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Using LED's for taillight clusters


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Dewzenol writes:

 

>Some of these clusters are cheap, some not. >Many of them are 2000mcd per LED, and

>contain 7 - (23? -- figure 5).

>Does that mean that the 2000mcd fig.5 red >cluster would put out 23 * 2000?

>46000mcd????

>I'd buy that for five or ten bucks!

 

Scott answers:

 

Who hoo!!! It looks like you hit the motherlode with this one, my friend! Next time you're in the D/FW area, I'm buying you a beer! smile.gif

 

It looks to me like you're right - the total luminescence should be 48,000 (24*2000) mcd, which is plenty bright. And the voltage looks right, too. As long as you bypassed the stock wiring and ran relays to the clusters, 14 volts is nearly perfect.

 

Now... Assuming we're using the standard lenses, how we handle three functions (brake, turn signal, parking lights) in two lenses? Someone much smarter than me posted an electrical diagram a month or two ago that would allow two different voltages to be applied to give different light levels for brake, turn, and park lights. Anyone remember where this is???

 

Scott Ferguson

260Z w/ no need of ANY lamps right now because it doesn't run!

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Try searching the other big long post in the archives for that diagram.

It is true you can run the LED at different voltages but three functions might be more pain than its worth if these things are only 5 bucks.

? Will these things stand up to vibration in the car? There's actually specs for these in the auto industry.

 

I did some messing around too, http://www.homestead.com/s30z/files/elec.htm

Did some more but havent written anything up yet.

All I know is that I hate soldering and would rather MIG weld these LEDs on!

I'm also investigating using those wedge type bulbs and sockets for the lites. Anyone hear anything good or bad about these?

 

 

 

------------------

http://www.homestead.com/s30z/index.html

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Scott,

I posted a schematic with a very basic description of how this might be possible... but I doubt that I'm much (if any) smarter than you or anyone else on this board.

 

Since my geocities site blows, I'll post the direct link to both my website. Between the two, you should find it somewhere.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

http://www.geocities.com/grannypotts/LEDLights.gif

 

http://grannypotts.freeservers.com/LED.html

 

-Andy

 

------------------

"But I don't sit idly by,

I'm planning a big surprise."

 

Andrew's Land of Z and Honey

 

[This message has been edited by Andrew Bayley (edited April 09, 2001).]

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Thanks, Andrew! I'm glad you reposted that. I'll see if I can't get out there this weekend and mess around with it a bit. I figured out yesterday that if I put all the LED's in there I desire (252 per lens, in a 7 x 36 array) each one will be pulling 5 AMPS of current! That's about 15 amps of draw from the brake and turn lights combined. For some reason, I thought it'd be far less than this. DEFINITELY a good place for some heavy duty relays!

 

Scott Ferguson

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Anonymous

LEDlight.com has an interesting selection of LED's...sorry I was just looking through your posts, and I thought I would see what I could find. Red 5 mm 8000mcd LED's are 55 cents each(min order 24), but temporarily out of stock. No price was listed under the white LED's. Also, they advertise LED reflectors for automotive taillight use in order to make them more visible for 20 cents apiece(min order 100) BTW the red 5mm 2200mcd LED's are 35 cents each(min order 24) and have a 30 degree radius as opposed to the 8000mcd ones having only 8 degrees (plus that they're in stock...) Hope this helps...

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Anonymous

This is a slightly dead horse, but I'm gonna beat it anyway. I've thought about this idea too for a while now, but what I was thinking is to do the LED's in an array the shape of the original Lights (240 style) except with the amber euro style blinkers on the bottom. I could probably do the reverse lights as LED's too which would most likely work much better than the stock ones anyway. I've got some circuit board layout software so I was thinking if I do this I could etch a board pretty easily. I've got a Fry's electronics by me who sells all the crap to do it, so I guess those electronics classes in high school were useful after all. Anyway, when I get around to doing this, I'll be more than happy to provide the PCB layout. I could probably do the boards for anyone too but I'd like to make sure my own works first. Etching boards is pretty easy for something like this that only requires single layer PCB's.

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Guest Anonymous

I was thinking of doing some sort of taillight conversion and saw some ready made LED lights at www.jcwhitney.com that probably could be modified to work, cheap too!

To see go to above websight, click on "lighting" and then click on "brake lights". null

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  • 3 weeks later...
Hey all, I just got the new allelectronics catalog (allelectronics.com) and it has a 6000 red led for 75c. Cheaper in quantity.

 

When I first posted this, I didn't realize that folks would be adding to it for the next two years...

 

$50 for 100 superbright LED's seems pretty reasonable. Considering that pre-made round clusters go for aobut $30 a pop, that's dirt cheap. Well worth thinking about...

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I have been running truck trailer lights since the mid eighties. Last year I put in a set of LEDs and they work great. Another economic option for those who prefer the stock look could be the brake light found on the top rear of the small Chevy van. Internally the come in a strip of 10 or so red LEDs and could be modified to fit.

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OK.. I will throw this out here.. How about the older style (60s to 80s) corevette taillights with LED's? I was thinking maybe having a circle of white LEDs in the center of the light and then the outside out of the white would be red for brake and turn signal. Just have a diode and resistance set up for giving more power for when the brake is pressed. Is this possible? Any ideas or diagrams.. I was thinking like the old two cirle lights on each side and the inner ones would be the ones with the white backup lights and the outer would just be all red except for the missing center would be unlit to make it look similar to the other lights. Donno if anyone understands my giant run on but.. Let me know your ideas and what would be involved in doing this on a 83 280zx .. thx!

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