Important Attributes of a Vehicle Lightbar That Make a Difference
It is not surprising to see vehicle lightbars becoming the most sought after lighting solutions for various vehicles today. Though these lights were initially used by emergency vehicles, today they can be seen on many other vehicles since they emit bright light and prevent mishaps from occurring.
When you are choosing a vehicle lightbar, there are some imperative attributes which are critical for the proper functioning of the light bar. Whenever light bars are being considered it is important to check the light source that is being used. Halogen lights and xenon flash lights are extremely common but LEDs are the most popular light sources owing to a wide range of reasons. LEDs are ideal for a light bar to be used in an emergency vehicle because simple 1W LEDs can provide excellent light output that is seldom matched by other light sources. This allows you to use simple 12V DC power supply. This in turn also lowers the current flowing through the circuit thus making it relatively safer. Moreover, energy is conserved with low energy usage and less wastage of energy in the form of heat dissipation. The simple LED light bar is also extremely portable which is what you would want for a vehicle.
Your vehicle lightbar should be easily mountable and installable. LED light bars come with either powerful magnetic mounting systems or mounting clamps and stainless steel straps for secure attachment. Stable mounting is important for moving surfaces like the roofs of vehicles because you wouldn’t want the light bar to be unfastened while you are driving. It could harm you or someone else on the road not to mention, the damage that would occur to the light bar itself. So, for the sake of safety, light bars used in emergency vehicles should come with reliable mounting that will hold them tightly. Permanent mounting magnets are used in some cases for installing the light bars on metallic surfaces.
The vehicle lightbar should come with built-in flash patterns with a switch control box for easy switching and toggling of flash patterns. This is important because without the flash patterns, the lighting wouldn’t be half as effective. Moreover, the attention grabbing ability of emergency vehicle lights is due to the flashing. You must make sure your light bar has 6 – 8 flash patterns in the minimum. Phase control of individual light heads is an added advantage although it isn’t available in all light bars. The number of flashes per minute could be as high as 120 in advanced light bars even though mini light bars can also give a decent rate of flashes. High speed flashing can be a good way of sending across cautionary message not only to others around you but also to those who are following your vehicle during rescue operations.
The effectiveness of a vehicle lightbar lies in the brightness of the lights and the coverage of the beams. Whether it is through the use of diagonal mirrors, chrome deflectors or polycarbonate lenses, it is important to get highly penetrative beams with wide angle patterns in order to reach out to longer distances. Long range beams can also be multicolored, if colored filters can be used in the light bars. LEDs are a good choice for all these attributes as they are maintenance free and energy efficient.
Extreme Tactical Dynamics is a one-stop shop for
Vehicle Lightbar and many other items like Flashlights, Deck Lights, police lights, etc. Please visit the site for more details of various items available – http://www.extremetacticaldynamics.com/