Xenon Lamp

From Sinspeed

Xenon Lamps were given their name by the chemical element Xenon Gas which is represented by it's symbol Xe. Xenon bulbs, unlike traditional Halogen bulbs, are filled with the Xenon Gas which is used as a starter/igniter to light the bulbs. The Xenon Gas burns well, emitting a very bright light, similar to that of the noon sunlight. Although a Xenon bulb cannot be compared to a HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulb, they are sometimes mistaken for each other. HID Bulbs are also known as Xenon HID Bulbs and this is what makes the mistake easy enough. HID Bulbs are also gas filled, so you can imagine the confusion. The difference is, standard Xenon Bulbs although gas filled, do not use or require any additional ballast units (also known as blasters).

A standard Xenon bulb can replace the original Halogen bulb from your vehicle (providing the bulb size is a match) because they do come in various sizes for example: H1, H3, H4, H7, H9 & H11 etc. They work on the same voltage that your conventional Halogen Bulbs would run at, allowing them to run directly from your cars standard headlight wiring loom. A Xenon HID Bulb on the other hand, requires a Ballast Unit (one per each Xenon HID Bulb) to fire them up. The Ballast Unit connects between the cars standard headlight wiring loom and the bulb to regulate the power going in & out, providing a constant and flicker-less glow.