WILLIS, Texas — UltraLED Inc. has unveiled its H3X LED upgrade for school bus warning lights.

The halogen-to-LED warning light upgrade uses the same concept as UltraLED’s stop-arm LED upgrade bulb, using the existing fixture for a direct interchange, which company officials said makes for a quick and easy upgrade to LED technology.

The H3X takes the place of an H3 halogen bulb, common to school bus eight-way warning lights, and employs the inner reflector as a built-in component for heat dissipation with a circuit board/ driver potted into the rear of the unit to further simplify installation.

The H3X fixture contains nine surface mount display (SMD) LEDs on a single circuit, which company officials said addresses out-of-service criteria and provides an efficient LED warning light with a service life of up to 50,000 hours of product life — compared to 300 hours for the halogen counterpart.

“The H3X has been in development for the past couple years as we worked with advancing LED technology to ensure the product exceeds FMVSS 108 requirements defined in SAE J887,” said Brandon Billingsley, president of UltraLED. “[We] are utilizing SMD technology in version one of this product and are pleased that the product dramatically surpasses the federal specifications for both amber and red warning lights.”

General Manager Branden Smeltzer added that “UltraLED understands the needs of large and small school bus fleets, many with a shrinking transportation budget. Our complete sonic-sealed LED lighting line, while mature, continues to expand in response to R&D [research and development] efforts.

“The addition of the H3X completes our serviceable product line (direct interchange to LED), providing an upgrade from any of the older incandescent or halogen bulbs to LED technology, increasing safety and efficiency while reducing operating cost.”

UltraLED expects the new product to become available for sale in the first week of September through the company’s nationwide dealer network. For more information, contact an UltraLED dealer, which can be found here.