Want an LED light bar but can't find the space to fit it?

Hi Everyone,

 

Want an LED light bar but can't find the space to fit it? well keep these little beauties in mind. They are 5.5 inch square with 8 x 10 watt cree LED's making them 80 watts. As a pair they really pack a punch for their size. ...

They are proving very popular and we've had a lot of good feedback from customers on them. Available on our website now for $175 each including postage

http://www.offroadscene.com.au/80-watt-led-driving-light/

Regards

 

Jas

www.offroadscene.com.au

 

Better Pricing

Hi everyone,  Jas here from Offroad Scene.

 

Due to continued support from our customers, we have managed to negotiate better pricing on most of our products from the manufactures. Why does this matter to you, well we are passing on the saving to you. Our website www.offroadscene.com.au has been updated and all prices are now reflective of the discounted price. Thanks again for all your support.

 

chat soon

 

Jas

www.offroadscene.com.au

The difference between HID and Halogen lights

Hi All, we've recently had a few enquiry's on what the difference is between HID and Halogen lights, so thought I’d post this. There’s a fair bit that can be written on the subject so without delving into the in-depth science between the two, I’ll provide an abridged version. Halogen bulbs use older technology to provide light output. Similar to a standard incandescent bulb, Halogen bulbs have ...a filament. However unlike incandescent bulbs, Halogen bulbs are filled with Halogen gas. When voltage is applied to the filament it becomes hot. The gas reacts to the filament and in turn creates large amounts of light (in comparison to an incandescent bulb). Most standard automotive headlights use halogen bulbs. (Although HID are becoming more common place on new vehicles)

Conversely a HID (High Intensity Discharge) does not have a filament as such. It does however have electrodes. The globe is filled with a xenon gas which is ignited when voltage is applied to the electrodes within the gas chamber. A ballast is used to provide AC voltage to ignite the gas along with sustaining the process to produce enormous amounts of light output

 

Cheers

Jason

Offroad Scene

www.offroadscene.com.au

Light output Raw lumens v's Effective lumens

 
Hi There Jason from Offroad Scene again.

We've had a lot of queries lately on "how much lumens do your lights put out" so I wanted to explain the situation with light output some more.

Often when retailers quote light output of a product in lumens they fail to mention the quoted number is actually the Raw Lumens (or Theoretical Lumens), as opposed to the Effective Lumens. Raw Lumens is a theoretical number rather than the actual measure of light output itself, and is calculated by simply multiplying the number of LED’s on the light by their maximum output rating.   For example, if a light uses 20 LED’s each with a maximum output rating of 50 lumens, the raw or theoretical output would be 1000 lumens (20x50=1000), and no laboratory photometric testing is required to come up with this number. The problem with the raw or theoretical output is that it doesn’t take into account factors out in the real world that can decrease the light output considerably.

Like all lamps, LED’s suffer light quality loses due to several factors. The three main reasons being

• Quality of the LED light components and the manufacturing process, such as the diodes and dye
• Optical Losses
• Thermal Losses

Quality of the LED light components and the manufacturing:It is important to purchase a product that is using a quality manufactured chip.  However, as important is the actual “packaging” of the chip set.  You can have a high quality chip but if the packaging is second rate so will the end result in terms of light output and longevity of the product. In general terms “packaging” refers to the process of selecting and combining the lens, substrate, electrodes and encapsulation resin of the LED. In some instances packaging can amount to 50% of the cost of the product, so has a large impact on the end pricing point. 

Quality & manufacturing lossesThe optical clarity of the lens will dictate the loss of light intensity as it passes through the lens and the surrounding air. There are studies that show this loss can be as much as 10 - 20%.

Thermal loss:There is a common misconception that LED’s produce no heat.  They produce little if any heat in front of the light source.  They do however produce considerable heat at the rear of the diode.  Thus the reason for the heat sink built into the back of the work lights and LED light bars. If the heat produced by the diode is not dissipated away from the diode, the longevity and the light performance will be greatly diminished.
 Calculating the difference between Raw and Effective lumens:The Raw Lumen output is calculated by simply multiplying the number of LEDs in a lamp and their rated output.

Example: Raw Lumen output of 20 LEDs rated at 50 Lumens per watt is 24 x 50 = 1000 Lumen
Effective Lumen output is calculated by taking the Raw Lumen value and subtracting the Thermal, Optical and Manufacturing Losses.
Example: If thermal, optical and material loses for say 40% the effective lumen output in the above example would be 1000 Raw Lumens 40% loses = 600 effective lumens.
 In summary: You will never achieve the same amount on light out in the real world as what the raw lumen number indicates, and this is why the raw number is so subjective as it in no way indicates the light output quality from one light to the next. To effectively compare light output between light you need to compare the Effective Lumens

Well that wraps it up for this post

Jason
"Be seen be heard"
Offroad Scene

Will an LED light bar suit my hobby farm tractor?

Hi All, Jason from Offroad Scene again

I recently had an enquiry from someone wanting to know if our lighting would be suitable for his small hobby farm tractor, so I thought I would post this, short note. 

Because of the reliability of LED’s for harsh and rugged environments along with low current draw in comparison to the light output, the use of LED lighting is virtually endless and dependant on the imagination of the user. In no way an exhaustive list but some of the many uses are, 4WDing, camp site lighting, shooting/hunting, fishing, farming equipment, such as tractors, ride on mowers, etc, Excavating equipment - graders, dozers, trucks, etc. ATV’s- dirt bikes, quads, etc. offroad racing such as rallying, etc, road motor bikes, push bikes – mountain bikes, road bikes, Caravan lighting, etc, etc, etc, the list goes on.  If your ever in doubt as to whether we have something to suit your application, give us a call, as I believe  could pretty much help you out with any application

 

Cheers

be seen, be heard!
Regards
Jas
Offroadscene

Cheap v's Dearer

Hi All, Jason from Offroadscene Scene here again

 There are many suppliers of LED chips on the market, so it is important to purchase a product that is using a quality manufactured chip.  However, as important is the actual encapsulation or “packaging” of the chip set.  You can have a high quality chip but if the packaging is second rate so will the end result in terms of light output and longevity of the product. In general terms “packaging” refers to the process of selecting and combining the lens, substrate, electrodes and encapsulation resin of the LED.

In some instances packaging can amount to 50% of the cost of the product, so has a large impact on the end pricing point.  Many quality suppliers of LED chips also provide packaging these days rather than relying on 3rd party’s to provide the service.

There is a common misconception that LED’s produce no heat.  They are often referred to as producing “cold light” which means they produce little if any heat in front of the light source.  They do however produce considerable heat at the rear of the diode.  Thus the reason for the heat sink built into the back of the work lights and LED light bars

If the heat produced by the diode is not dissipated away from the diode, the longevity and the light performance will be considerably shortened and power consumption may also increase

There are other factors that impact performance of an LED such as the selection process of the LED also referred to as “Binning” which covers such things as the CRI (colour rendering index) But in summary, the key factors in performance of an LED light are, a quality Diode,  a proven and reputable packaging process, and good thermal design properties such as heat sinks. 

The 3 items above will provide a good starting point to find a quality light that will provide superior light output along with longevity.  As with anything in life, you get what you pay for, so when shopping for an LED work light or LED light bar, think about the comparison in price between one and the other.  If two lights look identical but are considerably different in price, there is a fair chance the cheaper one may not be up to the standard required by you, the customer.

Well that wraps up this post for now, so take it easy and

be seen, be heard!
Regards
Jas
Offroadscene

Advantages of LED's

Hi All, Jas here again from Offroadscene

Today I wanted to outline the advantages to you as a consumer of using LED's in offroad situations, but first I'll cover off briefly what an LED is.

What is an LED
A Light Emitting Diode is a semiconductor light source.  They are a SSL (Solid State Lighting) device, which means there are no bulbs , no pressurised gases, no chemicals and no burning filaments. In simple terms they work by electrical energy flowing through a semi-conductor.

Very few would argue over the effectiveness of LED technology v’s traditional incandescent lighting.  With up to eight time the efficiencies over the traditional incandescent lamps, it’s hard to argue there superiority.

 LED Light colour
Whilst it may sound strange white light does not exist.  The perception of white light is actually a combination of Red, Blue and Green.  White LED’s can be created in different ways, with the most common way being the use of a Blue LED and a phosphorous coating.   Different phosphorus coatings will produce different hues of white colour, such as Warm White, natural White, Cool white

 Colour Temperature
Without getting into the physics behind light, Colour temperature of a light source is effectively the hue that is radiated from the light source.   To explain, a ‘red hot’ object has a temperature close to 600 degrees centigrade. By comparison, a ‘white hot’ object may have a temperature of 7000 degrees or more.   By example If you have seen a glowing ember (600 centigrade) it has very little light output very little light output.  So at lower temp temperatures almost all the energy is converted into heat.   Conversely, at higher temperatures, the production of light improves.

 The table below shows the different temperature characteristics

Colour Name	Colour Temperature	Characteristics and Examples
Warm White	2700-3200K	Similar to incandescent bulb, yellowish light
Natural White	4000-4500K	Similar to early morning sunlight
Day White	5500-6000K	Typical day light, crisp natural
Cool White	7000-7500K	High contrast, bright bluish light

 

Advantages of LED Lighting

Long Life
Long life time is one of the key benefits of LED’s with Off-road Scene LED light Bars rated to 30000+ hrs of lie.

Energy Efficiency
LED’s operate at 80 to 90% efficiency meaning they convert 80 to 90% of electrical energy to light compared to traditional lights that are only around 20% efficient.  

Ecologically Friendly
LED lights contain no toxic materials and are 100% recyclable,  

Durable Quality
LEDs are extremely durable and built with sturdy components that are highly rugged and can withstand even the roughest conditions.  They are resistant to shock, vibrations and external impacts, making them ideal for the harsh environments of the outdoors.

Infrared
LED’s produce very little infrared light.  Because of this, LED lighting is highly suitable not only for goods and materials that are sensitive to heat due to the benefit of little radiated heat emission, but also for illumination of UV sensitive objects or materials such a in museums

Operational in Extremely Cold or Hot Temperatures
LED’s operate in both hot and cold environments, making them ideal for colder areas like the snow and

Instant Lighting & Frequent Switching
LED’s provide instant start up meaning there is no warm up period.  They can also be switched on and of regularly without affecting the LED’s lifetime or light emission.


As can be seen there are many compelling reasons why you should choose LED lighting over traditional style lighting for your off-road applications.

Well that wraps up this post for now, so take it easy and

be seen, be heard!

Regards
Jas
Offroadscene