Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: Bad340fish]
#1717229
12/29/14 11:03 PM
12/29/14 11:03 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.
FASTBACK340
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952
Queens, N. Y.
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Quote:
Very Cool! I have a 68 as well and that is something that really needs to be done for sure.
What makes the `68 unique is the differences from the `67 & `69, which share ALOT of details (egg crate grilles, reverse lamps on the rear valance, larger tail light area….) But I've always disliked the practicality of those little lights (reminds me of my old `57 VW Beetle; those were TINY!) but I like the way they look. I tried those Pep Boys plug-in LED bulbs: still just a small centralized bit of light. Having people see my brake lights during the day is an issue. That's the reason for the LED conversion, but just the way some people would complain about free money, I knew I'd have some finger waving coming my way. And as someone already mentioned, there's more to the story…..
Driving in Queens, N. Y. is like driving amongst one big dysfunctional drivers-ed class on the roads. If I get your attention, that's my intention. Which brings me to….
Brightness. Much like the way some people like to fire-up their new header installation before the mufflers go on, I posted a full-power, 12 volt head-on shot of the Sun. I know it's bright. I plan on dropping the power. Which brings me to…..
You tie both your tail & brake lights into the LED board. But you MUST install diodes to prevent back-feeding from one circuit to the other. By adding, say…. a higher ohm resistor on your tail light feed and a lower ohm on the brake feed, you have 2 different power input levels creating a difference in brightness. I plan on toning down both the tail AND brake lights.
And as far as traffic laws, I live in Queens, N.Y. Things are a bit "lax" when it comes to an older guy in a special interest car. Besides, there's so much incompetence on the roads….
Anyway, here's some darkness shots with the lights powered by a 9V battery. With the factory lenses they look good! Once I have them in the car I'll play with some dropping resistors to tone them down a bit. With 12V they are a lot brighter! Here's the reverse lights.
And the brake lights…..
Real hard to tell with a digital photo, but I really like them. Nice & bright, but not obnoxious. We do more testing…..
`68 Barracuda 340-S
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: Mr.Yuck]
#1717231
12/30/14 01:33 AM
12/30/14 01:33 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,038 Tulsa OK
Bad340fish
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,038
Tulsa OK
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I like those, good job!
Currently my backup lights don't work since I removed the console where the switch was. I have considered doing something like you have done but use red LEDs behind the back up lights to make them an auxiliary brake light. So when your tails and turns are on it's just the small lights, hit the brakes and the whole assembly is red. It would probably look dumb but it would be enough of a change to be an eye catcher.
My car has been hit from behind before so that changes my angle on this some also.
68 Barracuda Formula S 340
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: FASTBACK340]
#1717237
12/31/14 03:20 PM
12/31/14 03:20 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.
FASTBACK340
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OP
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Queens, N. Y.
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I received a PM from another member asking about actual schematic's on wiring. The link I provided; http://ledcalc.com walk you through. Knowing the generalized voltages of the bulbs used, milli-amp drawn (20 is the baseline from what I've read), and how many LED's used it will explain what, and where, to wire in everything. Believe me, I'm no techno-head that builds electronics, this is my VERY FIRST attempt at this. All I possess is some detail-related hand/eye skills and patience. The site pretty much spells out what to do. ……………………………………………………... LED lights have a rating called "forward voltage". You ideally want about a 20 milliamp draw. Go to this site http://ledcalc.com plug-in the numbers. Here's an example of voltage. This is from the link I posted above. As supply voltage: For molex: 5, 7 and 12 volts Batteries: 1.5 and 9 volts As led forward voltages: Red and green: 2 volts Blue and white: 3.0 - 3.5 volts Led current: 20mA will work for most regular leds. Superbright leds can go from 30mA up to several amps. Now say you want to add an LED light for an indicator light in your case, this is how I would calculate: How many bulbs will fit the area? If your using a single WHITE LED you would need a 470 ohm resistor with a 12 volt power supply. If you wanted to use, say 3 bulbs, you would use a 180 ohm resistor, wired into the power side of the LED's, which is the LONGER leg, and ground the other side, switching it on/off from either side. Click on the link I posted and plug in what your working with. THE SITE ALSO SPELLS OUT A DIAGRAM UNDER THE GURU SETTING. And if there's an odd amount of bulbs, the schematic will break in down into the correct circuits with the correct resistance for the amount of bulbs. Red LED's are 2 volts forward voltage, white 3. Don't forget I used 3mm LED's for the reverse lights for a smaller light, and I used 5mm bulbs for the brake/tail lights. I'm going to cut & paste this question & answer so hopefully this might help someone else wondering the same thing.
Last edited by FASTBACK340; 12/31/14 03:29 PM.
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: FASTBACK340]
#1717238
12/31/14 04:25 PM
12/31/14 04:25 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.
FASTBACK340
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super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952
Queens, N. Y.
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I'll amend this post once more:
I did a fast search on e-Bay and found light bulb bases sold in bulk specifically for LED conversions. Solder these on to your circuit board harness and plug them into your existing harness.…..
`68 Barracuda 340-S
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#1717240
12/31/14 10:54 PM
12/31/14 10:54 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.
FASTBACK340
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super stock
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OP
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Posts: 952
Queens, N. Y.
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And I'm going to re-vamp everything.... Too many LED's in the tail lights, too close together. Plus I want to follow the contour of the lense better. Here we go with the esthetics..... To be continued
`68 Barracuda 340-S
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: FASTBACK340]
#1717241
01/01/15 01:36 PM
01/01/15 01:36 PM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,799 Bitopia
jcc
If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
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If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,799
Bitopia
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BTW, nice groundbreaking on this topic and and for sharing your homework.
Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: FASTBACK340]
#1717243
01/01/15 08:14 PM
01/01/15 08:14 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.
FASTBACK340
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 952
Queens, N. Y.
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OK, we're done…… I whipped-up a second board with less bulbs, 26 less to be exact. I like the layout, not crazy about the actual bulb placement. More R & D work needed….. I've officially reached the point where I'm going to purchase sheets of hi-temp ABS sheet, cut them on my router, and try to assemble THE nicest, most function set I'm capable of. I'll stop only when I reach a point of satisfaction. Here's the up-dated version compared to the original flame-thrower. I wanted a perimeter and center. Here it's powered up with a 9V battery….. As you can see, the outer ring is slightly "off' from where I ideally wanted it. I'm limited to the bulb placement in the pre-drilled holes in the prototype board I bought. Proper placement of the bulbs is key, plus now I'm thinking of using 3mm bulbs instead of the 5mm, but 3 across the perimeter instead of two. More intensity, less area. More experimenting coming…. Here's my shop-hound checking my solder joints…..
`68 Barracuda 340-S
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Re: LED Tail Lights
[Re: FASTBACK340]
#1717245
01/01/15 08:33 PM
01/01/15 08:33 PM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,799 Bitopia
jcc
If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
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If you can't dazzle em with diamonds..
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 22,799
Bitopia
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So I can do my initials? And I thought dogs were color blind?
Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.
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