LED side light replacement

[alexmcguffie]

Hello,

I work in electronics, run towo Minors and have never been happy with the brightness and visibility of the frint sidelights and indicators. This seems even more apparent when compared to modern cars and the amount of traffic on the roads these days.

In the past I've tried LED replacement bulbs but these are no better as they don't direct the light to the right place on the lens - the light shines out of the sid of the lamps to give a good spread of light, rather than directly at the lens 'feature'.

I am currently working on my own replacement that would replace both filament lamps with a round circuit board.

Is this something Minor owners out there would be interested in? I don't have prices etc yet but do hope to post some photos soon of before/after to show the difference.

Cheers,

Alex

[simmitc]

In my view, modern light fittings on cars are far too directional, often not visible from the side. I do not know whether this is the design of the lens, the "bulb", or both. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't work on your project, just an observation that LEDs might not be the answer that you seek. You could always fit headlamps with internal sidelights, or even daylight running lights - flexible ones could be formed to follow the hockey sticks. Good luck with whatever you do.

[beero]

Hi Alex and welcome to the forum. I have also tried various led lamps to try for a bit more brightness. I have found these front side lamps worked well on my MGB, double the light, although a bit of a 'blue' tint-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X-233-BA9S-T ... 8695016%26

- didn't work on the Morris because I have the headlights with a small sidelight "window".
The great thing about using leds on interior lights is they don't flatten the battery or melt the plastic lens if you leave the door open whilst working on the car.
I have yet to find a good stop/tail led lamp. In general I have found the smd leds to be better.
Using led indicator lamps will need an electronic flasher unit (but you probably already realise that!)

[bmcecosse]

To improve standard front (and rear Trav) lights - cut out collars of shiny 'chrome' plastic (from some food wrappings) - and fit around the lamp. Also clean the glass lens thoroughly - the difference in light is amazing. The improved light output on modern cars is entirely down to much improved reflectors. No need to fiddle with LEDs.......

[alexmcguffie]

Firstly, thank you for the replies. It's always good to hear different views.

As you can see from the attached photo I now have prototype PCB's which will soon be built up so I can post a before/after video ideally.

My solution is meant to be a direct replacement needing no modifications to lenses etc. The intention is to remove the existing wiring from the side light, undo the 2 x fixing screws, sit the new LED unit with the same 2 screws and fit the new wiring to the existing chassis loom. From outside, it would look 100% standard.

The side light now flashes at a high frequency, >20Hz. This is common on many road car applications now. Although virtually un-noticeable to the naked eye it has been proven to give greater visibility - you must have been closely followed by and Audi with daylight running lights....

More soon...[frame][/frame]

[Matt]

Yes - those DRLs really get me it looks as though they are moving on the car

[bmcecosse]

If you want an Audi -buy an Audi.......

[alexmcguffie]

BMC, I'm not a sales rep so why would I want an Audi (also Merc, BWM, Panzer etc) I would like to be as visible and noticeable than the modern cars around me that generally travel at faster speeds.

[MorrisMinor-65-1000]

Alex, I think that's a really neat and innovative solution, well done. I like it a lot
It's been a few years since I did anything with PCB's, but I did it the old fashioned way of zapping them with UV through a bit of acetate and dissolving the exposed areas in NaOH. I did make some on the little router machines a few times, but there were a right PITA to solder and took forever to make.

I think one thing is clear. In the myriad of different outlooks, backgrounds and walks of life that make up Minor ownership, each has his or her own opinion on the degree to which older cars should be adapted for modern use. But I really don't think there's a place for "originality piety" where safety is concerned, especially on a daily use car.
If you feel safer with the improvements you make, by all means go with them - it's your car, and your driving experience. I can't imagine anybody would ever poo-poo an owner of a pre-60 car because he chose to fit and wear seatbelts. And the same reasoning applies to something like this in my mind. It's subtle, clever, and bound to make you more noticeable.

Above all, it just looks like a great way to combine your two passions - Minors and electronics!

Are you planning a rear cluster board as well?

Michael

[alexmcguffie]

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your comments. I agree entirely on the safety front, driving conditions are very different today compared to when our cars were built. For any modifications I would ever do I would always do it in a sympathetic way so it could easily be put back to standard.

I am looking at a rear LED conversion but obviously the mechanical side isn't as easy as the front.

I remember the days of rubber gloves and chemicals to make PCB's. Much easier to ask a friend to make the blank boards therse days

Alex

[tysonn]

Keep up the good work Alex.As long as the price was right I'd probably be a customer.Believe it or not there are those that are still looking for 1960s air to put in their tyres.
Mick

[bmcecosse]

Oh dear - if you are all so worried about safety - you should only inflate the tyres with dry nitrogen!

[alexmcguffie]

BMC,

No point in nitrogen unless you run your carcas temps at anything over 80 DegC. Or maybe you use tyre blankets before you leave the garage....

[bmcecosse]

Well naturally - after I have decided which compound to use........

[alexmcguffie]

My first test of a working PCB seems to be a success. Light output is brighter than a standard bulb although not stupidly bright. Switching of the indicator is 'sharper' as there are no thermal effects associated with a filament bulb. Angle of view is good for LEDs, probably better than I expected.

See what you think of the photos below. Brightness is hard to judge though. There is one photo at half power and the other two are full power.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[alexmcguffie]

[frame][/frame]

[alexmcguffie]

[frame][/frame]

[rayofleamington]

I have yet to find a good stop/tail led lamp. In general I have found the smd leds to be better

I have some 12/36 LED stop and tail red LED lights on the rear of my Trabi estate and they work much are better than the originals.
I needed red LEDs as I was using blue tinted clear lenses! The bulb and tail light are proud of the bodywork and give good all round visibility.
I've found that LED indicators can be less than good as the bulbs are often much too directional.
To get best use of an incandescant bulb you need to have a good reflector. You can take donor parts from a modern(ish) car in a scrap yard or to make a quick improvement of an exisiting corroded reflector you can use high temp aluminium tape.

For the front of a Minor I find the silver coated incadescent indicator bulbs work well through clear lenses..
Finding clear lenses was not easy but I managed to get some US ones... ;-)

[John Naylor]

Any further progress on this subject, Alex? I want to improve the brake and indicator lights on the rear of my Traveller as modern drivers don't seem to notice our Lucas 2" lighting, particularly on Motorways. From what I've read here it seems that LED bulbs may not be the answer, Roy's idea of 'chrome' reflectors sound worth a try but what about strip LED's! I saw a 'Barnsley' Traveller at the National that had a pair of red LED strips in the bottom of the rear door windows (connected to the brake lights) and a pair of orange LED strips vertically in the rear door windows (connected to the indicators). They didn't spoil the car as they were not that noticeable but were really impressive when lit.

[win]

110740713559
The EBay number above shows a similar strip to the ones I fitted, to my Barnsley minor, quite expensive at 99p each.
I am well pleased with the results.

Regards Win