1. What’s the difference between Solarc™ and H.I.D. lamps?
   
  H.I.D. is the acronym for High Intensity Discharge. It refers essentially to any arc (filamentless) lamp with high intensity. There are many types of H.I.D. lamps. Most highway and parking lot lamps could be described as H.I.D. as well as sports stadium and warehouse lighting. Solarc™ is a very specific subset of H.I.D. lamps. It is a brand name which encompasses a narrow group of miniature low wattage lamps manufactured exclusively by Welch Allyn. Solarc™ lamps are characterized by their low wattage, short arc gap, daylight color temperature and miniature size. There are no other H.I.D. lamps which combine these features and serve the bike light market.
   
   
2. Who actually manufactures Solarc™ lamps?
   
 

Solarc™ lamps are manufactured exclusively by Welch Allyn, Lighting Products Division of Skaneateles Falls, NY. Solarc™ is a registered brand name of Welch Allyn and the design of these lamps is protected under several patents.
   
   
3. Does Welch Allyn make bike lights?
   
  No. Welch Allyn only makes lamps for the OEM bike light manufacturers identified elsewhere at this website. We do not make bike lights at all.
   
   
4. Are Solarc™ lamps the same as used in Xenon
automobile headlights?
   
  No. Welch Allyn does not serve the automotive industry. So called Xenon headlights are a similar technology but not the same. Xenon is actually a misnomer for automobile headlights. The technology can be more accurately described as metal halide arc lamps. Xenon is only added to them to provide instant on and instant re-strike features.
   
   
5. Are their any special considerations regarding the operation of Solarc™ bike lights?
   
  You should always follow all the manufacturers instructions carefully. However, there are a couple of important points to note. Solarc™ lamps take a little time to warm up to full brightness. This depends on wattage; higher wattage lamps taking longer. If Solarc™ lamps are turned off, you should wait until they cool before attempting to re-strike them. Switching any lamp on and off repeatedly will shorten it’s life. This is particularly so for Solarc™ lamps.
   
   
6. Can Solarc™ lamps break?
   
  Yes. They are made of quartz and when subjected to enough shock the quartz can break. We work closely with our OEMs to ensure their designs with our lamps are robust enough to take the rigors of biking without breaking lamps. The best recommendation is never to drop the lamp housing.
   
   
7. Can I buy Solarc™ lamps directly from Welch Allyn?
   
  Yes, but what would you do with them besides build your own bike light? We are structured as a supplier to OEM manufacturers. We have minimum order requirements. Replacement lamps are best supplied from where you bought your bike light. Some of our OEMs have modified the lamps and we can no longer guarantee our standard offering will fit in the sockets.
   
   
8. How long will a 10W Solarc™ lamp last?
   
  We test the lamp under laboratory conditions with a one-hour-on cycle followed by a 15-minute-off cycle (to cool down). Our tests have consistently shown a median life in excess of 1000 hours for our 10W Solarc™ products. Median life means, in a population of lamps, half of them will fail before 1000 hours and half after 1000 hours. It is a statistical process and you will never know whether your lamp is going to last more or less than the nominal value until it fails. It is possible for lamps to start failing in only a couple of hundred hours and some may last beyond 1500 hours! It’s the luck of the draw and uncontrollable. The same theory applies for halogen lamps too, however, their median lives are usually much shorter. Higher wattage Solarc™ lamps also have shortened lives in this application. You should consult with the bike light manufacturer to understand lamp life in their product which may differ from the data we have quoted due to environmental reasons.
   
   
9. Why do Solarc™ lamps look bluish?
   
  Solarc™ lamps have a chemical composition which yields a white color much closer to daylight than can ever be delivered by halogen lamps. There is a rich blue element to the spectral output which is simply not available to halogen technology. Even the whitest halogen will always look like a dull yellow when directly compared to Solarc™ light.
   
   
10. How do you substantiate your 300% brighter
than Halogen claim?
   
  Solarc™ lamps have an output of about 45~60 lumens for every watt of input power. Halogen lamps typically have an output of 15~20 lumens per watt. Thus, for the same wattage lamps, the Solarc™ will emit 3X the halogen lumens. Another factor in the measured brightness difference is the source size. Solarc™ lamps have a very small source size of only 1.2mm. This permits a much tighter projected beam and concentrates the emitted lumens into a smaller space. The Solarc™ lamp may appear much brighter again due to the daylight color temperature which tricks the eye into thinking there are even more lumens than there actually is. All these factors contribute to the brightness claim.
   
   
11. Why does the lamp color appear bluer as my battery discharges?
   
  This is a real effect and not an illusion. As the battery discharges, the lamp is operating at a lower wattage than its nominal value. The chemicals in the lamp are cooler and they are actually generating less red light making the lamp appear blue. This effect is entirely normal and it is an indicator that your battery may need charging soon.
   
   
12. Why are Solarc™ based bike lights so expensive?
   
  There are two reasons. First and foremost is volume. Halogen lamps are made in over 10,000X greater quantities than the total annual production of Solarc™ lamps! With that massive production output prices are very reasonable. If Solarc™ lamps are ever made in similar quantities to halogen lamps they could be similarly priced. The second reason is that Solarc™ lamps require a special power supply, called a ballast. Halogen lamps do not require this power supply between the battery and the lamp. The ballast adds another cost element to system.
   
   
13. Are Solarc™ lamps used for any other applications besides bike lights?
   
  Solarc™ lamps have found applications in bike light and dive light markets so far. They are also used for medical and industrial fiber illumination.