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ajsyrup
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Joined: October 18, 2005
Posts: 51
Location: Reading PA
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volksauto
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Joined: May 02, 2004
Posts: 115
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HerrrKafer
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Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 1465
Location: East Fishkill, NY
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 Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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You want to use red LEDs in order to utilize their full intensity.
White LEDs work by mixing narrow bandwidth peaks of red, green, and blue emissions. The red taillight lens will filter out the green and blue components, giving you roughly 1/3 the intensity spec for the LED.
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Evan H.
| EverettB wrote: |
| In a perfect world, anyone running chromies would be shot. |
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Deckie27
Samba Member
Joined: March 12, 2007
Posts: 70
Location: Ireland
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| Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Should I use red or white leds for these? |
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Maimas13
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Joined: July 06, 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Redwood City CA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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yah i saw those in hotvws, they are AMAZING, would run them in a heartbeat if i had those taillights
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MAIMAS... read it backwards
(.o\ ! /o.) 62 chopped, dropped, cal looked, oval grafted, 57 styled, ragtop with polk audio sound system, driven daily by an 18 year old
A must read for understanding tires sizes and wheel offsets
Go Bears!!! Mech E |
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David
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Joined: June 29, 2004
Posts: 2050
Location: Raleigh, NC
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HerrrKafer
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 1465
Location: East Fishkill, NY
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Ninamashr wrote: |
I made the mistake of thinking there were 6.1 volts going to the brake light and there were actually only 4.9 volts. So my led's started working erractically. I would suggest you check how many volts are actually going to the brakelights BEFORE designing and soldering your array. I went here to design my array...
http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz
I am using 13 ea - 5mm Red led's, the resistor will depend on the actual source voltage going to the array. The "diode forward voltage" will be 2.0 for red led's, the "diode forward current (mA)" generally should be 20 mA. |
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Evan H.
| EverettB wrote: |
| In a perfect world, anyone running chromies would be shot. |
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Slow6t5
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Joined: September 29, 2008
Posts: 327
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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I was thinking about this last night, even thoug I am an electrical idiot I think I could accually do this. I can get the LED's for about 0.50 each(3mm) or the 5mm for about 0.90 each. Now my question is what resistor do I need? I know radio shack has resistors, just need the code or Ohm rating. go easy on me here.
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Cheap, Fast, Reliable; pick two! |
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Maimas13
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Redwood City CA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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OK so today I finally started putting together the leds with the array made by ninamashr.
however, I was slightly dissapointed that the results I achieved fell a bit short of ninamashr's youtube video. after a bit of pondering I realized it was b/c my car is 12 volt  . I realized that my leds are just as bright, but my regular bulb is much brighter, thereby drowning out the leds. I wired em up as running lights so they are a little more visible now. will take more pix once it is dark
_________________
MAIMAS... read it backwards
(.o\ ! /o.) 62 chopped, dropped, cal looked, oval grafted, 57 styled, ragtop with polk audio sound system, driven daily by an 18 year old
A must read for understanding tires sizes and wheel offsets
Go Bears!!! Mech E |
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59ona64
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Joined: October 30, 2008
Posts: 1
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 9:20 am Post subject: |
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I would be interested in a set for my snowflake lights. My '59 Rag is a beater/driver, so any help I can get to light up my life is great. The current lights are bright, but brighter is better--I run without the diffuser.
12 volt alternator, if that matters. I'd like the running lights, brake lights and turn signals to all be in one snowflake housing. Awesome.
Also, I need to wire up the little bulb holder on the bottom of the headlamp to be a turn signal. Anyone doing anything that will make that super-bright? I do have lows and brights for my headlights, but it doesn't make much of a difference. Anyone adapting anything for the front to make it brighter?
I'm a plug-and-play guy. I'm sort of handy, but have enough projects to keep me out of the garage for the next bit--new wife, middle of school, running a full time high school ministry--you know, all the normal stuff, but I want my driver to be my driver and not as much of an obsession...though here I am, after reading about 1,000 posts this morning. I'm supposed to be translasting a bit of Philipians out of the the Greek right now...
Thanks,
Dave |
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OvalWindowBucket
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Joined: April 23, 2003
Posts: 694
Location: Reviving my Microbus
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| Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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| im thinking of engineering a set of these, but have an actual etched circuit board made because i work making PCBs... a simple led array with a couple of resistors it seems.. |
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bigwhit
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Joined: October 19, 2008
Posts: 172
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| Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Any way to wire it so that there are still running lights? Some how split the circuit board up to where when you turn the lights on the only the outside ring (or top & bottom three) LED's lights up, and when you allpy the brakes all LED's Light up? Any further news in this? I have seen LED light sets for old Ford Trucks on "Truckin" so this can't be to hard to figure out. |
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Neil Davies
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Joined: July 31, 2005
Posts: 393
Location: Kidderminster, West Midlands, UK
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:53 am Post subject: |
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| Splitdog wrote: |
| Anyone doing this to a split taillight? Sounds interesting......... |
Not yet, but I am planning to... 
My split hasn't got the original rear wings (so no dimples) and the taillights are the early 90's cast aluminium French repros. I haven't got bulb holders so I was seriously looking at doing these rear lights. Some good ideas and sources of info on this thread too! 
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'67/'68 Cal Look Beetle, 2007cc, 48IDFs, 14.4 @ 93mph, Oct 2017.
'68/'70 Karmann Beetle, wife's project, progressing slowly.
'80 Devon Moonraker, wife's ratty but cool toy.
'86 Scirocco special project - still measuring up... |
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PaintSum
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Joined: November 24, 2006
Posts: 100
Location: Kansas
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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You might have seen this car in the for sale ads.. It is gone now..
I made the housings for these 50 pontiac taillights these would pretty much blind you in the brake function.
Be aware that LED's function way different than you expect. I am well versed on this adaptation to a VW now 
check out this link for some info
http://www.watsons-streetworks.com/helpful_tip_talkin_taillights.html
I mounted them at a slight angle because LED's only are at their brightest when direct. This is something that will pose a problem for a snowflake. I am building an oval now and was just figuring out this problem because I do like the original snowflake housing and lens. I found this thread and was excited. I will have alot of info to share before long.. maybe a kit to put on the market. Also working on a kit to lower your bumper like the 65 in the pic. It is in the works.... 
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Deckie27
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Joined: March 12, 2007
Posts: 70
Location: Ireland
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:33 am Post subject: |
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| YGPM |
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Ninamashr
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Joined: October 12, 2005
Posts: 1400
Location: City of Round Rock in the Great State of Texas
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Ace
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Joined: July 07, 2003
Posts: 1903
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Ace wrote: |
We need to know the resistor specs and voltage to the taillight. You can research parts and specs here. |
Sorry, I meant to say LEDs.  |
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johnshenry
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Joined: September 21, 2001
Posts: 9407
Location: Northwood, NH USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:10 am Post subject: |
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| Ace wrote: |
You are better off running a resistor for each LED or run smaller banks of LEDs with multiple resistors. The standard value for through hole resistors are 1/4 watt. You want your resistor to handle about double the load the LEDs require.
Another Note. Your turn signal flasher is designed around the load of the bulbs on the circuit. Changing the power that it takes to turn on the light will affect the blinking rate. A resistor can be used to compensate for this though too. |
Good points Ace. The "don't run LEDs in parallel on the same resistor" issues (due to voltage drop variances between LEDs) isn't what it used to be, and a 5 watt resistor my be harder to find/cost more than say six one watt ones, or a "value pack" of 1/4 or 1/8ths.
REAL good point about the flasher. I restore the brown bakelite box '55-'57 ones and I can tell you unequivocally that they will not work at all with a 3.6 watt load. Those flashers are complex and very load sensitive. The more common 2 and 3 prong bi metallic strip ones will also be affected but those cannot be made to work with the std Beetle speedo indicator bulb circuit.
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John Henry
'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab |
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Ace
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2003
Posts: 1903
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:57 am Post subject: |
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You are better off running a resistor for each LED or run smaller banks of LEDs with multiple resistors. The standard value for through hole resistors are 1/4 watt. You want your resistor to handle about double the load the LEDs require.
Another Note. Your turn signal flasher is designed around the load of the bulbs on the circuit. Changing the power that it takes to turn on the light will affect the blinking rate. A resistor can be used to compensate for this though too. |
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johnshenry
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Joined: September 21, 2001
Posts: 9407
Location: Northwood, NH USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:39 am Post subject: |
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You can't specify the resistor until you have specified the LEDs that will be used, and their number.
LED resistors are determined by the forward current specs on the LED, and its diode voltage drop. They are all different. If you are running all the LEDs in parallel (most likely, as long as the LEDs are all identical), you multiply the fwd current spec of the LED by the number you are using, subtract the LED voltage drop (diode voltage drop, true for most LEDs, usually 2-4 volts, see spec) from the system voltage (6?) and use R=V/I to calc the resistor.
Say you are using 30 LEDs with a 20mA fwd current and 2 volts drop
30 x 20mA is 600mA or .6 amps (I)
R=(6-2)/.6
= 6.67ohms
Go up (round) up on the resistor value, and current drops. LEDs dim, but may last longer.
Down on resistor value, LEDs will run brighter, but may fail quicker.
Remember that that resistor is in circuit with ALL the LEDs. You will not be able to get the exact calculated value usually, you will have to get the std value closest. Round up, not down.
As an efficiency comparison, the std incandescent turn signal bulbs are 18 watts, or 3 amps at 6 volts. In the example above the current is .6 amps, or 3.6 watts at 6 volts
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John Henry
'57 Deluxe
'56 Single Cab |
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