ELS Gen III LED Lights - Custom Application

bigcat

Member
May 20, 2010
641
Hartford County, CT
I figure the review area is as good a place for this as any.


I purchased two 3 LED modules from ELS with a specific project in mind: replacing the stock 5mm LEDs in a Whelen 9M.


I'm not sure why but out of all the 5mm lightheads I've owned from Whelen, only blue has given me problems with LEDs failing. Needless to say, it looks stupid when LEDs are out. So I took some measurements and contacted ELS to compare my measurements with those of his lightheads. As it turns out it sounded like they would fit... it would be REALLY close... but they should work. So I ordered a pair but had him make them without a housing. All I wanted was the LED board/LEDs/Optics with a short wire pigtail.


This is what I ended up coming up with:


ai130.photobucket.com_albums_p247_ct_bigcat_P1040570.jpg


I used the stock 5mm LED board as a template. I cut out a thin piece of aluminum to size and drilled the mounting holes. I then mounted the bracket into the lighthead, and then using 3M double sided tape I mounted the lighthead on it. Simple right. I might put some silicone to secure the lighthead further to the bracket but so far the thing is solid with just the tape. I then ran the wiring around the side of the lighthead in between the lighthead and the black mount holding it into the bar (fits perfectly). I put a mate&plug connector on the end just like the Whelen lights have for easy removal.


The results speak for themselves. The ELS LEDs blow the Whelen LEDs out of the water. The most notable difference being the off axis light output. The 5mm are good dead on but once you move left/right/up/down they might as well not be on. The ELS are bright from any angle and head on are blinding. I was going to do a blue over amber (Gen III over 5mm) but as you can see in the video, the blue puts the amber to shame. It wouldn't even be worth having them there. I ran these for awhile too (over an hour) and when I came back the boards were still cool to the touch and the blue color was the same.


So pros:


ELS - Great communication, great product


Price - Super cheap compared to if I went with any other 3 LED lighthead


Great light output compared to the alternative


And cons:


Haven't found one yet


Let me know what you think.


~bc
 
Last edited by a moderator:

grfd711

Member
Jun 23, 2010
1,546
Sherwood, AR
The last video of the optic spread when showed on a wall really shows the performance of the ELS vs. the 5mm. The custom work looks very nice, too.
 

Fast LT1

Member
May 24, 2010
2,018
Sedgwick County, KS
The ELS lights are pretty damn good! Im super happy with my interior bar, i will be doing a video of it compared to an avenger here in a week or two when i get my avenger!
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,971
Messages
449,820
Members
19,104
Latest member
airflores

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.