Led Truck mirror indicator lights.

[syncrosimon]

I have always fancied having indicators on the mirrors, it's better for pulling out on the motorway, so had a go at making some myself. The led's came from e-bay and are stuck onto a black aluminium strip which (rather crudely) is self tapped into the mirror. It could be neater, but gives a much more noticeable spread of light.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 3553wt_905" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;





I have just done this on a spare mirror, I will feed the wire through the hole in the lower bracket meant for the heated mirror version, and out through the door. Should make pulling out on the motorway with the trailer a bit safer.

[jebiga41]

Nice

[silverbullet]

Agreed. It would get the attention of pedestrians too as it's at head height. It's a shame that there's not a way of popping the mirrror shells open, then drilling them for individual leds (or fixing the strip behind with acrylic resin) to keep it all inside.

[syncrosimon]

I tried the glue gun, but it would not stick on the oily plastic. I have also tried popping an old broken mirror apart, and it did not want to budge. Quite a sturdy bit of kit. I also tried drilling holes behind the strip for the hot glue to drop down into, but it still just peeled of, so had to resort to a screw. Any ideas gratefully received.

[v-lux]

Sikaflex? Sticks like "pooh" to a blanket.

[syncrosimon]

Thats a good call Al, I have not got any at the mo, but I think that may be the answer. The advantage of the screw though is that the led strip can be removed easily if the glass got smashed.

[twiggy]

I guess you drill a series of 5mm holes (or 3mm or 4mm to suit LED size) and fish through the supply from hole to hole then solder on individual LEDs and set them with PU or sikaflex or the like.

reckon you do a decent concealed job that way.

Kitchen table here we come..

[silverbullet]

I think that individual snap-in led bezels may be available, but not sure if there is a front-install option.
rswww search or else Farnell...

[peasant]

How about fabricating a bracket from the mounting screw (where your thumb is on the pic) to the LED strip and then just glue down the loose ends with Sika ?

Wouldn't work though if you wanted to mount the mirrors with the long bit sticking out rather than the short one

[poshbuggers]

These tend to be a lot more unsightly and better sealed from experience.

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/led-strip-light.html

[syncrosimon]

How about fabricating a bracket from the mounting screw (where your thumb is on the pic) to the LED strip and then just glue down the loose ends with Sika ?

Wouldn't work though if you wanted to mount the mirrors with the long bit sticking out rather than the short one

Now that is a great idea. I have a big sheet of aluminium left from the roof of the syncro (used by the Finnish army for radio wave protection I think)

I could easily cut a piece to shape, and that would avoid having to glue or screw it into the plastic housing. The mounting hole is very close to the strip anyway.



here are some more pics of the led strip, it's very bendy, and just the right amount of brightness.




I am doing a general upgrade on the rear lights, I have a pair of these which I will mount on the hightop to be visible when towing.




I have also just done the headlamp upgrade using relays. Just cut the thick yellow and white wires which come from the headlamp/indicator stalk, feed to a powered relay(one each), and connect the relay output back into the yellow and white wires. I have the relays powered by the Sterling at 14.8 volts. the headlamps are ice white.

[v-lux]

Where have you taken the 14.8v output from on the sterling Simon? Presumably that's the amplified output?

In which case are your headlights now running from your leisure battery?

[syncrosimon]

I have a thick wire coming from the leisure battery output on the Sterling which goes up front. I power all the auxillary stuff from that from a small fuse board. The amplified side of the Sterling is the more powerful than the starter side, and maintains the voltage irrespective of the load.

Because the headlamps are activated by the standard VW wiring they wont come on unless the engine is running. The side lights remain on the starter battery.

[v-lux]

Ahh, ok. I see. Thats a nice thought actually, having an aux fuse board running directly from the Sterling!

Ive got a fuse board that's got two sides to it, i might just use one side of it to do the same thing. I like the idea of brighter headlights!

[syncrosimon]

The biggest change to the headlamps is the colour, they are pure white now. I think I would benefit from an upgraded bulb now to take advantage of the increased voltage.

I can see from the sterling control panel that the starter battery is running at around 14 to 14.2 volts (when everything is charged), this dropped noticeably when the headlamps were on, and even more when the blower and wipers were on. Now the headlamps just get the regulated 14.8, this is much better, and less strain on the old wiring.