bruceh

bruceh

Well Known Member
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I'm at the point of being ready to install some Duckworth LL's in the leading edges of my RV-9A wings. Van's has the 50W Duckworth kits for $250 each.
Ouch! I can see that the prices of HID lighting will only come down in the future and LED's also might be a less costly option by the time this thing flys.
I want to keep my options open at the moment, so I'm inclined to just buy the Duckworth installation only option ($60 for each wing with a blank main mounting panel).

As I was searching HID kits on the web, I came across this option - Bixenon HID lights with both a high and low beam filament. This might be an interesting set up so that you could use the low beams for taxi, and the high beams for landing. You could also potentially wig-wag the high/low beams. The bixenon bulbs are an H4 or H1 type. Duckworth sells a round glass Par-36 aircraft landing light enclosure for an H3 bulb. Would it be possible to modify the enclosure for an H4 bulb?

It looks like there are many HID kits for autos that are priced anywhere from $50-$200 for a pair of HID bulbs and ballasts. Any quality issues with these kits for aviation use?
 
I have 2 automotive style HID lights in the RV. One thing I have noticed about automotive ballasts is that they seem to have fast startup as a priority, and thus draw a LOT of current (20amps per ballast) for a few seconds when first turned on. On my Rocket project I am using XEVision bulbs/ballasts and they have much more of a soft start (less than 10 amps per ballast) than the automotive ballasts do.

What does this mean for those using automotive style ballasts/bulbs in an airplane? Expect to see a voltage dip when turning on the lights. Not a dip you will really see, but one that might affect sensitive equipment. In our RV turning on the lights causes the TruTrak autopilot to reset itself; we have strict prohibition about turning on the lights in flight for this reason.

You might also get more RF EMI from an automotive ballast than from one designed for aircraft use. I believe that the XEVision cables from the ballast to the lamp are shielded, the automotive ones are not. I had to add shielding - an external braid over the cable - on the ones on the RV to keep the noise from the ballast from interfering with the radio (at one point the antenna for COM 2 was in the wingtip, near the ballast). This EMI had 2 effects - one was noise on the radio that broke the squelch, the other - depending on the frequency selected on the radio - caused a loss of sensitivity in receive, enough so that even relatively strong signals did not break the squelch. Obviously an undesirable effect!

Yes, automotive HID ballasts/lights are cheaper than ones designed for aircraft, but there are differences - as explained above - that are not always readily apparent but might cause you grief when used in an airplane.

As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

Mark Olson N407V RV-7A
 
Auto HID

I found some Audi A4 ballasts and D1S HID bulbs on ebay after looking at the setup in my neighbors car. I used the DW 100W kit as the start and then added the ballast and made an adapter for the bulb. Photos can be seen here.

Pete's HID Upgrade

I was able to get 2 ballasts, 2 bulbs and the 2 sets of wiring for ~$250. I did need to do some fabrication on the bulb mount, but you are building an airplane, right?

Amp draw is much less than the 100W halogen once the unit has started. I get a slight whine on startup, but no noise after that. No issues with current draw either. Of course, YMMV. I run all my lights every flight to hopefully be seen. I have a SSC P7 LED on each tip as a taxi/recognition light.

This thing really lights up the night.
 
bruceh said:
As I was searching HID kits on the web, I came across this option - Bixenon HID lights with both a high and low beam filament. This might be an interesting set up so that you could use the low beams for taxi, and the high beams for landing. You could also potentially wig-wag the high/low beams. The bixenon bulbs are an H4 or H1 type. Duckworth sells a round glass Par-36 aircraft landing light enclosure for an H3 bulb. Would it be possible to modify the enclosure for an H4 bulb?

It looks like there are many HID kits for autos that are priced anywhere from $50-$200 for a pair of HID bulbs and ballasts. Any quality issues with these kits for aviation use?
Click to expand...

That is not true BiXenon, Bixenon is a projector headlight type. The single HID is always "lit", their is a flap controlled by a solenoid which moves out of the way for hi-beam. For low beam the upper part of the beam is blocked so that oncoming cars are not blinded. Those Asian "BiXenon" are wothless. Neither light source is correctly located in the proper focal point of the reflector, especially in a parabolic reflector. As is the par-36 type offered by Duckworks.

We are also now Certified (used a documented certified lab) for DO-160E testing standards. We exceeded the requirements by quite a margin. DO-160E includes a noise standard for both conducted and radiated emissions among other things. We had to do this testing for EuroCopter among others, their std was even stricter than DO-160E. We did both our 50 watt 12 and 24 VDC and our newer (1-year old) 75 watt 12 and 24VDC HID systems.

Regarding a post a couple above about HID cables being shielded.
Yes, our XeVision cables from Ballast to Bulb are shielded. In fact they are "double" shielded, both a foil and braided shield under the outer cable jacket (outer insulation layer). They also tie the bulb shielding (metal box around the igniter) and the ballast case all together. There is continuity in the shielding from the bulb to the ballast, not just the cable is shielded.
 
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XeVision HID

Noah said:
Dan, who is "we"? Might be a good idea to add a signature to your profile so that people know who you represent.
Click to expand...

I have hilighted in Blue, the answer to that question in the prior post.

We are: XeVision

www.XeVision.com

We offer 35, 50 and 75 watt true bulb wattage (power output to the HID bulb) systems.

35 watt HID (all brands of them using High quality 4200K color bulbs) offer 3200 lumens of light, our (true) 50 watt is 5300 Lumens, 75 watt HID 8300 lumens.
Our 75 watt HID has been in field trials on Helicopters (agricultural spray ops) for over 3 years.
Those China made (Asian) ballasts claiming 50 or 55 watt are talking ballast input wattage not bulb wattage (bulb wattage is industry std).
Those Asian ballasts have power losses from 15-20% (ballast case heat).

Our ballasts are 90%+ efficient, only ~10% losses. Those Asian aftermarket ballasts ("50/55 watt") produce from 40-45 watts to the bulb. Net result 3500 to 4300 lumens, nothing close to 5300 lumens.
 
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LED Lights

I would keep a close eye on the LED technology that is changing every day. My other hobby is keeping a reef aquarium and they are on top of that new technology. The new 5w single LEDs from companies like CREE are just amazing, and can be seen for miles. Just do not confuse them with the cheapo 5mm bulbs that are common in flashlights and hardware stores.

Check this out:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=226934
 
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