LED Brake Lights

[froggert]

I like how you did the turn signal board. Any reason it doesn't have spade connectors on the end to connect directly to the wiring, rather than going through the cheesy bulb holder/reflector?

[79 Euro]

Spoke,
I would like a set of brake lights for my 79 911SC Euro for $90. How much are the turn signals?
Andy

PayPal? andykaytx@aol.com

[spoke]

Originally Posted by froggert

I like how you did the turn signal board. Any reason it doesn't have spade connectors on the end to connect directly to the wiring, rather than going through the cheesy bulb holder/reflector?

Thanks. The LED boards are designed to be plug-n-play. The boards can be installed and removed without changing or damaging anything on the car.

[spoke]

Originally Posted by 79 Euro

Spoke,
I would like a set of brake lights for my 79 911SC Euro for $90. How much are the turn signals?
Andy

PayPal? andykaytx@aol.com

We're gearing up to do a larger batch of brake boards most likely within a month. The first small batches of brake boards were done to see if there are issues with the PCBs or fixtures.

One of the things I learned was the first position frames to set the boards in place were way too fragile. One of the first position frames didn't even make it through shipping without damage. The current position frames are much more sturdy and we pack them very securely for shipping.

I'm still working on the design of the rear turnsignals so not ready to provide those. They will be more expensive than the brake PCBs. They are larger with more LEDs and the LEDs are set at an angle which is much more difficult to assemble.

The front turnsignal LED boards may be ready before the rear turnsignal PCBs. I just got those in and they fit perfectly. Working out a few bugs with these now.

[spoke]

Brake PCBs are on order. Should be here in about 2 weeks.

Just a note on how we assemble these PCBs. These PCBs are assembled one at a time, by hand, by me and a colleague basically at our respective kitchen tables; after work in the evenings; on weekends after the kids go to bed.

Given our time constraints, we can only do about 3-5 sets per week. We've done this for 914 brake and turnsignal PCBs and history has shown it will take about 4 months to do 50 sets.

We won't accept any funds from anyone unless we can ship boards within 2 weeks. Given how long it takes to assemble the boards, we will probably have a series of FS threads here of about 10 sets at a time.

We should have assembled boards for sale in about 3 weeks. Let the fun begin.

[froggert]

Any chance of doing the front turn signals with a white parking light and amber turn signal? I'm interested in a set when you're ready even if it's all amber. Thanks.

[spoke]

Originally Posted by froggert

Any chance of doing the front turn signals with a white parking light and amber turn signal? I'm interested in a set when you're ready even if it's all amber. Thanks.

For white/amber LEDs to work the lens would have to be clear or have a clear part and amber part.

I did a similar thing with white and amber LEDs for the front running light/turn signal for the 914 with Euro lenses. The white running light LEDs shown through the clear part of the lens and the amber turn signal LEDs through the amber part of the lens.

For the PCB in the video below, the white running light LEDs turn off when the amber turn signal LEDs blink. This increases the contrast of the turn signals like modern cars do.

[spoke]

Kinda bored tonight so I finished up an RS-look LED board and ordered a couple of sets. Should have them in 2-3 weeks. Won't know how they look until they're built and installed.

[mytoy]

If your really bored and have nothing else to do how about looking at the 964 brake lights. My SC has the 964 conversion and would really like to upgrade to your LED's.

[spoke]

Originally Posted by mytoy

If your really bored and have nothing else to do how about looking at the 964 brake lights. My SC has the 964 conversion and would really like to upgrade to your LED's.

Are the brake light assemblies sealed? It looks like the bulbs are inserted from the rear. My conversions are simply a PCB with a bunch of LEDs and mounted by removing the lens from the housing and inserting the PCB. If the lens is permanently mounted to the housing, it is not possible to insert the PCB without removing the lens from the housing.

[froggert]

Originally Posted by spoke

For white/amber LEDs to work the lens would have to be clear or have a clear part and amber part.

Yep, I have clear turn signal lenses, hence the question. Thanks.

[Algernon]

Originally Posted by froggert

Any chance of doing the front turn signals with a white parking light and amber turn signal? Thanks.

Same question here - I also have clear turn signal lens.

[spoke]

Yes, could absolutely do white and amber LEDs. How would the best look be? I could do a line of whites on the bottom or top, or one row all the way around.

The PCB is small so there's not too many degrees of freedom.

[Algernon]

For the front /turn signal unit, maybe center 2 rows amber, and top and bottom rows white? But perhaps 50/50 brightness would not look right?

[Chuck.H]

Originally Posted by spoke

Brake PCBs are on order. Should be here in about 2 weeks.

Just a note on how we assemble these PCBs. These PCBs are assembled one at a time, by hand, by me and a colleague basically at our respective kitchen tables; after work in the evenings; on weekends after the kids go to bed.

Given our time constraints, we can only do about 3-5 sets per week. We've done this for 914 brake and turnsignal PCBs and history has shown it will take about 4 months to do 50 sets.

We won't accept any funds from anyone unless we can ship boards within 2 weeks. Given how long it takes to assemble the boards, we will probably have a series of FS threads here of about 10 sets at a time.

We should have assembled boards for sale in about 3 weeks. Let the fun begin.

Sorry if this was asked before, but any chance of offering them as a kit so you don't have to do all the soldering yourselves?

Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 400k miles

[spoke]

Chuck,

It may not be feasible to have folks assemble the boards themselves. A few may have the skill and tools to solder and assemble the boards but many may find the work very tedious or impossible. We also use several solder jigs to hold the LEDs in place for soldering. Loading 50 through hole LEDs on a board isn't hard although flipping the board over without the LEDs falling out is a chore. The first board I did most of the LEDs fell out or were not straight.

We also found out that installing the LEDs backwards doesn't work. My colleague assembled 18 914 brake light boards like this before we realized the issue. He was able to rework 17 of the boards but one was trashed.

[spoke]

Here's a look at a front turnsignal board with white running lights. There's one row of white running lights and still 4 rows of amber. I don't want to go with less rows of amber since it's the amber turn signal LEDs which will alert other drivers to upcoming changes in direction of the vehicle. Safety first.

There is an optional circuit on this board which will turn off the white running lights when the turn signals are blinking. This increases contrast and makes the turn signal more prominent.

[merlinfe]

Nice!

[froggert]

That looks great! Is the all amber board basically the same without the single row of white LED's? Meaning all lights are on when in parking light mode, and all flash when acting as turn signals? And when do you think these will be available?

[spoke]

Originally Posted by froggert

That looks great! Is the all amber board basically the same without the single row of white LED's? Meaning all lights are on when in parking light mode, and all flash when acting as turn signals? And when do you think these will be available?

We'll only fab one board with 4 rows of amber and 1 row of white can be reconfigured as 5 rows of amber. It may end up with 4 rows of amber and 2 rows of white or 6 rows of amber.