Source For LED Panels (See Design)

I've got a 1971 Ford LTD Convertible. These cars have eight 1157 style
bulbs in the rear to give full width tail and brake lights. That's a LOT
of current going through 30+ year old wiring, switches, and corroded sockets
when you hit the brakes.

This is what the rear end looks like: http://216.110.197.146/ltdrear.jpg

I want to install LEDs to do a couple of things. The first is to give the
"instant on" look for safety and the second is to reduce the current draw
going to the rear of the car when the tail lights are on and you have your
foot on the brakes.

I've seen the cheap bayonet replacement LED based 1157s and they suck.
Yeah, they are bright and give the LED look, but only in a single spot. You
don't have soft diffusion like you do with a filament bulb.

So, I drew up a little blueprint of what I'd like to find for my LTD. Look
at my design and tell me if such a board already exists in mass production.
(Just don't laugh at the drawings... I'm no architect! lol) If it doesn't
exist, I'd be willing to pay someone with soldering skills to create four of
these.

http://216.110.197.146/led_design.gif

The drawing is not perfect and the device doesn't need to be exactly like
this, but just a flat panel around 3 to 4" high and roughly 6-10" long. I
can disassemble my tail lamp housings and fit these panels in there with the
LED's facing the diffuser lense and I think it would give an EVENLY DIFFUSED
look to both the tail lamp lighting and the lighting when you hit the
brakes.

Ideas???

Thanks,
-Steve

Hello, Steve!
You wrote on Sat, 29 Oct 2005 21:31:23 GMT:

ST> This is what the rear end looks like:
http://216.110.197.146/ltdrear.jpg

ST> I want to install LEDs to do a couple of things. The first is to give
ST> the "instant on" look for safety and the second is to reduce the
ST> current draw going to the rear of the car when the tail lights are on
ST> and you have your foot on the brakes.

ST> I've seen the cheap bayonet replacement LED based 1157s and they suck.
ST> Yeah, they are bright and give the LED look, but only in a single spot.
ST> You don't have soft diffusion like you do with a filament bulb.

ST> So, I drew up a little blueprint of what I'd like to find for my LTD.
ST> Look at my design and tell me if such a board already exists in mass
ST> production. (Just don't laugh at the drawings... I'm no architect!
ST> lol) If it doesn't exist, I'd be willing to pay someone with soldering
ST> skills to create four of these.

ST> http://216.110.197.146/led_design.gif

ST> The drawing is not perfect and the device doesn't need to be exactly
ST> like this, but just a flat panel around 3 to 4" high and roughly 6-10"
ST> long. I can disassemble my tail lamp housings and fit these panels in
ST> there with the LED's facing the diffuser lense and I think it would
ST> give an EVENLY DIFFUSED look to both the tail lamp lighting and the
ST> lighting when you hit the brakes.

ST> Ideas???


You can buy off the shelf replacements for the 1157's these use a lot less
current. It's just got to be easier.

check this link out
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A2461221C


With best regards, 3T39. E-mail:

Hello, 3T39!
You wrote to Steve TR on Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:42:18 +0100:

"You can buy off the shelf replacements for the 1157's"

Sorry,
just noticed you already knew this. Dooh!
I didn't read the whole post and jumped to the wrong conclusion.




With best regards, 3T39. E-mail:

Steve TR wrote:
> I've got a 1971 Ford LTD Convertible. These cars have eight 1157 style
> bulbs in the rear to give full width tail and brake lights. That's a LOT
> of current going through 30+ year old wiring, switches, and corroded sockets
> when you hit the brakes.
>
> This is what the rear end looks like: http://216.110.197.146/ltdrear.jpg
>
> I want to install LEDs to do a couple of things. The first is to give the
> "instant on" look for safety and the second is to reduce the current draw
> going to the rear of the car when the tail lights are on and you have your
> foot on the brakes.
>
> I've seen the cheap bayonet replacement LED based 1157s and they suck.
> Yeah, they are bright and give the LED look, but only in a single spot. You
> don't have soft diffusion like you do with a filament bulb.
>
> So, I drew up a little blueprint of what I'd like to find for my LTD. Look
> at my design and tell me if such a board already exists in mass production.
> (Just don't laugh at the drawings... I'm no architect! lol) If it doesn't
> exist, I'd be willing to pay someone with soldering skills to create four of
> these.
>
> http://216.110.197.146/led_design.gif
>
> The drawing is not perfect and the device doesn't need to be exactly like
> this, but just a flat panel around 3 to 4" high and roughly 6-10" long. I
> can disassemble my tail lamp housings and fit these panels in there with the
> LED's facing the diffuser lense and I think it would give an EVENLY DIFFUSED
> look to both the tail lamp lighting and the lighting when you hit the
> brakes.
>
> Ideas???
>
> Thanks,
> -Steve

Hi Steve...

I'd strongly urge you to check before you install anything other than
the original incandescents. I'm very sure that most places we can't
change them without "breaking the law"

Take care.

Ken

I appreciate the advice.

I actually already have 2 of these "drop in" bayonet replacements and while
they are okay for the "casual user" (lol) I'm quite picky and don't want to
look like the rest of the import kiddies with the funky looking LED tail
lamps only lighting up in small spots.

I'm willing to spend $$$ for this project so I can get a correct look and it
seems a flat panel filling the entire area behind the lense will work
wonderfully. Aside from someone's time, I wouldn' think it would be all
that expensive... You can buy generic blank PCBs and a box of LEDs and
solder away. I just suck at soldering. LOL


"3T39" > wrote in message
...
> Hello, 3T39!
> You wrote to Steve TR on Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:42:18 +0100:
>
> "You can buy off the shelf replacements for the 1157's"
>
> Sorry,
> just noticed you already knew this. Dooh!
> I didn't read the whole post and jumped to the wrong conclusion.
>
>
>
>
> With best regards, 3T39. E-mail:
>

I appreciate the advice. As far as the legality of it, well, oh well...
I'm not worried with it enough to go look up lighting regulations, but I'm
thinking that as long as it lights up in a manner close enough to the
original, I'll be okay.

It sure can't be worse than all of the imports/ricers/etc running around
with blue/green/red/amber LEDs and those funky "Altezza" tail lamps they
think is "so cool."


-Steve



"Ken Weitzel" > wrote in message
news:McS8f.338861$1i.173284@pd7tw2no...
>
>
> Steve TR wrote:
>> I've got a 1971 Ford LTD Convertible. These cars have eight 1157 style
>> bulbs in the rear to give full width tail and brake lights. That's a
>> LOT of current going through 30+ year old wiring, switches, and corroded
>> sockets when you hit the brakes.
>>
>> This is what the rear end looks like: http://216.110.197.146/ltdrear.jpg
>>
>> I want to install LEDs to do a couple of things. The first is to give
>> the "instant on" look for safety and the second is to reduce the current
>> draw going to the rear of the car when the tail lights are on and you
>> have your foot on the brakes.
>>
>> I've seen the cheap bayonet replacement LED based 1157s and they suck.
>> Yeah, they are bright and give the LED look, but only in a single spot.
>> You don't have soft diffusion like you do with a filament bulb.
>>
>> So, I drew up a little blueprint of what I'd like to find for my LTD.
>> Look at my design and tell me if such a board already exists in mass
>> production. (Just don't laugh at the drawings... I'm no architect! lol)
>> If it doesn't exist, I'd be willing to pay someone with soldering skills
>> to create four of these.
>>
>> http://216.110.197.146/led_design.gif
>>
>> The drawing is not perfect and the device doesn't need to be exactly like
>> this, but just a flat panel around 3 to 4" high and roughly 6-10" long.
>> I can disassemble my tail lamp housings and fit these panels in there
>> with the LED's facing the diffuser lense and I think it would give an
>> EVENLY DIFFUSED look to both the tail lamp lighting and the lighting when
>> you hit the brakes.
>>
>> Ideas???
>>
>> Thanks,
>> -Steve
>
> Hi Steve...
>
> I'd strongly urge you to check before you install anything other than
> the original incandescents. I'm very sure that most places we can't
> change them without "breaking the law"
>
> Take care.
>
> Ken
>

What is the current draw for one 1157 bulb?
What is the current draw for 19X5= 95 high output LEDS?

Steve TR wrote:
> I've got a 1971 Ford LTD Convertible. These cars have eight 1157 style
> bulbs in the rear to give full width tail and brake lights. That's a LOT
> of current going through 30+ year old wiring, switches, and corroded sockets
> when you hit the brakes.
>
> This is what the rear end looks like: http://216.110.197.146/ltdrear.jpg
>
> I want to install LEDs to do a couple of things. The first is to give the
> "instant on" look for safety and the second is to reduce the current draw
> going to the rear of the car when the tail lights are on and you have your
> foot on the brakes.
>
> I've seen the cheap bayonet replacement LED based 1157s and they suck.
> Yeah, they are bright and give the LED look, but only in a single spot. You
> don't have soft diffusion like you do with a filament bulb.
>
> So, I drew up a little blueprint of what I'd like to find for my LTD. Look
> at my design and tell me if such a board already exists in mass production.
> (Just don't laugh at the drawings... I'm no architect! lol) If it doesn't
> exist, I'd be willing to pay someone with soldering skills to create four of
> these.
>
> http://216.110.197.146/led_design.gif
>
> The drawing is not perfect and the device doesn't need to be exactly like
> this, but just a flat panel around 3 to 4" high and roughly 6-10" long. I
> can disassemble my tail lamp housings and fit these panels in there with the
> LED's facing the diffuser lense and I think it would give an EVENLY DIFFUSED
> look to both the tail lamp lighting and the lighting when you hit the
> brakes.
>
> Ideas???
>
> Thanks,
> -Steve
Hello Steve,
Not sure if this does exist comercially, but I'll make some up for you
if you don't find any from a comercial source.
Regards
Robert
http//notrocketscience.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/

Steve -

I don't know of anywhere that mass produces something like this, but
then again I don't really know anything about replacements like this, I
just happened to run across your post.

I can see what you want, but I think you will probably need to go
through a few prototypes before you get what you want.

I'd recc. you get some breadboard, something like:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in... ntPage=search

or google breadboard and look for something else.

You can then cut the board to the dimensions you need, and start
prototyping.

Soldering really isn't that difficult, and this would be an ideal
project to learn that skill.

Other than that, maybe post over in sci.electronics.design for some
other ideas.

Seems like it might be a fun project, if nothing else.

Good luck,

Matt

Hey, thanks for the advice. I had no idea what to search for to find the
(as I was calling it) generic printed circuit boards.

I can solder wires together, but just never have had much luck with
soldering components together. maybe I'll buy a bag full of LEDs and see
what happens...

Thanks,
-Steve

"Matt" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Steve -
>
> I don't know of anywhere that mass produces something like this, but
> then again I don't really know anything about replacements like this, I
> just happened to run across your post.
>
> I can see what you want, but I think you will probably need to go
> through a few prototypes before you get what you want.
>
> I'd recc. you get some breadboard, something like:
> http://www.radioshack.com/product/in... ntPage=search
>
> or google breadboard and look for something else.
>
> You can then cut the board to the dimensions you need, and start
> prototyping.
>
> Soldering really isn't that difficult, and this would be an ideal
> project to learn that skill.
>
> Other than that, maybe post over in sci.electronics.design for some
> other ideas.
>
> Seems like it might be a fun project, if nothing else.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Matt
>