B5QShip's Friday Trivia Q: How does the "temperature" of HID bulbs relate to their output spectrum?
10-27-2006, 07:47 AM
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B5QShip's Friday Trivia Q: How does the "temperature" of HID bulbs relate to their output spectrum?
ie, why do 6000K, 8000K, etc look different and what does temperature have to do with this?
10-27-2006, 08:01 AM
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right idea. nerdy description inside --->
The temperature of an object dictates its "blackbody radiation" spectrum. The higher the temperature, the spectrum moves to higher energy (lower in wavelength...towards the blue). This is actually a very historical phenomenon because Max Planck first introduced the idea of a "quantum" (in like 1930 or so) to correctly predict blackbody spectra. Without the concept of photons, we would be shooting large quantities of UV light at eachother with our high temp bulbs.
Yeay, quantum mechanics is actually useful =p
Yeay, quantum mechanics is actually useful =p
10-27-2006, 08:02 AM
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color temperature refers to the temperature to which one would have to heat a theoretical black body
source to produce light of the same visual color.
K is a measurement in Kelivn of the color temperature of the light output, and it is not a measurement of luminous flux.
K is a measurement in Kelivn of the color temperature of the light output, and it is not a measurement of luminous flux.
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10-27-2006, 08:54 AM
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All things constant (wattage, bulb type, gas, salts, ballasts etc) every color temp has a brightness
So...
With our stock ballasts at 35W and standard xenon gas D2S bulbs:
Bulbs with 4300K temps produce 3200 lumens each
Bulbs with 6000K temps produce 2800-2400 lumens each (Ive seen conflicting numbers)
Going higher in Temp (i.e. going bluer, then into purple) lowers your luminous flux (although, it often increases the glare produced) while going lower (like to the 3000K yellow bulbs) also decreases your output. Few places sell these silly bulbs, with exception to eBay, where the sellers simply make up numbers about the output of their bling bling hyper-blue or wicked-purple bulbz.
<b>Here are some interesting tidbits about different brands and color temps:</b>
<i>You may see I have referred to the most popular HID capsule as "4100/4300". This is because Philips claims their capsule outputs light at 4300k, but the color is actually closer to 4100k when measured. The exact measurement is 4250k. You may see 4100 or 4300 listed on websites. Again, the important thing is that they are true Philips or Osram/Sylvania capsules.
Some info on the difference between Philips and Osram/Sylvania capsules. Both are rated at 4100k and 3200 lumens (+/- 250 lumens) so they should look identical, correct? In actuality, the salts used are slightly different. The Philips bulbs end up being slightly whiter, meaning it has a higher blue component and lower yellow component. The Osram/Sylvania capsules have less blue and more yellow. Some people claim these are softer on the eye, but this is subjective since everyone's eyes are different. Again, the importance is getting a name-brand capsule.
An update on the new 3000k "Flash Yellow" capsules from Philips; Philips is now producing a 3000k HID capsule. This coloring is a brilliant yellow, much along the lines of the infamous PIAA "Ion Yellow". If you have read my All About Headlamps bulbs article, you'd know that the yellow color doesn't give better visibility. The only advantage these have going is that they put out many more lumens than standard halogen. I have been unable to find the exact specs on light output. I'd steer clear of these.</i>
<a href="http://www.team-integra.net/sections/articles/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=973">source</a> via google.
With our stock ballasts at 35W and standard xenon gas D2S bulbs:
Bulbs with 4300K temps produce 3200 lumens each
Bulbs with 6000K temps produce 2800-2400 lumens each (Ive seen conflicting numbers)
Going higher in Temp (i.e. going bluer, then into purple) lowers your luminous flux (although, it often increases the glare produced) while going lower (like to the 3000K yellow bulbs) also decreases your output. Few places sell these silly bulbs, with exception to eBay, where the sellers simply make up numbers about the output of their bling bling hyper-blue or wicked-purple bulbz.
<b>Here are some interesting tidbits about different brands and color temps:</b>
<i>You may see I have referred to the most popular HID capsule as "4100/4300". This is because Philips claims their capsule outputs light at 4300k, but the color is actually closer to 4100k when measured. The exact measurement is 4250k. You may see 4100 or 4300 listed on websites. Again, the important thing is that they are true Philips or Osram/Sylvania capsules.
Some info on the difference between Philips and Osram/Sylvania capsules. Both are rated at 4100k and 3200 lumens (+/- 250 lumens) so they should look identical, correct? In actuality, the salts used are slightly different. The Philips bulbs end up being slightly whiter, meaning it has a higher blue component and lower yellow component. The Osram/Sylvania capsules have less blue and more yellow. Some people claim these are softer on the eye, but this is subjective since everyone's eyes are different. Again, the importance is getting a name-brand capsule.
An update on the new 3000k "Flash Yellow" capsules from Philips; Philips is now producing a 3000k HID capsule. This coloring is a brilliant yellow, much along the lines of the infamous PIAA "Ion Yellow". If you have read my All About Headlamps bulbs article, you'd know that the yellow color doesn't give better visibility. The only advantage these have going is that they put out many more lumens than standard halogen. I have been unable to find the exact specs on light output. I'd steer clear of these.</i>
<a href="http://www.team-integra.net/sections/articles/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=973">source</a> via google.
