28’ Van Trailer Harness System

EVOLUTION OF LIGHTING
SECTION OBJECTIVES
1. Lighting Evolution
2. Introduction to LED Lighting
3. The Future of LEDs
4. LED Lifetime Systems
5. Systems Approach

1. Lighting Evolution

In 1879, Thomas Edison formally filed a patent request

for his light bulb invention, a rudimentary bulb that
utilized a carbonized bamboo filter that could last
around 1200 hours. This
invention paved the way
for universal domestic use
of electric light. Amazingly,
for nearly 75 years after
Edison’s patent, there was
very little technological
change in incandescent
lighting. There were minor
improvements to the
filament and support posts
material, but the general
design remained the same,
which meant, for nearly 75 years bulbs were extremely
susceptible to corrosion and vibration damage.

In 1955, two men, George Baldwin and Henry Grosser,

provided a solution to the trucking industry with the very
first sealed marker lamp. The idea of mounting a base-
less bulb in a resilient compound and sealing it in the
lamp allowed the light to have a longer lifespan — 10 to
15 times that of a conventional unsealed (bulb replace-
able) light. And, just like that, Truck-Lite was born.

Not long after the first sealed marker lamp, lighting was
taken in a vastly different direction when Nick Holonyak
took lighting in a dynamic new direction. While working
at General Electric in 1962, he developed the first practi-
cal visible spectrum (red) light-emitting diode (LED). It
would take several years and numerous improvements
before LEDs made their way into the commercial vehicle
industry, but in 1991, Truck-Lite released the first LED
stop lamp to the market, as an
alternative light source to the
traditional incandescent bulb
replaceable and sealed lamps.

Truck-Lite currently offers three

types of lighting: incandescent,
sealed, and LED lighting.

Incandescent Lighting
An incandescent bulb is generally inexpensive. Howev-
er, a bulb has many disadvantages.

The most significant disadvantages include:

-Limited life (less than 10,000 hrs.)
-Uses a fragile filament (susceptible to breakage during
shock & vibration)

Some lighting manufacturers put bulbs in shock mounts

to protect them from vibration, but even the best bulb
will burn out or suffer a broken filament within three
years. Incandescent lamps operate through the excite-
ment of tungsten filaments that, when seeded in sealed
glass housing, will provide light output. Truck-Lite has
found that in the original 2-inch round and 4-inch round
lighting applications, damage was most often found to
have occurred due to bulb damage.
Sealed Lighting
While Truck-Lite manufactures lamps with shock-mount-
ed systems (a method of attaching the bulb to the lamp
in a suspended vibration-resistant device), not all lamp
failure is a result of vibration. It was Truck-Lite’s first
development of the sealed lamp that began to tackle the
problem of bulb failure.

Years ago, bulb replaceable lamps generally had poor

lens gasketing, and often had drain holes. The drain
holes allowed water into the lamp, which caused
corrosion of the bulb socket and electrical contacts.
Cold water could come in contact with the hot glass
of the bulb, which would cause the bulb to crack. This
led to a slow leak of air into the bulb, which caused
failure. The filament would oxidize and produce a cloudy
coating on the inside of the bulb. This dramatically
reduced the bulb’s light output and reduced the life to a
few hours at most. If a crack was severe, failure could
happen immediately.

Truck-Lite’s work to prevent damage to the bulb result-

ed in the advent of the sealed lamp. Creating a lamp
that allowed no way for chemicals or liquids to enter
the lamp housing greatly decreased the possibility of
damage.
28’ Van Trailer Harness System

2. Introduction to LED Lighting

Since they were first studied in 1988 for possible use in

heavy-duty lighting applications, LEDs have become the
new standard for long life, and low-current draw lighting.

LEDs are a monochromatic light source, meaning, each

LED produces exactly one color. The core technology
is a crystal growth onto a given medium—sometimes
a silicone material, which is also used as the base for
computer chips. When you expose this medium to a
combination of materials and run electricity through it, it
lights up.

Even in the early days of LED use, their benefits were

clear. LEDs appear brighter, with a more vibrant color.
They also have a lower current draw.

In the late 1990s, Truck-Lite began to investigate the

possibility of white LEDs. Because an LED diode is
monochromatic, producing white—which is really a
combination of the colors red, green, and blue—is very
difficult. The problem was solved by creating a combi-
nation of RGB diodes that were packaged together. This
final package emitted a white light.

Now, we know that there are many ways to produce

white light with LEDs. The most efficient way is to use a
blue LED chip and expose it to phosphor, which reacts
and releases photons that fill up the rest of the color
spectrum. Even now, significant improvements are being
made in blue LED technology, which in turn improves
white lighting technology.

In the mid-2000s, Truck-Lite was approached by the

United States military, who asked for the development
of white LED technology for headlights in the military
market. Due to the extreme environments that military
vehicles operate in, the filaments of traditional halogen
bulbs easily break. With that in mind, it was important
to provide a more reliable LED alternative as soon as
possible. In 2007, Truck-Lite launched the world’s first
LED headlamp.

The next phase was to introduce military-grade LED

technology to the commercial vehicle market, which was
done with the 7-inch round and 5x7-inch headlights.
Fleets who were already beginning the transition into
custom halogen headlamps realized that there was
an opportunity for life of the vehicle head lighting that
offered longer life, lower current draw, better illumination,
and the accompanying safety benefits.
THE BENEFITS OF
LED LIGHTING

SAFETY
• Increases vehicle conspicuity with intense displays
of light output
• Instantaneous response time, 200 milliseconds
faster than that of incandescent lamps, creating
18 feet of additional stopping distance for trailing
vehicles at highway speeds
• Low power consumption increases the length of
time disabled vehicles can operate their 4-way
flashers

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
• 85% reduction of load on electrical systems allows
more power for other vehicle applications
• Minimizes voltage drop and reduces load on
alternators, flashers and switches

RELIABILITY
• Related at 100,000 hours of operation, covering 4
million miles, and Warranted for life when equipped
with Fit ‘N Forget® connectors and Series 88
harnesses
• Extended period of operation translates to less
vehicle downtime and zero maintainence

DURABILITY
• Solid-state construction, with extra measures taken
to assure longevity of circuitry and components
• Virtually impervious to shock and vibration
Unlike their incandescent counterparts, LED lamps
produce light without relying on a heated filament. This
solid state method of producing current eliminates
filament failure, and ultimately translates into a much
longer life. LED lamps continue to gain popularity as
more and more industry professionals recognize the
benefits that LED lamps provide.

Truck-Lite’s LED lamps

are extremely reliable and
efficient, because they Optical Light Beam
are internally sealed with Epoxy
Lens
epoxy to encapsulate the Light
electronic elements. The Emitting
Semi-
solid state design makes Conductor
for an extremely impact Metal
resistant light source that Light
Reflector
is impervious to shock
and vibration, even in
the most damaging Electrical Connections

applications.

Because filament failure is not a concern for LED lights,

they have an extremely fast turn-on time, and can last
up to 100,000 hours. Combine this with their durability,
and it’s clear that they are ideal for the heavy duty
industry.

LEDs come in different types:

• “T1-3/4’s”
• “HPA’s”
• “SnapLED®”

Colors Of Light
The colors of light produced by filament lamps in vehicle
applications are the result of colored lens placement
in front of an incandescent white filament. The red
and amber color produced by LED lamps in vehicle
applications are the result of colored light emitted from
the diodes.
3. The Future of LEDs

Even in the earliest days of LED lighting, the benefits

were clear, and as technology progresses, the benefits
are continually improved. According to Haitz’s Law, the
cost per lumen of LEDs will fall by a factor of 10, and
the amount of light generated per LED package will
increase by a factor of 20 every decade. This contin-
ued refinement of the technology has continually led
to reductions in cost and improvements in technology,
which will continue to open doors to new LED lighting
applications.
HAITZ’S LAW
CO

103 103
ST
FLUX PER PACKAGE

COST PER LUMEN

100 100

10-3 10-3
FLUX
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

In the future, OEMs that do not currently have LED tech-

nology will look to implement it right away. There will
also be the emergence of new forward lighting method-
ologies. Many of these developments will be focused on
reducing headlight glare, which, according to NHTSA, is
one of the most frequent complaints that they receive.
One of the most promising new developments being
tested is that of adaptive drive beam headlights.

The core principal of adaptive drive beam headlights

is that vehicles will only have a high beam headlight
in their vehicle. The headlight is paired with a forward
facing camera, which senses oncoming traffic, and, by
either mechanical or electronic beam blockers, blocks
the specific area where the camera senses oncoming
traffic or tail lamps.
4.
28’LED Lifetime
Van Trailer Systems
Harness System

Customer Experience
The best warranty is one that you never have to use! Lighting
has the highest frequency of failure of any device on a truck
and trailer and is third in total cost. All vehicles equipped with
Truck-Lite LED Lamps, Fit ‘N Forget® Connectors and 88 Se-
ries “Plug Together” Harness Systems will be under warranty
for the life of the vehicle!

88 Series “Plug-Together” Harness System

-Sealed, plug-together system
-Ensures solid, weather-tight contacts
-Eliminates the need for junction boxes, distribution outlets,
and troublesome splices
-Internal ground guarantees reliability
-Color coded connections and wires
-Rear, 7-way adapter offers versatility

Lifetime Systems Warranty

A Lifetime Systems Warranty is a major step in making vehi-
cles safer, by ensuring products last longer. Truck-Lite’s Life-
time Systems Warranty offers significant reduction in mainte-
nance costs and provides the peace of mind that your lighting
system will keep you on the road.

5. Complete Systems Approach

The common downtime and repair of incandescent lighting
extends past the price alone of replacement lamps.

Part Cost + Labor + Downtime

Downtime is costly, and when you add in the hidden costs

of halogen lamps—repairs and replacements—the initial
savings from a halogen bulb quickly disappear. While the
initial cost of LED lighting products may be higher, the
advantages of not having to replace or repair the lamps will
result in significant savings over the life of your vehicle.