RE: xenon's vs projector

["merlin" <merlin@ameritech.net>]

Ok...lemme ask you this...I can get projectors for $400.  Xenon's will cost
me $1200-$1400.  Does the end justify the means?  I mean if they are better,
are they $800-$1000 better?

Kevin


-----Original Message-----
From:	Brett Dikeman [mailto:brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net]
Sent:	Saturday, October 09, 1999 9:43 PM
To:	merlin@ameritech.net; Quattro List
Subject:	Re: xenon's vs projector
Importance:	High

okOne is a bulb(light generating) technology, the other is a
light-aiming/throwing technology.  They are completely different.
Projector beams came into popular use in a bunch of different cars just a
couple years ago.  Think of a slide projector with a metal template(instead
of slide of you at Mt. Washington talking to Frank Sprongl), and that metal
template is the shape of how you want the beam pattern to come out of the
light.  Probably something along the lines of a beam that gets wider the
lower you go, but at its highest point is around the width of the average
road(with possible spill to the side of the road for seeing obstacles.)
Xenon(High Intensity Discharge, or HID) is a kind of bulb that uses a
constant arc of electricity through a gas(xenon in this case) that is much
like how a neon bulb works.  Xenon causes the arc to generate light at a
color "temperature"(measured in thousands of Kelvin) which is higher than
that of light generated by a glowing filament in halogen gas.
Not only that, but HID generates light much more efficiently; greater light
outputs, with less electrical energy and less heat for an equal-light-output
halogen bulb.
This is the same reason HID bulbs are used presentation projectors and such.
Because of the brightness of HID light sources, they have to be controlled
very carefully.  Cars with HID lights must be equipped with automatic
levelling.  Some HID systems probably use projector lights.  BMW, Lexus,
Infinity, Mercedes, Audi(a6, a8, tt, etc.)
This has been the subject of many a posting on the Q list, please consult
online resources(Yahoo is a good start.)  Listers, please don't post further
on this.

Brett


At 1:11 PM -0400 10/9/99, merlin wrote:
>What's the difference between the two?
>Merlin

----

Brett Dikeman
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