some output comparisons
3200 lumens, philips 4300k HID
3600 lumens, 4x SSC 5000k LEDs

H1 12V 55W, 1550 lumens
HB3´12V 60W, 1700 lumens
2x SSC 5000k LED, 1800 lumens
3x SSC 5000k LED, 2700 lumens


math is simple 900 lumens per led
now since they are smaller and only about 10 watts each, a 40 watt set up will be just brighter than HIDs, and a little whiter (maybe not as good for eyes, but distinctly led)
u can flick them too (those who want HIGH BEAM output to be greatly increased without HID ballasts to blow)
so for fogs, i would do 2 leds per side, and for headlights 4 leds per light, im even thinking 8 for low, and 8 for high (so 8 for each side of the car ;-) )
that means i can flick my high beams at people FASTER than u can halogen even!

 

Let me help you out and I'll donate one fx35 projector towards your project.
BTW, you will notice one thing when using high output leds(luxeons), they will not fit a standard projector so you will have to get many for one headlight alone.
Lexus tried it with the ls600h and is failing so far as the output is by far less than the HID-based projectors.
Basically, what lexus did was add leds to a projector. They used one single large projector with 3 small ones to the side for width. However, as it turns out, the output was crap and non-definable.
Here are some pictures:

 

that seems like an OK idea, but not great
extra projectors cause clutter and mess and often arent worth it
since u have a projector sitting around, can u drop a 1 watt led on its cutoff shield facing the rear?
take a picture of its output in diff posisitions on the shield (left, middle right)
that will give me an idea the output it has
i have found LEDs Magazine - Lenses for LED headlamp
this was COMPLETELY done with lenses from the look of it
it seems like thats one route to go, multiple lenses for multiple lens, which to me sounds like an ok idea, but i prefer collecting all the light and throwing it at one lens,, the problem being that the lens MUST have some sort of cutoff, this is why i like the idea of standard TSX projectors vs the lexus idea
ive seen that idea, and i know its pretty poor, its not smartly put together

ACTUALLY now looking at the diagram :-D
try sticking it ona pole and see what the output is facing up, that seems more what we need :-D i like that idea, problem is solving the heat
the leds i plan on using are twice the output of the ones used by lexus :-D actualy over twice (900 lumens, SSC, Seoul Semi-Conductors p7 C bin)

 

focal point will be a dead-end. As you can see, a bulb not seated correctly will most likely cause an ugly cutoff.
Q45 projector is large and it takes one hid bulb but it has many mini lenses. If the focal point isn't right, then you will have a huge hotspot with no width.
It's been done before. Many companies try to do it but they can't get anything to pass DOT standards because they are poorly built and the hotspots from an off-focal point will cause glare.

Notice how each lense has it's own cutoff line which is different from the other. No two have the same cutoff.

 

i feel like an idiot looking at these diagrams now
ok
so i understand how the light will be effected, im actually hopefully picking up some rx330 projectors for my gfs car (HID retrofit 98 camrt, gen 4 to 4.5 front end conversion as well)
and ill play with those maybe

i dont tihnk i have enough time for these
i do know the leds i got are much more powerful than the ones used by toyota, so im gonna play around with it

 

i have no idea what you guys are talking about this is like rocket science for me!

 

hmmmmm
see my problem is im better with visualizing than explaining lol
also im better with electronics, not optics lol
new stuff to me so ill learn as i go

neways, ur saying the focal point will be a dead end
but u show me that q45 headlight assembly
that too me looks ALMOST perfect, throw 4 leds in an array that throws all the light at each lens BUT wont i loose output?

 

Someone seated the bulb slightly wrong and the beam pattern was totally messed up as there was no cutoff anymore.
So, good luck trying to find the focal point lol
that will be a dead end for almost anything unless you're doing fogs. Fogs will be easier as they dont need a cutoff since they're aimed at the ground

 

Its still more cost effective to go with HIDs.

Im putting out 5000 lumens with $70 kit

 

cost effective it is not
at 20 bux an led, led life expectancy is 50,000 hours
u do the math
even for 8 leds (160 bux well say for head lights) a projector retrofit and such (so another 400 MAX for parts) its 560 bux for sometihng that comes on faster, lasts FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR!
u may say HIDs are cost effective at 70 bux, but ur blinding the hell out of people with a 50 watt hid kit (cause thats what u have for 5000 lumens) in a halogen housing which does not spread the life good enough
trust me on this red devil, all u are doing is blinding oncomming traffic, if i saw u on the road id prolly run u off for being such an arogent a-hole driving with 5000 lumen hids which are NOT necessary

 

Wow hostility, you need to chill out.

 

i hate arrogance man, neone who throws 50 watt hids and thinks they are doing something good is where the hostility comes from
hopefully u have a good reason to fire back with, otherwise i just labeled u in my book

 

I was just saying, its more cost effective @ the same light output. Then you come in and bash me for what? GG

even at 50,000 hours, at an average of lets say 25mph, thats 1.2 MILLION miles...

at the same rate, 3000 hours for a HID bulb at 25mph is 75,000 miles

HID bulbs are like $30

yeah.

 

lol its a honda dude, ill own mine til it dies, then ill drop a new motor and keep going

 

HOLY SH*T. This friggin ridiculous! mg::drooling:

 

jsn, like i said, give me some ideas on how to angle the light, and u will see the sickest 07 civic coupe lights made EVER

 

well from what i can tell, maybe not, im going to play with some materials for reflecting the light properly into the projector lens, we shall see

 

Revived from the dead!!!!
ok so ive been thinking about this solution. the multiple projector lenses actually would work, but in a different manner. instead of one focal point, i could use the p5 knockoff q45 style projector (or the p7, but that will only fit on bigger housings, like my 6x7 on my prelude) i can create my own set up
each lens is pointing str8 forward, ergo if i made each one with a similar cutoff shield (of my own) I could get 7 leds (p7) of only 400 lumen (very easy) for a cumulative output of approx 2800 lumen!!! and if i instead went with the SSC 900 lumen led.... well the p5 would be better!!! a whopping 4500 lumen

HOWEVER there will be some loss(mainly at EVERY cutoff) , but focal point would be MUCH easier!!!! just measure distance in mm. make a mounting plate at that distance (out of a huge aluminum heat sink LOL) and voila!

Projected time to start: May 2010!
Projected time to finish: July 2010!

approximate cost
projectors (p5) $160
SSC p7 (typical 700 lumen, max 900) X 5 = $125
Various plastic sheets = $20
Epoxy and silicone = $5
Aluminum heat sink ~ $10
Total = $200

a good quality HID retrofit costs much more than this
as quality HIDs(bulbs and ballasts) go for approx $150-300
then you need a shroud, and unless you make it yourself it costs around 50 bux, and today TSX projectors are seen running 200 bux..
if this works...... i can say SWEET! i got the first LED retrofit on 8thcivic, and maybe on other sites as well!!!

striker, any input?

 

Sorry for reviving such an old thread but did you ever get around to finishing the project? Do you have any pics of the process? The new Prius' have an optional LED headlight package and from the pics, it looks like it might be brighter than an HID system. Here's a few comparison pics between Halogen and LED from the prius forums:

 

I think this is a fascinating idea. I have been manufacturing custom LED flashlights for the past few years but lighting issues are a bit different. What kind of heat would you expect from an LED headlight?

 

wow talk about revival. i stopped for lack of funds,

i have found out however that an HID projector can be used, but there is a significant loss of light.

since i was working on this new leds besides the SSC p7 have hit the market

the SST-50 and SST-90 seem like viable options.
and Luminus offers leds up to 6000 lumens now!

BUT cooling would have to be a liquid based system as there is not enough room behind the headlight

when i get up the money i will go back to this project!