Thread: is 200 amps to much

I found the 2013 TDV6 alternator is rated at 150amps so at max output it is good for around 2150W. The consensus is the vehicle will use 60% of the rated output at max load so that leaves about 850W . I reckon I would want about half that say 400W as excess so I have 450W to run extra devices.
Apparently there is a 10W LED chip and I even have found a 15W chip, jeez things move quickly it was not so long ago a 1W chip was mind blowing now 1 LED chip draws over an amp.
So one decent light bar will draw 250W and a pair of those 9" spotties will draw 300W (35x5W led chips each light).
If the specs are right for some of these quad row light bars you would run your battery into mush in a few hours of operation.
I never thought much about what a vehicles electrical system can handle till I started looking for a light bar usually just brought the biggest I could find and bung it on the car but this has started me thinking.
I wrote to 2 of these suppliers but no replies. They are probably selling stuff out of a bedroom and wouldn't have a clue anyway.

The reason they quote big numbers - Hilux drivers love it ...

Good light is the sum of its parts...
Reliable
Useable
Suitable

If you want something very good..

50 inch ST2K Curved Super Drive 20 LED Light Bar

Originally Posted by terry1738

Considering buying a light bar and was amazed that some had quoted wattage as 2100W to 2400W thats 200 amps. I dont know what my alternator is rated at on discovery 4 TDV6 but that seems like an awful lot of current drain yet I see these things on lots of cars.
Any one know if this will cause problems with my electrical system.
I can power it off a second battery but thats not isolated while the car is running so the alternator is still under load.
Any advice welcome

LED power is usually quoted in Lumens. Incandescant lights in watts. eg [table]
[TR]
[TD]1500 lm
[/TD]
[TD]= 100 W
[/TD]
[TD]


[/TD]
[/TR]
[/table]
Watts current draw is measured in amps whereas led current draw is in Milli-amps

Using ohms law ........watts (w) = current (I) * volts (V) or W=I*V in watts.

To obtain the current draw of the above example 100watts is calculated as I=W/V or 100/12= 8.3333amps.

I hope this will clarify things for you.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I bought the 4wd Supercentre 20 inch slim lightbar. The specs say the current draw is 7.20 @ 14.4 volts. I used their wiring kit. So far it works great.

That would be 103.68w.

Even the brand name ones are full of rubbish in there specs.

Highly Recommend the STEDI range, the chip power supplies are very stable. They've also got good local backup. And they've rated all their lights at the newer rating system of 1Lux at * Measured distance.

STEDI LED Light Bars | Australia

Heard a "good rumor' that they may come from the same production line that the Lightforce range is produced from

Why does anyone "need" 1,000w + of LED light ? Not for road use,- glare from roadside peg reflectors would be distracting and big signs .... For off-road. There's still no point in illuminating your destination from 10 km away.
Better to put the lumens where YOU need them .
Complaints have been received from the International Space Station.!

Originally Posted by superquag

Why does anyone "need" 1,000w + of LED light ? Not for road use,- glare from roadside peg reflectors would be distracting and big signs .... For off-road. There's still no point in illuminating your destination from 10 km away.
Better to put the lumens where YOU need them .
Complaints have been received from the International Space Station.!

Don't tell anyone, but 10x100 watt/lumen/whatever measure you use, leds, doesn't equal 1000 watts of usable light. Each element is producing 100 whatevers. That's all you get. Whether there's 1, 10 or 100 of them. They don't stack on each other, they are side by side. The only thing that increases is the total current draw.