LED tail lights

I've got LED's in my instruments apart from the indicator idiot lamp, I had a rear lamp LED but my mate said it was hard to tell if it was on when braking. Supposed to be 'directional' so much brighter when viewed from the rear, but where else would you look at it from?? Anyway replaced it with a conventional lamp and know I'm more visible.  Stuart
 
Still like the concept,less juice used,cooler,supposedly more visible.The latter is what I mainly wanted but I couldn't get it to work.That's tail and brake light LED made as a replacement bulb.$35 wasted.Maybe mine was Chinese crap.I see there one hell of a lot cheaper on Ebay than the Car Accessory Place I bought mine.
 
The results of my messing around yesterday to provide better lighting to the trip meter panel on a Jota 120. This was the result of a bit of trial and error, so could be done a lot more neatly if one knows the end result before one starts :o
It uses an old incandescant lap base as the connector to the existing lamp holder, so is fully reversible if you dont like it or it fails.
It uses 2No 1kohm current limiting resistors with 2No superbright white leds with the dome ground off their lenses to make them flat then superglued to the back of the trip meter faceplate. They are positioned precisely to fit in the space between the digit wheels and wiring is taped back aginst the faceplate, without fouling anything.
If Stephan is prepared to expand a bit on component selection of his installation I will probably add some TVS but I'd need a bit of advice.
17002503126_aa86f00e56_c.jpg

17027634741_84e21a82d1_o.jpg

16841056320_d48795ed0c_o.jpg
 
Ppuxley said:
Simon, how did you do that? I tried putting the Flickr link between the img bracket things, but it never works, for me
Click to expand...

With great difficulty! Flickr is very awkward to post photo's.
The essence is you need the 'Farm' something or other code.

Here 'tis:
1). Open your photo up in Flickr - full screen and not on the Photostream page. Do NOT do what I did and open it using Google Chrome as somehow the proper 'share' function is not revealed. So Internet Explorer is good.

2). Now you need the HTML/BBCode which is the 'open tray with an arrow coming out of it icon', something like this code will appear if you click on the BBCode option at the bottom of pop up box(I have deleted 'img' and 'url' brackets as otherwise all you would see is the photo and not the text):

=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129012777@N08/17002503126/]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7625/17002503126_aa86f00e56_c.jpg
=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129012777@N08/17002503126/]Led lighting to instruments Jota 120 by =https://www.flickr.com/people/129012777@N08/]puxleyp

This will display your Flickr photo if you include it on your reply here.

Remember it must have the 'Farm' bit at the very least, so you could have done it a slightly different way and put this https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7625/17002503126_aa86f00e56_c.jpg
between the 'insert image' brackets in reply.
 
Ppuxley said:
Youre not joking! Do I get certificate or something if I manage to do it? I'll try it a bit later. Thanks
Click to expand...

Ha ha! I will have to print you one out.
Joking aside Photobucket is an absolute breeze to share photo's in comparison, the link is always right next to your photo.

I see you have cracked the code :D

 
Can even go open source on the entire thing, Patrick:
DiagrLED.jpg


One might ask what will prevent the suppressor diode from being deep fried in case the bike's RR is busted and the voltage is driven constantly north of 18 Volts.
Hmm, well, you might remember the diode resting in the headlight shell, which protects the bike from being powered up via the light switch when igniton switch is in parking lights position. For this diode I'm using some home-brewn stuff as well:
LavDiode.jpg

On that one I've added a PTC fuse (60V, 350mA holding current) to the instrument light outputs (the two connectors right front). In case the voltage will go constantly over 18 Volts the PTC will trip, protecting the suppressor diodes in the instrument lights from damage. As a nice side effect, one will be noticed by the instruments lights fading out that the R/R of the bike has just gone tits up.

 
SimonR501 said:
Thanks very much Patrick! Your conversion really does the job perfect.
I have some very sticky silver tape if you need any?


Here is your certificate:

Patrick%20Puxley%20Certificate_zps4y60abkj.jpg
Click to expand...

Like it,Very Good! Just printing it and framing it now.
On a serious note though, i have some of that aluminium foil tape, but you dont want to use it for taping any of those exposed LED leads down, for fear of shorting them.
I was thinking if doing it again it might be worth casting the whole thing in a small strip/block of epoxy resin- just a bit concerned it might affect how the light was dissipated by the leds
 
Gravelroad said:
Can even go open source on the entire thing, Patrick:

On that one I've added a PTC fuse (60V, 350mA holding current) to the instrument light outputs (the two connectors right front). In case the voltage will go constantly over 18 Volts the PTC will trip, protecting the suppressor diodes in the instrument lights from damage. As a nice side effect, one will be noticed by the instruments  lights fading out that the R/R of the bike has just gone tits up.
Click to expand...
Stephan
Thanks for that, was with you till the last paragraph where you lost me again i'm afraid. I can do basic electronics and modify other peoples stuff, but original design is beyond me.
I was also confused by the reference to the "the diode resting in the headlight shell, which protects the bike from being powered up via the light switch when igniton switch is in parking lights position. ". I dont think that exists on the jota 120, I dont remember seeing it either on the bike or the wiring diagram.
Finally, i dont seem to able to find  the 10mm LED you have, I can find examples similar but not with the 360 degree viewing angle-where did you find them?
 
Sorry, Patrick, didn't mind that the diode might have been eradicated on the later models, however, it was just a convenient place to go along with a single PTC fuse for both, speedo and tach lights. Just wire a PTC in series with the power input cable of your LED circuit, holding current rated 2-5 times the current your LEDs are drawing, suppose not to use less than 100mA or more than 500mA as holding current, just take what is conveniently available in that range.

Found the white LEDs here:
www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/184421/?insert=24&insertNoDeeplink&productname=LED-bedrahtet-Weiss-Rund-8-mm-360-80-mA-34-V
 
I've got all LED lights for my RGS Mongrel project. Indicators, tail/brake/number plate lights, dash idiot lights and twin LED headlights. I'm just in the process of wiring the bike now. The Mongrel is primarily a track bike, but I want to be able to run it on the road for testing purposes. I don't really care how good the lights are because they're only there to satisfy the roadworthy inspection bloke, but it'll be interesting to see whether they are actually bright enough to be useful.

All the road-legal stuff like lights, horn, idicators are on easily detachable brackets with multi-pin electrical connectors. So I'll be able to un-plug and remove them in a matter of minutes.

The reason I went all LED is that it simplifies the wiring. The low current draw means I can use small wire sizes and there's no need for relays.
 
I have fitted one of these for now, the brightness and colour is pretty much the same as the original - perhaps slightly brighter and it is a Red LED.
The cost is low and there is an added benefit that the instrument lights don't dim when the brake light goes:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380-RED-24-LED-STOP-BRAKE-TAIL-LIGHT-BULBS-LAMPS-1157-BAY15D-P21-5W-X-2-PAIR-12V-/111177552108?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19e2b2d0ec

mqA6J1zxJskG4MsDYm3pByg.jpg


Quite impressed so far!

I also have one of Clems LED brackets that will go in some time.

 
I bought a Chinese 4000 lumen LED headlight bulb for my TRX850 that had a halogen headlight that was outright dangerous, just didn't give off any light. The Chinese bulb is just great, only draws 2.5 amps but REALLY lights up the road. Unfortunately the beam spread is pretty psychotic, no cutoff on low beam so it does shine quite a lot of light into the eyes of oncoming vehicles. Gets Australian interstate truck drivers annoyed which is really not a good idea.

Ken
 
Not a good idea to annoy truckies. I know they hated skiers heading out of Sydney down the Hume on a Friday afternoon. We always put the skis inside the car so as not to become a target.
 
I ve put LEDs in the GT for flashers,permanent side light and tail, remember they can act as a dam if there is a bad earth and can fry your wiring , unlike a standard bulb which the fault would probably pass through and blow your fuse. I ve used them as its a dynamo and just lowers voltage,
 
I bought a Chinese 4000 lumen LED headlight bulb for my TRX850 that had a halogen headlight that was outright dangerous, just didn't give off any light. The Chinese bulb is just great, only draws 2.5 amps but REALLY lights up the road. Unfortunately the beam spread is pretty psychotic, no cutoff on low beam so it does shine quite a lot of light into the eyes of oncoming vehicles. Gets Australian interstate truck drivers annoyed which is really not a good idea.
Click to expand...

Seems the same with HID bulbs- often not in the correct position to focus properly, especially if replacing H4 bulbs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top