to Nate, or other electrical guru's (long)
01-17-2002, 11:32 PM
#1
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to Nate, or other electrical guru's (long)
Just a thought, since you are the undisputed Mod King. I have a question.. hopefully you can help me and hopefully it can be done. 
ok.. well, i'm sure you guys know that some people do tail light conversions, others simply rewire them to light differently. i have a 99 accord sedan, maybe not the best place to ask this question but i feel as though you guys are the best group to ask. OK, here goes. there are basically 4 clusters from left to right in the tail light assembly. {outer left, i'll refer to as A, inner left (B), inner right (C), and outer right (D)}. here is a pic to further illustrate:
Please manually type this into a new window to view if using IE: www.geocities.com/legacy98/10.jpg
take a deep breath, this might get confusing.
ok, anyway. what i would like to do is this:
1: The turn signal, blinks orange on the top halfs of A and D. first off, i would like to convert the halogen lights to LED, then as a turn signal, have the entire A and D side, respectively, blink as a turn signal.
2: In B and C, there is a smaller, single filament bulb. (not the 1157 as in A and D) so basically there aren't two stages of brightness in B & C as in the A & D. When you tap the brake only A and D, light up but I would like A, B, C, and D to light up on the bottom half. So basically, the entire bottom strip would light up. That would mean replacing the bulbs in B & C with a larger 1157 type LED bulb, or even an LED light strip that can be found at www.ledtronics.com . my other concern would be sealing the light to prevent moisure from entering.
Would this be possible? If so, how? Do you think it would be cool/worth the effort? I LOVE the caddilac deville tail lights, it is so bright and the transition between on and off is so crisp. i dont know if that is the proper description in words, but that is what i'd like to accomplish, by using LED's. Comments are welcome, thank you for looking!
ok.. well, i'm sure you guys know that some people do tail light conversions, others simply rewire them to light differently. i have a 99 accord sedan, maybe not the best place to ask this question but i feel as though you guys are the best group to ask. OK, here goes. there are basically 4 clusters from left to right in the tail light assembly. {outer left, i'll refer to as A, inner left (B), inner right (C), and outer right (D)}. here is a pic to further illustrate:
Please manually type this into a new window to view if using IE: www.geocities.com/legacy98/10.jpg
take a deep breath, this might get confusing.
ok, anyway. what i would like to do is this:
1: The turn signal, blinks orange on the top halfs of A and D. first off, i would like to convert the halogen lights to LED, then as a turn signal, have the entire A and D side, respectively, blink as a turn signal.
2: In B and C, there is a smaller, single filament bulb. (not the 1157 as in A and D) so basically there aren't two stages of brightness in B & C as in the A & D. When you tap the brake only A and D, light up but I would like A, B, C, and D to light up on the bottom half. So basically, the entire bottom strip would light up. That would mean replacing the bulbs in B & C with a larger 1157 type LED bulb, or even an LED light strip that can be found at www.ledtronics.com . my other concern would be sealing the light to prevent moisure from entering.
Would this be possible? If so, how? Do you think it would be cool/worth the effort? I LOVE the caddilac deville tail lights, it is so bright and the transition between on and off is so crisp. i dont know if that is the proper description in words, but that is what i'd like to accomplish, by using LED's. Comments are welcome, thank you for looking!
01-18-2002, 12:16 AM
#2
Burning Brakes
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Just wanna be different eh? Haha, it's cool.
1a) You can change your turn signals to LED bulbs, but they will blink faster because the stock blinker circuit will blink faster when it detects a below normal current draw.
1b) If you make your brake lights (A&D) blink with the new LED turnsignals, this will solve your problem of the hyperblinking. You can make your brake lights blink by connecting the +12V terminal of your blinkers into the +12V terminal of your brake lamps. You will need to use diodes to keep the current flowing in only one direction, since you want the brake to come on with the blinkers, but not vice versa. A perhaps even better solution is to use a simple relay to switch your brake light on and off with the turn signals, especially since the 21Watts of the brake lamp is too much for a typical diode to handle.
2) For this mod, you will either need to upgrade the stock lamp sockets and bulbs to a dual filament setup, or you will have to add in your own bulbs (either LED or incandescent) and sockets to supplement the stock ones. You cannot do this by simply replacing the bulb alone. It's tough for me to say what's the best route to take or whether moisture would seep in since I can't see in the inside of the light housing. Just make sure that any openings between the lights and the outside of the car are sealed airtight with a gasket or glue. Openings between the lights and the interior trunk of the car need not be airtight. Keep in mind that altering the brake light system may mean that your in dash brake lamp warning light may not function properly anymore. When you add more lights, you increase the current draw and the detection circuitry might not know what to think.
Whether this mod is worth the effort is all up to you man. I'd say go for it, but it would help to have a friend around who knows a thing or two about electrical wiring to keep you from accidentally blowing a fuse.
Hope this helps a little.
-josh
1a) You can change your turn signals to LED bulbs, but they will blink faster because the stock blinker circuit will blink faster when it detects a below normal current draw.
1b) If you make your brake lights (A&D) blink with the new LED turnsignals, this will solve your problem of the hyperblinking. You can make your brake lights blink by connecting the +12V terminal of your blinkers into the +12V terminal of your brake lamps. You will need to use diodes to keep the current flowing in only one direction, since you want the brake to come on with the blinkers, but not vice versa. A perhaps even better solution is to use a simple relay to switch your brake light on and off with the turn signals, especially since the 21Watts of the brake lamp is too much for a typical diode to handle.
2) For this mod, you will either need to upgrade the stock lamp sockets and bulbs to a dual filament setup, or you will have to add in your own bulbs (either LED or incandescent) and sockets to supplement the stock ones. You cannot do this by simply replacing the bulb alone. It's tough for me to say what's the best route to take or whether moisture would seep in since I can't see in the inside of the light housing. Just make sure that any openings between the lights and the outside of the car are sealed airtight with a gasket or glue. Openings between the lights and the interior trunk of the car need not be airtight. Keep in mind that altering the brake light system may mean that your in dash brake lamp warning light may not function properly anymore. When you add more lights, you increase the current draw and the detection circuitry might not know what to think.
Whether this mod is worth the effort is all up to you man. I'd say go for it, but it would help to have a friend around who knows a thing or two about electrical wiring to keep you from accidentally blowing a fuse.
Hope this helps a little.
-josh
01-20-2002, 01:49 PM
#3
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dammit, i keep posting replys and they never post up. i think its my computer. ok.. lesse if i can remember what i typed.
i just thought about it again, and looking at the pic below, i think it would look weird if A and D would light up as a turn signal because the top half is clear and the bottom is red. ok, lets change it up a bit. how about the the entire top part or A,B; and C,D; respectively as a turn signal, and the brake signal would be the same as in the original post. in B and C, the clear part is the reverse light, that means we have to stuff two bulbs in there. one red, one clear. does that mean i can't stick a bulb in there, i have to find the socket too right bebber?and also, what do you mean by attaching a diode, would i need to solder that on?
i'm still a little confused as to what i need to do. .. dammit maybe this isnt such a good idea after all, i'm trying to picture what it would look like. and i think it might look weird?
comments anyone else?
i just thought about it again, and looking at the pic below, i think it would look weird if A and D would light up as a turn signal because the top half is clear and the bottom is red. ok, lets change it up a bit. how about the the entire top part or A,B; and C,D; respectively as a turn signal, and the brake signal would be the same as in the original post. in B and C, the clear part is the reverse light, that means we have to stuff two bulbs in there. one red, one clear. does that mean i can't stick a bulb in there, i have to find the socket too right bebber?and also, what do you mean by attaching a diode, would i need to solder that on?
i'm still a little confused as to what i need to do. .. dammit maybe this isnt such a good idea after all, i'm trying to picture what it would look like. and i think it might look weird?
comments anyone else?
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