LED arrays for turn signals, brake lights available yet?

there are a handful of companies that make a replacement housing for the XJ Cherokee into which you can insert the trucker-typle LED (or incandescent) lamps. For example.:

I've also seen on TV some companies that make LED arrays that will fit behind the OE lenses on classic cars/trucks.

I saw LED assemblies that were meant to go into the brake light socket recently, they were in a dollar-store type tool-store and they wanted a lot of money for the made-in-china things too. Probably won't ever see any made in the US, eh?

The LED brakelights should be the berries, but I've seen two trucks in the past month that had some or all of the LEDs in the unit not working. Apparently they're not all that tough.

John

are they DOT approved? We have equipment at airfields and wanted to use them in our obstruction lights...but they were worried that the brilliance wouldn't be the same!

I'd think the FAA would have objections to using non-FAA approved obstruction lights if they are a permanent part of the airport.

Jerry

Steve wrote:

Most of the LED failures of that type that I have seen were due to poor solder joints (bad quality control). Fix the joint and the LED lights right back up.

I just read an interesting article about the coming wave of LED replacement lights (especially for cars) and how they were having trouble with designing them for headlights because LED lights just don't penetrate fog well, and because the lack of heat means headlights would have to have defroster grids for winter ice and defogging.

I suspect the HID lights will take over long before LED headlights do but LED is still probably the wave of the future for almost everything else in a car.

Drifter "I've been here, I've been there..."

Well, there are requirements to have them on any tower within 5miles of an airport. So although this still isn't FAA property, there was still issue up here in Canuckland

Think you'll find DOT will have objections to them, also 90% of our reg's come from the FAA handbook. Your local international airport Gestapo should be able to answer any questions you have,.(assuming you work at a smaller, not major airport)

Snow...

Snow did pass the time by typing:

Just got back from a biz trip.. They make FAA aproved LED obstruction lamps.

Realizing, that FAA regs don't apply outside the US....

Most of the airfields I see are switching over to LED because the lamps last much longer, use less power, and are brighter/more directional than the filement versions.

Ya, I talked to a guy last week and he found some that were "authorized" lol

The old in candenscents were replaced about every 6months depending on the storms rumbling thru. But they had a fresnel type of lens cover that gave all around directional "beaconizing" lol It was the LED ones they were worried about because they don't emit

360...they're strongest from their end points...

An LED with the proper lens shape can emit a pretty much flat beam. However, the real trick is to simply group them. Or use the newer variety with far higher brightness capability. Or just use laser style and lenses.

Steve proclaimed: