cdoyle

hmm, I'm not sure why your arrays would be different brightness, I've seen cases were some LEDs were brighter then others within an array. But I can't recall seeing where all the arrays on one side of the board were a different brightness.

I'm not really sure what would cause that, does it do it with the car running too?

Ya I use a battery charger for testing too, If I want to heat test things I'll hook up the ol charger and just let it sit for a few hours, just to see how hot the anything might get. It's a great way to test them

spills

iTrader: (9)

I havent hooked them up to the car yet. Im going to try to put the ground wires directly across from where the power wires come in, that's the only thing I can think of. And the weird thing is that when it's in brake light mode, you cant really tell. I guess when it's in tail mode, it's easier to tell a difference in brightness, cuz these things will blind the hell out of you with straight 12V!

spills

iTrader: (9)

ok, one more thing

When you mounted your board in the lenses, did you let the LEDs rest on the lens or did you use something to space them back a little bit? Ive got all mine ready to mount, but that's the only thing Im questioning. Im wondering how much heat they would put out, and if maybe the diffuser wouldn't really do it's job if the LEDs are so close.

And for the wrap around section, did you still use the clear diffuser that's mounted inside the lens? When I took mine apart, they basically just fell out (glue was just old I guess). Im probably going to reuse mine, since the others have a diffuser in front of them the wrap arounds might not look right if they're just sitting right behind some "clear" red plastic.

cdoyle

I haven't mounted mine yet, but that has been something I've been debating.
The couple tests I've done, I think the LEDs look better if you mount them up on the lens, and line them up with the little 'squares' in the lens. They seem to look brighter that way, and you get more of that 'dot' look to them.

So when I finally get back to these, and mount them permanently I think that's how I'm going to do it.

For the wrap around, I believe I was going to leave it out. I want to say it looked better with it out. But you could go either way, just do what you like better

spills

iTrader: (9)

ok, finally got around to get some pics uploaded.

I think I may have to change the resistor values for the wrap arounds. For some reason they look brighter than the tail board. Either way, HUGE thanks again to cdoyle for the info, it's been a great reference for this project!!

And you're right about the wrap around diffuser, I took it out for these pics and it looks alot better to me. I cant remember which has the brake circuit on, camera sucks. But you can definitely tell the difference between tails and brakes. Next is the reverse

spills

iTrader: (9)

2

spills

iTrader: (9)

3

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I think think the middle section is what's dimmer than the other 2. Maybe it just needs to be brighter?

Now you just need to convert them amber section to red & your all set!

spills

iTrader: (9)

Convert the ambers? Id like to have the turns red as well, but other than the fact that Id have to redo the turn board (not that big a deal), Id have to figure out how to "tint" the amber lens to red. Ive seen a car on here from like Europe or something that had all red tails, but sure if that was an export option or what, but Id definitely be down for that.
Weird thing about the brightness deal is that all the resistors are the same for all 5-LED arrays. maybe it's the diffuser, I dunno yet. I believe the first pic is just tails, and the 2nd is brake

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Testors brand Transculent Red model spray paint, from what I've read here on TGO. My GTA is graced with solid reds, so I've only heard of it & not looked into it real hard.

spills

iTrader: (9)

ya, I dont think it would turn out that great, seems like there would still me some amber tints coming through. But hey, I could be wrong.

I think my camera just doesnt like direct focused like. I put the tail board next to both wrap around sections, and they look damn near exactly the same brightness.

spills

iTrader: (9)

ok, found the pic of the tails I was thinking of, I was wrong. looks like he blacked out the turns (or maybe just tinted them, which I may try)

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Here's 1 TGO thread on doing it....
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...tail+red+light

spills

iTrader: (9)

ya, but look at the 2nd pic with the bulb showing through. If I did end up trying to tint them or something, Id want to completely get rid of the amber. It looks good when not lit, but Id wanna try and take it one step further.

Upon looking at the inside of the lens, it appears that the diffuser on the turn lens could possibly be taken out. Im not sure if thats the part that amber or if it's actually the lens. If I come across a broken tail light, Ill try to see if I can take it out. I dont wanna experiment on the set I have now.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Look at the 3rd pic...Pic #2 is from before the red conversion.

Here's another thread, with some lighted up in the dark https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...rs+translucent

cdoyle

If your LED arrays have the same number of LEDs, and the same resistor value then they should be the same brightness.

When you have them out of the lens, do they look the same then?

What could be happening is the little 'squares' in the lens might be diffusing it some. The wrap around section doesn't have those, and could be why it looks brighter.

You could either mess around with the resistor values, or see what happens when you get the LED in the middle section lined up directly behind the squares. When I did it, they look much brighter that way.

I've seen on HID Planet, where someone actually sanded away all those squares on their tail light and made it smooth. Just so the LEDs would look even in the housing.

That's more work then I want to do, but it looked nice!

spills

iTrader: (9)

The pic is listed under "here's the modded one", so I assumed that was after he tinted it red.

cdoyle: ya, when they were out of the lens the wrap arounds and tail board do look the same, and again the camera kinda makes it look alot different than it really is.

drknow90rs_ss@y

iTrader: (3)

Ok, so does anybody know if Klearz or spaghetti eng. is really going to make a all red taillight lens? or led conversion? No mention of it on spag. website and Klearz appears to not have much interest... All this time and only a few people have logged on as "Interested".....

spills

iTrader: (9)

Last thing I remember, there really wasnt enough interest to the point where people had to put money down. Everyone "wants" a set, but hardly anybody wants to put up for them

wjiroc86

those tail lights are awsome man, i want to do it, but i need to know how much both tail lights costed you (if you dont mind of course) and what i need, i can wire and solder perfectly fine.

drknow90rs_ss@y

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, that sucks. I would definately buy a set. All they have to do is make the lens. They wouldnt be too expensive that way.

spills

iTrader: (9)

Here's a quick price guide, give or take a few bucks:

Amber LEDs: 180 total (90/side) $18 from quickar (cdoyle posted a link)

Amber/Red LEDs: 360 (got a great deal), 90 per side and 70 for the wrap arounds (320 total, but I could only get either 300 or 360) $80 from private post on hidplanet (still has them too, hurry up!)

Circuits Boards: Radio Shack, Sku # 40293 13276, ~$5/board. I got like 8-10 I think.

Resistors: DEpending on the LEDs you use, values will vary. appx. 18 resistors per board, thats about 4 packs per board at around $1-$2/pack of 5 resistors.

Solder: I used just about an entire roll of Radio Shack solder, It was the 2nd smallest size they had. $5-6 maybe

Soldering Iron: I bought a little 15 watt from RS a few years ago, works perfect. Can't remember price, but relatively cheap

Soldering Iron Tips: I think I ended up using 2 tips, maybe $6 a piece

Small gauge wire: Free from some old blown home speakers

Dremel and cutting discs: Already had, needed to cut the board slightly to fit into the lens, and to make the "intricate" shapes for the wrap around.

Electrical tape: Used to hold the LEDs in place while I soldered them to the board, again I had plenty laying around so basically free

Corona: appx. 5/night at 6 nights, probably the most expensive part!

All in all, and this w/o the reverse board (add maybe $40-$50 depending on which LEDs you get and how many you use), Im probably right around $200 for a complete one-off set of tails. Might sound like alot, but I started out buying the cheaper amber LEDs and started on that, then looked long and hard to get a deal on TRUE spuerflux amber/reds , not the cheap ebay ones (true superflux can handle about 70mA). So if you do it a little at a time, it can be affordable. ANd alot of you Im sure already have several of the components laying around (dremel, soldering iron, etc). Most expensive part was the amber/red LEDs, so again just start searching forums and hopefully some will turn up. I think I found a distributor who wanted about $.55-$.70/LED, which is pretty expensive when you buy as many as I had to get.

But now I have a question. For you guys who have already finished yours, I was thinking about taping over the front of the LEDs and basically painting the front of the boards and resistors with some flat black paint. Just from holding the boards up the the lens (especially the wrap arounds w/o the clear diffuser installed), you can clearly see the the tan colored board as well as the resistors installed. I think the flat black should dampen the visual of the resistors and also give it a more uniform color without sticking out like a sore thumb. Just a thought though, any input?

omnipotentgoku

iTrader: (1)

Do it, theirs no point in going this far for the sake of being unique to slack it on a minuscule detail. Paint it, or cover it, and post some pics of your progress. I am definitely interested.

Fast92RS

iTrader: (2)

I still have to mount mine but before I mount them I was looking to see what kind of coating I could put on the boards to keep any possible moisture from corroding the connections on the boards. I dont know if regular enamel spray paint would work or would I need a special paint or maybe some sort of epoxy coating.

spills

iTrader: (9)

I called up radioshack and they gave me a name of some place on the internet, but I think I lost it

I was actually going to glue the boards to the lenses tonight, I totally forgot about the painting the front boards. Anyone know if cheap flat black paint will conduct electricity, possibly causing a short if I do paint the front of the boards?

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I've used clear nail polish to block circuits on boards, from cross conducting.

spills

iTrader: (9)

Im taping off ALL my LEDs as we speak so I can paint the front of the board. In hindsight, it may have been better to have painted the front of the board before soldering everything down. It may have made it a little messier though, just a thought.

I could see how the nail polish might work on the main board, but Im worried about the wrap arounds. I have wires/jumpers coming about 1-2" off the board. I may or may not be able to re-wire them to get rid of them, but either way Im still gonna keep an eye out for some sort of aerosol-based electronics sealer. We could get real creative and make a small sealed enclosure behind the boards, maybe 1" or so high, and seal it all up. Just another thought that popped in there...

omnipotentgoku

iTrader: (1)

Hot glue comes to mind as a sealant, although I do not know if it is conductive.

omnipotentgoku

iTrader: (1)

Any word from spaghetti ?
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I second that Idea, whoever is in contact with them, Please make a new thread, because this one is ten seconds away from being jacked.

spills

iTrader: (9)

How so? Other than a couple of mentions, this thread seems to be in topic.

Al Hasse

I use plenty of the stuff at work to stabilize electronic components on printed circuit boards. My guess would be it's non conductive

cdoyle

I would use epoxy over hot glue, the problem I see with Hot Glue is it can get pretty warm in a sealed lens, and on a hot day that Hot Glue might start to melt again. If it becomes a more liquid form, I see it being conductive.

Fast92RS

iTrader: (2)

I found the paint Im going to use.

Krylon® Crystal Clear Coatings
Crystal Clear Coatings provide a tough, long-lasting protective coating ideal for sealing porous surfaces. They also impede the fading of fluorescents and other paints.
Guards against electrical failures
Will not affect resistance values or conduct current
Air dries in minutes
Adds strength and water resistance
Protects documents
Meets MIL-C-17504B and TT-L-50G Type I and Type III performance requirements

spills

iTrader: (9)

hmm, ima look into that. Sounds like we may have a winner

Im trying out some Loctite no mess adhesive I got at home depot (Im securing the boards to the lenses, not for sealing the lens to the housing). Looks like regular elmers glue but just a tad thicker. I gobbed it on real good last night, and it still isn't 100% cured. The parts that are dry though seem to give me some hope, not sure how well it will hold up to heat though

Al Hasse

You may have a point about it melting, but I doubt it becomes conductive. I've seen it used on some circuit boards that get pretty hot, including power supplies without incident. Though the stuff I use at work has a high melting temperature (unlike the craft stuff), it'll blister your skin if you let it drip on you.

spills

iTrader: (9)

I just realized that I used zener diodes instead of rectifier diodes. Think this will cause any problems?

And I just dont get it. For the front part of the wrap arounds, I had to do 2 arrays of 4 since I had 8 LEDs left over after I did all the rest in arrays of 5. I used the LED calculator, and it told me to use a 68 ohm resistor (5 LEDs used a 33 ohm). On both boards, the two 4-LED arrays are somewhat brighter than the rest. I went back and actually made the front part of the wrap arounds the same as the tail/brake boards, and when in tail mode, you can definitely tell a difference between the 4-LED and 5LED arrays. When brake is applied, the 4-LED arrays get a little more brighter, but are essentially the same brightness as when in tail mode. Any ideas? I might try getting some 5-10 ohm resistors to try and balance out, but the math tells me that I have the correct resistors...? Here's a quick MS paint on how I got it all wired up. Im a little OCD with this project, can ya tell? lol

spills

iTrader: (9)

How bout an old bumpity. Im about ready to seal the lens to the housing, and I want to make sure the zener diodes I used will eb ok instead of the rectifier diodes.

Phishman92

first off, gotta say EXCELLENT thread! I was planning on doing a set and I'm glad to see all the design work has not only been done, but generously posted!

as for my input,

what about drilling holes in small sheets of plastic to poke the LED's through? that would not only hide all the pcb/resistors better than paint but would also keep the bulb's perfectly aligned assuming the holes are drilled correctly. That wouldn't be too hard to do on a drill press and I'm sure you could find a machine shop that dig's the project and would do it pretty cheap since most of us don't have a press around the garage. The plastic sheet could also be used as part of a watertight housing, just sealing around each bulb might be a pain in the a**.

spills

iTrader: (9)

honestly, I found that the pre-made boards from Radio Shack worked rather well. You really don't have to paint the boards, I'm just OCD about small things like that. It took me a 1/2 hour to mask off all boards and throw on 2 coats of flat black. Plus if you were to drill all the holes, that would me a Major PITA. Just my opinion though, it just seems like it would be more work than needed. But hey, give it a shot. Im sure there were people 10 years ago that said LED tails in a Camaro isn't worth it, and look at em now!

89RS_82Z

iTrader: (2)

LOL 10 years ago LED were SO expensive, the cheapes LED for a truck or trailer was $50 per tail light, and about $30 for side makers/clearence/chicken lights........

i still want to do this to mine, but want to get a junkyard set of tails to make mine

cdoyle

I'm trying to think back on the difference between the two, I think normal diodes work on a forward bias, and zener worked on a reverse bias.

So I think it would be a good idea to just go get some diodes from radio shack and swap them out. Since you haven't sealed them up yet it's still easy to do
----------
Ya LEDs have came such a long way over the past few years, they keep coming out with better and brighter ones all the time now.

I can't wait till they can get the technology better for LED headlights.
I know Lexus has them, but I haven't really heard too much about them, so not sure how great they are.

89RS_82Z

iTrader: (2)

oh yea i cant wait till LED headlights get better...... im working on gettting all LEDs in my maro now, i may go with the actuall GOOD plug and play ones, i got them in the sidemarkers now and like them they are real bright...... just would take me so much time to do like you, with work and all i just aint got the time, Plug and Play will have to do for the time now..... you know of a good plug and play LED on ebay or somewhere???

Phishman92

has any one considered or tried simply stacking some pre-made trailer LED lights? They're already wired/sealed.

http://www.amazon.com/Grip-Low-Profi...ef=pd_sbs_sg_6

if you could find something like that close to the size of the grids, it seems like that would at least knock off the rectangles for tail/blinker/back up if you can find the right colors. then the only custom fab part would be the corners!

at 30 bucks a pop that might be a little pricey, but i'm sure you could find somewhere that would discount a bulk order?

cdoyle

I used a premade Peterson module in my 4Runner since the shape was exactly the same size as the brake/tail light area. I would recommend only using the Peterson modules since they use a 'superflux' style LED instead of the 5mm that most of the premade ones use.

You'll also have to take the module out of the module housing, otherwise the LED light will have to go through 2 red lens, the module lens and your stock lens.
----------
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a good plug/play LED at least not at this time. You can get maybe get away with them in a sidemarket, but not with a turn or brake light.

The problem is the plug and play inserts don't have very many LEDS and since they don't' utilize the reflector, other drivers will never be able to see them in the daylight. I've been behind people before who have those plug and play bulbs in their car, and realized when I was right next to them, that they were on. Very dangerous.

Fords88Bird

Very nice job guys. Later.

spills

iTrader: (9)

ok, I just got in the bulb base ends that will plug into the socket. I was starting to wire them up, and then I realized that I don't know where the wires are supposed to be soldered onto the base!! I just left the shop and I'm heading out that way until late tomorrow, does anyone know how the 1157 bulb works? It's got two contacts on the bottom, that I know. But are both of those for circuit 1 and 2, and the base itself is the ground? if so, I dont see where to solder the ground wire onto the base, it's just flat metal. There's 2 holes on the contacts on the bottom of the base, but thats it. Any ideas?

cdoyle

Yes the base is the ground, when I was testing mine I was able to solder the wire to the base, but not sure how well that will last. So when I'm ready to install them, what I'll think I'll do is drill a small hole in side or something so the wire can go through, and solder it that way. I think it will be more secure that way.

I wish they would have put a little area in the base to put the wire to solder.

Fast92RS

iTrader: (2)

Im almost set to get everything together. Im waiting for my lenses from klearz and I can bolt everything up. My one question is what Flasher are you guys using?

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

The easiest way is to apply power to 1 of the leads & you'll quickly be able the difference between which one is brake & which one is tail.

Depending on which brand socket you buy, the color of the leads that come with it vary.

Swapping the outer most sockets for 1157s is very common in my SS conversions. Not required, but kinda silly not to do it.

spills

iTrader: (9)

I can't remember off the top of my head, I think cdoyle posted up a link in here about one. Just search for LED flasher. Most of them can be used with LEDs and/or standard auto bulbs.

cdoyle's got me covered, I know which circuits are what on the boards, but I meant I didn't know how they were wired internally in the socket. I just got done soldering them up, so Ima test em out tomorrow and post up some pics. I didn't buy the sockets as well, I only bought the 1157 bases so I can just reuse my sockets. But after looking at them, it may have well replaced them, they got that yellow gunky crap all inside them.

When you say outermost sockets, are you taking about for the wraparounds? For mine, the side part of the wrap arounds I wired up only to tail circuit, but the front part of the wrap arounds (the part that you can see when looking at the rear of the car) I wired to both tail and brake circuits. So those I wired into the 1157 base for the original tail/brake socket, and the side wraparounds I actually got some empty 194 bases and made my own plugs just like I did for the 1157s.