LED 921 Wedge-Type Bulb (custom?)

[NightShift]

My reverse lights on my car use the 921 wedge base bulbs and I wanted to use LED bulbs since everything on the rear of the car is LED already. While the below bulb that I have installed looks ok, it is not AT ALL bright. I'm doubting there's a brighter version of this out there (?) Does a custom K2 LED (or whatever is brightest currently) with a few small heat sink plates seem feasible for this application? Anyone handy enough for possibly building one?

 

[Illum]

not only are those "high flux" LEDs not bright, the lack of heatsinking also makes it dim quicker:shrug:

 

[-Virgil-]

This idea won't work, no matter how much money and time you spend on it. Your reversing lamps were designed around a pure-lambertian emitter (filament radiating light in a sphere), not a narrow directional emitter such as an LED.

 

[NightShift]

not only are those "high flux" LEDs not bright, the lack of heatsinking also makes it dim quicker:shrug:

They actually don't even start off as bright and never get warm. I worked with high flux LEDs and these things in comparison almost seem under-driven or a lower quality version.

Well, the only thing with a custom bulb I have going for me is that the reverse lens is clear (faceted reflector) - so it could essentially just face forward. Not looking for real projection, just a clear indication that i'm backing up. And the light would only be operated for a max of 10-15 seconds.

Maybe just something i'll play around with..

 

[NightShift]

Update: I actually constructed a 4x 5mm Super Flux White LED array into an empty wedge housing I had and tried it out - it's a hell of a lot brighter (mostly because they're forward & direct facing) - very noticeable in the daytime and it actually lights up the area behind me at night which I was surprised about.

I also found some 3W LED heatsinked ones online that I bought off some site - they're also pretty bright, but when I can build one that equivalent to the $20 bulbs..I think I may return the pre-made ones.

 

[Phatty McPatty]

For a non-custom solution, I'm using these:
http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED/...e-LED/V-LEDS-HID-WHITE-19-M-p7526829-1-2.html

Over the last year, I bought dozens of T10/T15 LED wedges from different companies (I was trying to make inexpensive DRLs out of the parking lamps) and these are by far the brightest I found (sadly still not bright enough for DRLs. Is it really that hard?). They're expensive, but bright. I took some pics to compare the incan verses these LEDs. These also have IC controllers integrated into the lamp to control the voltage which I thought was a nice step forward.

I just wish some of you guys here were leading the automotive LED retro-fit push! We'd actually have bright LEDs to choose from!

Patrick

 

[Neondiod]

Hello!

I've made these lamps but they may be too big for your hosing?http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=240712

I can understand that you want LED reverse lights, but as they are on only for a very little time you might consider halogen G4 lamps. Phillips has one 20 W that put out 420 lumens at 12V and on a vehicle they may face a little bit more voltage to be even more brighter.

BR

 

[Disaster]

Hello!

I've made these lamps but they may be too big for your hosing?http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=240712

I can understand that you want LED reverse lights, but as they are on only for a very little time you might consider halogen G4 lamps. Phillips has one 20 W that put out 420 lumens at 12V and on a vehicle they may face a little bit more voltage to be even more brighter.

BR

I'm not infatuated with the idea of LEDs...just want to be able to see out the back. I agree that heat shouldn't be an issue because we are only talking about the bulb being on a minute at the max.

Do you think the G4 bulb would fit in the wedge with a little pin bending or is it more complicated than that?

 

[Neondiod]

I'm not infatuated with the idea of LEDs...just want to be able to see out the back. I agree that heat shouldn't be an issue because we are only talking about the bulb being on a minute at the max.

Do you think the G4 bulb would fit in the wedge with a little pin bending or is it more complicated than that?

I'm too familiar with the bigger wedge type sockets, but the G4 is probably to norrow to fit in a T10/15. What I do know is that the G4 pins don't like to be bend, -the glass will crack. One way is to take a broken T10/15 lamp and smash the glass and put in the G4 with wires, I wouldn't call it complicated to make it light but to get the focus right will. So the usefull light wouldn't probably be so much different than it's worth the effort.

Maybe you should consider a GY6.35 at 30W?