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LED Taillight?

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Old Jun 15, 2004 | 08:39 AM
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LED Taillight?

Hey all,

Does anyone know where i can get the LED strip too put into my tail light? and also is there a write-up on how to do it. I some ORG member have them, and i really like to do it too.

Thanks
V
Old Jun 15, 2004 | 09:15 AM
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You can buy most of the parts you need at RadioShack... there is no how-to available yet. It is a simple concept (electrically) - but I imagine it requires some thought/design to make it work properly and within the restrictions of the existing harness/wiring.
Old Jun 15, 2004 | 09:15 AM
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i want these badly !
Old Jun 15, 2004 | 10:43 AM
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If you read the post you will get an idea of whats involved.

http://hidforum.com/forum/showthread...&threadid=3266

http://maxima.cardomain.com/memberpage/202250/8
Old Jun 15, 2004 | 10:47 AM
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Those are different looking tails.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 05:24 AM
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Look at hte Altima how to in OUR 4th Gen FAQ's
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 06:16 AM
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Originally Posted by kevlo911
Look at hte Altima how to in OUR 4th Gen FAQ's
Kevlo911,

Where did you get your LED from, could you tell me what size to get, i saw the page where there is one that like 5" X 3.5 or something like that. Please let me know exact what you used. O and buy the way, you an Indian?

Thanks
Vinay
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 06:25 AM
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Buy 4 Perfboard from RadioShack. 200 5mm red LEDs from cwithk on Ebay. Then you some electronics skills and your done

And yes I am Indian
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 08:03 AM
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I got a cousin coming from India this weekend and he's good with electrical stuff so I'll ask him for help later on Red/black LED tails here I come
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 08:28 AM
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kevlo, does the MCD for the led's matter?
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 08:46 AM
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The higher the MCD # the brighter it'll be You don't want something that's too low or else it won't be bright enough during the day.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 09:02 AM
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but the higher they are, the more light is put out and the less u see the LED's one next to each other. kinda acts as a whole
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 10:07 AM
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cwithk ONLY sells 5000MCD LEDs. Which are the ones I use and trust me, they are plenty bright and LEGAL.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 10:21 AM
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kevlo man cmon, a write up is nice..... or at least tell us what stuff we need to purchase !!
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 10:25 AM
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I just told everyone. If you buy from cwithk, you get the resistors for free.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 10:46 AM
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wat else do we need?

prefboard (what size?)
LED's with resistors from cwithk
wires?
...?
...... ?
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 11:25 AM
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I think what we're all looking for is some kind of a wiring diagram. Do you need a resistor for each led?
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by 98SterlingMaxSE
wat else do we need?

prefboard (what size?)
LED's with resistors from cwithk
wires?
...?
...... ?

(6x8) I think is the size, when you go there you will know which one will fit, if you can't tell just by looking at them than you don't need to be doing this.

Use any kind of wires. One for brake, one for clearence(when headlights are on), and one for ground.



This is not hard people, it is simple, but VERY TIME COMSUMING. I am selling LED tails, in fact I have one set done but I am trying to find the taillight harness so it will be plug and play for whoever buys it.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 12:18 PM
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what are you asking for that set?
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 12:27 PM
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I will prob put them on ebay since I have a few people who want them, so they can bid agaisnt eachother. I will let everyone know when they are for sale and if the harness will be included or not(still easy to do, but people will have to cut and splice the stock harness)
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 04:52 PM
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why dont u give us a write up?
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 06:02 PM
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Originally Posted by geo1317
Dude, your maxima is one of the best ive ever seen. It looks really good and keep up the good work man.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 06:07 PM
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Give us a write up and maybe pic's showing the back of the prefboard with the led's wired up. Also, could you please post a Original cutout (traced on paper) of the prefboard, so that we can print it out and cutout it out and work on it, i mean get it ready, before we have to take the light's out, because it may take some of use longer to soilder and LED's and wire it up.

VP
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 06:28 PM
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Hey Kev. I'm gonna redo mine. Think I'm gonna try a dual resistance on them this time. So that they are dim as tails, but bright as hell on the brakes. Whatcha think?
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 06:46 PM
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LED project 95 tails







and result in sig. Check web page for more pics.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 07:14 PM
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Here ya go....nice and neat....it's getting old having zillions of people ask the same questions, so I might as well post some pictures....enjoy



Test fitting the plexiglass....






Plexiglass painted silver...






LEDs wired in parallel with resistors...

Old Jun 16, 2004 | 07:15 PM
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Completed boards mounted in tails...






Finished product...






Front clearance lights...





The same thing was done for the turn signals and reverse lights....the front turns boards were made the same but mounted differently. The front clearance lights I mounted the LEDs directly into holes drilled into the housing. I don't have pics of the front turns.


-Tony
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 07:24 PM
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Funny thing, I ordered LEDs from CWITHK to do all the interior lighting. I got the resistors and used them but as soon as I plugged that in nothing worked. Removed the resistors from the circuit and everything works fine, almost 6 months now.
Old Jun 16, 2004 | 08:31 PM
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i love this site!!!!
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 12:22 AM
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tony, my man ! PLEASE do a write up, PLEASE !
now that u have stopped modding and as you said " i have lots of free time now", it woudlnt hurt to help out a few fellow org members who really wanna do this mod. I BEG YOU !!

TONY TONY TONY TONY

where did you get that board and did u drill it urself?
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 04:06 AM
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Originally Posted by d_warner
Hey Kev. I'm gonna redo mine. Think I'm gonna try a dual resistance on them this time. So that they are dim as tails, but bright as hell on the brakes. Whatcha think?


Sounds great, Let me know when you are done.





araffio, the back of my board looks exactly like yours. I hot glued everythink down too.
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 04:44 AM
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Yes, Tony's way of mounting LEDs adn resistors is much cleaner. If I ever do LED lights again, I will take that route. Actually I gonna make clearence lights into LED turning signals next weekend, so lets see what comes out...

BTW, whoever does LED project on 95-96 taillights, beware of that light reflector, cause it blocks LEDs. Picture in my sig is old. I opened tails again and moved boards to the sides. Or you can put LEDs in a way that they are right between reflector strips, up to you..
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 04:52 AM
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Originally Posted by 98SterlingMaxSE
tony, my man ! PLEASE do a write up, PLEASE !
now that u have stopped modding and as you said " i have lots of free time now", it woudlnt hurt to help out a few fellow org members who really wanna do this mod. I BEG YOU !!

TONY TONY TONY TONY

where did you get that board and did u drill it urself?


Sorry, it's just not happening....

Yes, I cut and drilled the plexi. I used Microsoft Excel to lay out the holes, thats why they're perfectly straight.


-Tony
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 04:56 AM
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I don't understand why everyone wants a write now. If you can't solder LEDs and resistors in a parallel than stop asking Q's and learn how to. Go on yahoo and search for it.
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 05:35 AM
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I got how to wire the LED's, but i don't remember how to wire them up so that when you apple the brakes they will burn brighter. Could anyone explain how to wire them so they are not bright at regular drive lights and bright when applying brakes.

VP
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 05:38 AM
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That is what D_warner was talking about, the dual resistance. Most of us have the same brightness and for clearence.
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 06:34 AM
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Nice pics Tony.

-Nick
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 07:29 AM
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The 95/96 reflector is in the way so I might not put the LEDs behind it and leave it like that since it's not going to show anyways. I'm planning on using 5k mcd LEDs for the dim part and maybe 7k mcd LEDs for the brake part. Going to research the dim/bright thing later and I'll try to do that instead.
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 07:53 AM
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Kev,

I think i got everything i need to know, but one other thing, Do you have a pattern of the 97 gxe tail prefboard so that i can work on the LED lights without having to take my light apart for now. it may take me awhile to do cuz of time, so i don't want to be without taillights. If you have one plz email them too me. PEROVPP@HOTMAIL.COM.
Old Jun 17, 2004 | 08:10 AM
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When you open your tails, you will see a white reflector, you will take that out and use that as the cutout for hte perfboard.



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