33flavors' Custom LED Marker/Turn Thread

[I]***This is not a how-to.***[/I]
 
J sent me the retrofitted parking/turn signal portion of the Y33 lights he bought from Japan.
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/248333f9.jpg[/IMG]
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/c050cf5f.jpg[/IMG]
 
He wanted a color change and they could definitely use some cleaning up.

Since I have your attention, I'd like to point out the difference between a detail and attention to detail. A LED retrofitted turn signal inside of a dual projector retrofitted headlight is a high level of detail. This is [I]not[/I] attention to detail:

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/8256810c.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/09e2447d.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/dfd0ced2.jpg[/IMG]

After some cleaning we have an [I]almost[/I] fresh canvas:

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/bc27166c.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/b4763fd1.jpg[/IMG]

And that's where we are at today. Most parts/supplies have been ordered or are already in possession. Once everything arrives and I get the go ahead on a design I'll move forward.

Stay tuned...

Sick!  Love it already!

I'm pumped - thanks you cleaned that up nicely

subscribe!!

LED's are fun
Lookin forward to the final outcome =)

meee tooo

the last of the parts arrived so i spent today working on them. unfortunately i ran into some (what i thought were) issues and didn't make a whole lot of progress. i later talked to j and we discussed the project in a little more detail so tomorrow should be productive. here's what occurred early in the day, as it turns out this should work fine:
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/eb6663cf.jpg[/IMG]
 
here's the board i am using. it is flexible punch board. a little pricey but worth it for curved projects. as you can see i cut an appropriately sized strip and sanded it down for fitment. the housing isn't perfectly square so there will be some small gaps (booo). the board was also supposed to be black but all that was available was green. this caused some problems for me but i think we've got it straightened out.
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/ed57c958.jpg[/IMG]
 
i decided to use a preexisting curve. this should blend into the housing well and will give more front-firing light.
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/5e8cb090.jpg[/IMG]
 
i then cuts some slits in the housing. you'll see why. i'll clean them up as much as possible before the final assembly.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/96d630df.jpg[/IMG]

the flexible strip fed through the cuts. this will 1) make the curve, and 2) make a clean mount.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/f4bd3c3f.jpg[/IMG]

here is how it looks from the front.

the next several hours were completely wasted.

Looks great. Soldering LED's is a PITA.

Very, very, VERY interesting.  I'm definitely following this thread.

Subbed.
Maybe I'll get back into LED projects after seeing this progress!

Looks great!

After seeing these couple LED projects going on, I think I'm going to give some a whirl.

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;336983][I]***This is not a how-to.***[/I]
 [/QUOTE]
But it should be...

put in a couple more hours. first thing on the agenda was painting the housings. between removing the old stuff and fitting the new the chrome had gotten kind of messed up. jermaine assured me that it wasn't really necessary but i couldn't let it go.
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/bc4f8ac4.jpg[/IMG]

here they are in progress. the closer one is painted, further is prepped. had i had more time this would have been a perfect chance to try something like alsa's killer chrome but instead i just scuffed them, hit em with an adhesion promoter, and sprayed some rusto rattle can chrome. looks real flat in the pic.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/7450eacb.jpg[/IMG]

in person it looks like an oem wheel silver. pretty nice imo, even though you will probably never see it on the car.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/65f9c449.jpg[/IMG]

here's the main led arrays. i went with 3mm leds because of the size of the project. i really like how the spacing turned out. they are 22,000 mcd so they should be bright enough. everything will be connected on the backside tomorrow.

beautiful craftsmanship!!

lovin it!! where did you get your flex board from? ive been wanting to try the killer krome also. Have you used it before? wondering if its worth the price tag. cant wait to see the updates!!

looking good there big mike... thats some nice board that is flexible.

sick!! cant wait to see this at spocom!!

looking great Mike... 
 
Are you making multiple circiuts with different colors lighting up? For example, I did my own side turnsignals that would light up white when the parking light was on (constant) and when I hit the turnsignal they would alternate from white orange (blinking).
 
[U][COLOR=#0000ff][URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMmoXOSSkkM&feature=player_embedded[/URL][/COLOR][/U][URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMmoXOSSkkM&feature=player_embedded"][/URL]

thanks everyone.
 
[QUOTE=dzznuts671;339349]lovin it!! where did you get your flex board from? ive been wanting to try the killer krome also. Have you used it before? wondering if its worth the price tag. cant wait to see the updates!![/QUOTE]
 
the flexible board is from taiwan via ebay. never used the killer chrome but i'll give it a shot sooner or later.
 
[QUOTE=rodneyc77;339379]looking great Mike... 
 
Are you making multiple circiuts with different colors lighting up? For example, I did my own side turnsignals that would light up white when the parking light was on (constant) and when I hit the turnsignal they would alternate from white orange (blinking).
 
[U][COLOR=#0000ff][URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMmoXOSSkkM&feature=player_embedded[/URL][/COLOR][/U][/QUOTE]
 
the main section will be white parking lights and in the 3 outer slits there will be red turn signals. depending on how the get wired on the car they could operate a couple ways.

Lookin good so far bro
Great minds think alike
The way your mountin em into the housings, is the same way I'm doin my turn signals hahaha

good stuff Mike, painting the board though right?

[QUOTE=LiCelsior;339478]good stuff Mike, painting the board though right?[/QUOTE]
 
no point in painting flexible boards, it would just crack.
 
had a change of plans, in fact a few of them. these little signals are kicking my a**. the 3 row, 3mm design was just to tight to work with so those got thrown out. then i went to some 5mm rounds i had and was going to recreate what was orginally there except with a slant. unfortunately, half way through i discovered i was 2 leds short. then i pulled out some supeflux style 5 chips because... well... thats what i had:
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/d76c4ac1.jpg[/IMG]
 
they had to be set non-staggered to retain flexibility (sorry j). after a throw away i came up with a layout that was perfect.
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/67499709.jpg[/IMG]
 
not sure if anyone is going to appreciate the backside but i was feelin myself (no homo).
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/d4809cba.jpg[/IMG]
 
lookin good.
 
[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/78238a9a.jpg[/IMG]
 
bling bling. to give you an idea of how bright these are, this pic was taken in the same light as the previous one. the camera self adjusted to pitch black.

that's all the pics i got. finally assembly in the early am so they can be shipped out before noon.

big thanks to josh (brokey33) for checking some specs for me while i was losing my mind trying to figure out what to do.

Sick!! Where did you get those ones? What MCD are they?

i've had them sitting around for a couple years (originally bought for reverse lights). i thought they were 110k mcd but 55k mcd seems mucvh more likely. either way, they're god d**n mother f**kin b***h bright.

Is that one resistor per 4 LED's?

F*ck that's bright to have dimmed the background to black
Glad my lil bit of help allowed ya to finish
Your solders are clean. That pic of the back ain't done, yet was it??

[QUOTE=Green Poupon;339541]Is that one resistor per 4 LED's?[/QUOTE]
 
yessir.
 
[QUOTE=Brokey33;339542]Your solders are clean. That pic of the back ain't done, yet was it??[/QUOTE]
 
the back is done. it's just [I]that[/I] clean.

FCKIN SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
So when you gonna do my head lights and taillights?! :biggthumpup:

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;339581]
the back is done. it's just [I]that[/I] clean.[/QUOTE]

Hahaha nice :biggthumpup:

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;339590]FCKIN SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...[/QUOTE]

+2! that is amazing work!

the exciting conclusion:

i left last light while the second try at rattle can chrome could dry. got to the spot early this morning and it still was no bueno. hate to do it but the time was the #1 priority so i painted the housings black (i knew this paint would dry quickly and adhere properly).

once that was done it was time to load them up.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/ccea6015.jpg[/IMG]

the outer sections had to be cut and adjusted because i sized them up while yesterday's paint attempt was still wet.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/f4248a9b.jpg[/IMG]
 
looks decent. i got word from j after this was all done that he was having second thoughts on the outer portion. honestly, i won't be f**ked up about it at all if they are removed, but i sent it out with them in so he could make the call.

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/3ff4aa08.jpg[/IMG]

lit up. it's not quite on the level of what i originally had in mind but there were a lot of x factors that required adjustments and sacrifices. in the end i'm satisfied. hope you dig it jermaine.

thanks for watching guys.

*bonus footage:

[IMG]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/BLACKonBLACK98/LED%20Work/Jermaine/e4cb33a1.jpg[/IMG]

anger management.

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;339590]So when you gonna do my head lights and taillights?! :biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]

whenever you're ready!

ha ha another option would have been to cut the vents and continue the LED's - how fucked is that - im happy - you came through on a extreme time crunch and was super cool on keeping me updated on everything along the way

Nice work.  Just a suggestion, maybe you can get some chrome tape/vinyl to put over the boards next time.  You would poke the LED's through and it would look cleaner.

Looks good man, I want to see it installed, should be dope.

looks good so far. clean "shiny" soldering!

what is the specs on the LED's you used? looking for mcd's..

and I usually just go over the board with flat black spray paint before I start working on it or black sharpie the front face of the circuit board. Yes, sharpie. sounds gay, but it worked out very well. ;)

looks good mang

[QUOTE=widebody_Q;339737]Nice work. Just a suggestion, maybe you can get some chrome tape/vinyl to put over the boards next time. You would poke the LED's through and it would look cleaner.[/QUOTE]
 
that was plan a but the flexible board is too thin. soldering on the backside made the vinyl haze/melt. plan b was aluminum tape which held the heat but was conductive so the array wasn't going to work right. plan c was throw and punch s**t.
 
the flexible board threw in an unexpected issue. the thinness that allows it to flex also has downsides in regards to heat (melted vinyl, burnt leds).
 
[QUOTE=mad-ass;339762]looks good so far. clean "shiny" soldering!
 
what is the specs on the LED's you used? looking for mcd's..
 
and I usually just go over the board with flat black spray paint before I start working on it or black sharpie the front face of the circuit board. Yes, sharpie. sounds gay, but it worked out very well. ;)[/QUOTE]
 
white is 55k, red is 8k. kinda mismatched but it came down to using what i had on hand because of so many failed designs (i estimate my redo count at 7).
 
i'm willing to bet that paint wouldn't have held up to the repeated bending of the boards. sharpie probably would have done the trick, but after the chome fiasco i was informed that you probably won't be able to see anything but the light anyway. from then on it was just a race against the clock.

awesome work!  I cannot wait to see these on the car!  I need to do some of this typr of work once I start working on the Q again.

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;339810]that was plan a but the flexible board is too thin. soldering on the backside made the vinyl haze/melt. plan b was aluminum tape which held the heat but was conductive so the array wasn't going to work right. plan c was throw and punch s**t.
 
the flexible board threw in an unexpected issue. the thinness that allows it to flex also has downsides in regards to heat (melted vinyl, burnt leds).[/QUOTE]
 
What about doing the soldering and wrapping it in the chrome vinyl after.  I think the chrome vinyl sounds like a very good idea.  You could use a hole punch or a xacto to cut around the LED's as you were putting the vinyl over them.

What about polycarbonate paint? .. like for RC cars .. it's flexible and big range of colours and finishes .. just a suggestion

[QUOTE=Green Poupon;340006]What about doing the soldering and wrapping it in the chrome vinyl after. I think the chrome vinyl sounds like a very good idea. You could use a hole punch or a xacto to cut around the LED's as you were putting the vinyl over them.[/QUOTE]
 
i don't think that would come out very clean. i'm sure there's a good solution, i just didn't think of one in time.
 
[QUOTE=SNPY;340051]What about polycarbonate paint? .. like for RC cars .. it's flexible and big range of colours and finishes .. just a suggestion[/QUOTE]
 
suggestion noted. thanks.

What are the chances you'd do a DIY for VSC?  I think it would be greatly, greatly appreciated by the people on here and we could see some really cool stuff come out of it.

wow thats going to look so good.