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Thread: Finished a couple more LED projects

  1. #1

    Finished a couple more LED projects

    In the quest for more light at the rear of the vehicle for loading and unloading at night or cooking/setting up camp after dark, I added a Cree XR-E LED to the rear hatch. To give you an idea of the light output and efficiency, the LED pulls 1.7 watts and puts out 150 lumens of light. The stock incandescent cargo light draws 5 watts and puts out around 50 lumens of light. This LED is so bright I decided not to mount a second one on the other side of the hatch. It is wired to come on when you open the hatch and I also wired a switch to allow you to turn it off. It is mounted in an Acura Legend door light housing that I pulled from the wrecking yard. I simply cut off the incandescent stuff and screwed in an aluminum housing to mount the LED and act as a heatsink to dissipate the heat.



    View of the LED with the lens removed:


    Lens in place:


    Note the amount of light on the ground behind the truck:
    [img width=598 height=800]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LZajI1ZVesU/TdydMvRIbSI/AAAAAAAAFp4/ljgKwbfo5PI/s400/hatchlight4.jpg[/img]

    The light output is hard to believe; like I said, it is very bright!

    I also installed some standard green 5mm LEDs to illuminate the rear heater control and another one hidden in the center console that dimly illuminates the cupholder area.



    You can also see the footwells illuminated via LEDs as well as the new powered GPS mount.

    Next up is to replace the center dome light and rear cargo light with LEDs to complete the interior illumination.

    EDIT--broken photo links fixed.

  2. #2

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    care to share what led's you are using to replace the factory bulbs? or are you just useing normal LED's with resistors for 12V?
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  3. #3

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    Hi Sean,
    I am going to use the same Superflux LEDs I used on my footwells:


    They put out a ton of true white light with virtually no heat and of course low power consumption.

  4. #4

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    what about the led's in the dash and elsewhere?

    thanks for the name drop on the superflux. that helps in tracking some down.

    thanks for the project details. this is on the list, and would make a good winter/back in school project.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  5. #5

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    Very nice! I have just started researching LED's for some projects. I'm a little confused on the wiring and what is needed. For these "star" things, do you need to wire anything else with them? Very impressive light ouptut.


    Quote Originally Posted by paddlenbike
    View of the LED with the lens removed:
    My signature

  6. #6

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    Nice very bright. Those will come in handy.
    96 4Runner SR5 B&M trans cooler, H.I.D conversion

  7. #7

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    what about the led's in the dash and elsewhere?
    LEDs in the center console are standard 5mm LEDs. LEDs in the footwells and eventually the domes are Superflux LEDs and the bright star-shaped one in the hatch is a Cree power LED.


    Quote Originally Posted by slosurfer
    Very nice! I have just started researching LED's for some projects. I'm a little confused on the wiring and what is needed. For these "star" things, do you need to wire anything else with them? Very impressive light ouptut.
    Hi Chris,
    For low power LEDs, like the 5mm ones you get from Radioshack, an inline resistor is fine as these run at only 20 milliamps (mA). Higher powered ones like the Superflux run at 80 mA and current regulation becomes important to keep them at the same brightness even though the vehicle electrical system varies from 12V with the car off to 14.4 with it running, nearly a 25% variance. For constant current you can build a simple integrated circuit for little money.

    For high power LEDs like the Cree in the hatch, it is running at 500 mA, so most home built regulation methods will dissipate excess energy in the form of heat. That's where the Powerpucks come in--they basically switch on and off at very high speeds rather than just waste energy as heat. If you go this route, simply give the puck power and ground and hook up the + and - leads to the LED as you can see in the photo. I can help when it comes time to picking out the appropriate Powerpuck for your application.

  8. #8

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    Thanks, that helped a bunch. I'll definately be asking you some questions when the time comes.
    My signature

  9. #9

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    Is the power puck that round circuit board that the LED is mounted too, or is it something else hidden away?

    Can you give us some part numbers? (Specifically for what you used in the hatch - I love that idea)
    2010 Sequoia Limited Black - Bils UCA & Shocks, Borla Cat back, Morimoto Headlights
    2019 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium Dark Blue w/TRD Gunmetal Wheels - Kings/OME, 285/70R17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers, SSO BMC, TRD Skid, Victory 4x4 Blitz Sliders and Front Bumper, BD Fogs & Light Bar, Morimoto Headlights, Prinsu Rack
    2023 Tacoma Trail White w/Bronze wheels - CBI T3 Side Steps

  10. #10

    Re: Finished a couple more LED projects

    Quote Originally Posted by Cebby
    Is the power puck that round circuit board that the LED is mounted too, or is it something else hidden away?

    Can you give us some part numbers? (Specifically for what you used in the hatch - I love that idea)
    The powerpuck is hidden, but I used the 500 mA model 2008B from Leddynamics.com. Looks like this:


    You can buy them here: http://www.ledsupply.com/powerpuck.php

    I think I am obsessed with LEDs...

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