| [ Total Views: 1208 | Total Replies: 15 | Thread Id: 54668 ] |
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 sinecure
A.k.a.: Sin
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| posted on July 25th, 2006 at 07:58 PM |
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How to make LED festoon bulbs
Since I found out that the LED festoon bulbs available retailed at over $15 each, I have made my own using Dick Smith/Tandy parts for $4 each for much
higher intensity, or $2 each for standard brightness, resisted to fit and work in standard festoon holders, in 6 and 12 volt systems without any
re-wiring.
If anyone is interested, I will post pics and detailed instructions of how to do it, it's VERY easy, not even necessary to solder (but better to).
Cheers,
Mick
A POSSE AD ESSE.
I live in my own little world, but it's okay, they know me here.
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 barls
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| posted on July 25th, 2006 at 08:00 PM |
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yeah im interested mate
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aussiebaja
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| posted on July 25th, 2006 at 08:07 PM |
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yeah me too :alien |
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helterskelter400
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| posted on July 25th, 2006 at 08:18 PM |
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post away man
:thumb
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sinecure
A.k.a.: Sin
Custom Title Time!
Want another... :(
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| posted on July 25th, 2006 at 08:22 PM |
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OK, I'll post up the pics and instructions tomorrow morning as I'm currently still at work and don't have my pics here.
Really this is so easy you won't believe it.
Cheers,
Mick.
A POSSE AD ESSE.
I live in my own little world, but it's okay, they know me here.
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64vwmark
A.k.a.: Mark Shepherd
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| posted on July 25th, 2006 at 10:37 PM |
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Will be interesting to see.
Mark
Beach Buggy
74 L Beetle
Mk4 Golf |
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 09:40 AM |
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Prices of High intensity Light Emitting Diodes must have come down....
The last ones I bought were $10 each....
VERY Bright about 10mm OD... clear but show up red...
They were the brightest....
Lee
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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oval TOFU
Son of Jim - Creator of Good
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 10:51 AM |
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I'll be watching....
...and Robert's ya father's brother...
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68AutoBug
A.k.a.: Lee Noonan
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 11:21 AM |
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I've seen the LED tail lamps in New Trucks at night....
They must use a resisitance to lower the brightness when the tail lamps are on and when the brakes are applied the lights go extra bright....
and they NEVER wear out.....
You can buy very bright LED torches now....
around $30... Batteries should last for ages....
The only Light Emitting Diodes I've seen on cars are the high level Brake lamps...
and they are Not the ultra bright LEDs...
just the 5 cent ones...
Lee
- [size=4]Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY--- [/size]
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blutopless2
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 11:26 AM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by 68AutoBug
I've seen the LED tail lamps in New Trucks at night....
They must use a resisitance to lower the brightness when the tail lamps are on and when the brakes are applied the lights go extra bright....
and they NEVER wear out.....
Lee
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motorbikes also use them now... the ones i have seen use only a couple of led's for parkers then for braking there are heaps more that come on to
give the difference in brightness.
but i think the better way would be both... only a few on for parkers at a lower current then switch up to full current and more led's on for
braking.
not sure how much control you have over the brightness though... most led's just switch on to full brightness when forward biased. may have to look
at one.
see.... air and water do mix 
1974 1300
1997 MK3 Golf GL
2003 NB Cabrio
2012 Golf VI GTI
2014 Audi A4 Quattro |
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blutopless2
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 11:42 AM |
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just tested one... i didn't think you could control the brightness as much as what i did...
would make switching between parking and braking brightness real easy.
see.... air and water do mix
1974 1300
1997 MK3 Golf GL
2003 NB Cabrio
2012 Golf VI GTI
2014 Audi A4 Quattro |
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kombikim
A.k.a.: Kim
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 12:28 PM |
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I fiddled a bit, one thing to remember is that the LED light is very directional , I built a festoon globe to fit in Semaphore as test, with 2 leds
facing forward & 2 facing rear, but the mess I made was not as bright as a normal festoon,
I bought one of the $10 "very Bright" interior light festoons, which had 2 very small leds, it was almost as good as the standard interior light
bulb but only lasted 3 weeks until it conked
[ Edited on 26-7-2006 by kombikim ]
Please, I need drivers side window regulator (winder mechanism) for my '54  |
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sinecure
A.k.a.: Sin
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Want another... :(
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 12:34 PM |
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I will be working with 5mm High Intensity LED's resisted for 12v systems, for 6v just replace the resistor with a one quarter Watt 220 ohm for both
single LED's and clusters. 5mm are easily fitted in interior, tail lights, just about anywhere.
All High Intensity LED's, white or coloured, have 'water clear' lenses, so they have no colouration until voltage is applied.
LED's are extremely tolerant of variations in Voltage levels, so the values I have used are approximations which will suit LED's with voltage
requirements from 2 to 4 volts.
If you think that the unit you make is too bright, increase the resistor value by 10%, if too dim, decrease the value by 10%
I have used these coloured HI LED's for my tail lights, as I have clear lenses:
High Intensity 5mm Red LED (16000mcd @ around $2 each)
High Intensity 5mm Amber LED (16000mcd @ around $2 each)
For this demo I'll use a White LED for coloured lens applications. These LED's are EXTREMELY bright, DO NOT LOOK directly in to the lens end of
them when they are switched on.
Tools you will need:
Side cutters
Electrical crimper
Optional:
Soldering Iron and fine solder.
The parts list, all supplied by Dick Smith, with a big thanks to Mark at Underwood for all his assistance:
High Intensity 5mm White LED (8000mcd @ around $3 each)
One quarter Watt 560 ohm resistors - for single LED's
One quarter Watt 470 ohm resistors - for LED's in clusters of up to 3 in parallel.
A 10 pack of the smallest male uninsulated bullet connectors (around $2.50)
First, cut off the wire crimp part of the bullet connector, so you're left with the bullet tube itself. Trim this with side cutters to about a 5mm
long tube section and round it out again with the crimper or pliers like this:
Next slip the tube over the anode (the positive - the longer leg of the LED, leading to the smaller of the two metal segments inside the clear plastic
lens) and trim off the anode leg like this:
Next trim either leg of your 570 Ohm resistor to the same length as the shortened anode leg and insert both into the tube, then crimp:
The unit is now complete. Some pics of the white single and two and three coloured clusters, and my assembled clear lens tail lights lit off a
household 12v power supply:
As you can see, VERY bright. You can see the camera compensating for the brightness with the clear lens unit unlit and then powered.
They draw less than 30 milliAmps of current as singles, less than 50 milliAmps as clusters, produce less than one quarter Watt of heat and have a
lifespan of 20 years.
You can add solder to the crimped area, and the legs of clusters if you choose.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mick.
A POSSE AD ESSE.
I live in my own little world, but it's okay, they know me here.
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sinecure
A.k.a.: Sin
Custom Title Time!
Want another... :(
Posts: 1031
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 12:36 PM |
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I've been using 8 of these lights in this resisted configuration for 4 months now in my car with no problems at all.
Three HI reds in my spoiler hooked up to the brake lights and 5 HI blues inside as idiot lights.
A POSSE AD ESSE.
I live in my own little world, but it's okay, they know me here.
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Flintstones
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 01:46 PM |
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Hi Mick,
I'm curious to see your tailights "on" at a distace of say 20m or so, from the prespective if I was following you in my car. Can you do night and
day shots if that's possible
Cheers
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sinecure
A.k.a.: Sin
Custom Title Time!
Want another... :(
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| posted on July 26th, 2006 at 01:54 PM |
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As soon as they are fitted, I'll get the shots.
A POSSE AD ESSE.
I live in my own little world, but it's okay, they know me here.
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