Most of us GTS geeks will already know what I'm explaining below, but I just want to clarify. Let's end the confusion...
LED: light emitting diode. These are the ultra-compact lamps used in everything from VCR displays to tail lights. Very durable, and getting brighter as the years and technology progress. I won't pretend to know exactly how they work, but it's something like current passing through a chemical substrate that emits light at a certain frequency. They only figured out how to do blue and white(-ish) recently. Currently not at a level where they can be used for headlights. LED's consume very little power, but the light output is difficult to focus, since no single LED is bright enough to replace even the average light bulb (yet), hence the idea of using them in an array. LED's also are what's used in large full-color screens like at the baseball stadium and in Times Square. HID: high intensity discharge. These operate by electrifying a gas inside a small tube, similar to a neon tube. Color of the light is dependant on what gas is used and in what state. Most city street lamps, the orangy-pink ones, are high pressure sodium. These also feature low current draw, but they have a "strike time" or warm-up period to be concerned with. They also have a delay or cool down period before "restriking", once they are turned off . This type of lamp is appearing in many luxury car headlights these days, they give off a blue/violet light. An excellent system if the warm-up and restrike times can be managed. Someone on the list has an HID headlamp in their GTS, and could attest to what the warm-up and restrike delays are like. There are several companies marketing "HID" replacement headlight bulbs (like PIAA for example). True HID requires a transformer, and the lamp itself contains no filament. No replacement lamp alone will change your headlight from standard halogen/incandescent to HID. Any true HID conversion will include a transformer, like the kit sold by Baja Designs. Companies like PIAA exploit the public's lack of understanding about HID to sell halogen lamps that appear bluish, like those in luxury cars, and at a considerable mark-up over regular white lamps. Don't be fooled, if it has a filament, it's not HID. Therefore, LED, HID, and incandescent (such as halogen) are all completely different systems. I have not heard specifically of the "Hi LED" systems that Thor speaks of, but imagine it's a subcategory of super-bright LED's that are being developed. I'd love the option of converting both my headlight to HID and my tail lights/turn signals to LED's, this would mean a dramatic reduction in power consumption! > But RE: the HID LED lights....I have heard that within the next couple of > years...all automotive lights will convert to Hi LED. I believe that there > is a company in germany called Elcos that is in the midst of > developing LED arrays...Thousands of LEDs in a small compact > 6"square that is hundreds of times brighter than any bulb...with very > little heat and very low wattage. I have also heard that LED arrays will/ > could last a lifetime (literally.) They are rated for decades not years. > > Best Regards and waiting...waiting...waiting for tomorrow. > Thor Metzinger
