LED lighting - but subtle?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 523
Likes: 48
From: Pacific northwest
LED lighting - but subtle?
Below is sort of how I want to make the partition tray. I'll hook up the wiring to the traction control circuit (thanks tstar!) so that when the light comes on at night, the tray will also have light. The 2 switches are to cut off light to the tray and for the light that will be on the partition.
Anyhow - can someone suggest which type of LED's I should use so that the lighting intensity is the same as the overall cluster gauge or just slightly higher? I don't want the lights below the partition tray to be super bright and be a distraction. The lighting should be more like these are the corners of the tray and cupholder and a little bit more. if I need to see brightly, thats what the lights on the partition will be for.
I'm also open to suggestions on a better way to achieve this subtle lighting.
Anyhow - can someone suggest which type of LED's I should use so that the lighting intensity is the same as the overall cluster gauge or just slightly higher? I don't want the lights below the partition tray to be super bright and be a distraction. The lighting should be more like these are the corners of the tray and cupholder and a little bit more. if I need to see brightly, thats what the lights on the partition will be for.
I'm also open to suggestions on a better way to achieve this subtle lighting.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,291
Likes: 478
From: Brea CA
The question you posed on what type of LED to use is very subjective. I would suggest that you look at what is available from the various vendors. I would start here http://www.oznium.com/leds then search the net for other LED suppliers.
Gary
Gary
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 523
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From: Pacific northwest
The question you posed on what type of LED to use is very subjective. I would suggest that you look at what is available from the various vendors. I would start here http://www.oznium.com/leds then search the net for other LED suppliers.
Gary
Gary
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
I think he (and I) are both wondering are: is it going to remain a cargo tray or will it become something like an amplifier or Nitrous rack.
Oznium's LEDs are good. Been using them for a while. You can shave off the tips of the LEDs to make the pattern less like a spotlight.
Oznium's LEDs are good. Been using them for a while. You can shave off the tips of the LEDs to make the pattern less like a spotlight.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,786
Likes: 7
From: Iowa
I highly recommend the strip lights from Oznium. they are very bright but you can easily dim them down with a resistor. as a matter of fact Oznium sells resistors designed to make their raw LEDs safe to use on 12V power. one of those (470 ohm) inline with the power to one of their LED strips will dim them down quite a bit. the advantage of using the strip is that they provide such an even distribution of light over a large area. this way you can really light it up but not make it too bright if that is a concern. you could also consider mounting a pot in the circuit so you can adjust the light level to your exact specification.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 523
Likes: 48
From: Pacific northwest
I think he (and I) are both wondering are: is it going to remain a cargo tray or will it become something like an amplifier or Nitrous rack.
Oznium's LEDs are good. Been using them for a while. You can shave off the tips of the LEDs to make the pattern less like a spotlight.
Oznium's LEDs are good. Been using them for a while. You can shave off the tips of the LEDs to make the pattern less like a spotlight.
thats a good tip, i'd like the light to be spread, so i'll def do that. thanks!
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Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 523
Likes: 48
From: Pacific northwest
I highly recommend the strip lights from Oznium. they are very bright but you can easily dim them down with a resistor. as a matter of fact Oznium sells resistors designed to make their raw LEDs safe to use on 12V power. one of those (470 ohm) inline with the power to one of their LED strips will dim them down quite a bit. the advantage of using the strip is that they provide such an even distribution of light over a large area. this way you can really light it up but not make it too bright if that is a concern. you could also consider mounting a pot in the circuit so you can adjust the light level to your exact specification.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,987
Likes: 18
From: DuBois PA
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
You want to look at the mcd rating of the various LEDs you are researching, the higher the number the brighter. Typically the color plays a HUGE part in the brightness. Orange is the dimmest, White and Blue the brightest... Red is wierd in that although it might have a higher mcd rating the human eye doesn't pick up Reds well and it will actually look a bit duller then a lower mcd rated Blue or White LED... Then you can always play with varying the resistance to fine tune the output. Or even install a potentiometer to adjust the brightness.
I think you're going to have to experiment with a few different ones to find the perfect look and function you're trying to achieve. hey they're cheap...
Anxious to see what you come up with!
I think you're going to have to experiment with a few different ones to find the perfect look and function you're trying to achieve. hey they're cheap...
Anxious to see what you come up with!
Last edited by tstar; Oct 16, 2008 at 02:46 AM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08
there's also another factor to consider: viewing angle (aka light spread). MCD is the rated brightness at a given point. An LED with wider viewing angle will produce more light than a one with a smaller viewing angle assuming they both have the same color and MCD rating.
Racer
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 328
Likes: 2
From: Placentia California
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,995
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
St. Jude Donor '08