So, what is the general consensus on how many LEDs are needed in a head for effective warning. I started down this path after seeing 6 LED per head interior lightbars (SOS) installed in Ford Pursuit Utilities. With the factory tint, the lights simply couldn’t punch through the tint and the warning lights end up looking like supplemental lighting, not primary lighting.
For subsequent installs, I purchased the same interior bar but with a 9 LED per head single color configu...ration. Boom – suddenly the light was punching through the tint effectively. The question then becomes, if 9 lights work great behind tint, how do they work when not behind tint? The answer is that you effectively end up with 50% more output in terms of actual lumens.
The problem is that nobody makes a two color LED with 9 LEDS of each color. You can get 18 LEDS in a single light head but they are only available as a three color, not a two color configuration. I’m about to buy new lightbars and I’m torn between getting a dual color (red/white or blue/white) modules or getting single color 9 LED per modules heads.
Part of me believes that warning lights should warn and takedowns can provide supplemental lighting but part of me is impressed with the white light output that is possible these days. Some of the demos I’ve seen have been so impressive that I’m wondering how you maintain ID as an LE vehicle with all of that white light. I’m thinking I’d leave the corners one color so they can continue to flash or steady burn for ID.
Right now, I’m leaning towards the dual color heads for anything not behind tint and running single color 9 LED heads for anything that has to punch through tint.
What is everyone else thinking?
Edited to add: I've also seen an issue with side tint. For instance I mounted a 12 led - two color (red/white and blue/white) - single NForce on the back door of a Ford Pursuit Utility. The idea was use the red or blue for warning and the white for an alley light function. As a warning light, it is hard to see in the day and it sucks as an alley light unless you roll down the window. If you roll down the window, it works great. I suspect that the 9 LED or 12 LED single color NForce would pop through the tint just fine.
For subsequent installs, I purchased the same interior bar but with a 9 LED per head single color configu...ration. Boom – suddenly the light was punching through the tint effectively. The question then becomes, if 9 lights work great behind tint, how do they work when not behind tint? The answer is that you effectively end up with 50% more output in terms of actual lumens.
The problem is that nobody makes a two color LED with 9 LEDS of each color. You can get 18 LEDS in a single light head but they are only available as a three color, not a two color configuration. I’m about to buy new lightbars and I’m torn between getting a dual color (red/white or blue/white) modules or getting single color 9 LED per modules heads.
Part of me believes that warning lights should warn and takedowns can provide supplemental lighting but part of me is impressed with the white light output that is possible these days. Some of the demos I’ve seen have been so impressive that I’m wondering how you maintain ID as an LE vehicle with all of that white light. I’m thinking I’d leave the corners one color so they can continue to flash or steady burn for ID.
Right now, I’m leaning towards the dual color heads for anything not behind tint and running single color 9 LED heads for anything that has to punch through tint.
What is everyone else thinking?
Edited to add: I've also seen an issue with side tint. For instance I mounted a 12 led - two color (red/white and blue/white) - single NForce on the back door of a Ford Pursuit Utility. The idea was use the red or blue for warning and the white for an alley light function. As a warning light, it is hard to see in the day and it sucks as an alley light unless you roll down the window. If you roll down the window, it works great. I suspect that the 9 LED or 12 LED single color NForce would pop through the tint just fine.
