HID low beam install-rerun and questions

[repoe3]

finally got an HID kit from midnight moose after dealing with a vendor dispute with misterjung (piece of crap-*********). i know others have gotten a product that works from this loser, but he sent me two ballasts that looked well used and neither operated properly. then he never responded to my email. got a full refund from with the help of the credit union.

the kit now installed is the same as the group buy 8000k, 3200 lumens, etc. these use the same ballasts as the ones misterjung sent out, except this one was obviously new. as all those running this setup knows, it is great. makes the morning commute very nice. just a few of the curves i take that are not well lit left me with enough light to spare even at 40-60 MPH.

question about different bulbs. i did not look closely enough at the ballast, but can different bulbs be sourced and used in conjuntioned with the same ballast? i.e. if i find a 5200k, can it be powered by the ballast with this kit? also, the kit came with a 20amp fuse and i installed it per the instructions. i did actually try to run it with the 7.5, and imagine that it blew. the power consumption is huge at ignition, but after runs lower than the stock bulb, correct? just forgot seeing anyone mention the fuse in previous posts.

also tried a couple of the suggested mounting locations for the ballast and the only thing that worked was zip-tying it to the front end frame support. could not get the bodywork back on when on top of the relay box.

while i rarely, and i mean rarely use my high beam, i still am considering the hi beam upgrade later.

and following up to the little parking light, i know joe installed an LED, but were there any other bulbs out there or out of the box LED applications? thanks.

repoe3

[Doogie Howser]

Someone posted this to an earlier thread:

Parking Bulb

I have not ordered from them yet.

[Doogie Howser]

Copy and paste the above link. Obviously the HTML primer I tried to learn from SUCKS.

[Joe]

Parking lamp appears to be a #194 bulb or T3 1/4 wedge so here's the page of replacement LED's Part# WF321-0CW-014B $9.50 for white LED or you could choose a different color from the page just make sure you choose the right voltage.

http://www.netdisty.net/ds/WF321/

You can replace the 8000k temp bulb with a 4300k for more light and whiter if the wire lead connectors are the same...............in the early days I had problems with mixing Asian and German HID parts but just about everything is Asian now.

[pdonnell]

I spoke to HID4LESS a few months ago about cooler bulbs. For about $250 they can configure cooler (4300K) bulbs to to fit the ballast. All they needed were the existing bulbs and cords to get the connectors right for the ballast. They would send back the original connectors and 8000K bulbs. So I guess the answer to you question is yes.
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$250 was for both hi/lo bulbs. And 4300K would be much whiter than the 8000K disco bulbs Midnight Moose sells.

[repoe3]

more interested in getting a whiter parking bulb first and for $250, well i could get a hi beam HID for that. if i made the change i would only do it with the 5200k bulb. liked it the best. the midnight moose setup was a compromise. wanted HID as i ride a lot in the dark. am not displeased with the 8000k setup, but i can see why a whiter/cooler bulb could be better. either way i am definitely seeing better and being seen better. reached the goal set out for this mod.

repoe3

[repoe3]

joe, i forgot to ask...you seem to be an electrical guru, no? you seem to know your way around wiring things and doing it well. everything i have learned has been from basic reading and a having a multimeter to use. aside from that, my electrical contractors are so focused on high voltage they know nothing about low voltage stuff. anything you can share on low voltage that might be helpful?

also, no one mentioned the 20amp fuse included in the kit...is this a big deal? have been running the setup now for a week and no problems.

repoe3

[johnnydanger]

From my research it sounds as though a typical HID setup can peak at 9 amps of draw when it first fires, but generally sits around 3 amps once warmed up. I didn't upgrade any fuses when I installed my 5200K kit and have not had any trouble with the setup or blown fuses in the past 20,000 miles.

Midnight moose said that their 8000K kit was 3200 lumens?? From what I've read the 5200K kits are generally the brightest available and the whitest light, and the higher or lower the K the less light output... as low as 2300 lumens for some kits.

Glad you finally got your order somewhat worked out. Sorry about the bad experience, but at least you're lit up now.

[pdonnell]

8000K with 3200 lumens? It is not possible. At least not in real world applications. I ask Midnight Moose to provide documentation supporting this spec. They referred me to the manufacturer who did not respond to my e-mails. But Midnight Moose kept indicating the rating was true. Prolly cause it said so on the box from the manufacturer. I ended up having my visa credited the full purchase price because they could not back up the claim and very respected people in the industry said that 3200 lumens in real world use could not be had from a 8000K set-up.
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Course it can depend on how the 3200 lumens is rated. Or where the light sensors are place relative to the capusules. But "real world" lumens there is no way.
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Peeved me off that they couldn't support the claim. Those M.F.!!!
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The lights were too purply for me after awhile. Thought I would be fine with them but I wasn't after seeing a real 5200K capsules rated at 3200 lumens. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't buy MM crap. And to think I led a group buy? Lesson Learned.
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Joe,
O.K. I just ate some crow, whats next?

[Joe]

P
Glad you got your money back. The problem with most of the places that sell at big discounts are there not flexible and won't stock bulbs that aren't the latest fad. The places that are real enthusiast about HID lighting still use Phillips kits. like these guys... http://www.autolamps-online.com/halogen/svpage.htm and handle the 4.3k bulbs.

Repoe

Since I don't know what fuse they gave you to replace where?? The stock fuse has been working fine for 4 years for me. The turn on draw is about 10 amps on most ballast and drop to under 5 within 30 sec.

[RBMann]

Joe, two questions for you. Have your capsules been clear? The replacement I got from Moose is cloudy in the little bubble where the arc is created. I work with 2000 watt Xenons and any cloudy bulbs usually mean a gas leak. This bulb was replaced at 3000 Hrs.


Second, do you think it would be possible to run the 4100-4300 bulbs with the Osram ballast I got with my Moose kit?

Thanks, RB

[repoe3]

i here what what you all are saying...i can live with the 8000k even if i never change it to a 5200k. understand that 5200k is what i originally wanted. i made a compromise. as for the lumen rating, well even if 3200 lumen is not possible, the improvement over stock is welcome on the bike.

ordered one of those LED bulbs brom the site you posted joe. should be here next week. will post pics once installed. thanks.

as for the fuse, they sent a 20amp to put in the low beam's slot that usually holds a 7.5amp. i was aware of the spike at ignition, but was just hoping that was the only reason they wanted to increase the fuse capacity. the stock one burned out within a second of ignition. just did not want to think they were sending extra juice through the wiring and something get cooked later down the road. but since it has made it through a week without frying anything i guess all is well.

as for swapping bulbs, since this hella ballasts looks identical to the ones i received from misterjung, i would have to beleive i could source the 5200k and make any change os the connectors if necessary. thats where a big if exists with the electrical knowledge in my head.

repoe3

[Joe]

RB

There shouldn't be any problem with changing bulbs other then the proper lead termination. If you have to splice make sure that it's insulated properly 35kv at ignition will jump through electrical tape.

Last time I had a bulb out it was clear........ you might have had a impurity in the envelope when it was made and after first ignition it burned up leaving a little residue behind.



If your talking about the inner bulb inside the envelope that holds metal halide salts to produce different color temperatures thats normal.

[crucial]

Mines bigger than yours This is a 7kw xenon that we use at work

[Joe]

You guys growing green leafy stuff with them?

[RBMann]

Thanks Joe. I don't know if Moose sent me a bad bulb or not. The new one will not stay lit but the old dim one will. They have me chasing voltage drop and wiring issues, so I have something to do the weekend. Here is a picture with the new bulb on the left and the old on the right. The old one is starting to blacken and the light output in getting lower.

The 2000 watt bulb is used in a movie projector. When the larger bulbs start to darken they can explode and then it gets ugly.

RB

[Joe]

RB
The ballast will run between 9-14vdc . Whats happening probably is your getting someone else's return that they didn't fully check themselves ................... Do you have a Hi & lo HID set just reverse ballast to test.

This problem has been for awhile right?? I have a test bulb if you really get stuck.

[RBMann]

Thanks for the offer Joe. The new bulb lights for about 40 sec. then flickers and goes out. It will relight if I turn it off then back on, but goes out again after a few minutes. I plan to play with it this weekend and I have the high-low setup. I will do the ballast swap and see what happens.

I was not driving the bike while I waited for the new bulb because the old one put out less light than the stock H1. I popped the new one in and went to work. As I rode home in the rain at rush hour, a car cut in kind of close and I noticed I was not lighting up his trunk like normal. Riding without a low beam sucks. I think it is the bulb since the old one works when reinstalled. Moose wants me to checks things first so I will, just to be sure.

Wish I had know about autolights-online. I still might buy a 4300 and I want a name brand this time.

RB

[Joe]

Here's a good explanation of what color temperature means for anyone that might be confused.

It's funny how marketing has made them(MM & others) sell a higher temperature bulb every few months which gives less light output and the reason people switch to HID is to get more light in the first place.



RB if you have to replace the MM bulb see if you can get a 6k or lower or maybe a refund and put in the 4.1-4.3k with a 30-40% increase in brightness over the 8k's .

[RBMann]

Joe, it has to be the bulb. Flickers then goes out with the high beam side power supply too. It actually goes out sooner on the hi side that gets its power from the stock wiring. I checked and the voltage is 13.8 with the engine running. The low beam side gets the power from a relay that is wired to the battery output of the alternator, so its voltage is a little higher. I did not check the voltage there since the bulb behaves the same on both power supplies (and I did not feel like removing the side panel).

I'll talk to Moose about a refund. I am a little concerned about putting different connectors on the bulb from autolamps-online site but I am sure it can be done.

RB