There are a lot of lighting projects I'd like to do but I did terribly at electronics in college. I can follow directions, but putting together something original myself is a real challenge.
I want to add LEDs to my glove comparment and center console that will turn on/off when contacts are opened/closed. Then I want to add utility incandescent lights to the bed of my truck that is run off of truck power and operated manually, and finally strong back-up lights that come on with the normal reverse lights and can be switched off when I'm not in the boonies.
Perhaps soon I may want to make a strong UV light for work (needs to be 1000mW/cm^2 @ ~6" in the 350-400nm range), but I don't think that can be done with today's LEDs.
I've previously followed specific instructions to be able to operate my fog lights independently (a 15-minute job that took me 2 hours), I added a relay to my 4WD computer to be able to switch on my rear differential in any drive mode (the revered Toyota "gray-wire" mod, which took me hours longer than neccessary), and lastly I have installed a stereo (electronics-wise it was a breeze. a strong breeze). That's the extent of my experience.
So how do I get started? Where do I start reading, what keywords do I search for, what books do I read, what DIY sites have info?
I want to add LEDs to my glove comparment and center console that will turn on/off when contacts are opened/closed. Then I want to add utility incandescent lights to the bed of my truck that is run off of truck power and operated manually, and finally strong back-up lights that come on with the normal reverse lights and can be switched off when I'm not in the boonies.
Perhaps soon I may want to make a strong UV light for work (needs to be 1000mW/cm^2 @ ~6" in the 350-400nm range), but I don't think that can be done with today's LEDs.
I've previously followed specific instructions to be able to operate my fog lights independently (a 15-minute job that took me 2 hours), I added a relay to my 4WD computer to be able to switch on my rear differential in any drive mode (the revered Toyota "gray-wire" mod, which took me hours longer than neccessary), and lastly I have installed a stereo (electronics-wise it was a breeze. a strong breeze). That's the extent of my experience.
So how do I get started? Where do I start reading, what keywords do I search for, what books do I read, what DIY sites have info?
