1W 'stars' Vs. 'Pihranna' .5w

[TechnoWeenie]

I'm building custom tail lights, all LED. I'm thinking of brightness for the dollar.


I used wide angle 3mm superflux LEDs for my CHMSL, which is significantly brighter, and even has better off axis coverage than the stock one...

Now, I'm doing the same thing with the rear tails/turns/reverse,etc.

The question is, do I go with a small number of 1W LEDs that will require drivers, or a crapload of 5mm superflux LEDs with a diode and a voltage regulator.


I used 80 3mm superflux leds for the CHMSL(still have ~1500 left,lol). I don't think the 3mm will be cost effective, being the relatively low output, which is why I'm thinking 5mm superflux, or 1W.

Which do you guys think would be the way to go, cost-wise and performance-wise.

If I could, I'd go 5W LEDs all around, but that's just not very practical


I see places like DX having the stars pretty cheap.....

Suggestions?

 

[TechnoWeenie]

No suggestions eh?

 

[Fallingwater]

12V drivers are cheap, and high flux LEDs last longer than 5mm ones (though I don't know what the "superflux" type you refer to are).
You could use these as drivers (the title says 350mA, but it's a typo - they are 3W 700mA drivers)

Edit: whoops, just noticed you want to go with 1W emitters - so these are probably what you want. Or perhaps these if you'd rather have a one-driver-per-LED setup.

 

[SemiMan]

I'm building custom tail lights, all LED. I'm thinking of brightness for the dollar.


I used wide angle 3mm superflux LEDs for my CHMSL, which is significantly brighter, and even has better off axis coverage than the stock one...

Now, I'm doing the same thing with the rear tails/turns/reverse,etc.

The question is, do I go with a small number of 1W LEDs that will require drivers, or a crapload of 5mm superflux LEDs with a diode and a voltage regulator.


I used 80 3mm superflux leds for the CHMSL(still have ~1500 left,lol). I don't think the 3mm will be cost effective, being the relatively low output, which is why I'm thinking 5mm superflux, or 1W.

Which do you guys think would be the way to go, cost-wise and performance-wise.

If I could, I'd go 5W LEDs all around, but that's just not very practical


I see places like DX having the stars pretty cheap.....

Suggestions?

You mean other than staying with your regulatory approved, not illegally bright, proper angle stock lights... hmm... no.

 

[Fallingwater]

He's using a few low power LEDs as taillights, not misaligned HIDs on the front. I don't think LED taillights can give trouble to anyone.

 

[bhvm]

Super Flux Pirhana/Spiders are elder bro's of 5mm LED with (slightly) better heatsinking that allows them to run at 30mA rather than 20mA.

However,its still not enough.

A single luxeon can easily trounce about 20 of such SuperFulx'es at rated current.

Plus, luxeons last a LOT longer than 5MMs

 

[IMSabbel]

He's using a few low power LEDs as taillights, not misaligned HIDs on the front. I don't think LED taillights can give trouble to anyone.

Quite contrary. Your headlight blind somebody for a few seconds while they pass you.
Some poor sucker, otoh, can end up staring at your taillights for many km in traffic...

 

[bhvm]

IMSabbel,
Don't you think that tail lights are extremely Diffused and not 'Spot lights' like head beams?

and yeah... head-on impacts are far worse than getting a dent in the bumper.


BTW, whats the author up to? Any updates Mr!?

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

get red or r/o Lumileds superflux. They have better heatsinking than 5mm, and they don't put out an extremely bright point-source light like high-power. You want area coverage, not a couple bright spots. Electrically only necessary to solder 2 of the legs, but for best reliability solder all four.

Edit: thought you meant 3mm rounds. lumileds are 5mm squares

 

[MichaelW]

Are you going to retrofit the LED inside the current taillight assembly, because it would be wise to get the not police version, because the police version is red, so that a strobe light can be installed.

Red turn signals are wrong.