Stereo & Electronics - A little led board I did

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8128/leds003sh9.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1598/ledsvk4.jpg

30 13000 mcd with resistors. And in case you're wondering, it's going to replace my license plate filament bulb. Whenever I get a chance to put it on my car. I've got another one I'm making so watch out for installed pics soon ;)

Sweet mite be in the wrong section tho!

Bomb! Ahhhhh!

That is cool. I like how bright it is.

Sweet mite be in the wrong section tho!

Not electronics??? :confused:

That is cool. I like how bright it is.

I thought you may ;)

And in case you're wondering, it's going to replace my license plate filament bulb.
Just curious......why??

Just curious......why??

Because I thought it looked cool and I needed somethin to do in my free time. I enjoy this kind of stuff and it kinda makes me wish I majored in electrical engineering and not accounting :jest:

Here's inifinitereality's:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/InfiniteReality/Firehawk/LEDLicensePlateLight-105LED/IMGP1552.jpg

and kraazymike's:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j33/emrivera1/car/licenseplate.jpg

My bad! this is the right section! maybe i need to find out what im doing before i post haha, It looks good as hell! Is there a write up on how to mke these boards? did you wire it into your headlights or does it have a manual switch?

Because I thought it looked cool and I needed somethin to do in my free time. I enjoy this kind of stuff and it kinda makes me wish I majored in electrical engineering and not accounting
Now that I see it it action it does look pretty cool. Lights up the ground a good amount...hmm, could this be the future of a more non-rice form of something similar to underbody lighting?

Just because car stereos/electrician work/projects/"hobby" work/etc are enjoyable does not necessarily mean you would enjoy EE.......TRUST ME

My bad! this is the right section! maybe i need to find out what im doing before i post haha, It looks good as hell! Is there a write up on how to mke these boards? did you wire it into your headlights or does it have a manual switch?

It was actually pretty simple. If you are interested shoot me a PM and I'll tell you how to do it. All I'll do is wire the same + and - wires from the factory license plate bulb. very easy.

Now that I see it it action it does look pretty cool. Just because car stereos/electrician work/projects/"hobby" work/etc are enjoyable does not necessarily mean you would enjoy EE.......TRUST ME

I'll take your word on it ;)

I'll take your word on it ;)
Nothing is to say you wouldn't enjoy it though if you really are interested....if that wonder is in the back of your head, you don't want any regrets someday. I see you are a student -- take a EE class WITHIN the college of engineering at your school if possible, and see if you enjoy it so at least you know if you've made the correct decision.

Wow man looks sweet!

Nothing is to say you wouldn't enjoy it though if you really are interested....if that wonder is in the back of your head, you don't want any regrets someday. I see you are a student -- take a EE class WITHIN the college of engineering at your school if possible, and see if you enjoy it so at least you know if you've made the correct decision.

thanks for the advice and good of one at that. I go to a business school but they do offer electrical science as a class. I'll have to check it out.

looks good. as an electrical engineer, i have to say that theres more to EE than LEDs and resistors. theres lots of theory and other stuff, but it might just be your calling.

that looks way better than the LED bulbs i used.

Where can I find out how to wire up l.e.d's, is there a book or something

can you make me one?

this is the second car I have seen with this done, it looks very cool!

Looks cool however looks like a cop magnet.

Looks cool however looks like a cop magnet.

are you kidding me? i get pulled over all the time cause my plate light is out... im gonna do it so they dont bitch and moan at me any more...

+1 for a write up lol.. since you have the spare time :chug:

i wanted to do this, but the only LEDs i have are blue... and that is deff. a cop magnet

maybe ill order some white ones




where is everybody getting their LED boards from... radio shack??

Looks really nice!

To bright for me though, I'm not sure about the code for rear vehical lighting. ( even though that is "secondary light reflected" down.)

I wouldn't do it here in Texas. :eek2:

Just my o2.

probably Ebay

Looks really nice!

To bright for me though, I'm not sure about the code for rear vehical lighting. ( even though that is "secondary light reflected" down.)

I wouldn't do it here in Texas. :eek2:

Just my o2.
Florida law requires only that the license light be white, be on whenever the headlights are on, and make the tag clearly legible from a distance of 50 feet. There is nothing that limits maximum brightness (although if there was too much glare I suppose they could say it wasn't "clearly legible").

Made another one, I think it'll do.

53 13000 mcd leds:

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7222/leds015eb7.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4740/leds014vb3.jpg

i like the bulb spacing on this one alot better. im planning on doing one of these soon. are you going to make a connector for the 194 socket?

+1 Looks great! :judge: write up please!

+1 Looks great! :judge: write up please!

Finally some installed pics and maybe these can help people understand it a little better:

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/9727/leds023fl9.jpg

4:00 in the afternoon:

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/2782/leds025mx8.jpg

Night:

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6727/leds033ck7.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5363/leds032yx7.jpg

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/9079/leds029zo9.jpg

Still needs a little bit of adjusting but I'm pleased with the results. Looks like somethin that belongs on an exotic european car :jest:

If anyone wants one made I have an extra 100 leds left over just send me a PM

what if they get wet?

Could you do something for the taillights on a T/A?

Bomb! Ahhhhh!

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

looks sweet, where did you get all of those LEDs / circuit boards? must have cost you a fortune!

i really wish i knew how to wire these up... i've got all the parts... perf board, led's, solder and gun...

i just don't understand the whole resistor thing... :(

looks sweet, where did you get all of those LEDs / circuit boards? must have cost you a fortune!
They're all over ebay for pretty cheap.

It's kinda hard to explain my process other than the pictures I have, but I am making a couple extra with some leds I have left over if anyone wants one made just PM me

what if they get wet?

You could run that completely submerged no problem.

You could run that completely submerged no problem.

this is very true.

i ordered 100 27,000 mcd 5mm led's with resistors and 500 5mm led 2 peice holders

when i do mine ill do a full detailed write up with plenty of pics.. so keep a look out

Well in the meantime I'm sellin them on ebay if anybody wants one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170098762140

i ordered 100 27,000 mcd 5mm led's with resistors and 500 5mm led 2 peice holders

when i do mine ill do a full detailed write up with plenty of pics.. so keep a look out

And why would you need all those led holders? That's why you use prepunched perfboard

i ordered the holders for a few other projects im doing, so i figured why not.. im in the process of making a mooninite (from the show aqua teen and the recent boston bomb scare.. idiots :argh: ) it has about 200 leds wired in a series of 4, and each series wired in parallel... i also ordered 100 blue and 100 green ontop of the 100 white and the 100 blue i already had.. im just waiting on some resistors and the green leds to finish that project..

but anyways im gonna do it on something other then the perf board.. either painted wood, plastic, or smoked plexi..

im doing the mooninite on foamboard, and the heat hasnt messed with that so platic should be fine if u have a steady hand and dont go crazy with solder


and for the time it takes to do all of this it would prolly be more sensible to buy one of Brians, it takes alot of time and patience to do one, and his price is really good...

but im a cheap ass and get board easily so i need something to fiddle around with between work and school, so this month its leds, next month who knows

I never even posted that I had put LED's on my license plate yet somehow you ended up doing that as well :jest: !!!

Someone asked above why resistors are needed.

They're needed to limit the current. Most LED's have no current limiting capability built in. If you connect them directly to a voltage source, they'll burn out almost immediately. By having a resistor inline, current will be limited. Most LED's drop .7volts across them, the rest will get dropped across the resistor. Figuring 14V nominal (with the car on), you'll have ~13.3V across the resistor. Assuming 30mA nominal LED rating, a resistor of ~443Ω will be needed. I don't recall standard values off hand, but figure a 500Ω should be fine (in series) with the LED. Doesn't matter if it's at the anode or cathode end, so long as it's in series with the LED.

I think the concept is good, but question the application. My license plate would be the last thing I'd want highly illuminated. Perhaps a more useful application might be to modify the brake light assemblies and have LED's in there instead. Just my opinion.

I never even posted that I had put LED's on my license plate yet somehow you ended up doing that as well :jest: !!!

I swear to god...... Lol!

Why?!

Why?!

Why not?