LED "halo" modification?
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Louisville Kentucky
Pro
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Northern Virginia
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
"once you start down the Light path, forever will it dominate your destiny"
"No more will I teach you today"
(yoda with a home-made light saber...aka a 12" cold cathode)
"this is where i get most of my ideas...I call it "the think tank"
"No more will I teach you today"
(yoda with a home-made light saber...aka a 12" cold cathode)
"this is where i get most of my ideas...I call it "the think tank"
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Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Update: I figured it out!!!
the 4 wires were power and ground, but one pair went to the upper half of the halo and the other the lowe half. This means that each section will require their own resistor. The hard part however is over. I plan to be finished in time for pics tomorrow night (weather permitting)
wait...i forgot somthing....ah yes
BWA HA HA HA HA
the 4 wires were power and ground, but one pair went to the upper half of the halo and the other the lowe half. This means that each section will require their own resistor. The hard part however is over. I plan to be finished in time for pics tomorrow night (weather permitting)
wait...i forgot somthing....ah yes
BWA HA HA HA HA
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,333
Likes: 6
From: Louisville Kentucky
Update: I figured it out!!!
the 4 wires were power and ground, but one pair went to the upper half of the halo and the other the lowe half. This means that each section will require their own resistor. The hard part however is over. I plan to be finished in time for pics tomorrow night (weather permitting)
wait...i forgot somthing....ah yes
BWA HA HA HA HA
the 4 wires were power and ground, but one pair went to the upper half of the halo and the other the lowe half. This means that each section will require their own resistor. The hard part however is over. I plan to be finished in time for pics tomorrow night (weather permitting)
wait...i forgot somthing....ah yes
BWA HA HA HA HAAll I want is a bevy of bodacious big butt beauties.
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
Update: I completed the conversion on one taillight. It was a little different than i thought. Each of the 4 LEDs on the halo ring are on their own circuit which means i needed 4 resistors. (probably could have used one and split into 4 but i opted on the safe side (plus i was too lazy to take any more measurements) 
Anywho, the white wires were the +/- for the taillights and the red were for the flasher. I cut the white (+) and used it for the power for the custom halo circuit and cut the (-) wire and used it for the ground for the halo circuit. (essentially bypassing the center section) The result was a mess inside the housing but from the outside looks stock.
Here's a comparison shot On axis:
And off axis:
As you can see the halo provides the same amount of light from any viewing angle while the inside LEDs are brightest from directly behind.
In addition, I found that the brakes/flashers are far more attention-getting with my modification. (much improved for night driving) Here's a vid i took using the hazard lights.
Now that i know how to modify them, I expect to have the other 3 finished by tomorrow morning at the latest.
Anywho, the white wires were the +/- for the taillights and the red were for the flasher. I cut the white (+) and used it for the power for the custom halo circuit and cut the (-) wire and used it for the ground for the halo circuit. (essentially bypassing the center section) The result was a mess inside the housing but from the outside looks stock.
Here's a comparison shot On axis:
And off axis:
As you can see the halo provides the same amount of light from any viewing angle while the inside LEDs are brightest from directly behind.
In addition, I found that the brakes/flashers are far more attention-getting with my modification. (much improved for night driving) Here's a vid i took using the hazard lights.
Now that i know how to modify them, I expect to have the other 3 finished by tomorrow morning at the latest.
That is way too cool 
