LED Traffic Lights Don't Melt Snow, Cause Danger

[bin1127]

just hire someone (or 1 million) to scrap off the snow on each light. at $30 an hour we'll be that much closer out of the recession.

 

[yrmoma]

So, if a light is out, it turns the signal into a stop sign. At least, where I come from. I'd say it's a fail on the drivers that think "I see nothing, so I'll blow right through."

Now, as far as a real solution, the most efficient and cheap will hopefully win. In the mean time, don't drive like a moron.

 

[marokero]

They could make these traffic lights from more powerful LEDs with RGB elements in them - they have aluminum backs to help radiate heat, and believe me, they can get painfully hot even with a heatsink and fan. I've built one with 6 white LEDs that output the equivalent of a 500W halogen bulb (consuming ~54W), and in about a minute it's warm enough that snow would not take hold. If there was no fan it would probably overheat and fail around 350F. So have a fan with a thermal switch for the summer time, and the switch will turn it off when it gets chilly. Anyone interested can check out my light: http/www.marokero.com/Riegel/

 

[m3kt3k]

UMMM I live in one of those snowy ice areas..... OUr lights are led and YET we see them just fine.. But then again when its crappy out I dont drive 90mph and try to cut of the guy skidding down the road.. DUnno just a thought but SLOW THE FUCK DOWN.. Ya know just saying.

 

[megamanx00]

Considering the proliferation of LED traffic lights I'm surprised it took this long. Of course, local government tries to ignore such things as long as they can, hoping it will go away I suppose, no matter the location.

 

[lejay]

[citation][nom]imrul[/nom]make a heating mechanism?[/citation]
I am sure Canada has all its scientists on the problem of how to convert electricity into heat... Any day now.

 

[Milleman]

How about laser vipers in front of the glass?

 

[anamaniac]

Oh, woe are we.
Canada, cold, check.
My brother went north and is *enjoying* -40C right now. =D

MOAR powerful LED's then please.

 

[r0x0r]

Just overclock it.

 

[cdillon]

Even if they have to add heaters to the lights to melt the snow, they will still be more energy efficient than with incandescent bulbs, for two reasons... One, you'll only need as much heat as is needed to melt the ice (it can be thermostat-controlled), which is probably still less power than the old bulbs used... and Two, you only need the heat in the winter, so you get the full LED power-savings for the rest of the year.

 

[Spike53]

So they need lighting and heat in the same area... Incandescent bulbs are pretty good at doing that!

 

[OvrClkr]

wipers? lol

or just make a housing.. anyone can come up with a simple idea on how to fix this issue... this is nonsense...

 

[ant1-b0dy]

Interesting suggestions all. Anyone living in the north knows wet snow will stick to anything it touches, so angling the light won't do anything. Like some have suggested, either build a housing with a heating element or add the shit they use for rear-window defrost and connect it to a temperature/condensation gauge, have it kick on at a predetermined temperature/condensation and problem solved.

 

[bison88]

[citation][nom]bin1127[/nom]just hire someone (or 1 million) to scrap off the snow on each light. at $30 an hour we'll be that much closer out of the recession.[/citation]

LOL I agree technology "turk ur jewbz!"

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]bin1127[/nom]just hire someone (or 1 million) to scrap off the snow on each light. at $30 an hour we'll be that much closer out of the recession.[/citation]Yes that way we can create or save another million jobs. Jimmy Carter II would be mighty proud of you, son.

 

[gilbertfh]

Maybe they should make plasma traffic lights... That would definitely melt the snow.

 

[jamesedgeuk2000]

Or they could just go back to the old style that worked for 60 odd years before the climate change hoax got everyone power saving mad.....

 

[zak_mckraken]

A heating mechanism (like the one in windshields) would be more energy-effective than reverting back to incandescent bulbs. This way, we could activate the heating mechanism only in the wintertime, which is 11 months per year.

 

[andyviant]

umm....wow, how about just NOT creating a sill beneath the light for snow to stack on. You're all trying to ADD something to fix the problem -- solution here is to simplify or rearrange. The cowlings don't need to wrap around the light so much, or horizontal layout with the same cowlings pictured would also solve this problem.

A heating element is just another component that can fail.

 

[bildo123]

Put a Plexiglas shield at a downward slope in front of each light on the traffic light. That way snow can't build up in the light.