Local Urbis Ampera Maxis

The largest version of the Ampera lantern appeared in Derbyshire towards the middle of 2019, on the A617 Pleasley bypass, following the complete replacement of a number of life-expired lighting units (and the associated cable networks) along the route. The lantern saw little subsequent use, owing to its designation for very high traffic routes, although the Swadlincote - Woodville link road was lit with Ampera Maxis too.

The lanterns are installed on 12 m columns of varying types; the examples seen in the picture below (photographed from the adjacent footbridge) being conical aluminum.

Considerable heat sinking is employed on the top section of the lantern.

Two separate LED matrixes are employed, necessitating the long front section of these lanterns.

The underside label states that each lantern runs at an almighty 266 Watt, and is designed to light the road to an M2 lighting class. Each LED matrix comprises 64 LEDs, bringing the total quantity to 128 per lantern.

This is one of the examples on the Swadlincote - Woodville link road, which opened in December 2021.

This lantern has 96 LEDs in its array, using the 5119 optic, and runs at 97 Watts.

This view demonstrates the LED operation - two separate arrays, each capable of running a maximum of 64 LEDs (although, only 48 LEDs are fitted to both arrays here; the front two rows of both are blank), are arranged one in front of the other.

The majority of the columns on the link road are conical aluminium, and are designed to the 'HE' class for passive-safety. All are 10 m in height.

This example runs 80 LEDs, using the 5121 optic, with the overall power consumption now being 117 Watts (the running current of these is 500 mA, compared to 350 mA for the example seen previously).

The lanterns are set to a zero degree tilt throughout, though because of their considerable length (and weight), they appear to sag down slightly at the front end.

This optic setting, when viewed from below, is asymmetrical, with the same eight LED spaces left blank on both arrays, as well as the same two front rows not being in operation, as seen previously. This is not a fault with the lantern, and is intentional, but does look rather peculiar.

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