ever looked into the diy pcb process? since you used smt leds it would definitely make for a cleaner board. if you were to ever redo it of course...

 

You know, I almost said something about that in my last post.

Yes, I was going to do it for the cluster but did not have the time. I might do it the second time around.

I will, however, be doing that for my LED tails (5th gen) this spring. I did a test run and it works well, I just need to repurchase the chemicals and hope ATF does not classify me as a domestic terrorist.

 

smts for tails?

round 2!

 

Dammit, CLARIFICATION: 5mm for tails. I'd prefer superflux but the curvature of the OE housing makes that and improbable option.

 

how so (honest question)? i've seen sf 5g done and it looked fairly straight forward. if you are referring to 2d curvature, i'm not crazy about trying to make shapes using sf either because it always comes out blocky but with brake lights it really is a safety issue. don't wanna get rear-ended again.

either way... with leaded leds the copper clad pcb would be an exercise in futility. in fact it would come out looking worse than punch board because all your connections would be exposed.

 

Space because a major limitation quickly even using mini-resistors. The larger footprint makes thing tougher, and while it could be used, is more trouble than it's worth for me to re design the circuit.

Agreed. Hence the homebrew etch.

Dr.Roy and I were the only ones to have made the 5G LED tails when I last posted...I will have to check for these tails you're speaking of, my curiosity is piqued...

 

quoted for the real story.

i think we had a miscommunication. what i was saying is that the etched board would yield poor aesthetic results since it is a single sided board. all your soldering/resistors would be exposed.

if you were to do a though-hole 2 sided board they would be hidden.

not sure that they have been posted. a member sent me pics through aim of a job he did for another member.

 

There is a trick to making sure that does not happen...

Someone JUST posted this in the forums...it's uh...

 

That is amazing work! and just ignore the people that are saying its to bright, I think they are perfect. Besides Im sure you have them wired to control the brightness if you wanted too .

 

Thanks, man. They are bright, but not AS bright as the pictures perceive them to be.

I noticed you're in NJ, if you want some help, let me know. I live in SJ.

 

yeah that would be cool. the tuffest part Im sure would be making the circuit board overlays for each gauge and figuring the load I will need for it to run properly. Im sure the load calculation will be similar to your though. So those are superflux leds you used right? what are the specs on them? I really want to redo my cluster Asap.

 

Shoot me your number in a PM, I'll give you a call tonight so you can get everything together.

 

pm sent

 

Leds have a longer life span if they have the designed power applied to them. When they are over powered they will shortly begin to flicker and eventually burn out.

Im not sure which leds you are talking about but they have drop in replacement leds bulbs in various sizes which i believe should be fine in direct swap applications, however leds lights on the other hand are single leds with no base that will in most cases require the use of a resistor for them to operate properly . Hope that cleared things up for you.

 

d00d, never got that PM