Paying for enlightenment

[rodekyll]

DDM Tuning sent me an email offering 20% off their most skookum HID projectors and 10% off their super-skookum, fast-warmup-fry-you-a-moose-at-a-mile-lifetime-warranty elements.  So I threw the switch on two complete setups (less ballasts because I have them already) for $85.  I got some other stuff too, and with shipping and the other stuff paid $102.  These are bare fixtures -- no enclosure or mount aside from standard H4 and H7 fixture plates.  By comparison, the single drop-in H4 35w LED headlight/reflector I got from Truk-lite was $165. 

These are 2.5" hi/lo projectors, which use a solenoid-controlled mask in front of the element to cut the light instead of trying to manipulate the bulb itself.  They have an overall size of about 3.5"x 4" by 5.5" and weigh about the same as an oem EV lens, reflector and bulb -- much lighter than I expected when I first handled one.  The H1-style HID element adds some length, but it would still almost fit in an old loop headlight bucket.  It would for sure if you nipped a hole in the back.  I plan to mount them somewhere around the valve covers (with a nod to interference from the forks) in the trike fairing I'm still designing.  I don't know if I'll retain a center headlight or not. 

The bulbs work on either 35w or 55w ballasts, offering ~ 3x the useable light as 55w halogen in 35w and another 50% in 55w.  I have both sizes already being plumbed in to my wiring harness, so I can decide how much oompah I want to treat oncoming traffic to.

The housings are using some advanced coatings on the reflector and new technologies in the lens materials and design/mfgr as well as more temperature resistant plastics than a lot of oem stuff.  They've tested for 20% more light over audi and bmw projectors, using the same bulbs.  So I'm excited.  I'm willing to design the fairing around them if they'll let me own the night.  If not, they were cheap enough that I can stuff them into old m/c buckets and use them on the boat.

[oldbike54]

 Knowing others lighting is wisdom , knowing one's own lighting is enlightenment . With apologies to Lao Tzu  ;D

  Dusty

[Wayne Orwig]

Have you fired them up yet to see what the turn on time is like?
I guess it doesn't matter much since they are hi/low, so they can just stay on.

[charlie b]

PICTURES!  :)

Would also like to see the actual current draw, esp for the 35W version.

[rodekyll]

They have not arrived yet.  I can't wait.

[NCAmother]

Sounds awesome, I have little knowledge of electronics,...wish you were my neighbor!

[dilligaf]

WOW!!!!!I do need to get out more.. I still think H4's are the way to go.  I needed to replace the headlight bulb on my BMW while waiting on repair parts in Glasgow, ND and called the local and only auto parts store to make sure they stocked  H4 bulbs.  They didn't know what I was talking about.  "What vehicle"?  "1982 BMW R65LS" I said.  "They don't list a R65LS" said the voice.  "Are you looking under motorcycles" I asked. "Have you tried ***** ***** Power Sports" I was asked.  

Didn't have anything else to do so I walked, about 2 miles, to the store.  They don't call them H4 bulb but 9003 and they had a large selection.  I do need to get out more.   :BEER:
Matt

[not-fishing]

I put a H4 bulb in my Griso 1100 from Guzzitech and am very happy with the results. 

The bulb only cost $50 or so and was effectively a drop-in with the Griso H4 reflector.

Maybe it's me avere le braccine corte  (having short arms) but I don't think I could go the whole HID route.

[HDGoose]

I put a H4 bulb in my Griso 1100 from Guzzitech and am very happy with the results. 

The bulb only cost $50 or so and was effectively a drop-in with the Griso H4 reflector.

Maybe it's me avere le braccine corte  (having short arms) but I don't think I could go the whole HID route.

That's not an H4 bulb.

[rodekyll]

No, the Cyclops is an H1 base with universal adapter plates.

The projectors I got assume  that either you're uprading your audi/caddy/whatever and already have projectors installed or it's a new construction and you are building the enclosures and mounts.  For upgrade cases these kits are 'drop in'.  For new fabrications it doesn't matter -- it's going to be a PITA no matter how you go about it.  These are NOT intended as a mod to existing H4/E4 headlights.

[rodekyll]

I got my DDM V3 projectors today.   :o  Tiny 'lil bastids.  Less long than my hand, 2.5" lens, and just a few ounces each.  I have coffee cups bigger.  I was shocked at the small size, so I called them up to triple-check that they are headlights and not daylight aux lighting.  The guy explained that these are not aux lights -- you need to install them where the old ones were (I didn't get in to the new construction part).  He repeated that these are gobs more light than halogen and up to 50% brighter than oem projectors when used with a 55w ballast.  Ok -- we'll give them a go.

These are small enough that I could mount them in the turn signal dimples on my big Calafia fairing (rodekyll) or directly replace the EV headlight with a fabbed enclosure (3VL Twin).  I have some decisions to make.

[charlie b]

I saw a custom the other day that had two of those things in a round headlight enclosure.

[rodekyll]

These would fit in a 7" round headlight bucket with just a little tweaking.  I don't think two little circles peeking out of one big one is my design direction though.  I'd consider stuffing them into soup cans (they'd be a rattly-fit in a large Campbell's can and way too small to fit in a big tomato juice can) before I went that route.  More likely, I'll find a way to mount them in my fairing.

[Matteo]

I thought this was gonna be about buying mushrooms. 8)