99 Led Tail Light
99 Led Tail Light
looks nice, but eh....
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08-10-07, 12:49 PM
#10
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guys thanks for the interest and the PMs. i never really made more than a couple sets of the lights because it was too much work. all the boards are hand made and soldered.
I could do a dual halo instead of the single row. and the turn signal is still stock because the curve in that area doesnt really allow for leds like the brake lights. however i am working on an led turn signal version but its not halo, just solid. it also adds $50 to the cost.
if there were 10 people who wanted a set then i could get the boards done professionally otherwise it isnt really worth the effort for me to hand make them anymore.
I could do a dual halo instead of the single row. and the turn signal is still stock because the curve in that area doesnt really allow for leds like the brake lights. however i am working on an led turn signal version but its not halo, just solid. it also adds $50 to the cost.
if there were 10 people who wanted a set then i could get the boards done professionally otherwise it isnt really worth the effort for me to hand make them anymore.
09-18-07, 02:42 PM
#14
You might want to try www.ledtronics.com They offer auto LEDs.
09-18-07, 03:22 PM
#16
Hey, visiting from the 2nd gen side out of boredom.
There are lots of sources of LED's. allelectronics.com has some good ones, but I think there are other places that has them cheaper.
What you want to check is both mcd of output (brightness) and viewing angle. A lot of LEDs advertise large mcd numbers but have such a tight viewing angle (from concentrating the light so much) that they're useless. Next compare the brightness to the stock lamps. Lamp output is usually given as lumens. A halogen bulb puts out about 20 lumens per watt. Other incandescent bulbs put out 16 lumens per watt or less. 1cd (1000 mcd) across an entire sphere equals 12.54 lumens. Your brake lights don't have a 360 degree viewing angle, of course, so you need to do some math to figure out how many lumens you're actually getting (hemisphere = 6.27 lumens per cd, etc.). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_angle to figure out what % of a sphere you're covering with a certain solid (3D) angle. The total light output should match the stock lamps, and be viewable from a decent angle. Just having 99 LEDs doesn't mean anything unless you make sure each of those is at least 1/99th as bright as the stock lamps while still spread out enough to be visible to the guy next to the guy behind you.
Finally you need to regulate the current somehow. Red LEDs run at about 2-3V and take a fairly low current. To regulate the current you wire LEDs in series in groups of 4-6. Then you use a current regulator, a voltage regulator or a load resistor to control power to them. This takes a basic understanding of electricity: V = IR (voltage = current x resistance), etc. Otherwise you could overload the LEDs and pop them (whether this happens immediately or you shorten their lives). Or you could underpower the LEDs and end up with dim lights. Properly powered LEDs should last 10,000 hours, but there are a lot of cheap kits out there that die quickly. Unlike normal bulbs, LEDs are sensitive to spikes in current. You also need to make sure they don't all pop the moment your car's voltage regulator dies; that'd be a lousy way to lose hundreds of dollars in LEDs. In other words, provide some means of protection. And don't run them at their limit; leave a margin of safety. Remember that your charging system puts out ~14 to 14.5V, not 12V.
After you do the math and sketch some circuits, you solder everything on a circuit board and hook it up. LEDs are convenient in that respect because you don't need a curved reflector in back, nor any kind of lense to focus it. Each LED has a built in lense.
There are lots of sources of LED's. allelectronics.com has some good ones, but I think there are other places that has them cheaper.
What you want to check is both mcd of output (brightness) and viewing angle. A lot of LEDs advertise large mcd numbers but have such a tight viewing angle (from concentrating the light so much) that they're useless. Next compare the brightness to the stock lamps. Lamp output is usually given as lumens. A halogen bulb puts out about 20 lumens per watt. Other incandescent bulbs put out 16 lumens per watt or less. 1cd (1000 mcd) across an entire sphere equals 12.54 lumens. Your brake lights don't have a 360 degree viewing angle, of course, so you need to do some math to figure out how many lumens you're actually getting (hemisphere = 6.27 lumens per cd, etc.). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_angle to figure out what % of a sphere you're covering with a certain solid (3D) angle. The total light output should match the stock lamps, and be viewable from a decent angle. Just having 99 LEDs doesn't mean anything unless you make sure each of those is at least 1/99th as bright as the stock lamps while still spread out enough to be visible to the guy next to the guy behind you.
Finally you need to regulate the current somehow. Red LEDs run at about 2-3V and take a fairly low current. To regulate the current you wire LEDs in series in groups of 4-6. Then you use a current regulator, a voltage regulator or a load resistor to control power to them. This takes a basic understanding of electricity: V = IR (voltage = current x resistance), etc. Otherwise you could overload the LEDs and pop them (whether this happens immediately or you shorten their lives). Or you could underpower the LEDs and end up with dim lights. Properly powered LEDs should last 10,000 hours, but there are a lot of cheap kits out there that die quickly. Unlike normal bulbs, LEDs are sensitive to spikes in current. You also need to make sure they don't all pop the moment your car's voltage regulator dies; that'd be a lousy way to lose hundreds of dollars in LEDs. In other words, provide some means of protection. And don't run them at their limit; leave a margin of safety. Remember that your charging system puts out ~14 to 14.5V, not 12V.
After you do the math and sketch some circuits, you solder everything on a circuit board and hook it up. LEDs are convenient in that respect because you don't need a curved reflector in back, nor any kind of lense to focus it. Each LED has a built in lense.
09-18-07, 05:09 PM
#18
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These would actually be fairly simple to make; all you need is some basic electronics skills. Just build a housing for the LED's that fit in the stock tail lights, rig up a wiring scheme, and BAM! Personally, I think I would get brighter LED's. Maybe it's just the pictures, but the light seems to be some what subdued.
