hey CovKid
how about this link thought it may help?
[img:400:305]http://www.sca40.com/led/5.jpg[/img]
http://www.sca40.com/led/
LED number plate light from CovKid
Moderators: User administrators, Moderators
The one thing NOT so good about LEDs is they tend to be very directional compared to the 'all round' glow of an ordinary bulb.
Yes, and whilst fine in this application I have serious misgivings about their burgeoning use on push bikes and just about anywhere.. thinking there is more to it than just thei directional nature - they have a truly awful quality of light, the spectrum moved much more from the orange into the blue, as well as the light seeming to be plane polarised as in laser light, giving almost zero ability for the eye to 'range' the light source...
Been met head on recently by two or three bikes with these mega-headlights on? Truly impossible to have any idea what is coming towards you or how far away they really are - until they are virtually alongside. Ditto those dreadful led strips used as brake light replicators up on high on hatchbacks totally destroy the ability to read-ahead the road and conditions, esp. on autos where drivers are on and off brakes every 2 seconds.
Time some ergonomic profs invetsigated how bad these things can be pronto! Seems to me to be a case of bigger (brighter) deemed to be always better... dumbing down again, without proper research.
another rant over
Great artcicle again Cov, will Wiki that asap.
The 80-90 Tech Wikipedia Your 1st port of call
1.9TD Syncro Doka / Syncro Kastenwagen / 16" Kombi Camper
Syncronaut No. 1
-
Joloke08
- Registered user
- Posts: 34
- Joined: 22 May 2008, 17:33
- 80-90 Mem No: 5729
- Location: Wiltshire
ive also spotted this thread on the mini forum
http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/in ... topic=2818
you will have to work your way through the pages its near the end,they look fab but he hasnt explained how he did them?
Ive emailed him though if i get a reply ill let you know?
Huggz
Jodie
http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/in ... topic=2818
you will have to work your way through the pages its near the end,they look fab but he hasnt explained how he did them?
Ive emailed him though if i get a reply ill let you know?
Huggz
Jodie
The one thing NOT so good about LEDs is they tend to be very directional compared to the 'all round' glow of an ordinary bulb.
Yes, and whilst fine in this application I have serious misgivings about their burgeoning use on push bikes and just about anywhere.. thinking there is more to it than just thei directional nature - they have a truly awful quality of light, the spectrum moved much more from the orange into the blue, as well as the light seeming to be plane polarised as in laser light*, giving almost zero ability for the eye to 'range' the light source...
Been met head on recently by two or three bikes with these mega-headlights on? Truly impossible to have any idea what is coming towards you or how far away they really are - until they are virtually alongside. Ditto those dreadful led strips used as brake light replicators up on high on hatchbacks totally destroy the ability to read-ahead the road and conditions, esp. on autos where drivers are on and off brakes every 2 seconds.
Time some ergonomic profs investigated how bad these things can be pronto! Seems to me to be a case of bigger (brighter) deemed to be always better... dumbing down again, without proper research.
another rant over
Great artcicle again Ralph, will Wiki that asap.
* I've recently read somewhere that its not good to look directly at LED light sources
New thread about LEDs, their uses and safety
The 80-90 Tech Wikipedia Your 1st port of call
1.9TD Syncro Doka / Syncro Kastenwagen / 16" Kombi Camper
Syncronaut No. 1
-
CovKid
- Trader
- Posts: 8411
- Joined: 30 Apr 2006, 13:19
- 80-90 Mem No: 3529
- Location: Ralph - Coventry (Retired)
- Contact:
I will add one point here. I have noticed one slight issue with using LEDs in number plate light. Because I own a caravelle with the chrome bumpers, its reflecting light where I don't want it - ie showing a white light at rear. As my rear bumper is dented to hell, I'll probably fit a new plain one but anyone doing this mod with chrome bumpers should consider that possibility.
For most exterior lights you don't need ultra bright LEDs. LEDs come in many shapes and sizes including diffused versions which offer a bigger area of light. I honestly think brake lights only need bog standards LEDs - not ultra-brights as seen on many cycles.
For most exterior lights you don't need ultra bright LEDs. LEDs come in many shapes and sizes including diffused versions which offer a bigger area of light. I honestly think brake lights only need bog standards LEDs - not ultra-brights as seen on many cycles.
-
Willoughby
- Registered user
- Posts: 545
- Joined: 23 Oct 2006, 19:59
- 80-90 Mem No: 3068
- Location: Livingston, Scotland, UK
- Contact:
http://www.parka.plus.com/cookie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - wee test for me.
Kev.
Kev.
-
kimbobill
- Registered user
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 24 Mar 2006, 14:31
- 80-90 Mem No: 0
- Location: 80-90 Mem. No. 2515 East Dorset
Like the post Covkid. what would they be like inside the bus for lighting (less drain on the leisure battery)
one thing how much current is taken over the whole circuit because of the drop over the resistor. have you put a amp meter in the circuit?
one thing how much current is taken over the whole circuit because of the drop over the resistor. have you put a amp meter in the circuit?
1986 Caravelle 2.1 Auto in Red and MG old English White Ex 7 seater morphing into a camper
-
jamesc76
- Registered user
- Posts: 6241
- Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 14:42
- 80-90 Mem No: 1186
- Location: Nottingham
- Contact:
i have 4 strip lights that i got from ikea suposed to be under cupboard ones for in you kitchen i cut out the transformer and wired them in the flash/fade throught about 5 different colours like a disco light and only draw 2.1 amps max, on jsut one colour setting they draw 0.4 amps thats all of them on togher and there more than bright enough!!!!
DJ at Dubdayz Summerfest
Now cutting about in an LT35 MWB
Now cutting about in an LT35 MWB
leds make a good replacement for the dash pod lights, you can drill the cream coloured plastic bulb holder bits to fit the leds, all you need is leds, resistors, solder, glue. bought some off a german guy at vanfest and have replicated. will post more details/pics if interest. also running all interior lighting on leds, got a 60mm round light with about 20 leds in from local caravan shop the other week, was about 7 quid, but direct fit for hole I already had in door cards for a filament bulb light.
skell
1984 AAZ twin slider 'velle
1984 AAZ twin slider 'velle
-
Syncro G
- Registered user
- Posts: 239
- Joined: 21 Mar 2007, 19:15
- 80-90 Mem No: 3988
- Location: Peak District
I've gone for the lazy aproch with LED's though I suspect its alot more expencive and bought stuff from ultra LED's. Plus side is if its faulty its easy to replace or substitute though it shouldn't need to. Downside apart from cost is I think alot of the aftermarket LED units don't perform well in all houseings so buy with caution.
Tail lights, they are single 1W white 382 LED units, claim to be 10w* equivilent and I'd say thats pritty accurate as I ran one with a 10w filiment on the other side for a while and it was hard to tell. I sometimes park on the side of conntry lanes at night so quite like using the parking lights, each side now draws 5w instead of 14w so thats pritty handy - I'd recomend it for the T3.
* The tail lights on a T3 are ment to be 10w not 5w, based on the fact they aren't that bright anyway and have the reflector infront you need more power than usual to make them visable. If yours are dim maybe someone fitted5w bulbs when the originals blew? I've followed a T3 in spray on the motorway and the lights became invisable very quickly!
Brakes I've not yet bothered with, indicators I might do at some time soon.
Plate lights and front sidelights I would do if I could find some that aren't blueywhite - don't really like it looking too modified. What I'd like would be a warmer white LED (see intereour bit). One thin ultraleds mention though is fitting LEDs near the headlamp bulbs, they only claim it should be done with the powerful one made of metal (the LED itself is heat resistant as powerful LEDs get very hot as standard so being next to a 60w halogen wouldn't bother them (thats a point, if you have 120w bulbs fitted they'll melt even easyer).
Intereour, got a warm white festoon in the rear intereour light, its great - very simular to the original filiment bulb. Got the cool white type in my landy and they are no way as good. Again power has gone down from 11w each to 1w each so if you have a caravelle with 3 or 4 11w intereour lights this conversion can make leaving the slider open alot less anoying! Again another thing I'd recomend and its a hard mod to spot if you wern't told it was there.
Dash, not done it yet, want to. Problem is I want the dimmer to still work and can't quite work out how to sort that. Maybe if all the dash backlighting was converted it'll be fine but replacing the tiny screw in bulb on the difflock control panel could be tricky to LED - might just stop it diming.
Legal stuff. Its alright to have white lights in the rear plate lamp (obveously) and its not a legal issue if its slightly noticeable directly from the rear - if your fitting really bright bulbs that reflect off things enough to dazzel they are to bright anyway (though checking the oil will be easyer
). For rear lights the stop and tail lamps have to have a noticeable difference in brightness. Most manufactors seem to use 5/21 if they are in the same lens or 10 and 21 if they are seperate - seems sensable to stick to this. Fog lamps and brake lamps must be more than 100mm apart, I suspect by massive coincidence the tail light lens on a T3 is about that width. Fog lights and or brake lights can also light dimly to do tail light duitys as long as they are in pairs (T5's have a pair of tail lights, one of which gets brighter to become a fog).
When picking LEDs to use through coloured lenses its best to use the same colour as the lenses rather than a white LED (I know I used white and its fine but bare with me), unlike a bulb that omits all types of light white LEDs dont (which is why they often look blue). A red LED through a red lens filters nothing, a white one through a red lens filters everything not red which could be alot less from an LED than a simularly bright looking white filiment.
Wireing LEDs in parallel shouldn't be done unless each one has its own resistor with it, if you run one resistor and then LEDs in parallel after that they will one by one fail. Each parallel LED with its own resistor is fine but inificent, a better way is to have a group of LEDs wired in series and one resistor to limit the current through them all. I surpose you could have a resistor to light them at full power for brakeing and a bigger resistor for dimmed tail operation? Think thats how the aftermarket stuff works if it doesn't use a driver.
If theres interest I might take some pictures of my lights after dark?
Tail lights, they are single 1W white 382 LED units, claim to be 10w* equivilent and I'd say thats pritty accurate as I ran one with a 10w filiment on the other side for a while and it was hard to tell. I sometimes park on the side of conntry lanes at night so quite like using the parking lights, each side now draws 5w instead of 14w so thats pritty handy - I'd recomend it for the T3.
* The tail lights on a T3 are ment to be 10w not 5w, based on the fact they aren't that bright anyway and have the reflector infront you need more power than usual to make them visable. If yours are dim maybe someone fitted5w bulbs when the originals blew? I've followed a T3 in spray on the motorway and the lights became invisable very quickly!
Brakes I've not yet bothered with, indicators I might do at some time soon.
Plate lights and front sidelights I would do if I could find some that aren't blueywhite - don't really like it looking too modified. What I'd like would be a warmer white LED (see intereour bit). One thin ultraleds mention though is fitting LEDs near the headlamp bulbs, they only claim it should be done with the powerful one made of metal (the LED itself is heat resistant as powerful LEDs get very hot as standard so being next to a 60w halogen wouldn't bother them (thats a point, if you have 120w bulbs fitted they'll melt even easyer).
Intereour, got a warm white festoon in the rear intereour light, its great - very simular to the original filiment bulb. Got the cool white type in my landy and they are no way as good. Again power has gone down from 11w each to 1w each so if you have a caravelle with 3 or 4 11w intereour lights this conversion can make leaving the slider open alot less anoying! Again another thing I'd recomend and its a hard mod to spot if you wern't told it was there.
Dash, not done it yet, want to. Problem is I want the dimmer to still work and can't quite work out how to sort that. Maybe if all the dash backlighting was converted it'll be fine but replacing the tiny screw in bulb on the difflock control panel could be tricky to LED - might just stop it diming.
Legal stuff. Its alright to have white lights in the rear plate lamp (obveously) and its not a legal issue if its slightly noticeable directly from the rear - if your fitting really bright bulbs that reflect off things enough to dazzel they are to bright anyway (though checking the oil will be easyer
). For rear lights the stop and tail lamps have to have a noticeable difference in brightness. Most manufactors seem to use 5/21 if they are in the same lens or 10 and 21 if they are seperate - seems sensable to stick to this. Fog lamps and brake lamps must be more than 100mm apart, I suspect by massive coincidence the tail light lens on a T3 is about that width. Fog lights and or brake lights can also light dimly to do tail light duitys as long as they are in pairs (T5's have a pair of tail lights, one of which gets brighter to become a fog).When picking LEDs to use through coloured lenses its best to use the same colour as the lenses rather than a white LED (I know I used white and its fine but bare with me), unlike a bulb that omits all types of light white LEDs dont (which is why they often look blue). A red LED through a red lens filters nothing, a white one through a red lens filters everything not red which could be alot less from an LED than a simularly bright looking white filiment.
Wireing LEDs in parallel shouldn't be done unless each one has its own resistor with it, if you run one resistor and then LEDs in parallel after that they will one by one fail. Each parallel LED with its own resistor is fine but inificent, a better way is to have a group of LEDs wired in series and one resistor to limit the current through them all. I surpose you could have a resistor to light them at full power for brakeing and a bigger resistor for dimmed tail operation? Think thats how the aftermarket stuff works if it doesn't use a driver.
If theres interest I might take some pictures of my lights after dark?
Glen Syncronaut: 113 - 1992 JX Syncro pannel van