Change lamps in a flash

OSRAM SNAPINLITE provides carmakers with a simple way to meet the need to change headlight lamps more easily. The new base system allows lamps to be changed with just one hand movement. All it takes is a quarter turn for a lamp with OSRAM SNAPINLITE to snap into place and connect with the electrical contacts at the same time. There is no need to connect cables or do any more to secure the unit in the narrow engine compartment. The system is effective in practice too – lamps from OSRAM’s SNAPINLITE range are already installed in the Golf VI and the all-electric Tesla Roadster, for example.
The engine compartments of modern vehicles are full to capacity these days. When the average car did not yet have any electronic driving aids or conveniences such as air-conditioning, there was enough space under the bonnet to easily reach all the components during maintenance work. As current studies show, today on the other hand even changing a lamp is often a complicated undertaking, as access is blocked by various units. OSRAM’s new SNAPINLITE base system has been designed for these different conditions. It means a vehicle lamp can be changed literally with one hand movement.
A quarter turn is all it takes
Just one turn and the OSRAM SNAPINLITE snaps into place and connects to the power source at the same time. The astonishingly simple and effective way the system is constructed makes this possible – the contact tabs protruding sideways serve as the electrical contact and as the lamp’s mechanical catch. By twisting into the lamp socket the circuit is completed and the headlight lamp is securely fitted. There is no need to connect cables or use clips or brackets for fastening. In this way not only is this procedure made much easier but connecting the plug-in contacts incorrectly as well as damaging the lamp socket or cables is also virtually excluded. The plastic on the SNAPINLITE base is shaped into a convenient grip, which allows for an easy change of lamps even without eye contact.
System of the future
To comply with ECE regulation R-48, since August 2006 headlight lamps in cars with new type approval must be installed in such a way that the light source can be replaced using the manual’s instructions and the vehicle toolkit. OSRAM’s SNAPINLITE provides a simple and safe solution. It is already in successful use in the current sixth generation VW Golf. The front lights include OSRAM H15 dual filament lamps, which assume the full beam and daytime running light functions and are fitted with a SNAPINLITE base. In the Tesla Roadster electric car an H9B with OSRAM’s SNAPINLITE takes care of the full beam. With the H8B, H9B, H11B and H15 halogen lamps as part of OSRAM’s SNAPINLITE range the appropriate lighting solutions are available for all modern headlamp functions, which give OEM the opportunity to develop application-friendly lamps.