FIRST LED HEADLAMP

Truck-Lite’s new 7-in. round LED headlamps are the first such lights in commercial production, and have entered service on a wide variety of military vehicles. Some final development work recently took place at the Army Cold Regions Test Center near Fairbanks, Alaska, where technicians rigorously tested the lamps.

The headlamps are much easier on the eyes, and should last through the 20- to 30-year lifetime of military vehicles, they reported, according to Truck-Lite.

The LED lamps have also undergone hot-weather testing at military installations in Panama and Nevada. They meet or exceed all applicable government requirements and can replace any standard 7-in. round headlight within 24-volt applications. They can be aimed using standard mechanical aiming equipment.

Advanced headlight design and a wide array of design and engineering possibilities are made possible, the maker says, because the small size of LEDs enables them to be seamlessly integrated into sophisticated tractor designs.

Each headlamp uses 10 Luxeon LEDs (from Philips Lumileds) as its light source, the resulting light output claimed to be brighter than traditional glass beam headlights with greater light projection. The LEDs in the headlamp are said to produce a crisper, whiter light output than even the brightest halogen sealed or bulb-replaceable lamps available today. The color temperature of the new assembly is around 5000 degree K, says Truck-Lite, far closer to the sun’s light than incandescent or halogen lamps, which will mean greater forward vision. And while a typical headlamp may be rated to last 400 hours, the new Truck-Lite lamps are expected to exceed that by as much as 50 times. They feature potted circuit board assemblies for shock and vibration resistance and polycarbonate lenses that are said to have 30 times more impact strength than glass.

Initial production is limited to 24-volt headlamps, but the company says it’s actively testing 12-volt versions which should go into production shortly. Pricing has not yet been set.
 


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