The Ultimate LED Ba7s bulbs for Gauges ala ETarga (pic & vid)

[txhokie4life]

928 Bulbs and back of instrument panel.

Two bulbs on left are the same -- and used for primary illumination -- There 3 of them.
Not sure bulb id #.
The one on right is status indicator bulbs and are 1 piece. 1.2W B8.5d
There are 19 of those.





For size comparisons.



Hole for the illumination lights


hole for status indicators.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by ToddM

Looks like telecom gear. Pics are too blurry when I zoom but it looks like maybe some SFP optics, so maybe upper right is 24xGE module for maybe a router or switch? I can almost make out the logo. In fact, I think it looks familiar but can't be 100% sure.

The long board in the center has some type of coax connection. It's not duplex so it's not DS-3, so maybe it's DOCSIS or just a receiver like external GPS antennea for timing? Definitely modular card with bus or fabric connections on the other end.

The other cards look to have some SFP and RJ-45 connections on them. Judging by the fact you live in Danville, I'd say you work for any one of a gazillion companies in the valley. By the way, I was just in Danville on business a couple of weeks ago on my way to visit some folks in San Ramon. Spent a few hours at Peet's. Nice area. Good friend of mine lives there. There is a mexican place with really good margaritas but the name escapes me.

I happen to work for one of the other 1 gazillion companies in the valley. You probably know it.

[ToddM]

Originally Posted by syzygy

We're getting a bit off topic for guess the circuit board game, but mine is telecommunications products. On the board above the undoubtedly very technical drawing, those look a bit like fiber optic SC and SPDIF ports from the side. Could that be a co-ax port on the upper end of the card to its left? And then the one next to that at 7:00 has the RJ45 port on its bottom edge. Lastly my sleuthing noted the weather proof enclosure a the bottom right of the image. Now that I've listed all that, its probably stuff from a coffee maker or something...

Not bad Kevin, not bad at all. I have to admit that I am probably most impressed that you that recognized that the enclosure was waterproof

2 O'clock - 10Gig x 24 optical interface card for internet core router circa 2011
Noon - 4G wireless handset chipset test & characterization platform circa 2004
3 O'clock - 4G wireless outdoor base station baseband physical layer subsystem circa 2009
6 O'clock - LMDS backplane modem circa 2001 (old school, high QoS; nobody will pay for high QoS anymore)
7 O'clock - Embedded processor/controller, mates with 3 O'clock above circa 2008
8 O'clock - 100G electrical loopback test card since a real 100G optical modules are $10K a pop... to expensive to use for testing when 16 are needed to test one system.

I had a dozen or so other boards older than 2000 that I tossed last year.

Now the enclosure, I was going to use it for my own project but everybody else in the world seems to have other ideas of what I should be doing with my time. Fine with me as I would have had to use my own time & money to get it going. By the time I do have time, I am sure it will be used something completely different than I had originally intended.

So to get back on topic... yes, LOTS of LEDs on these boards! LOL

[ToddM]

tirwin

Yep, a gazillion there are

This is a nice area for raising a family, which I have. You can see the wonderful artwork in that photo that I cannot take credit for. I have so much artwork, I don't think there is a picture I could take anywhere inside the house or garage without it making an appearance. if you don't have a family, it is a downright boring place to live that is pretty much dead by 9pm. There is nothing here, but houses. The only real corporation here is Chevron.

Still, it is my opinion it beats living IN the heart of silicon valley. So 50 miles each way I go every weekday to work and back.

Right now I am working on wireless modems for some very popular devices. Funny, these are the first boards I have ever designed that don't have LEDs as there is no space to put LEDs. I am also helping a company out a with their 4x TV, basically HMDI upscaling and using 4 panels to produce 1 image.

The good thing about electronics, there are so many different disciplines it NEVER gets boring.

[tirwin]

I'm not a hardware design guy, I'm an implementation guy. 24xGE is not core routing to me -- it's low speed.

I do quite a bit of wireless work myself. I am mainly a consultant dealing with many aspects of 3GPP GSM/UMTS/LTE network architecture but I have an extensive wireline background too.

[ToddM]

Originally Posted by tirwin

I'm not a hardware design guy, I'm an implementation guy. 24xGE is not core routing to me -- it's low speed.

I do quite a bit of wireless work myself. I am mainly a consultant dealing with many aspects of 3GPP GSM/UMTS/LTE network architecture but I have an extensive wireline background too.

Sorry, that should have said 10G SPF. 10G x 24 per PIC, 2 PICs per slot, 8 slot chassis = 3.8Tbps router.

LTE is the place to be, back into wireless, myself.

[wwest]

You guys make me feel old.

Picture is of a modern day implementation of an F16 ground LRU test system interface, CTSI, to an HP1000/A990.

[Canada Kev]

We seem to have gotten a bit off track...

Originally Posted by wwest

1W 140 degree StrawHat LED operating at 200 milliamps using a 3W external current limiting resistor.

First off, the lighting on your clock looks pretty damn good - nice and even and well distributed. I do have a couple questions (and assumptions).

Just so I'm clear on what you did with this, you mounted your 1W strawhat LED in a BA7 base from which you removed the bulb, externally wired in your 3W resistor and diode. Is that correct?

-Having the resistor in the base creates too much heat (at the .2 A rating) and fries the LED. Having the resistor outside the base is sufficient to allow heat dissipation?

-I figure you're likely using a 47 ohm resistor? Would using a higher than 3W resistor, like a 5W, gain anything? More resistant to heat?

-How much difference in light output between 100, 200 and 300 mA?

-How far extended from the base did you mount the LED? Obviously one is limited by the amount of space inside the gauge, but would you want it out as far as possible?

[wwest]

Originally Posted by syzygy

We seem to have gotten a bit off track...



First off, the lighting on your clock looks pretty damn good - nice and even and well distributed. I do have a couple questions (and assumptions).

Just so I'm clear on what you did with this, you mounted your 1W strawhat LED in a BA7 base from which you removed the bulb, externally wired in your 3W resistor and diode. Is that correct?

No diode since it's not possible to reverse bias the LED.

-Having the resistor in the base creates too much heat (at the .2 A rating) and fries the LED. Having the resistor outside the base is sufficient to allow heat dissipation?

Yes. Plus there plain is not enough room inside the BA7 base to accommodate a 3W resistor. The resistor is mounted in series with the BA7 socket, outside the case.

-I figure you're likely using a 47 ohm resistor? Would using a higher than 3W resistor, like a 5W, gain anything? More resistant to heat?

56 ohms. A three watt resistor is the minimum wattage REQUIRED, the resistors I used may have very well been, probably are, 5W. The resistor is encased in shrink wrap as are, separately, the wire leads/connections

-How much difference in light output between 100, 200 and 300 mA?

Surprisingly, not much, not between 300mA and 200mA anyway. 100mA remains to be seen. I chose 200mA primarily as a result of the free air failure rate at 300mA that I observed.

-How far extended from the base did you mount the LED? Obviously one is limited by the amount of space inside the gauge, but would you want it out as far as possible?

Virtually zero, I had to modify the larger LED lead to do that, yet another reason for derating to 200mA. Some of the guages have the incandescent bulb's glass encapsulation right up against the forward travel limit so I had to match that, and no more, with the LEDs.

I seem to remember that somewhere on the INTERNET, Porsche forum most likely, I posted a picture of the completed Ba7 LED bulb assembly, the component parts, etc. Can't find it on the INTERNET nor in my picture archives.

[Canada Kev]

Ok, 56 ohms makes sense. The car's at 14ish volts when running, not the 12 that I initially used in my calcs.

Is this the pic you were talking about?

[ToddM]

Originally Posted by wwest

1W 140 degree StrawHat LED operating at 200 milliamps using a 3W external current limiting resistor.

I kind of like the green.

Auto lumination has inverted BA7 LEDs which direct the light out the sides. I think this would give the best dispersion.


I'm going to try it, only $2.99 a pop and I have many lamps burned out.

[wwest]

Originally Posted by syzygy

Ok, 56 ohms makes sense. The car's at 14ish volts when running, not the 12 that I initially used in my calcs.

Is this the pic you were talking about?

Yes. Thanks, I had finally found it(***) myself via Google.

The most likely reason for 56 ohms is that is the closest approximation, resistance and wattage, I could find in stock at the local, Bellevue WA, electronics surplus store.

(***) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/5876486-post296.html

[ToddM]

Originally Posted by wwest

Yes. Thanks, I had finally found it(***) myself via Google.

The most likely reason for 56 ohms is that is the closest approximation, resistance and wattage, I could find in stock at the local, Bellevue WA, electronics surplus store.

(***) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/5876486-post296.html

@12V w/56 Ohm the LED assuming LED Vf 3V would operate at 180mA which is only -10% the illumination of the rail at 14V at 200mA with thesame R value. Wattage required is 1.8W/2.2W, 12V and 14V respectively.

[rattlsnak]

before:



after:



(i think my seat cushion was propped against the bottom of the clock, because it looks fine in real life..)

[Joeaksa]

Very nice looking!

[RSBob]

Had pretty much the same results as Rattlsnak with the 3 LEDs installed: Clock and gas/oil gauge. Had Superbrights in both previoulsy and the difference is like night and day - but now I can see the accumulated dust and crap in the gauges I never knew was there. (The power to the gauges is fused as insurance. I will run with the 3 for a while and if no issues, install the rest.) So far pretty impressed.

[seg911]

Just installed my LED package in the SC. Huge improvement over stock and noticeable improvement over autolumination ba7's. Plus, great service. Thanks, Jake. Happy New Year. Steve G

[RSM-M491]

Is eTarga on vacation?!

[nkotselas]

Just got mine in. Very Cool!
Its super easy to do as well, the hardest part for me was getting the tach done.

[DRACO A5OG]

Remember Fellas, take care when pulling/pushing out the Oil Temp/Druck Gauge, the Alt light wiring is very short and it will pull out so make certain it is put back into the housing when you swap.

Per Bentley, pull the clock out first then swap the bulbs, leave if off for now then reach in thru the hole to help the Spedo out from behind, swap leave it out and go to the Fuel/Oil Level pull and swap leave it out then reach in and push the Temp/Druck gauge from behind being mindfull of the alt and oil light wirings swap and leave out. Now the TACH, reach in on a open and as you push from behind lift up on the underside of the dash to make a bit more room for the Tach to pop out and the when out slide it to the side to clear the Steering wheel rubber dust shield. I found this to be the best way to remove and reinstall the TACH.

Slide the seat all the way back and start putting everything back. I found sliding the seat back helps in lining up the gauges.

Hope this helps, Happy New Year.

Jim

NOTE: for safety, DISCONNECT the Battery, the clock is always HOT