LED's appearing in unexpected places

LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Well, more specifically in cars. (in my case).

I realise that the vast majority of modern cars use LED's for the warning lights, and in some cases the illumination. Older cars however are the subject of this post.

As I remember it, VW were among the first to use them, mid 80's saw several models with what were (if memory serves me rightly, I was about ten at the time!), which had 3mm LED's for the warning lights.

The one which surprised me though was in my Lada. Everything on the dash is incandescent (...for now), apart from the "No charge" warning light...one has to ask why?!? I did ponder whether it was just an oddly shaped light, but on closer inspection, there is actually a rectacular red LED behind that mask with a clear case. Reliability in that case is good - albeit not the best executed of ideas, if it's dark,all you see is a small red rectangle, the symbol itself doesn't get lit!

Anyone else encountered LEDs somewhere they didn't expect to - cars or otherwise?

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

I can't really remember if it was an LED or not but my Uncle's Datsun Maxima (Early 80's model) seemed to use a green led as an indicator light for the air conditioner switch. My 1990 Toyota Corolla also uses a green led to indicate the a/c is on.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

I think BMW also used LEDs for some indicator lights as well.
Now adays, we see brighter LEDs that are used for tailights and side markers on vehicles rather than just indicators.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

My folks' mid-80s Plymouth Voyager featured a green 5mm LED for a useless instrument - the "Fuel Pacer" indicator, which was supposed to indicate optimal times to upshift for fuel efficiency (yes, they bought a minivan with a manual transmission).

The indicator would blink on and off seemingly at random. We always thought it would burn out, but LEDs don't do that, now do they...

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

My toaster has a red indercator led.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

My waffle iron has a red indicator. But its not an LED. Just a window to the heating element! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just saw a pickup that had a row of LEDs just below the tailgate. The seem to be connected to the turn signals and brake lights (should be easy enough).

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Traffic lights.
I noticed those newer traffic lights in my country uses an array of 5mm LEDs. They look very bright, even under direct sunlight!

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Yep they are everywhere now.
We used t have fun in college.

M N O L E D 's
L I'll B M R 2 L E D 's

Hard to type it but if you say the letters they sound like words

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
idleprocess said:
My folks' mid-80s Plymouth Voyager featured a green 5mm LED for a useless instrument - the "Fuel Pacer" indicator, which was supposed to indicate optimal times to upshift for fuel efficiency

[/ QUOTE ]

So that's what that was for! I had an old Plymouth Duster that I bought used, so it didn't come with a manual, but it had an incandescent lamp mounted behind the hood ornament, facing the windshield, and it seemed to glow whenever the accelleration flattened out from giving it too much gas (this was an automatic transmission). I always wondered whether that was telling me what I thought it was.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Seeing them used in MR-16 fixtures in jewlery display cases was interesting.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

For anyone interested the latest mouser catalog (www.mouser.com) has LED lights premade for automotive and other useage as a new product on page 58 and 59 of their catalog. I just ordered a few do replace some gauge lights in my truck.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

One dark night in the winter of 2000, I was in my new car. I had just parked, but had not yet turned the key off. I can't remember if the headlights were on or off. Off, I think. I noticed that--even though there were no lights around--I could see my hands and other things in the car. There was this really dim red glow to everything. Given that the dash lighting is all red LED lighting, I thought maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I spent a few minutes searching and found a couple of very dim red LEDs in the backside of the rear view mirror that were shining down on the dash area. *very* dim, but the effect was very plesant. Nice touch.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Went to Sam's Club yesterday to pick up a couple of those Turboflare units (they moved 'em to the closeout section at the other end of the store from automotive). Anyway, while browsing the store I ran across a kite with LEDs in it's wings! It was only around $7.69. Thing is, I don't fly kites (for as often as people have told me to go and do it!) so I didn't pick one up. Anyway, it might be a fun thing for someone who's into kiting.

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
nexro:
Traffic lights.
I noticed those newer traffic lights in my country uses an array of 5mm LEDs. They look very bright, even under direct sunlight!

[/ QUOTE ]

Quite abit of throw, also. I was waiting for a bus one night with a set of those new LED traffic lights behind me and I could easily tell every time they changed color by watching the light hit a building over a half a block away!

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

I've noticed that too. And I've also noticed that an LED traffic light seems to punch through the visual clutter much better than an incandescent one can, probably because of it's fairly monochromatic output compared to an incandescent bulb behind a colored filter.

Of course once everything goes LED, there will be a lot of, well, monochromatic visual clutter!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

One place where i really did not expect to find LEDs is in a tunnel when approaching Zurich city center. On both sides of the lanes along the escape sidewalk you can find little white bumps every meter each of them containing 6 white LEDs. First i thought that was just some reflective material, but when i turned of the headlights to check, i noticed its 3 nice white LEDs pointing in both directions of the street. There must be tens of thousands of LEDs... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

[ QUOTE ]
Moe said:
One place where i really did not expect to find LEDs is in a tunnel when approaching Zurich city center. On both sides of the lanes along the escape sidewalk you can find little white bumps every meter each of them containing 6 white LEDs. First i thought that was just some reflective material, but when i turned of the headlights to check, i noticed its 3 nice white LEDs pointing in both directions of the street. There must be tens of thousands of LEDs... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Say, that is cool. Can you post a photograph or two?
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

I will take a picture next time i go to Zurich.

My girlfriend didn't really share my enthousiasm when i found out its LEDs in the little bumps. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

Hmm, LED road markers, anything like These Solar powered markers at the LED Museum?

Re: LED\'s appearing in unexpected places

From the looks of the solar panel on the device, I don't think those solar powered road marker can withstand being run over... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif

Of course I could be wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

LED's have really come a long way...they were mostly indicators just four short years ago.