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How about 60 LED DRL and Turn Signal in one bulb!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by KK6PD, Aug 22, 2010.

  1. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    The v-leds bulb is 20 3528SMD LED. 3528s are .06w per LED .06*20=1.2 5050s are .18W per LED 30*.18=5.4W Also be aware that these LEDs have color temp of sunlight so in direct sunlight, they will not be visible or will be very dim.
     
  2. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hey KK6PD,

    Just love the Tri-bander reflection in your wind-shield. DId you plan that ?
     
  3. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Well, it was kind of hard to avoid.......

    [​IMG]

    For those wondering I can talk on all amateur bands, any mode as well as listen to anything, anywhere, any mode!!!
     
  4. donee

    donee New Member

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    LOL. Yes, it sure looks to be. My HF antenna is just a 4 foot diameter Mag Loop. And I see, I was wrong. Its a Quad-Bander (with the 40 meter extenders on the two rear elements)...
     
  5. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Good eyes, I gotta assume your also a Ham what's yer Call?
     
  6. Manksgloob

    Manksgloob Member

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    Huzzah!
    The relay is wonderful -- the flashing upon lock/unlock is now working perfectly.

    Thanks again!

    EDIT: I received the newer 30x 5050 diode bulbs. While they are really awesome it turns out that they are not any brighter than what I originally ordered from v-leds. =(
    Ah well. I'll leave them in for now since they're slightly bluer in color (looks like they're between 6000 and 6500) compared to the old 6K ones but I'll probably switch them back since the math shows that the older ones used less power, not to mention the gigantic heatsinks on them as well.
     
  7. narf

    narf Active Member

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    Hi there,
    This is a great mod! I was just about to order the parts to do it myself, but I started searching other sources just for the heck of it (and because I am cheap!) Anyway, I found several sources for cheaper switchback bulbs (although no other 60 SMT bulbs), and I also found lots of complaints about poor quality and poor customer service from autolumination. Since just the two front and two rear turns signal bulbs add up to over $100, I thought I'd see if this was still the best option or if there are any regrets.
    Any comments? How have the bulbs been holding up.

    Thanks
     
  8. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Hello there, I personally have had no problems with Autoillumination, but if you can find the same switchbacks cheaper, go for it!! I went with the 60's just because they are so bright! As far as how they are holding up, absolutly wondeful, not a problem. I do get second takes from other Prius drivers when they see the DRL, and then it turns amber for the turn! The LED's are still 100% functioning, with NO burnt out segments. Hopefully the mod will go easy for you. If you have any questions, PM me. I would be glad to assist! :D
     
  9. liskipper

    liskipper Member

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    Do you have any idea where I can find the flasher relay in a 2010? I have heard that it is not in the fuse box, but under the dashboard.
    Thanks.
     
  10. metro-mike

    metro-mike Junior Member

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  11. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    Have you considered hot melt glue in place of the 5 minute epoxy? I find it much easier to use.

    I hope to do this mod soon. Thank you kindly.
     
  12. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    For about 10 seconds. It gets rather HOT here in Los Angeles in the summer sometimes, and I did not want hot glue melting and dripping into the the engine compartment. Besides, I have many of the 5 minute epoxy paks! But in Maine, hot glue is probably fine!! :D

    Good luck on the mod. Let me know how it turns out for you!!
     
  13. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    I had lots of problem with mine, poor quality control, poor product, poor customer service. I bought 4 bulbs and some sockets. They cost me nearly $200. I installed 2 in the tail lights and immediately found a flaw to the design. When the white LEDs are NOT powered up, flashing the turn signal (amber LEDs) turns on the white LEDs for a fraction of a second then the amber LEDs comes on. You can see it in this video

    I emailed autoilluminations and was told that I need a load resister. I told them that I have LED flashers that's designed for LED bulbs. Then they said that there's something wrong with the factory wiring that cause this. I told them I hooked them up directly to a 12v dewalt battery for testing and are not installed in a car. They kept insisting that I hooked it up wrong. To remedy the problem I built a circuit that turns the turn signal pulse into solid 12v and feed it to the white LED. The initial amber has the white-amber flash. subsequent amber flash stays solid amber.
    Another problem I had was he white LED is no longer white. It turned into a slight purple compared to the white reverse LEDs which is 6000k. I suspect that the LED controller is feeding small amount of power to the amber LEDs. The pair of switchbacks I installed in the tail light has this problem. The pair that I planned to install in the front was kept in storage for 2 months. Upon testing them, one has turned the white LED into yellow LED, and the amber LED looked super orange compared to the other ones. I fought autoilluminations for 3 weeks trying to get it replaced. At the end they would only replace it at 65% of it's cost plus $5 shipping. After I bought the replacement bulb, the other bulb did the same thing. This time, the white LED turned purplish white. I again I fought autoilluminations for a whole month trying to get them to replace it. They kept insisting that I wired it wrong. HELLO!! it only has 3 wires. These bulbs are not polarized. Anyway you hook it up either white or amber will light up. After much arguments, and many many pictures sent showing what a working bulb looks like and what the defective bulb looks like, they still insisting I wired it wrong and blamed me for the original bulb. I've threaten them several times that if they wont replace this bulb for free that I was going to call my credit card company and report them to the BBB. They finally agree to replace it but only if I send the defective bulb back to them for testing and only if they can duplicate the off color white LED. What a freaking nightmare. If there are other switchbacks out there on the market that's as bright as the autoilluminations I'd buy those instead.
     
  14. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    I was looking at LED stats while thinking about this mod, and I came across this "when power is applied [LEDs] rise to full intensity approximately 200 milliseconds faster than incandescent bulbs." If you put LED in your brake lights it is like adding 19 feet to the stopping distance of the car behind you (at 65 mph). Wow! I think that brake lights just got a higher priority on my mod list.

    Any idea what sort of candelas we are talking about for the DRL mod? European standards seem far more reasonable to me (within 400 - 1200 candelas). US allows 7000 candelas; but blinding oncoming drivers seems counter productive on the safety issue. :rolleyes:

    Thanks for inspiring me.

    (Math: 65 MPH * 1.46 = 95 feet per second. 200 milliseconds = 0.2 second * 95 feet per second = 19 feet)
     
  15. narf

    narf Active Member

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    All Prii 2004 and up already have LED brake lights.
     
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  16. PaJa

    PaJa Senior member

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  17. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    No, they're located somewhere in Arizona. The 3157s will not fit in a Prius. You need 7443s
     
  18. narf

    narf Active Member

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    OK, I bit the bullet and bought the Autolumination bulbs and other parts from the OP. (Even though there are lots of people who have had bad experiences with them I couldn't find any other bulbs that seemed as good from another source.) I'm half way through the install, I have the turn signals installed and wired but haven't connected the DRL hot lead. I'm seeing exactly the same things Cproaudio is seeing, if you don't have the DRL lit, there is a microsecond flash of the DRL every time the turn signal flashes. It doesn't bother me, but it seems that it could be a design flaw. I'm using an LED flasher, perhaps it wouldn't happen using the old-style flasher with a resistor.

    Anyway, now that I'm looking at wiring the DRL lead I have a few questions.

    1. Any suggestions on wire routing? The driver side is pretty obvious but the other side seems like there's no good way to do it. Anybody find a good solution?

    2. I'm looking for another location besides the main fusebox to connect to. I'm really uncomfortable drilling a hole in the fusebox and it doesn't seem possible to route the wire through the original opening for the harness. I don't want to create a place for water to get in. I'd think if anything in this mod would void the warranty, this would.

    3. Do we know that the purple wire listed in the OP is fused? The block it is connected to is an "extra" fuse block with no fuses in it, perhaps this wire is the unfused end. And they don't actually put the contacts in the extra fuse sockets so adding a fuse is out. At least this can be dealt with by putting an inline fuse on the wire to the DRL.
     
  19. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    I ran the wire up along the left side of the engine compartment. When I got to the fire wall I ran along the existing bundle. Both L R wires go to a relay. Just run as neatly as you can!
    The hole I drilled was the same diameter as the wire jacket, that and silicone, you wont find moisture in mine, This is YOUR call to make!
    No, the wire IS NOT fused. It is from the supply side of the +12 source. I put a fuse in mine, but also that drives a relay. The leds are powered through the relay to the +12.

    The white flash thing has never been an issue for me!
     
  20. narf

    narf Active Member

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    Thanks for the advice. Seeing that you used a relay gives me another question. With the total draw on these being less than 300ma I would assume a relay is not needed. However, I was wondering about the brightness of these DRLs at night. Did you add this relay to turn off the DRLs when the headlights are on? Is the DRL blinding to oncoming traffic at night?

    Thanks again.