Need some Cheap, sensor-based LED lights

Ok, here's the scoop -- I'm trying to ease back into things.

I bought a Saab.

It's working quite well, for the most part.

There's no light in the trunk. I took the little light-holder out to try and put a new bulb in. There are no wires connected to the light. I checked the socket the light-holder came out of. There is no socket. It was attached to carpet.

No wonder the light for the trunk isn't working, electricity can't travel through polyester!

Anyway, I tried to find the wyres for it and I couldn't, so maybe some day I will find them, but right now my little hatchback has got no light in the trunk, and this is a problem.

So I'm looking for some kind of super-cheap LED light I can just stick in there. If I get really clever I could even get the kid that work with a reed switch. I'm not looking to light up the world here, just a little light so I can find my junk in the dark. I was seriously considering some of THESE but they take button cells, and that turns me off.

I did also find a tap-light that uses 3 bright Nichia LEDs, and has a timer on it. The disadvantage is that I would have to tap-to turn it on, but I wouldn't have to remember to turn it off, so that would be cool

Ok, have at it.

what about one of those Dot-It(Sylvania?) lights? I know they run on AAAs but you won't be using them all that much continuously, no?

There's no light in the trunk. I took the little light-holder out to try and put a new bulb in. There are no wires connected to the light. I checked the socket the light-holder came out of. There is no socket. It was attached to carpet.

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wouldn't that be a problem with the car? That sounds like something the dealer should take care of under warranty, No?

wouldn't that be a problem with the car? That sounds like something the dealer should take care of under warranty, No?

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Well if it was new, sure, but it's 15 years old with 182k miles. No stink-in warranty on this one!

I thought I saw some of those dot-lights somewhere with reed-switches, but I was running all over the valley yesterday and I couldn't find any

PS - I'm embarrassed that I started this out in the wrong forum. Thanks whoever.

I thought I saw some in Home Depot last time I was there, could always give them a call if you have them there.

I recall seeing an LED light "drawer" light with a magnetic switch at WalMart in the electrical aisle. I think it ran on AA's. Maybe this would be adaptable.

Welcome back, Saaby. Blast from the past. You have been away awhile.

Geoff

Don't care much for Wal-Mart, but I gave in and went today.

Didn't see any sensor based lights, but they did have all manner of other cheap LED lights. They had Sylvania dot-it ripoffs, they even had LED Tap-Lights in 4-packs for like $4

I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I did find One of these lovely things

Well it's not exactly like that, it's probably made in the same city in China though, because it's almost identical. Little white LED, you put 3xAA batteries in it, and when it is dark and detects motion, the LED comes on until no motion has been detected for 20 seconds.

If I don't like it I'm returning it. It doesn't seem terribly bright, but I think it might be well enough to light up my trunk at night, so we'll see. For now I taped some velcro to it, and Velcro it to the carpet liner of the trunk. If it's not half bad, but a little dim, I can put another up.

So wait and see...

That one sounds interesting and useful. Only thing that would concern me is that it's drawing juice all the time to run the motion sensor. Maybe it's not enough to matter.

Geoff

I don't think the motion sensor uses much juice. If you're into X10 Home Automation stuff, you likely have used their motion sensors. You toss 2xAAAs into one and it runs for a year or so, detecting motion and blursting out a RF signal.

Anyway, I went to class tonight, and I came out after class and opened my trunk and drumroll please it worked!

It was not super-duper bright, like if I shined my Aelph in there, but more than enough to get the job done, and for $5.97+tax who can complain?

So I'm sold. I will be attaching some aggressive velcro to the thing and then it should just stick up in my trunk, at least I am hoping that is how it will work. I'll probably pick up another one for the other side of the trunk too, because if a little light is good, more light is better, and I'll still be under $15!

I wondered if it had been on all night, so I opened the cargo cover and closed my hatch. The light went out, but wouldn't come back on. The parking lot lights were giving just enough light that the little LED light didn't want to come on. Well at that point I felt silly standing around in the parking lot so I came home.

When I came home I unlocked my hatch, and bent down and watched, and sure enough, right as I started to open the hatch the light came on, just like in a fridge. So far, so good.

So the way the light works is that it only clicks on when it is dark, and when it detects motion, so it will never come on during the day, which is fine, because I can see fine in the trunk during the day anyway.

When it is dark, and detects motion, than it clicks on. This will work fine in my trunk, even in a dimly lit parking lot, because the trunk is pitch black, so as soon as it sees my leg (I am assuming it's IR-based sensor) it clicks on.

Well once it's on, it doesn't matter how bright the environment gets, it stays on until it hasn't detected motion for 20 seconds -- see because if it turned off in the light, the light coming out of the thing would make it turn itself off.
That make any sense?

Now, can I mod it? We'll see.





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Hi Ryan. I've wondered where you went off to. It's good to see you back and with a Sabb, no less.

Now you need to put a boost circuit with a Cree Q5 in your trunk.

Yeah I'm back. I went off to Seattle for 2 years. Served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Now I'm back trying to start a real life.

Anyway, I put some sticky-back Velcro on the light and put it in the trunk. I don't get into my trunk at night a ton, but I'll post back here in a few weeks if I have any more comments on the thing.

That looks like a really neat solution.

Well I can like already hear the disparaging comments, but I didn't get to try the light out tonight, because I never made it to class. We had one of the worst snow storms of the winter (It came in fast and took visibility down to like 0) and half-way to class something on my serpentine pulley decided that it was time to retire. My car is sitting in the parking lot of a furniture store ready to be towed tomorrow.

Saaby said:

Well I can like already hear the disparaging comments,

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Heck, I was just gonna' say put one on either side to make up for the dim.