Can someone explain HID bulbs to me?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by mediahound, Jan 23, 2014.

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  1. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    So in the picture above, can that H11 connector be pulled off and used on another bulb with bare leads?
     
    #21 mediahound, Jan 23, 2014
  2. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    Some, not all... 9005, 9006, H11, they all use the same size spades.

    H4, however, uses larger spades, so they wouldn't work.
     
    #22 burstaneurysm, Jan 23, 2014
  3. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Does the h11 connector (or bare leads) actually connect to the bulb at all, or just to the ballast?

    Are the only wires that actually connect to the bulb the pos and neg mini connectors from the ballast?
     
    #23 mediahound, Jan 27, 2014
  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    This was clarified already in burstaneurysm's post:

    If you have a kit with bare terminals, then instead of the H11 connector circled in green, you have two wires with terminals.
    SCH-I535
     
    #24 xliderider, Jan 27, 2014
  5. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Not really. In the pic, I can't tell if the h11 connector goes to the bulb or what is going where.
     
    #25 mediahound, Jan 27, 2014
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    And I already explained that the H11 connector wiring goes through that rubber piece to the connector that attaches to the ballast. No, it doesn't go to the bulb.

    SCH-I535
     
    #26 xliderider, Jan 27, 2014
  7. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    OK, no. The H11 passes the current from the OEM connector to the ballast.

    Yes, the only wires that connect to the bulb is the two mini connectors.

    SCH-I535
     
    #27 xliderider, Jan 27, 2014
  8. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    You're getting confused. Just think of the H11 connector as an extension cord to extend the OEM connector to the ballast housing.

    SCH-I535
     
    #28 xliderider, Jan 27, 2014
  9. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    #29 mediahound, Jan 27, 2014
  10. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    You can think of them that way. Yes.

    SCH-I535
     
    #30 xliderider, Jan 27, 2014
  11. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    It's really not that tricky. The two big ends are one pair. One end to the ballast, the other to the OEM wiring.
    That tells the ballast to fire when the headlights are turned on. The other two wires go from the ballast to the bulb and are responsible for igniting the bulb.

    And all that grommet does is hold the wires together, it's completely extraneous.
     
    #31 burstaneurysm, Jan 28, 2014
  12. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Thanks all for the info.

    It's strange that some HID bulbs come with the factory connector, some do not. Some just have bare leads and in one case, the Xentec bulbs, just come with the mini pos/neg connectors only.

    The Xentec bulbs are cool though, because they produce no ground shadow at all, right out of the box. And, they are only like $10. on eBay.
     
    #32 mediahound, Jan 28, 2014
  13. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    #33 burstaneurysm, Jan 28, 2014
  14. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    #34 mediahound, Jan 28, 2014
  15. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    Just specify H11 and the color temp you want.
    I had 6000K, but I just put 4300K in last week.
     
    #35 burstaneurysm, Jan 28, 2014
  16. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    How do you like 4300k vs 600k? To me 5000k seems like it would be ideal but that seller does not offer 5000k.
     
    #36 mediahound, Jan 28, 2014
  17. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    It's whiter than halogen, but there's definitely a slight yellow tint to it.
    I can take a pic tonight, if you'd like.
     
    #37 burstaneurysm, Jan 29, 2014
  18. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    Here's my 4300K setup.
    [​IMG]
     
    #38 burstaneurysm, Jan 29, 2014
  19. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Wow, I thought my H9 bulbs were pretty good, but that looks really good. :D

    35w or 55w?

    SCH-I535
     
    #39 xliderider, Jan 29, 2014
  20. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Looks nice, thanks for posting. I think for me the ideal is 5000k. I do like 6000k for a bit of that cool blue look however. I would not consider anything higher than 6000k myself.
     
    #40 mediahound, Jan 29, 2014
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