Flickering HID bulb?

Bryn

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I think I may have sorted the beam position on dipped HID, but I've noticed that the beam is fine when first started, then after a minute or two it starts to flicker..... if I turn off and turn on again, same thing, fine at first and then a flicker..... any pointers please? :thumb
 
imho that is a sign the bulb is on its way out. had the same last year in spain.
 
Just had the connectors off and sprayed, in the limited time I've ran the bike in the garage it now doesn't seem to be flickering.... perhaps need to give it more time....

Will see how it goes, perhaps a new burner and contact with Les if it continues :beerjug:
 
Can you very a look at the bulb itself. If it's looking a bit grey then it might be in the way out.

When my bulb went it began to do as your describing. Then I realised it had become quite dim, which was the final cue.
 
As suggested you can check the bulb for deterioration; maybe the ballast is on it's way.

Otherwise, it seems that somehow not enough power is getting to the ballast, it could be your charging system or battery condition. Does it flicker still as the revs rise - what voltage is it showing at the battery?
 
I think the bulb looks clear and bright, will double check in the morning...

I did hear about possible voltage issues, and again will check in the morning :thumb2

Thanks for all the suggestions :beer:
 
Bulb looks clear with no cloudiness.....

12.4 volts with the engine off on the battery
14.4 volts on tickover


Ran it for 5 minutes and no flickering..... I'm hoping that the clean up of the connectors has done the trick :thumb2
 
Mine started flickering about this time last year while in Spain.
It kept flickering and by the time I got home again, it had burned the reflector slightly, just above the bulb.
I would be planning on replacing it asap.
 
Mine started flickering about this time last year while in Spain.
It kept flickering and by the time I got home again, it had burned the reflector slightly, just above the bulb.
I would be planning on replacing it asap.

Thanks John, will keep an eye on it...if theres any more flickering I'll change it :thumb
 
My HID would periodically stop working. The problem was a wiring connector but I never found which one as taking it apart and reconnecting was enough to get it working again.

When the dipped beam burner failed I went to LED bulbs with H7 fitment. They produce more light on paper, but as there is more at the blue end, so effective brightness is much the same as HID.

I used bulbs with a passive heat sink that sticks out the back making it difficult to seal the lamp case. Later models with a fan cooled heat sink would be better as a boot could be cut to fit between the circular fan casing and the lamp rear cover. You will need to make a patch lead to connect the wiring loom to the HID bulbs. The original H7 connectors are inside the lamp casing so can't be used.

I can't find the actual current draw of the LED bulbs. When they quote 120 watts they mean equivalent light to a halogen. Some say 55 watts but as LEDs are supposed to use a lot less energy this sounds odd.

However, the light output of mine is about the same as the HIDs so more than enough and they might use less power. The emitter does not get hot so the lamp reflector is not getting cooked. Any waste heat from the LEDs is taken away by the fan cooled heatsink on the back. The emitters on mine are only slightly larger than the halogen filament coil so beam focus is good.
 


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