LED lighting ideas
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:22 pm
UltraLEDS
Interestingly, they do have a LED flasher relay in stock which is compatible with BMWs.....
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...and here's an interesting UK supplier
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:57 pm
Replacements
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:34 pm
....and see Autolumination for "Light Tower II" LED replacement cluster bulbs.
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 4:17 pm
....and THIS for long-life illumination of your OBC
Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 4:18 pm
This Forum on HID Planet is fascinating. Might be able to solve those LED wiring glitches here.
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:13 pm
This eBay shop sometimes has stocks of SuperFlux LEDs
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:05 pm
LED project - initial results
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:02 am
I've been away from the Forum so long that my access was deleted, and my oul passwords and details no longer work. I can't even update my Members' Gallery page.
Still, the oul Six soldiers on in its 31st year, a little rustier than before (sure I'll be competing with Brucey for the rust title now), but still passing the annual MoT without too much trouble. Loads of "small" jobs to do on it though.
Anyway, after about 10 years slowly working on the LED project, I've seen LED technology take considerable advances. These created their own headaches as plans had to be revised.
When I started, the most suitable LEDs for outdoor / automotive use were the plain 5mm Toshiba "extreme brightness" ones, but these were soon superseded by the square superflux type as used on the Mercedes W220 S-Class and BMW's facelifted E46 coupes.
The game then moved on again, and the current state of play now relies on very small, but unfeasibly bright, SMD LEDs. Aston Martin use these in the tail lights of their cars, cleverly angled to shine onto an angled reflector to give a more consistent appearance.
Also, the aftermarket is now blessed with far better LED "bulb" replacements than there used to be, and all now rely on SMDs. With the best ones now cramming anything from 50 to 120 SMDs into a space not much bigger than the traditional filament bulb, there would seem to be not much point in pursuing a custom project. However, their effectiveness / ability to give a consistent, visible light pattern really depends on what sort of reflector bowls your car has. On the E24, we are helped by simple shapes - mostly rectangular.
In my oul Six, I started with the indicators / turn signals, as they are not linked to the "Check Control" unit.
The flasher relay (which ye'll find mounted in a cradle under the steering column) was simply swapped with a red-capped, LED-compatible one. These have a slightly slower flash rate (about the same as on some of the LED-equipped London buses here), and they are silent - no "ticking" or "bleeping" sounds.
Each turn signal now has 92 amber SMD LEDs in it - arranged radially to make use of the existing reflector surfaces. The results are on YouTube - click here
The videos for the front indicators were somewhat overshadowed due to the shade of some very big trees, but I found that the LEDs were still visible even in direct sunlight. That has got to be a good thing. In my experiment, they came out much brighter than the ordinary bulb.
NOTE: My Six passed the MoT this month with these installed, so there's no bar to yis using them universally.
Best of all, even if - and let's face it, most of us have it - the car wiring is really elderly, these LEDs are not greatly affected. All that's needed is some sort of current coming through; the LEDs require very little of it.
To use an overworked phrase, they are "the gift that keeps on giving".
I'm now seeing what will go into the brake, tail and rear fogs, as well as the reversing lights.
Still, the oul Six soldiers on in its 31st year, a little rustier than before (sure I'll be competing with Brucey for the rust title now), but still passing the annual MoT without too much trouble. Loads of "small" jobs to do on it though.
Anyway, after about 10 years slowly working on the LED project, I've seen LED technology take considerable advances. These created their own headaches as plans had to be revised.
When I started, the most suitable LEDs for outdoor / automotive use were the plain 5mm Toshiba "extreme brightness" ones, but these were soon superseded by the square superflux type as used on the Mercedes W220 S-Class and BMW's facelifted E46 coupes.
The game then moved on again, and the current state of play now relies on very small, but unfeasibly bright, SMD LEDs. Aston Martin use these in the tail lights of their cars, cleverly angled to shine onto an angled reflector to give a more consistent appearance.
Also, the aftermarket is now blessed with far better LED "bulb" replacements than there used to be, and all now rely on SMDs. With the best ones now cramming anything from 50 to 120 SMDs into a space not much bigger than the traditional filament bulb, there would seem to be not much point in pursuing a custom project. However, their effectiveness / ability to give a consistent, visible light pattern really depends on what sort of reflector bowls your car has. On the E24, we are helped by simple shapes - mostly rectangular.
In my oul Six, I started with the indicators / turn signals, as they are not linked to the "Check Control" unit.
The flasher relay (which ye'll find mounted in a cradle under the steering column) was simply swapped with a red-capped, LED-compatible one. These have a slightly slower flash rate (about the same as on some of the LED-equipped London buses here), and they are silent - no "ticking" or "bleeping" sounds.
Each turn signal now has 92 amber SMD LEDs in it - arranged radially to make use of the existing reflector surfaces. The results are on YouTube - click here
The videos for the front indicators were somewhat overshadowed due to the shade of some very big trees, but I found that the LEDs were still visible even in direct sunlight. That has got to be a good thing. In my experiment, they came out much brighter than the ordinary bulb.
NOTE: My Six passed the MoT this month with these installed, so there's no bar to yis using them universally.
Best of all, even if - and let's face it, most of us have it - the car wiring is really elderly, these LEDs are not greatly affected. All that's needed is some sort of current coming through; the LEDs require very little of it.
To use an overworked phrase, they are "the gift that keeps on giving".
I'm now seeing what will go into the brake, tail and rear fogs, as well as the reversing lights.
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 1:15 pm
That is good information, I have mulled the idea in the past but was a little timid in moving forward with it. I like you have been away, lo and behold I lost all my info and pictures... 
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 5:12 pm
'Tis a real pisser.Finally6 wrote:......like you have been away, lo and behold I lost all my info and pictures...
I have ordered some more SMD LEDs now.
UPDATE
Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 9:45 pm
OK so, the brake light LEDs are now installed. Think I may have over-egged the pudding, as the light output now definitely hurts the oul retina
Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:37 pm
You have any pictures??
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 8:41 am
I'll get some short video clips done.Finally6 wrote:You have any pictures??
Video uploaded
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:26 pm
YouTube video clip here
As there was only one of me taking this, it was not possible to apply the brake pedal "remotely" but, as yis can see, the ability of the SMD LEDs to completely fill the brake light section with very strong light output is not in dispute!
As there was only one of me taking this, it was not possible to apply the brake pedal "remotely" but, as yis can see, the ability of the SMD LEDs to completely fill the brake light section with very strong light output is not in dispute!
Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:08 pm
Bright indeed. did your control panel register a fault with the rear lights after the LED substitution?
Thanks
Jpr
Thanks
Jpr
Re: UPDATE
Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 9:56 pm
Welcome back Horsetan!Horsetan wrote:OK so, the brake light LEDs are now installed. Think I may have over-egged the pudding, as the light output now definitely hurts the oul retina
Are these commercial LED's that replace the standard bulbs or are they individual LED's you have mounted to a board?
Any instructions on how you made them, Resistors used etc.? Any Photos of the bulbs/board?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 12:38 am
Yes, but there is a way of modifying the Check Control to rectify that. Click herejpr210 wrote:Bright indeed. did your control panel register a fault with the rear lights after the LED substitution?