BMC Halogen conversion

[JPB]

At dazzling oncoming traffic....

Agreed.

If you buy an e marked kit and adjust them properly they won't dazzle oncoming drivers. I upgraded my focus to the factory option LED headlamps and they are amazing. They are very different in that you don't get any light leakage so driving a car with H4s in you illuminate the trees above you and more distance to the sides. LEDs are much more focused. I suppose it depends what you like but more targeted lighting and fewer wasted watts can't be all bad.

True enough, but sadly, the only kits of this type I've seen so far use white LEDs which are as offensive to the eyes as looking into an arc and equally likely to do permanent damage when the eyes in question - though perfectly legal for seeing to drive - are already compromised. Some kits use amber LEDs which provide a much more natural light that's every bit as effective but provides light of the same colour as tungsten filament lamps do and won't cause injuries because not only do they possess the advantages mentioned, but won't spook deer and horses.

[tractorman]

+1

And a few of my neighbours agree with me that these modern lights tend to distract the oncoming driver, almost like a deer in normal headlamps - all you seem to look at is the oncoming car and can't really see what's on your side of the road (a bit like a bad flash photo - you can see the flash, but not the important part of the photo). They also make it hard to see the front indicators at night (though not all the drivers use those!)

[JPB]

Thinking about it, had Terry not told us that these were headlamps, I'd have glanced briefly at the image and assumed that what I was seeing was designed not to make light, but to reproduce sound. I've yet to see a speaker that goes by the name of "Headlamp" so what's with the naming of a headlamp as "Speaker"?
OK, so if you melt down the disc from a Piezo speaker (crappy things, please do this), roll it into finely coiled wire and apply a DC potential across it, you'd have a lamp but methinks that's not what they were aiming for. Whatever next; Graphene prophylactics?

[TerryG]

Graphene prophylactics?

I feel sorry for your other half!

[JPB]

Yeah, lots of people say the same. I can't imagine why..

[GHT]

I really want these but they will need to drop in price to around £100 for the pair before I can seriously think about it:

I might be able to help you there. Peter at http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/ does LED bulbs that work on either polarity, so it doesn't matter if you have a dynamo or an alternator, and bulbs are much cheaper than replacement lights. One problem though, it won't be until the middle of March before he gets headlamp bulbs in. For those with a dynamo, LED bulbs only use a tenth of the power of halogen so you are far less likely to drain a battery, and, if like mine, your car has really dim panel lights, LED makes a world of difference.