Interpretation ID: aiam2098
Manager
Product Reliability
General Electric Company
Nela Park
Cleveland
OH 44112;
Dear Mr. Bowers: This is in reply to your letter of July 8, 1975, to Ed Leysath of thi agency concerning wattage requirements for Type 1A and 2A headlamps.; Your specific question is whether the wattage specifications in Federa Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 for Type 1A and 2A headlamps are design wattages or maximum wattages.; Paragraph S4.1.1.21(b) of Standard No. 108 specifies that, 'Each Typ 1A headlamp shall be *designed* for a maximum of 50 watts. Each Type 2A headlamp shall be *designed* for a maximum of 60 watts for each filament.' (Emphasis added.) It follows, therefore, that the 50- and 60- watt values are design wattages. You are correct in your interpretation that a tolerance of approximately 7.5% applies to these values, and that an ampere value of 4.20 for a 50-watt filament and 5.02 for a 60-watt filament is permitted. The 7.5% tolerance as you know is the average actual maximum wattage (as opposed to design wattage) rating of headlamps listed in Table 2 of SAE Standard J573 as determined by multiplication of the maximum amperage times the design volts.; Sincerely, Frank A. Berndt, Acting Chief Counsel