Nice to see one of your adapters on Geoff's headlight, Mr G.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Gazza
I don't know why they all have such large heatsinks, the 4 chip one that I linked to, has a fan in the heatsink too. I thought that LEDs were a greener alternative to "hot bulbs" and use less current, so I don't know where the heat is coming from? I'm guessing that it's generated in converting the current into something LED friendly?
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They do often give all the measurements of the bulbs with the listing, which is handy, but we need to find a way of measuring the gap between the bulb holder and shell?? Ideas anyone?
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Although LED bulbs have lower resistance and are are more efficient than halogen bulbs, they still produce heat but for different reasons than traditional bulbs. An LED bulb should be cool to the touch as it doesn't produce any infra red radiation and it's the infra red that heats up traditional bulbs.
However, it's make-up means it still produces heat from the operation of the diode itself and the microprocessor that runs it. To draw parallels, I think we've all noticed how hot computers get when their processors are working hard (they have internal fans too, like some of the bulbs). And let's not forget that regulator/rectifiers are basically made up of diodes and, as Ducati owners, we're all too well aware of how much heat they can generate!
As for measuring clearance, how about adapting the old method of measuring squish? Place a ball of plasticine in the appropriate area, gently reassemble and then pull apart again and measure the resulting thickness of the plasticine.