WHEN XENON LIGHT FLICKERS
Problems with xenon systems and their causes
Second guest article by Carsten Aring, responsible for Light Technology in Hella’s Technical Service division.
A man who knows all the ins and outs of xenon headlamps: Carsten Aring, auto shop specialist at Hella.
According to the failure statistics, issues with electronic control gear or ECGs, as they are known, are the second most frequent problem, closely following worn lamps. (more…)
WHEN XENON LIGHT PLAYS UP
Problems with xenon systems and their causes
A guest article by Carsten Airing, responsible for Light Technology at Hella’s Technical Service division.
Auto shops call him when a problem with xenon headlamps leaves them baffled: Carsten Aring, auto shop specialist at Hella.
Xenon headlamps have been around for 20-odd years now. Initially confined to top-of-the-range vehicles, xenon systems have since found their way into nearly all vehicle classes. A range of different xenon systems are currently used to cater to carmakers’ increasing demands and to keep pace with technical advancement. (more…)
NEW SERIES: KEEPING XENON AT THE TOP OF ITS GAME
From the numerous emails, and when reading through the forums, we sometimes get the impression here at the carlightblog that xenon light is a failure-prone technology. Drivers complain of flickering headlights, headlamp range controls that don’t work and even of poor light. Now, we are sure that xenon not only emits plenty of light, but also that it needs less maintenance than halogen. The lamps simply last considerably longer.
But the end of the service life is not abrupt, like it is with halogen lamps or LEDs. With xenon, you don’t have a filament that burns out. It is more comparable to fluorescent tubes: pending failure is signaled by multiple ignition attempts. In other words, the light flickers. Unfortunately, there are also other causes for this bothersome phenomenon. (more…)
NEW E CLASS EXCLUSIVELY WITH LED LOW BEAMS
This car sets the standard for the state of the art: The E class from Mercedes has premiered a number of innovative systems and features over the last few decades, and is about to do so again. The new model coming out of Stuttgart is delivered exclusively with light-emitting diodes in the low beams. A full LED headlamp with additional functions is available as an option, and even its high beam light is provided by semi-conductors.
The standard version of the BR212 (Daimler’s in-house name for the car) is equipped with a headlamp that uses an LED module to generate the low beam light. Light-emitting diodes also supply the daytime running light. When these are dimmed, they serve as park or position lights. The high beam light comes from an H7 halogen lamp and the blinker is an orange incandescent lamp.
The full LED headlamp really jacks up the luminous flux. (more…)
