LED's appearing in unexpected places

[The_LED_Museum]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

The solar-rechargeable LED markers on my website were meant to be put on roads; therefore, they SHOULD withstand being run over. But I don't own or have access to a car, so I can't test this for myself. Best thing I can do that would even come close to simulating running them over with a car is to run one over with my 400lb electric wheelchair, and drive back and forth over it a few times. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

(Edit, a few moments later):
I ran over the blue LED one several times in my electric wheelchair (left rear drive wheel), and did not damage it in any fashion.

 

[NewBie]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

One of the Ford models has LEDs in the dash. You can adjust your dash to one of 192 different colors....

 

[Zelandeth]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Well, my Lada now has red LED lighting in the dash and all the switchgear. Will post pics eventually.

Chose red for a couple of reasons. Primarily that I had a pile of suitable red LED's laying around, so didn't need to go spend a fortune on LEDs. Secondly, that it'll interfere less with night vision. Thirdly, the pointers on the instrument panel are reddish-orange, and all but disapper under blue light, which would post a small problem!

Hmm, guess I could test the durability of those LED markers by repeatedly running them over with a four wheel drive - well, if I had one anyway. Right now, I can't afford it, if I find the cash though, will get one and put it through its paces.

 

[MeridianTactical]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

BMW on the 3 series (other models as well perhaps) uses LED's for the tail lights now.

The indicator lamps are LED's as well...

 

[spud]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

The VW Touareg has a rechargeable LED flashlight, which sits in the 12V socket in the centre console.


http://www.c3cars.com/parts.cfm?M=1&PMode=I&VIID=3348

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Bought a bottle of Flexamin glucosamine awhile back. The box included a blinking red LED in the package, so after I got it home I HAD to disassemble the box and rescue the assembly, of course. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I couldn't believe what I found inside... a 2"x2" PC board with a 3mm red LED (center of board), the blinker chip and THREE CR-2032 coin cells wired in parallel! Their marketing people wanted to make sure that those retail boxes would be happily blinking away for a looooong time! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

I've got a box like this...a CPFer sent it to me two or three years ago. It's been deader than a doorknob for at least a year, but I still have it (points up and to the left), waiting for me to disembowel it for the blinker circuit. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Maybe I'll take care of that tonight, outfit it with three new CR2032 cells, and just stick it somewhere where it will happily blink away for who knows how long. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

(Edit, a moment later)
OK, I took the board out of the Flex-A-Min box, removed the three dead cells, and replaced them. The red LED is now happily blinking away at about a 1Hz rate. Now I just have to decide where to put it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

(Edit again, a few moments later)
I decided to lean it up against the side of my argon ion laser, aimed toward the window. If the blinking red LED pisses me off at night, I'll find another home for it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
The_LED_Museum said:
OK, I took the board out of the Flex-A-Min box, removed the three dead cells, and replaced them. The red LED is now happily blinking away at about a 1Hz rate. Now I just have to decide where to put it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't it amazing that they put so much material and effort into making a stupid cardboard box blink? I guess this must say something about the intensity of the cutthroat retail market and product differentiation. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Just spotted a pair of flashing white LEDs in another retail display this evening. This was a large cardboard sign that was sitting atop a stack of soda cans, and I think it was announcing some sort of contest. The LEDs were placed in the headlights of a photograph of a car that was a part of the display. The distinctive bluish-white blinking of the LEDs caught my eye right away.

Of course I don't remember anything about the specific message that they intended to deliver; I only remember the LEDs! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Me again, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've seen white LEDs used in some recent models of consumer camcorders, although they certainly don't put out very much light. I'm assuming these are for night shots where the camera helps out by kicking up the video gain.

However I've just spotted an ad for a professional-grade camera-mounted eyelight. I wonder how this compares to an equivalent surface area of compact fluorescents in terms of output.

 

[gwbaltzell]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Another non-car appearance in a box of cereal! A toy "spidey-signal" complete a warning on the box and a piece of paper with the toy. "Battery in toy contains mercury, dispose of properly. (symbol of trashcan with circle and diagonal line) Do not look direcly into the light." Yeah, right! Contains two LR41 (G3) cells. Yes, button cells can contain up to 25 mg of mercury as long as they are not mecuric oxide cells!

 

[NewBie]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Certain new Ford cars have RGB lighting, allowing you to select one of 192 different colors for your dash, on the fly.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
NewBie said:
Certain new Ford cars have RGB lighting, allowing you to select one of 192 different colors for your dash, on the fly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool.

However if I was the designer, I would design it with a lockout so that the driver couldn't mess with the color controls while the car was in motion.

 

[Aten_Imago]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

This is the product I was looking for when I stumbled onto CPF in February 04. So now here it is! If only some people would stop focusing on hand-held flashlights and realise that the ENG video market is going to explode with LED stuff. Now who want's to be the first person to introduce a 3 - 6 LED, 3W Luxeon fixture like the LED LitePanel ?? [ QUOTE ]
PhotonWrangler said:
Me again, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've seen white LEDs used in some recent models of consumer camcorders, although they certainly don't put out very much light. I'm assuming these are for night shots where the camera helps out by kicking up the video gain.

However I've just spotted an ad for a professional-grade camera-mounted eyelight. I wonder how this compares to an equivalent surface area of compact fluorescents in terms of output.

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Willmore]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
PhotonWrangler said:
However if I was the designer, I would design it with a lockout so that the driver couldn't mess with the color controls while the car was in motion.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's easy, my car only lets me adjust certain settings--like the clock--while the key is in the position one back from 'run'. So, "off", "acc", "run", and "start" positions. Unless the car is in neutral and rolling down a cliff, that should do it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ViReN]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Hi,

This one is also some thing funny.... used for a SONY - CHEAP Camera.... 3 LED's as a Lighting arangement for low light conditions !

Thanks & Regards,
ViReN

 

[Saaby]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
PhotonWrangler said:
Bought a bottle of Flexamin glucosamine awhile back. The box included a blinking red LED in the package, so after I got it home I HAD to disassemble the box and rescue the assembly, of course. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I couldn't believe what I found inside... a 2"x2" PC board with a 3mm red LED (center of board), the blinker chip and THREE CR-2032 coin cells wired in parallel! Their marketing people wanted to make sure that those retail boxes would be happily blinking away for a looooong time! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

My grandmother purchased some of that (No offense!) and gave me the blinker. I promptly re-used it in a school project--we had to make a board game. My group had the only board game with a blinking box /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I also have one that takes 2 AA batteries that came with my original Logitech optical mouse a few years back. I stick it in the window of my tent when I go camping, makes the tent easy to find in the dark, but when camping with a group they tend to that that is an unexpected place for a LED, and give me a hard time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[kakster]

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Bicycle brakepads with LEDs that light up when squeezed. Found on eBay