licensed
>products on Audi, BMW etc are wired to handle the product for design. This
>stuff will not even be economicaly recoverable from a write off.  Too bad.

As eric said, not in our lifetime.........

So, the question becomes what to do?   Well the euro lites are expensive.....
 So maybe aux liting should be considered....  The hella aux low beams are a
good start.....  Hella or Cibie/Marshal fogs would be a good addition up
close.....  A nice set of removable aux drivings (hi beam) will smoke a set
of H4's cuz the H4 like a driving/fog is asked to perform two duties, a low
and a high beam.....  You can only "optimize" one or the other not
both.......  And all this can be custom installed for less than the cost of
those euros.....   Something to consider......

East west lite bulbs

9004 
H3

Fore aft

H1  55w or 100w
H2  55w or 100w
H4  variety of combos from 55/65 to 100/130's

Hope this sheds some lite on the subject......

Scott