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Chip  Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008 Posts: 989 Location: Utah
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:40 pm Post subject: LED tail lights for 56-61 |
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If there were LED tail lights available for snowflake style lights, would anyone be interested in them? They could be done in 6 or 12 volt. Would wire in to your original wiring, all you have to add is one ground wire. I'm currently testing a 12 volt setup. They specifically highlight the snowflake, as a running light. And when the brake or signal is applied, they light the rest of the assembly. Two types of LEDs are used, to make sure that it is visible from all angles. The fit is place of the filter piece. So far they seem to work great. I'll get picks up soon.
Chip |
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OvalWindowBucket Samba Member

Joined: April 23, 2003 Posts: 694 Location: Reviving my Microbus
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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I would be interested. I work at a PCB shop and that was on my list of things to do is make myself a set with etched PCBs. |
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toxic56 Samba Member

Joined: September 25, 2006 Posts: 120 Location: Dallas Texas
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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Count me in. I would love to plug and play some of these. |
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OvalTeenAZ Samba Member
Joined: May 12, 2007 Posts: 661 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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I would buy one set now, and depending on price maybe a couple others for projects waiting to get done up.  |
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Chip  Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008 Posts: 989 Location: Utah
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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I would love to do them on a PCB, but I'd need a HUGE commitment # in order to make it cost effective with the place I've looked into. I am currently designing a PCB for both versions(6v, 12v). But for now, I am just making them on a generic board. They are pretty labor intensive, so the price will most likely be right around $100 for a pair. they have 49 LEDs each and are nice and bright.
Chip |
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AlteWagen Troll

Joined: February 23, 2007 Posts: 8635 Location: PNW
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OvalWindowBucket Samba Member

Joined: April 23, 2003 Posts: 694 Location: Reviving my Microbus
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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Chip B. wrote: |
I would love to do them on a PCB, but I'd need a HUGE commitment # in order to make it cost effective with the place I've looked into. I am currently designing a PCB for both versions(6v, 12v). But for now, I am just making them on a generic board. They are pretty labor intensive, so the price will most likely be right around $100 for a pair. they have 49 LEDs each and are nice and bright.
Chip |
If you send me board fabrication information (board size, 1 or 2 layer, surface finish i.e: hot air solder level, immersion gold, etc) I can get you a quote just to see where we come in at no gerbers required to quote something this simple. We cant compete with China but we have lower rates for prototype low quantity runs. Shameless self plug here:
http://www.sprigcircuits.com
Also etching PCBs yourself is always an option. |
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Chip  Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008 Posts: 989 Location: Utah
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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Its true, that you can do it yourself. There are a lot of different styles doable. Not everyone is a DIYer. I don't need a commitment to build them. I was simply saying that with a commitment, a nice PCB could be built. I'm fine with the DIY thing. PCB makes the work much prettier, and efficient to build. Thus cheaper. The ones that I built replace the incandescent bulb completely. Mine provide all functions that VW intended out of that assembly. Park, stop, and turn signal. I originally built some like the 13 LED array, mine had 25, but fit in the same dimples inside the snowflake pattern, they just continued all the way across the light as well, with the same spacing. I found that these pretty much destroyed the beauty of the snowflake, by not passing any light through it. You might as well run an aftermarket transparent red lens. I redid my array to also include another 24 LEDs that sit directly behind the snowflake. These utilize the geometric design and shoot the light in every direction, so no matter what angle you are at, you can see that the light in definitely on. Those 24 LEDs also make up the park light circuit. So the snowflake is lit the whole time the lights are on, and the whole light it lit when the turn/brake set are activated. |
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AlteWagen Troll

Joined: February 23, 2007 Posts: 8635 Location: PNW
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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A non DIY VW owner???
The end is near my friends |
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Chip  Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008 Posts: 989 Location: Utah
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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Lots of guys are fearless when it comes to mechanical things, some are great with body working tools, others like a needle and thread. There are very few that are good at them all. Electrical stuff is just another one of those niches. Not everybody wants to(and some just shouldn't) mess with it. I'm just trying to cater to those individuals. |
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OvalTeenAZ Samba Member
Joined: May 12, 2007 Posts: 661 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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the fear I have of making my own. If some thing is messed up, If you get sodder somewhere it shouldnt, Thats $50 shot to hell. |
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Hellaslow Samba Member

Joined: September 08, 2009 Posts: 500 Location: Tampa, Fl
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Bart Dunn Samba Consiglieri

Joined: May 09, 2004 Posts: 2354 Location: Sea level (Mid Atlantic)
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:19 am Post subject: |
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Where are those sold, and does anyone make a 6v version?
Hellaslow wrote: |
aren't the tail light bulbs 1157s? 12v
if so you can buy direct plugin LED lights go for about 20bux
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_________________ Not enough car seats fit into my:
'58 Beetle convertible
'58 Beetle sedan |
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GLHTurbo Samba Member

Joined: March 30, 2009 Posts: 1376 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:13 am Post subject: |
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id be interested in something.... my reflector housings are shot anyways. I like the technostalgic ones with the rapid brakes....
http://www.cool-leds.com/beetle.html
Maybe there board section will fit, and we just need to trim that aluminum backing plate (or make a new one). |
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Chip  Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008 Posts: 989 Location: Utah
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:18 am Post subject: |
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mine don't do the rapid fire thing. Though they do light quicker than a standard incandescent. Mine fits inside of the reflector housing. You still need to use that part, but it is used just to crimp the unit together into a cartridge. |
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Bob Loblaw Samba Member

Joined: August 17, 2008 Posts: 865 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:57 am Post subject: |
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Hellaslow wrote: |
aren't the tail light bulbs 1157s? 12v
if so you can buy direct plugin LED lights go for about 20bux
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You get what you pay for. Those LED 1157's are gonna lose a lot of their brightness passing through the snowflake. They'll just be a little red dot in there.
I'd be down with a coupla sets of those custom built ones. 1 set 6V (for the '57) and 1 set 12V (for the '59) _________________ sent from a phone using poor grammar and spelling |
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Hellaslow Samba Member

Joined: September 08, 2009 Posts: 500 Location: Tampa, Fl
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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Bob Loblaw wrote: |
Hellaslow wrote: |
aren't the tail light bulbs 1157s? 12v
if so you can buy direct plugin LED lights go for about 20bux
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You get what you pay for. Those LED 1157's are gonna lose a lot of their brightness passing through the snowflake. They'll just be a little red dot in there.
I'd be down with a coupla sets of those custom built ones. 1 set 6V (for the '57) and 1 set 12V (for the '59) |
your right! you get what you pay for... and for 20 dollars you get a great led light... i've ran these 1157s in my taillights on my toyota 4x4 for years... they are bright and water/mud proof... and no you don't get "just the red dot" _________________ I ♣ Baby Seals
click to see local Tampa events: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=427873
56 vacho
40yo fat chick
www.tamparacing.com
<--- non proper vw owner |
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Hellaslow Samba Member

Joined: September 08, 2009 Posts: 500 Location: Tampa, Fl
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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Bart Dunn wrote: |
Where are those sold, and does anyone make a 6v version?
Hellaslow wrote: |
aren't the tail light bulbs 1157s? 12v
if so you can buy direct plugin LED lights go for about 20bux
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click on the google search and type in 1157 LED _________________ I ♣ Baby Seals
click to see local Tampa events: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=427873
56 vacho
40yo fat chick
www.tamparacing.com
<--- non proper vw owner |
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Snort Samba Member
Joined: April 02, 2005 Posts: 1960 Location: Seattle, WA
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Chip  Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008 Posts: 989 Location: Utah
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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I'm getting ready to build a prototype of my 6v. When it is done, I'll post up a photo. The actual array will look identical to the 12v. |
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