# Amber LED headlight?



## PhotonWrangler (Sep 26, 2006)

Would an amber LED headlamp serve the same purpose as a traditional yellow "bug light" in terms of being less visible to flying insects? I'm thinking of retrofitting a white LED headlamp with yellow or amber LEDs for working outdoors at night.


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## hank (May 30, 2009)

Pretty belated answer but yes.

I filter my 'white' LED headlights with yellow filter material (Rosco theatrical gel, most photography stores will know how to get it).

Problem replacing the LEDs is the voltage is different and you can burn out the amber ones.

Using a 3-AAA headlight with two batteries and a dummy cell and amber might work.

Or if anyone knows where to buy amber LED headlamps, say so please.


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## jzmtl (May 31, 2009)

hank said:


> Pretty belated answer but yes.
> 
> I filter my 'white' LED headlights with yellow filter material (Rosco theatrical gel, most photography stores will know how to get it).
> 
> ...



Some 5mm PT headlights are regulated, if it's current regulation amber LED should work.


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## hank (Jun 29, 2009)

Over here:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2672682 WoodsWalker mentioned a while back that

" ... the regulated lights like the Apex, EOS and Quad are rated for lithium ..."

So I guess it ought to work on the LED side to allow swapping in an amber LED.

Worth a try


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## Burgess (Jun 29, 2009)

Just stumbled upon this old thread.



Yes, i know that flying insects are

*very fascinated* 

with my ZebraLight H50 headlamp.





_


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## Bushman5 (Jun 29, 2009)

hank said:


> Pretty belated answer but yes.
> 
> I filter my 'white' LED headlights with yellow filter material (Rosco theatrical gel, most photography stores will know how to get it).
> 
> ...



DINOTTE USA makes an amber light, that can be mounted on a head strap, or on a bike, or held in hand etc 

Life time warranty, trade in (upgrade) option, and a ton of battery choices. http://www.dinottelighting.com/Photography.htm#


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## defloyd77 (Sep 13, 2009)

I just e-mailed Princeton Tec and asked if they could make the EOS with an amber Rebel, we'll see what they say.


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## MichaelW (Sep 14, 2009)

If someone makes an amber headlight with the new Rebel Amber PC, would that be the best headlight for shoveling snow?


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## defloyd77 (Sep 14, 2009)

MichaelW said:


> If someone makes an amber headlight with the new Rebel Amber PC, would that be the best headlight for shoveling snow?



I don't know of any advantages an amber light would have over a white light. Anyone?


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## MichaelW (Sep 14, 2009)

I should had added, shoveling while it is still snowing.

I was thinking of selective yellow or amber.


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## hank (Oct 8, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> I don't know of any advantages an amber light would have over a white light. Anyone?



Doesn't attract bugs

Narrow emission rather than broad so less trouble to filter out for astronomy

Doesn't suppress melatonin -- won't interfere with sleep, useful for getting up in the middle of the night, or taking care of an older person or a baby with a disrupted sleep pattern; 
cheaper and less dorky-looking than using these: http://www.lowbluelights.co.uk/products/index.html

Someone might want to try putting this 12v 3.5-watt bulb into a flashlight: http://www.axiomled.com/seaturtles/


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## defloyd77 (Oct 8, 2009)

hank said:


> Doesn't attract bugs
> 
> Narrow emission rather than broad so less trouble to filter out for astronomy
> 
> ...





MichaelW said:


> If someone makes an amber headlight with the new Rebel Amber PC, would that be the best headlight for shoveling snow?



I don't know what advantages amber would have over white for shoveling snow. Princeton Tec never did get back at me about an amber EOS.


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## Shorty66 (Oct 9, 2009)

A warm tint led would have advantages in while its snowing as there would be less glare from the falling snowflakes. Might be, that a yellow filter has the same effect.


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## MichaelW (Oct 9, 2009)

*Let is snow, let is snow, let it snow!*

Heck it is hard to get a neutral-white in a headlight, so it might be damn near impossible to get a warm-white, 3000K CCT.

So for colored lights, what color would you pick? (page 12)
http://www.philipslumileds.com/pdfs/DS65.pdf
Myself, I'd rule out royal, blue, and cyan immediately.
Green, although it has the widest spectral distribution, it just doesn't feel like a good work light color. I'd pick it for the firefighter beacon color: red, red-orange, and amber look like fire!, and royal, blue, and cyan don't work with smoke.
Deep red is good for astronomy-protect the rods!, but down on lumens compared to red-orange, which has been done to death.
I like this yellow, it seems the closest to automotive selective yellow, for now.
http://www.lumaray.com/fog_preview_800.html
but isn't up to modern brightness/efficiency standards.

[Direct] amber is the most temperature sensitive, so the cooler it is the more light you get (page 13), but that one advantage [for winter usage] over red-orange was not enough to overcome the lumen deficiency.

Now the phosphor converted amber has put some 'balls' into the light output.
and the SPD is MUCH wider than traditional amber (page 11) 80nm vs. 20nm.
http://www.philipslumileds.com/pdfs/DS62.pdf

So who will be the first to use the PC amber Rebel, a Zebralight H60 "A" perhaps?


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## defloyd77 (Oct 9, 2009)

Cree also has an amber XP-E, but I'm unsure of how it compares to the Rebel.


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## MichaelW (Oct 9, 2009)

The xp-e is limited to 500mA, where the PC amber rebel can go to 700mA.


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## defloyd77 (Oct 9, 2009)

MichaelW said:


> The xp-e is limited to 500mA, where the PC amber rebel can go to 700mA.



True. 51.7 lumens minimum at 350mA for the XP-E and 50 lumens minimum and 70 lumens typical at 350mA for the Rebel. Looks like a win for the Rebel.


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## Cataract (Oct 9, 2009)

Burgess said:


> Yes, i know that flying insects are
> 
> *very fascinated*
> 
> ...


 
I've got the same problem: the bug-zapper face syndrome. I simply put my mine away. Can't justify using a lamp I can't turn on for more than 2 minutes before darkness falls back on me in the form of flying bugs. 

Filters seem to works great to keep bugs away. I've used red and green filters without a single bug approaching me. It seems to me it's a lot less trouble until someone comes out with an actual neutral colored headlamp.


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## MichaelW (Oct 9, 2009)

Maybe soon my amber fantasy will be realized.
http://www.ledflashlights.com/Diamond-3-Watt-Amber-replacement-LED-bulb-DB-3W-p/db-3w-a.htm
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B8687K/?tag=cpf0b6-20
110 lumens looks good, until it overheats and the output drops by 50-75%


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## defloyd77 (Oct 9, 2009)

Whoa, that'd be one huge headlamp!


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## tnuckels (Oct 9, 2009)

Related, but sort of an aside, whatever happened to all those yellow/amber auto headlightss and fog-lights they used to make? Headlights were in Europe in the 70s and fog-lights were everywhere. Did someone wake up one day and decide this was a bad idea? More money in HID …


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## MichaelW (Oct 9, 2009)

I think Scheinwerfermann said that due to RoHS, production was ceased or moved out of the EU, something about cadmium & lead.

I am all for partial tint & full tint selective yellow.

http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=4877
and it doesn't look like it use the dichroic coating


Just use a 2C maglite, and strap it to the Fenix headband.:laughing:


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## tnuckels (Oct 9, 2009)

Now that’s whot I call a bloody strap on! “Expressed to the tune of Crocodile Dundee, when he shows whot I knife really is to the pathetic subway mugger” Whoot, Whoot! :kiss:


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## Archie Cruz (Oct 10, 2009)

Gels work but I'm lazy, so I just cover the lens or emitter with Salmon color Sharpie. Love it!


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## hank (Oct 12, 2009)

Someone building? 

Need a heatsink?

http://www.lsgc.com/products/peripherals/thermacool-heat-sinks/


3.5-watt bi-pin 12v amber lamp:
http://axiompowercorp.com/osc/produ...d=144&osCsid=fe814c52073a14eb1cd495d6bf2c4125

EDIT: cross-reference to the recently active thread on colored LEDs, with some mentions of amber; I'm asking over there about where they got their LEDs. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/244438&page=2


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## hank (Oct 26, 2009)

You call that huge? _This_ is huge:
http://www.magnalight.com/pc-45315-...minum-housing--9-32-volts-dc--4230-lumen.aspx


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## defloyd77 (Oct 26, 2009)

hank said:


> You call that huge? _This_ is huge:
> http://www.magnalight.com/pc-45315-...minum-housing--9-32-volts-dc--4230-lumen.aspx



And you are going to strap that to your head?


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## hank (Oct 26, 2009)

>head 
No (it's a comparison to the yellow incandescent rally lamp Michael showed us above).

Clearly someone's using a lot of bright amber LEDs for that kind of huge lamp ($600!).

So people will be improving them and we can hope to find them for sale -- maybe even big enough to see and solder, if we're lucky -- the new Rebel phosphor type seems awful small.


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